Chapter 10
Shortly after sunrise, Daisy walked her mother to the taxi parked in the driveway. “Are you sure you don’t want me to ride
with you to the bus station?”
“ Nee . Then you’d have to find a ride home.” Mamm handed the driver her small suitcase. “This can ride in the back seat with me.” As he put the case in the car, she turned
to Daisy. “I’m sorry we had a fight,” she said, touching Daisy’s cheek. “But I’m glad we worked things out.”
“Me too.” She wondered if she should tell her mother about Perry but decided against it. It would seem suspicious if Daisy
started “dating” him so soon after she and her mamm ’s agreement. Better to wait a while so their encounter seemed natural. “Have a safe trip back.”
“See you in six weeks.” Mamm smiled.
“Five and—” Daisy stopped herself. “See you then.”
Mamm got in the car, and Daisy waved to her as the taxi backed out of the driveway. She waited until the car disappeared down
the road, then headed back to the house to help Aenti Rosella clean up from breakfast. Her aunt had prepared a simple, delicious meal of muffins and fresh fruit. She also packed
Mamm a lunch for the trip—a ham and cheese sandwich, cut carrots and celery, another blueberry muffin, and some of the leftover fruit. Daisy told her aenti she would clean up the kitchen after she told Mamm goodbye.
But instead of going back inside, she stared at the phone shanty, tugging her sweater close to ward off the morning chill.
More than once before she fell asleep last night, she pondered if Grace was right. One phone call and a quick discussion with
Maynard and they would be an official couple. But she always came to the same conclusion—she had to wait until they were face-to-face
to discuss their future so she could see his happy reaction. There was also Perry to consider. If she and Maynard were together
before her “date,” then she would be cheating on Maynard, and she would never do that. She also couldn’t back out of their
pact. For better or worse, she was sticking to her word.
She could call and briefly talk to Maynard, though. She missed hearing his voice. Hopefully he hadn’t left for work. The shop
wasn’t open yet, but sometimes he went in early because he liked having the workshop to himself. She stepped inside the shanty
and dialed his number.
“Hello?” A rigid voice responded on the other line.
Neva. “Hi,” Daisy said, inserting a brightness into her tone that she didn’t feel. “Is Maynard there?”
A pause. “Who is this?”
Daisy tapped her forehead against the shanty glass. Neva knew it was her. Was she trying to plant in Daisy’s mind that other
women were calling? Or was this just a dig? “Can I speak to him?”
The Millers kept their phone in the kitchen and Daisy heard the receiver clatter on the counter, then Neva calling Maynard’s
name in the distance.
A few seconds later, he picked up. “Hello?”
“Hi, Maynard. It’s Daisy.” She smiled, but for some reason it felt different than the other times she smiled around him. Less... eager. And she was surprised she announced her name to him. He knew it was her.
“Hi, Daisy,” he said flatly.
His voice was naturally toneless. Kind of like his mother’s, she suddenly realized. Then a question flew out of her mouth—one
she’d always wanted to ask but never had. “Why does your mother hate me?”
“She doesn’t hate you,” he said, sounding surprised. “We aren’t supposed to hate anyone, Daisy. You know that.”
He was right, they weren’t. “She dislikes me then. A lot.”
“I’m on my way to the shop. Can we talk about this later?”
She inwardly sighed. She should have known better than to bring up such a testy topic with him right before work. “I’m sorry.
I just wanted to know if you got my letter.”
“Not yet.”
That made sense. She’d just mailed it yesterday. “Will you read it as soon as you get it?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ve got to geh , Daisy. We’re going to be real busy today.”
“I miss you, Maynard.”
He didn’t respond, but he didn’t hang up either.
“Do you... miss me?” she asked, cringing at the desperation in her voice.
“Uh-huh. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay.”
Click.
She placed the receiver back in the cradle, disappointed. Then she looked on the bright side. He did say he missed her and that he would call her. And she didn’t really care if Neva liked her or not. Once she and Maynard were married, Daisy would win her over.
Managing a smile that felt real this time, she left the shanty, glad she had his phone call to look forward to. Hastening
her steps, she headed for the house to do kitchen duty when a buggy came down the road, the horse trotting at a quick clip.
It turned into Perry’s driveway and had barely come to a stop when Perry leapt out and ran to the other side.
Although she couldn’t see his expression, she sensed something was wrong. Daisy dashed to him as he helped a glowering Ferman
out of the buggy. “What happened?”
