The Prodigal Son Returns. Jan Drexler

too sweet, remember.”

      “Ja, I remember. You say that every year.”

      “If I didn’t say it, it wouldn’t be right.”

      Ellie stirred the mixture and smiled at her sister. She was right. They had to do the same things the same way every year. It was tradition. “Do you think Susan and Rachel will make rhubarb juice together when they’re grown?”

      “That would be sweet, wouldn’t it?” Lovina smiled at the thought, then went back to cutting more rhubarb. “How are the strawberries doing?”

      Ellie stirred the rhubarb. Dat wouldn’t let them hear the end of it if she let them scorch. “Truth to tell, I’m awfully worried about them. It’s been so dry.”

      “Do you think they’ll last long enough for you to get berries from them next year?”

      “I hope so. I can’t bear to think what might happen if they don’t....”

      “What do you mean?”

      Ellie looked at Lovina. She could always share everything with her sister, but should she share this problem now?

      “Come on, Ellie. I know when you’re worried.” Lovina gave her a sudden, piercing look. “You spent all of your money on those plants, didn’t you?”

      Ellie nodded and went back to stirring the rhubarb.

      “You’re not in danger of losing your farm, are you?”

      “Ach, ne. As long as the Brennemans continue to pay their rent, I’ll be able to keep up on the taxes. It will just delay moving back there. If the plants don’t make it, I’ll lose the money I spent on them plus next year’s income from selling the berries.”

      “And the year after...”

      “I hoped by that time we’d be back home.”

      Lovina was silent as she sliced rhubarb.

      “Ellie, I haven’t said anything before...”

      Ellie looked at Lovina. “What is it?”

      “It’s been almost two years...”

      “Not yet. It’s been only a year.”

      Lovina’s mouth was a firm line as she turned to her. “It’s been longer than that. It will be two years in September. You keep talking about moving home as if you think that will make everything the same as it was.”

      Ellie turned back to the stewing rhubarb. “I just want to give the children what Daniel wanted for them.”

      “And what is that?”

      “You know, we’ve talked about it before.” Ellie turned to Lovina again and gestured with the spoon. “It’s what you and Noah have. Daniel never had a home. He was moved around between relatives until he came to Indiana to live with Hezekiah and Miriam. When he bought our farm, he was determined to give his children what he never had.”

      “Ellie.” Lovina’s voice was quiet. “You don’t have to do it. Things are different now. Daniel is—”

      “Daniel is gone. I know.” Ellie turned back to the rhubarb. She didn’t want Lovina to see the tears that threatened. “But I’m not, and his children aren’t. It’s up to me to see that his wishes are carried out.”

      “Have you thought about what he’d want now?”

      “What’s that?”

      “I think he’d want something more important for his children than a farm. Remember, something else he never had was a father. Don’t neglect that, Ellie.”

      Ellie kept her eyes on the pot of rhubarb. She couldn’t marry again. How could she bear to risk that again? Besides, her children had a father, didn’t they? She’d never let them forget Daniel.

      Silence filled the kitchen, along with the sour-sweet fragrance of cooking rhubarb.

      “I hear there’s a new man in the area.” Lovina kept her eyes on her knife as she said this.

      “Where did you hear that?”

      “Mam. Does he have a family?”

      “Ne, he’s single.” Mam would have told her that, too. She knew what was on Lovina’s mind.

      “Oh.” Lovina put a long lilt on that one word.

      Ellie groaned to herself. What else could she talk about?

      “Have you met him?” Lovina asked before Ellie could think of anything.

      “Ja, I have.”

      “And?”

      “And he’s very Englisch.”

      Lovina put her knife down and turned to Ellie. “Englisch?”

      “Well, he dresses Englisch. Dat says he’s been living in Chicago.”

      “Then what is he doing here?”

      Gut, maybe this Englischer in their midst bothered Lovina as much as it did her.

      “I don’t know, but Dat says he wants to be Amish again.”

      “What does Dat think? Is he serious about this?”

      “Ja. Dat says he is. He came by on Monday and bought Partner, that gelding Dat wanted to sell, and he was back again yesterday.”

      “So what do you think? Is he nice?”

      Ellie’s thoughts went to his eyes. She had been so rude to him, but those blue eyes had still smiled at her as if he could see right through her. Could he see what she was thinking? She felt her face grow hot. She hoped he couldn’t.

      “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t talked to him much.”

      “Much? Then you have talked to him.”

      “Ja, a little.”

      “What does Dat say?”

      “Dat likes him. He’s asked the family to give him a chance to be part of the community.” Ellie moved the pot of rhubarb to a cooler part of the woodstove as it started simmering. “But those Englisch clothes are so fancy, and he’s much too bold.” Ellie turned to Lovina. “You wouldn’t want an Englischer to spend too much time with Rachel, would you? Wouldn’t you be worried about how he might influence her?”

      Lovina was silent as she cut the next bunch of rhubarb into one-inch pieces. She dumped them into the bowl, then turned to Ellie.

      “I’d trust Dat. I know he’s never been wrong when it comes to a man’s character. Don’t you remember how everyone else thought Noah was wild and wouldn’t amount to anything?”

      Ellie remembered. Lovina’s husband had almost left the community during his Rumspringa, but had returned to be baptized and then married Lovina.

      “Dat never stopped having faith in him. Noah has told me that Dat’s support was the one thing that gave him the courage to come back home after his Rumspringa. Without someone believing in him...” Lovina picked up another bunch of rhubarb to cut. “Without someone believing in him, Noah might never have come home. If Dat thinks we should give this new man the same support, then I think we need to do it.”

      Was Lovina right? Ellie cut her rhubarb in silence. Was Bram the invasive weed that would ruin their lives, or was she wrong?

      She gave her head a decisive shake. As long as he wore those fancy clothes, she couldn’t trust him, no matter what Dat said.

      * * *

      “You got this plow for a good price.” Matthew ended his sentence with a grunt as he and Bram lifted the final piece of the dismantled equipment off the back of the wagon and onto Bram’s barn floor.

      Bram lifted the tailgate and fastened the latch.