Growing Up in Lancaster County (42 page)

Rachel stood and smoothed the wrinkles from her dress. Then she raced out of her room and down the stairs.

Rachel’s stomach rumbled when she stepped into the kitchen and smelled bacon frying. “Mmm…I’m
hungerich
[hungry],” she said, rubbing her stomach. “How soon until breakfast is ready?”

“As soon as you go to the chicken coop and get more eggs.” Mom motioned to the carton of eggs on the counter. “I only have four. That’s not enough eggs for the six people living in this house.”

“What about Jacob?” Rachel asked. “Can’t he go to the chicken coop and check for eggs?’

Mom shook her head. “Jacob’s helping Henry and Pap milk the cows and do outdoor chores.”

Rachel frowned. She guessed she had no other choice than to do as Mom asked. She grabbed her jacket from the wall peg near the door and headed outside.

When she stepped onto the porch, a blustery breeze whipped through the trees and under the porch eaves. She shivered.
“Brr…”
Autumn had crept in while summer faded away. Soon winter would be here, and then she’d really be cold.

Rachel hurried to the chicken coop, opened the door, and stepped inside.

Crack! Crack! Crunch! Crunch!

Rachel looked down. Six eggs were lined up just inside the door, and she’d stepped on four of them! She clenched her fists until her fingers ached. “Jacob Yoder, you’ll be sorry for this!”

She grabbed the two eggs that hadn’t been broken and checked each of the hens’ nests. No more eggs. With a groan, she scurried out the door and raced back to the house.

Mom smiled when Rachel entered the kitchen. “Did you get some eggs?”

Rachel held out the two eggs. “Just these. The others were broken.”

Mom frowned. “How’d they get broken?”

Rachel’s face heated. “I—uh—stepped on them.” She debated about telling Mom that she thought Jacob had put the eggs there on purpose, but decided against it. Mom might accuse her of being a tattletale. Or she might think Rachel had made up the story just to get Jacob in trouble.

“Well,” Mom said with a sigh, “I guess we’ll have to make do with the eggs we have this morning. We’ll just have one apiece instead of two.”

Rachel sighed in relief. At least Mom hadn’t yelled at her for stepping on the eggs.

“Wash your hands and set the table, Rachel,” Mom said, motioning to the silverware drawer.

Rachel glanced at the clock and hurried to do as she was told.

She’d just finished setting the table when Pap, Henry, Jacob, and Grandpa entered the kitchen.

“Mmm…bacon and eggs.” Grandpa smacked his lips. “I could smell ‘em as soon as I stepped out of my room.”

“There’s only one egg for each of us,” Mom said, “but I’ve made plenty of bacon and toast, so I don’t think anyone will go hungry.”

Jacob gave Rachel a smug smile as he sat at the table, but then he quickly looked away.

Rachel ground her teeth together.
I just know he put those eggs by the chicken coop door!
she fumed. She remembered him saying last night that he would get even with her.

Rachel ate her toast and drank her juice, but nothing tasted right. She decided she’d get even with Jacob for getting even with her.

After breakfast, Jacob, Henry, and Pap went outside to do more chores, and Grandpa headed to his greenhouse.

“I need to feed the boppli now,” Mom said, looking at Rachel and pushing her chair away from the table. “It may take me awhile, and I don’t want you and Jacob to be late for school, so I’d like you to make yours and Jacob’s lunches.” Without waiting for Rachel to reply, Mom hurried from the room.

Rachel stomped to the refrigerator. She didn’t mind making her own lunch, but she didn’t see why she had to make Jacob’s lunch, too. It wasn’t fair! After what he’d done in the chicken coop, he should make her lunch this morning!

Rachel grabbed the handle of the refrigerator and yanked the door open. As she reached inside, she spotted a jar of peanut butter. Her hand stopped in midair when she spied a jar of brown mustard.
Hmm…I wonder
…

Rachel snatched the jar of mustard along with the jar of peanut butter and some of Mom’s homemade strawberry jelly; then she shut the refrigerator door. She tromped back across the room and grabbed a loaf of bread from the pantry. Quickly, she made two sandwiches—one with peanut butter and jelly. But for the other sandwich, she mixed a hefty serving of brown mustard in the peanut butter. She put the normal peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her lunch pail and the other in Jacob’s lunch pail.

