Dear to Me (5 page)

 “If it makes you feel any better, Melinda won’t be helping us, either, because she’s working for the vet today.”

 “She’s been working there a lot lately, jah?” Mama asked.

 “A little too much, if you ask me.” Faith’s voice held a note of irritation, making Susie wonder if her big sister disapproved of her daughter working for the English vet.

 “Why do you say that?”

 Susie’s ears perked up. That was something she’d like to know herself. She glanced discreetly over her shoulder and waited for Faith’s response.

 “All Melinda talks about anymore is either the critters she’s caring for at home or the ones she helps Dr. Franklin with at his clinic.” Faith set her cup down and popped a couple of knuckles, causing Susie to cringe. “Gabe Swartz and Melinda are courting, yet she spends more time with those silly animals than she does him.” Faith popped a couple more knuckles. “Wouldn’t you think she would want to concentrate on honing her cooking, sewing, and baking skills so she’ll be ready for marriage, rather than trying to play
dokder
to a bunch of smelly creatures?”

 “If I had a boyfriend, I sure wouldn’t be thinking about any dumm old animals or trying to play doctor,” Susie put in as she slathered two pieces of bread with butter.

 “Do I detect a note of envy in your voice, daughter?”

 Susie turned to face her mother. “I don’t begrudge Melinda having a boyfriend; she has the right. I just wish I was being courted by someone, that’s all.”

 “It will happen in due time,” Faith put in. “Just try to be patient and wait on the Lord to bring the right fellow along.”

 Susie shrugged and turned back to her sandwich making. At the rate things were going, Melinda would be married with a houseful of kinner before Susie had a boyfriend. It didn’t seem fair that everything always seemed to go Melinda’s way. It wasn’t fair at all.

Chapter 4

O
n Sunday morning when Melinda and her family arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Stutzman’s for church, Melinda spotted Susie on the wooden two-seater swing hanging from the rafters under the Stutzmans’ front porch. Papa Noah and Isaiah headed to the barn to put the horse inside, and Mama and Grandpa Hertzler went into the house right away. Melinda stopped at the swing to speak with Susie.

 Susie patted the seat beside her. “Why don’t you sit with me awhile before everyone else shows up?”

 “Don’t mind if I do.” Melinda sat down and started pumping her legs to get the swing moving again. The day was warmer than most April mornings had been so far, and the breeze from the motion of the swing felt nice.

 Susie glanced over at Melinda with a puckered brow. “I see you’ve got dark circles under your eyes. How come?”

 “I stayed up late last night caring for my animals.”

 “Which ones?”

 “I’ve only got a couple I’m taking care of right now. One’s a baby goat, and I’ve been checking to be sure the mother goat keeps feeding her little one.” Melinda tapped her finger against her chin. “I also helped Papa Noah groom the horses and spent some time with my raccoon because she was acting kind of peculiar.”

 Susie’s eyebrows shot up. “What coon? I didn’t know you had a coon.”

 “I got her from Ben King. She’s an orphan and nearly blind.”

 “That’s too bad.”

 “At first, Reba wouldn’t eat and kept bumping into the side of her cage. After I sat with her awhile, she finally ate a little and seemed much calmer.”

 Susie groaned. “I can’t believe you’d lose sleep over some dumm critter or that you’d bother to name a wild animal.”

 “Reba’s not dumb. Do you think your cat’s dumb?”

 “Of course not. Daisy’s a good mouser. She also keeps me company and likes to cuddle.”

 “Well, there you go.”

 “Are you still planning to go to the young people’s gathering at the Hiltys’ place tonight?” Susie asked.

 Melinda was thankful for the change in topic. She and Susie seemed to be arguing a lot lately—especially whenever they talked about Melinda’s love for animals.

 “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.” Melinda smiled. “Gabe’s giving me a ride home again. He said so in the note he left in our birdhouse the other day.”

 “You’re sure the lucky one.” Susie released a gusty sigh. “I wish I had the promise of a ride home with some cute fellow tonight.”

