Growing Up in Lancaster County (33 page)

Mom put her finger to her lips and looked at Rachel over the top of her glasses. “Shh…It’s time for prayer.”

Rachel bowed her head with the others.
Dear God, she silently prayed, thank You for this food. Thank You for bringing Mary here to visit. Help Audra and Orlie to hear my message and come to play. Help us to have lots of fun today. Amen
.

Rachel finished her prayer and opened her eyes. She was relieved to see that everyone else’s eyes were open, too. Sometimes she prayed too fast and opened her eyes before the rest of the family did. Then she had to close them again and think of something else to pray about.

“Here you go.” Mom handed Rachel a bowl of pickled beets.

Rachel forked several beets onto her plate and drew in a deep breath. “Yum.” She loved the smell of pickled beets. She loved the way they tasted, too.

“As I was about to say before we had prayer…I went out to the phone shed before I came inside, and—”

“Say, Mary, I’ve been wondering about something,” Jacob cut in.

“What’s that?” Mary asked as she reached for a piece of ham.

“Do they have lightning bugs in Indiana?”

“The correct word is
fireflies
,” Henry said before Mary could answer Jacob’s question.

“Fireflies…lightning bugs—they’re both the same.” Jacob turned to Mary and grinned. “Do they have any
lightning bugs
in Indiana?”

Mary nodded. “Some things are the same in Indiana as they are here, but some things are different.”

“Like what?” Henry wanted to know.

“For one thing, Indiana doesn’t have a lot of hills like Pennsylvania does.”

Rachel nudged Mary’s arm. “As I was saying before…”

Jacob pushed the salad bowl toward Mary. “What about stinkbugs? Do they have stinkbugs in Indiana?”

She nodded and crinkled her nose. “I don’t like stinkbugs at all! They smell really bad—especially if they get squished!”

Grandpa chuckled. “I remember once when I was a boy, my brother Sam put a stinkbug in my bed.” He slowly shook his head. “I rolled over on it, of course. Boy, did that critter ever smell up my bed. Phew!”

Everyone at the table laughed. Everyone but Rachel. She ground her teeth and clutched her fork so tightly that her fingers began to ache. She wished everyone would quit interrupting her and let her speak what was on her mind!

“One time, when I was a young girl, some boys at school put stinkbugs on the teacher’s seat when she wasn’t looking.” Mom’s nose twitched as she pushed her glasses back in place. “When the teacher sat down, the whole room smelled so horrible that we all had to hold our breath!”

“I think most everyone has a stinkbug story to tell,” Pap said with a grin.

Rachel cleared her throat loudly. “Changing the subject…Before I came in for lunch, I went out to the phone shed and called—”

Jacob bumped Rachel’s foot under the table. “Remember the time we were having a picnic at the pond and a stinkbug landed on your piece of chicken?” He snorted. “I saved the day by squashing that stinky critter before you could eat it.”

“I wasn’t gonna eat the stinkbug!” Rachel frowned at Jacob. “And I wish you’d stop talking so I can say something!”

Mom shook her finger at Rachel. “How many times must I tell you not to use your outside voice when you’re in the house?”

“Sorry, Mom,” Rachel mumbled, “but I’ve been trying to say something ever since we sat down at the table. Every time I start to say it, someone cuts me off.”

Mom patted Rachel’s arm. “Just calm down, and say what’s on your mind.”

“I left messages for Audra and Orlie on their folks’ answering machines. I invited them to come play this afternoon.” Rachel turned to Mary and said, “I can’t wait for you to meet Audra, and I know Orlie would like to see you again.”

Mary nodded. “I’d like to see them, too.”

Waaa! Waaa!

“It sounds like the boppli’s awake,” Mom said. “I’d better get her before she becomes too worked up.”

“Would you like me to get Hannah for you, Aunt Miriam?” Mary asked eagerly. “I’d like to hold her again.”

Mom smiled. “I appreciate the offer, but Hannah probably needs her windel changed. I’ll also need to feed her.”

Mary frowned as she stared at her plate. “Oh, all right.”

