Love's Abundant Harvest (35 page)

“That's remarkable progress. I have clients who are as old as twenty-four who still
can't sit up and probably won't.” He looked over the grassy knoll thoughtfully. “My
hope is that premarital testing would be considered. It's a powerful tool if the
Amish would use it.”

Lucy understood his thoughts, and she partly agreed with him, but she knew the ways
of her people, and it wouldn't happen anytime soon, if ever. “That's our lifestyle;
we trust
Gott
to take care of us.” She paused, thinking about his last name. “But
then, you know that already.”

He lifted his head and pursed his lips. “I respect the Amish heritage. I don't wish
to change that. But I also see that half of the headstones in Amish cemeteries are
for children.” An awkward silence settled between them, but not a negative one. Both
parties wanted the same thing and didn't know exactly how to make it happen.

“You're a good man, Doctor Daniel Kauffman.”

The doctor shook his head.

Manny pumped the doctor's hand as he handed off Timmy to Lucy. “
Jah
, but I have to
admit that I wasn't sure when I first met you.”

“I get that a lot.” He grinned as his eyes moved to where Fannie had wandered to
collect her bean bags.

“I have some hands to shake and people to thank.”

He turned to walk away. Lucy had watched him stop more times than she could count.

“
Danke
for everything, Doc.” Manny said loud enough for him to hear. Doc held up
a hand in acknowledgement.

A bake sale offered whoopee pies, pretzels, chow-chow, beef jerky, sausage, bologna
by the slice, and beverages.
The live auction was at the far side of the grounds,
which was big enough to offer horses for sale along with quilts, furniture, crafts,
vegetables, and flowers. There was also a silent auction of handmade items. Local
vendors helped out, and large donations came in for the clinic.

Manny sat on a blanket with Rhoda. He had worked long and hard with her to strengthen
her to at least enough to sit without tipping over. It was an accomplishment Lucy
hadn't believed would happen, then one day Manny was sitting on the floor with Rhoda,
cross-legged, with his arms circling her. When her eyes had lifted up to his without
her losing her balance, they'd said prayers of thanksgiving.

“
Ahem
.” Bishop Atlee cleared his throat.

“Afternoon, Bishop.” Manny stood and pumped his hand.

“She's coming along.” He tilted his head slightly, watching Rhoda roll from one side
to the other on the blue blanket.

“
Jah
, thanks to this clinic.” Lucy handed Timmy a bite of oatmeal cookie and walked
over to them as she wiped her hands with her skirt.

The bishop kept his eyes fixed on Rhoda. “The limits of the
Ordnung
have been stretched.
It's time to discuss the rules that are acceptable in your situation.”

“I'm sure you don't mean today.” Manny's brows drew together, and his hands rested
on his hips.

“
Nee
, but soon. We've put it off long enough. It is our way and we must follow.”

“I believe we are cooperating with
Gott
's
wille
by caring for our children in the
way we are called to do.”

“And there is also that matter of a marriage that took place.” The bishop turned
to go without another word. He
had given them time with both issues, more than usual,
and they would be expected to explain their actions accordingly. Most Amish were
still leery of places like the clinic, and the bishop was no exception.

Lucy could have let herself get riled up about this but chose to let it go. “It's
too
wunderbar-gut
of a day to let anything ruin it for us.”

Manny shook his head as if to dismiss the conversation.

He had showed Lucy what love in action truly looked like, by being the best husband
and
daed
there could possibly be. Sam's view of her had made her feel unlovable,
but she had learned the humility of seeing herself for who she was and allowing
Gott
to love her where she was in her growth.

When Manny took her hand in his, she knew there would be more storms. She also knew
that after what they had been through, nothing could keep them apart.

GLOSSARY

ach
— oh

daed
— father

danke
— thank you

dawdi
— grandfather

dawdihauses
— addition to the house for grandparents

die eltern
— parents

Englischer
— non-Amish person

Gott
— God

gut
— good

hallo
— hello

haus
— house

jah
— yes

kapp
— hat

mamm
— mother

mammi
— grandmother

nee
— no

Ordnung
— a set of rules

wille
— will

wunderbar
— wonderful

C
OMING
F
ROM
B
ETH
S
HRIVER
F
ALL
2015

T
HE
C
HOICE

B
OOK
T
HREE IN THE

S
PIRIT OF THE
A
MISH
S
ERIES

F
annie will never get married,” Verna muttered as she stirred the pot of boiling
soup. The steam floated upward, swirling to the ceiling and spreading throughout
the kitchen. The scent of onion and other spices wafted through the back door as
Frieda walked in carrying a basket full of eggs.

“Let the girl alone for Pete's sake,” Frieda said as she waddled over to the kitchen
table. “She'll settle down in good time.”

Verna turned sideways, frowned, then waited for Frieda to acknowledge her. “Well,
good morning.” She put a fist on her hip and leaned against the cabinet. “You're
awful sure of Fannie. She's as tough as beef jerky on a winter day. I'd like to see
the man who takes her hand.”

Frieda grunted as she watched Verna's forehead tighten. “You will, I have no doubt.
After all, my son married you, didn't he?”

