Christmas Visitor by Linda Byler Read Free Book Online Page B

rich!”
    â€œWhat?! What?!”
    Roy came bouncing over with Barbara at his heels. That was the one thing Ruth would never understand — the way Barbara did that, always going where Roy went, only to be constantly irritated by his antics.
    â€œSomebody gave us a bunch of money!”
    â€œLet me see.”
    It was October eleventh, the day most Amish people set aside as a day of fasting and prayer in order to prepare themselves for the fall communion services. Ruth had always relished this rare day of relaxation to spend with Ben and the children. The day was an uninterrupted one, sanctioned for the reading of the German articles of faith or the prayer book, the traditional books read and re-read by generations of Old Order Amish.
    There was no breakfast for Ruth on fasting day, but she prepared buttered toast and Honey Nut Cheerios for the children. Lillian, of course, refused them, saying she wanted Trix. In her frustration, Lillian kicked the bench from her perch on the blue plastic booster seat and cried, squeezing her eyes shut and turning her head from side to side until the other children laughed at her. Then she lifted her face with her eyes closed and just howled because they were laughing, and Ruth had to shush the older ones. She took Lillian away from the table and talked to her firmly, saying there were no Trix in the house and if she wouldn’t eat Cheerios, she would have nothing at all and would be just like the three little pigs who were lazy and the wolf blew their house away.
    That made Lillian sit up straight and open her eyes. She told Ruth that a wolf could not blow houses away, but the story had served to get her mind off the Trix. She ate her Cheerios, and general peace was restored.
    Ruth read her Luscht Gartlein (Love Garden), her soul blossoming and unfolding, as it received the simple German words about the wise ways one could live a good and Godly life. The reading of the German took more of her time, but she savored the pronunciation and the meaning of these words, remembering the agelessness of them.
    At noon, she fried corn meal mush, cutting the squares from the aluminum cake pan and frying them in vegetable oil. It was Elmer’s favorite for fasht dag (fast day) lunch. Ruth heated milk in a small saucepan and then poured it over a bowl full of saltines and covered them with a plate while she fried eggs.
    Esther set the table, adding salt and pepper, ketchup, butter, and strawberry jelly to the spread with plates, knives, and forks. There was no orange juice, and grapes had been too expensive to can juice, so they drank cold water for their lunch on fasht dag.
    When Ruth bowed her head before they ate, she remembered to thank God especially for the gift of one thousand dollars that had come with the early morning mail delivery.
    The cornmeal mush was delicious. The boys devoured every last slice and ate two eggs each and all the buttered toast they could hold.
    Esther didn’t like mush, so she wrinkled her nose and said it was greasy and disgusting. Elmer said that was great if she didn’t eat it so he’d have more. Roy nodded his head in agreement, his straight brown hair sliding back and forth with each movement.
    Esther said just doddies (grandfathers) and mommies ate mush. Roy said they did not either. Anyone could eat mush if they felt like it.
    Esther said rich people ate bacon, and Elmer said they were rich. Roy nodded his head again. Esther looked at Ruth and said, “Right, Mam, we’re not rich?”
    â€œWe are rich, Esther. We have each other and God takes very good care of us.”
    After that wonderful fasht dag, the coal bin was filled with three tons of coal, the gas bill was paid, and Ruth planned to go Christmas shopping with Mamie.
    A few days before the shopping trip, the boys hitched Oatmeal to the cart and went back to the farm for two gallons of milk. It was a gray sort of day, chilly and overcast with the clouds bulging with