Chapter 14
WHILE EMMA WAS GONE, IVAN scooted closer to Marlin.
“I … uh … have a question I need to ask you.”
Marlin quirked an eyebrow. “What might that be?”
Ivan cleared his throat a couple of times. He had to get this question out before Emma returned, but it felt like he had a wad of cotton in his throat. What if Marlin’s answer was no?
Ivan looked toward his carriage, and seeing Emma pull the basket out of the back, he leaned in toward Marlin’s ear and asked the question that had been on his mind all morning: “I enjoy your granddaughter’s company very much, and I was wondering …”
“If you could begin courting Emma?”
“Jah. How’d you know?”
“Call it a hunch, but I’ve been through it myself when I was a young man and wanted to court a woman.
I’m not so old that I can’t remember the day I asked Luellen’s father for permission to court her.
I was a nervous wreck, and after I got up the nerve to ask, her daed looked me right in the eye and said, ‘Marlin, you’ve got that look.
’ Then I asked, ‘What look is that?’” Marlin paused a minute and threaded his fingers through the ends of his lengthy beard.
“Luellen’s father responded, ‘The look of a young man who likes my daughter very much and wants to court her.’”
“Do I have that look?” Ivan questioned, already knowing the answer.
“You sure do, and I can also tell that you’re a fine young man with good morals, who I feel certain has the utmost respect for my granddaughter. So my answer is yes, you have permission to ask Emma, and then, of course, the decision will be hers.”
In one sense, Ivan felt relief. On the other hand, he still had to drum up the nerve to ask Emma.
Maybe she didn’t care for him the way he did her.
Maybe the fact that she’d be going home in a few months might stand in the way, since they wouldn’t see each other frequently after Emma returned to Indiana.
Or maybe, Ivan thought, if our relationship develops into something serious, Emma will decide to stay here in Arthur and eventually become my wife.
But Ivan couldn’t worry about her leaving or make any real plans for the future. He simply needed to take one day at a time.
Emma was approaching them now, and it was time to eat.
When the time was right, Ivan would ask Emma if she was willing to be courted by him.
He sincerely hoped her answer would be yes.
Ivan had never met a girl he enjoyed being with as much as Emma, and he wanted the chance to see if their relationship could develop into something permanent.
Luellen hummed as she put fresh sheets on the new mattress that had been delivered a while ago. She hadn’t laid down on the bed yet, but would do so as soon as it was fully made.
When the top sheet was in place, Luellen straightened to her full height and arched her back, hoping to remove the muscle spasm she felt.
She had been relieved when she’d seen two men get out of the delivery truck, because there was simply no way she would have been able to help with the removal of the old mattress, much less get the new one put in place.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Luellen groaned. There goes that puppy again. Does she need to go out, or is she simply seeking my attention? Well, whatever it is, she can wait till I’m finished making this bed.
Luellen grabbed the lightweight blanket, spread it out on the bed, and then walked around each side of the bed to smooth the edges.
Fawn had quit barking, so she figured the dog had merely been trying to gain her attention, hoping she could be let out to roam around the kitchen for a while, sniffing for any morsels that might be on the floor.
The puppy had done that a few times when Emma had let her roam, but fortunately, Luellen always made sure any food particles that had landed on the floor were swept up every morning after breakfast.
Of course, Luellen reasoned, I’ll be fixing my lunch soon, and then, unless I’m really careful, there could wind up being more crumbs on the floor. She pursed her lips. The answer to that is, I just won’t let Fawn into the kitchen.
Luellen paused from her musings and reached for the quilt folded neatly on the cedar chest at the end of the bed. Once it was in place and she added both her and Marlin’s pillows, she decided to test the mattress.
She removed her eyeglasses and placed them on the nightstand.
Then, settling onto the bed, with her head pressed into the comfort of her pillow, she noticed that the new mattress felt different beneath her body than the one that had been on display at the store.
It was also a whole lot different than their old, worn-out mattress.
But Luellen figured it was just a matter of getting used to the firmness of the new one, and once it was broken in a bit, everything would be fine.
