The Christmas Cat

by Amy Clipston

  Emma rested her cheek on his shoulder as she looped her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of his shampoo.

  “Breakfast smells amazing.” Henry rested his chin on the scarf covering her hair, then released her from his embrace.

  “Why don’t we eat before it gets cold?”

  “Ya, that’s a gut idea.”

  Emma found the sugar bowl and creamer and they sat down at the table.

  After a silent prayer, they chatted about visiting their parents later in the day, and soon their plates were empty. Emma was nearly bursting with excitement to exchange gifts.

  Henry reached down to the floor and lifted two boxes, each wrapped in bright red paper. “I have something for you.”

  Her pulse raced as she ripped open the paper on the top box. As she lifted the lid, she gasped with delight, pulling out a wooden paper towel holder with hearts on the top and bottom, along with a matching napkin holder. “Did you make these?”

  He nodded. “Ya. I thought I’d try to make something a little more complicated than a wooden frog.”

  “I love them!” She lifted the paper towel holder from the box and set it on the table. Then she put the napkin holder beside it. “They are lovely. Danki.”

  “Gern gschehne.” He pointed to the second box. “There’s more.”

  She unwrapped the second box and found two Christian novels, along with a bottle of cherry-blossom body lotion, her favorite. She flipped open the top of the lotion and breathed in the rich, sweet scent.

  Then she opened the books and read the inscriptions in them. Each said Merry Christmas, Emma. I love you. Always and forever, Henry.

  “These are perfect. Danki so much.” Reaching across the table, she squeezed his hand. “I can’t wait for you to open these.” She pushed her two boxes toward him.

  Henry lifted an eyebrow as his lips twitched with a teasing grin. “You’re eager for me to open these, aren’t you?”

  She blew out an impatient sigh. “Ya, I am. Come on. Please open them.”

  He opened the smaller box first, revealing a new carving knife. His eyes widened. “This is perfect—danki!”

  “Gern gschehne.” She pointed to the larger box. “Please open this one now.”

  He ripped off the paper and opened the box, his smile fading as he pulled out the queen-size quilt. He ran his fingers over the intricate stitching of a Mariner’s Star pattern created in his favorite colors, blue and gray.

  “Emma,” he whispered, his voice a little rough. “This is so schee. I don’t even know what to say. I’m overwhelmed by the time and effort you put into this for me. It must have taken you all year.”

  The emotion in his voice sent warmth curling through her. “I wanted to make you something nice. You complained last winter that the schtupp was too cold even with a fire, so I thought I’d make you a quilt to keep you warm while you read the paper.”

  “This is exquisite.” He continued to run his hand over the stitches. “I always knew you were talented, but this is just amazing.” He smiled across the table at her. “I love it. Danki.”

  “Gern gschehne.” Her lips pressed together as her earlier regret invaded her thoughts.

  Henry’s smile faded. “Was iss letz?”

  “Nothing.” Emma sniffed as tears filled her eyes. “I was just thinking about how froh I am this Christmas.”

  “That’s not it at all.” He shook his head as he hopped up from his seat, came around the table, and sat down beside her. “I know you well enough to tell when you’re holding something back from me. There’s something you’re not telling me. What is it?”

  She tried to clear her throat past a lump, but it continued to swell despite her best effort. “I was hoping to give you something else this year.”

  “What do you mean?” His eyes seemed to search hers for the truth.

  She stared down at her hands to avoid his gaze and drew circles on the tablecloth with her finger. “I was hoping I could wrap a little bootie and tell you we were going to have a boppli.”

  “Ach, Emma, look at me.”

  She kept her gaze focused on the green tablecloth.

  “Emma.” His voice was more insistent, but she continued to avoid his gaze as a tear escaped her eye and trickled down her hot cheek. “God will bless us with kinner when he sees fit. You can’t give up hope yet.”

  Emma sniffed as more tears flowed, streaming down her cheeks and splattering on her apron. “You must be so disappointed in me because I haven’t given you a kind yet.”