“That should teach my bruder a good lesson,” Rachel muttered. “He deserves it after making me step on those eggs!”

As Rachel walked along the path toward school, she glanced at Jacob and thought about the sandwich she’d made for his lunch. He’d sure be surprised when he bit into it at noon and discovered it was full of brown mustard with the peanut butter!

Swallowing back the feelings of guilt creeping into her heart, Rachel tried to concentrate on something else. She looked at the sun, which was trying to peek between the gray clouds. A flock of geese glided through the sky, and the trees lining the road swayed in the breeze. If Rachel didn’t have so many troubling thoughts on her mind, she might have enjoyed this walk to school. Maybe she’d made a mistake in making Jacob that mustard sandwich.

When they entered the school yard, several children were playing in a pile of leaves. Rachel was tempted to join them, but the crisp autumn air made her shiver, so she hurried inside.

All morning Rachel had a hard time concentrating on her studies. She kept thinking about the sandwich waiting for Jacob in his lunch pail.

Maybe I could sneak it out of there before it’s time for lunch
, Rachel thought.
But then when Jacob goes to eat his lunch, he’ll wonder why he has no sandwich
.

Rachel nibbled the tip of her fingernail as she continued to mull things over. By the time Teacher Elizabeth dismissed the class to get their lunches, Rachel had bitten almost every one of her nails.

I need to quit worrying about this, she finally decided. Jacob deserves that mustard sandwich. Jah, he surely does!

“Say, Rachel, what happened to all of your fingernails? They look really short,” Orlie said as he opened his lunch pail and sat on the back porch.

“They’re in her stomach,” Jacob said before Rachel could reply. “She’s supposed to quit that bad habit of chewing on her nails, but she’s still a little boppli, so she probably won’t.”

Rachel’s face heated. “You’re a mean bruder, Jacob,” she mumbled. He really did deserve that mustard sandwich!

Jacob snickered and plopped down beside Orlie. “I’m not mean, but I’m sure hungerich!”

He opened his lunch pail and removed his sandwich. Then he unwrapped it and took a big bite. His eyes widened, his lips puckered, and he coughed as he spit the piece of sandwich out onto the porch. “Ugh! What’s wrong with my peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”

Rachel clamped her lips shut and looked away.

Jacob took a drink of milk from his thermos. Then he pushed Rachel’s arm. “You made my sandwich with mustard, didn’t you?”

She nodded slowly and turned to face him. “I did it to get even with you for setting those eggs in front of the chicken coop door so I’d step on them.”

Jacob scowled. “What you did to me was ten times worse than what I did to you! You should have tasted that sandwich, Rachel. It was
baremlich
[terrible]!” He nudged Rachel’s arm again. “Mom’s not gonna like it when I tell her what you did.”

Rachel glared at him. “You do and I’ll tell her about the eggs.”

Ping! Ping! Ping!
Rain started splattering on the roof and blew under the eaves of the porch. All the scholars who’d been sitting there grabbed their lunch pails and ran into the schoolhouse.

Rachel hopped up, but Jacob just sat there, staring at his sandwich.

“Aren’t you coming inside?” Rachel asked.

He glared up at her. “Give me your sandwich!”

“What?”

“I said, ‘Give me your sandwich!’”

She shook her head. “Why should I?”

“Because you ruined mine!”

“You ruined all the eggs we should have had for breakfast.”

“Did not.” Jacob tossed the rest of his sandwich into his lunch pail. “You ruined the eggs when you stepped on them.”

“I wouldn’t have stepped on them if you hadn’t put them on the floor by the door.”

Jacob folded his arms and glared at her.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to stay out here and get wet.” Rachel hurried into the schoolhouse and shut the door.

