The Lopsided Christmas Cake (10 page)

Elma peered out the front window of the store, wondering where Thelma was. She’d been gone a lot longer than necessary to get the mail.
I wonder if my sister got sidetracked again.
She opened the door and stuck her head out but saw no sign of Thelma in the yard or down the driveway. If Elma hadn’t been concerned that a customer could show up, she would have walked out to the mailbox to see if her sister was still there.

I’ll give her a few more minutes,
she decided,
but if she doesn’t show up soon I’ll put the CL
OSED
sign in the window and see if I can find her.

Elma went back to inventorying the shelves and was about to start on the next row of kitchen items when the front door opened and Thelma rushed in.

“You’ll never believe what happened out there,” she panted.

“What is it?” Elma asked. “You look
umgerrent
.”

“I am upset. Mary Lambright was on her bicycle with her son Richard on the seat behind her, and…” Thelma paused to take a breath. “A car almost hit her, and she and Richard fell off the bike.” She moved over to stand beside the woodstove.

“Oh, dear,” Elma gasped. “Was either of them hurt?”

“Mary was scraped up, and it looked like the little boy’s arm was broken. The driver of the car is taking them to the medical clinic. I brought Mary’s bike back here. Her husband will pick it up later. Oh, and Mary gave me her address, so I promised to go over to her house and let her mamm know what happened. She’s there with Mary’s other son, Philip.” Thelma was talking so fast Elma could hardly keep up with her.

“I’m sorry to hear about the accident but grateful that it wasn’t any worse.” Elma thought about her grandparents’ fatality. Whether riding in a buggy, on a bicycle, or walking, there was always the danger of being hit by a car.

“I know, but even though the little guy’s injuries weren’t life threatening, he was frightened and obviously in pain.” Thelma fiddled with the paper she held.

“I imagine he would be. Remember when we were eight and I fell from the loft in Dad’s barn and broke my
gnechel
? That hurt.”

Thelma nodded. “We were all glad it was only your ankle that was broken. You could have been killed, falling a distance like that.”

“God watched out for me that day. There’s no doubt about it.”

Thelma glanced around. “How are things here? Have you gotten much inventory done?”

“Some, but I still have several more shelves to get to, not to mention all the things that are in the store’s basement.”

“Have you had any customers yet?”

Elma shook her head. “Maybe it’s going to be a slow day and we can spend it taking stock of all the things we need to order.”

“I know one thing… The buggy could use a little cleaning, outside and in. With the rain we’ve gotten, plus the dust in the air, our rig is looking a bit neglected.”

“You’re right,” Elma agreed. “That’s one more thing I’ll need to add to my list.”

Moving away from the stove, Thelma said, “Since there are no customers at the moment, I’d better head over to Mary’s house and let her mamm know what happened.”

“Does Mary live far from here?” Elma asked.

“From the address she gave me, I’d say it’s about a mile or so.”

“That shouldn’t take you too long, if you go on your bike.”

Thelma paused and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Actually, I thought I’d take the horse and buggy and make a stop at the hardware store in town.”

Elma’s forehead wrinkled. “How come?”

“Remember that paint I forgot to get in Shipshe last week?”

“Jah.”

“If I don’t get it now, we’ll never have the kitchen painted before Mom and Dad get here.”

Elma pursed her lips. “You’re right about that. Guess I can get by awhile longer without your help.”

“There’s one more errand I’ll need to run,” Thelma said.

“What’s that?”

“Before I came back to the store, I checked phone messages again. There was a new one from the people who own the meat locker in town.” Thelma grimaced. “They said Grandpa and Grandma’s bill hadn’t been paid for this month. They asked whether we want to pay it or come by and get what’s left in the locker they’d rented.”

Elma groaned. “Oh, great. I wonder what that will cost. Will it never end?”

Thelma shrugged, turning her hands palms up. “Guess I could go by there and clear out their locker, but I’m not sure how much there is. We may not have room for all of it in the small freezer section of our refrigerator, but we’ll slip in whatever we can. Maybe we can precook part of the meat to have for some of the meals we’ll be fixing this week.”

“You’re right,” Elma agreed. “Did they say how much the rent would be for the next month?”

“Jah. It’s twenty-two dollars. Can we afford that right now?”

“I guess we’ll have to.” Elma went to the battery-operated cash register behind the counter and took out a twenty dollar bill, plus two ones. “Here you go.”

“I’ll need some money for the paint, too,” Thelma reminded.

“Oh, that’s right.” She handed Thelma another fifty dollars. “I hope this will be enough. If it’s not, then get one gallon for now.”

“Okay. I’d better get going then.” Thelma turned toward the door, glancing at the sky. “Maybe I’ll take an umbrella. It was clearing up a little while ago, but I see a few more dark clouds.” She slipped on her outer bonnet and grabbed the umbrella.

Elma touched her arm. “Are you sure you want to take Rusty?”

“It’s the only way I can take the buggy, and there’s no way I’m going to ride my bike that far, not to mention needing a place to put the paint.” Thelma paused. “I’ll probably bring home some meat from the locker, too. Anyway, Rusty needs to earn his keep around here. He should be worked as much as possible. Otherwise, he may get worse, and I won’t let him do that. Dad would want us to hang in there and keep showing Rusty who’s boss. Right, Sister?”

