A Surprise for Lily (9 page)

“They still look a little funny from the pox,” Papa said, “but they're no longer contagious. It's safe for you to come home.”

Jim trotted all the way home. Lily didn't wait to help Papa unhitch Jim from the buggy. She jumped down and ran into the house. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she took a deep breath. The house smelled just the way Lily had remembered. Warm, cinnamony, soft and inviting. Like Mama. Dannie and Paul were sitting on the living room floor, playing with their farm animals. They jumped up and ran to meet Lily. She tried not to stare at them, but they looked disgusting. Their faces were blotchy with red spots. Mama came downstairs. She gave Lily and Joseph a big hug. “It's so good to be a family again,” she said.

It was good, so good, to be home.

L
ily wished she could press her nose against the kitchen window but she knew that would only mean she would have to wash it. She didn't want to create any more need to clean than was absolutely necessary.

Outside, the snow swirled and blew around the house and piled in drifts in front of the door. The snow was so thick that she couldn't even see the light from the lantern in the barn where Papa and the boys were doing evening chores.

She hoped the snow would stop soon. Papa had made arrangements for Mr. Tanner to come tomorrow evening to take the family to a little Amish store to Christmas shop. Lily and Joseph needed to buy some gifts for the gift exchange at school. Lily had been looking forward to shopping for more than a week, but it looked as if the snow might put an end to those plans.

She turned from the window. “Mama, what are we going to do if it keeps snowing? It would be terrible if we couldn't buy gifts and didn't have anything to give at the Christmas program.”

Mama left the stove and joined Lily at the window. She looked up at the gray sky. “I don't think you have anything to worry about. The snowplows have plenty of time by tomorrow evening to clear the roads. And even if they don't, we can always figure out something else for gifts.”

Lily wasn't convinced. She thought a potential disaster was in the making.

“This isn't that big of a snowstorm, Lily.” Mama smiled and went back to the stove to stir a pan of frying potatoes. “I remember a storm back when your Papa and I were courting that took the prize for the biggest snowstorm.”

Lily leaned her elbows on the counter and rested her chin in the palms of her hands. She loved hearing stories about Mama and Papa's courting days.

Mama turned down the burner and covered the pot full of potatoes with a lid. She picked out an onion from a bowl, set it on a wooden cutting board, and sliced it in half. “We had all gone to a neighboring church district one Sunday for church and planned to stay for the evening hymn singing. It had started to snow during church—those heavy kinds of flakes that clung to everything. There was hardly any wind so the snow started to pile up fast. We thought about starting for home, but decided to stay. Usually, those fat snowflakes mean there's a lot of water in the snow, and the temperature wasn't very cold. We thought the snowstorm wouldn't last very long.” She pulled the papery skins off the onion and tossed them in the sink.

“But that evening, while we were singing, the snow picked up and the wind started to blow. Papa started to worry about the weather, so we left before the singing was over. We'd only gone a mile or two when Papa's horse lost a shoe and started to limp. Papa got out to lead the horse. We crept along, mile after mile. Finally, we stopped at someone's home to see if we could leave the horse there and borrow a horse to get home.” While she was telling the story to Lily, she diced the onion into small pieces, then added them to the pan of potatoes. She added a pat of butter and stirred the onions and the potatoes to keep them from sticking to the pan.

“After we had switched horses, the snow was even deeper. All the way home, the poor horse had to walk right into the wind. By the time we reached home, we were nearly frozen. Papa unhitched the horse and put him in the barn while I hurried into the house. I made hot chocolate to warm him up before he started for home.”

“Papa loves hot chocolate!” Lily said. “Maybe that's why.”

Mama grinned. “After he left, I realized that it was the Sunday before his birthday, and I had forgotten to give him a gift.”

“Did you give it to him later?”

“Yes, but I didn't see him again until the next Sunday.” Mama salted the golden brown potatoes and scooped them onto a platter. “He said he liked it just as much as if I had given it to him the week before.”

“What was it?”

“Papa still has it,” Mama said. “I gave him the green horse blanket we use for Jim.”

Lily knew that green blanket very well! It was Jim's favorite.

A blast of cold air blew in the house when Papa, Joseph, and Dannie burst through the door, eager for dinner. Lily looked out the window again. The snow didn't bother her quite as much now.

The next morning, Lily woke to find two feet of snow on the ground. All the roads were closed. Lily and Joseph dressed warmly and waded through the knee-deep snow. Each step, plowing a path to school, was hard work. Lily was glad to see smoke rise from the chimney as they neared the schoolhouse. She couldn't wait to get inside and warm up by the registers before Teacher Judith rang the bell.

