Growing Up in Lancaster County (19 page)

“Des kann ich finne
[I can find it],” Rachel said.

“Are you sure? Do you need me to help look for it?”

“Just stay where you are! I don’t need your help!”

Grandpa turned and looked sternly at Rachel. “You don’t have to be so snappish. Jacob was only offering to help.”

“Sorry,” Rachel mumbled as she choked back tears. It didn’t seem fair that Grandpa was taking Jacob’s side. Nothing about today seemed fair!

Rachel rummaged through a couple more cupboards and finally found the raisins next to a box of crackers. Someone must have put them there by mistake.

She plunked the box of raisins in front of Jacob. “Here you go!”

“Don’t need ‘em now.” Jacob pointed to his empty bowl. “I finished my oatmeal.”

Rachel clamped her teeth together. She knew if she told Jacob what she thought she’d get a lecture from Grandpa. She put the box of raisins back in the cupboard. Then she sat at the table and forced herself to eat a piece of toast.

When everyone had finished their breakfast and the men had gone outside, Rachel cleared the table and washed the dishes. She’d just dried the last dish when Grandpa stepped into the kitchen wearing a huge smile.

“Your daed called,” he said.

“What’d he say? Has Mom had the boppli?”

He nodded. “They won’t come home from the hospital until tomorrow, so we’ll go over there today and meet your little sister.”

Rachel dropped the dish towel. “A baby girl?”

“Jah. I guess we’ll find out what they’ve named her when we get to the hospital.”

Rachel drew in a deep breath. She hadn’t even thought about the baby needing a name. She wondered what name Mom and Pap would call her little sister. She wondered what the baby looked like. She wondered what it would be like having a baby in the house.

Rachel stared at the scenery as she sat in the back of Harold Johnson’s van. She and Grandpa were on their way to the hospital. Jacob and Henry had stayed home because they had so much work to do. Esther and Rudy had gone to the farmers’ market in Ephrata, so they didn’t even know the baby had arrived. They were supposed to be back in time to join Rachel’s family for her birthday supper and didn’t know it had been canceled.

Zip! Zip! Zip!
Rachel placed her hand on her stomach. She felt like a zillion butterflies were zipping around in there. She was anxious to meet her baby sister, but she was also nervous. She hadn’t felt this anxious since the day she’d gone to the eye doctor and found out she had to wear glasses.

“We’re here,” Harold announced. “Do you know how long you’ll be?” he asked Grandpa.

“No more than an hour, I’m sure,” Grandpa replied. “We don’t want to tire my daughter and her wee one.”

“That should work out fine,” Harold said. “I have a few errands to run, but I’ll be back in plenty of time to pick you up.”

“Thank you.” Grandpa opened the door for Rachel, and she stepped out of the van.

“Are you as excited as I am?” he asked as they entered the hospital.

“Jah.” Her voice squeaked, and she swallowed a couple of times. She was really more nervous than excited.

“Your daed said your mamm’s room is number 322, so we’ll have to ride the elevator to the third floor.”

When they stepped into the elevator, the butterflies in Rachel’s stomach started zipping around again. What if she didn’t like the baby? What if Mom and Pap liked the baby more than they liked her? Rachel had been the baby in their family for eleven years. Now she was not the youngest child anymore.

As they headed toward Mom’s room, Rachel’s heart hammered.

“Here we are,” Grandpa said. “Room 322!” He pushed the door open, but Rachel hesitated. “Go on in,” he said. “I’m right behind you.”

Rachel entered the room and saw Mom lying in a bed. She held a baby in her arms. Pap sat beside the bed wearing a huge smile.

“Wie geht’s?” Grandpa asked Mom.

“I’m a little tired, but doing fine.”

Rachel stood to one side, unsure of what to say or do.

Mom smiled and motioned to Rachel.
“Kumme
[Come]. Kumme see your little schweschder.”

Rachel moved to the bed and peered at the baby in Mom’s arms. She had blond hair, the same color as Rachel’s, and her little nose was turned up, the same as Jacob’s.

