Chapter 20
“Daisy, you busy?” Kyle called out as he walked up their driveway.
“Not really.” The truth was that he couldn’t have shown up at a better time.
She was sitting on the front porch and suffering through her second hour of hemming a dress.
Not only had she stuck herself with the needle two times, she knew that her mother was going to have a lot to say about her uneven stitches.
“What brings you over?” she asked as he walked up the steps.
“You aren’t going to try to court me again, are you? ” she teased.
He chuckled. “Sorry, but I don’t think I can put either of us through that again anytime soon.” He sat down on the chair next to her. “What are you doing?”
“Hemming a dress.”
“That looks relaxing.”
“We both know that it’s anything but that.” Feeling guilty because all she seemed to do was complain, she added, “Forgive me, it’s not a bad task. I just get frustrated with myself because my stitches aren’t as even as they should be.”
“Ah. Sorry I can’t help you with that.”
“I don’t need help.” Glad for the break, she gathered the dress, folded it a couple of times, and set it on the table next to her. “Are you out for a walk?”
“Nee. I came over to ask you about my sister.”
“Your sister?”
“Jah. You see, she’s fourteen and going through a hard time. She has a hearing difficulty and some of the kids in her school give her a hard time.”
“That’s awful.” Unfortunately, she knew all about being teased.
“I agree.”
“Is she in an Amish school?”
“She is.” Looking away, he added, “Honestly, I think if she was at the public school, she might be having an easier time. They have services and teachers for kinner with special needs.”
“I’m sorry you are so far away from her.”
“I had an idea. I invited her to come up here. And … I thought that maybe you could help her.”
That took her off guard. “Me?”
“Jah. You have some extra time.” Before Daisy could interrupt, Kyle added in a rush, “You see, Sarah doesn’t really like school because she can’t understand the teacher very well. She wants to do the work on her own. Plus, she’s good with animals. I thought she might be good company for Velvet.”
That sounded like a lot of responsibility she wasn’t qualified for. “I’m not sure if I would be the best help for your sister.”
“Oh. All right.”
It was obvious that he thought she was refusing for no reason. “I mean, I did okay with school, but I wasn’t the best student. She might be better at her assignments than me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll think of something.” Looking at the crumpled fabric on her lap, he said, “Though, I will tell you that she’s great at sewing.”
“Really? Do you think if I help her with her schooling she might want to help me with some chores?”
“If it’s sewing, I do.”
“Hmm. Listen, I don’t want to refuse, it’s just that I’m not sure. I don’t want you to be disappointed. I’m happy to give your help a try. I’m surprised Ruthie and Mervin are okay with her visiting.”
“I haven’t talked to them about it yet. I wanted to have some things in place before I said anything to them.
” Looking pained, he said, “Now that I’m sharing everything with you, I am realizing that maybe I shouldn’t have suggested she go to public school for a bit.
Sometimes people are mean.” He sighed. “I just feel like I need to help her though, you know?”
“I have two big brothers. I know all about brothers feeling the need to help their younger sisters.” Her expression full of understanding, she added, “If Ben or Lukas was here, they’d offer a lot more suggestions.”
He chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Gut.”
“How are you, otherwise?”
“You mean, when I’m not worrying about my future and complaining about sewing a hem?”
He smiled. “Yes.”
“I don’t know.” The problem was that her mind felt as if it was continually flashing both options for her future and glimpses of the things she’d done wrong in the past. Sitting still no longer gave her any sense of peace.
But she didn’t want to tell him that. It felt too much like whining. Most likely because it probably was.
So she settled for the most mature thing she’d been thinking of. “I’m coming to terms with the fact that I’ll never have my own farm. I’m at peace with it.”
“You’ve decided to settle.”
His expression was filled with understanding, but the comment still pinched.
“I don’t know if you’d call it ‘settling’ as much as facing facts.
My reality is that I will never have enough money to run a farm by myself and even if I could, I would likely be doomed to fail because I wouldn’t have enough money to afford livestock and their feed. ”
“I’m sorry.”
“I am, too. Mostly because I shouldn’t have ever gone down this path in the first place. I’ve wasted a lot of my life working toward a goal that wasn’t sustainable.”
“You are twenty-four. You haven’t wasted anything.”
“I would agree, except that I’m the one who is sitting on my parents’ front porch attempting to hem a dress.
I don’t have a job, a boyfriend, or any man who is interested in me.
Probably because I have too few feminine skills.
” She sighed. “I’d rather take care of horses and talk to cows than hem another dress ever again. ”
Kyle stared at her for a long moment. “There’s nothing wrong with having dreams, Daisy. Just because the Lord isn’t answering your prayers immediately doesn’t mean He don’t hear them.”
“I agree. I think the Lord is listening to me.” Taking a deep breath, she admitted the awful truth. “But here’s the thing. He might hear what I’m asking for, but He might be thinking that I’m already wrong.”
“Don’t give up, okay?”
“I’ll try not to.”
He smiled as he stood up. “I’m going to let you go now. I’ve got to do some thinking about Sarah.”
“She’s blessed to have you.”
His brown eyes seemed to warm. “Wait until you meet her. You’ll understand why I think she’s so special.”
“I’ll look forward to that happening very soon.”