The Promise of Easter by Marta Perry

Author:Marta Perry [Perry, Marta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

When they reached the back porch steps, Anna realized she was still holding Matt’s arm—with no good reason, because he was walking fine now. She dropped her hand, pressing it into her skirt and hoping the heat she felt in her cheeks didn’t show.

She hurried ahead of him into the kitchen. Just Mammi and the grandparents were there, making her suppose that Micah had been taken off for a private talk with Daadi.

“There you are at last.” Mammi rushed at Matt, grabbing him in something between a hug and a shake. “You sit right down here and have some gut hot coffee. Something to eat, maybe a big slab of shoofly pie?”

Anna could see Matt lose his color a little at the mention of shoofly pie, but he let her push him into a seat at the table.

“Coffee, denke. Nothing else.”

Mammi looked about to urge something more on him, but Anna managed to catch her eye. She gave the tiniest shake of her head, and Mammi backed off and began to pour out coffee, the pot rattling as if she couldn’t quite control her hands.

Anna took a cup for herself and put one in front of Matthew, giving him a reassuring smile before turning to fetch milk and sugar. With her back turned to the table, she took a couple of deep breaths. At least Mammi hadn’t seen what she had, looking up and seeing Matt clinging to the barn wall like a fly, holding Micah safe against him.

“What possessed that boy?” As usual when she was upset, Grossmammi was scolding. “Micah’s old enough to know better.”

“It was my fault.” Grossdaadi sagged in his chair. “I never should have told him that story about James trying to climb the barn roof. What was I thinking?” He rubbed his face with his palms, as if trying to scrub away the image of Micah.

“Don’t be so foolish, old man.” She turned the scolding on Grossdaadi. “He needs to hear the family stories. Nobody would think he’d go and try it all alone.”

“We love your stories, Grossdaadi.” Anna reached across the table to rub her hand down his sleeve. “You can’t ever stop telling them. How will we keep all our memories if you don’t?”

Grossdaadi patted her hand. “You’re a gut girl, Anna. But it was foolish of me. It was my fault.”

“Now that’s plain ferhoodled,” Matt said firmly. “He’s a boy, and he’s going to take risks.” He paused, seeming to remember some examples, though she didn’t know if the examples would be from his own life or her brother’s.

“He was thinking he should do what his bruder did,” Anna said. “James climbed up there, so he had to try it, too. Daadi will make sure he knows how silly that was.”

“And that he remembers it,” Mammi said. She patted Grossdaadi’s shoulder. “Whenever something bad happens, we all think we’re to blame, but he certain sure didn’t go up there just because of what you said.”

“He was feeling his oats,” Matt said, his voice easing.

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