A New Home for Lily (18 page)

I
t was a cold evening in late winter. Lily sat by the window watching for a pair of headlights to come down the road and turn into her driveway. Uncle Elmer, Aunt Mary, Hannah, Levi, and Davy were coming for a visit all the way from New York and Lily couldn't wait. It had been such a long time since she had seen Hannah, her favorite cousin. The two girls exchanged weekly letters, but letters weren't the same thing as being together, talking and playing.

A pair of headlights appeared. Lily sat up straight but the car zoomed past the house. Mama was mending a pair of Dannie's trousers. Lily was sure Mama could hear her thirteenth sigh of disappointment as the car went past. “Lily, why don't you find something to play with while you wait? It will make the time go so much faster if you're busy.”

Lily went up the stairs to her hallway bedroom. She opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and carefully lifted out a
box filled with paper dolls. They were beautiful paper dolls, like new. Lily played with them only on special occasions. Tonight felt special.

Downstairs, she knelt in front of the sofa and took out the paper dolls. She set them up along the back of the sofa so they looked like they were standing tall. Next, she selected the clothes for each doll to wear. This was very hard work because all of the long dresses were so fancy and pretty. Mama said they were called hoop skirts. Lily thought there was nothing as pretty as those dresses. Even if she could never wear such a fancy dress, it was fun to pretend she was one of the dolls. She liked to make believe that she and her doll friends were invited to a party.

Lily became so involved with her paper dolls' party-going that she didn't even hear the knock on the door. Mama heard it
first. She dropped her mending on the floor beside her rocking chair and hurried to answer the door. Papa had been reading a book to Joseph and Dannie. The boys scrambled off his lap to run to the door. The paper doll party would have to wait.

Uncle Elmer, Aunt Mary, Levi, Hannah, and Davy all stood patiently on the porch steps. “Come in, come in!” Papa and Mama said at the same time. There was a lot of laughter and talking as everyone came inside and removed their hats and bonnets. Mama offered them something to eat, but they said they weren't hungry for anything except catching up on news.

The grown-ups sat down to talk as the boys went to play with their toy farms. Lily was so happy to see Hannah that she felt suddenly shy. How strange! She couldn't think of a thing to say. Hannah noticed the paper dolls on the sofa and asked if they could play with them.

The two girls knelt in front of the sofa and soon they were talking and laughing like they had never been separated. Lily was so happy. This was much more fun than playing with dolls all alone.

Too soon, Papa came into the living room and said, “Bedtime for little lambs.” Lily looked at the clock and was surprised to see how late it was. Later than she had ever been up! But tonight had been a special night and Papa understood that. Hannah helped Lily gather up the paper dolls and put them away so little brothers wouldn't find them. Then, they both went upstairs. Mama fixed a cozy blanket nest on the floor beside Lily's bed. Lily would sleep there while Hannah slept in her bed.

“No talking tonight, girls,” Mama said. “It's late. There will be plenty of time for talking tomorrow.”

Lily snuggled under her blanket and listened to the gentle
murmur of the grown-ups' voices in the kitchen. It didn't sound as if they were planning to go to bed yet. She fell asleep to the low sounds of Papa's and Uncle Elmer's laughter and Mama and Aunt Mary's soft buzz of conversation.

The next morning, Uncle Elmer decided to go to work with Papa while Aunt Mary helped Mama. Lily and Hannah were given some chores, but afterward they were free to play for the rest of the day. Having houseguests, Lily thought, was better than a holiday.

Hannah wanted to play with paper dolls, so Lily fetched the box and the girls lined the paper dolls up along the back of the sofa. They played with them all day, only stopping for meals. There was so much to pretend about: parties, visits to town, a day at school. Lily told Hannah about each of the girls in the third grade: Beth, Malinda, and Effie.

At supper, Uncle Elmer said that they were hoping to move to Pennsylvania. Tomorrow, they would go land shopping. Hannah and Levi hadn't attended school for two years, he explained, and it was time to make a change. Nearly all of the families in the New York church had moved away.

Lily couldn't imagine not playing with any friends for two years. How sad!

In the morning, the driver arrived early in the big van. Lily's family was invited to come along for the farm shopping. Joseph and Levi scrambled to claim the backseat. Dannie and Davy followed behind and squished in. Lily and Hannah sat in the bench behind Mama, Aunt Mary, and baby Paul. Papa sat in the front seat next to the driver to give him directions. Uncle Elmer was looking for a big farm, so they drove all around the area—up and down the hills and around the curves until Lily thought she could not sit in the van for another minute. It made her feel sick.

Mama noticed how pale and quiet Lily had become. “Maybe you should come up front, Lily,” she said. Lily put her head in Mama's lap. She was sorry to miss time with Hannah, but it was better than getting sick all over the van. How awful that would be.

Uncle Elmer looked at several farms, but none suited him. Too hilly, too wooded, too expensive.

Finally, Mama said, “What about the farm right next to our house?”

Papa looked at Uncle Elmer, next to him on the front seat. “It's not in very good condition, but it wouldn't hurt to go see it.” He directed the driver to take them back home. Lily was relieved to be heading home, but she was sure Uncle Elmer wouldn't like this farm. It had a little brown house even smaller than Lily's ugly olive green house. The barn looked old and weather-beaten. The yard was covered with overgrown grass and tangled weeds. It was hideous.

