The Lopsided Christmas Cake (26 page)

When Delbert entered the living room, he found Joseph and his father, Vern, visiting on the sofa. “Oh, good, you’re here.” Joseph stood. “Did you see any sign of Elma and Thelma on the road?”

Delbert shook his head, taking a seat in the recliner across from them. “I’m surprised they aren’t here already.”

“Me, too,” Joseph agreed. “Sure hope they were able to follow my directions to Mom and Dad’s house. It’s not that hard to find, but if they took a wrong turn, they may be lost.”

“You worry too much, son.” Vern looked at Delbert and grinned. “It’s good to see you.”

Delbert smiled. “Same here.”

Joseph pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. “I’m wondering what we should do about dinner if the twins don’t get here soon.”

“Your mamm hasn’t said it’s time to eat yet, so I wouldn’t worry about that.” Delbert smiled. “Speaking of the twins, I’m glad we got their barn stained last week. With the snow that’s predicted, if we hadn’t done it then, it may have had to wait till spring.”

“That’s true,” Joseph agreed. “But come spring, I think we ought to see about painting the house for them, don’t you?” He stretched his legs.

Delbert nodded. “Their place is looking better and better.”

“I was talking to Joe before you got here about those young women you two have been courting,” Vern spoke up. “Told him I think it’s nice that you both have girlfriends now.” He scratched his balding head. “Makes me wonder which of you will get married first.”

Joseph’s ears turned pink. Delbert jumped up and moved closer to the fireplace. The last thing he wanted was to talk about marriage.

“All I’ve got to say,” Vern continued, “is that it’s about time.”

Dora stepped into the room then and announced that the turkey was done. “Since your lady friends aren’t here yet, I’ll try to keep everything warm. But at some point we may have to eat without them.” She brushed her hands on her apron. “If they arrive after we’ve already started eating, or even have finished the meal, there will be plenty of food left over to feed them.”

Joseph stood and began to pace. “Thelma and Elma should have been here long before this. There’s no way I can eat till they get here.”

“Maybe they’re not coming,” Delbert said. “Could be that something came up to keep them at home.”

“I can’t imagine what it would be.” Joseph moved over to stand beside Delbert. “If they weren’t coming, I’m sure Thelma would have called.”

“Does she have our phone number?” Dora asked.

“No, but she has mine, and—” Joseph stopped talking and grabbed his jacket and hat.

“Where are you going?” Dora called when Joseph was almost to the door.

“I didn’t check my phone messages last night or this morning. I’m heading back to my house right now to see if there’s any word from Thelma or her sister.”

“Hold up,” Delbert said, “I’ll go with you. We can take my rig.”

When Delbert pulled his horse and buggy next to Joseph’s phone shack, Joseph hopped out and hurried inside. He flipped on the battery-operated light and took a seat. He was relieved when he found a message from Thelma but concerned when she said in a weak voice that she and her sister had come down with the flu and wouldn’t be able to join them for Thanksgiving. He’d so wanted her to meet Mom and Dad.

Joseph picked up the receiver and dialed her number. When her answering machine came on, he left a message, saying if she needed anything to let him know and that he’d come by sometime tomorrow to check on them. Then he got back in Delbert’s buggy. “The twins are
grank.
They have the flu and won’t be coming to dinner. I’m really disappointed.”

“Sorry to hear they’re sick,” Delbert said, “but there will be other times when you and Thelma can get together.”

“I hope so.” Joseph folded his arms and stared straight ahead, barely aware that a few snowflakes had begun falling. He had no appetite for food, but Mom had worked hard fixing the meal. So he’d force himself to eat a decent-sized portion and try not to worry about the twins.

As he and Delbert headed back to his parents’ home, the road was quickly covered with a white film of crystals. What a beautiful night this would have been to go on a buggy ride with Thelma.

Topeka

B
y Monday morning, the twins felt well enough to work in the store, although they were both still a little weak. Joseph had come by on Friday. He’d been nice enough to drop off a basket with leftovers from their Thanksgiving meal. After eating soup for three days, the leftovers she and Elma had heated for Sunday’s meal tasted so good. Thelma had called and left a message for Joseph this morning, letting him know that she and Elma were fully recovered, and saying how much they’d enjoyed the food. She had been so disappointed that they’d missed Thanksgiving and the opportunity to meet Joseph’s parents.

Pulling her thoughts back to the task at hand, Thelma glanced in the box she held and smiled as she waited for her sister to unlock the store. She and Elma had decided to bring the kittens to the store, hoping to give them away. It was getting to be a challenge going down to the basement with a basket of laundry and trying not to step on a kitten.

Thelma placed the box near the front door and went to straighten some bolts of material. As she worked, she reflected on her relationship with Joseph. The more time they spent together, the more she found herself falling in love with him. She continued to fantasize about what it would be like to be his wife and knew that should he ever ask her to marry him, her answer would be yes. Of course, that would depend on how things progressed with Elma and Delbert. So far, their relationship didn’t seem to be going anywhere, but Thelma continued to hope things would get better.

They must feel something for each other,
Thelma thought,
or they wouldn’t keep double-dating with us.

“Two of the busslin are gone.”

Thelma jumped at the sound of her sister’s voice. The last time she’d seen Elma, she’d been at the front counter, waiting on a customer. “Really? Who took them?”

“Mary Lambright. She wanted the kittens for Richard and Philip.”

“I’m sure the boys will be happy about that.” Thelma smiled. “Danki for letting me keep the little white bussli I named Snowball.”