 Melinda stopped swinging and reached over to pat Susie’s hand. “Your time will come. Just wait and see.”

 “Jah, well, I’m twenty years old. Many Amish women my age are married by now. I’ll probably end up
en alt maedel
. Could be I’ll spend the rest of my days working at Kaulp’s and never have a husband or family of my own.”

 “You won’t be an old maid, and I doubt you’ll be working at Kaulp’s General Store the rest of your life. One of these days you’ll—”

 Susie jumped up, jostling Melinda and nearly tossing her out of the swing. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Some more buggies have pulled into the driveway, and one of them belongs to Bishop Frey. Church will be starting soon, so we’d better get inside.”

 “You go on,” Melinda said. “I’m going to sit here awhile and enjoy the fresh air. Once we’re all in the house, it will be hot and stuffy.”

 “Suit yourself.” Susie went in the front door, and Melinda resumed her swinging.

 A few minutes later, John Frey and his wife, Margaret, stepped onto the porch. The bishop walked with a limp these days and was beginning to show his age, but he could still preach God’s Word and lead the people. Melinda figured he would continue as bishop for several more years before he died.

 “Good morning,” she answered with a nod.

 “Are you planning to be baptized and join the church soon?” the bishop asked.

 Melinda could hardly believe the man had posed such a question. Was Bishop John’s memory failing him the way Grandpa Hertzler’s seemed to be? It was a shame to witness older folks forgetting so many things.

 “I got baptized last year, Bishop John,” she said. “It was soon after my eighteenth birthday.”

 The wrinkles in the bishop’s forehead deepened, and he gave his long gray beard a couple of sharp pulls. Then he narrowed his eyes and stared at Melinda so hard she began to squirm. “Hmm. Well, jah, that’s right, you were one of those I baptized last year.”

 Melinda realized the man’s memory wasn’t going after all. His problem was probably failing eyesight. She had felt bad when her mother began to lose her close-up vision and started wearing reading glasses, but Mama had laughed and said, “It’s okay. That’s what comes with getting older.”

 Margaret smiled and adjusted her own metal-framed glasses. Then she clasped her husband’s arm and said, “Shall we go inside now, John? The service will be starting soon.”

 The bishop yawned noisily. “Jah, guess we’d better.”

 As soon as John and Margaret stepped into the house, Melinda left the swing and headed straight for the barn. If she hurried, there would be time to see the kittens Susie’s cat had given birth to a few weeks ago.

 Inside the barn, Melinda took a seat on a bale of straw to watch Daisy feed her six squirming babies.
All baby animals are cute. Some more than others, but I enjoy each one,
she thought dreamily.

 She drew in a deep breath, relishing the sweet smell of fresh hay. A horse whinnied from one of the stalls nearby, and a pigeon cooed from the loft overhead.
It’s so peaceful here. Next to being in the woods, this is my favorite place to sit and relax.

 Sometime later, Melinda left the barn, but as soon as she closed the door, she realized that the preaching service had already begun. The chantlike voices of the people singing inside her grandparents’ house filtered through the open windows. She hurried in through the back door and tiptoed down the hall. Backless wooden benches filled the large living room and spilled over into the parlor. The rooms were separated by a removable wall that was taken out whenever preaching services were held in this home.

 As Melinda slipped quietly into the main room, a few people looked up from their hymnbooks and glanced her way. Most, however, stayed focused on the song they were singing.

 Susie motioned Melinda over to the bench where she sat. There was an empty spot on the end, and Melinda figured her aunt had been saving it for her.

 “Where have you been?” Susie whispered when Melinda took a seat.

 “Out in the barn with Daisy and her brood. They’re sure cute little things.”

 Susie shook her head.

 Melinda clutched the folds in her dress.
She doesn’t understand. Sometimes I wonder how Susie and I can be such good friends when we don’t think alike on the subject of animals.

