Courting Buggy: Nurse Hal Among The Amish (3 page)

“That is for sure and certain,” Noah agreed.
“You see Dawdi Jim there is a problem. We told Mama Hal she could
name the puppy. We thought she would like him better if we let her
name him.” He paused to look at Daniel.

Jim looked down his nose at the boys.
“And?”

Daniel said plaintively, “She named our dog
Biscuit.”

“No kidding.” Jim chuckled.

“Dawdi, this is not funny. It is a big
problem. Can you see us out with a bunch of boys, and we call for
Biscuit to come to us. They are going to tease us something
awful.”

Jim rubbed the back of his neck and tried to
put on a serious face. “You fellows have a problem for sure. Hallie
wouldn't give the dog another name?”

Noah shrugged. “She might have, but Dad will
not let us ask her. He said that would be welshing on the deal. She
was to get to pick the name if she let us keep the dog.”

“What can we do, Dawdi Jim?” Daniel
implored.

Jim rubbed his chin as he thought. “Seems to
me what Hal doesn't know won't upset her. Let her call the dog
Biscuit. When you're alone with this pup and training him out away
from the house call him Dog. He'll figure that's his name if you
use it often enough. Actually, I doubt a dog really knows his name.
They just know from the sound of your voice when you say something
what you want. Any word you say will work for a name.

When you're among your friends call him Dog,
and they won't think anything of it. If you slip up and say Dog in
front of Hallie that will sound natural. She won't think anything
of it. Just remember to call him Biscuit where she can hear you
once in awhile.”

“Dawdi Jim, you are a genius,” Noah praised,
grinning from ear to ear.

“I knew you would think of something,” Daniel
agreed happily.

“Seems like a win win situation to me,” Jim
said. “Now we best go back and help your dad with the suitcases, or
he will be giving all of us a hard time for keeping him from his
chores.”

“You bring that much stuff to carry in?”
Daniel asked.

“Not me, but when you get a little older,
you'll find out women can't go anywhere without bringing half of
what they own along with them,” Jim grumped. He looked at his wrist
watch. “Besides, it will be time to milk soon. I want to help so I
have to hunt up my old jeans and work shoes to put on. If I don't
get out of my Sunday clothes before I come back to the barn, your
grandma's going to have a cow.”

Daniel's face scrunched up. He said in
concern to Noah. “Mammi Nora would take one of our cows if Dawdi
Jim doesn't mind her?”

Baffled, Noah shrugged.

Jim laughed. “No, I just meant she will be
mad at me.”

Once the men and boys left for the barn to
milk, Emma and Hal started supper while Nora and Tootie sat at the
table.

Tootie gave a faint sniffle. “Hallie, there
are a few things you should know about my diet before you do a lot
of cooking. In the morning for breakfast, I only like two kinds of
juice – grape or apple. I can't abide tomato juice. The acid is bad
for my stomach you know.” She let out a plaintive sigh as she
rubbed her midsection. “I have a lot of digestive troubles.”

Emma said kindly, “That will not be a
problem. We have those juices on hand.”

“I'm so sorry to hear you have stomach
problems, Aunt Tootie. That can be miserable,” Hal sympathized.

Tootie sniffed a little louder this time and
studied the table top. “I'll be all right unless I need an enema. I
hope I don't have to have one while I'm here, but if I do, it's a
fortunate thing I have a niece living here who is a nurse.”

Emma's mouth flew open as she looked from
Tootie to Hal. Hal turned a distressed stare on her mother and
mouthed the words, “Really, Mom?”

Nora shrugged, clearly powerless where Tootie
was concerned.

At supper, John asked Jim if he had plans for
the next day.

Jim said, “No, figured to do whatever you
do.”

“The boys and me were thinking about going to
the Wickenburg salebarn tomorrow. There is a big horse drawn
equipment sale before the livestock auction. It is always
interesting to look at. Would you like to go?”

“Sounds like fun,” Jim said
enthusiastically.

“Well, if you are done eating, we might as
well get away from the table. You remember we always have a time of
devotion in the morning and the evening after supper,” John said.
“We can wait in the living room for the women to do the dishes and
join us.”

“John, why don't you take Redbird and Beth
with you. They're restless now that we're all busy,” Hal said.

“Give me one of those girls,” Jim
insisted.

