Soon we’ll have three.”
“Three kinner ,” she whispered. “It’s a miracle.” She let the news filter through her brain while she held onto Daniel.
Rebecca found Lindsay sitting on the family room floor with Emma and Junior. When Lindsay’s eyes met Rebecca, they filled with concern.
“Mamm!” Junior ran over and wrapped his arms around Rebecca’s leg.
Emma followed suit, and Rebecca scooped her up in her arms and hugged her tight.
Lindsay rose to her feet and watched Rebecca. Her eyes remained hesitant. “How’d it go?”
Rebecca dropped into a chair and held Emma close on her lap. “It went well.” She held Emma’s hands, and the baby giggled and swayed back and forth on her lap.
Lindsay held her palms up. “Are you going to tell me? The suspense is killing me.”
“I’m not sick.” Rebecca smiled at Emma and glanced at Junior, who played with homemade wooden blocks on the floor.
“What is it, Aenti ?”
“It’s a secret,” Rebecca said. “It has to stay in this house.”
Lindsay gasped. “You’re having another baby!”
Nodding, Rebecca laughed.
Lindsay rushed over and hugged her, nearly knocking Emma off Rebecca’s lap. Emma squealed and grabbed Rebecca’s apron in response.
“Oh, sorry, Emmy,” Lindsay said, hugging her. “Oh, this is such wunderbaar news! You and Onkel Daniel must be so happy.”
“Ya , we are.” Rebecca pushed one of Emma’s light brown curls back from her face. “For many years we thought we’d never be blessed with a boppli , and now we’ll have three.”
“When are you due?” Lindsay asked.
“January 11.”
“I’m so froh for you and Onkel Daniel! My mom used to always say that the Lord works in mysterious ways,” Lindsay said, lowering herself into the chair next to Rebecca’s. “She was right about that. We have to keep this a secret, right?”
“Ya.” Rebecca smiled and touched Emma’s curls. “That’s our way. Having a baby is a very private miracle in our culture. We don’t boast about it because it shows too much pride. As my mammi used to say, we celebrate it with a cautious joy and don’t even tell our closest friends.”
“May I tell Jessica? I was going to write a letter to her tonight.”
“You may tell Jessica.” Rebecca set Emma down, and she waddled over to Junior, dropped to the floor, and grabbed a block from the pile.
“Do you have to go back to the doctor?”
“Next week.” Rebecca leaned back in the chair and rubbedher abdomen. “I’m going to see a new doctor who is a specialist. I’m considered a high risk due to my age.”
“Oh.” Lindsay looked curious and then started for the door. “Would you like some meadow tea?”
“I think I’d rather just have water. Danki .” Rebecca watched her children play with blocks and wondered if she would have another boy or another girl. What would her next child look like? Would the baby be blond like Daniel or have dark hair like her? Closing her eyes, she sent up another prayer for a healthy baby. She opened her eyes and found Lindsay standing over her.
“You okay?” Lindsay asked, handing her a glass of water.
“ Ya .” Rebecca sipped her drink. “Danki.”
“Gern gschehne.” Lindsay sat in the chair. “I’m so glad I didn’t go to New York.”
Rebecca studied her niece. “You considered going?”
Lindsay focused on the liquid in her glass as she spoke. “Last night I couldn’t sleep and I was wondering what life would’ve been like if I’d gone with Jessica.”
“Do you regret staying here?” Rebecca said the words slowly, hoping that the answer wouldn’t break her heart.
“No.” Lindsay met her gaze. “You need me here.”
“But is this what you want?” Rebecca asked.
“I already told you, Aenti . My joy is here.” She gestured around the room. “But sometimes I wonder if I should go see the world just to be sure before I join the church.”
Rebecca sipped her water and watched her children while she
“Three kinner ,” she whispered. “It’s a miracle.” She let the news filter through her brain while she held onto Daniel.
Rebecca found Lindsay sitting on the family room floor with Emma and Junior. When Lindsay’s eyes met Rebecca, they filled with concern.
“Mamm!” Junior ran over and wrapped his arms around Rebecca’s leg.
Emma followed suit, and Rebecca scooped her up in her arms and hugged her tight.
Lindsay rose to her feet and watched Rebecca. Her eyes remained hesitant. “How’d it go?”
Rebecca dropped into a chair and held Emma close on her lap. “It went well.” She held Emma’s hands, and the baby giggled and swayed back and forth on her lap.
Lindsay held her palms up. “Are you going to tell me? The suspense is killing me.”
“I’m not sick.” Rebecca smiled at Emma and glanced at Junior, who played with homemade wooden blocks on the floor.
“What is it, Aenti ?”
“It’s a secret,” Rebecca said. “It has to stay in this house.”
Lindsay gasped. “You’re having another baby!”
Nodding, Rebecca laughed.
Lindsay rushed over and hugged her, nearly knocking Emma off Rebecca’s lap. Emma squealed and grabbed Rebecca’s apron in response.
“Oh, sorry, Emmy,” Lindsay said, hugging her. “Oh, this is such wunderbaar news! You and Onkel Daniel must be so happy.”
“Ya , we are.” Rebecca pushed one of Emma’s light brown curls back from her face. “For many years we thought we’d never be blessed with a boppli , and now we’ll have three.”
“When are you due?” Lindsay asked.
“January 11.”
“I’m so froh for you and Onkel Daniel! My mom used to always say that the Lord works in mysterious ways,” Lindsay said, lowering herself into the chair next to Rebecca’s. “She was right about that. We have to keep this a secret, right?”
“Ya.” Rebecca smiled and touched Emma’s curls. “That’s our way. Having a baby is a very private miracle in our culture. We don’t boast about it because it shows too much pride. As my mammi used to say, we celebrate it with a cautious joy and don’t even tell our closest friends.”
“May I tell Jessica? I was going to write a letter to her tonight.”
“You may tell Jessica.” Rebecca set Emma down, and she waddled over to Junior, dropped to the floor, and grabbed a block from the pile.
“Do you have to go back to the doctor?”
“Next week.” Rebecca leaned back in the chair and rubbedher abdomen. “I’m going to see a new doctor who is a specialist. I’m considered a high risk due to my age.”
“Oh.” Lindsay looked curious and then started for the door. “Would you like some meadow tea?”
“I think I’d rather just have water. Danki .” Rebecca watched her children play with blocks and wondered if she would have another boy or another girl. What would her next child look like? Would the baby be blond like Daniel or have dark hair like her? Closing her eyes, she sent up another prayer for a healthy baby. She opened her eyes and found Lindsay standing over her.
“You okay?” Lindsay asked, handing her a glass of water.
“ Ya .” Rebecca sipped her drink. “Danki.”
“Gern gschehne.” Lindsay sat in the chair. “I’m so glad I didn’t go to New York.”
Rebecca studied her niece. “You considered going?”
Lindsay focused on the liquid in her glass as she spoke. “Last night I couldn’t sleep and I was wondering what life would’ve been like if I’d gone with Jessica.”
“Do you regret staying here?” Rebecca said the words slowly, hoping that the answer wouldn’t break her heart.
“No.” Lindsay met her gaze. “You need me here.”
“But is this what you want?” Rebecca asked.
“I already told you, Aenti . My joy is here.” She gestured around the room. “But sometimes I wonder if I should go see the world just to be sure before I join the church.”
Rebecca sipped her water and watched her children while she
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