Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [100]
“Can I leave the door open for a minute?”
“Sure. You need my help?”
“Nope.”
She soon heard a plunk in the kitchen. Then the door closed. Then a shuffling, and he manhandled the green-striped armchair into the room, lowering it in a vacant place off to her right. “Where you want it?”
“Move it about three feet to your left. Though we both know Lil will change it later.”
He chuckled, moved the chair, then flung himself down. “Nice,” he said, leaning back and making himself at home. Then suddenly he jumped up. “Oh sorry. Forgot how dirty I am. I came straight from work.”
“You’re fine,” she said uncharacteristically, too weak to bother with protecting the chair. “I could use some company.”
He glanced at her novel and sat more tentatively on the edge of the chair. “Wish you weren’t under the weather. I’m playing basketball later. Could use a fan.”
She thought about his flamboyant dunks. “Yes, I suppose you could.”
“Next time.” He took off his hat, set it on his lap. His wavy black hair stuck up in disarray, and she figured with her bed head, they made a pair of bookends about now. He fiddled with its brim. “We’re good. You and me. Right?”
She gave him a wry smile. “I’m tolerating you pretty good, yeah.”
He grinned. “Here it is, then. Mom wanted me to ask you if you’d like to clean for her.”
Katy grew serious. “Yes, but …” Her voice softened. “As you know, watching Minnie is a full-time—”
“She’d take Minnie with her. She knows Gram is a handful and thought that arrangement might work better. Mom could use the help.”
“Of course, I’ll do it. I’m just relieved that Ann would still want me.”
“She does.” He grinned. “So do I.”
CHAPTER 29
The elders of the Big Darby Conservative Mennonite Church came up with their revised head-covering ruling and took it to the congregation for a vote. The new decree stated that a woman should wear a head covering of an unpretentious style to public meetings of worship and prayer. It was approved. Outside of that, the wearing of the head covering was a personal matter for a woman. Or if married, between a couple.
The new ordinance held no surprises, and neither did Katy’s interpretation of it. Since she’d became a Christian at church camp all those years earlier, prayer had become a natural habit for her whether it was congregational prayer, devotional prayers, or one-word prayers of praise or agony shot heavenward at various unplanned moments throughout the day. And she wasn’t going to be caught uncovered and unable to commune with God whenever she pleased or needed. The only time she removed her covering was when she showered or slept. She figured the water would be her covering in the shower, and her bedding would serve at night. She’d taken to heart her own mother’s advice on those two exceptions. As far as Katy was concerned, she was covered. The Lord knew her heart, and she was set on doing her part to please Him.
After the official vote, she determined to put the painful issue out of her mind. She didn’t want to stir up coals of anger against her church family who had disappointed her by voting down her precious tradition. There was nothing left for her to do but tamp down her feelings. It was the nonresistant way, the Mennonite way.
Even though Katy had initiated that moment when Lil quit wearing the covering around home, sometimes Lil’s uncovered head still shocked her and caused a niggling of anger to resurface. When that happened, Katy rehashed their conversation and forced herself to consider Lil’s point of view. She didn’t want her friend to wear it hypocritically. But as the days passed, Katy found it easier just to stuff her feelings.
Even so, the first time she went to clean the Byler residence, she primed herself to be ready for the unexpected. If the female members of Jake’s family were bareheaded, she would simply disregard it. Jake had already explained how they felt about Minnie, and as for Ann, it wasn’t Katy’s place to fret about her decision. She needed to let it go so that