Letters to Katie (28 page)
Cora didn’t say anything. Her bottom lip trembled. Finally she spoke. “What I need
is to go home.”
“Smells
appeditlich
,” Katherine said as she walked into the kitchen.
“Sounds like you got your appetite back.”
Mamm
placed a pot of soup on the table. “You’ve been surviving on toast and tea for the
past two days.” She went to Katherine, scanning her face. She smiled. “You have some
color to your cheeks too.”
“I am feeling better.” She sat at the table as Bekah brought over a plate of sliced
bread. “Maybe I’ll
geh
back to work tomorrow.”
“Don’t rush it.”
Daed
came in from the barn and washed up at the kitchen sink. “Rush what?”
“Work. There’s plenty of time for that.”
“Right.”
Daed
rubbed his hands together. “I’m starving, and this all looks
gut
.”
They bowed their heads for silent prayer. When they finished, her father passed around
the plate of warm bread slices.
Katherine took one, slathered a thick layer of butter on it, and wolfed it down.
After supper Katherine helped Bekah and
Mamm
clean the kitchen. She had just hung the dishtowel up to dry when someone knocked
on the front door. “I’ll get it,” Bekah said.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Katherine asked her mother.
Mamm
wiped the last of the crumbs off the table but didn’t look up.
“Nee.”
Bekah walked into the kitchen, her light brow furrowed. “It’s for Katherine. You won’t
believe who it is.”
“Johnny?” The name slipped out. She glanced at her mother.
“I certainly hope not.”
“David Esh,” Bekah said.
Mamm
stepped forward, suddenly smiling. “The bishop’s
gross-sohn
?”
“Ya.”
“What does he want?” Katherine asked.
“Why don’t you find out?” Her mother gave her a small shove toward the door. “Don’t
keep him waiting.”
Katherine entered the living room to see David standing by the door, holding a brown
paper bag in his hand. “Hi,” he said, his normally booming voice sounding restrained.
“Hi, David.” She peered at him, remembering how disappointed and impatient he had
been with her at the volleyball game last year. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard you weren’t feeling well.” He held out the bag. “Ice cream. Thought you might
like some.”
“Danki.”
She took the bag from him and peeked inside. “Vanilla.”
“I was gonna get chocolate, since
maed
seem to like chocolate. A lot.” He gave her a small smile. They stood there for a
moment. “We should probably eat it,” he said. “Before it melts.”
We?
Was this something else she didn’t remember? Surely she didn’t have two guys interested
in her.
“You probably think it’s
seltsam
that I’m here. But when I heard you weren’t hung up on Johnny anymore—”
“What?”
He took a step forward. “I figured you wouldn’t mind me dropping by.”
“I, uh . . .”
“I always thought you were pretty, Katherine.” David took another step closer. His
breath smelled like mint, as if he’d just chewed a piece of gum. He leaned forward,
his smile turning from shy to borderline lecherous. “After the ice cream we can
geh
for a walk. Just you and me.”
“David,” Bekah said, coming into the living room. “Nice to see you.”
“Bekah.” Annoyance entered his tone. He looked at Katherine. “So. How about it?”
“Katherine’s still not feeling all that great. I’m sure whatever you planned can wait.”
Bekah smoothly angled him toward the door. “We’re not supposed to let her get too
tired.”
“Eating ice cream’s not gonna wear her out.”
“You brought ice cream? That’s so sweet of you.” She opened the door and practically
shoved him outside. “We’ll see you later, when Katherine’s feeling better.”
“But—”
“Bye!” Bekah shut the door and leaned against it for a
second. Then she took the bag from Katherine. “What kind did he bring you?”
“That was rude.”
“A little. But you’re glad I got rid of him,
ya
?”
She nodded. “I’m not sure why he was here in the first place.”
“Well . . .”
Mamm
came into the living room, twisting the dishrag in her hands. “I might have told
a couple of
mei
friends that you were . . . available.”
“Mamm!”
“I didn’t think it would cause any harm. And you
are
available. I didn’t even know David Esh was interested in you.”
“David Esh is interested in everyone,” Bekah said. “He has a bit of a reputation.”
“He does?”
Mamm
gasped. “I don’t believe it.”
“Trust me. I just saved Katherine a whole world of pain and suffering. Now, how about
we dig into that ice cream?”
