Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman Page A
Authors: Beth Wiseman
two weeks anyway. I named you Helen.”
Linda smiled. “Can I look at them?”
“Of course.” Josie scooted her chair close to Linda. She wanted to put her arm around her, to hold her close. But just sitting next to her daughter, in her home, would be enough for now.
Linda giggled, and Josie’s insides warmed like that of a proud mother. “That’s me?” her daughter asked. “I look like a frog!” She laughed again.
Josie playfully poked her in the arm, smiling ear to ear. “Don’t you dare say that about my beautiful baby! You did not look like a frog. You were beautiful, still are.” She took a chance and put her arm around Linda, and instantly she felt Linda stiffen up and edge forward in the chair. Josie eased her arm back down to her side and refused to let that small thing derail the wonderful time they were having.
“Look at you there.” Josie pointed to a picture of herself holding Linda on her aunt’s couch, with her arm stretched wide. “I held the camera out and took that picture of us, that’s why it looks kinda odd.”
“You’re so young.” Linda turned toward Josie, frowning.
Josie stared at the picture. She remembered buying the disposable camera and hiding it from her aunt. Aunt Laura had thought it best for Josie not to keep any pictures of the baby, but Josie took pictures of Linda every chance she could. “I was your age. Seventeen. Almost eighteen.”
“I’ll be eighteen in August.”
Josie smiled. “I know.” She choked back tears as she thought that perhaps this year she would light candles and sing to her baby in person. To Helen. To Linda.
“I like the name Helen.”
“I like the name Linda too.” Josie watched her flip through the photos, slowly, as if memorizing each and every one.
When she looked at the last picture, she turned to Josie, her expression serious. “Did it hurt? To have a baby?”
“They say you forget about the pain, and I guess that’s true, but I do remember it being rather painful.” Josie handed Linda another photo album. “This one is pictures of me, before you were born. It was my sixteenth birthday.”
Josie watched in awe as Linda smiled and studied the photos. “I look like you, no?”
“Yes, you do.” She covered her mouth with her hand and fought the knot building in her throat.
Josie watched Linda scan each and every photo album and answered all her questions about those in the pictures. It took over an hour for her to go through them all.
“ Danki ,” she said when she closed the last album.
“You’re very welcome. Do you want to go to Katie’s Kitchen now?”
“ Ya .”
Josie left the albums on the table, found her purse, and they headed out the door. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“ Ya .” Linda smiled as her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. “His name is Stephen Ebersol.”
“Oh, I’d like to hear all about him at lunch, if you’d like to tell me.”
“ Ya , I would.”
Linda was glowing, and Josie knew that this was the happiest day of her life. And since the doctors had told her to enjoy each and every day she still had, that is exactly what she planned to do.
6
M ARY E LLEN PACKED A BASKET WITH A LOAF OF ZUCCHINI bread, two loaves of regular homemade bread, and a generous supply of raisin puffs. Her nephew, David, loved the fluffy cookies rolled in cinnamon and sugar. She knew Lillian was racing back and forth between her own home and her Maam’s so she could help take care of Jonas and Lizzie. It was a small offering, but if Mary Ellen were honest with herself, she also needed the distraction to keep her thoughts from venturing to Linda and Josephine.
She hitched up the spring buggy, loaded the basket in the back, and headed to Lillian and Samuel’s. On the way, though, she barely noticed the gentle breeze and colorful foliage. Every time she thought about Linda and Josephine spending the day together, her stomach twisted in knots. And she wondered how Abe’s conversation was going
Linda smiled. “Can I look at them?”
“Of course.” Josie scooted her chair close to Linda. She wanted to put her arm around her, to hold her close. But just sitting next to her daughter, in her home, would be enough for now.
Linda giggled, and Josie’s insides warmed like that of a proud mother. “That’s me?” her daughter asked. “I look like a frog!” She laughed again.
Josie playfully poked her in the arm, smiling ear to ear. “Don’t you dare say that about my beautiful baby! You did not look like a frog. You were beautiful, still are.” She took a chance and put her arm around Linda, and instantly she felt Linda stiffen up and edge forward in the chair. Josie eased her arm back down to her side and refused to let that small thing derail the wonderful time they were having.
“Look at you there.” Josie pointed to a picture of herself holding Linda on her aunt’s couch, with her arm stretched wide. “I held the camera out and took that picture of us, that’s why it looks kinda odd.”
“You’re so young.” Linda turned toward Josie, frowning.
Josie stared at the picture. She remembered buying the disposable camera and hiding it from her aunt. Aunt Laura had thought it best for Josie not to keep any pictures of the baby, but Josie took pictures of Linda every chance she could. “I was your age. Seventeen. Almost eighteen.”
“I’ll be eighteen in August.”
Josie smiled. “I know.” She choked back tears as she thought that perhaps this year she would light candles and sing to her baby in person. To Helen. To Linda.
“I like the name Helen.”
“I like the name Linda too.” Josie watched her flip through the photos, slowly, as if memorizing each and every one.
When she looked at the last picture, she turned to Josie, her expression serious. “Did it hurt? To have a baby?”
“They say you forget about the pain, and I guess that’s true, but I do remember it being rather painful.” Josie handed Linda another photo album. “This one is pictures of me, before you were born. It was my sixteenth birthday.”
Josie watched in awe as Linda smiled and studied the photos. “I look like you, no?”
“Yes, you do.” She covered her mouth with her hand and fought the knot building in her throat.
Josie watched Linda scan each and every photo album and answered all her questions about those in the pictures. It took over an hour for her to go through them all.
“ Danki ,” she said when she closed the last album.
“You’re very welcome. Do you want to go to Katie’s Kitchen now?”
“ Ya .”
Josie left the albums on the table, found her purse, and they headed out the door. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“ Ya .” Linda smiled as her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. “His name is Stephen Ebersol.”
“Oh, I’d like to hear all about him at lunch, if you’d like to tell me.”
“ Ya , I would.”
Linda was glowing, and Josie knew that this was the happiest day of her life. And since the doctors had told her to enjoy each and every day she still had, that is exactly what she planned to do.
6
M ARY E LLEN PACKED A BASKET WITH A LOAF OF ZUCCHINI bread, two loaves of regular homemade bread, and a generous supply of raisin puffs. Her nephew, David, loved the fluffy cookies rolled in cinnamon and sugar. She knew Lillian was racing back and forth between her own home and her Maam’s so she could help take care of Jonas and Lizzie. It was a small offering, but if Mary Ellen were honest with herself, she also needed the distraction to keep her thoughts from venturing to Linda and Josephine.
She hitched up the spring buggy, loaded the basket in the back, and headed to Lillian and Samuel’s. On the way, though, she barely noticed the gentle breeze and colorful foliage. Every time she thought about Linda and Josephine spending the day together, her stomach twisted in knots. And she wondered how Abe’s conversation was going