Cousin's Challenge (15 page)

Apprehension flickered in Lonnie's eyes. “Not sure I'm ready for that.”

Yes, you are,
she wrote.
If you're going to communicate with hearing people, then you need to be able to read lips.
How many times had she told him this already? Was he just being stubborn, or didn't he get it?

“I stopped by to see Ella today and suggested that I do Charlene's job of putting the wind chimes together so Charlene could tune and cut the pipe,” Lonnie said, suddenly changing the subject. “Ella said that won't work because Charlene's tone deaf and can't tune chimes. She also said her daed's business is in trouble and will have to close, so she's going out to look for a job today.”

Jolene grimaced. In these hard times, things were bad enough, but now with Uncle Rueben gone, Ella had a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. What she really needed was a job that would keep her at home where she could look out for her mother. But what kind of a job could it be?

When Lonnie entered Freeman's bike shop to see about getting a new tube for the flat tire on his bike, Jake was talking to Freeman. Not wishing to interrupt, Lonnie dropped to his knees and began to pet Freeman's dog, Penny. Every time Lonnie visited the bike shop, the cocker spaniel was either sleeping on the braided rug near the door or making a pest of herself with the ball she kept dropping at the customers' feet.

Lonnie glanced over at Freeman and Jake and wondered what they were saying. Since Jake was turned toward him, he tried to read his lips. It was good practice to do so. Jolene had told him that during one of their lessons. Lonnie was no expert on lip reading yet, but he was pretty sure Jake had said something about Jolene. He kept watching Jake's lips. Had he said something about asking Jolene out?

Lonnie wondered if he should try to discourage Jolene from seeing Jake. While Jake seemed like a nice enough fellow, Lonnie had heard that Jake had trouble staying in one place. Lonnie was just beginning to get to know Jolene, and she seemed like a nice young woman. If she was interested in Jake, then she'd be hurt if he left Indiana.

A few more customers entered the shop, and Lonnie began to feel uncomfortable about watching Jake's lips.
Guess it's really none of my business what Jake says or does,
he decided.
I have enough of my own problems to deal with.

Penny's tail swished against Lonnie's arm, so he turned his attention to her again. The dog's mouth opened, and as she pressed her body against him, Lonnie actually felt the vibration of her bark. This surprised him, because until he'd lost his hearing, he'd taken for granted the things he could feel, taste, smell, and see. When he'd first found out he was deaf, one of his nurses had told him that his other senses would become stronger. He guessed she'd been right.

The dog swished her tail again, snatched Lonnie's stocking cap, and tore across the room. Lonnie couldn't let the mutt have his hat; it had been a Christmas gift from Mom. He took off after the dog, waving his hands. “Give me back my cap!”

Penny zipped to the left, and then to the right, with Lonnie right on her heels. Freeman stopped talking to Jake and got in on the chase. Round and round the room they went, until the dog darted in between a row of bikes. Lonnie made a lunge for his cap, which was still hanging from the dog's mouth. He missed, and the bikes toppled over, landing on the floor.

Lonnie's face heated. “I'm so sorry, Freeman. I hope nothing broke.”

Freeman said something, but Lonnie couldn't tell what. All eyes seemed to be on him, which made him feel even more embarrassed than he already was. He leaned in between the bikes, grabbed his cap, and raced out the door.

For the last several days Ella had kept so busy doing chores and trying to help Mama cope that she hadn't had time to continue looking for a job. She'd gone to the bank the other day and now knew that it wouldn't be long until they were out of money. They might have to start selling off things like she'd seen some other people do because of a job loss.

Ella removed the tea kettle from the stove and took a seat between Mama and Charlene at the table. As much as she dreaded it, they needed to discuss a few things.

“I need to tell you something, Mama,” Ella said as she handed her mother a cup of tea.

Mama looked at Ella with a pained expression. “Not more bad news, I hope.”

Ella swallowed around the lump in her throat. She wished she didn't have to tell Mama the truth about their financial situation. “I'm afraid it is bad news. After looking through Papa's books the other day, I discovered that several wind chime orders had been canceled. Since then, I've been to the bank and discovered that we have very little money left in our account.” Ella blinked hard to keep her tears from flowing. “Between that and the fact that Charlene and I can't run the shop by ourselves, I've come to the conclusion that after we send out the few orders we have, we'll need to close the shop.”

Mama sat staring at her cup. Ella wondered if she'd even heard.

Charlene's face turned crimson, and she slammed her hand on the table so hard that it jiggled their cups. “It's not fair that we lost Papa so unexpectedly! Do we have to lose his business, too?”

“Lots of things in life aren't fair, but...” Mama paused and blew her nose on her napkin.
“Mer muss ausbeharre bis ans end.”

“Why must we bear it until the end, Mama?” Charlene's eyes flashed angrily, no longer the calm young woman she'd been the other evening. “Why doesn't God bring only good things to the people who follow Him?”

Lines of strain etched Mama's face as she reached over and touched Charlene's arm. “God didn't promise that His people would never suffer. Tribulations are part of living in this sinful world.”

