Chapter 6
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, WHEN EMMA entered the kitchen, she found Grandpa sitting at the table, munching on a bowl of cold cereal.
There were no delicious smells wafting in the room, no coffee perking on the stove, and no heat radiating from the oven.
Emma thought it was strange, and she asked Grandpa where Grandma was this morning.
“She’s still in bed,” he replied.
Emma rubbed underneath her brow. “How come? Is she grank?”
“I don’t believe she’s sick—just tired is all.”
“Did she stay up too late last night?” Emma questioned.
“Not really. We were both in bed before ten.” Grandpa finished his bowl of cereal and brought it over to the sink. “She hasn’t been sleeping well lately, and I’m thinking it might be our matratz.”
“What could be wrong with your mattress?”
“Nothing specific, but it’s old. We’ve had it almost thirty years, and it’s probably time for a new one.
Almost every morning when your grandmother wakes up, she complains of her back hurting.
I’ve been sleeping on the old thing with no trouble, though.
” Grandpa opened the shade at the window above the sink, which brought a welcoming ray of light into the room.
“That’s probably why she tosses and turns most every night.
My poor fraa can’t seem to find a comfortable position.
She also sleeps with a pillow under her knees, but it doesn’t seem to help much either. ”
Emma was tempted to question her grandfather as to why they hadn’t purchased a new mattress in the span of thirty years, but he’d probably tell her they were too expensive or they had been sleeping on it well up to this point, so there had been no need to spend money on a new one.
“That’s too bad,” Emma said. “No wonder I’ve seen her rubbing her back several times.”
He drummed his fingers along the counter with a nod.
“Think I’m gonna hire a driver soon and visit one of the furniture stores in Champaign.
It’s about the largest town near Arthur.
But since it’s forty-one miles north of here, it’s too far to go by horse and buggy.
Of course,” he added, “I’ll have to wait until your grandma is available to go with me.
She might not like me picking out a matratz without her having the opportunity to try it out in the store. ”
“That makes good sense,” Emma agreed. “You need a mattress that you’re both comfortable sleeping on.”
“For sure.” Grandpa grabbed his straw hat from a wall peg near the back door and slapped it on his head. “I’d best get on out to the barn now and take care of the chores.”
“Don’t you want more to eat than just cereal? I could probably boil you some oier,” Emma offered. She figured she wasn’t likely to mess that up, unless she boiled the eggs too long or not long enough. As she recalled, her mother always set a timer for ten minutes, and the eggs came out fine.
“No thanks, Emma,” he said with a tip of his head. “Once your grandma gets up and fixes her breakfast, I might have a little of whatever she’s prepared. Right now, I need to get out to the barn.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.”
When Grandpa went out the back door, Emma stood with her arms folded as she debated what to prepare for her own breakfast. It would be nice if she could fix something substantial and serve it to Grandma when she got up, but knowing her lack of cooking skills she’d most likely mess up whatever she made.
Maybe I’ll just settle for cold cereal too, Emma told herself as she opened the pantry door. Besides, it could be a while before Grandma gets up, and if I did fix her something and it flopped, I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate the taste, texture, or anything else.
Rays of light spilling into the room from the window shade drawn up halfway greeted Luellen as she opened her eyes. A quick glance at the alarm clock by her bed let Luellen know immediately that she’d overslept.
“Oh no,” she murmured as she sat up in bed. “I should have been up two hours ago.” She pulled the sheet and lightweight blanket aside and sat on the edge of the bed. A sharp pain shot through her lower back when she stood.
If I hadn’t slept in and gotten up when I should have, maybe my back wouldn’t hurt so much. Luellen reached around to rub the tight muscles and winced. Too many hours lying on a mattress that’s no longer firm isn’t good for me or Marlin.
Luellen managed to get dressed without too much pain, and then she started for the kitchen, wondering if her husband had fended for himself. Or perhaps, she thought, maybe Emma managed to fix something for both to eat.
When she entered the kitchen, Luellen discovered her granddaughter sitting at the table with what appeared to be a letter in her hands.
She moved slowly across the room with care before coming to a stop next to her granddaughter.
“Good morning, Emma. Did you write a letter to somebody, or is that one you received?”
“It’s a letter from my mamm, letting me know that she’d heard from my driver that I arrived here safely.”