“Help yourself,” Katherine said, collapsing on the couch. “You earned it.”
Bekah left the room.
Mamm
sat down next to Katherine. “I’m sorry about David coming by here unannounced. But
I’m not sorry I said something to
mei
friends. I know you have this
bu
Isaac now—”
“
Mamm
. Please. I don’t even remember him.”
“But you can’t put your eggs in one basket. You’ve wasted enough time doing that.”
Bekah came back in the room, ice cream piled high in a huge bowl. “Found this in the
stack of mail in the kitchen.” She handed Katherine an envelope.
“Another letter from Isaac?”
Mamm
asked.
Katherine nodded.
“It’s only been two days since the last one,”
Mamm
said. She rose and smiled. “He must be writing you every day. See what happens, Katherine,
when you give other people a chance?”
Katherine didn’t respond. Anything she said would fall on deaf ears.
Mamm
didn’t seem to care who wanted to court her, as long as it wasn’t Johnny Mullet.
Bekah took her ice cream outside while Katherine went upstairs. She looked at the
letter for a long time, unsure about opening it. Shouldn’t she be eager to read the
contents? Finally she opened it to find another letter almost identical to the last
one, except for a little more detail about the alpaca farm he and his father were
working. Once again he invited her to write him back.
Instead she put the letter back in the envelope and went downstairs.
Her father had come back inside and was seated in his chair in the corner of the room.
An open newspaper lay on his stomach, which slowly lifted up and down with his soft
breathing. She tiptoed past him.
“Katherine?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
He sat up in the chair and folded the paper. “I’d just drifted off. Who was here earlier?”
“David Esh.”
His father frowned. “There’s something off with that
bu
.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I’ve got a fifth sense about it.”
Katherine chuckled. “I think you mean sixth.”
“There’s the Katherine I’m used to.” Her father grinned. “Hon, you don’t need to be
worrying about dating right now.” He became serious. “Have you remembered anything?”
She shook her head.
“Maybe you’re not meant to.”
Katherine frowned. “Did something happen? In the past month, I mean? Something bad?”
“Not that I know of. I’m not talking about forgetting anything bad. Just that maybe
there are some memories that are okay to let go of.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe instead of worrying about what you missed, you should focus on the future.”
“What kind of future is that? To work at Mary Yoder’s for the rest of my life? To
live with you and
Mamm
forever?”
Or
alone?
“That’s not for me to say. Only God knows the future, Katherine. We just have to keep
putting one foot in front of the other.”
Through the front screen, the sound of a buggy pulling into the driveway caught their
attention. Now what? She went to the window and looked outside.
“Who is it?” her father asked.
“Johnny.” She let the curtain fall. What could he possibly want?
“Well. That’s interesting timing.”
Johnny halted his horse, bringing the buggy to a stop. But he didn’t get out right
away. He knew he wasn’t wanted here, at least by Katherine’s mother. But what if Katherine
didn’t want him either? He suddenly remembered the guy at Mary Yoder’s who had asked
her out. Isaac something, he couldn’t recall. What if things between her and Isaac
were serious?
She doesn’t owe you an explanation
.
He thought about what Mary Beth said a couple weeks ago. About being too late with
Katherine. While that always had been in the back of his mind, he never thought he’d
really have any competition for her affection. Or that he could possibly lose her
to someone else.
Hochmut
. Nothing but pride.
What a fool he was.
How could he make up for the pain he caused her? For the first time he understood
how she really felt. How much it had to hurt to know someone you loved was out of
reach, possibly forever. He had never tried to put himself in her place before. Now
he’d been forced there, and the guilt and regret overwhelmed him.
Somehow he would fix what was broken between them. He’d find a way not to lose her.
Panic overtook him, the same panic he’d experienced when she fainted, the helplessness
that consumed him when he saw her lying in the hospital bed, vulnerable and confused,
unable to remember certain things. She’d been through enough. He had to put her first
in his life.
Something he should have been doing all along.
He got out of the buggy and turned toward the house.
Right now. Right here. This was the first step, the moment when everything changed.
Katherine followed her father to the front porch. Johnny stepped up to meet them.
“John.” He held out his hand. “What brings you by?”
“I came to check on Katherine.” He shook her dad’s hand and looked at her. “How are
you doing?”