Today was the last day to practice the Christmas program. After all the classes had completed arithmetic, Teacher Judith announced that the rest of the day would be spent rehearsing poems and verses. Lily had memorized her parts. Half-listening to everyone recite the pieces, she kept an eye out the window, hoping and praying to see a snowplow.

Right before school was dismissed, Lily heard a strange rumbling noise come up the road. The students craned their necks to see what was coming. It was a giant snowblower. It gobbled up the snow on the road and blew it into the fields. Aaron Yoder kept tipping his desk back, farther and farther, watching the snowblower. Suddenly, his desk flipped back and he crashed to the floor. He lay on his back with his feet sticking up in the air. His books were scattered all around him. He had a bewildered look on his face, as if he didn't know how he had ended up on the floor.

The entire class burst out laughing, including Lily. She
cherished it as a never-to-be-forgotten moment—it wasn't every day that Aaron Yoder looked silly.

Teacher Judith rushed to help Aaron turn over his desk and gather his books. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. “I think we can dismiss a little early today.”

The students ran to get their coats before Teacher Judith could change her mind. Why, she was so flustered she didn't even remember the last hymn for the day! Lily was so happy about the snowplowed roads that she practically skipped all the way home. They would be able to go shopping for gifts tonight!

Mama fixed a simple supper of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches so they could be ready to leave the minute Mr. Tanner drove into the driveway. The sun had just set by the time they were off on the shopping adventure in Mr. Tanner's blue station wagon. Lily's heart sang with happiness. The day was turning out better than she could have imagined. And then . . . Mr. Tanner drove to the narrow road that led to the little Amish store. The snowblower hadn't bothered to plow such a small road.

Papa blew out a puff of air. “Doesn't look like we'll be driving down this road.”

Mr. Tanner turned his car around. “Where to now?”

“Most stores are closed by now,” Papa said. “Let's stop at a grocery store so we can at least pick up some candy canes.”

Lily was crushed. Candy canes? Those weren't special. She had been looking forward to getting to choose something pretty and unique at the store, and now she would have to settle for something boring and ordinary.

Papa ran into the grocery store and came back outside with
several boxes of candy canes. They had barely arrived back home when Papa said, “Bedtime for little lambs.”

“So early?” Joseph asked.

“I've got a little work to do in the shop tonight,” Papa said, shooing Joseph and Dannie up the stairs.

Lily could have cried. Going to bed early felt like a punishment on any day—but especially so after such a dismally disappointing evening.

As Lily lay in bed, she listened to the hum of the diesel engine in Papa's shop. She tried to think up excuses to stay home from school tomorrow. She'd rather skip the Christmas program than see the sneer on Effie Kauffman's face when she received Lily's candy cane. Effie would make some snippy remark about how poor Lily's family was.

Yes, Lily definitely had to come up with a good excuse to stay home tomorrow.

But then she remembered Teacher Judith's prize for best attendance by the end of the school term. Effie had stayed at home with the stomach flu for two days last week so now the girls were in an even tie for the prize. She just couldn't stay home. She turned over and punched the pillow, mad and sad at the snow.

The next morning, Joseph burst into Lily's room. “Come see what Papa made!”

Lily jumped out of bed and followed Joseph into the kitchen.

There on the kitchen table sat twenty-four beautiful wooden pencil holders, smooth like silk and polished like satin, with candy canes in each one.

Papa smiled shyly. “Candy canes just didn't seem like enough of a gift for Christmas. I stayed up last night and made these.”

“Papa stayed up late,” Mama said. “After midnight.”

Lily felt tears prick her eyes. She should have known Papa would fix something special in his shop. He could fix anything. “Oh, thank you, Papa.” She gave him a big hug.

She couldn't wait to give a pencil holder to all the children in school. Even Effie.

L
ily helped Joseph and Dannie carry firewood until the wood box was piled high. They brought another stack in and piled it on the floor beside the wood box. Papa wouldn't have to carry in any wood tomorrow. Christmas Day could stay warm and cozy for Papa.

“I think there's enough wood to last for several days,” Papa said as Lily unloaded another armload of wood on the floor. He sat at the kitchen table and cracked nuts from a big bowl. Mama was by the sink, finishing a few more preparations for tomorrow's dinner. Everything was almost ready for Christmas.

