“Jah. I only liked farming because it was a chance to work with Daed, but I had no real love for the vocation itself. Whittling and carving, however, were things that really spoke to me.”
She could see that passion for his craft not only in the quality of the items he produced but also in the way he approached his work. “So you honed your skills through an apprenticeship.”
“Nee.”
His answer surprised her, as did the note of regret in his voice. “What happened?”
“That first year after I graduated from school Daed hurt his foot right at planting time. It was a really bad injury, it had him in a cast for about four months, and he needed me to help him around the farm. The next year I was actually about a month into my apprenticeship when Mamm died.” His hands tightened on the reins.
She touched his arm briefly. “I’m sorry, I know that must have been hard on all of you.”
He nodded, his lips compressed. For a moment he didn’t say anything and she figured the subject was closed. But then he started up again. “Grossmammi already lived in the dawdi haus and was able to help some. But she was seventy-one years old with arthritis and my brieder were so young—Jesse was a newborn, Kish was just one and a half and Mark was three. Daniel and Levi were school age but just barely.” He flicked the reins. “It meant I was needed at home full-time.”
“So you gave up your apprenticeship and took on some responsibility for your brieder, all while grieving your mamm.”
He shrugged. “One does what one must for familye. And they were grieving, too, especially my daed. I was glad to be there for them—I love my familye.”
“Of course you do.” Phoebe had never doubted that.
Seth kept his gaze focused straight ahead. “I helped out as much as I could. But three years later grossmammi passed away as well and at age twenty I felt as if I were drowning.” He paused while he stopped at a crossroads and then negotiated a turn.
She pictured a twenty-year-old Seth trying to hold his whole familye together with no one to turn to for any sort of relief. Without him having to say so she knew he’d felt that to turn to others, even extended familye, would mean admitting his daed was not handling things well. No wonder he’d felt as if he were drowning. How had he gotten through that? But it wasn’t her place to ask.
Once they were moving forward again, however, he answered her unspoken question. “One day, not too long after grossmammi passed, Dinah approached me. She had somehow recognized that I was struggling, and she said she thought she had a solution to both our problems. It turned out she couldn’t have any kinner of her own. So if we married, I would gain some much-needed help with taking care of my household. And she would have a house full of kinner to raise as her own.”
Phoebe tried to absorb what he’d just told her, but mainly she was just grateful Gotte had sent someone to share his load. “It sounds like Dinah was a very determined kind of woman.”
“Jah, which I appreciated. I was grateful for her forthrightness and I agreed to her proposition almost at once. I never had reason to regret it. Dinah brought order and discipline to our home, but with a loving hand. My brieder respected her and for the younger ones at least, she was like a mamm to them. And she was very respectful and kind to my daed.”
“I’m so glad you had someone like Dinah to help you.”
He nodded. “Me too. I’ll always be grateful she found the courage to approach me as she did and for the way she brought order and grace to our household.”
Order and grace—two qualities no one had ever accused her of possessing.
Better not to think of that.
Instead she went back to the original topic. “So when did you decide to make a business of your chessboard making?”
He smiled. “That was actually Dinah’s idea. After we married and things settled down a bit I felt I could spare a little time to make a few sets again. When Dinah saw that I was getting requests from others to make a set she thought I should start charging for them so we could earn some extra income. In addition to being very organized, Dinah was a very practical person.”
“I take it that’s something you admire—organization and practicality.”
“It certainly stood us in good stead while we were married.”
So how did he feel about the way she was managing the household?
“As it turned out, once Daed passed away a few years later and I couldn’t produce as much income from the farm on my own, the extra income from the chess sets certainly came in handy.”
He turned the buggy into a parking lot just then and Phoebe frowned. “This isn’t the grocery store.”
“It’s the shipping company I use. I decided to stop here first because I want to make sure these go out as soon as possible.”
That made sense. “Of course. I’ll help you unload.”
“There’s no need.” He secured the horse to one of the stanchions provided on this side of the building. “They have large pallet carts inside that I can use. Just stay here with the buggy. I won’t be long.”
Phoebe settled back in her seat.
A few minutes later Seth came out with the cart and loaded it up then pushed it back inside.
She didn’t mind sitting here alone—it gave her time to think over what he’d told her. And he’d revealed quite a lot about his history. It felt gut that he’d trusted her with so much personal information.
It took a while before he returned, at least fifteen minutes. But she could tell from the parking lot that they weren’t the only customers, and he did have quite a few packages.
When Seth finally returned, he quickly untied the horse then climbed in the buggy. As he took the reins he gave her a smile. “Next stop, Spellman’s.”
When he pulled into the grocery store’s parking lot, Phoebe prepared to step down. “I’ll be as quick as I can. But feel free to take your time running your other errands.”
Seth smiled as he climbed down. “I have no other errands today so I’m going inside with you.”
“Oh.” She was surprised he didn’t have other things to tend to in town. Was it because he was done with the chess sets, or at least the Christmas orders for them?
Seth secured the horse and then accompanied her inside the store.
He held up a sheet of paper. “I brought the list so I can help.”
She had memorized the list but if he wanted to use it she supposed that was okay. “Then why don’t we split the shopping. You take care of everything on the aisles to the left of that one with the rice and pasta and I’ll take what’s on the right.”
