“Clear as a bell at the house.” Samuel shrugged. “You got all the excitement over here it seems.”
Rebekah looked at her father incredulously. It only took a moment to realize he was kidding with her. He wrapped her in another hug. “Our house is still standing. The twister seemed to touch down then suck right up again.”
“Just in enough time to blow out my windows and injure my husband.” Rebekah’s jovial mood flickered.
“Chin up, Dochder,” Samuel said. “Thomas, hand me my grand sohn. He wants to spend time with his grossdaddi. See the way he chews his feet? That is bopplin speak for ‘pick me up, grossdaddi!’.”
Thomas did as he was told.
“Now Thomas, go take care of your wild animals. You said something about moving into the barn to sleep in the hay?”
Thomas nodded stiffly. “Yes, Fater. I think it would be best for the bopplins.”
Rebekah giggled, the dark flicker across this happy day faded with Samuel’s sunny disposition and Thomas’s, well, as well as Thomas’s being Thomas.
Samuel continued, Dawson drooling on his shoulder. “I will take this little bopplin and we will get busy on mending the latch on the gate on the corral outside. And feeding the animals…whatever needs to be done.” Samuel smiled at Rebekah. “And you take care of Joseph and get some rest.”
Rebekah stood, incredulous, at the remarkable change this day had taken. “Fater, how did you…”
“When I learned what happened to Joseph…” Samuel waved his hand as if to wave the explanation away. “You are a parent now. You will understand someday. When your children need you, that is bigger than anything that you yourself may need.”
Rebekah noticed a leech attached to his wrist, peeking out from under his sleeve. Her stomach churned.
Samuel followed her gaze. “Fogarty really knew what he was talking about with these leeches. They have made me feel so much better. He mentioned that he might stop by today to check on the progress of all of his patients.”
Rebekah nodded and glanced back at Joseph. “It appears he has fallen asleep.” She turned back to her fater. “May I come downstairs with you? I need to get some warm water to change Joseph’s bandages. And, although it is past sunrise, I thought maybe you could use some…”
Samuel interrupted her. “Hot coffee and good company?” His grin was contagious. “Of course, always!”
***
“Your being here is an answered prayer,” Rebekah told the kettle, too embarrassed to look at her fater as she praised him. “I was afraid I would never see you again, at least not this side of heaven.”
“I simply needed a little rest is all.” He bounced Dawson on his knee. “And a leech or two.”
Rebekah poured some of the boiling water into a deep bowl before making coffee from the remainder of the water. “I will let that cool a bit before going to change Joseph’s bandages.”
Samuel smiled at his eldest child from across the table. “I am very honored to call you my dochder. Is it a sin to say you have made me proud in how you are taking care of Joseph since pride is a sin?”
Rebekah flushed. She always had to share her father with her brothers, and it was a rare and welcome thing that she got him all to herself. Her heart filled as she absorbed his flattering words. “Danke, Fater.”
“So,” Samuel continued, “since you have your hands full taking care of Joseph, I decided to get up out of the bed and come help you. And spend some time with this little bopplin, as well.”
“If it is a sin to be proud of me, then I, too, will sin and be proud to have you as my fater.” She handed Samuel the cup of coffee.
“Mmm.” He closed his eyes and smelled the aromatic liquid. “It seems you had a fine teacher in the art of coffee making.”
Rebekah sipped from her cup and giggled at the memory. “Jah, remember how you taught me to make coffee by the cup. To smash the beans and put them into a piece of thin cloth, then place it into a cup before pouring the boiling water over it.”
She was laughing so hard; she could not continue.
Samuel snorted. “Ja, and after we drank our coffee your mother came into the kitchen, looking for the cloth to make a white apron. Only we had, we had…”
Samuel could not continue for laughing. “We had dyed the fabric hopelessly brown by brewing cups of coffee with it!”
Tears streamed down Rebekah’s cheeks at the memory of Elnora’s shocked expression as Samuel pulled the dripping sachet of smashed beans wrapped in her good cloth from his coffee cup. Her father looked as innocent as a puppy who had just been caught digging up the garden, equal parts apologetic and mischievous.
Samuel’s face, too, was wet with happy tears. Dawson, not to be left out, screeched, beat his arms up and down, and smiled a slobbery smile, which made Rebekah and Samuel laugh even louder.
A noise from outside wafted in through the freshly mended screen door. Rebekah rose. “Do you hear that?”
Samuel, carrying a sleepy Dawson, trailed her to the door.
Rebekah’s smile broadened when she saw the source of the noise. “Fogarty!” Thomas stood behind the old barber and watched as he mended the fence.
“I heard tell,” Fogarty began, “one of my patients was coming over here to do chores. So, I decided to beat him to it.”
Samuel chuckled. “What a good physician you are.”
Fogarty gave the lever a try. It worked expertly. “I just happened to bring some more leeches too, in the event that yours become engorged and fall off.”
Samuel nodded. “They have been, actually.”
Rebekah’s stomach rolled. “Forgive me, but I cannot listen to any more of this talk about leeches. If you will excuse me.” She slipped back inside and picked up the bowl of water, which was no longer steaming, and started upstairs. Changing the bandages, which she would do morning and night, was quite time-consuming. Perhaps, with Samuel and Fogarty here, she could even lie down and nap beside her husband a moment.
Thank you, God. Thank you for the trials, so that we can more fully appreciate your blessings. Thank you for the hope of a better tomorrow. And thank you, most of all, for Joseph and my fater.
Chapter Ten
