Naomi’s Christmas (10 page)

“Aunt Sarah, I baked!” Sadie danced across the kitchen to tug eagerly on Sarah’s cape
while Sarah tried to remove jackets from her little ones.

“I see you did.” Sarah’s smiling gaze met Naomi’s, and Naomi hurried to help her with
the children.

“Sarah, it is wonderful gut to see you.” She divested two-year-old Samuel of his jacket.
“And the kinder.”

“I thought I would stop to see how things are going, and then I’ll pick up the older
ones from school.” With her lively brood, Sarah had her hands full, but she seemed
to control them without effort. “Ja, Samuel, you can color, but not on Joshua’s paper.”
She diverted her young son’s attention to a picture of his own.

“Let me hold the boppli while you get your coat off, at least,” Naomi said. “Will
you have some pie or coffee cake? And there is coffee on the stove.”

Sarah handed over the sleeping baby and stretched as she took off her jacket. “Ach,
wouldn’t you know little Matthew would fall asleep in the buggy?”

One-handed, Naomi began setting out a plate of oatmeal cookies for the children while
she cradled the sleeping baby in her other arm. “The motion always puts them to sleep,
ja? I
remember when Isaiah used to fall asleep the minute we started to worship.”

“And now he’s married himself.” Sarah poured a cup of coffee and helped herself to
a slice of the coffee cake on the counter. With the children occupied at the table,
she took one of the two rockers by the wood-burner. “Shall I take little Matt back?”

“I’ll hold him.” Naomi sat down in the other rocking chair, cradling the warm bundle
against her. Would she ever stop feeling this longing for a babe of her own whenever
she held one? Not likely, it seemed.

She’d been hoping for a chance to talk with Sarah. Things had happened so fast with
Emma leaving that she hadn’t had a chance to reassure herself that Sarah didn’t mind
her taking over here.

“Aaron, you share with your bruder.” Sarah seemed to keep an eagle eye on her young
ones. “I meant to stop by sooner than this, but yesterday was so busy…Well, I am here
now. Are you settling all right with the kinder?”

“Ja, everything is fine.” Naomi glanced at the children, satisfied that they were
intent on what they were doing and not listening to the grown-ups. “I hope it is all
right with you that I am watching them.”

“All right?” Sarah echoed. “I couldn’t be more pleased. Mind, I told Nathan I’d be
happy to have his two at my house until Emma returns, but he thought they’d do better
in their own home. And I can’t deny he’s probably right.” She sighed. “Those poor
kinder have been through enough in their young lives without being bounced around.
As for you—I’m just thanking God you were able to fill in when Nathan needed you.”

“Nathan is helping me, as well,” Naomi said quickly. “He’s letting me have my beehives
on his land.”

“Ach, ja, I heard about the situation with your daad.” She shook her head. “Foolish,
I’d say, making such a change at his age, but there’s no talking to men.”

The last thing Naomi wanted to do was encourage any gossip. “I’m happy he and Betty
found each other,” she said, monitoring her tone. “And even though it was difficult
to move the bees, this will be a better situation in the end, I think.”

“That’s how life works out sometimes, ain’t so? The things we think are a disaster
turn out to be God’s way of putting us on a new path.”

Naomi stared at her. She wouldn’t have expected such an observation from Sarah, who
seemed as busy and content with her life as one of the worker bees.

“I guess that’s so,” she said, not wanting to inquire into Sarah’s reason for saying
it.

Sarah darted another glance toward the children. The boys had deserted the coloring
and were starting to build something with the wooden blocks from the toy box in the
corner.

“At least with you here, there’s no chance Jessie will be trying to take over.” Sarah
had lowered her voice, even though the children seemed well occupied. “That’s what
I was worried about most with Emma leaving.”

Naomi shouldn’t talk about Jessie with Sarah, but surely, since Sarah had brought
it up, it would be appropriate to mention Jessie’s effort.

“Jessie came by yesterday with just that thought in mind,” she said. “But Nathan made
it clear that I’d be watching the kinder.”

“Gut.” Sarah spoke firmly. “Sometimes I think he’s too determined not to hurt Jessie’s
feelings, but she really can’t be left with the kinder. I hope Jessie didn’t make
too much of a fuss.”

