The HOPE of SPRING (2 page)

Ronks

Meredith had been resting on the sofa most of the day and was bored. Lying here gave
her too much time to think about Luke and how much she missed him. Her mind drifted
back to the day they’d said goodbye and the sincere expression she’d seen on his face.
If she had known it would be the last time she’d ever see her beloved husband, she
would have said so many things.

Tears welled in Meredith’s eyes and trickled down her cheeks.
Oh, Luke, I love you so much.
The thought that she would never see his handsome, smiling face again was almost
too much to comprehend.

Forcing herself to think about something else, Meredith began to fret because she
couldn’t be at home doing the things she’d planned in preparation for the baby. If
only there was something she could do while she rested—anything that would keep her
mind off the troubles she faced and help her focus on something else. She’d always
been the type to keep her hands busy, and doing nothing was so frustrating.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” Meredith’s grandmother asked as she entered the living
room with a tray in her hands.

Meredith nodded appreciatively. “That’d be nice.”

Grandma Smucker set the tray on the coffee table, poured each of them a cup of tea,
and took a seat in the rocker across from Meredith. “How are you feeling, dear one?”

Meredith managed a weak smile. “Better than yesterday. I overdid it, and because of
my stupidity, I almost lost the boppli.”

Grandma slowly shook her head. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Meredith. We all make
mistakes.”

“I guess I’m full of
hochmut
, or I would have asked for help painting the baby’s room.”

“You should never be too proud to ask. That’s what families are for, you know.” Grandma
took a sip of tea and winked at Meredith. “You’re a lot like me, though. It was hard
to move in with your folks after your grandpa died, and I still feel bad about them
having to support me. But I know they’re doing it because they love me, and for that,
I’m grateful.” She sighed as she set her cup on the coffee table. “It’s sad to say,
but some folks, like Alma Beechy, don’t have any family around to help.”

“I appreciate my family and friends,” Meredith said, taking a sip of tea and savoring
the delicious flavor of ginger, which soothed her upset stomach almost immediately.
“My friend Dorine Yoder suggested that I make head coverings to sell. I was planning
to start doing that right away, but now I guess it’ll have to wait awhile.”

“I’ve made a few coverings in my day,” Grandma said, “so I’d be happy to help when
you’re feeling up to doing some sewing.”

“
Danki
, I would like that.”

“How are you doing?” Dad asked as he and Mom entered the room.

“I’m okay. Just tired of lying around doing nothing but worrying about things—including
my finances,” she answered honestly.

“First things, first. I have a surprise for you.” Dad grinned at Meredith and went
out to the back porch. When he returned, he had Fritz. The dog spied Meredith and
raced over to her, resting his head gently on her lap as though sensing that he needed
to take it easy with her. His stub of a tail, however, flopped back and forth on the
floor, beating a rhythm of happiness. Meredith laughed at how funny he looked. It
felt good to find something to laugh about.

“Hey, pup,” she said, patting the top of his head. “How are you doin’, boy?”

Fritz slurped Meredith’s hand in response.

“I bet you were lonely last night, weren’t you, pup? I’m sorry I had to leave you
alone in your kennel all night.” Meredith felt her nerves begin to relax as she continued
to pet Fritz, and he alternated between licking and nuzzling her hand.

“I think I may have an answer that could help you. At least, it will help out with
your finances,” Dad said.

“Oh, what’s that?” Meredith asked as she pampered Fritz with soothing murmurs.

“I ran into Jonah Miller at your place today, and he’s interested in buying Luke’s
gaul.
”

“What was Jonah doing at my house, and why does he need a horse? Doesn’t he have one
of his own?” Meredith questioned.

“He went over there to check on you. And jah, he did have a horse when he was in Ohio,
but he sold it before he moved here, so he needs a new one. Said his other horse was
gettin’ too old.”

Mom’s eyebrows pulled tightly together. “I wish we were better off financially so
we could buy the horse.”

“First off, we don’t need another horse, and second, I don’t need the reminder of
how bad off we are financially.” Dad rubbed the side of his slightly crooked nose
and frowned. “When you say things like that, Luann, it makes me feel like a failure—like
I can’t provide well enough for our family.”

Mom shook her head. “I didn’t mean that at all, Philip. I know how hard you work to
keep your stands at three farmers’ markets going, and I hope you’re not thinking of
taking on any more.”

“I had given it some consideration,” he said. “Thought maybe I could get a stand going
at the Crossroads Farmers’ Market in Gratz.”

“But that’s clear up in Dauphin County.” Mom planted both hands on her hips and looked
at him with a determined expression. “Besides the expense of hiring a driver to take
you there every week, it would mean you’d be gone from home even more than you are
already.”

“I don’t like being away from the family, either,” he said with a slow shake of his
head, “but I need to make sure we have enough money coming in to provide for everyone’s
needs.”

Mom clenched her teeth. “I’m sorry I even mentioned our financial situation. Please,
Philip, let’s pray about this before you decide to take on another stand.”

“Yep. I’ll definitely be doin’ that. In the meantime, though,” he said, looking back
at Meredith, “what do you think about sellin’ Luke’s gaul?”

She swallowed hard as tears pricked the backs of her eyes. If she sold Luke’s horse,
she’d be letting go of something that had been important to him. But if she kept the
gelding, she’d never use him for pulling the buggy because Socks was too spirited
for her to handle.

“It would be hard to let the horse go, knowing how much Luke liked him,” Meredith
said. “Can I think about it for a day or two before I give Jonah an answer?”

Dad nodded. “Sure, take all the time you need. In the meantime, though, I also brought
something else back with me.”

“More surprises, Dad?” Meredith asked.

