above him on the wall told the rest of the story. It was ten after five, and time to go. The owners of Crossing Construction and Doors didn’t pay often for overtime. They valued family and church, and didn’t see any need to impose on other areas of their workers’ lives.
“I’ll be right there.” Peanut butter bars sounded good. And, now that he thought about it, stopping for the day sounded good, too. Though it was as cold as could be in the large, cavernous space, he felt sweat trickle down his back. For the last three hours, he’d been intent on putting brackets on some decorative pieces. The job had been as frustrating as it had been difficult, manipulating the big pieces of wood around like he had. After wiping off his worktable, he headed to the washroom to clean up.
Minutes later, he was sipping a glass of icy cider and biting into his first bite of the peanut bar. Both were very welcome. “Thanks for pouring me a glass, Scott.”
“It’s a fair trade. You brought me those two loaves of bread the other day. My wife is still talking about how good they were.”
Graham drained his glass. “I’ll let my mamm know,” he said. It had been no trouble to ask his mother to make an extra loaf of bread or two. He’d also learned that Scott and the other managers treated the employees more like friends than hourly workers. With that in mind, men were often bringing in drinks or treats to share.
“Don’t know what we used to do without you, Graham,” Scott said. “I’m always eager to see what you’ve got in your lunch pail. It’s truly amazing, the amount of food you can put away.”
He’d always been on the skinny side. Because of that, he’d never been shy about eating his share, and anyone else’s too. “Hard work makes me hungry,” he said with a laugh.
Scott grinned. “Plus, we’re getting mighty used to your jokes. No one makes as awful ones as you.”
“It’s a gift from God, I’m sure.”
“You’re a gut fit here, Graham,” Scott finally said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Danke.” Ever since he’d started, Graham had been happy that he’d made the choice to work in the factory thirty hours a week instead of only helping Calvin farm their land.
He’d needed his own identity, and he’d needed time to himself, in the company of other men. Unlike Calvin, who could talk to his horse all day long, and Loyal, who was content to only farm and flirt with Ella, Graham had a need to be around other people with different interests.
So far, the men at the factory fit the bill. Well, all except for William.
Though he’d first thought he was nice enough, further conversations with him led Graham to believe that they had little in common.
Beside him, Scott’s easy grin tightened.
Graham stiffened as well. While William seemed to get along with everyone else, no matter how hard he tried, Graham couldn’t seem to warm up to him.
At first, he thought it was because he’d made the mistake of introducing him to Mattie and was feeling jealous. But now Graham was slowly realizing that there were other things about William that he wasn’t completely fond of.
He had a way about him that seemed to announce that he thought his way was the best, and that the Amish way was the only way.
After exchanging greetings with everyone, William stopped next to Graham. “I would have thought you would be the first one to leave today.”
“And why is that?”
“You’ve got celebrating to do, of course.”
Both William’s tone and the self-satisfied way he was talking grated on Graham’s nerves. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“The party your family is hosting tonight, of course. To celebrate your sister-in-law’s pregnancy.”
Beside him, the other men shifted uncomfortably. Graham felt just as awkward. William was speaking of women’s issues, and private, personal ones, too. Once more, it was obviously not his place to be sharing such news.
But Graham was
“I’ll be right there.” Peanut butter bars sounded good. And, now that he thought about it, stopping for the day sounded good, too. Though it was as cold as could be in the large, cavernous space, he felt sweat trickle down his back. For the last three hours, he’d been intent on putting brackets on some decorative pieces. The job had been as frustrating as it had been difficult, manipulating the big pieces of wood around like he had. After wiping off his worktable, he headed to the washroom to clean up.
Minutes later, he was sipping a glass of icy cider and biting into his first bite of the peanut bar. Both were very welcome. “Thanks for pouring me a glass, Scott.”
“It’s a fair trade. You brought me those two loaves of bread the other day. My wife is still talking about how good they were.”
Graham drained his glass. “I’ll let my mamm know,” he said. It had been no trouble to ask his mother to make an extra loaf of bread or two. He’d also learned that Scott and the other managers treated the employees more like friends than hourly workers. With that in mind, men were often bringing in drinks or treats to share.
“Don’t know what we used to do without you, Graham,” Scott said. “I’m always eager to see what you’ve got in your lunch pail. It’s truly amazing, the amount of food you can put away.”
He’d always been on the skinny side. Because of that, he’d never been shy about eating his share, and anyone else’s too. “Hard work makes me hungry,” he said with a laugh.
Scott grinned. “Plus, we’re getting mighty used to your jokes. No one makes as awful ones as you.”
“It’s a gift from God, I’m sure.”
“You’re a gut fit here, Graham,” Scott finally said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Danke.” Ever since he’d started, Graham had been happy that he’d made the choice to work in the factory thirty hours a week instead of only helping Calvin farm their land.
He’d needed his own identity, and he’d needed time to himself, in the company of other men. Unlike Calvin, who could talk to his horse all day long, and Loyal, who was content to only farm and flirt with Ella, Graham had a need to be around other people with different interests.
So far, the men at the factory fit the bill. Well, all except for William.
Though he’d first thought he was nice enough, further conversations with him led Graham to believe that they had little in common.
Beside him, Scott’s easy grin tightened.
Graham stiffened as well. While William seemed to get along with everyone else, no matter how hard he tried, Graham couldn’t seem to warm up to him.
At first, he thought it was because he’d made the mistake of introducing him to Mattie and was feeling jealous. But now Graham was slowly realizing that there were other things about William that he wasn’t completely fond of.
He had a way about him that seemed to announce that he thought his way was the best, and that the Amish way was the only way.
After exchanging greetings with everyone, William stopped next to Graham. “I would have thought you would be the first one to leave today.”
“And why is that?”
“You’ve got celebrating to do, of course.”
Both William’s tone and the self-satisfied way he was talking grated on Graham’s nerves. “What in the world are you talking about?”
“The party your family is hosting tonight, of course. To celebrate your sister-in-law’s pregnancy.”
Beside him, the other men shifted uncomfortably. Graham felt just as awkward. William was speaking of women’s issues, and private, personal ones, too. Once more, it was obviously not his place to be sharing such news.
But Graham was
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