Amish Cooking Class--The Blessing Page 3

  As Kendra held the freezer door open to get the frozen vegetables, another pain, worse than the last one, made her scream. This time, the cart’s support did no good, and she doubled over and crouched on the floor, barely able to deal with the pain. By this time, several patrons gathered around, including the young pregnant woman she’d spoke to minutes ago.

  Delana didn’t ask any questions. She got out her cell phone and called 911. An older woman took her sweater and bunched it up to make a pillow for Kendra’s head. “There, there dear, lie down on the floor and try to relax. Help will be here soon.”

  By then, Delana had made the call and hunkered down next to Kendra, taking her hand and patting it gently. “Looks like you might be having your baby a little sooner than you expected. Just breathe deeply and think positive thoughts. The paramedics will be here soon.”

  Delana looked up at the other people gawking at Kendra, and said, “She’ll be okay. The ambulance is on the way. No need to hover all around. Please, just give her some space.”

  A few people hesitated, but then they finally dispersed and went about their shopping.

  When only Delana and the older woman were kneeling beside Kendra, she didn’t feel quite so intimidated.

  Delana leaned closer. “I never got your name.”

  “It–it’s Kendra.” She tried to get up, but the older lady told her to stay put.

  “But the pain is gone now, and I feel okay. My water hasn’t even broken yet, so I don’t think the baby’s coming right away.”

  “Still, you should get checked out.” Delana placed her hand on Kendra’s shoulder. “What if you were driving home and had another bad contraction? You don’t want to have an accident and get hurt or injure the baby.”

  “I guess you are right,” Kendra relented, even though the floor was hard and uncomfortable.

  As she remained there, trying not to think about her situation and willing herself to relax, Kendra looked toward the end of the aisle. For a fleeting moment she saw a man who’d been looking her way, turn quickly and scurry around the corner.

  Was that Dad? If it was, then why didn’t he come see if I was okay?

  Millersburg

  Later that evening, Nicole reclined on her bed, working on a math assignment. She laughed out loud, thinking about her dad’s silly idea of her taking a cooking class. “I can’t believe he’d even suggest such a thing.”

  Soon, her bedroom door opened, and Heather walked in. “I heard you laughing. What’s so funny in here?” She flopped on the end of Nicole’s bed.

  Nicole rolled over and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “You heard me laugh?”

  Her sister gave a nod. “Were you talkin’ to yourself, too?”

  “Yeah. I was thinking about Dad saying I should take a cooking class. Can you imagine me doing something like that?”

  Heather shrugged. “It’s not a bad idea, you know. We get tired of eating the same old things all the time.”

  “You can take over for me anytime you want.” Nicole stretched her arms over her head. “It’s not easy being in my shoes, you know.”

  “It’s been hard for all of us since Mom left.” Heather’s chin quivered. “I wish she’d come back, Nicki.”

  Nicole gave a quick shake of her head, choosing not to make an issue of her sister calling her Nicki. “Not with her drinking problem, Heather. That’s what got her messed up in the first place.” Her gaze flicked up. “Besides, she’s married to someone else now.” And he’s a big creep, she mentally added.

  Heather sniffed. “Don’t know why she’d want to leave Dad. He’s a great guy, don’t you think?”

  “Absolutely. He works hard and does the best he can for us. We’re lucky to have a dad like him.” Nicole gave her sister’s arm a pat. “You’d better get ready for bed, and I need to finish my homework.”

  “Okay.” Heather scooched off the bed. “See you in the morning.”

  Nicole smiled. “Yep. I’ll have your cold cereal ready and waiting.”

  Her sister paused at the door and wrinkled her nose. “If Dad can afford it, I think you’d better take a cooking class.” Heather hurried out of the room before Nicole could form a response.

  Nicole picked up her math book and stuffed it in her backpack next to the bed. She was too tired to do any more problems. If she got up early tomorrow maybe, she could finish then.

