An Amish Christmas Kitchen by Leslie Gould

Author:Leslie Gould
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Amish—Fiction;Christian fiction;American;Christmas stories;FIC042050;FIC053000;FIC058000
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2017-07-18T00:00:00+00:00

By the time Rose returned from her dinner break, Ada was ready for her help. The sun had emerged from the gray clouds and turned the afternoon into a sparkling wonderland of snow. Shoppers, eager to find something special for Christmas, filled the little shop. Ada kept busy ringing up purchases on the cash register and serving cups of hot cider, while Rose took orders for furniture.

One couple, their last customers of the afternoon, purchased Ada’s favorite clock. She loved the stained-glass panels Dat had inserted into the tall case, depicting a pair of red cardinals.

“Cardinals mate for life,” said the Englisch woman, Mrs. Wilson. “I’ve always thought of them as a symbol of a long and happy marriage.”

Mr. Wilson winked at Ada as he handed Rose a card with their address on it. “Until I met Mary, I thought a marriage could either be long or happy, but not both. She proved me wrong.” He put an arm around his wife’s shoulders and gave her a gentle hug. “Guess how long we’ve been married.”

“Oh, Bert. It isn’t fair to put these girls on the spot like that.” Mrs. Wilson laughed as she gave her husband a loving look.

“I’ll guess,” said Rose. She grinned at the couple as she handed the receipt to Mr. Wilson. “I think you’ve been married for forty-five years.”

Mr. Wilson turned to Ada. “Now it’s your turn. What do you think?”

Ada concentrated, noting the comfortable way Mrs. Wilson laid her hand on her husband’s shoulder and the soft look in Mr. Wilson’s eyes.

“I think you’ve been married longer. Maybe fifty years?”

The couple looked at each other. “You’re both wrong,” said Mr. Wilson. “Our wedding was fifty-five years ago today.”

“You must have been very young,” Rose said.

Mrs. Wilson giggled. “We were. Bert joined the army before he graduated from high school, and we wanted to get married so I could go with him when he finished boot camp. He was eighteen and I was sixteen.”

“I was stationed all around the world. Germany, Iceland, Korea—”

“And I followed him all the way.” Mrs. Wilson’s eyes grew misty. “Until he was sent to Vietnam. Then I stayed behind, worrying and praying for two years before he came home.”

Ada couldn’t imagine living in a different country or having a husband who was fighting in a war. “Do you have children?” she asked.

Mrs. Wilson shook her head. “The Lord never blessed us with little ones, but he gave us each other.” She gave her husband another loving look. “This clock is very special. We first saw it in your shop here last summer and decided to save our money until we could buy it.”

“I hope you enjoy it for a long time,” Rose said as Mrs. Wilson buttoned her coat in preparation to leave.

The older woman didn’t answer, but a tear trickled down her cheek.

“Now, none of that,” Mr. Wilson scolded as he took her hand. “We promised each other there would be no tears today.” He looked at Rose and Ada, his own eyes glistening.

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