Katy's Homecoming (6 page)

“Antarctica?” He used the nickname he’d chosen for Annika when they were still in grade school. At least he’d stopped calling Katy
Katydid.
She didn’t miss the silly nickname at all. “I guess I could ask her, but —”

He made the turn toward town, a little faster than Dad had taught her to make turns. Katy steadied herself by bracing both hands on the dash.

Caleb added,“Asking Annika would prob’ly give her ideas.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

He made a face. “C’mon, Katy …”

Protectiveness welled up inside of Katy. Annika liked Caleb — really liked him — and he was being mean. Shifting slightly on the seat so she could face him, she folded her arms over her chest. “No, really. What would be so wrong with spending time with Annika? She’s a nice girl, and —” She couldn’t tell Caleb Annika liked him. It would betray a confidence, and Annika would be mortified. She finished,“— she’s a lot of fun to be around.”

“She’s bossy. And she laughs like a hyena.”

Katy wanted to argue, but she had to admit Annika’s shrill giggle whenever Caleb was around had annoyed her too. But Annika only did it out of nervousness. “But —”

Caleb shook his head. “Nah, I don’t want to take Annika. I want to take you.”

“Well, you can’t.” Katy didn’t mean to sound so abrupt. She softened her tone. “I won’t be in town that weekend. So if you don’t want to take Annika, I guess you’ll have to go by yourself.”

They reached Schellberg, and Caleb drove straight to Aunt Rebecca’s shop on the north end of Main Street. He pulled up to the curb, put the gearshift into park, but left the engine running. Then he looked at Katy. His lips poked into a pout that wasn’t at all attractive. “Well, if not the singing at the Pankratz’s, then what about —”

“Caleb.”

Caleb stopped talking, but he left his mouth hanging open. It was all Katy could do to keep from reaching across the seat and closing it with a nudge on his chin.

“I appreciate the invitation. It’s very nice of you to ask me.”
Irritating but nice.
“But to be perfectly honest, I’m not interested in going to parties with you. You said asking Annika would give her ideas. Well, my going with you might give
you
ideas. And I don’t want to mislead you.”

“So you’re saying you still don’t like me.”

Maybe he was smarter than she’d given him credit for being. Katy sighed. “Not like that.” She started to apologize, but she realized she wasn’t really sorry. So she held the words inside.

He glared out the window, his fist clamping and unclamping
on the steering wheel. “All right. That’s fine then.” He sounded angry. And hurt.

Even though Katy didn’t particularly care for Caleb, she hadn’t intended to hurt his feelings. She said,“Caleb, I —”

“Don’t you need to get to work?”

She drew back, startled by his chilly tone. Although he wasn’t exactly a polite person, he’d never spoken so rudely to her before. She nodded.

“Then go on. I’ve got things to do.”

Katy opened the door and started to step out. But before she could slide out of the seat, Caleb grabbed her elbow. She looked at him in surprise.

“You know, Katy, there’s only one boy in town interested in you. Me. With all your weird ideas about school an’ stuff, none of the other unmarried guys want anything to do with you. They think you’re pretty enough, but they all say you’re stuck on yourself.”

Katy’s ears flamed. Stuck on herself? In the Mennonite community, there were few insults worse than being called self-important. She started to protest, but Caleb went on.

“Your dad’s teaching me to be a dairyman, and he tells me all the time I’m doin’ a good job for him. I’m pretty sure he would say yes if I asked permission to start courting you. Seein’ as how nobody else wants to court you and your dad likes me, you might want to think again about telling me no.”

Katy pulled her arm from Caleb’s grasp. “I’m not going to be here that weekend, Caleb. I already told you that.” Now she was happier than ever that she wouldn’t be in town that weekend. If she were here, Annika would talk her into going to the singing. She couldn’t possibly go to
a party with the young people, since she knew what they thought about her.

“But you won’t be gone every weekend. There’ll be other parties.”

Caleb was right. With spring around the corner, the young people would be getting together nearly every weekend for singings, popcorn parties, or volleyball games. Boys and girls would start pairing up, as they did every spring. Although Katy wasn’t ready to begin courting, she’d eventually want to marry and have a family. What would she do if none of the boys in Schellberg wanted to court her —
ever?

