Chapter 7
IVAN STOOD QUIETLY FOR A few minutes, trying to analyze the expression he saw on Emma’s face. Was she disappointed that he’d been invited to stay for supper, or had she been caught off guard and merely surprised? Would it be rude to ask? He couldn’t decide.
Although Ivan had come here to ask Emma’s grandparents if he could give her a ride to the singing this coming Sunday evening, the thought of eating supper with Emma and her grandparents was too appealing, and he couldn’t say no.
Marlin sauntered into the kitchen just then and put his hand on Ivan’s shoulder. “I bet my fraa invited you to stay for supper. Am I right?”
Ivan bobbed his head. “And I accepted gratefully.” He glanced at Emma again, hoping she might give him some sign that she was glad he was staying, but she’d turned her back to him. Emma appeared to be busy doing something to the chicken Ivan had seen lying on a baking sheet on the counter.
“Do you think your folks will mind you not being there to eat with them tonight?” Marlin asked, tapping Ivan’s arm.
“Huh?”
Emma’s grandfather repeated what he’d said.
“Uh, no, I don’t think my folks will mind.
Although I have no way of letting my mamm know about your invitation, I’m sure she won’t be surprised when I don’t show up for supper.
Mom knew I was coming here to seek your approval to take Emma to the singing, so she’ll probably assume that I stayed here to eat supper with you. ”
“That’s real good then. Glad to have you here with us.
” Marlin started moving toward the kitchen door, then turned and gestured for Ivan to follow.
“Let’s go in the living room and rest awhile, until the ladies get supper on the table.
I had a busy day butchering several chickens, and I’m sure you must be tired from working in the harness shop today. ”
“You got that right. There’s always a lot of work in my daed’s shop,” Ivan said as he followed Marlin out the door. He’d been tempted to volunteer his services in the kitchen, but with the strange way Emma had looked at him, he figured his presence probably wouldn’t be wanted.
And maybe, Ivan thought, she’s not pleased about me being here for supper. When we were together last time, I thought we were bonding a bit. I enjoyed talking with Emma, but perhaps she doesn’t share my sentiments. I may have made her feel uncomfortable.
After Luellen got some iced tea made and poured in glasses for the men, she turned to Emma and said, “You go ahead and finish getting the hinkel ready to fry, while I take these cold beverages into the men.”
Emma repeated Luellen’s instruction as a question.
“Jah, and if you run into any trouble or have a question about something, just give me a holler.” Luellen picked up the glasses and left the room.
When she entered the living room, she found her husband and Ivan engaged in conversation as they sat beside each other on the sofa. “I brought you both some iced tea.” Luellen handed each man a glass.
“Danki,” they said in unison. They even took a drink at the same time.
Luellen couldn’t help smiling. She started to leave the room, but Marlin called out to her. “Do you know where I put the old clock that was my grandfather’s?”
She tipped her head from side to side. “Hmm … I believe it might be up in the attic with a bunch of other things we rarely look at.”
“You may be right. Think I’ll go up there and see if I can find it.”
“Right now?”
“Jah. I want to show it to Ivan. See if he can get it running again.” Marlin drank some of his tea, set the glass down on the small table beside the sofa, and stood.
“Would you like me to go with you?” Ivan asked.
“No, probably better not. It might take me some time to find it. Why don’t you just sit here and relax while I’m gone?”
“Oh, okay.” Ivan sagged against the back of the sofa as Marlin left the room.
Luellen figured the young man was probably disappointed that he hadn’t been invited to investigate the attic.
If Ivan was interested in seeing an antiquated clock, he may have enjoyed looking at some of the other old things up there too.
Rather than leaving Ivan here all alone, she took a seat on one of the straight-backed chairs and struck up a conversation with him.
“Your mamm mentioned to me that you enjoy repairing clocks.” Luellen laced her fingers together.
Ivan nodded and sat up straight. “Jah, it’s my dream someday to own my own clock shop, where I can not only repair timepieces, but also build them from scratch, and of course, sell them as well.”
“So it’s much more than a hobby for you?”
“Definitely. I first became interested in clocks and watches when I was given my grandfather’s old pocket watch after he passed away. I was honored to receive it, and since the watch had quit running, I was determined to get it working again.”
“And did you?”
