I pictured him washing and polishing his buggy to transport me for nothing. Mark was probably five years my junior and couldn’t possibly choose me over Sadie. I almost suggested he take her, but I didn’t wish to embarrass either one of them.
“I haven’t gone to a singing for years,” I said.
“I’d be happy to escort you. Plus, it’s a gut way to meet your new neighbors. You are planning to stick around, aren’t you?”
“Yah, if I can. When the owner comes back, I assume he’ll have the final say.”
Mark’s eyes never left mine. “Let me know about Sunday. Service will be in Willie Fisher’s barn several miles away.”
He handed the empty mug to Sadie. Her face was solemn.
“I’d best get back to work.” He pivoted toward the door, away from her. “We still have quite a mess to clean up, including half the parking lot.”
EIGHT
The day seemed to flitter by, what with all the customers, plus a produce delivery I was most happy to see. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat. I noticed we were running low on roast beef and ham.
“I hope you don’t mind that I ordered this,” Sadie said after thanking the deliveryman.
“Quite the contrary. I appreciate your help.” When we had a lull with customers, I used the time to call Olivia’s phone shanty and left a message asking if she could deliver pastries and muffins tomorrow. I hoped she’d get back to me before three.
“So do ya think you’ll go with Mark?” Sadie opened the refrigerator door.
“Unlikely, although I do want to attend church. I haven’t been to a singing for years and have no intention of starting now.”
“Ya don’t like to sing?”
“I used to, many years ago.” I was tempted to tell her how surprised I was at Mark’s attention, but I didn’t want to make her sad. She obviously had a crush on him. The words unrequited love floated in the back of my mind. I could relate.
“Mark has never offered to take me anywhere.” She tossed in several bunches of carrots.
“He might. You’re pretty and smart.” And she did not strike me as a woman who would allow herself to become an old maid as I had. Perhaps I should have entertained attention from that older widower last year, but he was unappealing and had ten unruly children. “If not Mark, I have no doubt some other lucky fellow will court you.”
“I’m almost eighteen.”
“Plenty of time to find the right husband.”
“Why did you never marry?”
I was hoping to avoid answering that question. “I wanted to… Have you never heard?”
“Only what Beatrice mentioned, that your sweetheart moved to New York years ago and was last seen wearing a beard.”
“What?” Her words stunned me as if she’d slapped me in the face. If Jake wore a beard, he was married. Only married Amish men wore beards. “Are you sure?”
“That’s what Beatrice said, but I don’t know if it’s true. Sometimes she gets her facts mixed up.” Her brows knit. “I’m sorry if I said the wrong thing.”
I tried to appear confident as my mind churned with shards of uncertainty. I wondered what other bits of gossip Beatrice had sprinkled. “Nothing more?” I asked.
“Only that you worked in the fabric shop and lived with your parents until yesterday.” She glanced through the kitchen doorway to the front door as an Englisch couple entered.
The phone in the kitchen jangled. “I’ll get it.” I hustled to answer and heard Olivia’s vivacious voice.
“How’s everything going, dear cousin?”
“If you’re calling to tell me you’re bringing baked goods in the morning, then I’ll tell you I’ve had a wunderbaar day.”
“That’s exactly why I’m calling, Evie. The roads are clear, and I’ve been baking all afternoon.”
“Gut. That’s a relief.”
“Is everything okay? You sound naerfich.”
“I’m not nervous.” The words shot out of my mouth too quickly. “Sorry, Liv. I guess I am a little stressed.”
“It’s your first day at a new job. Of course that would be stressful.”
I didn’t want to bring up Jake’s name. And I decided to let go of Olivia’s neglecting to tell me this was a café job. It didn’t matter now. “I have a few questions for you about the kitchen here.”
“You should be fine with that nice generator and Sadie and Jennifer to help you.”
“Jennifer didn’t make it in today. And she gave me notice, so we’ll need to hire someone else. Do you know of anyone looking for a job? Beatrice stepped in.”
“That must have been helpful.” She chuckled. “Not the sweetest woman in nature, but capable and a hard worker.”
“Yah, she’s been a tremendous help.” And I hadn’t properly thanked her. I was still reeling from her disclosure to Sadie that Jake might be a married man. “Have you heard any more about Amos?”
“Ach, nee. What a terrible injury. From what I understand, if coma victims wake up, it’s not the way it’s portrayed in the movies. Recovery is a slow process. They might have to learn to speak and walk again. They may lose chunks of memory.”
“Liv, you go to the movies?”
“Er…just a few times. But please don’t tell anyone. Ach, my parents would kill me.” She was six years younger than I was and in her rumspringa, her time for experimenting with the Englisch world. But I knew her parents were strict.
“Mamm took the Millers a casserole,” she said, “and neighbors are setting aside their differences with Amos and helping out in the fields. You know how ornery Jake’s dat is, but neighbors are keeping their farm going until Jake gets home. Jake’s two schweschders are married now and live on dairy farms in Ohio with their husbands and children. They rushed home by train to see their dat in the trauma unit, but since he was in a coma, they got no response. They stuck around for a few days but then returned to Ohio. Their husbands wouldn’t leave their herds to see a man who was