“You can hold the boppli after lunch. By then she’ll have been diapered and fed, so you won’t have to worry about a thing,” Mom said, rising from her chair.

A huge smile spread across Mary’s face. “Okay!”

Rachel frowned. Once Mary got her hands on Hannah, she probably wouldn’t want to play at all. She’d probably want to spend the rest of the day fussing over the baby.

After the lunch dishes were done, Mary asked Mom if she could hold Hannah.

“Of course you can.” Mom smiled. “If you’d like to go into the living room and sit in the rocking chair, I’ll get Hannah from her crib and bring her in to you.”

Mary gave a quick nod.

“I thought we were going outside to play,” Rachel called as Mary started for the living room.

“We can play later, when Hannah’s taking her afternoon nap.” Mary scurried out of the kitchen.

Rachel groaned and slouched in her chair.

“Now don’t look so gloomy,” Mom said. “You and Mary can take turns holding the boppli.”

“I don’t want to hold the boppli. I want to go outside and play!”

Mom squinted at Rachel. “Mary’s your guest. You should be willing to do what she wants while she’s here, don’t you think?”

Rachel turned the palms of her hands upward. “Guess I may as well since there’s no sign of Orlie or Audra.”

“Maybe they didn’t get your message. They could be gone for the day, you know.” Mom patted Rachel’s arm. “I’m going to get Hannah. Are you coming?”

“Jah, okay,” Rachel mumbled.

When Mom had given Hannah to Mary, she left to get some canning jars out of the basement.

Rachel sat on the sofa and picked at some lint on the throw pillow beside her. Sitting in the stuffy living room was just plain boring! Watching Mary fuss over the baby was enough to make her feel sick.

“It’s sure hot in here. Aren’t you hot, Mary?” Rachel questioned.

Mary shook her head. “I feel just fine.”

“Sitting here is boring. Aren’t you bored?”

Mary stroked the top of Hannah’s head. “Who could be bored when they’re holding such a bundle of sweetness?”

Rachel tapped her foot against the hardwood floor.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
She wished Orlie and Audra were here. She wished Mary wasn’t so interested in holding the baby.

“It would sure be nice if I had a baby sister.” Mary leaned over and kissed Hannah’s cheek. “She’s so soft and cuddly.”

“My bussli is soft and cuddly, too,” Rachel said.

“That may be true, but a kitten’s not nearly as soft and cuddly as a human baby.”

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Rachel jumped up. “Someone’s knocking on the back door. I’ll be right back!” She raced out of the room. When she opened the back door, she was pleased to see Orlie.

“I got your message,” he said with a crooked grin. “So I came to play.” He looked past Rachel into the kitchen. “Where’s your cousin?”

Rachel motioned to the living room door. “Mary’s in there, holding my baby sister.”

“Is she comin’ out to play?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll ask.” Rachel raced back to the living room and screeched to a stop in front of Mary’s chair. “Orlie’s here! He came over to play and wants us to come outside.”

“You go ahead,” said Mary. “I’m busy holding Hannah.”

“Just take the boppli to Mom and Pap’s room and put her back in the crib. She’ll be fine.”

Mary shook her head. “I don’t want to go outside right now. I want to stay in here and hold the boppli.”

Rachel frowned. “You’ve held her long enough. Let’s go outside and play.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Fine then, suit yourself! I’m going outside where it’s cooler!” Rachel stomped across the room and raced out the back door, banging it behind her. She found Orlie sitting on the porch step, holding Snowball.

Rachel flopped down beside him. “Where’d you find my kitten?”

“She wandered into the yard with Cuddles.” Orlie stroked the kitten’s head. “Cuddles took off for the barn, but Snowball ran onto the porch and leaped into my arms.”

Rachel grunted. “She wouldn’t come when I called her earlier. She and Cuddles ran up a tree out by the creek.”

Orlie looked at Rachel and squinted his eyes. “Is something wrong? You seem kind of cranky.”

“I’m not cranky. I’m just—Oh, never mind.” Rachel jumped up. “Are we going to play or not?”

“Just the two of us?”

