Naomi’s Christmas (23 page)

And why didn’t you come more often? Emma could certain-sure have used your support
when Ada died.

Still, it wasn’t for her to judge. She studied Ada’s big brother, seeing little there
of the boy she remembered. The Seth of her memories had been laughing and teasing,
with a headstrong streak that led him into mischief more often than not.

The man facing her looked like any Englischer, a businessman, maybe, with his stylishly
cut hair and clean-shaven face. Where was the big brother Ada had looked up to and
loved?

Fortunately for Naomi, Emma claimed Seth’s attention before she had to say anything
else.

“Here are Ada’s kinder. Joshua and Sadie, greet your onkel Seth.”

Seth smiled, his eyes softening as he looked at the young ones. “I’m very happy to
meet you at last. Sadie, you look just like your mamm. And Joshua, you’re almost grown-up
now.”

“I’m six, Onkel Seth,” Joshua said politely. Sadie hung back, not sure she wanted
to get too close to this Englisch stranger.

“Naomi says you were my mammi’s big bruder, like Joshua is mine,” Sadie said, with
the air of not quite believing it.

“Naomi is right.” Seth didn’t make any move to embrace the children, and Naomi was
glad he had that much sense. He couldn’t force a relationship with a niece and nephew
who had never seen him.

“Naomi is always right,” Joshua said suddenly.

Naomi blinked, surprised by his assertive tone. What undercurrents in the room was
he responding to?

“She knows how to make things and all about the bees,” Sadie said, following her brother’s
lead.

“Nobody could know all about the bees,” Naomi said, embarrassed. “They are their own
creatures.” Maybe that was part of their fascination. There was a sense the bees would
go on doing their own things in their own way, regardless of what went on outside
the hive.

“Bees?” Seth looked puzzled for a moment, but then he nodded. “I remember. Your grandmother
was a beekeeper, wasn’t she? So you’ve inherited her talent, have you?”

“Grossmammi had a lifetime with the bees,” she said, wondering why on earth they were
talking about this when they’d come to see Emma. “I’m still learning. And speaking
of learning, the kinder have learned something special for their grossmammi.” She
looked at Joshua and Sadie. “Are you ready?”

Joshua nodded solemnly, standing very straight in front of Emma. Sadie, with a slight
giggle, hurried to stand next to him. Naomi handed each of them the candle she’d brought
for them to hold. Then she moved to the side so that they could see her face while
still looking at their grossmammi. She’d promised to mouth the words with them, just
in case they forgot.

“All right?” she said. “Now.”

“We are two little candles…” Joshua began, holding his candle high. Sadie joined in.
She glanced frequently at Naomi to be sure of the words, but Joshua, his gaze fixed
on Emma, recited the entire piece without a slip.

“Ach, that is wonderful gut,” Emma exclaimed, clapping while the others joined in
the applause. “It makes me feel like Christmas.”

“We heard it at the Christmas program at the schoolhouse,” Joshua said.

“Naomi took us,” Sadie added. “It was fun. We got to have cookies afterward. Do you
think they have cookies all the time in school?”

Emma chuckled, some of the lines of pain in her face seeming to vanish. “Not all the
time,” she said. “But the Christmas program is a special time for the scholars.”

“I want to go to school,” Joshua announced. “I’m old enough. When I asked Daadi, he
said, ‘We’ll see,’ and, ‘Maybe after Christmas.’”

Emma sent an inquiring look over their heads at Naomi.

“Nathan is thinking about it,” she explained. “Joshua knows all his letters and numbers
and he is already printing very well.”

Emma nodded, but Naomi couldn’t tell what she thought of the idea. Was she thinking
that Naomi was pushing in too much, changing the way she’d done things?

Sadie began telling her grandmother about the presents she was making, and Joshua
joined in. Relieved that the talk had moved off the subject of school, Naomi stepped
back, letting the children entertain Emma.

She found herself standing next to Seth and sought for something to say to him. He
lived in such a different world now. What was there in Pleasant Valley that might
interest him?

“Do the children remember Ada?” he asked in an undertone, relieving her of the responsibility
of finding something to talk about.

Naomi took a step or two farther away from the young ones, cautious always in what
she said about their mother in their hearing. “Joshua does, since he was four at the
time. Sadie…well, I think Sadie remembers more the idea of her mamm rather than anything
specific.”