“Jah. I opened up the back and kept fooling with the mechanism till it started running again.” His chest puffed out a bit. “I wasn’t proud, but I’ll have to admit, I felt pretty good about it.”
“And rightly so,” Luellen commented. “Not everyone has the ability to do what you did.”
“That’s what my mamm said too. In fact, she encourages me to follow my dream, although we both know I’m not ready to quit workin’
for my daed at the harness shop and open up a clock store of my own.”
“Perhaps it will happen sooner than you expect.”
He smiled. “I hope so. No doubt I’d wake up every day with a big grin on my face.”
“That’s how Marlin used to feel when he was farming full-time. Those days weren’t that long ago either.”
The objects in the room faded as Luellen’s thoughts took her back to the years when her husband was busy in the fields most of the day and came into the house every evening with a smile on his bearded face.
He’d worked hard and put in long hours, but Marlin loved what he did, so he’d never seemed to mind the daunting tasks.
“Well, I found it!”
Marlin’s booming voice scattered Luellen’s thoughts, and she looked up to see him enter the room with the clock in his hands.
“I’m glad you were able to locate it.” She left her seat and came over to stand beside him.
“Jah, but it wasn’t easy.” His brows furrowed. “Had to look in every nook and cranny, till I finally spotted it under a pile of old trousers that I’ll never wear again. Don’t know why you’re even keeping ’em, Luellen.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “You never know. I might need the material to patch the knees in a pair of your trousers. You do spend quite a bit of time on your gnie.”
Curious to get a closer look at the clock, Ivan got up and approached them. He was also curious as to why Marlin spent a lot of time on his knees but figured he shouldn’t ask, since it was none of his business. Maybe the man did a lot of praying and preferred to do it on bended knee.
One glance at the clock and Ivan knew it was an antique German Eastlake Victorian mantle clock. It was made of walnut wood, and he estimated it to have been made around 1890. The beautiful intricacies and carvings along the casing left him in awe, and he was excited to inspect it.
“Let’s say we go over to the sofa again, Ivan,” Marlin suggested.
“You can get a better look-see if we’re both sitting down.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Ivan ambled back across the room and sank onto the sofa cushions.
When Marlin joined him, he handed the clock to Ivan, while Luellen seated herself on the chair again.
Ivan figured she might return to the kitchen to help Emma with supper preparations, but apparently, she thought her granddaughter could handle things on her own.
Emma had prepared the chicken, but she wasn’t sure what to do next.
Grandma had left the room with iced tea for the men a while ago and hadn’t left further instructions for her.
Here was Emma alone in the kitchen, overly warm and feeling frustrated, not sure if she was doing anything right, and wishing Grandma hadn’t invited Ivan to stay for supper.
By the time her grandmother returned to the kitchen, Emma had the chicken in the frying pan with a lid. Seeming pleased, Grandma said, “Well, it certainly looks like you have everything under control.”
I wish. My nerves are on edge and I can barely think straight. Emma didn’t voice her thoughts. Instead, she turned to Grandma and said, “I hope so, but I’m not sure what else needs to be done while the chicken is cooking.”
“You could set the table, while I cut up some potatoes and get them boiling on the stove. Once those are done, you can mash them and then make some chicken gravy.”
“Will you be here to give me instructions?” Emma felt moisture on her forehead and above her upper lip. There wasn’t a single thing about cooking that she enjoyed. She dreaded the outcome of everything she made.
“Yes, I’ll be here in the kitchen with you, Emma,” Grandma assured. “You’ll do fine, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
That’s easy for you to say, because cooking comes easy for you, Emma thought as she went to the cupboard and took out the plates. She wished once more that Ivan Yoder wasn’t joining them for supper.
I need to stop stressing over this, she told herself. The fact is he’s here, and I can’t do anything about it.
“I need to go down to the cellar to get a few things,” Grandma said after she’d finished peeling the potatoes.
“If you’ll tell me what you need, I can go there for you,” Emma volunteered. She would be happy to do most anything that would get her out of the kitchen for a while. And maybe if she was gone long enough, Grandma would take over the job of cooking the rest of the meal.
“I appreciate the offer, but it’ll be easier if I go because I know where everything is.
” Grandma gestured to the potatoes she’d placed on the counter.
“Besides, the makings of this meal are supposed to be all yours.” On that note, she hustled out of the room.
One would never know that her back had been hurting this morning.