As Jacob and Rachel walked home from school that afternoon, Rachel walked slower than she normally would have. The rain had stopped, but mud puddles filled the path by the road. She tried to dodge them, but one was so big she stepped right in, soaking her sneakers and splattering the hem of her dress. Her wet shoes made a squeaking sound as she continued to walk, and when she came to the next puddle, she jumped right over it.

Rachel usually liked coming home from school, but not today. Besides the extra chores she knew would be waiting, she was afraid Jacob would tell Mom about the mustard she’d put on his sandwich. Then she’d be in big trouble with Mom. Well, if he did tell, then she’d tell on him, too!

As Rachel turned into their driveway, Jacob ran past her and made a beeline for the house. Rachel ran as fast as she could, but Jacob leaped onto the porch ahead of her. Rachel’s face was hot, and she was out of breath when she entered the house.

“Please don’t tell Mom about the sandwich,” she whispered, tapping Jacob on the shoulder.

“What was that?”

“I said, ‘Please don’t tell Mom about the sandwich,’” she said a little louder.

“Huh?”

She poked his arm. “You should get your hearing tested!”

“You don’t have to yell. I’m standing right beside you, little bensel.”

“Don’t call me that!”

Jacob snickered.

When they entered the kitchen, Rachel saw a note on the table from Mom. Mom had gone to Esther’s to see how she was doing.

Rachel plopped down on the floor and removed her wet sneakers. After being out in the chilly, damp weather, Rachel thought the kitchen felt warm and cozy. The longer she sat there waiting for Mom to get home, the more nervous she became.

I sure wish I hadn’t made that mustard sandwich. I sure hope Jacob keeps quiet about it
, she thought.

When Mom stepped into the kitchen a short time later, Jacob rushed to her and said, “You know that sandwich Rachel made for me this morning?”

Mom nodded. “What about the sandwich?”

“She put brown mustard on it!” Jacob wrinkled his nose and made a horrible face. “It tasted baremlich, Mom!”

Mom turned to Rachel and frowned. “What in all the world possessed you to do something so mean?”

“I—I did it to get even with Jacob for putting eggs on the floor of the chicken coop this morning so I’d step on them,” Rachel said.

Mom peered at Jacob over the top of her glasses. “Is that true, son?”

He nodded and hung his head.

“You two should be ashamed of yourselves. Don’t you remember what the Bible says about doing unto others as you would like them to do to you? We’re supposed to love everyone, even our enemies. We’re not supposed to do mean things or try to get even with anyone.” Mom pointed to Jacob. “For the next week it will be your job to clean the chicken coop and gather eggs every day.” She pointed to Rachel. “It will be your job to make Jacob’s lunch every day, and you have to fix him something he likes.”

Jacob grunted. Rachel gasped. So this was what she got for trying to get even!

I
shouldn’t have to do this,” Rachel complained to Jacob as she began making his lunch the following morning.

“Then you shouldn’t have fixed that mustard sandwich for me yesterday.” Jacob peered over Rachel’s shoulder. “You’d better put all the things I like in my lunch pail today. Mom said you have to.”

“Stop hovering!” Rachel shooed him away with her hand. “And for your information, Mom didn’t say I had to fix
everything
that you like. She said I have to fix
something
you like.”

Jacob put his fingers around his throat and made a gagging sound. “Well, I don’t like mustard sandwiches, so you’d better not make that again!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Rachel frowned at him. “And you’d better not put eggs on the chicken coop floor ever again!”

He grunted. “Why would I, when I’m the one going to the chicken coop to fetch eggs every morning? I wouldn’t want to step on any of those eggs; that’s for sure.”

Rachel slathered a bunch of tuna on Jacob’s sandwich and held her nose. Tuna was one of his favorite sandwiches, but she didn’t like the strong smell. It wasn’t something she cared to eat either.

“What are you putting in my lunch for dessert?” Jacob asked, leaning on the counter with both arms.

“I thought I’d put in an orange.”

Jacob wrinkled his nose. “I don’t want an orange. I want something else.”

“How about an apple or a banana?” Rachel asked.