 She glanced across the room at the men and boys who were seated opposite them. Gabe sat beside his friend Aaron, and she caught him staring at her. He’d probably seen her sneak into the room, and she wondered if he thought she was irresponsible for being late. Would he say something about it later? More than likely, she would get a lecture from Mama on the subject of tardiness. She hoped she wouldn’t get one from Gabe, too.

 Gabe’s friendly smile and quick wink caused Melinda’s heart to flutter. It was enough to let her know he wasn’t judging her. She shivered at the anticipation of spending time with him that evening.

 Melinda’s thoughts spun faster than a windmill blade whirling in a gale. Maybe if she could think of the right way to say it, she would open her heart and tell Gabe what Dr. Franklin had suggested she do. It would be good to tell someone what had been weighing so heavily on her mind these past few weeks.

 A nudge to the ribs brought Melinda’s thoughts to a halt. “You’re not paying attention,” Susie whispered.

 “I am so.”

 Susie leaned closer. “You’re paying attention to Gabe, but that’s about all.”

 Melinda sat up straight and folded her hands. If her aunt had noticed her preoccupation with Gabe, others might have, as well. She was thankful Mama sat three rows ahead. Maybe she hadn’t noticed Melinda’s late arrival.

 Melinda turned her attention to the front of the room, where Preacher Kaulp had begun the first sermon of the day. He spoke from the book of Proverbs on the subject of wisdom.

 She closed her eyes.
Dear Lord, You know that Mama and Papa Noah already think I spend too much time with my animal friends. If they knew what Dr. Franklin wanted me to do, they would probably be upset with him. Oh, Lord, what should I do?

As soon as church was over and the women had begun serving the men their meal, Faith decided it was time to have a little talk with her daughter. She found Melinda on the porch with an empty platter in her hands. Apparently she’d just come from the barn where the men were eating.

 “Hi, Mama,” Melinda said with a smile. “I’m just heading back to the kitchen to get some more sandwiches.”

 “Before you do that, I’d like to speak with you a minute.” Faith stepped in front of Melinda and blocked the door to the house.

 Melinda’s cheeks flamed as she stared down at her shoes. “Is it about me being late to church this morning?”

 “Jah. This isn’t the first time you’ve been late, either.”

 “I know.” Melinda lifted her gaze. “I went to the barn to see Daisy’s
busslin
, and I lost track of time.”

 Faith grunted. “I can’t believe you would get so involved with a batch of kittens that you’d forget to come inside for church.”

 The color in Melinda’s cheeks deepened. “Well, I—”

 “You need to get your priorities straight, Melinda. Being in church is more important than spending time with some smelly animals.”

 “Daisy’s kittens aren’t smelly, Mama. They’re sweet and soft as a downy chick.”

 “I don’t care how sweet or soft they are. You should have been in church on time this morning.”

 “I’ll try harder from now on.”

 Faith tapped her foot against the faded porch boards. “You’re not a little girl anymore, Melinda. You need to start acting your age.”

 Melinda nodded.

 Faith stepped aside, hoping she’d been able to get through to Melinda. This business of her fooling around with animals when she should be facing her responsibilities was getting old. “You’d better get those sandwiches now, or you’ll likely get a lecture from the menfolk when you return to the barn.”

 “Okay, Mama.” Melinda offered Faith a brief smile then hurried inside.

 As Faith turned toward the porch steps, she spotted her friend Barbara heading her way with a coffeepot in her hands.

 “You don’t look so happy,” Barbara said when she stepped onto the porch. “Is something wrong?”

 Faith nodded. “I think I’ve failed as a
mudder
.”

 Barbara’s eyebrows furrowed. “Ach, Faith, what would make you think that?”

 “I’ve tried my best to raise Melinda so she’ll become a mature, responsible woman, but apparently all I’ve taught her has fallen on deaf ears.” Faith shrugged. “Either that, or I made some huge mistakes with Melinda somewhere along the line.”

 Barbara patted Faith’s arm. “I don’t think you made any mistakes. From what I’ve observed, both you and Noah have done a fine job raising your two kinner.”