Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [29]
CHAPTER 7
Somehow, Katy survived the rest of her week without any major setbacks. She had cleaned under Tyler’s cluttered bed again so that he could find his BB gun, and she had glued the plastic palm trees to the artificial turf for his science project without getting called a pilgrim. Tammy had kept her word so that Katy hadn’t had to enter Addison’s dance studio. Katy also survived Sean Brooks. He’d been polite and had even surprised her by seeking out the children instead of the beverage shelf of his refrigerator. To her further astonishment, he’d acted much like her own father might with her siblings, tossing Addison in the air and tussling with Tyler.
On Friday morning, she’d gone to work her half day for Mrs. Cline at the Plain City retirement home, where her most challenging job had been changing the ceiling fan’s lightbulbs without falling off the rickety ladder.
“I’m sure it was as old as its employer,” Katy now joked to her family over the noonday meal, but nobody laughed because their attention was riveted upon Lil’s unexpected appearance. Katy noticed that Lil had a glint in her eyes that warned of trouble.
“Hi, second fam.” Lil scooted into a vacant chair.
“Hi Lil. What’s cookin'?” Katy’s dad asked, as he had every time he’d seen her since she’d started culinary school.
“Fix yourself a plate,” Katy’s mom invited.
“Thanks but I already ate. Baked a cake to celebrate.” She removed the plastic cover to reveal a double-layer chocolate cake, one of Vernon Yoder’s favorites. “Just thought I’d drop by the bids for the doddy house.”
At her offhanded announcement, Katy’s heart flip-flopped. In spirit, she shook Lil for not showing her the bid first. Sometimes Lil didn’t have an iota of common sense.
Lil must have read her mind, for she winked at her. Her impetuous friend, as always, seemed in full control of the situation. Lil knew the sum of Katy’s savings account as well as she did, so the bid must be reasonable. Still, as owner of that savings account, shouldn’t Katy have had the first say in the matter? Then again, Lil had been smart enough to catch her father resting with a full belly.
Katy jumped up and looked over her dad’s shoulder. She was unable to mask her widening smile as he shuffled through the paperwork. It was a surprisingly low bid. “We can handle that, Dad.” Katy moved back beside Lil to watch his expression as he silently read through the contract again, more meticulously the second time.
Lil’s hand clutched hers, and Katy squeezed, perhaps loving her friend more fiercely than ever before.
Her dad tapped the papers on the table, straightening their edges, and handed them back to Lil. “I hate to see the way the world is changing. Now more than ever, you need to learn responsibility. But I have to wonder if this venture will take away from your purpose in life.”
“What purpose?” Katy asked, before Lil could blurt out that her purpose was to become a famous chef.
“Marrying and raising a family.”
Of course. That purpose. Katy wet her lips. “We hope to someday marry, but we don’t even have prospects.” She saw her dad’s brows arch and had to backpedal, “Oh. There’s David. But you know what I mean.”
“He’s a nice young man,” her mom interjected. Suddenly Katy wondered how her mom knew that.
Then her dad went on. “It pleases me that you both have jobs that are preparing you for marriage. You cook and clean and babysit. Suitable occupations for single Mennonite girls.” Then he pointed his carpenter-rough finger at them. “You are both good catches. And Megan, she’s a good girl, too.”
Katy felt Lil tense and hoped she wouldn’t blurt out an objection. Lil hated any hint of female suppression or submission; in fact they often joked about the S word even if it was a major part of their beliefs. Women were supposed to respect their husbands