  He clicked his tongue. “Why would you even think that?”

  “Because all our married freinden are expecting kinner, and we’re not.” She reached for a napkin and swiped it across her eyes and then her nose. “Their families are growing, and ours isn’t. I was certain I was expecting last month, but it turned out I was wrong. It’s just not happening. There must be something wrong with me.”

  “Ach, mei liewe.” Henry pulled her into his arms. “There is nothing wrong with you. I don’t blame you, either. We’ll just keep praying. And nee matter what, I will always love you. My love for you will always grow, whether we have six kinner or we have nee kinner. All that matters is that we have each other.”

  With her lower lip trembling, she glanced up at him, taking in his amazing blue eyes, shining with unshed tears. “Do you mean that?”

  Henry gave her a sad smile as he wiped away her tears with the tip of his finger. “Of course I do. Ich liebe dich, Emma.”

  “Ich liebe dich too,” she echoed, her voice quavering.

  He leaned down and kissed her, infusing her with the familiar warmth she cherished. It told her this was the man who would care for her always, completely and deeply.

  Chapter 5

  Oh, Emma, this quilt is so lovely.” Mandy ran her fingers over the stitching when Emma handed her the quilt she’d given to Henry all those years ago. “I’m certain Henry cherished it.”

  “He did.” Emma sat back down in her chair. “It’s a bit faded and worn. Not only is it decades old, but he used it right up until the day he passed away. He kept it on his chair during the winter months.”

  Ephraim touched the quilt. “It’s really nice. You do great work.” He grinned at Mandy. “It’s a shame you can’t make something like this.”

  Mandy rolled her eyes. “You said my gift is baking.”

  “I’m just teasing you.” Ephraim took a sip of his coffee and then looked at Emma. “Do you still make quilts to sell?”

  Emma shook her head. “I stopped a few years ago. I thought about going back to it, but when Henry got sick, I became his full-time caregiver.”

  Katie Ann frowned. “I’m sorry to hear you had to give it up. This is so schee.”

  Emma began folding the quilt so she could put it away. “I’m not sure I have the eyesight for quilting anymore. I’d like to find something else. I don’t know what to do with my time now.” She carefully set the quilt on her lap.

  “I’m going to see if the cherry bars are cool enough to cut.” Mandy stood. “It really is getting late.” She started toward the kitchen.

  “Do you need help checking them?” Ephraim got up and trailed after her.

  Emma stood to take the quilt back to her bedroom. “We can eat in the kitchen. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “I’ll get the plates out,” Katie Ann said as she and Wayne followed Mandy to the kitchen.

  “They’re ready to be cut.” Ephraim grinned and looked over his shoulder as Emma returned to the kitchen. She offered Katie Ann a knife from the block by the stove, and Katie Ann began cutting the dessert into bars and placing them on a platter Mandy provided.

  When she was finished, Katie Ann brought the platter to the table, which Mandy had readied for them. Emma refilled their mugs with coffee from the percolator and they all sat down.

  “Oh, Emma,” Ephraim gushed. “These are fantastic.”

  “Danki.” Emma tilted her head. “Henry
always looked forward to eating these on Christmas Eve.”

  “I need to write down the recipe.” Mandy turned toward Ephraim. “I can make them for you.”

  “That would be wunderbaar.” Ephraim grinned.

  Katie Ann looked over at Wayne, and Emma thought she had a curious look in her eye. “Do you like them?” she asked.

  “Oh ya.” Wayne swiped another bar from the platter. “We need to have these again.” Emma noticed Katie Ann nodded her head ever so slightly.

  “I’m froh you’re all enjoying them.” Emma lifted her mug and took a long drink. Then she glanced toward the doorway as Hank sauntered across the kitchen, stopping once to stretch each of his legs before continuing his lackadaisical journey to the table. He jumped up next to Emma, on Henry’s chair again, and sat erect as he stared at her.

  “Do you think he’s hungry?” Katie Ann touched Hank’s head, but he didn’t take his eyes off Emma.

