The Gift (5 page)

After she’d been working on him nearly half an hour, his color improved and he seemed to be breathing better. “I’d like to see Abe again in a few days,” Leah said. “But do keep an eye on him, and if he gets any worse, please don’t hesitate to take him to the doctor. I’m sure your church district will help financially.”

“Danki, Leah. I appreciate what you’ve done.” Tears welled in Kathryn’s eyes as she placed a few dollars in the jar on Leah’s table.

Leah touched the woman’s hand. “You’re welcome.”

When the Bylers left, Leah went to the kitchen to see if her mother needed help with anything.

“If you have time, would you mind running an errand for me?” Mom asked.

“Sure. I don’t have anyone scheduled for a foot treatment until this afternoon. Where did you want me to go?”

“I need a few things from Rockome Garden Foods.” Mom handed Leah a list. “I’d go myself, but I’m in the middle of making bread and don’t want to leave it.”

Leah thought about offering to finish the bread but decided it would be more enjoyable to take a buggy ride. Besides, she usually found a few things to buy at the store, and it would be fun to browse. “No problem, Mom. I’ll go there right now.”

Arcola

As Adam headed down the road in the direction of Rockome Garden Foods, he made sure to keep a tight rein on his horse, because for some reason the normally docile animal wanted to run at full speed. Maybe it was the smell and feel of summer that caused Flash to be so frisky. Sunny days like today certainly put a spring in Adam’s step, so why wouldn’t they have the same effect on his horse? The way Flash was acting, his name truly fit.

Since both of Adam’s employees were working at the hardware store, he had decided it would be a good time to do some grocery shopping. His cupboards were getting bare, and there wasn’t much in the refrigerator. If he didn’t restock, he would either have to eat supper at one of the local restaurants this evening or get by on crackers and cheese. Of course, Adam could have gone to one of the other stores closer to his home, but he liked going to Rockome because they had a good selection of canned goods, butter, cheese, pastas, and bulk foods—not to mention all the baked goods and homemade candy. Adam’s mouth watered just thinking about the cookies and sweet breads he planned to buy.

“If you had a wife, she’d cook and bake for you.”
Adam shook his head, thinking about what his sister had said the last time they’d talked on the phone. Mary was determined to see Adam married, and he was just as determined to remain single.

Who needs a wife?
Adam thought.
I’m perfectly capable of washing my own clothes, cooking, and cleaning.
If he were completely honest with himself, he’d have to admit that he wasn’t the best cook or the tidiest housekeeper. He got by, though, and he was fine with that. Of course, no wife meant having no children or future grandchildren. It also meant he’d be a lonely bachelor for the rest of his life, without the warmth, companionship, or love of a woman. But even if he found someone and fell in love, how could Adam trust her not to break his heart the way his mother had broken his dad’s? Adam never wanted his children to go through life feeling like they were unwanted. No child deserved that.

No,
Adam told himself,
even if I have to spend the rest of my life in solitude, I’ll be better off alone.

When Rockome Garden Foods came into view, Adam directed Flash into the parking lot and up to the hitching rack. After he’d made sure the horse was secure, he headed into the store.

It took awhile to get everything on his list, and as he was heading to the checkout counter, he remembered he still needed some honey.

Hurriedly, he headed back to the aisle where several varieties of honey were located and picked one off the shelf. It slipped out of his hand and smashed on the floor. “Oh no!” he groaned. “This is not what I need today.”

Using the toe of his boot, Adam pushed the broken glass aside and rushed to the front counter, where he told the clerk what had happened. “Do you have something I can put the broken glass in?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about that,” she said, smiling. “I’ll get one of the other clerks to take care of it.”

Just then, Adam spotted Leah entering the store.

Leah was looking over her mother’s list when she glanced up and saw Adam standing near the checkout counter.
Oh, great. I hope he doesn’t say anything to me.

Hurrying, she zipped down the pasta aisle, grabbing a bag of noodles, the first item on Mom’s list. She turned and was about to head down the canned-goods aisle when she stepped in something gooey. Her feet slipped out from under her, and down she went.

“Ach, my!” Leah gasped, seeing that she had sticky honey on her hands, knees, and the lower part of her dress. Then she noticed the broken glass pushed off to one side, nearly hidden under the bottom shelf. Someone must have either knocked the jar off the shelf or picked the honey up and dropped it.

As Leah attempted to get back on her feet, she heard Adam’s voice.

“Are you all right?”

She looked up and grimaced when she saw him staring down at her. “I—I’m not hurt. I just slipped in some honey.”

“That’s my fault,” he mumbled, extending his hand to Leah. “I dropped a jar a few minutes ago. The clerk said she would ask someone to clean it up, but I guess you got here first.”

Despite her best efforts, Leah couldn’t seem to stand on her own, so she reached up and clasped Adam’s hand. It was surprisingly warm, and as he helped her stand, she noticed his look of concern.

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Adam’s tone seemed sincere.

“I’m fine. Just a sticky mess.” Leah let go of Adam’s hand and noticed that she’d transferred some of the honey onto his hand, too.