Ella marveled at her mother's wise remark. Despite the grief Mama had been dealing with, she was ministering to her hurting daughter. Mama truly was a remarkable woman, and that made Ella even more determined to take care of her and the rest of the family. Until she found a job, Ella would find it difficult to be hopeful, but she knew for her family's sake that she must remain positive.

She pushed away from the table. “I think I ought to get the dishes done. We can talk about our financial situation some other time.”

“I believe you're right. If we all think about this for a while, maybe one of us will come up with a plan.” Mama stood. “It's a chilly evening. I think I'll take my tea and go to the living room so I can sit by the fire.” She walked out, leaving Ella and Charlene alone.

Ella moved over to the sink and pulled a dirty kettle into the water where she'd placed some other dishes to soak. As she scrubbed the pot vigorously, soapy water cascaded over her hands and dripped back into the sink. It felt good to keep busy. It was the only thing that kept her from breaking down in a puddle of tears.

“You want me to dry, or are you gonna let the dishes drain?” Charlene asked.

Ella shrugged. “It doesn't really matter. If you'd like to join Mama in the living room, That's fine with me. Just be sure you don't say anything that might upset her.”

Charlene thrust out her lower lip as she frowned. “I'm not gonna do or say anything to upset Mama, and you need to quit bein' so bossy.”

“Someone has to be in charge now that Papa's gone. As the oldest, it's my job to look out for Mama and see that our family is taken care of.”

Charlene opened her mouth like she might say more, but then she closed it and left the room.

Ella grabbed another kettle and sloshed the sponge around as she blinked back tears of anger and frustration.
Oh, Papa,
she silently cried.
I miss you so much.

The back door banged, causing Ella to jump. Either Charlene had gone outside, or someone had come into the house.

When Jolene entered her aunt's kitchen with Loraine and Katie, she wasn't surprised to find Ella in front of the sink with a sponge in her hand. Ever since Jolene could remember, Ella had always kept busy. Even when they were young girls, Ella thought she needed to be working when she should have been playing. She was the kind of person who always seemed to put other people's needs ahead of her own.

“We came to see how you're doing,” Jolene said, stepping up to Ella so she could see her face. Loraine and Katie moved close to the sink, too.

“I'm doing as well as can be expected.” Ella's smile appeared to be forced; there was no laughter behind her eyes. “If you'd like to have a seat at the table, I'll pour us some tea.”

Everyone took seats, and Ella served the tea, along with a loaf of freshly baked friendship bread.

Jolene's fingers curled around the handle of the warm cup. It felt like old times, the four cousins sitting together. Only they weren't innocent young girls anymore. One of them was married and expecting a baby; one was on the brink of marriage; and the other two had a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.

Loraine transferred her cup from one hand to the other, while Katie blotted her lips with a napkin. “This bread is really good, Ella. You're better at baking than anyone I know.”

“Danki.” Ella smiled, although again, it appeared to be forced. She was obviously putting up a brave front, but Jolene knew her cousin was hurting.

“Is there anything we can do to help you?” Loraine asked. Jolene was glad everyone faced her, even when they spoke to Ella.

Ella's eyes filled with tears. She blinked rapidly, as though trying to keep herself from crying. “Guess the thing we need most is a lot of prayer, because short of a miracle, we'll soon be out of money.”

“What do you mean?” Katie asked.

Ella told them about her dad's business and how there was no way she and Charlene could keep it going. “So I need to find a job,” she said. “Unfortunately, none of the places I've been to so far are hiring right now.”

Everyone agreed that they would pray for Ella's family, and then they sat quietly together, drinking their tea and eating the friendship bread.

Soon after Jolene had taken a second piece of bread and covered it with butter, an idea popped into her head. “I think I know a way you can make some money,” she said, smiling at Ella.

“What's that?” Ella asked, slouching in her chair.

“Why don't open a home-based bakery? You could sell fresh baked goods to others in our community and to the tourists.”

Ella blinked a couple of times and sat up straight. “You really think I could do that?”

“I don't see why not.”

“I agree with Jolene,” Loraine said. “With your baking skills, I'll bet in no time you'd have all kinds of business.”

“Oh, I don't know. There are so many things I'd have to do first, and there's really no place for a bakeshop in the house.”

“Maybe you could use your daed's shop,” Katie suggested. “It'll be empty after you sell off your daed's things.”

Ella tapped her fingers along the edge of the table. “The building would need a lot of work to turn it into a bakeshop. We'd have to buy an oven, a refrigerator, a bakery cabinet, and so many other things.”

“You'd also need to have the place inspected by the health department and get the proper license,” Loraine put in. “It would take some doing, but if it's God will, then I'm sure it'll all work out.”

Ella tugged her earlobe. “I'm not sure it would work, but I'll give it some thought.”

“And don't forget to pray,” Jolene said with a smile. “Remember now, we'll all be praying with you.”

