Mother For His Children, A by Jan Drexler Page B

us, can’t she?”
    Levi didn’t look her way as he gave his son a brief nod. “She can stay if she wants to.”
    â€œYou want to, don’t you, Ruthy?”
    She looked down into the little boy’s face. “ Ja, sure. I’ll make popcorn first, and then I’ll be in.”
    Martha had already gotten a heavy pan onto the stove and was building up the fire. Ruthy went down the chilly hall to the Dawdi Haus and changed into her everyday apron.
    An afternoon with the family would be fun. At home, the folks would be doing almost the same, sitting together in the front room. Sometimes they read together, but most often they sat and visited with whomever came by. She checked her kapp before going back to the kitchen and the warmth of the main house.
    â€œDoes Waneta often stay for the Singing?” Ruthy salted the fresh batch of popcorn Martha dumped into the clean dishpan.
    â€œShe went once or twice last summer, but no boy asked to bring her home.” Martha started another batch of popcorn. “I don’t know what made her decide to stay today.”
    If Martha hadn’t seen Waneta and Reuben talking together after church, Ruthy wasn’t going to be the one to spoil the surprise.
    â€œMaybe she heard someone special is going to be there.”
    â€œYou could have stayed with Elias and Waneta, couldn’t you?” Martha looked at her. “I mean, you’re still young enough, right?”
    Ruthy swallowed. Go to the Singing? Ne, she couldn’t.
    â€œI’d rather spend the afternoon here.” She salted the popcorn again. “I enjoy the rest.”
    Nathan and James stomped their feet on the back porch floor as they came in, adding to the happy confusion of voices drifting into the kitchen from the front room. At home the house was quieter, with only Ruthy and her parents there, but in the Zook household noise abounded.
    Ruthy smiled as she stirred melted butter into the popcorn. She liked it. She had always enjoyed visiting her cousins’ large family when she was growing up—something was always happening, and it seemed that no one was ever wanting for company there. The spoon in her hand slowed, and then came to a stop. She and Elam had talked of having a large family, but now those dreams were dead. All of her dreams had died with Elam’s betrayal.
    She shook her head, dispelling the thought.
    â€œHere’s the cider,” Martha said as David brought the jug up from the cellar. “I’ll take it into the front room and send Nancy and Nellie back for the cups.”
    â€œ Denki, Martha,” Ruthy said, dumping the last pan of popcorn into the dishpan. “We’ll bring the popcorn in right away.”
    She followed Martha into the front room, where the children were gathered in a circle on the floor and Levi sat in a chair near the stove with his feet on a stool.
    â€œRuthy, you sit here.” Sam patted the chair facing Levi’s on the other side of the stove.
    She hesitated, seeing a scowl on Nathan’s face.
    â€œ Ne , Sam,” he said, “that’s Mam’s chair.”
    â€œNathan, your mam doesn’t need it anymore.” Levi’s voice was quiet, but everyone in the room fell silent when he spoke.
    Ruthy looked from Nathan’s defiant face to Levi’s sad one. She wasn’t the only one who had lost dreams. The children’s mother hadn’t been gone long, and it wasn’t her intention to take the woman’s place.
    â€œI’d rather sit on the floor. I can reach the popcorn better if I do.”
    Sam snuggled up to her as she settled on the floor between him and Nellie. The little girl leaned toward her and Ruthy put her arm around her shoulders. Ach, what a family. The little ones missed their mother’s touch, but the big ones didn’t need cuddling anymore. She would need to remember to tread lightly around their feelings.
    Martha handed her a cup of