Rebecca's Promise (33 page)

Knowing that protests were useless, Rebecca left with quick steps. She knew that the afternoon would be over before she wanted it to be.

T
he wind had picked up vigorously an hour earlier, and the wash was drying rapidly. Rebecca already had piles of diapers dumped out on the living room floor in front of Leona’s recliner. At least three more hampers full of wash were still on the line.

Verna, who was busy folding the wash, asked, “What is there for supper? Not soup again, I hope. We’ve just been having too much soup lately.”

Leona sighed, her face tightening up. “I’ll make something special tonight,” she announced. “What will it be? Who wants something special?”

“You really shouldn’t,” Rebecca protested. “It’s too soon for that. Tell you what…we’ll make it together. But I must do the hard work.”

“A good supper,” Leona proclaimed. “A good supper would taste so good. Stephen—poor man—would certainly appreciate it.”

“What will it be then?” Rebecca looked at the two girls.

“Oh, I wouldn’t let them pick,” Leona said. “They might want pancakes for supper.”

“Yes,” Verna agreed, exactly on that point. “Let’s have that.”

“See what I mean?” Leona groaned. “What have I been doing wrong?”

“Nothing,” Rebecca said firmly. “They’re just children.”

“Mother wasn’t serious,” Lois informed her sister, trying to help out. “I think a meat loaf would be the thing. Maybe a salad and canned corn, with a cake for dessert. I can stir up the cake.”

“That’s not bad.” Leona looked impressed with her daughter, her
mood lighter now. “I think that’s what we’ll do. It can be a frosted meat loaf. Lois can make a chocolate cake.”

“Let’s do it then,” Rebecca said quickly. “Supper will be ready before we know it.”

“I’ll keep working on the wash for now,” Leona said, a little more cheerful. “The girls can start helping you.”

“Let’s have Verna stay and help you,” Rebecca said. “Lois and I will be fine in the kitchen.”

“Works for me,” Leona sighed, getting up off her chair. “I really have to be moving around some, though.”

“I’ll help you,” Verna offered. “Then you can stay sitting.”

“I need to walk, dear,” Leona said. “My leg needs it. Let me take the boys’ folded laundry to their room.”

Verna bent over to reach for the clothing when Leona stopped her. “No, I need to bend over too. It’s good for me.”

“I’ll take this pile then,” Verna offered, going out of her way to be cooperative.

“I’ll be better soon,” Leona groaned to no one in particular. “Thanks for being a help, Verna,” she added.

“I think you’ll be better soon too,” Verna agreed.

At the sound of buggy wheels, Verna ran to the window. “It’s Fannie.”

Leona reached for her sweater and went outside to greet her sister-in-law.

“I hear you’re having a rough time of it,” Fannie said sympathetically, still seated in the buggy. “I heard you were to the doctor today. Will you have Rebecca much longer?”

Leona nodded. “Thankfully, yes.”

“How long till the blood clot clears up?”

“Don’t know.”

“Doctors give you any estimate?”

“You know what they always say. A few days…a week…we’ll have to see.”

“We’ll hope for the best then. Are you coming Sunday?”

“Don’t think so. Sitting that long probably wouldn’t be good.”

“We’ll catch up later then—I have to be going,” Fannie said, wrinkling her forehead. “Haven’t made supper yet.”

“Same here,” Leona said. “Rebecca and Lois are getting it started.”

“Let us know if you need more help.” Fannie shook the reins, alerting her horse that it was time to go.

“Thanks,” Leona said and stepped aside as the buggy took off. She watched as Fannie pulled out to the blacktop and turned right.

The late winter daylight was fading, the sun hanging low in the sky. Feeling a chill run though her, Leona pulled the sweater tighter around her shoulders, willing the darkness in her mind to go away, but the task felt as impossible as holding back the falling dusk.

It will go away,
she told herself.
It will. I just need to hold on till it does.
She would just have to try to get through this the best she could. At least Rebecca was here. For some reason that brought more comfort than even the thought of Stephen being home.

He will be home soon, and I have to get the house in order before he arrives.
The thought of the wash still lying around the living room made her move quickly back into the house.

As she entered, Verna was just disappearing down the hall, her arms full of folded clothing. The noises coming from the kitchen told Leona supper was well underway. She almost bent over to work on the wash piles, but couldn’t resist.
I have to see what they’re doing,
she told herself.

“Supper coming along?” she asked, glancing around the kitchen.

“Of course,” Lois said, not looking up, her arms flecked with cheese from the block of Swiss she was shredding.

“It’s coming,” Rebecca told her, draining white potatoes from boiling water.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have tried such a big task,” Leona said. “The meat loaf will take an hour to bake.”

“That’s all right,” Rebecca said. “The potatoes were my biggest concern.”

“They look fine from here,” Leona said. “Mattie did train you well. But I should leave you alone.”

“Never hurts to check,” Rebecca said. “Mom says that too.”

