My Dearest Naomi (29 page)

I arrived home from school as usual, and another long evening lies ahead. I’m feeling some better, although my eyes still look bloodshot.

Since the weather changed the last two days, we’ve been playing outside, and the children are in a much better mood. Outside play seems to remove the jitters from their mental and physical body systems.

On Friday we have a school Valentine’s Day party planned. Crystal, Dena, and Velma are in charge, and I’m playing along because this is what they’re used to. It also breaks the monotony, as does my funny writing. That would be my attempts to copy your handwriting in portions of this letter. You can see I am very bored. I think the results look better than my normal handwriting, but not better than yours.

The electric typewriter at the school has me completely spoiled. I noticed this again when Lonnie wanted me to type a paper for him the other evening. I sat down at the manual typewriter they have here at the house and saw at once that I’ve lost much of my speed, which isn’t good. Perhaps if one is Amish, one had better act Amish. But I’m still going to use the other typewriter. It’s simply too tempting.

At school we have started a countdown. There are sixty-three days of school still to go, which translates into twelve maybe eleven weeks, not counting this one.

This winter reminds me of the time when you weren’t old enough to date, and I was waiting for spring when you would be. April finally came around, and I could ask you home on a Sunday night. I hope this winter isn’t as long, but it feels so. April did finally arrive back then, and I took you home. You were, by the way, worth every minute of the wait.

I love you,

Eugene

February 8

I was quite puzzled today after receiving this envelope in the mail with very odd writing on it. I figured it wasn’t from you and didn’t use scissors to open it. Then a strange little note fell out with your writing on it. Thanks for the nice surprise.

Afterward, I laid the little note on the counter. Larry ran by and picked it up and read, “Hi, Sweetheart,” right out loud! The little rascal! Dad heard and chuckled for a long time. Tonight I complained about Larry at the supper table, and he piped up. “Yeah, it said ‘Hi, Sweetheart!’” Anyway, I laughed with them.

Last night I decided I had enough of Ranger’s howling and got bundled up and went downstairs to let him into the barn. That was what he wanted apparently. So tonight I made sure he was in the barn before I went to bed. No howling Ranger!

Mom went over to Katie Troyer’s to help quilt this afternoon. Rosanna and I drove into the grocery store in Worthington. I let Rosanna drive. She’ll drive like Don, I think, hugging the side of the road as if her life depended on it. The rest of the day I worked on our quilt. My fingers are a mess, but I love the way it’s turning out.

Well, I should get to bed, I’m pretty tired.

Love you so much,

Naomi

February 10

Whee!
What has come over you—starting songs at the singing? I wish I had been there to hear this. What a shame to have missed the grand occasion.

You wouldn’t have started the song to impress that Darrell fellow? This sounds quite suspicious and dangerous to me. And you have given him my address. I guess I can be nice and respond. That is—if he writes. He’s probably a nice fellow and all, and I’m sure you’re laughing at me right now. But you are very far away, and you were very much with him.

You never have to worry about your letters getting long and boring. I don’t think anything from you could be boring, and I read the long ones twice.

Well…I love you.

Eugene

February 11

I’m sitting here in my room eating peanut butter cookies. Oh yes, and writing. I sure don’t know what to expect in your letters anymore. Secret notes written on the inside, and now you try to copy my handwriting. But I do like your version of a return address: “Who knows?” That’s funny and creative.

Yesterday I arrived home from work and right away had to leave for another babysitting job, so the rest of the family was on their own for the chores. Mom can help if she needs to. And I, after a long evening, arrived home around 10:30.

The one-year-old wouldn’t go to sleep and still hadn’t settled down when the couple arrived home. Then when I arrived here, all the doors were locked. I had a notion to knock really loud to get Mom or Dad out of bed, but instead I was a nice person and went in through the basement.

It was pitch-black and Ranger was down there, which I didn’t know. He gave his friendly growl, rubbing up against me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Thankfully, I didn’t scream.

Some of the women are taking a trip to northern Indiana on Tuesday. I think I’m going along and might have a chance to look up my old friend Jolene.

Stick to your diet now and hang tight because I can see a big difference in your letters. It makes me feel better if I know you’re happy and feeling well.

Your Naomi

February 12

Many thanks for the Valentine’s card. It even came early!

Our school Valentine’s party went well. I didn’t think anyone acted enthused beforehand so I was afraid the day would turn out a dud. Then in the morning they all tramped in holding a bunch of cards and started to pass them out right away. They were all laughing and talking and having a great time.

The real party didn’t start until 1:30, and everyone had to wait to open their cards until then. I figured they would draw numbers on who exchanged cards but that wasn’t the plan.

Velma informed me, “Everyone just gives everybody a card.”

That sounded like a lot of card giving to me, but they turned out to be little, itty bitty cards, so there wasn’t that much work involved in making them.

They made me stand in front of the school and start the whole affair off with unwrapping my presents. Then they all joined in. I received a round toy ball, a sort of Rubik’s cube imitation, except this is much easier to solve, a watch pen, a box of mixed nuts, and a little octopus that crawls up the wall by itself.

I felt pretty rotten that I hadn’t purchased any presents for them, but I didn’t know I was supposed to be involved. It was a great time though, and broke up the winter blues for one day at least.