“It was a waste.” Seth’s voice, soft though it was, was suddenly filled with anger.
“She shouldn’t have been doing anything so dangerous. She should have known better.”

It almost sounded as if he was angry at Ada for dying. People did feel that way sometimes.
It was part of grieving. But after two years, Naomi would have expected him to be
past that point. And after all, how often did Seth even think of his sister in his
busy, alien life?

“No one ever could stop Ada from doing something she really wanted to do,” she said,
keeping her voice mild.

He glared at her. “Aren’t you going to tell me it was God’s will?”

“I do not think you are ready to hear that yet, Seth. And I think we should talk of
something else before the kinder hear us. Are you enjoying being back at home again?”

He glanced away, seeming to struggle for control for a moment, and then he shrugged.
“Pleasant Valley hasn’t changed any, as far as I can see. But I’m not staying at the
house, if
that’s what you mean. I’m at the new motel out of town along the highway.”

“I see.” That surprised her. She’d naturally assumed he’d be staying at his mother’s
house. Surely he didn’t feel unwelcome there.

“I can’t do without modern conveniences,” he said, maybe understanding her thoughts.
“As long as I’m in Pleasant Valley, I have to stay in touch with my business associates,
so I need a high-speed Internet connection.”

She could understand that, she supposed. The Englisch seemed to pride themselves on
being constantly connected to the world, as if that was always a good thing.

“Are they making you comfortable there?” she asked po-litely.

His smile had an edge to it. “They aren’t stuffing me with food, if that’s what you
mean.”

“People who do physical work need plenty to eat.” She answered the implied criticism.
“I’m sure your mamm fed you well when you and your daad were working the farm. I seem
to remember you were very partial to her apple dumplings.”

This time his smile was genuine. “I haven’t had any to equal hers since I left,” he
said. “You didn’t happen to bring an apple dumpling in that tin, did you?”

Smiling in relief that they’d gotten past his edginess, she shook her head. “Only
walnut streusel coffee cake,” she said. “I don’t think apple dumplings—”

“I don’t know why you’re spending all your time talking to her.” Jessie’s voice cut
across what she was saying, and Naomi turned, mind racing, searching for something
to head off the approaching storm.

“I think I—”

“You should leave,” Jessie said, her voice as sharp as a knife. “You’re not wanted
here.”

“Jessie, what’s gotten into you?” Seth was looking at his little sister with such
perplexity in his face that Naomi guessed this was the first time he’d been treated
to one of Jessie’s tantrums.

“You don’t know.” Jessie whirled on him. “How could you? You haven’t been around to
know. Naomi was always jealous of Ada, and now she’s doing everything she can to get
Nathan to marry her so she can take Ada’s place.”

“Jessie—” Emma began, but it was too late. Jessie ran to the door, rushed out, and
set it swinging, leaving an appalled silence behind her.

It
took a moment for Naomi to gather her wits together, unsure whether she was shaken
or humiliated by the sudden attack. If the others saw her that way—

But there was no time to worry about the adults’ reactions now. It was Joshua and
Sadie who needed all her concern.

“Goodness,” she said, trying to smile. “Aunt Jessie left in a rush, didn’t she? I’m
sure she’ll come back in time to say good-bye to you, though.”

Galvanized by her words, Emma nodded, patting Joshua’s shoulder and taking Sadie’s
hand. “That’s our Jessie, for sure. Always in a hurry. But she did love your poem,
you know. Did you see how she clapped at it?”

Joshua nodded, wary, while Sadie looked straight at her grandmother.

“Why is Aunt Jessie mad at Naomi?” Sadie’s high voice seemed to puncture the smoke
screen they were trying to erect.

“She isn’t mad, Sadie.” Emma snuggled her close. “Aunt Jessie just has a sharp way
of speaking sometimes, but it doesn’t mean anything.”

“You know, I think I saw a vending machine down the hall. Why don’t we go and see
what some change might buy for Sadie and Joshua?” Seth jingled coins in his pocket.

“Vending?” Sadie’s brow wrinkled.

“You know,” Joshua said, with the lofty assurance of a six-year-old. “Like that thing
with the bubble gum in it at the hardware store.”

“Does it have gum?” Sadie, perfectly willing to be bribed, took Seth’s hand. “Daadi
doesn’t let us have gum.”