“What do you think of our little Hannah?” Pap asked. “Isn’t she a
schee
[pretty] boppli?”

Rachel nodded. She had to admit, Hannah was kind of pretty. “Why did you name her Hannah?” she asked.

“Because it was my mamm’s name,” Mom said. She looked at Grandpa and smiled. “We thought you might like having a granddaughter with the same name as Mama.”

“Hannah’s a very nice name; I’m glad you chose it.” Tears welled in Grandpa’s eyes. “Daughter, you do have a very schee boppli,” he said, taking Mom’s hand. “I only wish your mamm was here to meet her namesake.”

Mom nodded and reached under her glasses to wipe away her own tears. “I wish that, too, but I’m grateful Mama’s in heaven. I’m also happy you’ll get to know our little Hannah.” She smiled at Rachel again. “Where’s Henry and Jacob? I want them to meet their baby sister, too.”

“They’re still working,” Grandpa said. “They said to tell you that they’re excited about the boppli and will see her when you bring her home tomorrow.”

Mom nodded. “There’s a lot of work to be done on the farm, and with Levi here at the hospital, it’s good that our boys are such hard workers.”

Pap nodded. “I called Rudy and Esther and left a message after the boppli was born, so I expect they’ll be here soon.”

Rachel shook her head. “They were planning to go to the farmers’ market in Ephrata today, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right.” Pap stroked the baby’s head. “I guess they’ll have to meet Hannah when we take her home tomorrow.”

Mom motioned to the empty chair on the other side of her bed. “Rachel, would you like to sit down and hold your baby sister?”

Rachel swallowed hard. “I–I’m not sure I should.”

“Why not?” asked Pap.

“She might cry or wet her
windel
[diaper].”

“She’s sound asleep, so I’m sure she won’t cry. And I just changed her before you got here, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that either,” Mom said.

“Oh, okay.” Rachel took a seat, and Pap placed the baby in her arms. Weren’t Mom and Pap going to say anything about Rachel’s birthday? Didn’t they care that she’d missed her birthday dinner because of Hannah being born?

Pap placed his hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “Since Hannah chose today to be born, the two of you will always share the same birthday,” he said.

Rachel was glad Pap hadn’t forgotten, but did he have to mention that she and Hannah would share the same birthday? And he still hadn’t said a word about them not going to supper tonight, or even mentioned whether he and Mom had bought Rachel a present.

“Did you hear what I said about you and Hannah sharing a birthday?” Pap asked, nudging Rachel’s arm.

Rachel nodded. She couldn’t tell Mom or Pap that she didn’t like the idea of sharing a birthday with Hannah.

As Mom took a nap and Pap and Grandpa talked about crops, Rachel thought about her birthday.

Wait!
She suddenly thought. Henry and Jacob stayed home.
Maybe they’re not working in the fields. Maybe they’re planning something special for my birthday!

Last year they had surprised her with a skateboard. Maybe they were making something for her. Or maybe Esther and Rudy had returned from the farmers’ market and were helping them make a special dinner at home. The more Rachel thought about it, the more sure she became that the rest of her family was preparing to surprise her.

Awhile later, Rachel eagerly climbed into Harold Johnson’s van. She barely noticed the other cars on the road or the scenery whizzing by. She was too busy wondering what her brothers might have planned.

“I’m glad to see you looking happier than you were earlier,” Grandpa said to her as they rode along. “I thought you would enjoy seeing the boppli.”

“Jah,” Rachel said absently.

Finally, Harold’s van pulled up to Rachel’s house. While Grandpa paid Harold, Rachel dashed into the house, expecting to smell Esther’s tasty dinner. “Hello! We’re home!” she called as she banged the door behind her.

Silence answered her call. No pleasant aromas of her favorite dinner greeted her. She looked around the empty house.

“Well, Rachel,” Grandpa said as he came through the door. “Your brothers will be in from the fields soon. They’ll be hungry and tired. I guess it’s up to you to find something for us all to eat.” Grandpa walked into his room and closed his door.