I’m glad you like my new writing ventures, including the new return address with the misshapen letters. I figured you would open the letter in great joy, hoping it was a new boyfriend or something. I know…I really am bored.

I told Lonnie and Luella what I planned to do and showed them the address. They were highly amused and thought it a grand idea. Lonnie even said I should take it to another town to mail so the post office stamp wouldn’t be Trenton, but I was too lazy for that. Luella did ask me today how the trick went. I told her, “We’re still dating.” She thought that was pretty funny.

I love you,

Eugene

February 12

This has been a long, weary day, with Mom and I quilting the whole day. We finished in time for the chores, but I can hardly write now as my fingertips are all chopped up. I’m not the best quilter in the world, let me tell you. So hopefully you aren’t marrying me for that reason.

Dad is down with the flu—hard. He couldn’t even get out to the barn all day.

Harvey and his family have gone to Florida for a quick trip with Harvey’s brother, who is Mennonite. They had an offer to go along and couldn’t resist. So we are picking up Darrell tomorrow morning for church, and we are also visiting the other district for a change. Your jealousies are amusing, but let me assure you there is no need to worry.

I sure hope Dad is better by tomorrow morning or we will have to go to church by ourselves. Either way, Darrell is riding with us. But I am being very wicked, aren’t I?

What a day—and a very enjoyable one. Dad was able to go to church, and we picked up Darrell for the long haul over to the East district. We visited and laughed all the way. He’s a real corker. He teased me about the wedding and said he wants to be invited when it happens. In fact, he wants to have a part in it. I didn’t make any promises, of course, as it’s a long way in the future, and this could shuffle our table waiter plans.

Darrell said he wants to join the Amish in the West district since Harvey and his family live here, but that Bishop Enos’s East district is the nicest. I agree, and Darrell must be observant to have figured that out already. He said he wants to live in the East district if he ever gets married Amish. I laughed but he sounded serious.

And listen to this. Brenda, whom I would guess is getting married this summer, whispered to me after church that they had an accident at their house the other Sunday night. Adam saw her wedding dress. Personally I think she wanted him to see it, but that just goes to show that old wives fables aren’t really true because Brenda and Adam are one of the nicest couples around and deeply in love.

Don couldn’t go to the singing tonight, so I had to pick up Darrell by
myself. I hope you don’t mind, as it wasn’t planned. Believe me, there is nothing romantic about driving a man to the singing and back. Darrell said he would offer to drive, but that he didn’t want to end up in the ditch. He’s practicing some with the buggy at Harvey’s house, but he said he’s still stomping the brake pedal and pressing the gas as if it were a car, even while he’s holding the reins.

I thought that was pretty funny, but I guess that’s how it would go if you were used to driving a car all your life. Have you ever wondered what the
Englisha
life is like? I really haven’t, but from what Darrell says it’s not all that interesting. I suppose it all depends on what you grow up with. I know that I babysit for some nice
Englisha
people.

Well, it’s time to blow out the kerosene lamp and get some shut-eye. There is another long day ahead of me tomorrow, but it has been a good Sunday.

I love you,

Naomi

February 14

I’m still racking my brains at school trying to come up with interesting things to brighten these winter days. At least the children’s Valentine’s Day party helped, with the aftereffects still lingering.

There are plans now for a lunch exchange next week, which your sisters suggested. I’ll make the announcement tomorrow so the kids can look forward to it.

In March we have an appointment to visit a maple sugar camp, with the school board members’ wives getting those plans together.

I’ve started having devotions a little differently. I used to read out of the Bible storybook, but I’ve switched to a book called
Stories from Grandma’s Attic
by Arleta Richardson. I think the interest level has definitely picked up.

It sounds as if you should have fun tomorrow when you take the trip to northern Indiana. I’d be interested in a full account of the day.

Remember the Rubik’s cube ball I received for Valentine’s Day? Well, the thing is causing marital disharmony at the house. Luella became addicted to it on Saturday evening, trying and trying to solve the puzzle without success. The next morning at the breakfast table I was told the whole sad tale.

Apparently the time for bed had arrived. They had their devotions, and then Lonnie got into bed. Luella, however, returned to the living room to puzzle over the cube. Lonnie called out that she should come to bed, and that he was cold without someone warm beside him in bed. Luella wouldn’t do it though. She was determined to solve the puzzle. Eventually she gave in and got into bed with him. I told Lonnie that I didn’t have anyone to warm up my bed. He told me, “Yeah, but you’re used to it.”

On Sunday night down at Saul’s place, Luella went through the whole story again, adding details she had left out in the first telling. Suffice it to say the whole house was roaring with laughter. The cube is still alive and well, but I saw Lonnie looking sideways at it tonight.

The seventh graders, Velma and Jared, had fun with prepositional phrases in English class. You can get strange results if you put them in the wrong place, and they amused themselves in class until they had me laughing.

The boy came after the dog
with the freckled face.

The lady pushed the baby,
with gray hair
.

He wrote me that I should come visit
in a letter.

There’s a birthday party tonight for one of the youth. That should be fun, but there’s always the pain of having to scrounge for food at such places. I don’t want to create a fuss. There is usually something around to eat, if the people are into rabbit food, which a surprising number of folks are. Life is the pits, as they like to say around here. I will have to be careful not to say that around home.