Chapter 1.
Debbie stared at Cherish and then at Fenella before taking a deep breath. “Want to know something?”
The three of them were alone in the kitchen, sharing the last of the breakfast coffee.
“What?” Cherish asked, leaning forward.
Fenella put her cup down and fastened her gaze upon Debbie.
Debbie then looked at both of them in turn. “Can you both keep a big secret?”
“Sure, I keep secrets all the time. I’m the best secret keeper. Everyone says that,” Cherish answered.
“Yeah, me too.”
Debbie took a deep breath. “They all fell for it. I was never married. They all believed me even John’s parents. People tend to believe anything I say. How ridiculous is that?”
Cherish stared across the kitchen table at Debbie in disbelief. “What?” Cherish screeched. “Are you serious? How could you lie to so many people? You mean, you were never secretly married to John?” Cherish stood up so quickly that the chair underneath her flew back. “I knew it. I just knew it.”
Fenella just sat there, staring at Debbie, open mouthed.
“It was the best solution. Otherwise… I would’ve had to give my baby away. Wasn’t it your idea, Cherish?” Debbie asked. “I’m sure it was.”
Fenella then stared up at Cherish.
“No, it was not! How can you say that?” In one smooth motion, Cherish managed to pick up the chair and then sit down on it. “Oh, why did you tell me? Now I’ll have to keep this a secret.”
“You just told me you’re the world’s best at keeping secrets.”
Cherish added, “That’s so awful and so hard to wrap my head around. I believed you, we all believed you. Oh, you fooled the bishop. This is… I have no words. Zero words. You’ll be shunned. SHUNNED!”
Debbie just sat there and shrugged her shoulders. “For someone with no words, you certainly have a lot to say.”
Cherish was so upset, she wasn’t even listening to Debbie right now. “Hey, weren’t you the one who didn’t like secrets, Debbie?”
Ada walked in, laughing. “Oh, Cherish, you’re so ready to believe things.” Ada pulled out the chair next to Debbie and sat down. Then they put their heads together and cackled.
Cherish’s mouth fell open. “Wait a minute. Was this a joke?”
“Yes,” Debbie said between a flurry of giggles.
Cherish frowned at the two women across from her. “So, you… you were married to John, right?”
“Yes, I was. It’s all true.”
Cherish put a hand over her heart. “That’s a relief.”
“You had me fooled too. You’re a great actress, Debbie.” Fenella picked up her coffee and had a mouthful.
Cherish wagged a finger at the two jokesters. “You two are dreadful. I’ll have to pay you both back. You know that, right?”
With a gleam in her eyes, Ada said, “We’ll get you again before you get us.”
To Cherish it sounded like a challenge and she was up for it. “You’re a bad influence on Debbie, Ada.”
Ada pointed to Debbie. “It was Debbie’s idea.”
Debbie opened her mouth in shock. “Oh, Ada.”
“It was a little bit my idea, to use an answer Cherish would use.” Ada laughed some more.
Meanwhile, Mamm was outside bringing in the washing. She wasn’t interested in the silly joke Ada and Debbie were playing on Cherish. They had too much time on their hands. Mamm was far too worried about the state of Mercy’s marriage to join in the joke.
The sad thing was that she couldn’t tell Ada about the rocky marriage because too much fuss would be made.
Ada would say something to her sister, who would then say something to her son, Stephen, who was Mercy’s husband.
Mercy had said she’d try harder to overlook his flaws. But as far as Wilma could see, the flaws weren’t really flaws. It was a real problem that Mercy let a few silly or tiresome jokes get under her skin. Stephen was such a good man, and Mercy wasn’t appreciating him.
Wilma had done her best to counsel her daughter while she’d been visiting for the birth of their second child. She’d done her best. The last thing she wanted was Mercy leaving her husband and coming back to live at the orchard with her two young children.
What would people think?
It would be scandalous.
What’s more, they’d blame her for not raising Mercy to be a good wife.
It would be shameful.
The best place for Mercy was with her husband.
As Wilma folded the bath towels, her mind traveled back some years to when Mercy was desperate to marry even though she was only eighteen. Mercy wouldn’t listen to anyone.
She’d been determined to marry, and Ada had encouraged her by bringing Stephen there, telling Mercy that he’d suit her perfectly. By the time he arrived, Mercy had worked herself up into such a state that she nearly had fallen in love with him before she’d met him.
Mamm unpinned the last towel and folded it and placed it in the laundry basket, then she took the whole load inside.
When she walked into the kitchen to place the basket on the table, she knew that they’d fooled Cherish just like they’d planned.
“Oh, Mamm, do you know what they just did to me?”
Mamm smiled. “I do. Now, who’s going to put this lot away? The washing won’t fold itself.”
Cherish glanced at the basket. “It’s already folded.”
“I mean it won’t put itself away. Ada and I want to get on with the quilt.”
Cherish stood up. “Fenella and I’ll do it.”
“Relax, Aunt Wilma. I could’ve got that washing in for you,” Debbie said. “You look tired. The trip must’ve taken a lot out of you.”
“I’m fine. Denke, Debbie. Denke, everyone.”
“I’ll make you and Ada a hot cup of tea. How’s that?” Cherish said.
Wilma nodded. “Okay. That would be nice.”
“And I’m doing that because you didn’t fool me like these two did.”
Mamm managed another smile.
“C’mon, Wilma. Let’s go before she changes her mind.” Ada stood up.
Wilma and Ada walked into the living room and settled down to start some sewing.
“What’s wrong with you?” Ada asked, looking up from threading her needle.
“Oh nothing.”
“You’ve not been yourself since our trip. Cherish is right. You seem so deflated.”
Mamm sighed and then reminded herself of how Mercy kept sighing. “I just miss the babies, that’s all.”
