“Do you remember Benuel King?”
Tillie nodded. “Leah’s old boyfriend.”
“Right. Well, he married Abby.”
“Our cousin, jah.”
“Silas’s father.” She couldn’t be certain in the darkness but she thought she saw Libby color. She did toss her ponytail over her shoulder.
“Jah,” Tillie said, using the one word to urge her niece on.
“Bethie Ann’s father.”
“And Joshua likes Bethie Ann,” Tillie asked, catching the connection between it all.
“Joshua likes Bethie Ann, but she likes Sam Yoder.”
It didn’t happen like that often in their district. They were small enough that there wasn’t always a big choice in who a person might date. Yet it seemed Bethie Ann King wasn’t plagued with such limitations. And she was using that to its full advantage.
“Acting the fool, is he?”
Libby sniffed. “I told him to just leave it be. If she wants to be with Sam, then what can he do about it?”
“Nothing.”
“Then he told me that with thinking like that I’d never land Silas, and . . . that hurt my feelings.”
“That doesn’t sound like Joshua,” Tillie said.
“He’s changed a lot since you’ve been gone.”
“I guess so,” was all Tillie could say. As if Jim and Anna didn’t have enough on them with six kids still all living at home.
“Anyway,” Libby said, bouncing back from her melancholy like a rubber ball against the pavement. “I came to ask if you’ll help me make Christmas candy this week.”
Tillie blinked at the change in subject. “Jah. Sure.”
“I’m not the best in the kitchen, and I don’t want to ask Mammi.”
“Why not? She’s about the best cook around.”
“Jah, but then she’ll want to know why I want to make the candies and then—” She abruptly stopped.
“And then you’ll have to tell her what?” Tillie urged.
“That I want to give them to Silas King as a Christmas present.”
“You don’t want to give him something at the singing tomorrow night?” The youth always held a singing on Sunday nights after the church service. Once a boy or a girl turned sixteen, they could attend. Tillie had gone to many in her teenage years. It was where Melvin had first captured her attention.
Libby shook her head. “There’s a card exchange next week. I thought I would give them to him then.”
“Are you sure? I mean, if he leaves the card exchange with more than cards . . .”
“Everyone leaves the card exchange with more than cards. At least they did last year. Sarah Yoder gave him homemade Christmas cookies.” She made a face.
“But they’re not dating?”
“She’s not a very good baker.”
Tillie bit back a laugh. “Okay, then. Christmas candies next week. Maybe Thursday?”
Libby beamed. “Danki, Tillie. You’re the best auntie in the whole world.”
Tillie returned her smile. “I’ll be sure to tell Leah and Hannah.”
“You wouldn’t!” Libby looked playfully horrified.
Tillie just shrugged.
Libby stood and gave Tillie a one-armed hug. “Thanks.” She placed a kiss somewhere to the side of Tillie’s ear, then she released her and started for the door.
“One more thing,” she said once she got there. “Will you help me with my hair tomorrow? I want it to look extra good for the singing.”
Tillie smiled and eased back down into the bed. “Of course.”
“Really the best,” Libby said.
“You know it,” Tillie replied, then Libby was gone.
Tillie sighed into her pillow. She had needed that. She needed the distraction. She needed to know with everything going sideways in her life that there were other people with other problems. Those might not seem as big to her as her own. But they were important to the people they affected. Joshua, Libby, even Anna and Jim.
And somehow knowing this made her own problems seem a little more manageable.
Now if she only knew what she was going to do once Christmas passed.
Chapter Five
Church. It was the one and only thing that Levi couldn’t avoid. It wasn’t that he wanted to skip out on God. He simply wanted to get away from all the sad looks cast his way. All the pitying stares coupled with other people’s obvious happiness over the upcoming holiday made him miss Mary all the more.
He didn’t blame the others. It was all him. Therefore he should be the one taken out of the equation. He would be better off if he stayed at home. And he wondered how others felt when they spotted him. Did he ruin their holiday spirits? He supposed it was inevitable. He couldn’t manage a smile. Hadn’t been able to since they had placed his Mary and their child together in the ground. Everyone else would be better off if he stayed at home. They could talk about gift giving and parties, present exchanges and every other festive thing they had planned, without accidentally catching sight of his melancholy face. When he had said as much to Mims, she had told him that he was being melodramatic.
Maybe, but it was how he felt all the same.
He buttoned the last button on his vest and headed back to the kitchen. Puddles had gone outside for the morning. She hadn’t given birth during the night. He was wondering if she was overdue to have the pups or if she was merely carrying a large litter. Only time would give the answer.
The clock above the sink told him he had fifteen more minutes before he had to leave. He didn’t want to get to church any earlier than he had to. He was only going because it was expected of him. As far as he was concerned, he could stay in his rocking chair all morning, praying and reading the Bible, and get just as much connection with God as if he had ridden all the way over to Strawberry Dan’s.
Dan Swartzentruber was the minister for their district and about the worst preacher Levi had ever heard. Not that he was trying to be mean, but he had such a hard time staying awake when Dan was delivering their Sunday message. It wasn’t that the man had nothing important
