Jacob questioned. “Do you need money?”
“Nee, daed, danki. I have money thanks to you and daed Joshua, I have a good bank balance. I will go by bus because it does not cost as much and it will go straight into Shipshewana.”
“But you will get hungry,” Jenna Mae said. “On the train you could sleep and eat.”
“I will sleep all right on the bus and I will take food with me, at least enough to last until I get there. I feel comfortable that everything is covered. The train doesn’t go close to there, but the bus does.”
They talked until it was getting dark. Jacob walked them home. He hugged Charity and told her again how proud he was of her. He blew a raspberry in Jeremiah’s neck and got him excited.
“Oh, I will have a time getting him settled for the night.” Charity laughed.
She bathed Jeremiah and then read the Biewel to him. The Bible was important in every Amish home.
“Would my daed have read to me and tucked me in?” Jeremiah asked as he had many nights.
“Yes, mine lieb. He loved knowing you were on the way and could hardly wait to welcome you. It was a senseless and evil accident that took him away from us. He was on the way to meet you at the hospital and was excited to bring you home. He loved you then and I am sure he is so happy that you are such a good boy.”
They went up to bed. She tucked Jeremiah in, listened to his prayer and kissed his cheek. “Sweet dreams, my little man.”
She then did as she had many nights. She walked out and looked up at the stars. “Adam, I still love you so much. It has been a little over six years and I feel you would approve of all I have planned. By now we would have had more bopplis. It is Gottes wille and we are not supposed to understand, I guess.” God’s will was important to them.
“Gut nacht mine lieb,” she whispered her usual good night.
Chapter Two
Charity finally, and prayerfully, agreed to teach Lisa Kennedy how to keep her financial records. Lisa was so heart broken because her husband and his family had caused so much grief for Charity and the community. She wanted to prove she could be trusted and would be faithful to Charity, as well as never talking Charity’s business in public.
She placed Rosemary as manager of the store and kept the willing workers they had. She knew Rosemary could be trusted.
Jeremiah could not comprehend that his mother would be gone for a short time. He had never spent a night away from her and had a lot of questions. Everyone, with whom he talked, assured him that he is loved and would be well cared for and his mother would return in a short time. He would stay with Matthew and Deborah, but would be free to go to other relatives homes as he did now. Besides school would start soon and he was too excited to contain his exuberance. He was a year later starting to school. His mother had already taught him to read and recognize some numbers, but he would at last be able to carry a lunch bucket and a backpack like the big kids did. His teacher would be Marilyn Kime, his Uncle Noah’s frau.
School was such a wonderful, exciting experience. He had never been to a movie, never watched television, did not have the games that the English children had and now he would be able to carry his lunch and study with other children. He planned what he would like to carry in his lunch.
Charity continued to prepare for her trip. She had never been on such a long trip, and alone. She made sure all of her helpers knew what to do in the store, and made Matthew crazy reminding him how to care for Jeremiah.
The time came closer and Jeremiah began begging to go with her. “Oh, precious. I need you to be the man of the house and keep an eye on our property. I will be back before you have time to miss me.”
“But I already miss you, mamm.”
She quoted Philippians 4:6-7 to him. “What does that mean, mamm?”
“It means we must have faith and trust God to take care of us.”
“I do, mamm, and I will pray for you every night. You will come back to me won’t you? I will not lose you like I did my daed.”
“No, my darling. I’ll be back to you soon and God will take care of both of us.
“Mamm, what will you put in my lunch that first day?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Probably a big ham and egg sandwich with a cup of potato salad and one of jello. I’ll also put in a bottle of milk and a big piece of cake. You must take care and bring the bottle back home to use again.”
“What kind of cake, mamm?” he asked crawling in her lap and giving her a hug.
“I don’t know yet. It is another week until the big day. I will fix something extra good for my little man. I know Deborah will fix a lot of good things for you, too.”
“Will the other children like me? Will tante Marilyn like me as a student?”
“The other children will like you and treat you just as you treat them. Your tante Marilyn absolutely must be called Mrs. Kime in school. She must have respect and cooperation from all of you. Oom Matthew will still be Oom Matthew. He is your uncle and deserves respect. You must be polite and kind to everyone, especially adults.”
“I will, mamm. I promise I will.”
She hugged him to her with the thought that he would soon consider himself too big to sit in her lap and be hugged. She held him close and enjoyed the feeling.
Charity gathered the last of the vegetables out of the garden to cook and eat or to can. There were still some potatoes to dig. She was trying to remember to do a lot of things before time for her to leave. She made two pair of pants and two shirts for Jeremiah. These would be enough with his other clothes for school. He was growing so fast she knew she would soon be donating his clothes to another family with growing children.
She decided to bake cookies and cakes to take over to Deborah because she knew Jeremiah’s sweet tooth -- Matthew’s, also.
She mentally checked down a list to be sure someone would milk the cow and take care of the other animals. When she was satisfied that she had covered everything, she got her clothes, and food, ready for her trip.
She packed a green dress, a light blue one and a black one. Two aprons, two nightgowns, two pair of shoes and two prayer kapps followed. She had just finished making herself some new bloomers, so three pair went in the suitcase with three pairs of stockings she had made. Her Bible would be the last thing she packed. The suitcase had been a gift from an English friend.
Charity got a canvas bag from her hope chest to carry her food in. She would place the food in fresh tomorrow morning when she prepared to leave.
As usual, she was up by five thirty. She milked the cow and fed her, then fed the horses and turned them out in the pasture near the house. The chickens were fed and the eggs gathered. She slopped the hogs and then went in to get breakfast for Jeremiah and
