slowly with his head down.
âHe wasnât happy about coming here,â Ella said to Loraine. âIn fact, he griped about it all the way from our house into town.â
âIâm sure heâll be fine once heâs numbed up and his tooth stops hurting.â
âJah.â
Loraine reached over and touched Ellaâs arm. âYou look like somethingâs bothering you. Are you worried about your mamm?â
âUh-huh. You know, she hasnât been the same since Raymond died, and I donât think itâs just emotional.â Ellaâs forehead wrinkled. âI donât want Larry or my sisters to know that Iâm worried about Mama, though. No point in upsetting them, too.â
âHave you talked to your daed about this?â
âIâve tried, but heâs either too busy to listen or makes light of it.â Ella groaned. âI wonder just how sick Mama will have to get before sheâs willing to see the dokder.â
âWould you like me to see if my mamm will speak to your mamm about seeing the doctor?â Loraine asked.
Ella shrugged. âI doubt sheâll make any headway, but if sheâs willing, then I guess itâs worth a try.â
âWhen Iâm done here Iâll swing by my folksâ place and ask her.â
âDanki.â Ella reached for a magazine and thumbed through a couple of pages. Aunt Priscilla and Mama had always been close. If anyone could get through to Mama, it might be Aunt Priscilla.
âI have a few worries of my own this morning,â Loraine said with a lingering sigh.
Ella, feeling immediate concern, snapped the magazine closed. âWhat kind of worries? Itâs nothing about the boppli, I hope.â
âNo, everythingâs going fine with my pregnancy. Wayne told me this morning that heâs worried because the taxidermy business has slowed down all of a sudden. Heâs afraid if things get any worse he wonât be able to support us.â Deep wrinkles formed in Loraineâs forehead. âWith a boppli on the way, itâs even more frightening to think of Wayne being without a job.â
Ellaâs fingernails dug into the armrests on her chair. âSo many of our people are out of work and struggling financially. Iâm beginning to wonder if things will ever turn around for us.â
âItâs very frightening,â Loraine said, âbut weâve got to keep the faith and do whatever we can to make extra money. Wayneâs good at woodworking, and heâs made a few nice pieces of furniture for our house. Heâs also made some things for his folksâ new home. I suggested to him this morning that he start making more things. Maybe he can sell them to one of the local furniture stores.â She smiled, despite her obvious concerns.
âIn the meantime, we just need to keep praying and trusting that God will provide for our needs.â
***
âGuder mariye,â Andrew said when he entered Tiffanyâs Restaurant in Topeka and found Wayne waiting for him at a table near the back. Theyâd decided to meet for breakfast before they began work for the day. Freeman would also be joining them.
Wayne looked up at Andrew and smiled. âMorninâ. Is this table okay with you?â
âSuits me just fine.â Andrew pulled out a chair and took a seat. âNo sign of Freeman yet, huh?â
âNope. Iâm sure heâll be along soon, though. Heâd never pass up the opportunity to be in such good company as ours.â
Andrew chuckled. âI doubt heâs coming here for our company. More than likely itâs to fill his belly with ham and eggs.â
âYouâre probably right about that.â Wayne thumped his stomach a couple of times. âI hope he gets here soon, âcause my bellyâs startinâ to rumble.â
A young English waitress came to their table. âWould you like to place
Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life, Blues