Amish Circle Letters II: The Second Circle of Letters (14 page)

“Aw, I don
’t think so at all,” Melvin countered. “I bet she missed you an awful lot, Katie.”

Katie looked up from Butterscotch and tilted her head as she looked at Melvin. “You think?”

“Sure do!” he said. Then, with a brief hesitation, he added, “I know I missed going to Miller’s with you.”

His admission took Katie by surprise. She felt her cheeks grow warm and she turned her attention back to Butterscotch. For a few minutes, she focused on the pony, wondering how to respond to Melvin
’s forwardness. She thought back to the notes that he had sent to her and, not for the first time, wondered where they had disappeared. She wanted to tell him that but wasn’t certain of how to say it. She was too afraid that he’d be embarrassed. And then, of course, there was the possibility that Melvin hadn’t sent those notes to her, after all.

Regardless, despite having strong feelings for Melvin, she knew that she was much too young to consider a boyfriend. That was to be saved for teenage years. Being good friends was one thing, she told herself. Courting was another.

“Well,” she finally said, breaking the awkward silence. “I’m sure glad that Butterscotch is finally here anyway.” She peeked at Melvin. “Bet you’ll be glad to have Mary Ruth back at home. That sure must have been scary!”

Something changed in Melvin
’s face. He averted his eyes and stared at the ground. The color drained from his face and she thought she saw tears in his eyes. He blinked rapidly, fighting them as Katie watched him, wondering what she might have said to upset him. Setting the currycomb on Butterscotch’s back, Katie walked over to the gate and reached out to touch Melvin’s arm.

“What
’s wrong? You thinking about your
mamm
?”

He glanced at her but, just as quickly, looked away again. Sniffling, he shook his head. “It
’s nothing,” he said. “Just got some dust in my eye.”

Katie frowned, knowing that he wasn
’t telling the truth.

“I best get going,” Melvin said, avoiding her eyes. “Daed said we were coming to collect Mary Ruth then heading back home right quick.” He didn
’t wait for Katie to say anything before he turned and hurried toward the buggy to wait for the rest of his family.

Mimi and Steve arrived at the Hostetler house later that evening. With a broad smile, Mimi swept into the house and practically floated across the floor. It had turned into a wonderful day. She had helped Steve all afternoon, finding little moments of bliss in the work being done at the small house that would soon become her home. After they had finished with the milking, they had approached Steve
’s parents about her moving into their home until the small house was ready. After all, Steve had mentioned, without Mary Ruth there, Mimi could help Miriam with chores as well as help Steve with the house.

And so it had been decided that such an arrangement would work.

“Tomorrow?” Mimi’s mother didn’t seem as enthusiastic about the idea. “That’s so soon, Mimi.”

“Oh
Mamm
!”

Steve exhaled, feeling uncomfortable in his mother-in-law
’s kitchen. He didn’t like confrontation in the least and, given the slightest reluctance on Mimi’s mother’s part, he was willing to change his mind completely. Yet, one look at his wife’s face and Steve knew that it was something he could not do. “
Ja vell
,” he said, reaching a hand up to rub at his chin, which was covered with a fine layer of growth from his new beard. “Mimi has set her mind to not wait.”

“I see that.”

Mimi tossed her hands into the air and sank down onto the sofa against the back wall of the kitchen. “I don’t understand this!” she said, exasperated. “Why is this such a concern? That I’m not following tradition? I think it’s a silly tradition, to be perfectly honest.”

“Mimi!”

Shaking her head, Mimi stared at her mother. “Well it is! It’s not like we are young twenty year olds,
Mamm
. It’s senseless, this living apart.” She turned to look at Steve. “Don’t you agree, Steve?”

He wasn
’t certain how to respond. Until she had been so upset by the arrangement, he hadn’t given it much thought. It was just the way things were done. Yet, he never wanted to see her as despondent as she had been the previous weekend. If having her move into her parents’ home for a few weeks made her happy, then he was happy, too.

“It will be right nice to have you helping out,” he finally said. “
Mamm
will appreciate the help as will I.”

Mimi
’s mother clicked her tongue and shook her head, disapproving the change in plans. “No sense trying to talk you out of it, I see,” she mumbled. “Strong headed child that you are.”

Mimi laughed and, playfully, rolled her eyes. “Oh
Mamm
!”

“Just remember,” her mother warned, a stern expression on her face. “You asked for this. Instead of easing into marriage, you are taking this full storm, Mimi Fisher. No complaining afterwards, you hear?”

Steve frowned, wondering what her mother meant. But he dared not ask. Instead, he tried to focus on the delight of his bride, as she gushed about her plans to fix up the small house after Steve had finished the repairs. She was animated and lively, back to her old self. Back to the Mimi that he had fallen in love with and married. That, he told himself, is the most important thing.

As Menno pulled into the driveway, Mary Ruth stared at the burnt remains of the dairy. She gasped at the sight and reached out to touch Menno
’s arm. Covering her mouth with her other hand, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the wreckage.

“Menno!”

He stopped the buggy in front of the house and, holding the reins in one hand, he patted her knee gently. “Don’t look at it,” he said, his voice low and caring. “I don’t want you distressed, Mary Ruth.”

After helping her down from the buggy, Menno instructed the
kinner
to carry Mary Ruth’s two bags into the house while he unharnessed the horse and led it in the horse barn, a smaller that had survived the fire since it was separate from the dairy building. Mary Ruth stood on the porch, looking after him as he led the horse away. She saw him pause, just once, to glance over his shoulder at her and, with a slight smile, he motioned for her to get out of the cold.