“So do I, but I’m not moping about. Life goes on.”
“You and I are very different.”
“No, we’re not!”
Wilma looked over at her. “We’re not?”
“Just a minute.” Ada held her tongue between her teeth, while she held the needle up to the light to thread it. Once it was done, she looked back at Wilma. “Nee. We’re the same. Why do you think we’ve been friends for forty years?”
“I suppose I’m very similar to you in many ways.”
Ada gave a nod. “Exactly, and more than many. We’re similar in most ways. Don’t you think so?”
Ada was too intense sometimes. Wilma wanted to change the subject and the only way to move on was to agree with her. “I guess so.”
“That’s right. So cheer up. You have other babies here and other daughters. Just visit Joy more. Play with Faith.”
“It’s very hard when we’re so busy. I could ask that she bring Faith here more often. And I’ll ask Florence if she’ll bring Iris over once in a while. She’s always taking Iris over for Christina to look after, but I could look after her.”
“That’s the way. And soon Debbie will be bringing a new life into the home.”
“She will. That’s true.” Wilma knew she’d have to look happy or Ada might start asking more questions. The last thing she wanted was for Ada to learn that Mercy had expressed a desire to return to the orchard… without Stephen.
Ada looked through to the kitchen at Cherish. “Why isn’t she working in the orchard today?”
“She hurt her foot, and Fenella’s got women’s issues and that gave her a bad headache.”
“Always some excuse for Cherish. I can’t speak for Fenella. Maybe Fenella’s excuse is real. If you ask me, Cherish just wants to play with her birds all day. That’s what she’s doing now. What about our tea? Has she forgotten?”
“She’s probably boiling the water.”
“Give her some sit-down chores. Surely you’ve got some of those, jah?”
Wilma leaned over and saw Cherish talking to the birds instead of putting away the towels. Then she saw Cherish walking away. “She’s making our tea now. I will give her some more chores when it comes time for the meals. She can help prepare them.”
“You’re too easy on her. If I were you, I’d still send her out into the orchard, sore foot or no sore foot. Surely she’d be able to be of some help.”
Wilma said, “She does love those birds.”
“That’s your fault for buying her another one.”
“Maybe it’s your fault for letting Timmy out.”
The sewing dropped into Ada’s lap.
Wilma regretted it as soon as she had let the words escape her lips.
“How can you say that? You know how bad I felt for letting Timmy out. It was a total accident. All I was doing was trying to help this family by cleaning his cage. I know how the bird upsets you, and his mess even more so.”
Wilma breathed out heavily. “I’m sorry. I’m just upset today. I know it wasn’t your fault, but it wasn’t really hurting anything to get her that new bird. Timmy’s squawking has improved since we got Tommy, and Cherish is keeping up with the seed that scatters on the floor.”
Ada recommenced her sewing. “No, you shouldn’t have said that to me. That’s why I know how upset you are over missing the babies. I’m upset too, but I don’t let it ruin my life. And, I don’t let it make me open my mouth and say mean things.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be all right soon. I probably just need a good sleep.”
The birds chirped loudly. Ada yelled out, “I thought you said they wouldn’t do that when there was more than one of them.”
“Oh, Ada, they’re just having fun,” Cherish yelled out from the kitchen.
Fenella walked into the room. “The towels are put away.”
“How are you feeling now, Fenella?”
“About the same. I’m struggling not to lie down. I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“Come and sit down and help us sew this quilt. We’ll need to all work on it as much as we possibly can.”
“Okay. Sometimes I feel worse when I lie down. Sewing might help.”
Cherish walked into the room with a tray of tea items and a plate of cookies. “Fenella has put the towels away. I heard you both talking about the new bird. Thanks so much, Mamm, for getting Tommy. Timmy is so much happier.”
“I hope you’ve forgiven me for letting Timmy out. It was an accident, you know,” Ada said to Cherish.
“I know. I do forgive you and I did at the start.”
“I’m just glad he came back. Gott sent Debbie out into the orchard at the exact place where he was. It was all our prayers that directed him to Debbie.”
“It was.”
“And,” Mamm said, “Cherish ends up with what she wanted. Two birds.”
“That’s right. Now, what shall I sew?” Cherish asked, just as Fenella reached for a cookie.
Fenella said, “I do a lot of sewing at home.”
“Good, then your day won’t be wasted. That goes for you too, Cherish. I’ve got items ready for you there on that table. You two can sew the crimson and the green together. Do it with your very best stitches. Once we’re all done, we’ll piece it together and we can put it on the table and sew at the same time. I love doing that. It brings back many good memories of my younger days.”
Cherish picked up the patches of fabric that Ada had organized into groups. “I wasn’t thinking of using my second-best stitches.” Cherish sat next to her mother and picked up a needle and measured off a length of thread.
“What do you mean?” Ada asked.
“You said to use my best stitches.”
“Oh. Well, just do your best is what I meant.”
Then Debbie walked into the room. “Can I help?”
Soon, the five of them were sitting down, working on the quilt.
“Where have Levi and Samuel gone?” Cherish inquired.
“They’ve gone out with Matthew. I don’t know where they were going.”
“Me either,” added Mamm.
“Why aren’t they helping with the harvest?” Fenella asked.
Ada pursed her lips. “It seems they thought something else was more important.”
Cherish threaded her needle. “I wonder what that would be, and why didn’t they ask me and Fenella to go with them?”
Mamm said, “Because they’re men. They go off and do men’s things. They’re probably repairing someone’s barn or helping mend a fence.”
“Jah, and I’m sure you’d rather stay here than do that, Cherish,” Ada said.
“You’re right about that. I could do it, though. I’ve been good at everything I’ve tried. I’ve helped Florence repair the fences. It’s not that hard.”
Mamm raised her eyebrows and kept sewing.