Lily hurried to get the book Mama had been reading to them before bedtime. Mama put the last dish for tomorrow in the refrigerator and sat down at the table. Dannie and Joseph ran to the table. Papa cracked a few almonds for everyone as Mama opened the book to the bookmark. She
hadn't read more than a few pages when they heard an odd sound outside. Then a funny rap on the door.

Papa got up to see who was at the door. Mama kept reading, but Lily's ears were strained toward the hallway. Who had come to Whispering Pines on this dark, snowy night?

Papa stuck his head around the doorjamb. “There's a man on the porch whose car got stuck in the snow. He was trying to walk home but twisted his ankle. He asked if I could give him a ride. He says he lives just up the road so I'm going to use the big sled to give him a ride rather than harness up Jim.”

Joseph jumped from the table. “Can I go with you?”

Papa looked at Mama and waited until she gave him a nod. “If you dress warmly you can come along,” Papa said. “You can help me pull the sled.”

Joseph grabbed his coat from the wall peg. Mama tied a scarf around his neck. Lily pressed her nose against the cold window and watched Papa and Joseph pull the man on the sled up the road. “Can I stay up until they get back?”

“That would be nice company for me,” Mama said. “I'll tuck Dannie and Paul into bed and then I'll be right back.”

“But I want to stay up, too,” Dannie said.

“Tomorrow is Christmas, Dannie,” Mama said. “You want to get plenty of sleep tonight so you won't have to take a nap tomorrow.”

Satisfied, he ran upstairs to bed and was calling for Mama to tuck him in before she even left the kitchen. Now that was an example of how smart Mama was. Dannie hated naps. He never wanted to miss anything.

Lily tried to crack a few nuts while she waited for Mama. When Mama came downstairs after she tucked Dannie and Paul into bed, she sat at the table with Lily. She picked up a
nutcracker and started to crack almonds. The only sounds in the kitchen were the gentle hiss of the gas lamp and the shells of the almonds cracking. Now and then, a whoosh of snow blew at the windows and Lily remembered Papa and Joseph, out in the cold. She hoped they would be home soon.

“How did you celebrate Christmas when you were a little girl?” Lily asked.

“Pretty much the way we celebrate now,” Mama said. “Grandma made our favorite foods and we were given plenty of candy and snacks, and a few gifts. Grandma would knit a pair of mittens for each of us. Even if we knew we'd be getting mittens, it was always fun to see what color they would be. I always hoped for a pink pair, but that never happened. Grandma didn't think pink was practical.” Mama reached out for another handful of almonds. “And then we would sing our favorite Christmas carols. Later in the day, we would get together with family for a big meal, just like we do now. Your Uncle Jacob always seemed to choose the biggest and best candies and snacks. Aunt Mary and I didn't think that was fair, so one year we decided to teach him a lesson.”

Mama went to the woodstove and added a few sticks of wood to keep the fire going. Lily watched every move she made, eager to hear the rest of the story, but she knew Mama wanted the kitchen to be cozy and warm when Papa and Joseph came home.

Mama came back to the table and sat down. “We had made homemade candy bars. We made one a little longer than the rest and hid a watch chain in the middle of the filling before we dipped it in chocolate. On Christmas Day, we made sure that Jacob was served first. Of course, he chose the biggest
candy bar, just like we thought he would. We tried not to giggle as he took a big bite and chomped down on that chain.

“But then . . . he let out a terrible yelp! He had broken a tooth on the watch chain. He didn't eat much of anything for the rest of the day. Neither did Mary or I. We felt terrible. It hadn't occurred to us that something bad could happen.”

That, Lily thought, was interesting. Mama was always pointing out to Lily to think, think, think, before she acted. But it was just as hard for Lily as it had been for Mama.

Lily was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She felt drowsy from the warmth radiating off the woodstove. The
kitchen still had that cinnamony smell left over from baking Mama had done that afternoon. Christmas was such a wonderful time of year. Mama stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock. “It's almost midnight. I think I'll just leave a lamp in the kitchen for Papa and Joseph. We need to go to bed.”

Lily went upstairs and looked out the window. The snowstorm had passed and the sky was cloudless. The moon shone brightly on the freshly fallen snow. There was no sign of Papa and Joseph. She hoped they would get home soon. She shivered and climbed into bed to snuggle under the covers.

By the time Lily woke up the next morning, the sun was streaming through her window. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright light. It was Christmas morning! And she had overslept. She dressed as fast as she could and hurried downstairs to help Mama make Christmas breakfast. Mama was frying bacon at the cookstove as Lily came into the kitchen. “Papa and Joseph didn't get home until 3:30,” she said. “They're both still sleeping. Papa will tell us all about it at breakfast.”

