Summer Promise (4 page)

Instantly, Miriam stiffened. Must he always speak of Sarah?

As if he sensed some change in her, Daniel moved back a little, though he kept his arms around her. However small it was, she felt this new distance between them keenly.

“Yes,” she said, managing to keep her voice smooth and even, though she could not bring herself to look up into Daniel's eyes. “It will be good to have her help.”

And she stepped out of her husband's arms.

* * *

A half hour later, Miriam stood in front of the farm stand, surveying her handiwork. The big front double doors of the stand were thrown open wide. Above the opening, directly in the center, the carved wooden sign that proclaimed “Stony Field Farm Stand” looked welcoming and cheerful in the bright sunshine.

By dint of much huffing and puffing, Miriam had managed to tug the first of the display tables out into position in front of the open doors. It had been something of a challenge. The tables were sturdy and heavy. Moving them in and out was usually a two-person job. Truly, she hadn't needed to do it. After all, she wouldn't be opening for business until the following day. But this was the first day that she felt the stand belonged to her, and she needed to prove to herself that she was perfectly able to set up and run it on her own if need be, that her
daed
's faith in her hadn't been misplaced. What had Sarah called her? Capable. She had to be worthy of Sarah's faith, too.

I really should have waited for Sarah,
she thought. But Miriam didn't want to wait. She wanted to get going
now
. The farm stand was her responsibility, her challenge, one she was determined to meet. She marched back inside the stand, seized the second table, gave it a quick tug to get it moving, then continued to drag it carefully toward the open doors. Too fast, and she was afraid that she might scratch the wooden floor.

Miriam felt the threshold bump against her heels. She stepped over it carefully, pulling the front legs of the table out into the yard.
Just a little farther now.
She pulled a little harder. The table shot forward, the back legs catching on the threshold. The front edge of the table slipped from Miriam's fingers. One of the front legs came down on her foot so hard she saw stars. With a sharp cry, she yanked her foot back, hopping up and down.

“Miriam!
Miriam!
” cried a high, clear voice behind her. “Are you all right?”

Miriam stopped hopping, trying not to wince as she put her full weight on her foot and turned to face the newcomer. Standing behind her was a young woman of about sixteen. She had blond hair and blue eyes, just as Miriam did. At the moment, her eyes were wide with concern. She was breathing quickly, as if she had just run a race.

It was Leah Gingerich, Rachel Miller's niece. She lived with Rachel and Bishop John. “
Gude mariye
, Leah,” Miriam said.

“
Gude mariye
,” Leah answered, giving the polite response. But she went on almost at once, as if she simply could not contain herself. “Oh, Miriam!” she burst out. “Are you sure that you're all right? That looked like it hurt so much!”

“It did,” Miriam admitted, feeling her lips tug upward into a smile. Leah's energy was infectious. “Though to tell you the truth, not so much that I didn't have time to think about how silly I must have looked, hopping up and down.”

“But you didn't!” Leah exclaimed. “Well,” she amended, “at least not much. But I'm pretty sure I would have cried like a
boppli
if that had happened to me.”

“My eyes had no room for tears,” Miriam said, her smile growing larger. “They were too busy seeing stars!”

“Ouch,” Leah said sympathetically.

“
Ja
,” Miriam said. “Ouch. But what can I do for you, Leah? The farm stand isn't open yet.”

“I know.” Leah nodded at once. “But I thought perhaps you might be here. You and Jacob always opened the farm stand first thing in the morning, and I . . .”

Her voice trailed off.
It's the first time I've ever seen her at a loss for words,
Miriam thought. It wasn't that Leah chattered. But she did seem to have the habit of saving up her words and then sending them all out together in one great big rush. This, together with Leah's petite frame, made her seem younger than she actually was. But Miriam was almost certain she remembered that Leah had recently announced her desire to be baptized. That would make her sixteen at least. Old enough for courting.

“I want to help.”

Leah's voice jerked Miriam back to the present.

“What?”

“I want to help,” Leah said once more. “I want to learn everything I can about how to run a farm stand so that, maybe someday, I can have one of my own. You will need help now, won't you, now that your father is gone? I'll do any job you like. I'm a hard worker, you can ask my
aenti
Rachel. She'll tell you.”