“I’ve been kidnapped,” Ferman groused.
Perry rolled his eyes. “He fell at his house and is having trouble standing up.” He looked at Daisy as he bent at the waist
and hooked Ferman’s arm over his shoulder. “Can you unlock the door?”
“It’s working now?”
“ Ya ,” he said, handing her the key but providing no other explanation.
She quickly opened the door and Perry half carried Ferman to the one comfortable chair in the house, gently setting him down.
Ferman rewarded him with a steely glare.
“He’s cranky, but I think he’s okay.” Perry turned to Daisy. “I didn’t want to leave him alone.”
Daisy gave Ferman a once-over as he muttered something about young whippersnappers and their audacity. But his face was contorted
with pain, and he was rubbing his right hip.
“I’ve got to call my clients and reschedule,” Perry said, speeding to the door.
“You’re not canceling on my account,” Ferman protested and tried to get up. He moaned and sat right back down.
“I’m not leaving you here alone either,” Perry said. “Not when you can’t walk.”
“Who says I can’t walk?” Ferman’s bushy brows flattened over his eyes. “Give me a minute or two and I’ll be dancing out the
door.”
Perry crossed his arms and shook his head.
Daisy watched both men. They were at a standoff. “I can stay with him,” she volunteered.
Perry paused. “You don’t have to do that—”
“You certainly don’t.” Ferman harrumphed.
“But it would help me out,” Perry continued. “You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. Grace and her dad are leaving for work soon and Aenti Rosella has plans today. I’ve got my cross-stitch to keep me occupied while he rests.”
“I don’t need any rest,” Ferman insisted. “I need to work.”
She turned to the elderly man, who wasn’t hiding his disgust. She didn’t take it personally. He was in debilitating pain.
Perry nodded, his relief clear. “I’ll be back tonight.” He looked at Ferman. “Don’t give Daisy any trouble. Today she’s your
boss.”
“Fine,” he mumbled. When Perry asked Ferman to repeat himself, he yelled, “I’ll behave!”
Perry’s mouth twitched. Then he gestured for Daisy to walk out with him to the buggy. “I appreciate this,” he said, reaching
into the back seat for something. He handed her his card. “I keep a cell on me, so call if he gives you any trouble or if
you need help. I’ll get ahold of my sister-in-law Margaret and see if she can check on him. She knows a lot about natural
medicine, and she might have something to help his pain. If he’ll take it.”
“I’ll be on the lookout for her. Don’t worry, Perry. I’ll handle him.”
He tilted his head. “I’m sure you can, Daisy from Dover.” He hauled himself into the buggy. “See you tonight.”
When she went back inside, she found Ferman trying to get up again. She walked in front of him and gently put her hands on
his shoulders to make him sit down. She barely had to touch him, and he obeyed, or rather his achy hip wouldn’t let him continue.
Poor man. But she had to show him who was in charge, so she leaned in close. “You and I, Ferman Eash, are going to come to
an understanding.”
***
Shortly after Perry left, Ferman was fighting to stay awake. And fight he did, because he wasn’t about to let Mr. and Ms.
Bossypants get the best of him.
Deep down he knew Perry and Daisy were right. He did need to take it easy, and that scared him. He’d puttered around the house
yesterday morning, and his only physical task was feeding his horse, which had taken minimal effort. Even though his hip was
still a little sore, by midafternoon he decided to tackle his grass before the yard started to look seedy. Doing some physical
labor would also help get his mind off Junior’s visit and how that had ended in hurt feelings, yet again.
He’d taken the afternoon dose of his anti-inflammatory and figured it would kick in as he mowed the yard. He dragged the manual
push mower out of the shed and went to work, ignoring the pain and stiffness in his hip. He was halfway done when his leg
seized up, the muscles becoming so tight he couldn’t take a step without pain. Somehow he hobbled to the house and collapsed
on the bed, skipping supper and hoping he could sleep off his misery.
But when his alarm woke him up a couple hours ago, his leg was still achy and weak. He managed to get dressed, only to topple on his way to the living room to wait for Perry to pick him up. This time he couldn’t get back on his feet.
He stared at Perry’s white door, forcing his eyes to stay open. As soon as he was able to move again, he would go home, call
his doctor, and ask for a stronger prescription. He didn’t like taking drugs, but he disliked being dependent on anyone else
even more. He wasn’t about to impose on Perry or Daisy any more than necessary.