John lifted Beth out of her wooden highchair
and held her toward Jim. She squealed in discontent and hugged
John's neck. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem. I'm a stranger to these babies.
Let me try, Redbird, and see if I have better luck,” Jim said. He
lifted the toddler out of her chair. Happy to be freed, she giggled
and patted his cheek. “That a girl.” He said proudly.

“Works that way most of the time, Dad,” Hal
shared. “Redbird is too friendly, and Beth is too bashful.”

Jim inspected Redbird as he carried her away.
“Hallie, what do you expect from another Carrot Top. She's just
like her mother was at this age.”

Once the men were gone, Tootie stood up like
she was heading a women's church group, fold her hands in front of
her and announced, “Ladies, we really should be getting these
dishes done as soon as possible.”

“Don't worry, Aunt Tootie. John's in no hurry
to do devotions. He doesn't mind waiting for us,” Hal declared.

“That's not it. I can't abide dirty dishes
roosting on the counter and table. I want to wash. I always have
liked to wash the dishes.”

“Oh,” Emma said. “Usually I wash, but that is
fine. The tea kettle is simmering on the back of the stove. I can
make the dish water for you. I will wipe.”

“What do you want me to do, Emma?” Nora
asked.

“Help Hallie scrape the plates and put away
the leftovers,” Emma said. “Stack the dishes and set them on the
counter by Aendi Tootie.”

“The slop bucket's in the mudroom. I'll get
it.” Hal brought back a plastic ice cream pail. “Scrape the scraps
in this, Mom, and I'll feed the cats in the barn.”

While they worked, Hal said, “Mom, I expect
you and Aunt Tootie need a day to rest up after that long trip. So
tomorrow how about we hang out here while you get acquainted with
your little granddaughters. The next day we're invited to the Yoder
farm in the afternoon. I told everyone at the Sunday worship
meeting you were coming. The Yoders women said to make sure we
brought you to visit them first thing.”

“Sounds good to me. Is that Margaret and
Linda you're talking about?” Nora asked.

“Jah, that's the ones,” Hal told her as she
scraped a plate.

By the time, Hal and Nora had the leftovers
in cartons, Tootie picked up the last stainless steel kettle and
swiped it out. “Emma, clean kettles tell other women what kind of a
housekeeper you are. So do clean kitchens.” She put the kettle in
the rinse pan and wrung out the dishcloth so she could scrub the
counter tops before she moved to the table.

Emma implored, “Aendi Tootie, you should let
me wash the table.”

“No, Dear. That goes with the dish washing
job,” Tootie declared.

Hal left for the barn. When she came back she
set the empty pail by the dishpan. “Aunt Tootie, wash this scrap
bucket last.”

Tootie scrunched her nose up as she finished
the table. “I'm done with the dishes. Do I have to wash the slop
bucket?”

“Jah, we don't want it to smell and draw
flies in the mudroom,” Hal said.

Tootie's face stayed unpleasant as she washed
the pail, but she didn't say anything. As soon as she finished the
distasteful task, she left Emma to empty the dish pans and joined
Nora and Hal in the living room.

After the family gathered, Tootie said,
“John, if we're going to have devotions, would it bother you if I
sang a hymn?”

Nora snapped, “Now, Tootie, John's the one
who leads the family devotions. You sit back and listen.”

Tootie leaned back into the couch and
pouted.

Emma placated, “It is all right, Aendi
Tootie. We like to sing hymns, too. Can I sing with you when Daed
says it is time to sing?”

“Oh yes, Dear. Sure you can,” Tootie crowed
with a smug look at her sister.

“We all will sing,” Hal added, trying to be
as nice as she could to her aunt. After the way she'd talked about
Tootie when she knew the elderly woman was coming, she felt guilty
now.

As soon as the devotion time was over, horse
hooves and the crunch of rocks on the driveway put them on
alert.

John answered the knocks. “Wilcom, Eldon and
Jane. Come on in.”

Hal asked, “What brings you over
tonight?”

Eldon's smiling red face took in each of the
Lapp's visitors. “We wanted to wilcom your parents and invite them
to come to the next Sunday meeting with you.”

John said, “Boys, get some extra chairs from
the kitchen. Jim and Nora, you remember Eldon and Jane
Bontrager?”

“Of course, we do,” Jim said, and Nora
nodded.

Hal said, “This is my mother's sister,
Tootie.”

“Wie bist du beit, Tootie” Eldon said.

