Winter Blessings by Amy Clipston

Author:Amy Clipston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2018-11-21T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 5

Do you need help?”

Mandy looked at the far end of the porch as Katie Ann walked toward her the following morning. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, that’s a nice hello.” Katie Ann rested her hands on her hips.

“I’m sorry.” Mandy sighed as she hung another pair of her father’s trousers on the clothesline that stretched from the porch to the barn. “Gude mariye.” She frowned. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“I’m sure you didn’t.” Katie Ann joined her at the laundry basket, picked up another pair of trousers, and handed them to her. “I’m sorry about what happened. Mei mamm told me the news. Ephraim won’t talk to me, but he’s talked to both Mamm and Dat, so I know what’s been going on. Despite mei bruder telling me to stay out of this, I would have come to offer you my support yesterday. But we had to move Darlene and her family to our haus.”

“I know. Danki.” Mandy’s bottom lip quivered as she hung the trousers on the clothesline. “I don’t understand it. I thought my solutions made sense, but he got so upset, he broke up with me. As of today, I’m single again, and all my wedding plans were a waste.”

“Mei bruder is stubborn, pigheaded, ridiculous, or whatever word you want to use to describe him.” Katie Ann handed her the last pair of trousers. “Just give him time to understand what he’s done.”

Mandy hung the trousers on the line. “He was adamant that he’d never consider living here and working as a brickmason, and then he said I think I’m too gut to be a farmer’s fraa.” She looked down at the empty laundry basket and then at the full clothesline. “That’s not true. I can’t deny I’d like living here, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like living with your family. I just thought we had an option for giving you all a less stressful life.”

“I believe you, Mandy,” Katie Ann said.

“But I also keep thinking maybe this isn’t just him. It takes two for a relationship to work. Maybe I made a mistake, but if I did, I don’t know how to fix it. If I hurt him by accident, how do I fix what’s broken between us? My parents say I should talk to him and really listen, but I don’t know when he’ll be ready. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“Why don’t we go inside and have tea?” Katie Ann rubbed Mandy’s arm.

“Okay.” Mandy lifted the laundry basket and followed Katie Ann into the house.

After storing the basket in the utility room, Mandy filled the kettle and set it on the stove while Katie Ann took mugs and tea bags out of a cabinet. From upstairs her mother’s sewing machine chattered, telling her Mamm and Rhoda were busy working on projects for their customers. She set a container of iced oatmeal cookies on the counter and then pulled out sweetener and milk. Once the kettle whistled, Katie Ann filled the mugs and brought them to the table.

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