His eyes fluttered shut.
“Are you hungry?”
Ferman startled, and it felt like a hundred ice picks stabbed his hip. He tried and failed to stifle his moan.
“I’m sorry.” Daisy crouched beside him, putting her hand lightly on his arm. “I have a bad habit of doing that lately.”
“Scaring the life out of people?” he snapped, then grimaced and shifted, trying to find a comfortable position in the chair.
To her credit, she didn’t shrink from his sharp tone. “I’ll be more careful next time you’re sleeping.”
“I wasn’t sleeping.” He lifted his chin, not looking at her now. “I was resting my eyes.”
“Then I’ll be more careful next time you’re resting your eyes.” She stood up, her expression pleasant. “Would you like something
to eat?”
He was tempted to say no, but his empty belly stopped him. “Just a nibble will do.”
“I’ll be right back with that nibble.”
Ferman settled in the chair as she scurried to the kitchen. Behind him, he could hear her humming, cabinets and drawers opening
and closing as she prepared his food. He inwardly smiled. He liked this young woman, particularly the way she stood her ground
with him. But that didn’t mean he was going to stick around here for any length of time.
A knock sounded at the door and it opened. A lovely Amish woman with dark hair and a confident manner walked inside carrying a wicker basket. She looked at him. “You must be Ferman,” she said, giving him a warm smile. Then she glanced past him. “And you’re Daisy?”
“ Ya . Margaret, right?”
She nodded and went straight to Ferman. “Perry told me what was going on, and I got here as fast as I could. He said I could
just come in.”
Daisy placed a glass of water and a plate filled with cubes of cheddar cheese, a sliced apple, and a piece of bread with a
delightfully thick smear of butter across it on the small side table near the chair. “I didn’t hear your buggy,” she said.
“I took a taxi.” Margaret removed her cloak and black bonnet. “I live in Birch Creek, and I wouldn’t have made it here until
the afternoon. The driver is returning in an hour.”
Daisy offered to take her outerwear, and Margaret handed it to her before turning her attention back to Ferman. “Perry said
you might be a little resistant to my help.”
“Just a little ,” Daisy murmured as she walked away.
Ferman gave a slight smile. He didn’t want to show more weakness because, if he did, for sure one of these young people would
call Junior, and he didn’t want to deal with his son insisting that he move in with him. Best I cooperate. “How can you help me?”
She looked surprised at his agreeableness, and so did Daisy as she brought over a chair for Margaret, then stood nearby. “First
I need you to tell me what’s wrong,” Margaret said.
“I got a sore hip.”
“How sore? Where does it hurt?”
Ferman sighed, and for the next few minutes he answered Margaret’s questions. She sounded more like a doctor than he expected and seemed quite capable. “Bottom line is I overdid it yesterday. I need a little rest, that’s all. Then I’ll be right as rain.”
She nodded, but he could tell she didn’t agree. “Can you stand up?”
He pushed himself up off the chair, and praise the Lord, he was standing. His leg felt stronger than it had this morning.
“See?” he said, taking a step forward. “I’m fine—”
Margaret jumped up to catch him before he crashed to the ground. Without a word, she helped him back onto the chair. Then
she sat down and picked up her basket. “Here’s what I’d like you to do,” she said, pulling out a pad and pencil. She wrote
on it, then handed it to him.
He read her neat handwriting:
Apply ice to the hip area at fifteen-minute intervals for up to twenty-four hours.
Switch to heat afterward.
He continued to read her list of tinctures and teas and the directions for taking them. Curcumin, elderberry, turmeric, and
a lavender-chamomile mixture for sleep.
“I’m also going to give you a salve to put on your bursa area.” She pointed to the outside of her hip. “Right here. You can
put this on as much and as often as you need it if it gives you relief.”
Daisy nodded. “I can help—”
“I’ll handle it myself.” He’d have to pull his pants down to put on the salve, and he was not doing that in front of Daisy.
“You need to eat well too. Nutrition is important.”
“I’ll make sure he does.” Daisy gave him a pointed look.
“Most importantly,” Margaret said, looking him straight in the eye, “I don’t want you to be alone for the next few days. You’re a fall risk and could injure yourself even more or break a hip. You’ll need help moving around and getting dressed.”
Blast it. He gripped the side of the chair. That was the last straw. “I’m fine—”
“Ferman—”
“I’ll drink the teas and take the tinctures and put on the salves, but I don’t need anybody’s help.” He crossed his arms.