“Rebecca’s a good cook,” Lois assured her mother. “Daddy will like the meat loaf. I’m sure of that.”

“Mom,” Verna’s voice hollered from the boys’ bedroom. “Where do these socks go? Their drawer is full.”

Leona set off to help, while Rebecca finished mixing the hamburger for the meat loaf.

“Rebecca, I’m glad you’re still here,” Lois said.

“Just because I make meat loaf?” Rebecca asked with a laugh.

“No…but I suppose it helps,” Lois said sheepishly.

When Rebecca said nothing, Lois asked, “Will Mom be better soon?”

“Sure,” Rebecca said quickly, “the doctors are taking good care of her. Why?”

Lois shrugged. “I heard her crying this morning.”

“I should have noticed too,” Rebecca said. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s not your fault,” Lois said. “We’re just so glad to have you. You are the one making it better.” Lois stopped to wipe a tear.

Rebecca gave her cousin a hug from the side, then said, “We’d better get this meat loaf ready for the oven, don’t you think?” She smiled, showing her appreciation of the younger girl’s efforts at making her feel better. “You can start making the bread crumbs. We need three cups for the double batch.”

“Mom will get better though?” Lois asked, her concern returning.

“I’m sure she will,” Rebecca said, then added, “but it is up to
Da Hah,
of course.”

“Why is everything up to Him?” Lois asked.

“Because He is God,” Rebecca said simply.

“Who made Him then?”

“No one.”

“Did He just make Himself?”

“I don’t think so.” Rebecca reached over to help Lois break the bread crumbs. “He just always was.”

“That’s an awful long time, then,” Lois said more than she asked.

Rebecca nodded. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“He’s pretty big too. Isn’t He?”

Rebecca nodded again.

“Why can’t He run His world right, then?” Lois asked, bread crumbs falling into the bowl, her fingers reaching for another slice.

“Maybe He is,” Rebecca said uncertainly.

“But there’s so many things going wrong all the time.” Lois sounded unconvinced.

“I think He must have trouble figured into His plans somehow,” Rebecca ventured.

“I guess that would take a big God.”

“Pretty big,” Rebecca agreed.

“A little one couldn’t work with trouble, right?”

“I suppose so,” Rebecca allowed, mixing the ingredients of the meat loaf together in a larger bowl. “From what I’ve heard, the false gods only promise health and wealth or use trouble to scare people.”

“I hope He knows what He’s doing, then.” Lois wrinkled up her face. “If I were God, I wouldn’t work with trouble.”

“I guess that’s why you’re not.” Rebecca had to chuckle at her own statement. “Let’s get this meat loaf into the oven—then we’ll help your mom with the wash.”

“Rebecca, now that you’re twenty-one…are you going to marry soon?” Lois asked, abruptly changing the conversation.

“Well, I don’t know.” Rebecca was caught completely off guard.

“You wouldn’t tell me anyway, would you?” Lois asked knowingly.

“Let’s just say that when I marry, I’ll be sure to invite you,” Rebecca answered quickly with a smile.

D
arkness fell as those around the kitchen table bowed their heads in prayer.
“Unser Geliebter Gott, der Schöpfer des Himmels und der Erde, darauf die Einstellung des Tages, machen wir Pause, um Ihnen Dank zu geben…”

When Stephen finished, they lifted their heads but waited, the reverence from his words constraining their movements as if they had not yet made the transition from hearing spiritual nourishment to partaking of the physical.

“Well,” Stephen pronounced, to no one in particular, “the meat loaf is getting no warmer. And such a meat loaf. We have good eating tonight.” His smile stretched across his face as his eyes once more took in the prepared supper.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rebecca watched Leona’s face darken. She wished Stephen were a little less excited about the food, but then she decided he was not to be blamed. Men did like to eat.

“I’m sorry I haven’t done better with the meals,” Leona said quietly, doing her best to keep her voice steady. “Even tonight, if it weren’t for Rebecca…”

“It’s not your fault,” Stephen said, glancing at her, a healthy serving of the meat loaf already on his plate. “You’re a good cook. You’re just a little under the weather right now.”

“It’s good Rebecca came,” Leona said. “At least you’re getting some decent food.”

“Now, now,” he said, turning sideways, his chair scraping on the
hardwood floor, “you have no reason to feel bad. There’s no one better than you in the kitchen.”

Leona offered no response, the meat loaf bowl in front of her.

“You have to eat,” he said. “You’re still recovering.”

“I’m too fat. I’m not losing the extra weight,” she said so quietly Rebecca could barely hear it.

“Look,” he said, noticing that the children were beginning to squirm, “you have nothing to worry about. Really.” Reaching over, he put two spoonfuls of meat loaf on her plate and passed it on. He then started the corn and salad, taking plenty for himself and then some for Leona’s plate before passing them on. “Eat,” he said quietly in Leona’s direction.