Caleb revved the engine. The car shuddered in place, sending a shiver down Katy’s spine. “I guess since you aren’t going to be staying in Schellberg the weekend of your dad’s wedding, you must be staying with one of your Salina friends.”

Katy didn’t answer.

Caleb made a little snort — a snide sound. “Kinda figured when you started going to that school, they’d end up pulling you away from Schellberg. Well, if you’re that easily drawn in by the world, I probably wouldn’t want to court you anyway.” He jabbed his thumb against his chest. “I intend to stay in the church.”

“So do I!”

“Yeah, right.”

Katy glared at Caleb. “You don’t know anything about me, the school, or the people there, Caleb, so don’t you dare be derisive and arrogant!”

Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “And don’t you dare be so smart all the time.” His lips formed a mocking smirk. “All your
fancy words and your high school classes — you think you’re making me look stupid, but you’re wrong. You’re just making yourself look like a fool.”

Katy jumped out of the car and slammed the door as hard as she could. To her chagrin, the slam didn’t break the window. Shattering the glass would have given her great satisfaction at that moment. She charged onto the sidewalk as Caleb’s car squealed away from the curb, stirring up dust. Coughing, she stumbled toward Aunt Rebecca’s shop and flung open the door with force, making the little bell hanging above it clang angrily.

Aunt Rebecca popped up from behind the cutting counter and stared at Katy with disapproval. “Katy! What do you think you are —” But when Katy burst into tears, her aunt cut her reprimand short.

Aunt Rebecca flew around the counter, the black ribbons of her cap waving over her shoulders as if caught in a stout breeze. “What is it? Did something happen to Samuel?”

Katy was crying too hard to answer.

Aunt Rebecca grabbed Katy’s shoulders and gave her a little shake. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Katy drew in several shuddering breaths and choked out,“Caleb says e-everyone thinks I’m — I’m stuck on myself!”

Aunt Rebecca dropped her hands and stepped back. Her brows pinched into a frown. “Is
that
what all these tears are about? Honestly, Katy.” She released a mighty breath, shaking her head. She took a handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it into Katy’s hand. “Stop crying, and blow your nose. You need to save your tears for the big hurts.”

Katy wanted to tell her aunt this
was
a big hurt. How humiliating to know the young people in town had called her self-important behind her back. Her chest ached with the effort of containing the pain inflicted by Caleb’s taunt. But she obediently wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and
pushed the crumpled handkerchief into her own pocket for washing later.

Aunt Rebecca put her hands on her hips and gave Katy a no-nonsense look. “Now tell me what happened with Caleb.”

Katy would have preferred to drop the subject given her aunt’s lack of compassion. Aunt Rebecca had never been very warm and affectionate — not even with her own children. Dad said she couldn’t take time for tenderness because she had too many responsibilities. But Katy didn’t think that was a good excuse. Gramma Ruthie, Mrs. Penner, and Mrs. Graber were also very busy women, but they always had time for kindness.

“Katy?” Aunt Rebecca tipped her head and peered into Katy’s face. She wouldn’t let up until Katy answered her questions.

Katy sighed. She abbreviated the exchange as best she could. “Caleb asked me to go to the singing at the Pankratz place the Saturday after Dad and Mrs. Graber get married. I told him I couldn’t go because I won’t be in town. He asked if I’d go to other singings with him, and I told him I didn’t think I should because I don’t like him that way. Then he got mad and told me I should go with him because no other boys would ask since they — they —” Tears tightened her throat, and she swallowed. “They all think I’m stuck on myself.”

“And why would they think that?”

Katy hugged herself, her chest aching. “Caleb said it’s because I use big words when I talk. And because I go to high school.”

Her aunt nodded. “Yes, I can see that.”

Before she started crying again, Katy spun away from Aunt Rebecca. Aunt Rebecca took hold of Katy’s shoulders and tried to turn her around. Katy resisted. She did
not
want to look at Aunt Rebecca right now! But her aunt’s hands tugged harder, and Katy had no choice. To her surprise, instead of her customary stern look, Aunt Rebecca’s face reflected sympathy.