“Whoa,” Miriam said, holding up her hands. “Slow down. Give me a moment to think, Leah.”

Leah swallowed hard. For several humming moments, neither woman spoke. Leah's hands were clasped tightly in front of her, her eyes fixed on the ground. Gazing at her unexpected visitor, trying to assemble her scattered thoughts, Miriam realized suddenly that Leah was wearing a pair of plastic clogs the exact same shade of green as her own. For no reason she could account for, this tipped the scales.

“Tell me something, Leah,” she said. “How do you feel about dusting?”

Leah's gaze shot to Miriam's face. In her blue eyes, Miriam saw surprise. And also, she thought, just the faintest hint of dismay.

“I will be happy to dust, if that will help, Miriam,” Leah answered solemnly.

Miriam smiled.
Surely the hand of God is in this,
she thought. Hadn't she been considering going to see Bishop John to discuss the farm stand just this morning? And now here was the bishop's niece, offering to help.

“I will tell you a secret, Leah,” she said. “I have never cared for dusting, myself. It is tedious work, but it goes much better when there are extra hands to help. What do you say we work together for a while? After that, if you still want to help, we can walk to your
aenti
and
onkel
's house and I will speak with Rachel.”

“Oh,
thank you
, Miriam!” Leah said, her eyes shining. “What shall we dust first? Where do you keep the dust cloths?”

Miriam got the cleaning supplies from the broom closet her
daed
had built. She set Leah to her first task, dusting the shelves of jams and preserves. Leah went to work with such a serious, determined expression that Miriam realized she had hardly stopped smiling since Leah arrived. Oh, yes, Miriam thought, Leah might be exactly what she needed.

Four

I
just don't understand it,” Leah said. She stepped out the front doors of the farm stand and gave her rag a brisk snap that sent the dust flying. Her tone was filled with such exasperation and outrage that Miriam bit back a smile.

The two had worked steadily all morning, dusting and sweeping and generally putting the farm stand to rights. Miriam had kept one ear cocked for Sarah, thinking her sister might come down to the farm stand once she was up. But so far, she had not arrived. Now it was almost time for the midday meal.

“The farm stand has only been closed for just over a week,” Leah went on as she came back inside. “How can things have gotten so dusty in so short a time?”

“Dust is a mystery,” Miriam admitted. “I think that's why it's such a trial.” She gave her own rag a snap, then returned it to the basket where it was kept. Later she would take the rags they had used today up to the farmhouse to be washed.

“But I think that is enough dusting for one day,” she went on. “Come, put your rag in the basket and let's get the tables back inside. Then we can go and see Rachel.”

Leah added her rag to the basket and followed Miriam outside. Miriam took the near end of the table, and Leah the far end. That meant that Miriam would be the one walking backward.

“Watch your feet,” Miriam said as they maneuvered the first of the big display tables back inside the farm stand and prepared to set it down.

Leah smiled. “These tables will not get the better of me,” she said. “I have my eye on them.”

Once both the tables were back inside the stand, Miriam swung the big double doors closed and slid home the bolt that locked them. Then Miriam switched off the overhead lights. She and Leah let themselves out the back door, and Miriam locked up behind them. Even after all these years, it still felt strange to lock the doors, she thought. The doors to the farmhouse were never locked. But the house stood well back from the road and was partly hidden from view by a gentle swell of the rolling hills that were so much a part of the landscape of the area. The farm stand was in plain view, right off the road.

Daed didn't like locking up, either,
she thought. But her father was sensible in this, as in so much else, and locking up was the sensible choice.

Miriam and Leah crossed to the far side of the road and then walked along the pavement, facing in the direction of whatever traffic might come along, as they made their way to the Millers' farm. Leah had come to live with her
aenti
and
onkel
when she was still a small child. She had originally come only to visit while her parents took a trip to see distant relatives in another part of the country. The driver of the motor coach they were traveling in fell asleep at the wheel, and the coach had gone off the road. It had plunged into a river, and everyone on board had been killed. Leah had lived with Rachel and John Miller ever since.

“What do you think we will have to sell tomorrow?” Leah asked as she and Miriam walked along. “I will check with Aenti Rachel, but I think we still have some late-season raspberries we can sell, and the blackberries are coming on.”