“Well, then, Onkel Seth won’t, either,” Naomi said, with a warning glance at Seth.
“But there might be candy or crackers. Do you need any more change?” This last was
aimed at Seth.

He shook his head. “I have enough, I think.” He held out his hand to Joshua. “Coming,
Joshua?”

Joshua looked at Naomi, and when she nodded, he took the offered hand and the three
of them went out into the hallway, leaving Naomi alone with Emma.

Naomi had to steel herself to turn, half afraid of what she might see in Emma’s face.
If Emma believed that what Jessie had said was true—

But one look relieved her. Emma’s cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and she
held her hand out to Naomi pleadingly.

“Ach, Naomi, can you forgive her? I am so embarrassed
and ashamed. I never thought to hear a child of mine speak such nonsense.”

“Of course it’s forgiven.” She went quickly to clasp Emma’s hand. “And it’s not your
fault, that’s certain-sure.”

Emma shook her head, and a tear escaped to trickle down her cheek. She looked shrunken
suddenly, and older than her years.

“Ach, I am so weak I want to cry over every little thing. You know that Jessie doesn’t
take easily to change, and the poor child has had too much of that, with me away and
now helpless in this chair.” She smacked her hand against the arm of the wheelchair,
as if it were to blame.

“Maybe…” Naomi stopped, censoring the words she wanted to say. Clearly Emma was not
ready to admit Jessie needed more help than she could give, despite this most recent
outburst. And with Emma in a weakened state herself, Naomi could hardly press the
issue.

“Maybe what?” Emma asked.

Naomi shook her head. “I don’t know. It seems I bring out the worst in Jessie, but
I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because Ada and I were so close.”

She spoke at random, trying to cover the direction her thoughts had actually taken,
but she might have inadvertently come close to the truth. Emma was nodding.

“I think you might have it,” she said. “Jessie always admired her big sister so much
and wanted to be like her. She maybe resented the time Ada spent with you.”

Naomi nodded, but whether that had been the starting point for Jessie’s resentment
or not didn’t really seem to matter. Something had to be done. Perhaps Seth, coming
back
after so long a time, would be able to look at the situation more clearly than Emma
could.

“But maybe Jessie was right in one thing.” Catching Naomi’s eye, Emma shook her head.
“Ach, not about her idea of you chasing Nathan. That’s foolishness. But maybe Jessie
senses that it would be a gut thing for Nathan to marry you.”

“Emma!” Naomi could barely catch her breath. “I’m sure the thought never occurred
to him. Or to me,” she added hastily.

“Maybe it should,” Emma said. “Look at me.” She gestured to the chair. “Whether Nathan
has realized it or not, I’m not going to be able to take on those kinder full-time
again. I’m not what they need. They need a mammi.”

Naomi’s throat was threatening to close. “Maybe one day Nathan will fall in love again.”

Emma shook her head. “He buried his heart with Ada, I fear. And Joshua and Sadie need
a mamm now, not off in the future sometime.” Emma’s grasp tightened on Naomi’s hand.
“You wouldn’t be taking Ada’s place, Naomi. But it could still be a gut life, having
a husband and young ones to call your own.”

Meaning she thought it impossible that Naomi would ever find someone to love her for
herself, apparently. Naomi tried to smile, gently loosening her hand from Emma’s grasp.
“I think that is the weakness from your accident talking, Emma. You must stop worrying.
The children will be all right. Now I think I’d better find them and send them back
in to you.”

Naomi stepped into the hall, glad to be away from Emma and her disturbing ideas. Surely
that suggestion was the product of her accident and current weakness as she fretted
her way through each day.

But there was no solitude in the hallway, as Sadie came rushing up to her, waving
a half-eaten candy bar. “Look, look, Naomi. I put in the coins, and this candy bar
came out.”

“Amazing,” she said. “Let’s try not to get the chocolate on your dress, ja?” She glanced
over Sadie’s head at Joshua. He had his own candy bar, eating it slowly as if to relish
every bite.

“Did you remember to thank Onkel Seth?”

“They did,” Seth said, joining her. His face softened when he looked at the children.
Did he see himself and Ada in them?

“You two go back in and visit with Grossmammi,” Naomi said. “Scoot, now. We’ll have
to leave before too long. We don’t want to keep Ben waiting for our ride home.”