Naomi wouldn’t forget Jessie’s shrill demands in a hurry. “Nathan handled it,” she
said.

“Gut,” Sarah said again, and then she smiled, looking like the freckle-faced tomboy
she’d once been. “Though Nathan probably didn’t think it so gut. Men never want to
deal with women’s emotions.”

Naomi just smiled, determined not to be drawn into that subject. “Joshua and Sadie
are dears, and I’m wonderful glad to have this opportunity to know them better.”

“They are gut kinder,” Sarah said, watching as Sadie pointed out the apple purses
she’d made to her smaller cousin. “Joshua should be in school this year, don’t you
think?”

Caught off-guard, Naomi nodded, then quickly backed up. “It’s Nathan’s decision. If
he doesn’t think the boy is ready—”

“Ach, Nathan can see for himself that Joshua is ready if he has eyes in his head.”
Sarah sounded frustrated. “I told him and told him Joshua should start to school this
year, but he wouldn’t listen, because he didn’t want to hear. Nathan couldn’t handle
the thought of Joshua going off on his own.” A shadow crossed her face, chasing away
her exasperated look. “Nathan has been like that ever since Ada died, as if he can
stop anything bad from happening to those kinder by keeping them close. The truth
of it is that he’s never gotten over losing Ada that way, and I fear he never will.”

S
o
Emma’s Elizabeth has a healthy baby girl, I understand,” Paula said, working beside
Naomi as they restocked the display case at the bakery. “Emma must be wonderful glad
she could be there for the birthing.”

“Ja, for sure.” Naomi paused, holding a tray of fresh-baked pretzels, their aroma
teasing her taste buds. “Elizabeth is naming her Ada.”

“For her sister.” Paula nodded. “It’s natural Elizabeth should name the boppli for
her sister, but I hope Nathan isn’t upset.”

Since Paula was looking at Naomi inquiringly, she obviously expected an answer.

“I’m sure he’s fine.” What else could she say? Nathan’s face had been perfectly expressionless
when he’d passed on the information from Emma.

The bell over the door jingled, heralding the latest in a long line of customers visiting
the bakery on Saturday, and Paula
moved off to attend to them while Naomi finished replenishing the case. This had been
an unusually busy day in town, maybe because bright, sunny Saturdays were rare this
late in November. The sunlight picked out the reds and browns of the last few leaves
clinging to the trees along Main Street.

Naomi’s life was as busy lately as the day had been, but she relished it. Even with
going back and forth between caring for Nathan’s children and working in the bakery,
she seemed to have more energy than ever. Perhaps she had been getting stale, with
little but Daadi and the bees to occupy her.

It was hard to believe one week of her time at Nathan’s was finished already. Emma
had said she might stay away as long as three weeks, if she was needed. And like Emma,
Naomi would stay as long as necessary.

The bell jingled again, and this time Naomi broke into a smile when she saw who had
come in. “Leah! It is wonderful gut to see you. You are so busy with the kinder these
days that I seldom see you except for church.”

Leah Glick came straight to the display case, holding her youngest, Rachel Anna, by
the hand. Now there was a case of a late marriage with a widower working out. Leah
had been the community’s teacher, and no one had expected her to marry until Daniel
Glick moved in next door with his three youngsters, and friendship had blossomed into
love.

“The family does keep me busy, that’s for sure.” Leah smiled down at Rachel Anna,
who was pressing her nose against the glass case, eyeing its contents. “I slipped
out today to do some shopping.” She nodded to her daughter. “She’ll take her time
in picking a treat,” she said. “Long enough for you to tell me how you’re enjoying
working out at Nathan’s place.”

“The kinder miss their grossmammi, that’s certain-sure, but we are getting along very
well.”

“Emma will be missing them, too, I guess,” Leah said. “She’ll be torn between staying
with the new boppli and rushing back to Joshua and Sadie.”

“I suppose so.” The brightness of the day seemed dimmed, just for a moment. Surely
Naomi wasn’t mourning the end of her time with Nathan’s children already, was she?
She pinned a smile to her face. “I’m ser busy with the kinder and the bakery, that’s
certain-sure, but I don’t know when I’ve been happier.”