  Yawning, she stretched out on the bed again and closed her eyes. A vision of her mother popped into her head—scraggly blond hair she sometimes wore pulled back in a ponytail, and blue eyes often rimmed with red. Why’d you have to ruin things between you and Dad? How come you chose your new husband over us? He’s not even a nice man.

  Chapter 3

  Walnut Creek

  The sun’s announcement of morning cast an orange tint to the dimly lit kitchen, where only a small, battery-operated lamp had been turned on. “You look mied, Heidi.” Lyle poured himself a second cup of coffee and took a seat at the kitchen table. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to teaching a cooking class this morning? We can still go out to supper this evening, but maybe you should take it easy the rest of the day.”

  Heidi yawned. “I didn’t sleep well last night, but I’ll be fine.”

  “Did you have a bad dream?” He added a spoonful of sugar to his cup and stirred it around.

  Heidi poured hot water over her tea bag and sat in the chair across from him. “Jah. It wasn’t really bad though—just unsettling.”

  “What was it about?”

  “Kendra’s boppli. Only in the dream, the baby was ours. At least it seemed that way. She was beautiful, Lyle, with golden hair, so soft and downy.” Heidi lowered her head and massaged the back of her sore neck. “We were in the nursery with her. I watched, while you held the precious infant tenderly in your arms. You wore your Sunday clothes, and I needed to finish getting ready for church. It was our first service with the baby. I was thrilled to show her to everyone.”

  Heidi lifted her head and looked at Lyle. Sympathy showed on his face as he lightly stroked her forearm. “All at once, we were at church,” she continued. “I sat on a wooden bench, holding the baby and singing a hymn from the Ausbund. Then I noticed a woman I’d never met before, sitting next to me. She leaned over, and whispering, asked what I had named the baby.” Heidi paused and took a sip of the herbal tea, then set her cup down. “I stammered and hesitated with what to say, not knowing what the infant’s name even was. I looked across the room, where you sat beside your friend Eli, hoping to get your attention, but that didn’t work.”

  Her brows furrowed. “I excused myself to the woman and rushed out of the barn where the service was being held. Holding the boppli close, I gulped in some air.” Perspiration beaded on Heidi’s cheeks, remembering the stress she’d felt in the dream. “The next thing I knew, there was no baby. I was standing in our kitchen with my first cooking class. Kendra was there, wearing an apron, like my other students. Smiling, she stepped up to me and asked what we’d named the baby. My jaw dropped. We still hadn’t named her yet.” Heidi began rubbing her neck again. “Then I woke up.”

  “Sounds like quite a strange draame you had.” Lyle took over massaging her neck. “No wonder my fraa seems deprived of her rest. After having such a night of strange dreaming, who wouldn’t be?” His tone was gentle and soothing. “Once more I have to ask—are you sure you’re up to teaching the class today?”

  “I’m tired, but I’ll be able to teach my students.” Heidi released a lingering sigh. “I have to follow through with this, Lyle. Five people have signed up for my class, and I won’t let them down.” Squinting her eyes, she turned to face him. “Besides, as I recall, it was your suggestion that I teach another group of students.”

  “True.” He took a sip of coffee and set his mug down. “But I could have been wrong. You might not feel up to it yet.”

  “I’m fine physically, and keeping busy will help to ward off my depression.” She glanced toward the do
or leading to the hall and grimaced. “It’s still hard for me to look at the empty room that would have been our baby’s nursery without thinking about Kendra and how she went back on her word. It seems so unfair.”

  He touched her hand. “But can you really blame her? Kendra’s back with her folks again, and you were praying for that.”

  “Jah.” Heidi pushed away from the table. “I wonder if she’s had her baby yet.”

  “Didn’t she promise to let us know?”

  She gave a slow nod. “Maybe she changed her mind about notifying us, the way she did about giving us the boppli. Guess I’m overreacting. The baby’s not due until next month.”

  “Well, October is only about two weeks away.” Lyle left his chair and pulled Heidi into his arms, gently patting her back. “I’m sure Kendra or someone from her family will give us a call after the baby is born.”

