but Sam expects me back at the store any minute.”
Her sister cleared her throat. “Jah. I’ll be okay now, Abby. Denki.”
“I’ll come back later to see how you’re doing.”
Abby closed the door behind her. As she pushed the cart toward the road, the back walls of the mercantile and the glass greenhouse stood as reminders of what would come next. Zanna was right. Mamm’s relief when she knew her youngest daughter had returned safely would quickly be overridden by shock and disbelief. Anger and disappointment would raise voices—and issues—such as the Lambright family had never known.
When Abby saw Mamm’s shadowy silhouette moving behind the panes of frosted glass, she took a detour. She parked the cart behind the mercantile and tapped on the back door of the greenhouse.
“Jah? Just a minute!” her mother called out, and after a moment Mamm peeked outside. “Oh, Abby—come in! I was just deciding how to price all these ornamental gourds. Might have planted more rows than we should have—” Mamm looked tired, but her eyes never missed much. “And what’s on
your
mind, Abigail?”
Abby felt caught up in a whirlwind of emotions, not sure how to break the good news—and the other, more difficult news. The seriousness of Zanna’s predicament was setting in now that she was past the shock of finding her sister in her sewing nook. “Well, Mamm, Zanna’s back—”
“Oh, thank the Lord! My prayers are answered!” As Mamm embracedher, Abby closed her eyes and sighed… hugged her mother and felt her tremble with joy and relief. What a shame, to spoil such a moment by telling Mamm the hard truth. “And where was she? What did she say about—”
“It’s not so gut, Mamm. You’re not going to like it.”
Her mother pulled away enough to search Abby’s face for answers. “Now what?” she whispered. “It wasn’t enough that Zanna left us all in a pickle…”
“She’s pregnant, Mamm. Said James couldn’t wait, and—”
“And what kind of talk is
that
?”
“—she was too scared to tell you or Sam—or to call off the wedding, or—” Abby stopped to catch her breath as the heat rushed up her neck. “I’m not saying this very well.”
Mamm clasped Zanna’s hands. “It’s Zanna’s story to tell, whether she’s scared or not. And where is she?”
Abby recognized the tightness in her mother’s face. It was the expression she put on to get through a crisis—the expression she’d worn most of Zanna’s wedding day. “She’s at my house, cleaning up. She smells like she slept in a barn, because she did,” Abby murmured. “Zanna knows Sam will get even angrier if he finds out.”
“She should have thought of that before—before…” Mamm’s face crumpled and her whole body sagged. She let out a shuddery breath. “We’ll have to find someplace for your sister to go… before anyone else realizes she’s in the family way.”
“But if the baby belongs to James—” Abby shut her mouth. Attitudes may have changed in the English world, but Mamm’s generation believed unmarried mothers were not to be seen in public and should not raise their babies out of wedlock.
“Zanna should have thought of that, too,” Mamm muttered. “But she obviously did
not
think, so we’ll have to make some decisions
for
her.”
Mamm put her hands on either side of her kapp as though she was getting a bad headache. “All this turmoil in the past few days.Makes me wonder what the Lord’s trying to tell us.” She swiped at a tear and smiled sadly at Abby. “I’m going to put up the CLOSED sign before anyone comes in. Let’s not let on to Sam about Zanna’s condition until she breaks the news herself. I have a lot of thinking and praying to do, and his temper won’t help me.”
“Jah, I can understand that,” Abby murmured. It had always been Mamm’s way to deal with problems that arose with her children and the household, and not to bother Dat with them, if at all possible. But
Her sister cleared her throat. “Jah. I’ll be okay now, Abby. Denki.”
“I’ll come back later to see how you’re doing.”
Abby closed the door behind her. As she pushed the cart toward the road, the back walls of the mercantile and the glass greenhouse stood as reminders of what would come next. Zanna was right. Mamm’s relief when she knew her youngest daughter had returned safely would quickly be overridden by shock and disbelief. Anger and disappointment would raise voices—and issues—such as the Lambright family had never known.
When Abby saw Mamm’s shadowy silhouette moving behind the panes of frosted glass, she took a detour. She parked the cart behind the mercantile and tapped on the back door of the greenhouse.
“Jah? Just a minute!” her mother called out, and after a moment Mamm peeked outside. “Oh, Abby—come in! I was just deciding how to price all these ornamental gourds. Might have planted more rows than we should have—” Mamm looked tired, but her eyes never missed much. “And what’s on
your
mind, Abigail?”
Abby felt caught up in a whirlwind of emotions, not sure how to break the good news—and the other, more difficult news. The seriousness of Zanna’s predicament was setting in now that she was past the shock of finding her sister in her sewing nook. “Well, Mamm, Zanna’s back—”
“Oh, thank the Lord! My prayers are answered!” As Mamm embracedher, Abby closed her eyes and sighed… hugged her mother and felt her tremble with joy and relief. What a shame, to spoil such a moment by telling Mamm the hard truth. “And where was she? What did she say about—”
“It’s not so gut, Mamm. You’re not going to like it.”
Her mother pulled away enough to search Abby’s face for answers. “Now what?” she whispered. “It wasn’t enough that Zanna left us all in a pickle…”
“She’s pregnant, Mamm. Said James couldn’t wait, and—”
“And what kind of talk is
that
?”
“—she was too scared to tell you or Sam—or to call off the wedding, or—” Abby stopped to catch her breath as the heat rushed up her neck. “I’m not saying this very well.”
Mamm clasped Zanna’s hands. “It’s Zanna’s story to tell, whether she’s scared or not. And where is she?”
Abby recognized the tightness in her mother’s face. It was the expression she put on to get through a crisis—the expression she’d worn most of Zanna’s wedding day. “She’s at my house, cleaning up. She smells like she slept in a barn, because she did,” Abby murmured. “Zanna knows Sam will get even angrier if he finds out.”
“She should have thought of that before—before…” Mamm’s face crumpled and her whole body sagged. She let out a shuddery breath. “We’ll have to find someplace for your sister to go… before anyone else realizes she’s in the family way.”
“But if the baby belongs to James—” Abby shut her mouth. Attitudes may have changed in the English world, but Mamm’s generation believed unmarried mothers were not to be seen in public and should not raise their babies out of wedlock.
“Zanna should have thought of that, too,” Mamm muttered. “But she obviously did
not
think, so we’ll have to make some decisions
for
her.”
Mamm put her hands on either side of her kapp as though she was getting a bad headache. “All this turmoil in the past few days.Makes me wonder what the Lord’s trying to tell us.” She swiped at a tear and smiled sadly at Abby. “I’m going to put up the CLOSED sign before anyone comes in. Let’s not let on to Sam about Zanna’s condition until she breaks the news herself. I have a lot of thinking and praying to do, and his temper won’t help me.”
“Jah, I can understand that,” Abby murmured. It had always been Mamm’s way to deal with problems that arose with her children and the household, and not to bother Dat with them, if at all possible. But
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