Ella filled the sink with hot water and added some detergent. A glint of light shone through the kitchen window from the full moon outside. She was relieved that the day was almost over. She was eager to get the dishes done and head upstairs to her room. She would need to rise with the call of the rooster tomorrow morning, for there'd be plenty of chores waiting for her to do before breakfast. She and Charlene would keep busy the rest of the day, painting the barn.

“I don't know about you, but I'm all done in,” Charlene said as she pulled a clean dish towel from the drawer.

Ella nodded. “I've always enjoyed baking before, but since I opened the bakeshop two weeks ago, it seems like all I do is bake and wait on customers.”

“But your business is doing well, and it's already making us some money. Isn't that so?”

“Jah, and I'm grateful for the money that some in our community donated so I could buy everything I needed to get the business going. The only problem is, I'm kept so busy with the bakeshop that I can't keep up with all the chores that need to be done around here, which is why I'll be closing the shop tomorrow in order to paint the barn.” Ella smiled at Charlene. “I appreciate the way you've taken over so many of the household chores, waited on customers, and have even helped with some of the baking. If Mama felt better, I'm sure she'd do more, too.”

Charlene's nose crinkled. “Do you think there's something seriously wrong with Mama? Should we insist that she see the doctor?”

Ella dipped her hands into the soapy water and picked up another dish. “I don't think we can insist that Mama do anything. But we do need to keep praying about the matter, and I may ask Aunt Priscilla to speak with Mama again, too.”

“Good idea. Let's hope she'll listen this time.”

Several buckets of white paint sat in the driveway along with a bucket of water for cleaning brushes and rollers. Ella had put Larry and Amelia in charge of the younger siblings so Mama could rest. Charlene would paint the lower half of the barn, while Ella climbed the ladder and did the upper half, since Charlene was afraid of heights.

“It's too cold to be doing this,” Charlene complained. “I'd rather be inside where it's warm and toasty.”

“You'll warm up once you start working.” Ella motioned to the bucket of paint near Charlene. “Now get busy and stop complaining.”

Charlene frowned. “You're bossing me around again, and I don't like it!”

“I wouldn't boss you at all if you did what you're supposed to do.” Ella grabbed her paint bucket and a brush and then scurried up the ladder. Truthfully, she didn't like the idea of painting the barn any more than Charlene, but it needed to be done. Complaining wouldn't help. If Papa hadn't died, he'd have had the barn painted already. Just a few days before his death, he'd told Ella that he wanted to get the painting done before winter set in.

Ella swallowed around the lump that seemed to be clogging her throat a good deal of the time these days and forced herself to concentrate on what she was doing. With each stroke of the brush, she reminded herself that she was doing this for Papa.

Ella had just started painting around the opening of the loft when she heard the familiar rumble of buggy wheels. She looked down and saw Jake climb out of his buggy. He tied his horse to the hitching rail, walked toward the barn, and looked up at her. “What are you doing up there?” he hollered.

“What's it look like?” she called in return.

“Looks like you're tryin' to paint the barn.”

“I'm not trying; I
am
painting the barn.”

“You should have asked for help.”

“Charlene's helping me.”

Jake looked around. “She's not here now.”

“She probably went to the house for a few minutes.”

“If you'll come down off that ladder, I'll take your place.”

Ella stiffened. Jake had no right to tell her what to do. She clamped her teeth tightly together and kept painting.

“If you won't come down, then I guess I'll do some painting down here, 'cause it looks to me like Charlene didn't finish what she started.”

Ella clenched the paintbrush so tightly that her fingers turned numb. Did Jake really want to help, or was he just trying to irritate her? She slapped another blob of paint on the barn and didn't look down.

“You've got a lot on your shoulders these days,” Jake called. “I know it can't be easy, and you shouldn't be expected to do everything alone.”

Ella ignored him and kept painting until Charlene showed up and hollered, “Mama's up from her nap, and she set some doughnuts and hot coffee on the table. Why don't you take a break and come inside for a while?”

“In a minute. I want to finish what I started up here before I take a break.”

“Does that invitation for doughnuts and coffee include me?” Jake asked.

“Jah, sure,” Charlene said sweetly. “You're more than welcome to join us, and I appreciate you taking over my job of painting.”

Ella almost gagged. Why was Charlene being so nice to Jake? Didn't she realize he couldn't be trusted? More than likely, he'd come over here to make himself look good in his folks' eyes. He probably thought his dad would be nicer to him if he knew Jake had come here to help. Well, if Jake was going in the house, then Ella was going there, too. She couldn't take the chance that he'd say or do something to upset Mama—or that he'd flirt with Charlene. It seemed as if Jake liked to flirt with every young woman he knew—everyone but Ella. Well, that was fine with her! If Jake ever tried to flirt with her, she'd be quick to put him in his place.

When Ella finished painting around the opening of the loft, she shifted her paintbrush to the other hand and slowly descended the ladder. She'd only gone down a few rungs when her foot slipped. She lost her grip on the bucket, and it fell. When she tried to catch hold of it, the ladder wobbled. Ella shouted for Charlene to hold it steady, but it was too late—Ella and the ladder tumbled to the ground.