  “Maybe so. I hope you’re right.” Heidi tried to remain positive. It wasn’t in her nature to carry a grudge or think negative thoughts, but she hadn’t fully come to grips with them losing out on the opportunity to become parents. Somehow, she would need to work through it, though, and the only way she could think to do it was to stay busy and keep her focus on something else.

  Heidi glanced at the clock on the wall near the stove. In one hour her new students would arrive, and then she’d have something else to concentrate on.

  Canton

  Grabbing his notebook and pen, Todd Collins rushed out the front door of his condo. Today he was going to test the limits of his palate—or at the very least, attempt something he hadn’t tried before. As a food critic, Todd had learned to try almost any food he came across, no matter how strange or foreign it might seem. He’d been in many different restaurants—Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and several others, critiquing countless entrées and various meals. Some small, ordinary places served delicious dishes, while some high-end locations were not so good. Todd had even traveled to food festivals and become obsessive in his search for new food trends and ideas. He’d also researched other food critics and chefs, and taken a few cooking classes as well. Today, however, Todd was about to embark on something unique.

  Normally, when he was critiquing a restaurant, Todd had to go incognito—never meeting the owners or getting to know them personally. A few times, however, he’d introduced himself and even made a few acquaintances. This morning, though, he could just be himself, as he was sure no one would recognize him. Besides, even with other people there taking the class, he didn’t plan to broadcast his profession. It would be better that way, since the Amish teacher might be offended if she thought someone was critiquing her. And she probably wouldn’t like it if she knew Todd eventually planned to write an article for his column about his experience of taking a cooking class in an Amish home.

  I’m not really being dishonest, acting like a dumb schmuck who can hardly boil water. That part is actually true. I can say, however, that I’m one of the best at discerning good food from bad. Tasting all kinds of fare that I hope to write about is my goal with the job I currently have.

  Todd kicked a stone with the toe of his shoe as he approached his flashy red car. He stood close to the side mirror, gazing at his reflection. I’m not such a bad guy, really. Just misunderstood, that’s all. It’s an Amish lady teaching the cooking classes, and those attending with me are probably a bunch of little old ladies who are bored and need something to do. There’s no way Heidi will know who I am or figure out the reason I signed up for her class.

  New Philadelphia, Ohio

  Allie Garrett had never been a morning person, and rushing around to get the kids ready to drop off at the babysitter’s only added to her frustration today. Nola, age five, and Derek, who was nine, had been pokey eating breakfast, and now sat in the backseat of Allie’s minivan squabbling over some nonsensical thing. Allie was tempted to pull over and have Derek move to the third seat, all the way in the back of the van, but she was running late and didn’t want to stop and take the time to separate the two. Her kids would just have to work things out themselves.

  She blew out an exasperated breath. Such things kids find to quarrel about. The latest, being the pull-down arm rest between her daughter and son, which somehow had become a boundary line. When one had even a finger on the other’s side, the bickering instantly flared up, and a shoving of hands and arms followed. Then, every time Derek said something, his sister mimicked him, which only made things worse.

  Resisting the temptation to scold them, Allie clasped the wheel even tighter, and concentrated on the road ahead. She hoped by ignoring their childish attempts to win out, they would eventually quit.

  She looked forward to attending Heidi Troyer’s cooking class today, if for no other reason than to get away from the children for a few hours. She was a devoted mother and loved Nola and Derek very much, but sometimes they got on her nerves. One of the reasons could be because Allie worked as a receptionist for a pediatric dentist and had to deal with whiny children four days a week. But the biggest reason Allie felt overwhelmed when her kids acted up was because she shouldered most of the responsibility for their care. Her husband, Steve, was a policeman and worked odd hours, so he often wasn’t around when Nola and Derek were home. To make matters worse, Steve frequently filled in for others on the force when they needed time off.

  Allie felt like a widow sometimes, and knowing how dangerous his job was, she worried she might become one. Any time the phone rang at odd hours, her fears heightened, and she always thought the worst.