Rachel nodded. “Jacob’s in the fields helping Pap and Henry, so he can’t play at all today. I invited Audra over, but she must not have gotten my message yet.”

“What about Mary? Isn’t she coming out to play?”

Rachel shook her head. “She’s still holding Hannah and doesn’t want to play!”

“I guess it’s just the two of us then.” Orlie placed the kitten on the ground and ran into the yard. He sat on the grass and moved his arms in a rowing motion.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rachel asked. She had seen Orlie do some pretty odd things, but this seemed weirder than usual.

“I’m pretending that I’m rowing a boat. Come on, Rachel. Sit down and pretend you’re rowing a boat, too.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Aw, come on, Rachel. It’s much cooler down here, and if you pretend really hard, you’ll think you’re sailing across the water in a real boat.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “You’re so weird, Orlie.”

“Am not. I’m just good at imagining and wishing for things.”

“You wish you were in a boat?”

“Jah, I sure do.”

“Well, I wish Mary would come outside. And I wish the three of us were jumping on the trampoline,” Rachel muttered.

Orlie stopped rowing. “Does your cousin think she’s too good to play with me? Is that why she’s staying in the house?”

Rachel shook her head. “I don’t think Mary thinks she’s too good to play with you. She just wants to—”

“Maybe Mary’s turned into a snob since she moved away.”

“My cousin’s not a snob!” Rachel’s face heated up. “I think you’re jumping to conclusions!”

“People change,” Orlie said. “Maybe living in Indiana has changed Mary.”

Rachel shook her head so hard that the ribbons on her kapp flipped around her face. “That’s
lecherich
[ridiculous]! Mary’s the same girl she was when she lived here in Pennsylvania!”

Even as the words slipped off Rachel’s tongue, she wondered if they were true. Ever since Mary had arrived, she’d been acting differently than she had before she moved.

Rachel flopped onto the grass. What if Mary really
had
changed? What if they weren’t close friends anymore? Maybe things would never be the same between her and Mary. Maybe all the fun Rachel had thought she and Mary would have had just been wishful thinking.

M
ary had been at Rachel’s house for three whole days before Audra finally showed up after breakfast one morning.

“My family and I went to Illinois for my cousin’s wedding,” Audra told Rachel. “We got back last night, and when my daed checked the messages in the phone shed, he said one was from you.”

Rachel nodded. “I wanted you to meet my cousin Mary. She got here three days ago.”

Audra smiled. “I would like to meet her. Where is she?”

“In the kitchen, writing a letter to her mamm.” Rachel opened the door wider. “Come in, and I’ll introduce you.”

Audra glanced at the barn. “Brian came with me. He saw Jacob when we got here, and they went out to the barn.”

“That’s good. Maybe they won’t bother us girls while we play.”

When they entered the kitchen, Rachel motioned to Mary, who sat at the table, writing a letter.

“This is my cousin Mary,” Rachel said to Audra.

Mary looked up and smiled.

“And this is my friend Audra Burkholder.” Rachel patted Audra’s back.

“It’s nice to meet you, Audra,” Mary said. “Rachel’s told me a lot about you in her letters.”

Audra smiled shyly. “She told me about you, too.”

“Audra came over to play,” Rachel said. “You’re gonna join us, aren’t you?”

Mary nodded. “I just finished my letter, so as soon as I put it in the mailbox, I’ll be ready to play.”

“The mailman’s already come by our place,” Rachel said. “So you may as well wait until tomorrow morning to put the letter in the box.”

“Okay. Let’s go outside then,” Mary said.

Rachel smiled. At least her cousin was willing to play today. Of course, that could be because Mom had taken Hannah to the doctor for a checkup, and they weren’t back yet. Rachel figured if Hannah were here, Mary would probably be holding her right now and wouldn’t want to play at all.

“What should we do first?” Audra asked as the girls headed outside.

“We could play in the barn,” Mary suggested.

Rachel shook her head. “I’d rather not. Jacob’s there with Brian. Knowing my teasing bruder, he’d probably find something mean to do if we went out there.”

“My bruder would, too,” Audra said. “I think he looks for ways to tease me.”