Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [9]
And hadn’t the outsiders’ Christmas decorations enthralled her? She pressed her lips together and straightened a fork. She hadn’t even felt ashamed. Then she relaxed. Her mind was just occupied with this doddy house problem. But she didn’t want to live among the outsiders, too. She liked the idea of a safe little place tucked in among her own people. She wished she could find a job with another Mennonite family.
“Katy!” Her mother’s sharp tone invaded her rambling thoughts.
“What?”
“I asked you before. Do you want to mash the potatoes or go round up your siblings?”
“Oh.” She glanced about confused.
“Karen helped me get supper started and took some clean laundry upstairs. She was going to work on a school report. Your brothers are out in the shop with your dad.” The woodworking shop, which now specialized only in cabinets, was located at the end of a long, piney lane. They owned one of the five-acre lots on a Plain City rural road where a farm had been subdivided. Mom wiped her hands on her apron and placed them on her hips. “Are you fretting over that job you lost?”
Katy nodded.
Glancing at the wall clock, Mom said, “The potatoes can wait another five minutes. Let’s sit a spell and talk.”
Katy sank into the closest chair with a sigh of relief. “It’s more than just the job.”
“Go on.”
“You know how I’ve been saving to move in with Lil and Megan?”
“Oh that crazy idea.” She gave a brush of her hand. “Go on.”
“Did you know Ivan Miller’s renting out their doddy house?”
“That old thing? There’s not even any electricity. Are you so eager to leave us that you’d live like your Amish cousins?”
“You know my friends and I have been planning this since we were little girls.”
Her mom poked at the pins securing her prayer covering. “I wish you were more concerned about finding someone to marry. If I know my daughters, and I do, then marriage will make you happy. That Miller boy keeps asking you out. He’s such a nice young man. What’s his name?”
With a sigh, Katy replied, “David. I can date even if I move into the doddy house, but you’re missing the point.”
“Okay. What’s the point?”
“Lil’s been working now for a month at a good job. I’ve got money saved, too. If we’re going to do this like we always dreamed, now’s the time. Before one of us does get a boyfriend and gets married.” She nibbled on her lip. “Only what if I don’t get another good-paying job? That’s what worries me. I need Dad’s permission, and I want this so much.”
Marie Yoder’s naturally bright eyes softened. “I see you’re serious about this.”
“I’m afraid if we don’t get this doddy house, Lil will push me to rent a city apartment.”
Her mom’s brown eyes widened, for she not only knew her daughters, but she knew a lot about their friends, too. “Well, if you are stubbornly set on it, I wish you’d take the doddy house. That is, if your dad agrees.”
“Me, too.”
With a shrug, her mom said, “I’ll mash the potatoes. We won’t want them lumpy if you’re going to ask your dad about this after supper.”
Katy flew out of her chair and threw her arms around her mom’s neck. “Thanks.” Then she rushed to find her siblings.
Supper lagged forever with Katy forcing down smooth potatoes. A shame she couldn’t enjoy the flaky pork, but her stomach was no longer interested in food. She let the rest of her dark-haired siblings chatter while she mentally rehearsed her speech. After dinner, her mom surprised her by shooing the younger children off to do the dishes.
Katy settled on the sofa beside her mom. Her dad took his favorite chair beside the little side table that displayed a worn checkerboard game.
“What’s on your mind, dumplin'?” It’s what her dad called both his daughters.
“Ivan Miller’s doddy house.” Katy’s words spilled out in a rush. “Since Lil and I both have jobs, and I’ve been saving for over a year now, and with no marriage prospects, we’d like to rent it. Move in together.”
His brows shot together. “Like a bunch of old maids?