Naturally, Uncle Elmer thought it was perfect. He wanted to walk the property lines, so he and Papa hurried off to find the owner. Lily couldn't sit in that van for one more minute. She could see her house out the window. “Mama, can Hannah and I go home to play with my paper dolls again?”

Mama and Aunt Mary looked at each other and nodded their heads. Mama reached into her pocket and drew out a key. “Here you go,” she said. “Enjoy yourselves, and we'll be coming home as soon as Papa and Uncle Elmer come back.”

Lily and Hannah ran up the road and into the house. They spread the paper dolls out and started to play. At first, it felt funny to be in the house without grown-ups, but it wasn't long before they decided they liked it. Too soon, everyone else tumbled in the door, and Mama and Aunt Mary started to make lunch. Then came the worst, most dreaded moment
of the entire week: Lily and Hannah had to have their hair braided to get ready for church tomorrow.

Lily tried to be brave and not cry while Mama combed out a week's worth of snarls, but she couldn't stop the tears from running. Hannah's lips quivered as Aunt Mary combed her long curly blonde hair. Mama and Aunt Mary took turns telling funny little stories to distract them. When they were done, Aunt Mary grinned. “I think we should work on their hair together each week. That was the least weepy braiding time I ever had.”

Mama laughed. “Lily usually cries the entire time.”

Lily and Hannah looked at each other, mortified. It wasn't very polite of their mothers to share such embarrassing moments, but at least they knew they weren't the only ones who cried.

On Sunday morning, Lily was so excited to have Hannah meet Beth. Oh, she hoped they might like each other! What if they didn't? That would be terrible. If Hannah moved to Cloverdale, Lily would have to divide up her time between Beth and Hannah at school. Recess with Hannah. Lunch with Beth. The next day, she would have to reverse it so everything would be fair. Lily wouldn't want them arguing over who got to spend time with her.

Today, Levi would be able to meet some fourth grade boys, but Lily thought that was unfortunate. Aaron Yoder had influenced all the other boys in that class to be troublemakers. She worried that Aaron might tease Levi about his stutter. It was better than it used to be, but Lily noticed that when Levi was nervous, it was more apparent. She hoped that Levi wouldn't be teased so badly today that Uncle Elmer would change his mind about moving here.

During church, Hannah leaned over to whisper to Lily, “Who is that cute boy?”

“Where?”

Hannah carefully pointed across the room, to the third boy from the left in the second row of benches.

Lily squinted hard, rubbed her eyes, then looked again. Hannah was pointing to Aaron Yoder!

Poor Hannah. For the last two years, she hadn't been around other children. She had lost all common sense about boys.

After church there was a light lunch and after that came the fun. The boys ran off to play softball. The girls had plans to gather under a tree and play a game. Lily looked for Hannah and was surprised to find that she and Beth were the first ones by the tree, whispering together. Lily felt a funny ping in her stomach. As the girls pretended to play school, the pinging feeling got worse. Effie said Lily had to be the teacher. Beth insisted that Hannah sit next to her.

Nobody liked to be the teacher when they pretended to play school. Everybody was having fun except for Lily. The pinging in her stomach got stronger.

Suddenly, a loud shout erupted from the yard. Levi was shoving Aaron Yoder against the fence. Lily knew Aaron Yoder would do something terrible to Levi. She just knew it!

Uncle Elmer and Lily's papa and David Yoder ran over to break up the scuffle between the boys. Lily hurried to Joseph. “What did Aaron do?”

“Nothing!” Joseph said. “It was Levi. Aaron told him about how he saw an old Indian in the woods, and Levi said that was nothing—there were old Indians everywhere in New York. Levi just kept bragging and bragging.” He scrunched his face. “Were there Indians in New York?”

“None that I ever saw,” Lily said. “Did Aaron hit him?” She wouldn't have put it past Aaron.

“No,” Joseph said. “Aaron asked him why he was moving
here, then, if it was so much better in New York. That was when Levi went at him.”

Lily was surprised at Levi. Bragging was no way to make friends, even if that new friend happened to be Aaron Yoder.

Papa waved a hand to Lily and Joseph. It was time to head home. Lily was quiet on the buggy ride home. She felt miffed with Hannah for becoming instant best friends with Beth. Hannah didn't seem to notice that Lily was left out. She chattered on and on about the plans Beth had made for her, just as soon as she moved here for good.

The minute they got into the house, Hannah suggested they play paper dolls again. As Hannah set the dolls up against the sofa, Mama motioned to Lily to come to the kitchen. “Lily, I think it would be nice if you would give half of your paper dolls to Hannah to take home with her when they leave tomorrow morning.”

Lily looked at Mama, horrified. How could she give half of her paper dolls away? She loved each one of them. “I want to keep them all,” she mumbled, sulky. Mama was serious, though.

Lily went back to the sofa and looked at her beautiful dolls. Which ones could she give away? They were all so pretty. Finally, she chose half of them and their clothes and handed them to Hannah.

Hannah was thrilled. Lily was miserable. The last day of this wonderful visit had been ruined.

Several weeks passed. One afternoon, a letter arrived from Aunt Mary. Mama opened it eagerly and started to read it silently. A smile spread across her face. She looked at Lily. “Uncle Elmer has bought the farm next to us!”

Lily felt a ping in her tummy. She was happy that her
favorite cousin would live next door. But then she had a funny feeling too about being left out when Beth and Hannah played together. And what about Levi? He was a worry.