“And that’s final.”
“How about you sleep here?” Daisy offered, disregarding Ferman’s proclamation. She turned to Margaret. “Do you think Perry
would mind?”
“Considering the severity of Ferman’s hip, I’m sure he won’t.” She got up and walked over to the kitchen. “What time is he
getting back?”
“I don’t know.”
“You could call him,” Margaret suggested.
Ferman twisted around the best he could in the chair, observing and listening to the women make plans for him without his
input. “Doesn’t anyone care what I think?”
“We already know what you think,” Daisy said, giving him a sweet smile.
He turned back around and harrumphed again. The nerve of her, smiling while he was in crisis. And the impertinence of them
leaving him out of the decision-making process. This was his life, his albatross of a hip. He felt helpless, and he didn’t
like that. Not one bit.
***
Daisy and Margaret went outside and let Ferman stew and eat his “nibbles,” plus drink a special tea Margaret made to help him with pain. They waited for the taxi to return. “ Danki for coming,” Daisy said.
“You have your work cut out for you.” She glanced back at Perry’s house. “He’s beyond stubborn.”
“He’s just upset and hurting.” Daisy had a lot of sympathy for the old man, and she could see that Margaret did too. She was
impressed by how thorough and intelligent Perry’s sister-in-law was about the human body and herbal medicine. “My grossvatter is the same way. If you tell him the sky is blue, he’ll insist it’s brown just to argue with you. I think Ferman’s a little
like that. He and I will get along just fine.” She paused. “I hope I didn’t overstep by suggesting he stay with Perry.”
“Knowing my brother-in-law, he’ll want Ferman to be safe, however that ends up happening.” A white van turned into the driveway.
“There’s my ride. I wrote my phone number on the instruction list. If nothing helps his pain, let me know. And if he’s hurting
too much, take him to the ER.”
“I will.” She wasn’t sure how she’d manage that, other than to call an ambulance. Earlier, after Perry left and Ferman had
promised to stay in his seat, she had run over to her aunt’s and explained the situation. Rosella had been sympathetic and
told her to stay with Ferman as long as she needed to. But none of Daisy’s relatives would be home until around suppertime.
Somehow she’d figure it out if Ferman had to go to the hospital before everyone arrived home. In the meantime, she would do
everything possible to make sure he wouldn’t have to.
After Margaret left, Daisy went back inside. The scowl on Ferman’s face could melt a fireplace, but at least he was eating.
Only two apple slices were left and he’d drunk all the water. She picked up the glass and refilled it, then set it back down
on the table and grabbed the empty plate.
“Daisy...”
“ Ya ?”
“I”—his wrinkled face reddened—“have to use the facilities.”
She nodded and helped him to the bathroom. It was only a few steps away, and when she looked inside, she saw there was a vanity
sink he could hang on to. Whew. “Let me know if you need help.”
He grunted his answer and shut the door.
Daisy waited a minute or two, deciding that after he finished up, she’d give him one of the portable ice packs Margaret had
left, the kind that turned cold when broken in the middle. She had also provided some heat packs for tonight. While he was
icing his hip, Daisy would make him some tea with the tinctures, then tuck him into bed. He was so tired, and she wanted him
to rest comfortably. Being in the chair all day wouldn’t do.
She walked down the short hallway. There were three closed doors—two on the left and one on the right next to the bathroom.
She didn’t like the idea of snooping around Perry’s house, but she didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t there to tell her where
Ferman could sleep, and she didn’t want to interrupt his job to ask him. Not when she could figure this out herself.
Daisy opened the door beside the bathroom. That turned out to be a closet with a few towels, washcloths, sheets, and blankets
on the shallow shelves. She also noticed some cleaning supplies, but the tiny closet wasn’t close to being full. She closed
the door. “Still okay, Ferman?”
“ Ya, ” he yelled, still grouchy.
She turned to door number two and opened it, then peeked inside. A strange tingle went through her body as she saw Perry’s bedroom. The bed was unmade, there were clothes on the floor, and one of the dresser drawers was left open. It wasn’t sloppy. It just needed some tidying. Surprising since the living room and kitchen were always neat. At least they were the three times she’d been here.
Her face heated when she looked at Perry’s bed again. Realizing she was dallying, she quickly left his room. Time for door
number three. This had to be the spare bedroom. She opened the door. Peeked inside.
And gasped.