“We have raspberries, too, and so will Amelia Brennemann and several others.” Miriam nodded. “That will be good for the stand. Berries are always popular with the
Englischers
, and the weekend is coming up.”

“How do you know what to sell?” Leah asked. “How do people know what to bring you? Do they just come to the stand with whatever they have? What if they bring something that you don't want?”

“Slow down, Leah!” Miriam said with a smile. “One thing at a time. You will understand how things work once you get started. Besides, I like best to learn things by doing them, don't you?”

“I do,” Leah said, her voice surprised. “How did you know? But I like to plan things, too,” she added, before Miriam could respond.

“Some planning ahead is good,” Miriam agreed. “But we cannot plan too much. The workings of the world are in God's hands, not ours.”

“Of course.” Leah nodded. They walked in silence for several moments.

While Miriam and Leah had been setting the farm stand to rights, the day had grown warm. The sun was a great ball of orange in the blue, blue sky.
The color of Daniel's eyes,
Miriam thought. At the thought of Daniel, a familiar ache settled in the center of Miriam's chest.
No, not today,
she thought. Not on this morning that had turned out so fine. A breeze had sprung up, ruffling the grass at the side of the road. Miriam took a deep breath, savoring the scents of the world all around her. She would have known the men in the fields were bringing in the wheat just by breathing in. The whole world smelled fresh and green. Beneath her clogs, she could feel the pavement of the road was growing warm.

“Sarah and I used to take turns seeing how far down this road we could walk with our shoes off on a summer day,” Miriam mused. “The pavement gets so hot.”

“Who won?” Leah asked, her voice intrigued.

“Do you know,” Miriam said, “I honestly can't recall. What I remember most is the feel of this road beneath my feet. It seems I have been walking along it my whole life. Probably because I have been!” she added with a quick laugh. “Goodness! I don't know what's gotten into me to be thinking of that all of a sudden.”

It was Sarah, she realized. Sarah came home and a world of memories surfaced, so many of them sweet ones.

The two women reached a driveway branching off to the left and turned down it. Set closer to the road than the Lapp farmhouse, the Millers' house soon came into view.

“Oh, look!” Leah said. “There's Aenti Rachel.”

Up ahead, Miriam could see that Rachel Miller had come to stand on the house's wide front porch. Two tall oak trees stood nearby, one at either end of the white clapboard house, spreading cool shade along the grass.

Miriam had always felt a closeness with Rachel. She had a quiet, patient way about her that made it easy to be with her. But she also had a sparkle in her eye that seemed to say “I may be the bishop's wife but I have a little mischief in me, too.” Leah waved, and her
aenti
waved back.

“
Wilkomm
, Miriam,” Rachel called. She walked down the porch steps and into the yard. “I guessed that Leah had found you when she did not return. I hope she has been helpful.”

“
Danki
, Rachel,” Miriam replied as she drew near. “And yes, Leah has been very helpful this morning. In fact, I—”

“Oh, Aenti Rachel!” Leah burst out. “Miriam has said that I may work at the farm stand! Isn't it wonderful? If you and my
onkel
give your permission, of course,” she added quickly.

“Leah,” Rachel said quietly.

Leah's cheeks flamed bright red. She swallowed audibly. But she turned to Miriam at once. “I interrupted you, Miriam,” she said. “I am sorry.”

“Thank you, Leah,” Miriam said, doing her best not to smile. It was hard to feel stern in the face of so much enthusiasm. “I accept your apology.” She laid a gentle hand on the girl's arm.

“But Leah is right,” Miriam said to Rachel. “In fact, her visit could not have been better timed. Just this morning I was wondering how I would manage at the stand on my own. If you and John give your permission, I'll be glad to have Leah's help.”

“Go into the house and set the table for dinner, please, Leah,” Rachel said firmly, but her voice was not unkind. Over Leah's head, her eyes met Miriam's. In them, Miriam detected the hint of a smile. “I'll be right along, but I would like to speak to Miriam for a moment.”

Miriam gave Leah's arm a quick pat. Casting one beseeching look back over her shoulder, Leah climbed the steps to the porch and went into the house.

“I hope you will forgive her outburst,” Rachel said as soon as her niece was indoors. She made a gesture of invitation, and together the two women walked around the side of the house toward the kitchen garden. “Leah is growing into a fine young woman, but I fear she is a little . . . enthusiastic sometimes.”

