Chapter 34 #2
“Ach, Adam,” Dawdi said. “Your work is good. I give you pointers all the time—you respond so quickly that I don’t think you even notice.
I haven’t found any fault with your work.
” He patted him on the back and then said, “We do have some good news. Well, it started out as bad. The first offer on the farmhouse fell through, but we accepted the second offer last week. We don’t foresee any problems.”
For the next three weeks, Adam worked as hard as he could on the Pequea Creek house.
A week before the barn raising, on Friday, Joanna walked toward Adam with her notebook in one hand and a pen in the other as he unloaded supplies in the warehouse.
Tim, Caleb, and Jacob had just left. “Do you have a minute?” she asked Adam.
“Jah.” He brushed his hands together.
“We need to confirm the details for the barn raising.”
He glanced around. “Is Mammi or Dawdi here?”
“Jah,” she answered. “They’re in the office.”
“How about if I take you out for ice cream?” It was a long time coming—if only she’d gone out with him instead of Jacob that first week after they met.
She gave him a sassy smile. “And spoil our supper?”
He flicked his hair out of his eyes. “Why not? I’ll go hitch up the horse.”
“Or we could ride our scooters.”
He smiled again. “That sounds like fun.”
She led the way to the highway and then into Strasburg. When they reached the creamery, they parked their scooters at the end of the building. “You get a table,” he said. “I’ll order.”
“Just a scoop of chocolate,” she said.
He gave her a nod. When he came out with a chocolate sundae for her and butterscotch one for him, she started to protest. But then she grinned and said, “Denki.”
“Eat what you want.” Adam sat down, not too close but not across the table either. A buggy went by, the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves beating out a steady rhythm for his heart to emulate. Someone called out, “Adam! Joanna!”
It was Mammi Becky, no surprise, waving. Dawdi Ike was driving. He waved too. Joanna laughed. “I want to be like them when I grow up.”
Adam nodded. “Me too.”
Joanna seemed to be concentrating on her ice cream.
She took a few more bites and then took her notebook from her bag. “We should get to the planning.”
He put his spoon down and rubbed his hands on a napkin.
“We’ve dismantled as much of the barn as possible, thanks to the men you recruited to help.
We’ve evaluated and stacked the wood. I told Dawdi we’re doing it for safety reasons after calling in an inspector.
” Adam exhaled. It hadn’t been easy discussing it with his grandfather.
“At this point, they plan to sell the property without a barn. I met with the barn builder a couple of weeks ago and all the plans are done.”
She leaned closer to him. “How did you pay for them?”
“My savings.” Adam leaned toward her. “I ordered the materials, and I should be able to cover that too.”
Her face softened. “I have savings too.”
“I don’t want to use yours.”
“I’d like to help.” She rested her hand on her notebook. “They might be your grandparents, but they’re—”
“Your grandparents too,” he said. “They adore you. But I need to pay for this. The barn builder gave me a discount and so did the lumberyard.”
“I’m not surprised.” She took out an envelope from her bag. “Several people contributed cash to help with the expenses.”
Adam shook his head. “I can’t take anyone else’s money.”
She slid the envelope across the table. “People gave anonymously. Dropped cash off while I was at work. That sort of thing. You have to take it—I can’t keep it.”
He sighed and took the money. “Denki.” He had come to the end of his savings, which meant the donations would cover all the extra things he still needed to pay for.
They locked eyes for a long moment and then she glanced back down at her notebook.
“Families in the district are coming, along with Englischers Ike and Becky have helped. I contacted one of your grandmother’s sisters and asked her to spread the word down through the generations of the family.
” She made a mark on the page. “I ordered portable toilets and washing stations a while back, and I’ve covered the expense of those. ”
“Ach,” Adam said, “you’ve already used your savings. I didn’t want you to do that.”
She smiled wryly and shrugged.
He doubted he could talk her out of it. “I appreciate it. And your organizational skills.”
Joanna jotted something down on the notebook. “Everyone knows we’re having a potluck, so that’s covered.” And then she asked, “When will the materials be delivered?”
“Next Friday morning, before noon. And the crane will arrive Friday afternoon.”
“What will we do if your grandparents decide to come by the Pequea Creek house this week?”
“If they come before Friday, it won’t matter. If they come Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, I’ll have to tell them what’s going on.” He put his hand on the table near hers. He badly wanted to touch her, to take her hand in his.
But he didn’t.
Instead he pushed his half-eaten sundae to the middle of the table and said, “I couldn’t do it without you.” It was true. But there was more he wasn’t sure he could do without Joanna. Life. It was time to write that letter.