Chapter 30
Shipshewana
EMMA HAD BEEN HOME FOR two weeks, and she still didn’t feel settled in, nor was she content.
How could she be when she’d left so much behind?
Emma had managed to keep busy by helping her mother with various chores during the day while Rachel was at her job.
Busyness helped, but it didn’t fill the void in her life.
What she needed was something truly meaningful to do.
After a trip to the mailbox, Emma discovered a letter from her grandmother.
She was excited to read it but at the same time filled with regret.
Emma missed Grandpa’s wisecracks and carefree demeanor.
She also longed to be with Grandma, guided by her gentle teaching.
And most of all, she missed seeing Ivan.
Now don’t start focusing on that again, Emma reminded herself. Ivan is out of my life, and he’s moving on, so I need to do the same.
Emma stopped walking toward the house and bent down to pet Fawn, who’d dropped a rubber ball by her feet.
“Oh, so you wanna play, do ya?” Emma leaned over, picked up the ball, and gave it a good toss.
When the dog chased after it, Emma hurried her steps until she was on the porch, where she could sit on the glider and sort through the mail.
Other than a few envelopes she figured must be bills, the only other piece of mail was the letter from Grandma, addressed to Emma.
Tearing open the flap, Emma inhaled deeply.
She couldn’t miss the distinctive smell of lilac on her grandmother’s stationery.
Her eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds, visualizing her grandmother sitting at the kitchen table, pen in hand.
Grandma had stated many times that she enjoyed writing letters, and her lovely penmanship proved it.
“I wish my cursive writing was even half that beautiful,” Emma murmured.
“Who are you talking to, Daughter?”
Emma’s head jerked at the sound of her mother’s voice. She hadn’t heard Mom come out of the house, which was unusual, since the screen door always squeaked.
“I was talking to myself.” Emma scooted over on the glider so her mother could sit down.
Mom chuckled. “I catch myself doing that sometimes too.” She pushed her feet against the porch floor, which got the glider moving. “Did we get anything interesting in today’s mail?”
Emma handed her mother all the envelopes, except the one from Grandma. “This letter is for me, from Grandma.”
“How nice. I’m sure you’re eager to find out what she has to say.” Mom patted Emma’s arm. “Would you like me to go back inside while you read it?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll just read it silently, if that’s all right with you. When I’m finished, I’ll pass the letter over to you.”
“That’s fine, Emma, but if there’s anything in the letter you don’t want to share with me, I won’t read it at all.”
“I have nothing to hide from you, Mom,” Emma responded. “And I’m sure that your mamm doesn’t either.”
“You’re probably right, but she may have written something about …” Mom’s voice trailed off.
“Ivan? Is that who you meant?”
“Jah.”
Emma scratched an itch behind her right ear before speaking again. “I doubt that Grandma would have anything to say about Ivan, but if she did, I’m sure it wouldn’t be anything I wouldn’t want you to know.”
“Okay, well … you go ahead and read your letter while I look through the rest of the mail.”
“Danki, Mom.” Emma picked up the piece of paper and began to read:
Dearest Emma,
Your grandfather and I are doing well, but we surely do miss you. I hope we’ll be able to make a trip there to see you and the family before the cold winter weather sets in.
How are you? Have you found plenty of things to keep busy? Are you doing any quilting at all?
There’s not much here to report. It’s basically the same old thing.
I sew and bake, and your grandfather does a lot of reading and putting puzzles together.
He’s working on a one-thousand-piece puzzle right now.
The picture on the box shows a beautiful eagle soaring through the sky above a mountain covered in snow.
I haven’t done much with any of my friends lately, but there’s a hen party scheduled for one day next week, so I’ll probably try to attend that. It will be nice to get together with friends and chat.
Oh, and I’m seeing the chiropractor, with good results.
Please write soon and let me know what you’ve been up to. Tell the rest of the family I said hello, and let your mamm know I’ll be dropping her a note soon too.
All my love and prayers,
Grandma
Emma’s shoulders lifted as she folded the letter, struggling not to cry.
“Is everything all right with my folks, Emma?” Mom questioned.
“They’re both fine. I do miss them, though.”
“Are you sure it’s only them you’re missing?”
Emma didn’t want to admit it to Mom, or herself, but she missed Ivan terribly.