  Pulling up to the babysitter’s house, Allie turned off the engine and went around to the side of the van to let the children out, thankful they had finally settled down. It was fortunate for Mrs. Andrews, their babysitter, who never hesitated to report how well her children got along. Why is it that kids are usually on their best behavior for someone else? Allie wondered.

  Switching mental gears, Allie thought about the cooking classes her husband had paid for on her behalf. If nothing else came from taking the classes, at least she would learn how to cook some traditional Amish meals, and it might even prove to be fun. Maybe she would come away with some new ideas for what to fix for supper. Steve might be impressed with her cooking—at least on the evenings he was home and could join her and the children at the table. It had been some time since he’d complimented Allie on anything she’d made. Maybe the gift of the classes was his way of letting her know she needed to improve her cooking skills. Either that, or Steve wanted her to do something fun and creative so she’d stop complaining about him being gone so often. Well, no matter the reasons, she was committed to giving these classes a try.

  Dover, Ohio

  Lisa Brooks stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at her dark circles and red-rimmed eyes, accentuated by her fair skin. In addition to meeting with a client about the five-tiered cake, as well as the meal she would be catering for the couple’s wedding reception next week, she’d stayed up late last night, reading a book she’d recently bought about the Amish culture. Since Lisa would be attending a cooking class this morning, taught by an Amish woman, it was a good idea to learn what she could about their lifestyle. The last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself by saying or doing something foolish or that went against the teacher’s customs and religious beliefs.

  One thing Lisa had been surprised to learn was that some Amish who lived in Holmes County, Ohio, had installed solar panels in their homes. She wondered if Heidi Troyer’s house had the advantage of solar power. It would certainly make it easier to cook meals and run appliances. She couldn’t imagine trying to operate her catering business without the advantage of electricity.

  The more she’d read, the more intrigued Lisa became with the way this group of Plain people lived. She couldn’t believe they had no electrical appliances in their homes or that they used gas lanterns or battery-operated devices in the evenings for lighting. How amazing! Lisa scratched her head. They seem almost like pioneers in our modern day. And yet, th
is Amish lady can still give cooking classes.

  Lisa hoped to learn some things about Amish cooking during the six classes and incorporate them in some of the meals she offered to her clients. She couldn’t say her business was booming, but over time and through word of mouth, Lisa trusted her income from the catering business would increase. She did advertise in the local paper but intended to branch out to papers in neighboring towns. Or perhaps she would create a website, if she could find someone to help her design it.

  Lisa picked up the comb and ran it through her short blond hair. Regardless of how tired she looked, it was time to go.

  Chapter 4

  Walnut Creek

  Lisa gripped the steering wheel and studied the mailboxes as she watched for Heidi Troyer’s address. Approaching the right one, she jumped when a horn honked from behind. “What in the world?” She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a flashy-looking red sports car following much too close.

  Signaling her intent to go left, Lisa turned up the driveway. The other vehicle did the same. She was about to pull in next to a pickup truck, when the sports car zipped past her and took the spot.

  Lisa gritted her teeth. What’s wrong with that driver, cutting me off like that? And in someone’s driveway, no less! Whoever it is, they don’t seem to care about anybody but themselves.

  She found another place to park, and when she got out of the van, Lisa had to force her mouth to keep from saying something she might later regret. The sports-car driver had also exited his vehicle and was walking toward the house. He paused and turned to look at her. “Guess I was a little quicker than you. Sorry about that.” He motioned to his fancy car. “That baby gets me where I want to go.”

  Lisa nearly had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything sharp to the belligerent man. She trailed behind him as he hurried toward the house, like a little kid needing to be first. She had to admit the guy was quite handsome. He was tall, dark-haired, and wore a pair of navy blue dress slacks, a crisp pale blue shirt, and black well-polished shoes. He walked with a purpose and an air of confidence. Lisa envied him for that, because at the moment, her stomach felt as though it were tied in knots.