“I didn’t
let
you, Sister. You made that decision yourself. I just went along with it.” Elma reached for the same bolt of material Thelma had straightened.

“What are you going to do with that?” Thelma questioned, waiting for her sister to redo the roll of cloth.

“I’m taking it up front. Doris Miller is here, and she asked if we had any fabric this color.”

“Okay. I’m almost done here, so if you need any help, let me know.”

“I will.”

When Elma walked away, Thelma went back to straightening the bolts. She’d finished the last one when Delbert showed up.

“I’m surprised to see you,” she said. “Are you doing more work for us today?”

He shook his head. “I dropped by to—”

“Did Joseph come, too?” Thelma hoped she didn’t sound overly anxious.

“No, I’m alone.” Delbert removed his hat. “Came by to invite you to the surprise birthday party I’m throwin’ for Joe this Friday evening. I know he’d be disappointed if you weren’t there.”

Thelma smiled, resting her hand against her hip. “That sounds like fun. My sister and I would like to come. Is there anything we can bring?”

Delbert rubbed his chin. “How about a salad?”

Thelma bobbed her head. “That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll either make a fruit or potato salad. Or maybe we’ll bring both. Would that be okay?”

Delbert shrugged. “Sure, that’d be fine.” He shuffled his feet a few times. “Guess I’d better be on my way. I have a few stops I need to make here in Topeka before I head back to LaGrange.”

“What time should we be there?” Thelma asked, following him to the front of the store.

“Six o’clock. Joe’s supposed to show up at my house at six thirty. He thinks the two of us are going out to a restaurant to eat.” Delbert put his hat back on his head. “His birthday’s Saturday, so I don’t think he’ll catch on.”

“But won’t he see all the buggies parked in your yard when he gets to your house?”

“I don’t think so. I’m asking everyone to park around back. Make sure you get to my place no later than six.” He opened the door and paused.

“Okay. Elma and I will see you Friday evening then.”

“If you see Joe between now and then, don’t let the cat outta the bag. I want him to be surprised.”

“I won’t say a word.”

When Delbert left, Thelma returned to the fabric aisle and stood there with a big grin. She could hardly wait to see Joseph again and planned to use the stocking cap she’d knitted him for Christmas as a birthday gift instead.

Elma came over. “You’re wearing a huge smile. What’s going on? I saw Delbert leave. What did I miss?”

“He came by to invite us to Joseph’s surprise birthday party on Friday night.” Thelma clasped her hands together.

“What did you tell him?”

“I said we’d be happy to attend, and I offered to bring two salads.” Thelma tipped her head. “You do want to go, I hope, because I wouldn’t feel right about going without you.”

Elma smiled. “Of course I’ll go. Joseph is my friend, too.”

LaGrange

“I wonder why they didn’t have this party tomorrow afternoon,” Elma said as she guided Pearl down the road leading to Delbert’s house. “This time of the year, it gets dark early. It’s not the safest time to be on the road with a buggy.”

“I guess having it tonight was the only way they could surprise him,” Thelma said. “Are you anxious to see Delbert?”

Elma clenched her teeth, ignoring her sister’s question. She knew Delbert well enough to know they had no future together. She was fairly certain he felt that way, too. One thing Elma knew was that her sister was smitten with Joseph.
Maybe she will end up marrying him. That would sure make our mamm happy. It would give her and Dad the hope of becoming grandparents.

“I don’t see any buggies,” Elma commented as she directed Pearl up Delbert’s driveway. “Could we be the first ones here?”

“I doubt it. Delbert said he was asking everyone to park their rigs around back.” Thelma spoke with an air of excitement.

“Guess we’d better head there, too.”

When Thelma and Elma entered the house, Thelma saw several other people. Delbert made the introductions, and Thelma was pleased to finally meet Joseph’s parents.

“I’m Joe’s sister, Katie,” a pretty young woman with auburn hair said, extending her hand to Elma. “You must be Thelma.”

Elma shook her head and motioned to Thelma. “I’m Elma. She’s Thelma.”

Katie’s cheeks darkened. “Ach, you two look so much alike. How does my brother tell you apart?”

Thelma snickered. “He’s gotten us mixed up a couple of times, but since he knows me better now, he can usually tell by talking to me.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Katie gestured to the tall man by her side. “This is my husband, Abe, and the little girl he’s holding is our two-year-old daughter, Amanda.”

“She’s so sweet.” Thelma reached out and took the child’s hand, noting how soft it was.

“Should we take our salads to the kitchen?” Elma asked, looking at Delbert.

He nodded. “Jah, that’d be good. You can put them in the refrigerator.”

Thelma followed Elma to the kitchen, where Joseph’s mother and his aunt Linda had gone. After they put their salads away, Thelma turned to Dora and asked, “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“I found a package of sweet tea in Delbert’s cupboard,” Dora replied. “There’s a metal spoon and a pitcher on the counter.”

Thelma opened the powdered mix and dumped it into the glass container. Then she went to the sink and filled it with water. “I want to thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving food with me and my sister. It sure tasted good when we were finally able to eat it.”

“I’m glad you and Elma are over the flu. That can get pretty nasty.” Dora smiled as she put some cheese and crackers on a platter.

As Thelma stirred the mixture, someone shouted from the living room that Joseph’s horse and buggy had pulled in. Hurrying to finish the job, Thelma stirred so hard that a chunk of glass broke. Sticky sweet tea spilled out all over the table and dripped onto the floor. Some also splashed on her arm. “What have I done?”