Green Fever (12 page)

Mattie had found out from Mark later in the day that after he and Stella had gotten back from her house, they’d gone looking for peepers but ended up watching a muskrat instead. Mattie didn’t let on to Mark that she’d been looking out her bedroom window and seen him and her best friend head toward the field. She’d been able to watch them from a distance when they’d climbed onto the fence railing and sat there for the longest time. Mattie knew they were watching something, and she’d become even more envious that Stella had fun with Mark and apparently didn’t want to be with her that day.

Mom nudged Mattie’s arm and whispered, “Stop
rutschich.”

Mattie sat up straight so Mom would know she was trying not to squirm. Even little Ada wasn’t fidgeting, but that was because she’d fallen asleep and looked quite comfortable on Mom’s lap.

When church finally ended, Mattie hurried out the door of Deacon Hostetler’s buggy shed, where their service had been held. She spotted Stella talking with her cousin John, so she quickly stepped up to them and said, “Stella, can I speak to you for a few minutes?”

Stella smiled. “Sure, Mattie. What did you want to talk to me about?”

Mattie didn’t want to say anything in front of John, so she whispered in Stella’s ear, “Can we go somewhere private to talk?”

“How about over there?” Stella motioned to the fence surrounding the field, where several horses milled about.

Mattie thought that would be a good place to talk since there were no people over there right now. “Sure, that’ll be fine,” she said with a nod.

“I’ll see ya later,” Stella hollered to John as he ran over and met up with Mark.

Stella led the way to the fence, and Mattie followed. “What’d you want to talk to me about?” Stella asked again.

Mattie moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. She felt suddenly nervous about asking Stella the question that had been on her mind since yesterday.

“What is it, Mattie? You’re wiggling around. Are you
naerfich?”

Mattie nodded slowly. “I am kinda nervous.”

“About what?”

“About us.”

Stella tipped her head and looked at Mattie curiously. “I don’t understand. Why would you be naerfich about us?”

“It’s about our friendship,” Mattie blurted out. “Do you like Mark more than me?”

Stella’s eyes widened as she shook her head. “Course not. Why would you think that?”

Mattie explained how she felt when she’d seen Stella and Mark together on Saturday. “Seeing how interested you were in those felse Mark collected made me think you’d rather be with him more than me.”

Stella opened her mouth like she was about to respond, but Mattie rushed on. “Last night Mark told me that you two had gone to the field behind our house to look for peepers but saw a muskrat instead.” Mattie didn’t let on to Stella that she’d been watching them with envy out her bedroom window.

“We did go there.” Stella patted Mattie’s arm the way Mom often did whenever she was trying to make Mattie feel better about something. “I was interested in Mark’s felse and in showing him mine,” she admitted. “It was fun to ride my bike with him, too, and I even enjoyed walking down to the field. I really thought we’d only be there a few minutes to see some peepers, but we ended up watching that muskrat collecting grass for its nest. Before we knew it, a lot of time had passed, and then I realized I needed to get home. Mattie, I really feel bad about not spending time with you yesterday, but we didn’t see you when we got back from my place, so I figured you were busy,” Stella went on to explain. “You know you’ll always be my best friend, and I hope nothing ever changes that.”

Mattie breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much better about things now. “That’s good news, and I’m so glad to hear you say it. You know, if I had a bicycle of my own, we could go riding together.”

Stella smiled. “That’s a good idea. Let’s plan to go riding one day after school or maybe some Saturday.”

Mattie shook her head. “Didn’t you hear what I said? If I had a bike of my own, we could go riding.”

“Maybe you could borrow Mark’s bike,” Stella suggested.

“I doubt that he’d let me.” Mattie pursed her lips. “I still wish I had a bike of my own, but that will probably never happen unless I find an old one, the way Mark did.”

“We don’t have to ride bikes to have fun together,” Stella said. “There are lots of other things we can do. If Mark won’t let you ride his bike, maybe you and I could ride your bicycle-built-for-two. That would be fun, don’t ya think?”

Mattie was about to comment when Mom called her to come eat lunch. Stella’s mother also waved her over to the tables that had been set up for the noon meal, which the people in their church district always shared after the service.

“Maybe you could come over to my house to play sometime soon,” Stella said as the girls walked back across the yard.

Mattie smiled and squeezed her friend’s hand. She was glad to know that she and Stella were still best friends.

On Monday during breakfast, Dad told the twins that when he’d checked the answering machine in the phone shack earlier this morning, there had been a message from Grandpa and Grandma Miller. “They are ready to have you both help them pick and clean dandelions now,” he said. “This will be a good opportunity for you to earn enough to buy that bell you’ve been wanting for your bicycle-built-for-two.”

“That’s good news, but I’d rather use the money we earn to buy a new light for my own bike,” Mark said.

Mom shook her head. “The money will be spent on a bell for the bike you and Mattie own together. You both agreed on that long before you found that other bike, Mark.”

Mark knew he had to do what Mom said, and he had promised Mattie they would buy a new bell for their bike. He guessed he’d have to wait a while longer to buy a light for his own bike. Maybe he could save some of the money he would earn at their roadside stand this summer to buy the light. Summer was only a couple months away, so maybe it wouldn’t be so long after all. In the meantime, if he went anywhere during the hours after dark, he’d have to ride their bicycle-built-for-two.

Russell interrupted Mark’s thoughts when he bumped Mark’s arm and said, “Would ya please pass me the strawberry jam?”