Luellen had only been lying there a few minutes, listening to the leaves rustling from the parted window in the bedroom, when the dog started carrying on again.
She grunted and sat up, attempting to straighten out the slight kink in her back as she swung her legs to the edge of the mattress. “All right … all right … I’m coming!”
When she headed toward the utility room a few minutes later, Luellen was greeted with a sight that put her teeth on edge.
In addition to the fact that the pup had piddled on the floor instead of the newspaper that had been placed there for the dog’s benefit, Fawn had something in her mouth and was shaking it back and forth like a rag doll.
Luellen had forgotten to put her glasses back on when she’d gotten off the bed, so she couldn’t make out what the dog had.
Avoiding the mess on the floor, Luellen leaned down to see what the object was and jumped back when she realized that it was a mouse.
With no hesitation whatsoever, she quickly opened the back door and ordered the dog out.
Their barn cats were all good mousers, but she’d never expected this small terrier to catch one.
Fortunately, Fawn obeyed and bounded out the door, which Luellen quickly shut.
“Maybe I should have gone fishing after all,” she declared, thinking about the mess she now had to clean up.
First, however, she would return to the bedroom for her glasses so she could see better and make sure every inch of that puppy’s wet spot was mopped up.
Guess I should have responded when the dog barked the first time.
Fawn was most likely trying to tell me that she needed to go outside, so I suppose the mess she made is my fault.
Luellen plodded down the hall to her and Marlin’s bedroom.
I don’t have the energy or the patience to deal with the puppy today.
I really do hope Dianna will let Emma bring Fawn with her when she returns home.
Of course, when Emma goes, I won’t miss the hund, but I’ll sure miss the company of my sweet granddaughter.
After I clean up the mess Fawn made, think I’ll sit down and write my daughter a letter while I eat whatever I decide to fix for lunch.
Shipshewana
Diana entered her husband’s shop and handed him a tuna fish sandwich from the basket she’d carried from the house. “Here you go, Philip. I bet you must be hungry.”
“You’re right on time,” Philip said with a wink. “My belly had begun to growl, so I knew it must be lunchtime.”
“I’m out of lunch meat and cheese,” she said apologetically, “so I’m afraid you’re stuck with tuna fish today. Hope you don’t mind too much.”
He gave a quick shake of his head. “Not at all. In fact, tuna is a nice change once in a while.”
“Danki for being so understanding.” She pulled out a chair at the desk where he did paperwork and suggested that he take a seat while she poured him a cup of coffee from the thermos she’d also brought along.
“I will take a seat if you’ll sit here with me and share my sandwich,” Philip responded. “It’s never fun to eat alone.”
She smiled. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t need to eat the other half of your sandwich, because I brought one for myself, in case you wanted me to join you.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Of course I want you to join me. That’s a given, my dear fraa.”
Dianna teared up, and she dabbed at the corner of her eyes, but it didn’t prevent them from seeping out.
“What’s wrong, my love?” he asked, swiping at the tears rolling down her cheek.
“You’re such a kind, considerate man. I feel blessed to have found such a loving husband. I can only hope that our daughters are that fortunate.”
“I’m sure they will be when they find the right mates.” Philip pulled a second chair up to the table, and they both sat down. “Shall we pray so we can eat?”
“Jah.” Dianna bowed her head and thanked the Lord for the man she had married. Then she asked God to send the right men for Rachel and Emma, and that they would both feel as blessed as she did right now.
When their prayer time ended and they began to eat their sandwiches, Dianna asked Philip a question that had been nagging at her most of the morning.
“Is there anything we can do to help Rachel? When she’s not working, she’s been moping around here all week over the loss of the young man she’d hoped to marry. ”
“Give her some more time, Dianna,” Philip said as he opened the lid on his thermos. “A broken heart takes a while to heal.”
“I understand that, because my heart was broken once too.”
His eyes widened. “Really? When was that?”
“I was fifteen years old and had the biggest crush on a young man in our church district. He was almost twenty.”
Philip’s brows rose as he tipped his head. “Seriously?”