Plain Promise by Beth Wiseman

taking Tyler and going home. Then Tyler smiled. The familiar warmth Kade felt when Tyler arrived yesterday took the fear from his heart, even if only momentarily.
    “Let’s get some breakfast.” Kade stood up and walked toward the kitchen. He glanced back at Tyler to see him following, still toting the toothbrush.
    “Cereal,” Tyler said.
    “Okay.” Kade smiled, glad that Tyler was able to communicate what he wanted. He opened the cabinet where he stored the groceries Sadie brought the day before. Kade’s preferred cereal had nuts and raisins, and he wondered if Tyler was going to eat it or not. He pulled a bowl from the shelf and filled it halfway.
    Tyler walked over to the small, round table in the corner of the kitchen while Kade poured milk into the bowl. He took a seat at one of the four chairs and kicked his feet back and forth. Kade watched him out of the corner of his eye and allowed himself to fantasize that Tyler was perfect, a normal child.
    Kade placed the bowl in front of Tyler and offered him a spoon. “Here’s your cereal, Tyler.”
    “Cereal.”
    But Tyler didn’t take the spoon. Instead, Tyler began tapping his toothbrush on the table, softly at first, then louder.
    Kade tried to remember what Monica’s notes said concerning ways to handle Tyler’s unpredictable behavior, but with all the banging he couldn’t think straight. “Tyler, let’s don’t do that.” He reached for the toothbrush and attempted to pull it from Tyler’s hand.
    Tyler rolled his body from the chair, hit the floor hard, and rocked back and forth on his side, moaning loudly.
    “Tyler, are you hurt?” Kade extended his arm downward, remembered the bite, and pulled back. Tyler’s groans took on a high-pitched tone, and Kade squatted down beside him, unsure what his next move should be. “Think,” he said aloud as he tried to recall the information he’d read the night before. During a fit, ignore it, and refocus on something else.
    Kade walked to the middle of the floor in the den, scooped the plastic letters into the lunch box, and headed back to Tyler, who hadn’t let up. He placed the lunch box beside his son, opened it, and began to randomly line up letters in no particular order. The wailing stopped.
    Tyler sat up, as if he was cured of whatever ailed him. He began to sort through the letters, lining them up in what appeared to be a precalculated order, but there were no word formations that Kade could see.
    Kade sat down on the floor beside his son and ran his hand through his tousled hair. How was he ever going to do this?

    Sadie and Lillian had just finished a cup of chicken noodle soup when Sadie decided she would walk to the cottage to invite Kade and Tyler for supper.
    “Go ahead.” Lillian reached into a plastic bag beside her chair on the floor. “I need to hem these pants for Samuel anyway.”
    Sadie pulled her cape and bonnet from the rack. “Maybe it’s not a gut idea to invite them for supper, but perhaps Noah and his doctor friend can help Kade with the boy.”
    Lillian glanced up at Sadie, then focused on the needle she was attempting to thread. “He is handsome, the Englischer .”
    “He is odd,” Sadie said in a firm tone. “A rich man who needs many gadgets.”
    “Being rich doesn’t necessarily make him odd.” Lillian looked up at her and waited for a response.
    Sadie moved toward Lillian as she tied the strings on her cape. “It is not normal to be separated from your spouse for three years or to not have a relationship with your child. It’s also not gut to need so many material possessions, and—”
    “But he’s Englisch ,” Lillian interrupted. “The Englisch collect possessions.”
    “So many of them? I reckon his home is filled with unnecessary items, like his automobile.” Sadie raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen such a car. Lights, knobs, and switches everywhere.”
    “Sadie . . .” Lillian took a deep breath.
    “ Ya ?”
    “Only God can pass judgment.