“Not exactly. I saw a bag of hamburger rolls on your kitchen table, so I took a peek
in the refrigerator and spotted two delicious-looking salads and some ground beef
you’d browned for sloppy joes. Figured we may as well eat it here tonight so it won’t
go to waste.” Dad grinned and thumped his stomach. “So now it’ll go to my waist instead.”

“I’m glad you thought to look in the refrigerator. Now Mom won’t have to do much cooking
for supper tonight.” Meredith looked at her mother. “The ground beef has sautéed peppers
and onions mixed in, and the only thing you’ll have to do is add a little brown sugar,
salt, pepper, a bit of mustard, and some mild chili sauce if you have some.”

“I’ll get that simmering right away,” Mom said. “It’ll be a nice treat having an evening
off from cooking a big meal.”

Meredith wished she could have had her family to her house for supper, but this was
the next best thing. At least they could all be together, and she thanked the Lord
one more time for her caring family, and most of all, that she hadn’t lost the baby.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I
sure wish all this snow would go away. I’m more than ready for spring,” Nurse Susan
Bailey said to her sister, Anne, as they rode in Anne’s compact car out of the city
toward their grandparents’ house in Darby.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Anne said, turning her blinker on to move to another lane.
“The sooner the weather warms up, the sooner I can start jogging in the park again.”

Susan smiled. Her thirty-year-old sister had always liked to be outdoors and enjoyed
exercising, which was probably why she was so fit and trim. Of course, Susan had never
had a problem with her weight either, but she wasn’t into exercise. She figured she
got enough of a workout on the job, although so did Anne, since she was a physical
therapist. Anne might be extra motivated to stay in tip-top shape, so she’d be able
to perform her duties without injuring herself and would be a good role model to her
patients, who often needed encouragement.

Today had been one of those rare occasions when Susan’s and Anne’s work schedules
coincided, and they’d been able to ride to and from the hospital together. The drive
to work was only about ten minutes, but it was still nice to have someone to chat
with along the route.

“Just think, spring’s less than a month away, so we don’t have too much longer to
wait,” Anne said, breaking into Susan’s thoughts.

“I know, and as soon as the weather warms up, I’ll be sticking my hands in the dirt
and helping Grandpa putter around in his garden.”

“You definitely inherited your desire to work in the garden from him.” Anne flipped
a curly tendril away from her face. “I’d rather read a good book than play in the
dirt.”

“I like to read, too,” Susan agreed, “but not as much in the warmer weather, since
I can do other things. You know how it is with me.” She held up her hands. “I like
to see results from something I’ve worked on with my hands—especially if it takes
me outside.”

Susan’s thoughts drifted as she glanced at her polished fingernails and thought about
the vegetables she and Grandpa would plant this year. Her nails wouldn’t look this
good once she started working the soil for their garden, but that was okay. She’d
rather have dirt under her nails than give up something that brought her so much pleasure
and satisfaction. Susan could almost smell the earthy aroma of the damp soil as she
worked it through her fingers. Better yet, she could just about taste those delicious
BLTs they would make with the juicy beefsteak tomatoes they’d pick. What wasn’t there
to like about biting into a sandwich made with fresh, homegrown tomatoes? Even better
was sharing a meal at the picnic table Grandma and Grandpa had in the corner of their
backyard, under the shade of the maple tree.

They rode in silence for a while, until they passed a homeless man holding up a sign
saying he was out of work and needed money. Seeing him made Susan think about one
of her patients who’d been admitted to ICU a little over a month ago. Anne must have
been thinking of him, too, because she glanced over at Susan and said, “How’s that
John Doe of yours doing?”

“About the same. The poor guy had surgery to repair the damage that had been done
to his spleen, but unfortunately he’s still in a coma.”

“That’s too bad. Has there been any sign of him waking up?”

Susan shook her head. “He flutters his eyes and jerks his hands once in a while, but
he hasn’t responded to any verbal stimulation. Along with the trauma to his spleen
and his vocal cords, he suffered a serious injury to his brain tissue, which resulted
in a blood clot. The doctor’s still giving him medicine to dissolve the clot. His
other injuries included several broken ribs, a cracked sternum, and a fractured collar
bone. They’re healing okay on their own and won’t require surgery, but I fear he may
never wake up. And if he does, he may not be as he once was. We still don’t know his
name, so I call him Eddie.” She sighed. “Even though I know he might not hear me,
I talk to him about all sorts of things, and I also pray for him—sometimes out loud.”

“It’s good that you’re doing that,” Anne said. “Doctors always encourage nurses to
talk to their patients, even though they don’t seem to hear what you’re saying. That
will keep his brain stimulated, just hearing your voice. And of course,” she added,
“prayer is important, too.”

Susan smiled. “Well, if Eddie does hear what I’m saying, he probably thinks I’m a
bit of a motormouth.”

“I doubt it. Your positive attitude and compassion are the best medicine that young
man can get right now.” Anne switched lanes again. “I’m happy to say that most of
my patients aren’t in as bad a shape as your Eddie. It’s easier to work with them
when they’re conscious and able to communicate. Hopefully, by the time Eddie is stable
enough to be moved to rehab, he’ll have woken up from his coma.”

Bird-in-Hand

“How long will it be till supper?” Jonah asked when he entered the kitchen and found
his mother in front of the sink, peeling potatoes.

She turned and smiled, her green eyes twinkling. “You’re home early today, and since
I’m just getting started on the potatoes and carrots that will go with the roast we’re
having for supper, it won’t be ready for at least another hour yet.”

“Can you keep something warm for me in case I don’t make it back before then?” Jonah
asked as Mom handed him a piece of raw potato.