Chapter 2 #2
Grandma put one hand on Emma’s arm and said, “Emma, I’d like you to meet my friend, Ida Mae Yoder. She and her family are part of our church district, and Ida Mae works here part-time.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Emma put on what she hoped was a pleasant smile and reached across the counter to shake the woman’s hand.
“It’s good to meet you too, Emma.” Ida Mae gave Emma a firm handshake. “I understand that you’ll be staying with your grandparents for the summer to learn how to cook and sew.”
Emma gave a brief nod, feeling the heat of embarrassment cover her cheeks.
She didn’t understand why her grandmother had felt it necessary to tell her friend the reason she was here for the summer.
Ida Mae probably wondered why a full-grown young woman needed to learn either of those things—especially when most women Emma’s age not only had perfected those skills but were either happily married or at least being courted by an eligible young man.
Grandma looked at Emma, then gestured to the bolts of fabric stacked on a shelf along one wall. “Shall we choose a color for the making of your first frack?”
“Okay.” Emma moved across the room and when Grandma approached, Emma pointed to the royal-blue material. “How about that one? That shade of blue is one of my favorite colors.”
Grandma’s brows furrowed a bit as she pressed her lips together. “I don’t think so, Emma. How about this one.” She picked up a bolt of boring brown.
Emma cringed. “How about this one?” Emma pointed to some burgundy material.
Grandma shook her head. “That’s too bold of a color.”
Then why’s it being sold here in an Amish-owned store?
Emma didn’t voice her thoughts, but she sure wanted to.
She figured it might be best not to make a fuss and just go with the brown material for her first self-made dress.
“Okay, let’s get the brown one,” she murmured, keeping her gaze on the floor and not on her grandmother.
“Are you sure? We could make your dress from that material.” Grandma touched the top of the bolt of khaki-green material.
Emma shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I’m fine with the brown color.”
Grandma smiled and hauled the bolt of material over to the counter where Ida Mae stood. Then she returned to Emma and said, “Now we need to get some matching thread.”
“What do you think you’re doing here in the back room, Son? Aren’t you supposed to be up front waiting on customers?”
Ivan Yoder turned in his chair to look up at his tall, bearded father. “This is my lunch hour, Papa. Aaron’s taking my place at the counter.”
“Okay, that’s fine, but you’re not eating lunch.” Papa gestured to the clock pieces lying on the table where Ivan sat.
“I’ll get something soon. Just wanted to work awhile on this project the bishop brought to me.”
“Puh!” Papa flapped his hand like he was trying to shoo away a bothersome fly. “In the first place, Bishop Dan shouldn’t bring clockwork here to my shop for you to work on.”
“He didn’t, Papa. The bishop came by our house last week to deliver his broken clock, and it was my idea to bring it here today to work on during my lunch hour.”
“Well, be that as it may, in case you’ve forgotten—this is a harness shop, where we repair and make new leather items. It’s not a place to repair old clocks. When are you gonna realize that the money you earn comes from workin’ here, not repairing clocks on the side?”
Ivan tapped his fingers along the edge of the tabletop to release some of his frustration.
He was well aware that his dad didn’t appreciate the desire he felt to repair clocks, but he enjoyed the work and didn’t want to give it up.
In fact, Ivan hoped that someday he could make a living doing what he loved best instead of working here in the harness shop, which he’d never enjoyed.
Papa tapped the toe of his right boot against the cement floor, loudly enough to get Ivan’s attention. “Did you not hear my question?”
“Umm … jah, I did. I was just takin’ a few seconds to answer.” Ivan turned to face his father again. “I realize that you’ve provided a job here for me, and ever since I started working for you at the age of sixteen, I’ve always tried to do a good job. Even so …” Ivan’s voice trailed off.
Papa’s features tightened as he crossed his arms. “I suspect there’s a but in there someplace. Am I right, Ivan?”
He nodded. “As I’m sure you already know, harness work is not the profession of my choice. That isn’t to say that I don’t appreciate the job, though,” Ivan quickly added.
Papa pulled out a chair on the other side of the table and sat down. “Listen, Son, you’re twenty-two years old now, and you’ll probably be taking a fraa soon, so you need a good-paying job that will provide you with steady work—something that is in demand.”
“I won’t be taking a wife soon,” Ivan said with a shake of his head, “because I don’t even have a girlfriend.”
“That’ll change when the right girl comes along.
” With an open hand, Papa pounded his chest a few times.
“Ask me. I was in no hurry to get married, and then your mama, being new to the area, showed up at one of our church services with her parents and siblings, and I said to myself, ‘Eldon, that young woman with dark brown hair and eyes to match is gonna be my fraa someday.’ ” Papa chuckled and stood.
“And now, just thirty-some years later, we are the parents of seven children. So you mark my words, Son. Your turn’s a-comin’, and when it does, you’ll need to be prepared for it. ”
Ivan shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll see about that, Papa. Jah, we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes. Right now, though, there’s no one special in my life.”
Ivan’s father looked down at him and shook his head. “The trouble with you, Ivan, is you’re too particular. There’s no perfect woman, ya know. Just like us men, we all have our flaws, so you can’t be too picky.”
“I’m fully aware, and I’m not looking for perfection,” Ivan responded. “If and when I decide to seek a wife, it’ll be because I’ve met a charming woman and fallen in love. But since that hasn’t happened yet, there’s not much point in talking about it.”
“Guess you’re right. If you are meant to take a wife, it’ll be in God’s time, not yours, mine, or your mamm’s.” With that said, Papa turned and walked out of the room.
Ivan heaved a sigh of relief. It was bad enough that his dad had scolded him for working on the bishop’s clock during lunchtime.
But did he also have to bring up the topic of Ivan needing a wife?
Just because two of his brothers were married didn’t mean he should be too.
Maybe I’ll stay single for the rest of my life.
Would that really be so bad? I mean, I can cook and clean, so who needs a fraa?