  “He shouldn’t be.” Emma placed her mug on the table. “He ate tuna and bacon earlier.”

  “Tuna and bacon?” Wayne’s eyes were wide. “That’s a nice meal.”

  “Ya, it is, but it’s all I had to offer him. I’ll have to pick up some cat food when I get to the store again. And, oh my, some cat litter too.”

  As if he and Emma had realized his need at the same time, Hank scooted to the back door and made a pathetic sound. Emma let him out, hoping he wouldn’t get lost in the snow. But it wasn’t long before he scratched on the door and was let back inside where it was warm. After Emma dried him off, he hopped right back into Henry’s kitchen chair.

  Emma sat down beside him and rubbed his chin. In response, Hank lifted his head and closed his eyes.

  “He likes that.” Ephraim chuckled.

  “It looks like he enjoys that as much as having his ears scratched,” Mandy agreed.

  “I think you’re right,” Emma said.

  “What else did Henry like to eat?” Mandy took another cherry bar from the platter.

  Emma thought back. “He enjoyed steak and potatoes, of course.”

  “Every man likes that,” Ephraim said, and everyone laughed.

  “He also enjoyed my beef stroganoff, hamburger casserole, and chicken and dumplings.” Emma smiled as she recalled the times she surprised him with a favorite meal when he came home from work.

  Then she remembered something new. “You know, sometimes I even took one of Henry’s favorite meals to him at the store, but one of our happiest moments there had nothing to do with food.” She stroked Hank’s fur as the events of that afternoon came back to her.

  Emma rushed through the front doors of Lancaster Farm Supply and came to a stop. Henry was helping a customer at the front counter. She fingered the ties on her prayer covering as excitement bubbled up inside of her. She had news she couldn’t wait to tell him.

  Her heart thumped in her chest as she took in her husband’s bright, intelligent blue eyes and warm, welcoming smile. When the customer took his bags and headed for the exit, Emma rushed over.

  “Emma!” Henry came around the counter and pulled her into his arms for a hug. “What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you.” She smiled, then pointed toward the back of the store where the office was. “Could you ask Urie to run the front so we can have some privacy?”

  “Absolutely.” Henry took her hand and guided her toward the back room, where they found Urie unloading a pallet of birdseed. “Urie, I have an important visitor. Could you please run the front for me?”

  Urie turned toward them and waved in greeting. “Hi there, Emma. Wie geht’s?”

  “I’m doing well,” she responded with a wave. “How are you? How’s Ella?”

  “Ella is great. Danki.” Urie’s smile deepened as he walked toward them. “She only has about two months left. I can’t believe the boppli will be here so soon.”

  Emma’s stomach fluttered. “The time is going quickly. I’ll have to visit Ella this week.”

  “You should do that. She’d love to spend time with you.” Urie wiped his hands on a rag as he stepped out into the store. “I’ll take care of the front. Take your time.”

  “Danki.” Henry steered Emma into his office, where he pulled out a thermos from a cooler on the floor. “Would you like a cold drink?” He opened the thermos and poured water into two Styrofoam cups.

  “Ya, danki.” She took the cup of water and sat in a chair by the desk. “How is your day going?” She lifted the cup and took a long drink, enjoying the cool liquid on her parched throat.

  “It’s been a gut day. Busy.” He pulled a chair over beside her and sat with his leg brushing hers. “I’m more interested in hearing about your day. You rarely come to see me at work, even when you have a driver bring you into town to shop. What prompted this special visit?”

  “Well . . .” She stared down at the cup, silently gathering her scattered thoughts. “I have some news.”

  “What kind of news?”

  “Surprising news.” She looked up, her eyes locking with his. “I had a doctor’s appointment today.”

  “You had a doctor’s appointment?” He tilted his head. “I don’t remember you telling me that. I’m sorry I forgot.”

  “You didn’t forget. I didn’t tell you.” She bit her lower lip as he raised his eyebrows.

  “You don’t normally keep secrets from me . . . or do you?” He set his cup of water on the desk behind him. “Have there been other secret doctor’s appointments?”