Leah’s gaze lingered on her face. “You look happier than you have in a long time,
Naomi. You won’t take offense if I say I think the changes have been gut for you,
will you?”

“Of course I won’t.” How could she? Leah was a friend, and a more good-hearted person
she couldn’t imagine. They’d known each other all their lives, and even though Leah
was a few years older than she was, that hadn’t made a difference to their friendship.

Leah was distracted by her daughter’s tugging on her coat. Rachel Anna pointed a small
finger at one of the pretzels Naomi had just put in that case.

“Is that the treat you want?” Naomi paused, her hand holding a square of waxed paper
over the crisp, golden pretzel. Young ones were sometimes caught in an agony of indecision
when faced with the bakery case.

But Rachel Anna seemed to have a mind of her own. She gave a brisk nod, her blue eyes
shining.

Naomi lifted the pretzel and put it on a paper plate for the child, who took it with
a shy smile. “You smile just like your mammi, did you know that, Rachel Anna?”

The child considered for a moment. Then she gave another sharp nod, making them both
laugh.

“Ach, I’m nearly forgetting what I wanted to tell you,” Leah said. “We finally have
a date for our girls’ Christmas party. It will be at my house on the fifteenth of
December. You will be there, won’t you?”

Naomi nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Their girls’ Christmas party was one of many such events that would be held from November
right through January in Pleasant Valley, as groups large and small met to celebrate.
Their particular girls’ group was composed of women who had been in their rumspringa
gang, as they called it. Not that Naomi had been able to participate much then, but
Leah made sure she came to every Christmas party anyway.

“It’ll be ser gut to have our friends together, and it’s kind of you to have us at
your house. Your poor husband will probably—”

The bell jingled again, and Naomi glanced automatically toward the door. Her breath
caught, the words flying out of her head. It was her father, coming into the bakery
on a Saturday, something that was unheard of. And Betty was with him—maybe their first
appearance in town since their quiet wedding last week at Betty’s church district.

Naomi wasn’t the only one to lose the thread of the conversation, she realized. A
hush had fallen over the room, with even their Englisch customers alerted by the sudden
silence of the Amish.

Betty glanced around the shop with a tight smile, and conversation started again.
Naomi tried to arrange her face in some expression other than shock. If Betty had
actually gotten
Daadi to bring her into the bakery for a snack, things had certainly changed at home.

Daadi stared at Naomi, but before he could come toward her, Betty tugged his arm and
led him to a table. Paula headed toward them, but Naomi met her gaze and shook her
head.

“I’d best wait on them,” she said quietly, steeling herself for an unpleasant exchange.
But surely Daad wasn’t eager to make their disagreement public any more than she was.

Leah gave her a rueful smile. She took her little girl’s hand, clucking a bit at the
pretzel crumbs dusting her jacket, and straightened her bonnet, a miniature replica
of Leah’s own.

Naomi took a deep breath, planted a smile on her face, and approached her father and
new stepmother. “Daad. Betty. It is ser gut to see you today. What may I get for you?”

“You may—” Daadi began explosively, but Betty put her hand on his arm, silencing him.

“I will have coffee, denke, Naomi. And maybe a piece of Paula’s walnut streusel cake.
Your daadi will have coffee, too, ja? And maybe some pie?” She looked at him.

He grunted. “Ja. Pumpkin, if Paula has it.”

“Right away,” Naomi said and moved quickly toward the counter, trying to keep a smile
in place.

Leah leaned across the counter. “It looks as if Betty is having a softening effect
on your daad.” She kept her voice low, so that no one could hear over the clink of
dishes and the murmur of conversation.

“I guess so.” Naomi couldn’t help the doubt in her voice, but maybe Betty was able
to manage him better than Naomi ever could.

She filled the order quickly and carried it back to the table,
seeming to feel many pairs of eyes observing her actions. That was one thing you could
be sure of in a small community like Pleasant Valley—everyone knew everyone else’s
business. She could remember saying that to each of her younger siblings as they entered
their rumspringa years.
Don’t ever think word won’t get out about what you are doing. It will.

Naomi put coffee and plates in front of them, holding her breath. “Would you like
anything else?”

Daad shook his head. Then, at a look from Betty, he nodded toward an empty chair.
“Can you sit with us and talk for a moment?”