Chapter 11 #2
Dat made an offer on two farms in Maine while they were there—one for him and one for Leon.
Joanna slept the entire trip to Maine in the backseat of the van, only getting out to use the restroom.
What if the fire had started after they’d all gone to bed instead of in the morning?
The thought of what might have happened was worse than what had.
The house had no fire alarms, even though she’d begged Dat to install them several years before.
Joanna had never trusted her father’s judgment.
He sent Leon into the silo alone at age ten.
More than once he’d taken Joanna up a ladder and then lifted her onto a barn rafter to rescue a kitten.
And he put the younger twins on top of wagons of hay for the trip from the far field to the barn starting when they were three.
She begged her parents to drop her off at Mammi Lu and Dawdi Marcus’s on the way home.
For the first time in her life, Joanna got her own way, mostly because Leon had backed her up.
“Dat, she needs a break,” he’d said. “We can manage. Besides, Mammi Lu and Dawdi Marcus could use some help.” For some reason, for once, Dat complied.
Joanna never returned to the house, which ended up being razed, nor to the farm. She never had any desire to.
Mammi Lu often said, “Nothing ever stays the same.”
Joanna was beginning to see her point.
Staying up late and weeding didn’t help Joanna sleep.
Instead she tossed and turned and finally went out on the porch while it was still dark, staying there until the sunrise spread over the barn and oak tree.
She blinked a few times and then shuffled into the house to shower and dress.
Then she lit the propane stovetop and made a pot of coffee.
After she had a cup, she cut a bucket of flowers from the garden—zinnias and bachelor’s buttons, roses and sweet William, black-eyed Susans and dahlias—and quickly made bouquets, just as she did each morning, tying each with a strand of twine.
She put the bouquets in a bucket and carried it out to the flower shed on the road, placing the large sign that read 1 bouquet, $10 where it was easy to read.
There was a tin can with a slot in the top nailed to the counter of the shed for people to put the money in.
Every once in a while someone took flowers without paying, but almost without fail they did pay, usually more than the sign requested.
She also cut lavender to dry in the kitchen for Mammi Lu to make sachets and soap from in the fall.
After a couple of bites, she scraped her oatmeal into the compost, washed her dishes, and then checked the messages in the phone shanty.
Mandy had returned Joanna’s call last night.
“I’m not just saying this to make you feel better—Jacob doesn’t deserve you.
It’s his loss, not yours.” Mandy’s voice grew a little shaky.
“I’m doing all right. Denki for letting me know about Jacob. ”
That was one of the things Joanna liked about Mandy. Surely she’d already known about the breakup, but she hadn’t mentioned that. Instead she focused on what Joanna had told her. She was a good friend.
Fifteen minutes later, Joanna rode her scooter the half mile to the warehouse. She usually worked a half day on Saturdays, unless a project needed to be finished. Since she’d taken the morning off the day before, which she now regretted, she needed to work a full day.
As she gathered her supplies in the warehouse, Jacob ignored her. When they loaded their gear in the passenger van, he didn’t help. When they climbed inside, Jacob sat up front and Joanna climbed in through the side door.
“Wait!”
Joanna leaned her head out the door. Adam ran toward them. As he reached the van, Ike called out Jacob’s name from the door to the office. And then, “I need you on the other job. We’ll take my buggy.”
They were a day away from completing a small remodeling job in a house nearby.
Adam jumped into the front seat and shot a smile back at Joanna. Then he gave Nick a hearty “Hallo!”
Joanna leaned back in her seat. She was relieved Jacob would be working somewhere else, but she wasn’t looking forward to spending the day with Adam either. She hoped he wouldn’t ask her about Jacob.
Tim and Caleb both had the day off, so it would just be Adam and her. Perhaps if it had just been her and Jacob they could have talked things through, although Ike and Becky never scheduled her and Jacob to work alone.
Adam was chatting away about the weather with Nick. “I can’t complain—it’s so much cooler than Florida.” He pointed at the farmhouse as Nick turned up the driveaway. “I think Dawdi will get above the asking price. It’s gorgeous.” He glanced back at Joanna. “The team did an amazing job.”
For a moment, Joanna felt better. Adam’s positivity was contagious. But then she sank into the seat. Jah, she was good at her work. Why couldn’t she be good at other areas of her life too?
When they reached the house, Adam and Nick unloaded the crates from the back while Joanna headed straight upstairs to finish the painting. She could hear Adam on the roof and was thankful Ike insisted all of his roofers tie off.
At lunchtime, Joanna put the lid on the bucket of paint and headed down to the kitchen. As she made a half sandwich, she heard a clatter outside. Adam was tied off on the roof. He couldn’t have fallen—at least not too far.
Still, she rushed to the door, flung it open, and hurried down the steps.
“I’m all right.”
She glanced toward the voice. Adam sat at the bottom of the ladder, rubbing his left ankle.
“What happened?”
“I fell.”
“You weren’t tied off?”
“Not to come down the ladder.”
Joanna realized a little late how ridiculous her question was. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Jah.” He kept rubbing his ankle.
“How can I help?”
“Could you bring me my backpack? It’s in the kitchen.”
“Sure.” If Ike was going to put the house on the market Monday, the roof had to be completed today. She was nearly finished with the painting, so at least she could cross that off the list.
When she returned, Adam took the backpack from her and opened it, taking out a brace. Then he took off his boot, slipped the brace on his ankle, and laced it up.
Joanna said, “It looks like you’ve injured your ankle before.”
He put his boot on. “A couple of times. Playing basketball.”
She imagined him at the park in Pinecraft, up against a few Englischers.
“I’m fine.” He stood and hopped to the ladder.
“You don’t look fine.”
He winced as his left foot landed on a rung. After that she couldn’t see his face.
Joanna went back into the house and ate a few bites of her sandwich. She still didn’t have an appetite.
After she finished the painting, she cleaned up and stepped back outside, listening to Adam on the roof.
He was definitely determined and a hard worker.
She couldn’t deny that. And having Adam around made her think of her past interactions with him and, in turn, brought her a measure of comfort. Which surprised her.