Elma hesitated then nodded. “Okay, see you later then.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

When Thelma went out the door, Elma leaned against the counter and sighed. “I hope I gave Thelma enough money. Even more than that, I hope and pray the horse behaves.”

W
hen Thelma left Mary’s house, after notifying Richard’s grandmother that he had broken his arm, she headed toward town. She felt a little nervous when she halted Rusty at the first stop sign and he started tossing his head from side to side.

“Calm down,” Thelma said soothingly. “We can’t go till it’s safe.” Once she was sure no cars were coming, she guided the horse to make a right-hand turn onto the highway that would take them to the stores in Topeka. Rusty moved at a pretty good clip, but as long as he wasn’t running out of control, she didn’t mind. The quicker she got to town, the quicker she’d get back to the store to help Elma. At least the trip to the local hardware store wouldn’t be as long as it would have been if she’d gone all the way to Shipshewana.

The clouds that had looked threatening when she’d first left home were now breaking apart, letting peeks of sunshine through. Thelma was glad it had quit raining. That made it easier to see, and with less water on the pavement, Rusty was not as likely to spook.

As she drew closer to town, Thelma thought about Richard and wondered how things were going at the clinic. Had he seen the doctor yet? If his arm was broken, would they be able to take care of it there, or would Mary have to take her son to the closest hospital?

If it doesn’t take too long at the hardware store and frozen food locker, maybe I’ll stop by the clinic before I go home,
Thelma thought.
That way, I’ll know for sure what happened to Mary’s little boy.

Joseph had spent the last few hours in Topeka, visiting with the Amish man who owned the harness shop. The man had more business than he could handle and wondered if he could send some customers to Joseph. Never one to turn down a job opportunity, Joseph had eagerly agreed.

Guess I won’t need to stop by the office for
The Connection
magazine to run an ad like I’d planned,
Joseph thought as he left the harness shop.
Maybe another time, if business gets slow.

Thinking he ought to make a quick stop at the hardware store to pick up some paint for his bedroom, Joseph directed his horse and buggy in that direction. The horse, which had been moving along steadily, suddenly broke into a canter. “Whoa, boy! Slow down!” Joseph pulled on the reins.

The horse slowed, and in no time, Joseph had the animal under control.

When he entered the hardware store a short time later, he noticed a young Amish woman standing near the aisle where the paint was kept, tapping her chin as she studied the cans.

When he approached, she looked up at him and smiled, revealing a small dimple in her right cheek. “Do you know much about paint?” she asked.

He shrugged. “A l–little.”
Oh, great. Don’t start stuttering now.
Tripping over his words was something Joseph did only when he felt nervous, and for some reason that’s how he felt at the moment. The dumb thing was he didn’t even know why. He’d never met this woman with the pretty blue eyes before and might never see her again. Besides, a woman as attractive as her was probably married.

“The wording is so small; I’m having a hard time reading the instructions and recommendations on the paint cans. Would you be able to tell me what kind of paint would be best to use in a kitchen?”

“Umm…” Joseph cleared his throat and swallowed. He hoped he wasn’t going to stutter again. “I’d say a latex/enamel would be a good choice.”
Whew. So far, so good.
Joseph pointed to one of the cans. “What color do you want?”

She pursed her lips while studying the various colors available. “I’ve been looking at these color samples. I’m thinking an off-white would be best.”

He gave a nod. “Makes sense to me.”

“I appreciate the advice.” She smiled, picked up two cans of paint, and headed to the checkout counter.

“Good luck with your project.” Joseph gave her one last glance and moved on to pick out his paint.

When Thelma started for the door, carrying the paint she’d purchased, she caught sight of a flyer taped to the inside of the store window. It was the same as the one she’d picked up in Shipshewana, telling about the upcoming cooking show. She felt certain it was something Elma would want to do with her. After all, who wouldn’t want to help a good cause such as this?
Think I’ll call the phone number on the flyer and let the person in charge know that my sister and I would like to make something to be auctioned off. I also have one other important call to make.

She’d barely stepped outside when the red-haired Amish man she’d spoken to about the paint came out the door holding a paintbrush. He approached her in a shy manner, and with a little stutter in his voice, he said, “I—I think this is yours. It was left on the c–counter inside.”

Thelma’s cheeks warmed as she took the paintbrush from him. “Guess I was in such a hurry, I forgot.” For some strange reason it was all she could do to keep from tripping over her own words. Forcing herself to look away from his steady gaze, Thelma glanced to her left. She was stunned to see Rusty prancing up the street, pulling her buggy. “Oh, my!” She pointed in that direction. “That’s my horse and buggy, with no driver. I must not have tied him securely enough.”

The redheaded man sprang into action. As he dashed up the street, his straw hat blew off, landing on the pavement, but he kept running and never looked back. Another Amish man who sported a full beard and had been standing nearby joined the chase as well. With her heart beating wildly, all Thelma could do was stand there, powerless, and watch. What a day full of mishaps this had turned out to be.

By some miracle, the two men managed to get hold of Rusty. Several minutes later, they brought him back to Thelma. She breathed a sigh of relief. Never in a million years had she expected that her and Elma’s move to Topeka would bring so much drama.

“Danki,” she told the men. “I fear that unpredictable horse would have run into the next county if you two hadn’t caught him when you did.”