As the smell of Mama's crisp bacon floated through the house, Dannie and Paul woke up and galloped downstairs like two noisy colts, excited Christmas Day was here. Lily shushed them so they wouldn't wake up Papa and Joseph, but all of a sudden, Papa walked into the kitchen, dressed for the day. “Why, there's my little helpers,” he said, as cheerful as ever. “I'm ready to head to the barn to start the chores. Who wants to help me?”

Dannie ran to get dressed, while Papa helped Paul into his coat and mittens. The basement door banged behind them as they started for the barn and Lily and Mama finished preparing breakfast.

Since it was so late in the morning, Mama decided not to make a huge Christmas breakfast like she usually did. Lily was a little disappointed but tried not to show it. The table still looked nice with fried eggs, crispy bacon, corn flakes, and an orange beside everyone's plate. And no porridge! Not on Christmas morning.

Joseph came downstairs, rubbing his eyes, as Papa and the younger boys came back in from the barn. They gathered around the table and had a moment of silent prayer. Papa slid an egg onto his plate. “Well, Joseph, you and I had quite the adventure last night, didn't we?”

Joseph nodded his head, but he was too busy eating to answer.

“We pulled the sled down the road, past a couple of houses,” Papa said. “The man kept saying just a little farther, just a little farther. So we kept on going. When we reached the end of the road, he told me to turn left and keep going.”

“Miles and miles and miles,” Joseph added. He grabbed a handful of bacon from the platter. Mama reached out and held his wrist until he released most of the bacon.

Papa nodded. “We walked mile after mile before we finally reached his house. We helped him into his house and started for home. The snowplows hadn't cleared the roads yet, so when we climbed to the top of a hill, we would sit on the sled and fly down to the bottom.”

“That part was fun,” Joseph said around a mouth full of bacon.

Disgusting,
Lily thought. Watching Joseph eat was just disgusting.

“We didn't get home until 3:30,” Papa said. “Worn out and ready for bed.”

“And cold, too,” Joseph said.

Papa finished eating his eggs and started to peel his orange. “That man must be very lonely. He lives by himself, his house wasn't clean or warm. Nothing felt like Christmas. I thought it might be nice if we took him the food Mama has prepared. We always have such a huge feast at Grandpa and Grandma Miller's house. I'm sure no one will miss a little extra.”

Lily would! She would definitely miss Mama's special meal. She'd been looking forward to that turkey casserole, the special Christmas pudding, the angel food cake that had green and red Jell-O swirls in it. She was just about to say so when Papa silenced her with a look.

“Christmas is a time to reach out to others,” Papa said, “the way Jesus reached out to us.”

Mama packed up the meal she had prepared, including a basket of dinner rolls. Lily tried not to feel selfish, but she was mad at that man. Because of him, Papa and Joseph spent most of Christmas Eve pulling a sled in the snow. And because of him, they wouldn't be having Mama's special meal.

Papa, Joseph, and Dannie hitched up Jim to the buggy and dropped the meal off at the man's house. Mama, Lily, and Paul waited at the house for them to return before they all went to Grandma and Grandpa Miller's. When they returned, Lily scrambled in the back of the buggy and sat between Joseph and Dannie. “Did the man seem happy about the dinner?” Lily whispered to Joseph.

“Not really,” Joseph whispered back.

“Did he say thank you?”

“No. He just took it.”

Papa overheard. He pulled the buggy to the side of the road and turned to face Lily. “We didn't take Mama's good
meal to the man so that he would thank us. We wanted to share a Christmas blessing with him.”

“Yes, Papa,” Lily said in a small voice.

“And one thing I promise you. Whatever you give to others, you will never miss.”

Lily still wasn't sure. She was sorely missing the thought of that Christmas pudding. Mama made it only once a year. But she did appreciate her papa's tender heart.

A few hours later, Lily's tummy was stuffed. She had eaten more for Christmas lunch than ever before. Grandma offered her a bite of homemade fudge, and she had to turn it down. She couldn't eat another bite. Grandma smiled and bent down to whisper to Lily. “Your parents did the right thing to share their Christmas dinner. I have to admit that I missed your mama's Christmas pudding, but isn't it nice that someone else got to enjoy it?”

Lily hoped the man did, indeed, enjoy it.

The strangest thing was that everyone in Lily's big family ate their fill and then some at Grandma Miller's, yet there were more leftovers to take home than ever before. Papa said it almost seemed like a miracle. A Christmas miracle.