hard words. Rather, it was a time for overlooking faults and thinking of the gut things still to come. It was time, he thought, to mention Emma to the children.
Mabel was watching her brother out of the corner of her eye, disapproval written all over her face.
Jesse smiled, shaking his head at her.
Mabel gave a little sigh of disgust before she took a piece of toast and passed the plate on to Carolyn.
Jesse held his fork in his hand, filling his own plate when the eggs came around. He soon cleared his throat. No one looked up but he began anyway. “I suppose some of you are wondering where I went last night. And perhaps the night the other week when I was gone for an hour or so.”
“I already know,” Leroy announced, not looking up from his plate.
“So do I,” Mabel said.
Neither Carolyn or Willis offered a comment. Little Joel didn’t even look up from his plate.
“I was visiting the widow Emma Raber,” Jesse continued. Saying the words felt gut .
“What did you want with Emma Raber?” Carolyn stared at him.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Leroy muttered.
Jesse gave him a sharp, sideways glance. He’d suspected Leroy entertained a negative opinion of Emma, but the boy didn’t need to express his thoughts so freely in front of the others.
“I don’t like the woman,” Mabel said, speaking right out plain. “She’s not like Mamm at all.”
Jesse opened his mouth and closed it again without saying anything. This was not going well.
“Do you really want to marry Emma Raber?” Willis’s face was filled with astonishment. “I’ve never heard one gut thing about her.”
Jesse took a deep breath. Where these strong feelings were coming from, he couldn’t imagine. He’d expected some objections, but he obviously misjudged his children’s receptivity. But now that he’d brought the subject up, it was better to deal with it in the open rather than sweep it under the living room rug, so to speak.
“I wasn’t expecting all of you to have such strong feelings about this.” Jesse kept his voice even. “But I guess you do have the right to speak your minds since I hope Emma will someday be your new mamm .”
“She has agreed to this?” Mabel said after she gasped. “ Daett , how can you marry so quickly after Mamm ’s passing? And to such a weird woman?”
“ Yah , really weird,” Leroy agreed. “I get chill bumps just driving past their place. And that daughter of hers…”
“Her name’s Katie,” Willis offered, apparently trying to be helpful.
“ Yah . Katie, that’s the one,” Leroy said. “And, Willis, don’t tell me you’ve been making eyes at her or I’ll disown you as a brother.”
“I have not!” Willis retorted. “She’s way too old for me.”
“Children, children!” Jesse interrupted. What was he to tell them? They would have to be persuaded Emma was a good woman. Scolding would get him nowhere. He had to exercise patience and understanding. Of course, this idea was kind of sudden for them. And any new mamm would no doubt be a hard adjustment for all of them in some ways. Since he wasn’t saying anything, the children all looked at him, even little Joel. They were waiting for him to say something more. The problem was that he didn’t know how to go on.
“Who is this Emma?” Little Joel was the first to break the silence. His smiling face shone over his plate of eggs and bacon.
Jesse smiled back. At least he had one child on his side.
“She’s a widow woman,” Jesse said. “She lost her husband the same way we lost Mamm , only it’s the other way around.”
Joel pondered the information.
“Would you like Emma for your new mamm ?” Jesse asked.
“I don’t know,” Joel said. “Would she be like Mamm was?”
Silence settled on the room again as they all looked at their daett . Leroy even stopped chewing.
What should he say, Jesse wondered.
Willis spoke up. “I think we should let Daett do what he wants about…”
Mabel
Mabel was watching her brother out of the corner of her eye, disapproval written all over her face.
Jesse smiled, shaking his head at her.
Mabel gave a little sigh of disgust before she took a piece of toast and passed the plate on to Carolyn.
Jesse held his fork in his hand, filling his own plate when the eggs came around. He soon cleared his throat. No one looked up but he began anyway. “I suppose some of you are wondering where I went last night. And perhaps the night the other week when I was gone for an hour or so.”
“I already know,” Leroy announced, not looking up from his plate.
“So do I,” Mabel said.
Neither Carolyn or Willis offered a comment. Little Joel didn’t even look up from his plate.
“I was visiting the widow Emma Raber,” Jesse continued. Saying the words felt gut .
“What did you want with Emma Raber?” Carolyn stared at him.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Leroy muttered.
Jesse gave him a sharp, sideways glance. He’d suspected Leroy entertained a negative opinion of Emma, but the boy didn’t need to express his thoughts so freely in front of the others.
“I don’t like the woman,” Mabel said, speaking right out plain. “She’s not like Mamm at all.”
Jesse opened his mouth and closed it again without saying anything. This was not going well.
“Do you really want to marry Emma Raber?” Willis’s face was filled with astonishment. “I’ve never heard one gut thing about her.”
Jesse took a deep breath. Where these strong feelings were coming from, he couldn’t imagine. He’d expected some objections, but he obviously misjudged his children’s receptivity. But now that he’d brought the subject up, it was better to deal with it in the open rather than sweep it under the living room rug, so to speak.
“I wasn’t expecting all of you to have such strong feelings about this.” Jesse kept his voice even. “But I guess you do have the right to speak your minds since I hope Emma will someday be your new mamm .”
“She has agreed to this?” Mabel said after she gasped. “ Daett , how can you marry so quickly after Mamm ’s passing? And to such a weird woman?”
“ Yah , really weird,” Leroy agreed. “I get chill bumps just driving past their place. And that daughter of hers…”
“Her name’s Katie,” Willis offered, apparently trying to be helpful.
“ Yah . Katie, that’s the one,” Leroy said. “And, Willis, don’t tell me you’ve been making eyes at her or I’ll disown you as a brother.”
“I have not!” Willis retorted. “She’s way too old for me.”
“Children, children!” Jesse interrupted. What was he to tell them? They would have to be persuaded Emma was a good woman. Scolding would get him nowhere. He had to exercise patience and understanding. Of course, this idea was kind of sudden for them. And any new mamm would no doubt be a hard adjustment for all of them in some ways. Since he wasn’t saying anything, the children all looked at him, even little Joel. They were waiting for him to say something more. The problem was that he didn’t know how to go on.
“Who is this Emma?” Little Joel was the first to break the silence. His smiling face shone over his plate of eggs and bacon.
Jesse smiled back. At least he had one child on his side.
“She’s a widow woman,” Jesse said. “She lost her husband the same way we lost Mamm , only it’s the other way around.”
Joel pondered the information.
“Would you like Emma for your new mamm ?” Jesse asked.
“I don’t know,” Joel said. “Would she be like Mamm was?”
Silence settled on the room again as they all looked at their daett . Leroy even stopped chewing.
What should he say, Jesse wondered.
Willis spoke up. “I think we should let Daett do what he wants about…”
Mabel
Similar Books