“I’m really sorry.” He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh, now look what I’ve done.”

Leah held her breath, gazing at the sticky goo that had shifted from Adam’s fingers to his hair, making it clump in several places. He stood several seconds with a peculiar expression; then he burst out laughing. It was the first time Leah had heard him laugh, and she couldn’t keep from giggling herself.

“We’re a mess, aren’t we?” Leah grew serious, trying to contain her laughter. “Anyway, it’s not your fault. If someone said they’d clean it up, they should have followed through.”

“I’m sure they were planning to,” Adam said. “This just happened right before you got here.”

“Well, I’m glad it was me who fell and not some elderly person. Besides, I didn’t get cut by the broken glass, and that’s a good thing.” Leah looked down at her hands and groaned. She really was a sticky mess, and wondered how she would ever get all that honey off her shoes, not to mention her dress. “I’d better head to the restroom and get cleaned up,” she said.

“Jah, me, too.”

“Danki for your help, Adam.”

When Adam nodded, Leah noticed that he was smiling, as though trying to hold back more laughter. Was that smirking because he thought she looked funny, or was it just a friendly smile? Maybe Adam had an agreeable side that she hadn’t seen before. Well, there was no time to figure it out now. After she got cleaned up, she needed to get her shopping done quickly, because she had two more people coming for foot treatments this afternoon. Her shoes sticking to the floor with each step she took, Leah tiptoed her way to the restroom. She hoped someone would get the mess cleaned up soon, because she was making sticky spots all the way to the bathroom.
I hope Adam doesn’t have any trouble washing that honey out of his hair,
she thought, suppressing another giggle.

Arthur

A
dam glanced out the window of his store and grimaced. Several soda pop cans were strewn about the parking lot, as if someone had just pitched them out the window of their vehicle. Most likely some thoughtless Englisher’s action, but then it could have been done by one of the local Amish youth. The litter made his business look scruffy, so he needed to dispose of it right away.

“I’m going outside to pick up some aluminum cans,” he told Ben Otto, his newest employee.

Ben looked up from behind the counter where he’d been waiting on an elderly Amish woman. “Want me to get ’em?”

“No, that’s okay; I’ll take care of it.” It was getting hot and stuffy inside the store, even with the overhead ceiling fans that were run by a diesel air compressor, so this was a good excuse for Adam to get some fresh air.

“I’ll keep an eye on things in here.” Ben ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair. “I enjoy working in your store, Adam, and I appreciate you giving me this job.”

“And I appreciate everything you do.” Adam was glad he’d hired Ben. The twenty-three-year-old Amish man had a good work ethic. Adam had quickly discovered that he could depend on Ben, who aimed to please.

When Adam stepped outside, the heat and humidity almost took his breath away. Not even a hint of a breeze was blowing. So much for the fresh air he was hoping to find. No wonder it had gotten so hot and stuffy inside the store. It was the middle of July, so warm temperatures could be expected. But this extraordinary heat surprised him.

Gathering up the empty cans, Adam tossed them into the recycle bin. Then he headed around to the back of the store to make sure his and Ben’s horses had plenty of water. He’d built a lean-to for the animals so they had enough shade inside the small corral. Adam’s other employee, Henry Raber, usually rode his bike to work, but today Henry hadn’t come in because he’d pulled a muscle in his shoulder yesterday while picking up a heavy sack of cement at the close of work. Adam had suggested that Henry take today off and see one of their local chiropractors. Hopefully he’d done that and would find relief. Adam figured they could get by without Henry for a few days, but so far this summer, business had been brisk. He couldn’t afford to be shorthanded for any length of time.

Try not to worry about it,
he told himself.
As Dad used to say, “Just take one day at a time.” What was that verse Dad always quoted? Oh, yeah, Matthew 6:34: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”

Adam glanced around the parking lot once more to be sure he hadn’t missed any cans or other litter. A few weeks ago, he’d discovered that someone had emptied their car’s ashtray in the planter box by the entrance door of the store. The planter had colorful petunias growing in it, so surely the person knew it wasn’t a container for waste. He wondered what would make someone get out of their car, walk up to the entrance door where the planter sat, and empty their cigarette butts. Adam didn’t know if he was being overly critical because of the way things were these days, but he sure wished folks would be more considerate.

Satisfied that the parking lot looked clean and inviting, he returned to the store. He found Ben waiting on their bishop, Levi Kauffman. Since Ben seemed to have everything under control, Adam started toward the other side of the store to see if he was getting low on any gardening tools. First though, he needed to make sure the dolly was readily available, because anytime now, the delivery truck should be pulling in with his most recent order. Various-sized bags of thistle and sunflower seed were due in today, which was good, since there wasn’t much left of either in the store right now.

Adam went to the storage room, which was in the rear of the building and led to the back door where deliveries were usually dropped off. He always liked to help the driver unload supplies, so he pushed the dolly over and left it sitting close to the back door. That would be one less thing to look for when the truck arrived.