“You can see that he needs help, can’t you?” Arden asked. “He’s an old man.”
“If he were on his own, I’d agree,” she said. “But together with my mammi, they do surprisingly well. They take care of dishes, cooking, cleaning out the stove... They’re pretty efficient. He wraps a towel around his waist—he’s got this twine he uses—”
“Yah, I know,” Arden interrupted. “I’ve seen his apron.”
“Don’t call it that!” Sarai said. “He is very sensitive about it. But I’ve seen those two in the kitchen together. Mammi makes bread, and Moe washes down the counters. They do just fine together.”
“What about this outdoor work?” Arden asked.
“You could pay someone to do it.” It would be simple enough.
Arden’s expression changed to something less confident, and he shrugged. “Yah, we could.” He was silent for a moment. “Supporting a family isn’t as easy as it looks, you know. And I’ve been working really hard to make a start there.”
“I never said it was easy.” Sarai felt some recrimination in his words. “You know, I might not have worked outside the home before, Arden, but this egg business is a real business. We have to care for the hens, clean and box up the eggs, deal with customers and orders, and manage the money. It’s not just a hobby or something. The money we make keeps the hens fed and the coops in shape. We have all the eggs we need and then some. We even have a little money left over for a treat every week after we sell our eggs. We hosted a whole dinner for the extended family last week with the egg money. Plus, I’m saving for a bus ticket to see my aunt and uncle in Shipshewana. I don’t need a penny from my parents.”
And that was saying something. She didn’t know any young, unmarried women her age who didn’t need some money from their parents for their personal needs or to take a little trip. She’d done better than that.
“That’s good,” Arden said.
“And I’ll have you know that other people have looked at this business and have seen promise in something like it for themselves,” she went on. “Eggs always sell, but specialty eggs draw in a different kind of customer. The customer wants something singular, and we deliver on that.”
“I’m not insulting your egg business,” he said quietly.
“Good.” Because it felt a bit like a head pat to her, but she wasn’t some foolish girl who didn’t understand how things worked. She wasn’t just a woman waiting for a man to take care of things for her and not appreciating how hard that was. And if all went well with Mammi Ellen and Moe, Sarai would show her family in Shipshewana how to raise the hens.
Ellen and Moe crumpled the big tarp between them, and Moe tucked it under one arm. Then Ellen bent down to pick up some more plastic garbage and another thick black shingle.
“We can’t let them work too hard,” Arden said, following her gaze toward the old people. “My grandfather thinks he’s younger than he is.”
“I agree,” Sarai said. “But how about you be the one to tell Moe and Ellen that they’re too old to be really useful. I’ll watch from here.”
Arden shot her a wry smile. “That wouldn’t be smart of me, now, would it?”
“What do you expect to do?” she asked.
“Well, I’ll do the repairs myself,” Arden said. “Maybe you could keep an eye on them and stop them from doing too much.”
“What do you mean, do it yourself?” she demanded. “This is my grandmother’s and my home, too. I’m perfectly capable of working on it. I might not know how to reshingle a roof on my own, but I can help if you tell me what to do.”
“Yah, okay,” Arden said with a nod. “We’ll work together, then. We’ll fix everything up and make sure our grandparents feel like they’re helping without letting them strain themselves.”
Moe came up then, the tarp under his arm.
“Hi, Moe,” Sarai said with a smile. “It’s so nice of you to come over.”
“I’m happy to come. How are you doing, Sarai?” Moe asked. “How are the chickens?”
“They seem pretty content,” Sarai said, “but the laying for the next few days will tell us where they’re really at. Chickens are much more sensitive than people realize.”
“Especially your fancy chickens there,” Moe said.
“Yah, especially them. We have orders for the colored eggs. I hate to disappoint customers.”
“It’ll be okay, Sarai,” Moe said, patting her arm. “Don’t you worry. Arden and I will help you two ladies get sorted out, and before you know it, everything will be running like normal.”
Moe always sounded so reasonable, and Sarai felt her own tension start to dissipate.
“Do you think so?” she asked.
“Oh, of course,” Moe replied. “Storms come. Wind blows. Things get damaged. If nothing ever went back to normal again, the world would be in a sorry state, wouldn’t it?”
“Yah, it would,” Sarai agreed.
“Arden, we need to get some roofing supplies,” Moe said. “And I’m sure we’ll have to pick up a few more things. Let’s make a list.”
Sarai looked over at Arden. Moe would be hard to derail once he got working, and Arden was right that his grandfather needed to work at a slower pace.
“Moe, why don’t you and Mammi get something to eat?” Sarai said.
“I’m just fine. I just had breakfast,” Moe replied. “I’m as spry as a steer.”
“But Mammi hardly touched hers,” Sarai said, lowering her voice. “And I worry sometimes that she doesn’t eat or rest enough. This is a lot of work, and I’d hate to see her tired out. I’d do it myself and take her inside, but you know my Mammi Ellen. She’s more stubborn than she looks.”
Moe chuckled at that. “Most women are, young lady.”
“And men, too,” Sarai joked back. “You know her better than anyone else, Moe. And she won’t listen to me, but if you asked her to go inside and rest, I know she’d listen to you.”
“Oh...” Moe sobered. “Oh, my. I didn’t realize that. This is men’s work out here, though. She shouldn’t be worrying over men’s work—”