“It's nice to meet you and your wife,” Tootie
replied politely.

The boys came back with chairs and sat down
on the floor near the men.

Emma said, “I am going to pop us a big pan of
popcorn.”

“I'll help,” Nora volunteered, following Emma
to the kitchen. She set a stack of cereal bowls on the table while
Emma shook a skillet full of kernels. “So, Emma, when do we meet
your boyfriend. Adam is it?”

“Jah, Adam will be over soon. We are very
special friends,” Emma said, blushing. She poured the corn in the
dishpan and popped one more skillet full. After she melted butter
in the skillet, she poured that on the popcorn while Nora stirred
the kernels with a spoon. Emma picked up the dishpan. “Now we are
ready.”

Nora carried the bowls. Emma set the dishpan
down on the table by the window. Nora filled each bowl while Emma
served.

When Emma came to Tootie, the elderly woman
said, “Don't you have bigger bowls than this? I just love
popcorn.”

“Of course, Aendi Tootie. I'll get you one.”
Emma brought back a vegetable bowl.

The way Tootie stuffed herself with popcorn
made Hal wondered if the elderly woman really had stomach and bowel
problems. If Tootie could eat that much popcorn her ailments might
be selective. Maybe she wouldn't have to give her aunt an enema
after all.

“I am going to have a quilting frolic soon. I
hope you ladies will be able to join me. Several of the neighbor
women will be there,” Jane Bontrager invited.

“We'd like that,” Hal said. “It will be
something different for my mother and Aunt Tootie to do while
they're on vacation. Sound gute to you, Mom?”

“Yes, it does. We'd love to come. Don't know
how good we will be at quilting, but it will be fun to watch
experts at work,” Nora said.

Jane replied modestly, “I would not call any
of us experts. We just get by is all.”

After the company left, everyone took turns
yawning as they wound down.

Finally, Tootie said, “I'm sleepy. Where's my
room?”

Emma pointed at the stairs. “You are going to
sleep in my bed upstairs.”

“That won't do,” Tootie said matter of
factly.

“Why not?” Hal asked.

“I really need a place downstairs,” Tootie
said quietly behind her hand so only the women could hear.

“Oh, so you're closer to the outhouse?”
Whispered Hal. “We put a commode by your bed so you won't have to
go outside.”

“That too.” Tootie put her hand up by her
mouth again and whispered, “But I have nightmares sometimes. Your
Uncle Edwin used to tell me I make the most unnatural sounds in my
sleep.” She gave a forlorn sigh. “The poor man didn't get a wink of
sleep some nights. So the farther away I am from all of you the
better so I don't disturb you. Most of the time, I'm not too bad,
but I'm really tired tonight after traveling.”

“That's too bad,” Hal said.
Nothing like
getting to know all about my relatives. How many more revelations
is Aunt Tootie going to confide while she's here?

Thinking it might be better not to mention
what the clinic bed was used for, Emma suggested, “Would you like
to sleep in the room off the living room? That is where I was going
to sleep.”

Tootie looked that direction. “That will be
perfect.”

Nora spoke up. “Tootie, you forgot to tell
them you sleepwalk.”

“You do?” Hal regarded her aunt, alarmed.

“Not real often, Dear,” Tootie assured her.
“If I do, the best thing you can do is bring me a glass of water.
If I drink it that wakes me up.”

“All right, I'll remember that” Hal said.

John over heard. “You are in different
country here from what you are used to. Best stay in bed where you
are safe.”

“I'll try my best,” Tootie said
seriously.

The next morning, Nora and Tootie got out of
bed when they heard Emma and Hal come downstairs just before
daylight. They dressed and were in the kitchen before Emma built
the fire in the wood cookstove. Tootie yawned as she rubbed her
eyes and watched Emma tear an old Budget newspaper into pieces. She
dropped the strips in, put on top the split kindling and lit the
paper. Quickly, Emma clunked the lid into place to keep smoke from
escaping.

Nora praised, “You certainly have this
cookstove shiny clean, Emma.”

“Denki, Mammi Nora,” Emma said proudly. “It
is a job that needs to be done after every meal.”

“Emma rubs a greasy rag over the stove to
clean it,” Hal added

Emma carried an arm load of wood from behind
the stove and covered the crackling kindling. She said, “A rusted
stove top can not be changed back to look like a new one.”