Epilogue
P hoebe added a plate of Hunan beef to the last of the three tables spread across the backyard of their house.
An odd choice for outdoor fare, but Jalon had mentioned last week that he had a hankering for it, and that her Hunan beef was better than the restaurant’s in Barton.
She liked nothing better than pleasing her husband, especially when it came to food.
Plus, he always showed his appreciation in the best ways.
She rang the cowbell that signaled mealtime, and everyone headed for a place to sit.
Her brothers got there first, sunburned and sweaty from harvesting the crops.
Adam had been in the barn, and he wheeled himself across the grass, kept especially short and trim for easy wheelchair access.
Mamm and Leanna came out of the house. They’d spent the morning shucking corn on the front porch, which Phoebe would help them put up this afternoon.
Then Jalon and her daed arrived. Jalon grinned, and his smile widened when he caught sight of the Hunan beef.
There was plenty of other food for the kids—and any adults who had delicate palates.
Daed sat down next to Jalon and across from Adam, and soon the three of them had their heads together as they normally did, discussing plans for the house Jalon was building on the land he’d purchased next door.
That house would be theirs, and a welcome reprieve from the cramped quarters of the current house.
Once their house was built, Jalon would sell the original house to Daed , who had gotten a job working for the construction company that had previously employed Jalon.
Money was tight and space was tighter, but they were all together now because she and Jalon had made the untraditional choice of marrying at the end of July, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Even Leanna, who often went and stayed at the Yoders’” so I can have some breathing room” didn’t complain.
Considering she spent plenty of time playing volleyball with Phoebe’s brothers, she seemed fine with the arrangements.
“Hi, everyone.” Karen approached the group, holding her usual cake carrier, which held not an Orange Bliss cake but a triple fudge cake.
Phoebe knew this because she had invited Karen for lunch and had requested she bring it.
It had become one of Adam’s favorites. She stopped to smile at Adam, who nodded to her.
By the blush on his cheeks, it was clear to everyone he was smitten. She knew Karen was.
After putting the cake on one of the tables, Karen sat down next to Adam.
Phoebe sat down next to Jalon. Leanna, in her own original way, had decided to sit with Malachi and the youngest boys.
Everyone bowed their heads, and after prayer they enjoyed a delicious lunch, a warm fall day, and the best company around.
Later that night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Jalon took Phoebe’s hand and led her outside. He was holding something behind his back as she went with him to the field next door. Then he sat down on the ground and pulled her into his lap.
“What are we doing out here?” she asked him.
“I need to give you this.” He handed her a birdhouse.
Under the moonlit sky she could see it was brightly painted, although she couldn’t tell exactly what the colors were. It looked beautiful, though. “You’re giving this to me now?”
“Everything has been so busy I kept forgetting. I had it made for you months ago, after you wrote me about wanting birdhouses in yer aenti ’s yard.”
Those letters seemed like they were written years ago, but she had saved every one.
She still wished she could have read the letter her aunt cruelly tore up.
Jalon told her what he had written, saying what he’d felt that night didn’t compare to how much he loved her now.
Still, it would have been special to read it. “This is lovely. Danki. ”
“I’ve got something else.” He handed her a sketchbook. “To replace the one you left at yer aenti ’s. I know you’ve missed drawing.”
“I really haven’t had the time, with everything going on.”
“You should make time. It’s something you enjoy, and it’s important to you. Besides, I can’t wait to see yer first drawing.” He kissed her, then looked up at the clear sky, which revealed thousands of twinkling stars. “You can make a wish,” he said. “You’ve got yer pick of stars.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I don’t have to. Mei wish has already come true.”