Miriam smiled. “I like her,” she said. “And I meant what I said. If you and John are willing, I would be happy to have Leah's help. Over breakfast this morning, Daniel and I were discussing finding some help for the stand.”

Miriam paused when they reached the side yard and Rachel's large kitchen garden came into view, with its neatly planted rows of tomatoes, beans, corn, berries, summer squashes, and herbs. “My,” she said, “your garden does look fine.”

“God has blessed us with particularly good weather this year, I think,” Rachel responded. Together the two women began to stroll between the rows. “A good amount of rain when we needed it, and now it is warm but not too hot.”

“Leah said she thought you would have raspberries for the farm stand,” Miriam said.

“I will.” Rachel nodded. “And the first of the green beans, I think, as well as the last of the rhubarb.”

“That is good news,” Miriam said. “Leah can bring them tomorrow, if you are willing she should come.”

“Of course she may come, if you truly think she can be a help.”

“I do.” Miriam nodded. “Though I had no idea she was so interested in the farm stand.”

“Leah feels things very strongly,” Rachel said. “I have cautioned her that it might be better to be more moderate, but that is not a message it is easy to hear when you are young. But Jacob understood her, I think. Leah went to see him at least once a week, and I know they had great fondness for each other. Spending time with your father was good for Leah.”

“It was good for Daed, too. He looked forward to Leah's visits. He said she made him laugh.”

“He had such a calm and quiet way about him, patient when others might not be,” Rachel said.

“Much like you,” Miriam answered with a smile. “In fact,” she continued more slowly, “now that I think about it, it has always seemed to me that you and Daed were much alike.”

“You think so?” Rachel asked, with something in her voice that Miriam could not quite put her finger on.

“I do.” She nodded.

“Then I will thank you,” Rachel said. “For I take that as a compliment. And you, Miriam? Is all well with you and Daniel?”

“Oh,
ja
,” Miriam said quickly. “Everything is fine. Daniel is well.” But her voice sounded brittle, even to her own ears, and she could feel her color rise.
Just like Leah
, she thought. Blushing under Rachel's steady gaze, though the older woman had made no comment but simply continued to regard Miriam with calm and compassionate eyes.

“It is a lot to take in, all at once,” Miriam continued somewhat haltingly. “Losing Daed, and Sarah coming home. But I am as well as can be, I suppose, and as for the rest, I am trying to be patient and humble and surrender to the will of God.”

All of a sudden, Miriam felt a great surge of relief flow through her. It felt so good to admit these simple truths, as if just speaking of them, acknowledging them as burdens, had somehow lifted the weight of them. As she had earlier, standing beside her mother's grave, Miriam suddenly found herself wondering what it would have been like to have had a mother, an older, more experienced woman in whom she could confide.

Rachel must be about Mamm's age,
she realized.

“I am sorry that you are troubled,” Rachel said. “Will it help to remember that even our troubles can be gifts from God? Learning how to carry them—and that we can carry them—can be part of
how
we learn to be truly humble, don't you find? Though of course this can be very hard. But it is a way to prove ourselves
to
ourselves, I think, even as we prove ourselves to God.”

“I never thought about it quite that way,” Miriam admitted.

“Ah, well,” Rachel said, her tone gentle. “But then I have the advantage. After all, I am the bishop's wife.”

The laugh bubbled up and out of Miriam before she even knew that it was there. Surprised, it was all she could do not to clap a hand over her mouth.

But Rachel did not seem offended. If anything, it was just the opposite. “There now,” she said. “I have reached two decisions this morning. The first is that Leah may work at the farm stand. The second is that you should laugh more often.”

“I do feel better,” Miriam admitted. “Thank you, Rachel.”

To her surprise, Rachel laid a gentle palm against Miriam's cheek. “You are welcome. Now I think we both should head indoors. If I know John Miller, he will be home soon and wanting his dinner.”

“Oh, my goodness, dinner!” Miriam exclaimed. “Can you believe I've forgotten all about it? Though in my case, no harm done. Daniel is working with Lucas today, so he'll eat with his family.”

“Well,” Rachel said, “at least we both remembered in time. I will send Leah and some produce to you first thing tomorrow morning.”