A Widow's Hope (25 page)

God had been generous in bringing the widow here to Berlin tonight. He wanted to return a small measure of gratitude.

They ate their meal with gusto. At least Seth and Josh ate their entire haystacks. Laura and Hannah tried nobly but scraped at least a third into the compost buckets.

“Any room for ice cream?” Seth asked close to Hannah’s ear.

A painful-sounding groan answered his question. “I never turn down ice cream, but I can’t eat another bite until Sunday. Thank you, Seth, for dinner. And thank you, Laura, for inviting me.”

Laura grinned happily. “You boys, go get your ice cream. We’ll wait here.”

Seth and Josh did as ordered, but Seth would have rather stayed with Hannah than eat anything else. He fixed a small bowl and carried it back to the table. “Just a taste,” he said to Hannah, holding out the spoon.

Instead of taking the spoon from his hand, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, just like Phoebe did when taking cough medicine.

“Where’s a bottle of cod liver oil when you need it?” he asked.

Hannah’s mouth snapped shut. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“You’re right; I wouldn’t. Open wide,” he said.

Hannah took the first taste, but he had to eat the rest.

“Let’s get some air,” Josh said after they had finished and cleaned up their table. They walked out into the warm night as the first stars appeared in the clear sky.

Since Laura and Josh seemed lost to the world, Seth cleared his throat and asked, “May I take you home, Hannah?” Before she could answer, he remembered what he’d used to deliver the furniture. “I mean…I just have my wagon tonight, but it doesn’t look much like it’s going to rain. And I’ve got a tarp for our legs and an umbrella in case my weather report is wrong.” Seth hoped he didn’t sound as ridiculous as he felt.

“Yes, Seth. I’d like it very much if you took me home, rain or not.” Hannah was smiling as she answered.

Maybe it was the close proximity of a newly engaged couple. Maybe it was Venus, clear and bright in the southern sky. For whatever reason, he and Hannah got along fine the whole drive home. Not one argument—not even a difference of opinion. And when he
pulled into Simon’s yard and walked Hannah to the door, he did what he’d been thinking about doing the whole evening.

He bent down and kissed her.

Heavy clouds had rolled in to obscure the moon and stars, leaving nothing to light his path. Simon wished he’d remembered his flashlight, even though he’d walked this way too many times to count. Tomorrow would be a long, arduous day, and he was anxious to get to bed. He wanted to take care of his beloved Julia. She’d always taken such good care of her family; now it was their turn to worry about her.

As Simon concentrated on not tripping over a root or walking into a tree, a buggy pulled into his lane.
Hannah returning from her outing,
he thought. She might as well get a job giving buggy rides to English tourists, she gallivanted so much. Odd that Laura the schoolteacher took to Hannah in such a big way. She wasn’t the one Simon hoped Miss Stoddard would have been intrigued with. But the two women had acted like longtime friends when Laura picked Hannah up to go to some auction in another district. And Seth had acted like both women had some kind of catchy rash.

Simon paused under the maple tree to get his bearings. He was surprised that Miss Stoddard’s parents hadn’t insisted she come home before dark. The Stoddard farm was several miles away. As he contemplated speaking to the woman about the late hour and perhaps seeing her home himself, the buggy pulled up to the porch steps.

It was no female schoolteacher who walked around to help Hannah down. It was his
bruder.

Rooted to the trunk of the tree, Simon peered through the inky night, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him. But the man was tall like Seth, had the same wide shoulders, and had the same bent brim where Phoebe had sat on his hat.

It was Seth who walked the widow to the kitchen door. Simon’s worry over tomorrow’s events just got a dose of kerosene thrown on the fire. Seth had brought Hannah home from the fundraiser in the other district. She had gone out with Miss Stoddard and then, behind her family’s back, had arranged a meeting with Seth. And his
bruder
was falling into her web like a hapless spider.

Simon didn’t like watching them, but he could hardly explain his presence in the pitch dark at this point. He took no pleasure in spying on two adults capable of making responsible decisions. And he certainly didn’t enjoy seeing Seth lean over, tip up her chin, and kiss Hannah good night. That made his blood boil like soup left too long on a hot stove.

H
annah awoke before dawn and couldn’t fall back asleep. Counting sheep never seemed to work for her because they all had familiar faces. She would only start worrying about runny noses, infected eyes, or ewes not producing enough milk. But it wasn’t four-legged creatures that had her tossing and turning. It was a quiet five-year-old girl with silky hair and big brown eyes.

Phoebe Miller would start school this fall. The child should be learning some English words and phrases. English is what Miss Stoddard would speak in her classroom. Phoebe should be able to repeat words back to learn proper pronunciation so she wouldn’t fall behind her classmates.

Phoebe needed to talk again—whether in English or the
Deutsch
she’d heard at home since she was born. Starting school was hard enough for Amish children, never having been separated from their mothers for any length of time. Their siblings comprised their daily social interactions, and Phoebe Miller had none.

Hannah punched the pillow in frustration and tried to clear her head of worries. Last night Seth had been so sweet and so attentive that she couldn’t help but grow hopeful about their future. Didn’t the Bible teach in Matthew 21:22 that if you believe, you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer. She had prayed last night for a future that included Seth Miller and his daughter.

What kind of person would she be if she didn’t take it upon herself to draw Phoebe from her silent world? The face of Laura Stoddard drifted across her mind as Hannah tried in vain to fall back to sleep. Bolting upright in bed, an idea came to her, making any further rest impossible. She hurried to her desk for notepaper and pen. She would send Matthew on an errand as soon as his milking chores were done. With any luck she’d have the practical solution in her hands by noontime.