“Katy, I didn’t mean
I
thought you were self-important. I can see, based on what Caleb said, why the young people might think so, though.”

“Just because I like words? And learning? That isn’t fair.” Katy sputtered the protest, still battling back tears. “Annika likes cooking, and she tells everyone how good her new recipes taste. Caleb likes fixing car engines and is always bragging about how he keeps his old sedan running even though it’s got over two hundred thousand miles on it. I don’t show off about going to school — I just go. So why am I the self-important one?”

“Because it’s so different from what everyone else has done,” Aunt Rebecca answered calmly. She put her hands on her hips again. “Have you considered that Caleb and some of the others might be jealous?”

Katy blinked twice. “J-jealous?”

Aunt Rebecca nodded. “Yes. You were given a special opportunity. You’re getting to see and experience things the others aren’t. That could very well create jealousy.”

Katy contemplated her aunt’s suggestion. Their fellowship encouraged members to live simply and stay within certain boundaries in regard to what they owned so they wouldn’t cause their neighbor to covet. Even so, Katy was aware that some families without electricity — such as
Annika’s — at times looked with envy at the families who did have electricity. Annika often asked to spend summer nights at Katy’s house because Katy had an electric fan that stirred the air to help cool things down.

When the deacons discussed Katy’s request to attend public high school, one of their biggest concerns was whether it would create dissension in the community, with other young people feeling as though Katy was being given an unfair advantage. Because of the deacons’ concerns, she didn’t talk about school at the young people’s gatherings. So she didn’t believe she deserved their criticism.

Katy said,“Being jealous doesn’t give them the right to talk about me behind my back.” Hurt rose again as she thought about the others discussing her, calling her names, maybe even laughing at her. Her voice croaked as she added,“We’re supposed to go to the person who offends us and talk directly to them. Nobody’s done that.”

“Caleb did,” Aunt Rebecca said.

Yes, Caleb sure did.
And Katy hadn’t appreciated it at all. She frowned and folded her arms tightly over her chest. “But he didn’t do it
lovingly.”

To Katy’s surprise, Aunt Rebecca laughed. “Oh, Katy.” She shook her head, her eyes twinkling. “Boys Caleb’s age haven’t learned to be tactful. They just blurt things out. Especially when their egos are bruised, they can be hurtful.”

Katy nodded. For once, Aunt Rebecca was absolutely right. She’d given Caleb’s ego a big punch by refusing to go to the singing with him. And she was certain if she asked Caleb to define the word
tact,
he’d just stare at her with his mouth hanging open. She pictured it, and despite her feelings
a little bubble of laughter formed in the back of her throat.

Aunt Rebecca guided Katy to the coat pegs at the back of the store. “Even though Caleb didn’t go about it the right way, maybe it’s good you know how the young people feel. Being at peace with the members of the fellowship is important. Now that you know there is a concern, you can pray about the best way to address it.”

Katy paused in removing her coat. Her eyes flew wide. “Why should
I
address it? I’m not the one with the problem — they are.
They
were wrong to make assumptions about me and” — she searched for what Caleb would term a fancy word — “malign my character.”

Aunt Rebecca pursed her lips, no doubt disapproving of the rebellion in Katy’s voice. “What does it say in Proverbs nineteen, verse eleven?”

Katy pressed her memory, but she couldn’t retrieve the verse.

Aunt Rebecca quoted,“‘The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.’” She looked directly into Katy’s eyes, and her usual bossy tone emerged. “You have no control over anyone’s behavior but your own. Getting angry will distance you further from the young people in the fellowship. Is that what you want?”

At that moment Katy wanted to be as far as possible from Caleb and the others, but deep down she knew the reason their comments hurt so much was because she desired to be a part of their circle of friendship. She shook her head slowly.

Aunt Rebecca sighed. “As hard as it might be for you,
someone must take the steps needed to restore peace. It would be to your glory to pass over the transgression and work to make things right again.”

The little bell above the door
ting-a-linged,
signaling the arrival of a customer. Aunt Rebecca leaned forward and whispered,“You pray for the opportunity to speak with the young people, Katy, and I’ll pray they are receptive.” Then she whirled around and bustled over to the customer. “Mrs. Gebhardt! Good morning. What can I do for you today?”