She forced a smile and said, “Well, I can’t say I miss my hund, ’cause she came home with me.
” Emma glanced into the yard and focused on Fawn nudging the ball around with her nose.
It was necessary for Emma to keep her attention on other things, because it helped her not to think about Ivan and wonder how he was doing.
Arthur
Ida Mae had been busy setting out some bolts of material that had arrived at the store, and she was pleased to take a break when Luellen entered the store.
“Well, hello! I haven’t seen you in here for a while.” Ida Mae set aside the bolt of fabric that she’d been holding and gave Luellen a hug.
“That’s true,” her friend admitted. “I’ve done a lot of mending lately but haven’t created anything new for a while. Now that I’m caught up, I decided to make a new frack, which is what brought me into the store here today.”
“I’m glad you came in.” Ida Mae smiled. “Do you know what color material you’d like for the dress?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe gray or dark brown.”
“You’re in luck then, because I have both colors in stock.” Ida Mae pointed to a bolt of brown material, and then one in gray.
Luellen nodded. “I’ll consider those, but I might choose some other color if it catches my eye.”
“Feel free to look around.”
Ida Mae went back to her task until Luellen brought her material up to the counter to be cut. “How are things going with you these days?” Luellen asked.
“Pretty well. We’re all keeping busy, and Ivan and Maggie will be taking classes soon to be baptized and join the church so they can get married.” Ida Mae paused to spread the material out in front of her in preparation to cut the right length. “You met Maggie and the baby last Sunday, right?”
“Jah, I did. She seemed friendly enough, and the baby is cute.”
“We think so too.” Ida Mae smiled. “It’s kind of nice having a baby in the house again. It certainly keeps us entertained and plenty busy helping Maggie when she needs a break.”
“I can imagine.”
Ida Mae cut the material and folded it neatly before placing it in a paper sack. “Have you heard anything from Emma recently?”
“Just once since she returned home. I miss that sweet girl so much. The house seems awfully quiet without Emma.” Luellen laid a hand against her chest. “I even miss that yappy dog she inherited after Marlin found it.”
“I miss seeing Emma too,” Ida Mae admitted.
“We had so much fun during her quilting lessons, and it was a pleasure for me to get to know her better.” She dropped her gaze to the floor.
“I feel bad about what happened between Emma and Ivan. They seemed to be moving forward in their relationship until …” Her voice trailed off.
This was a touchy subject for her to discuss, and Ida Mae figured it was for Luellen as well.
She looked up and handed Luellen her purchase. “Is Emma still quilting?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t mention anything about quilting in her letter, but of course, that doesn’t mean she quit doing it.” Luellen handed Ida Mae the money she owed.
“I hope she will stick with it,” Ida Mae said. “From the very first day I taught her about quilting, the interest she showed let me know that she would have a knack for it. I hope you’ll encourage her to continue quilting.”
“I shall try, but you know how the young people can be. Some do as you suggest, and others have a mind of their own.”
“So true.” Ida Mae squinted as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
If Ivan had listened to what my husband and I told him about the dangers of drinking alcohol, he wouldn’t be in the fix he’s in now, and it might be his and Emma’s wedding he’d be planning now, instead of with Maggie—a young woman we know so little about.
Shipshewana
“Emma, I think you need to take a look at this.” Dianna held a piece of cardstock out to her daughter. It had been inside one of the envelopes Emma brought in from the mailbox earlier that morning.
Emma looked up from the cookbook she’d been studying. “What is it, Mom?”
“This is a notification about a quilting contest that will take place in Middlebury in two months. Do you think you could make a quilt in that time frame?”
“You want me to make a quilt and enter it in a contest?” Emma’s eyes widened.
“You are correct.”
“But, Mom, quilts take time to make—especially full-size bed coverings.” Emma shook her head. “I could never get one made in two months. It would take me at least four to six months to complete a quilt—even a twin-size covering.”
A desire to see her daughter doing something meaningful set in, and Dianna decided to say a few more things, which she hoped would encourage Emma to at least try.
“Do you have any quilting projects that you started during your time in Arthur and haven’t finished? If so, I was thinking you could finish it for the contest.”
Emma tapped her forehead a couple of times. “I did start a twin-size quilt top during the time I was taking lessons from Ivan’s mother. Maybe if I work really hard, I could finish it in time for the quilting contest.”