With a plan of action, Hannah washed, dressed, and hurried to the kitchen. Why not surprise Julia and have breakfast underway when she came downstairs? But Julia and Simon were already sitting at the table when Hannah entered the room. They were talking in soft tones and sipping mugs of coffee. An aromatic kettle of cinnamon oatmeal simmered on the stove.

“Julia, Simon, isn’t my windup clock working right? What time is it?” she asked.

“Very early, sister, but I’m glad you’re up.” Julia looked pale and appeared to be struggling to draw breath. “We need to go into Canton today,” Julia said, not one to beat around the bush. “Our English neighbors have volunteered to drive us. They have some errands to occupy their time.” She paused as a spasm of pain contorted her features.

“It’s time she sees a specialist and stops trying to treat this herself with herbs and salves,” Simon barked. “She’s in terrible pain. This bout of arthritis keeps getting worse by the day. And now she’s running a fever. Her feet are so swollen she can’t wear any of her own shoes.”

Hannah looked from Simon to Julia, who nodded slowly. “The doc in Winesburg thinks my arthritis is rheumatoid. He wants a specialist to run tests. I didn’t tell you sooner because I didn’t want you to worry.”

Simon scowled. Hannah sank into a kitchen chair. “Rheumatism?” she asked weakly. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about that.”

Julia rubbed the backs of her fingers, which were fixed in an odd position. “Me neither, but I’ll ask plenty of questions while I’m there. I do know you’ll have your hands full today, with Phoebe here besides my young ones.”

“Don’t be silly. Emma is a big help to me, and the boys will be too. I wish you would have told me about this sooner.” Guilt washed over Hannah like a sudden downpour.
Why haven’t I noticed Julia’s increasing pain?

The sound of car wheels on gravel drew their attention. “Oh, my, the Lees are here already,” Julia said. She looked almost frightened.

Simon struggled to his feet. “Let’s not keep them waiting.” He picked up a hamper Hannah hadn’t notice on the floor and then helped Julia get up. “Don’t know when we’ll be back. I want them to run all the tests they can while we’re at the hospital.”

Hospital.
Hannah’s guilt increased tenfold. She hurried to hug her sister as she walked toward the door. Her gait resembled that of a very old woman. “Don’t worry about anything here. We’ll be fine.” Hannah didn’t know what else to say.
Get well? Feel better soon?
Everything she thought of sounded wholly inadequate. “Here, take this coffee for your drive,” she called, quickly pouring it into a Thermos. At least it was something productive she could do.

“
Danki,
Hannah,” Simon said, accepting the Thermos but not meeting her eye. Then they clambered into the backseat of the neighbor’s van and drove into the foggy dawn.

Hannah watched the red taillights vanish around the corner with a weight resting on the center of her chest.
Why haven’t I noticed how bad things have become?

She stirred the oatmeal until it nearly liquefied before the sound of a buggy drew her back to the porch. Now the constriction around her heart had a different origin. Seth Miller was dropping off his daughter.

He lifted the child down and greeted Hannah with a wide smile. “Good morning. Are you ready to face my barrel of trouble?” Eyes flashing with humor, he looked strong, fit, and well rested, quite unlike how she felt.

His daughter, however, had been weeping—her eyes were red and puffy. Phoebe clung fiercely to Seth’s pant leg with both fists.

Hannah stooped to be at her eye level. “Hullo, Phoebe. I’m so happy you’ve come by. Can you help me make thumbprint cookies? Do you think you can unwrap the Hershey’s Kisses?”

Phoebe’s face brightened a bit. After Seth nudged her with his hip, she nodded yes.

“Oh, good,” Hannah said. “I thought I’d be stuck with that job all by myself.” She stretched out a hand to the child. “Let’s have some milk and cinnamon oatmeal before we start baking.”

After a second prodding from Seth, Phoebe accepted the hand, but tears looked ready to fall. “Breakfast, Seth? It’s ready and not burned.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Nah, I’ve gotta get going. I’m helping Noah set the block foundation for a new
dawdi haus.
Thanks just the same.” Then to Phoebe he said, “You be a good girl for Aunt Hannah. No more crying. I’ll be back ’bout supper time, and you’d better save some of those thumbprint cookies for me.”

Seth might not have stayed for breakfast, but the look he gave Hannah before climbing into his buggy made her legs tingle down to her toes. And her stomach did a somersault for good measure.

Hannah glanced back at the man who had captured her heart and then down at his daughter
. I can do this. I can reach inside her silence and have her talking again by the time school starts—and in English. She will not fall behind her classmates or anyone else in the Plain world.

Holding onto Phoebe’s hand, she marveled at how wonderfully soft the skin felt next to hers. Knowing the love of a child was what she’d prayed for until Adam’s death took that possibility away. Now
hope sprung anew in her breast, even though she dared not voice that hope except in her nightly prayers.

But maybe, just maybe, Phoebe would grow as fond of her as of her Aunt Julia. And for now, that would be enough.

In the kitchen Emma, newly graduated from the eighth grade, had the boys and her sister seated at the table, patiently waiting for their breakfast. When Phoebe spotted Leah, she ran and climbed into the chair beside her.

“Oh, good, you’re here, Aunt Hannah. Emma’s not in charge after all,” said Matthew.