  “Nee, this was the first secret appointment.” She chuckled and set her cup beside his. “I don’t normally keep secrets from you. In fact, I never have, unless you count birthday and Christmas presents.”

  “Okay.” He smiled, seemingly satisfied with her response. “So why the sudden secrecy?” Then his face suddenly changed, his smile melting into a frown. “Wait. Do you have something bad to tell me? Was this appointment about something serious?” He sat up straight. “Why didn’t you ask me to come with you? You know Urie can run the store without me if you ever need me. If you had said the word, I could have gone with you—”

  “Slow down.” She placed her hand on his. “I didn’t invite you to come because I wanted to know for certain before I told you.”

  Henry’s expression flickered with something unreadable before his eyes widened. “Know what for certain?” He leaned toward her, his hands resting on her arms. “Emma, are you ill?”

  A laugh burst from deep in her chest. “Nee, nee, nee.” She rested her hands on her abdomen. “I’m expecting.”

  “What?” Henry exclaimed so loudly that Emma jumped with a start. “We’re going to have a boppli?”

  “Ya!” She yelped as he lifted her up and swung her around.

  He laughed and hugged her before setting her on her feet.

  “We’ve waited so long for this.” She held on to him, looping her arms around his shoulders. “I was afraid it would never happen, but now it has.”

  “Oh, Emma.” Henry gazed into her eyes and traced her cheek with his fingertip. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.” He kissed her, then rested his forehead against hers. “Danki.”

  “Gern gschehne.” She placed both hands on his chest. “I couldn’t wait to tell you, so I asked my driver to bring me here. I thought I might burst with excitement if I had to wait until suppertime.”

  “I’m froh you didn’t wait.” He kissed her again, making her lips tingle.

  “Are you disappointed I didn’t tell you about the appointment?”

  He shook his head. “Nee, not at all. But when are you due?”

  “May.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m so excited. I’ve always planned to move my sewing table and supplies into our bedroom so the nursery can be right next to us. Or wait. We should just move my sewing room to one of the bedrooms upstairs. And I have my cradle in the attic. Would you please refinish it? And I think we have your crib. We can clean that up too. And I need to get sewing. We�
�ll have to talk about names. We have so much to do!”

  He laughed. “We do have a lot to do. Why don’t you go home and make a list? We can talk about it at supper tonight.”

  “That’s a great idea.” She hugged him. “Ich liebe dich.”

  “I love you too.” He kissed her once more.

  “We did talk that night,” Emma said after telling the story, minus some of the romantic details. She rubbed Hank’s velvety soft ear between her fingers. “We made all sorts of lists, and we started working on the nursery. Henry refinished my cradle from when I was a boppli, and he started working on the crib.”

  She paused for a moment before going on. “But everything changed in the middle of the night when I was in my third month.”

  Hank rolled over onto his back on the chair, and Emma stroked his middle as she carefully continued the story. She wanted to tell her young friends what happened, but she’d spare them the hardest details.

  Emma woke up in the middle of the night and sucked in a deep breath as a sharp, white-hot pain radiated from her lower back to her abdomen.

  “Henry.” She managed to breathe out his name when the pain subsided. “Henry.” She reached over and nudged him. “Wake up. Something’s wrong.” Tears burned her eyes as the pain flared once again.

  “What?” Henry rolled over. “Emma?”

  When she gasped, he sat up. “Emma? Was iss letz?” He took her hand in his. “Emma? Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I’m in pain. Can you help me to the bathroom?”

  “Ya, ya.” He climbed out of bed, rushed around to her side, and helped her stand. “Where does it hurt?” he asked as he led her out of their bedroom.

  “My back. My abdomen.” She swallowed back a sob when they reached the hallway. “Something is terribly wrong.” Tears streamed down her face as fear gripped her. Please, God. Please protect our boppli.

  “Everything will be fine.” The tremor in his voice sent more tears cascading down her cheeks. “I’ll take care of you. I promise.”