Rachel bit her lip as she walked into the kitchen. Tears stung her eyes as she realized that none of her birthday dreams were going to come true. She sighed and opened the refrigerator door to figure out what to make for dinner.
Looks like the boppli will bring even more trouble into my life!

T
he next morning, as Rachel had begun to wash the breakfast dishes, she saw Harold Johnson’s van pull into the yard. “Harold’s here,” she said to Pap, who was sitting at the table drinking a second cup of coffee.

Pap jumped up and looked out the window. “I hired him to take me to Lancaster this morning.”

“Does that mean you won’t work today?” Rachel asked.

“That’s right. I’m going to the hospital to see your mamm and sister. Henry and Jacob will work alone in the fields again today, but I’ll help them tomorrow.”

“Are Mom and the boppli coming home today?” Rachel asked.

“Jah, but probably not until later this afternoon.”

“Then why are you leaving so early?”

“Because Harold has a dental appointment and several errands to run in Lancaster. So he’s taking me to the hospital this morning. Hopefully, by the time he’s done with everything, your mamm and Hannah will be ready to come home.” Pap grabbed his straw hat from the wall peg near the door. “I’m heading out now, Rachel. Have a good day.”

“Can I go?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No. Someone needs to be here to fix lunch for Grandpa, Henry, and Jacob, and I’m afraid that has to be you.”

Rachel frowned. “Can’t they fix their own lunches?”

“I’m sure they could, but since Grandpa will be busy in his greenhouse all day and your brothers are working, it makes sense that you fix lunch for everyone.”

“But I wanted to help Grandpa today,” Rachel whined. “He said I could help him this summer, and I haven’t been there very much at all.”

“You can go to the greenhouse after doing the breakfast dishes. I also want you to make sure the house is clean before we get home. Your mamm will feel good to see a clean house when she returns.” Pap smiled and headed out the door.

Rachel dropped her sponge into the soapy water. Several bubbles floated up and hit the ceiling. “Work, work, work. All I ever do is work,” she grumbled. “I wish I could spend the day at the creek or helping Grandpa. Summer’s half over and I haven’t done anything fun. I didn’t even have fun on my birthday!”

Rachel sloshed the sponge against a dirty plate as she continued to grumble. “After I finish these dishes, I’ll clean the house quickly so I can go to the greenhouse. That will be a lot more fun than doing dishes or cleaning house!”

Rachel’s bare toes tingled as she raced through the grass toward Grandpa’s greenhouse that afternoon. She loved going barefoot during summer months. She especially liked dangling her feet in the cool creek, but she probably wouldn’t have time for that today. When she finished helping Grandpa, she’d have to start supper and then clean more dishes.

When Rachel entered the greenhouse, she found Grandpa sitting behind the counter. His eyes were closed, his head leaned against the wall, and his mouth hung slightly open. She figured he would soon start snoring. That wouldn’t be good if a customer showed up.

“Are you napping?” Rachel asked, touching Grandpa’s shoulder.

Grandpa’s eyes popped open. “Uh, no—I was just resting my eyes.”

Rachel snickered. “Mom says that sometimes when I find her on the sofa with her eyes closed.”

“Like father, like daughter.” Grandpa yawned and stretched his arms. “I am kind of tired this morning.”

“Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

He touched his left ear.
“Letscht nacht hab ich ohreweh ghat
[I had an earache last night].”

“I’m sorry to hear you had an earache. Does it feel better today?”

Grandpa nodded. “Jah, but my muscles ache from tossing and turning all night. Guess I’m just getting
alt
[old] and
schwach
[feeble].”

Rachel shook her head. “You’re not so old, Grandpa, and I don’t think you’re feeble, either. You get around pretty well.”

“Sure feels like I’m alt and schwach sometimes—especially when I have to deal with aches and pains.” Grandpa pushed back his chair and stood. “I think I’ll go to the house and take some aspirin. Would you keep an eye on things while I’m gone?”

“I can do that. Do you want me to do anything special while you’re gone?”

“Would you water the plants?”

Rachel smiled. “I’d be glad to.” Even though Rachel didn’t enjoy doing chores in the house, she didn’t mind working in the greenhouse at all.