Mark did as he asked and was about to say something when Calvin spoke up. “Mark, would you mind handing me the butter? I forgot to put some on my toast.”

Mark heaved a sigh as he handed his brother the dish of butter. “I had something I was gonna say, and it was right on the tip of my tongue, but now I forgot what it was.”

“Open your mouth, Mark, and let me see what’s on the tip of your tongue,” Perry said, snickering.

Everyone laughed. Everyone but Mark, that is. “That’s not funny,” he said, frowning.

“What did you want to say, Mark?” Dad asked.

Mark scratched the side of his head. “Oh yeah, now I remember….Think I’m gonna ride my own bike to school today,” he announced.

“That would mean Mattie would have to either walk or ride your bicycle-built-for-two by herself,” Mom said.

Mattie reached for another piece of toast. “That wouldn’t be fair, Mark, and you know it. It’d be hard for me to ride our two-seater bike by myself.”

“I’ll tell you what, son,” Dad said. “You can ride your own bike after school and on Saturdays, but unless Mattie agrees to walk some of the time, you must ride with her on the bicycle you share as you travel to and from school.”

Mark knew better than to argue with Dad, so he nodded and said, “Guess I’ll take a ride on my bike as soon as Mattie and I get home from school this afternoon.”

“Look over there, to the right!” Mattie shouted as she and Mark rode their bicycle toward the schoolhouse. “See those wildflowers blooming in our neighbor’s field? Aren’t they
schee?”

Mark said nothing, just gave a quick nod, barely taking notice of the flowers Mattie thought were pretty. He had other things on his mind this morning.

Sure wish I could have ridden my own bike today
, Mark thought, glancing up ahead at his brothers, Calvin and Russell, as they rode their bikes to school. They were some distance away since they could ride faster than Mark and didn’t have an extra passenger on the back of their bikes. They also didn’t have to listen to their sister chatter away about pretty flowers and birds chirping in the budding trees along the way.

Remembering all that Grandpa and Dad had said about jealousy, Mark had been trying not to feel envious of his brothers, but jealous thoughts kept creeping in. He wondered what it would be like to ride to school without Mattie on the back of the bike talking his ear off about things he really wasn’t that interested in.

“Say, Mattie,” Mark called over his shoulder. “Would it be okay with you if I ride my own bike to school tomorrow? I’m sure Mom and Dad would be fine with it if you are.”

“But I’d have to walk if you rode your own bike ’cause I’m sure not gonna try to ride this bike alone,” Mattie replied.

“Walkin’ wouldn’t be so bad,” Mark said. “If you walked to school, you could get a better look at all the flowers along the way.”

Mattie didn’t reply, and Mark wondered if she was thinking things over or if her silence meant she was not going to budge.

When they reached the schoolhouse sometime later and had parked their bike, Mattie turned to Mark and said, “I’ll walk to school tomorrow, and you can ride your bike. But I’m not gonna walk every day—just tomorrow, okay?”

Mark gave a nod and squeezed Mattie’s arm. “Danki, Mattie, that’s good news!” He could hardly wait until tomorrow.
If I ride my bike really fast
, he thought, smiling to himself,
I’ll bet I can get to and from school faster than Calvin or Russell. That would show everyone that me being short doesn’t matter after all
.

“Here are your lunches,” Mom said the following day before Mark and Mattie left for school
.

“Danki.” Mattie smiled at Mom and took her lunch pail.

“Mattie said it was okay for me to ride my own bike today while she walks to school. So is it all right with you, Mom?” Mark asked.

“That’s fine for today,” Mom said, handing Mark his lunch pail. “But you won’t be able to ride it every day because it wouldn’t be fair to make Mattie walk when you get to ride.”

Mark grinned up at her. “Maybe I could ride my own bicycle to school once a week, and the rest of the time I’ll ride with Mattie on the bike we share.”

“We’ll see.” Mom gave the twins a hug. “Now hurry along or you’ll be late for school. Calvin and Russell are already well on their way.”

Happiness bubbled in Mark’s chest as he hurried out the door and climbed onto his bike. Since he didn’t have a bicycle basket yet, he wasn’t sure what to do with his lunch pail. He could hold onto the handle with one hand and steer the bike with the other, but that wouldn’t be safe. He could hang the handle of the lunch pail over the bike’s handlebars, but it might jostle off or bump his knee when he started pedaling real fast.

As Mattie started walking down the driveway toward the path that led to the schoolhouse, Mark called, “Hey, Mattie, would you do me a favor?”

She stopped walking and turned to face him. “What do you need?”

“Could you carry my lunch pail? There’s no place for it on my bike.”

Mattie’s forehead wrinkled. “You should have thought about that before you decided to ride by yourself.”

“I forgot that I don’t have a basket on my bike, and I’m gonna have to get one as soon as I save up some money. Please, Mattie,” Mark pleaded. “If you do me this favor, then I’ll do one for you.”

“What favor will you do for me?” she questioned.

“I’ll wash the supper dishes tonight. How ’bout that? Think it would be a fair trade?”

Mattie shook her head. “That won’t work because it’s your night to wash the dishes anyhow, and it’s my turn to dry.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Mark thumped his head. “How about if I wash and dry the supper dishes? That way you’ll be free to play awhile before it’s time to get ready for bed.”

“That’d be nice.” Mattie walked back to where Mark sat on his bike and held out her hand. “I’ll carry your lunch pail to school today, but you’d better not forget your promise to wash and dry the dishes.”