Once inside the house, Mary Ruth took a minute to stand at the center of the kitchen and looked around. Everything seemed neat and tidy. There was no indication that she hadn
’t been there for a week. Indeed, she was impressed with how orderly everything had remained. No dishes in the sink. No papers on the table. No dirt on the floor.

“I must say,” she started, turning to the
kinner
. “It sure is nice to be home! And I am quite pleased with how nice everything looks!”

Melvin refused to meet her eyes but the three little girls beamed from ear to ear. Suzanna clapped her hands and hopped up and down. “We wanted it nice for you,
Mamm
!”

“
Well,” Mary Ruth said, a smile on her face. “I sure can see that!” She took a deep breath, feeling at ease in the presence of what she considered her home. It struck her that she hadn’t realized how comfortable she had become in the house until she had been taken back to her parents’ farm. Now, with Menno’s new caring attitude, everything was right as rain. “Mayhaps you’d take my things to the bedroom,
ja
?” she asked Melvin. “And you girls can help me make a nice supper then.”

Without a word, Melvin carried her two small bags into the bedroom. Mary Ruth stared after him for a second, wondering what was bothering the boy. He had been avoiding her since arriving at her parents
’ farm and had been completely silent on the ride back home. But a gentle tugging at her dress redirected her attention to Ruth Ann.

“We already have supper prepared in the refrigerator,
Mamm
,” the small girl said, a look of pride on her face.

Mary Ruth raised an eyebrow. “Well then,” she said. “I see that I have nothing to do but sit and relax a spell!”

“That’s just what you’ll do, Mary Ruth,” Menno said as he walked into the kitchen. “You relax and let us take care of you tonight.” He walked over to the sink and washed his hands before turning to her as he reached for a towel to dry them. “You’ve been through a lot.”

She met his gaze and saw that he was watching her with a strong look in his eyes. There was concern there and she was pleased to recognize it. “Ja, we all have,” she admitted. “But I
’m home now, Menno.”

He nodded his head. “And this is where you will stay,” he said. Setting the towel on the counter, he crossed the room and took her arm, guiding her toward the sitting area. “Now, you sit and let the girls fetch you some tea.” He didn
’t wait for her response before he glanced at his daughters. “You heard me now. Fetch your
mamm
some tea.”

Sitting next to her on the sofa, Menno turned his body to face her. He didn
’t speak, not at first. Instead, he watched her as if staring at a vision. The intensity of his expression made her blush and she had to look away.

“What is it, Menno?” she whispered. “Why are you staring at me so?”

He glanced at the girls for a moment, confirming that they were busy preparing Mary Ruth’s tea and not paying attention to him. Then, he reached out for his wife’s hand. He cleared his throat and leaned forward so that his words could reach her ears and no one else’s.

“I was worried about you, Mary Ruth. Frightfully so. The thought of you having been…” He let the words linger between them, not wishing to speak the unthinkable. “I…
I don’t know what I did to turn you away from me after the wedding…”

Immediately, Mary Ruth straightened her back and pulled away from him, surprised at his words. “I turned away?” She frowned. “But it was
you
who…” She stopped in mid-sentence, not wishing to complain about Menno’s behavior.

“Me?”

Mary Ruth shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said such a thing.”

Menno glanced over his shoulder again at the girls. “We can continue this later, I reckon,” he said. “In private.”

Nodding her head, Mary Ruth agreed. “In private.”

Leaning back again, Menno sighed. “Now, if we only knew what had caused the fire!” He scratched at his head, his fingers mussing his brown curls. “While the most important thing is that you are better, I’m still concerned about that.” He looked at her for a second. “You remember nothing?”

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted as Melvin cleared his throat. “I left your bags in the bedroom,” he said.

Menno looked at his son. “
Gut
, Melvin.
Danke
.”

His question about the fire was forgotten as the girls came over, carefully carrying a cup of hot tea and a plate of cookies for Mary Ruth. She laughed in delight at the care they had taken and graciously accepted the offering. Then, patting the sofa next to her, she invited the girls to join her. Menno moved over to the chair to make room for his daughters, smiling to himself as he watched Mary Ruth share the treats with the girls. Yet, when she offered a cookie to Melvin, he merely shook his head and asked if he could go upstairs to lie down for a spell.

“You feeling poorly, then?” Mary Ruth asked, concern in her voice.

“
Nee
,” Melvin replied, his eyes on the floor. “Just tired, is all.” Quietly, he stole up the stairs, oblivious to the fact that Menno and Mary Ruth trailed him with their eyes.

Once he had disappeared and the sound of his door latching shut was heart, Mary Ruth turned back to Menno. “What is that about?”

He shrugged. “Been that way since the fire,” he told her. “Reckon he was in shock. Mayhaps thought too much about his
mamm’s
death.”

Silence.

Mary Ruth imagined that the boy had been frightened by the ordeal. After all, it had only been six months ago when he had witnessed his mother’s gruesome death on the hay baler. The fact that the fire could have killed his new
mamm
would certainly cause a heavy burden on his heart. Yet, something troubled her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. If only she could remember what it was that was bothering her, she thought.

Miriam and Elias sat in Rachel
’s kitchen, watching as their oldest daughter fussed over her husband. He was sitting in his chair, his face pale and drawn. With a blanket tucked under his chin, only his thinning beard sticking out, Elijah looked as though he had aged fifteen years in just two short weeks.

“
You comfortable,
ja
?” Rachel asked, smoothing the blanket over Elijah’s legs. “Don’t want you getting any drafts now.”

He licked his lips and mumbled, “Thirsty.”

Without missing a beat, Rachel hurried to the sink to pour her husband a glass of water. “Just a little,” she coaxed as she held the glass to his lips. “Not too much or you’ll be sick again.”