“Well, that’s good.” Luellen scooted out a chair and joined Emma at the table. She hoped sitting might ease the pain in her back. “I apologize for not getting up on time and neglecting to fix breakfast this morning.”
“It’s okay, Grandma. Everyone deserves to sleep in once in a while.”
“I suppose. Did you manage to fix something for you and your grossdaddi to eat?”
“Actually, by the time I got up, Grandpa had already fixed himself a bowl of cold cereal. In fact, he was almost finished when I came into the kitchen.”
“That’s good to know. My dear husband was very thoughtful to allow me to sleep in.” Luellen reached over and placed a hand on Emma’s slender arm. “What about your breakfast? Did you have some cereal too?”
“Jah, and after I finished eating, I washed and dried the dishes. Then, I walked down to the mailbox. That’s when I found the letter from home.” Emma pointed to the desk across the room. “I put yours and Grandpa’s mail over there.”
“Danki, Emma.” Luellen pushed back her chair and stood. “Guess I’d better get busy and fix myself something to eat.” Holding her right hand against the small of her back, she made her way across the room to the pantry. “Think I’ll have some cereal too.”
“I can get it for you,” Emma was quick to offer. “It looks like you might have a buckelweh.”
“You’re right, I do have a backache, but it isn’t so bad that I can’t fix my own breakfast. I appreciate your offer though.
” Luellen grabbed a box of cereal, took a bowl from the cupboard, and poured the cereal in.
The only thing left to do now was get out the milk from their propane-operated refrigerator.
“Did your mother have any interesting news to share?” Luellen asked after she’d taken a seat at the table again.
“Not really. Mom just said she was glad I made it here safely and that she hoped my training was going well.” Emma gave a quick shake of her head.
“The only thing I’ve made was that horrible meat loaf, and as you know, my first sewing lesson didn’t go well either.
” She leaned forward with both elbows on the table and released a sigh.
“What if I’m not teachable, Grandma? How can I return home at the end of summer and face my parents if I don’t learn a thing? ”
Luellen felt bad for her granddaughter. Emma’s wounded expression and tone of defeat pulled at her heartstrings.
“It’ll be okay, Emma,” she assured. “As you stated, you’ve only had one cooking and one sewing lesson.
Things like that take some time, so don’t give up hope.
When I’ve finished eating breakfast, we’ll go to the treadle sewing machine, and you can work more on your dress.
Then later this afternoon, I’ll teach you how to make fried chicken for supper. ”
Emma folded her mother’s letter and slipped it into its envelope. “Okay. Hopefully I won’t mess things up too much, here in the kitchen or at the sewing machine.”
Shipshewana
“How was your day?” Dianna asked when Rachel arrived home from her job, where she cleaned house and did a few additional chores for one of their elderly widowed neighbors.
“It went okay.” Rachel swiped a hand across her forehead. “But I’m tired, hot, and sweaty. I need a breather before I can even think of doing anything else today.”
“Come into the kitchen, and I’ll give you something cold to drink. How’s that sound?”
“It would be appreciated.” With slumped shoulders, Rachel shuffled into the kitchen.
Dianna followed, and when Rachel lowered herself into a chair, Dianna got out the lemonade she’d made earlier and filled a glass. “Here you go.” She handed it to her daughter.
Rachel took a long drink and set the glass down. “Ah, that hit the spot. Danki, Mom.”
“You’re welcome.” Dianna poured a glass for herself and sat across from Rachel. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you this morning, but how did things go at the singing last night? Did you have a good time with your steady boyfriend?”
“The singing itself went all right, I guess.” Rachel dropped her gaze to the table. “But I’m not sure how steady David and I are anymore.”
Dianna raised her brows. “What makes you think that?”
“For one thing, he wasn’t very talkative, at least not with me.
” Her chin quivered slightly as she looked up at Dianna.
“He talked with some of his pals before the singing started, though. I even saw him speaking to my friend Alice, and it wasn’t the first time I’ve spotted them together.
” Tears welled in Rachel’s eyes. “I believe David may be interested in her, and I have to wonder if he might be on the verge of breaking up with me.”
Dianna leaned forward and clasped her daughter’s hand. “I hope that’s not the case. I can’t imagine after going out with you these past two years that David would suddenly take an interest in someone else—and especially not your best friend.”