Fannie took each step on the stairway with meaning as she went down to the kitchen
expecting fireworks to fly after that comment. Why wouldn't her
mamm
and
mammi
consider
that she might be able to hear them? She shouldn't be surprised. Even if they did
realize she might overhear, they wouldn't hold their thoughts.

“Is this going to be a good morning?” Frieda asked, casting a sideways glance at
Verna.

“What's going on in here?” Fannie asked as she rounded the corner to the kitchen.
Her
mamm
and
mammi
both gave her long looks before they started working again.

“I was just telling your
mammi
that you are strong-headed. Don't try to say anything
different. It wouldn't be bad if you were the man of the
haus
, but you're not.”

“Fannie, never you mind. You're just like your
mamm
.” Frieda pushed up her nose when
she took a big whiff of the bubbling soup. “Too many onions.”

Fannie grinned, knowing what would come next: a very lengthy conversation on how
much onion is enough and what was too little.

“Clears your chest,”
Mamm
said as she gave the pot another stir.

Gazing out the large kitchen window, Fannie wondered what else was out there in the
world. She put her weight forward and rested a hand under her chin. She knew there
was more than she could imagine, and she had a pretty good imagination. Thoughts
of leaving the community wafted into her mind then slowly dissipated.

Before she and
Mamm
moved from their community to be near her sister Lucy, Fannie
was to court with James Miller. He was older than her and about as stiff-necked as
she was, which is why she knew no commitment would have ever been made. She was just
too independent to have a man in her life—at least for now.

“What are you daydreaming about? Manny and Lucy will be here soon.” Frieda was a
bossy woman, but Fannie had to admit she kept things in order.

“Yah, I'll see how much milk there is compared to
yesterday. We need some nice green
grass to keep producing milk for market.” Fannie couldn't help but notice that the
cows hadn't been producing as much milk. But she seemed to be the only one concerned.

On her way back from the milk barn, Fannie noticed a trail of dust behind an old
truck. And as soon as she was sure of who it was her stomach stirred a little. She
pushed her shoulders back and headed toward the
haus
to wash her face. She got to
the mudroom just before Doc stepped inside.

“Morning, Fannie.” Doc pulled off his boots and put them next to hers. “After you.”
He motioned to her and kept a close distance as they walked into the white kitchen
that was now filled with the smell of bacon as
Mamm
's soup simmered on the stove.

Doc seemed to lack his usual sharp manner, which made Fannie put up her guard. “What
brings you here?”

It was a common question. When Dr. Daniel Kauffman came to the community, it usually
meant that someone needed extra care and the community needed to be notified so
they could chip in whatever they could to pay for the expense.

He ignored her question and greeted Verna and Frieda, who were busy cooking up a
delicious breakfast. They would give him little choice about having a bite, but Fannie
knew he would eat only a light meal. A heavy meal meant a tired doctor, and he was
always on call, if only in his mind.

“Just coffee and toast, Frieda. I have a delivery coming to the hospital soon. My
time is short.” He took a sip of the coffee and then another. “Wish they had this
at the hospital.”

“I'll never tell you what the secret is or you won't come back.” She handed him some
homemade bread with strawberry jam and two slices of bacon on the side. He didn't
refuse it, but he ate only the toast.

“I'm here to see Fannie.” He wiped his mouth and dropped the napkin on the table.

Fannie was startled to hear the sound of her name coming from him, as he rarely used
it.

“About what?”

Verna frowned, giving Fannie a warning stare.

“Due to the increase of clients, I'm as needed here as I am at the hospital. I've
decided to split my time between the two.”

“What do I have to do with that?” Fannie figured that whatever he wanted with her
probably wasn't something she wanted to hear about or do.

“Fannie, you're in demand.” Verna said with a big grin. “Isn't that so, Doc?”

Doc put up a hand. “I'm sure Fannie will be able to help with whatever is needed.”

With the way they were both deciding her life for her, Fannie decided to give them
her opinion. She couldn't imagine working with Doc Kauffman. They were just too much
alike. The strange thing was that he had to know that too.

“Will you step outside with me?” Fannie said with a tone that was so much like her
mamm
.

The
click-clack
of her boots caught his attention, but he stopped to say good-bye
to Frieda and Verna then took his time getting to his truck where Fannie waited.

“Yes, Fannie, what is it?”

When she turned around, he was still a good length
away and seemed to have a put-upon
look on his face. “Just what do you take me for, putting me on the spot like that?”

As he drew closer, she could no longer read any expression on his face, which was
the norm. But she wanted some answers. “I'm not here for your bidding.”

“This is your community, not mine. If you want your people to get the medical assistance
they need, you'll help and make this happen.”

“You dismissed yourself of us too easily. Do you think this will bring you acceptance
after shunning us and our ways, those you made a vow to keep when you were baptized?”

He scoffed and climbed into his truck. “You might want to talk to the elders before
you start making assumptions. They asked me.”

The motor coughed as he drove away, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. She covered
her face, wiping it with her apron.

“Ahh!” She let the word trail off as she regained her stability.

As she walked to the barn she wondered why this and why with her? Was he that desperate
or was there another reason for him to involve her? Whatever was going on she needed
to find out, and not from him.

“Why did he leave so quickly?” Verna stood by the milk barn, her voice interrupting
the swishing sounds of the handheld milking machine.