The Miting by Dee Yoder Read Free Book Online Page B

butter on the toast and poured herself a cup of hot tea. The kitchen quieted. Maem stood, waving her children down the drive, and then she came back in, shaking her head.
    “That Benny,” she chuckled. “He asked if he could take his rabbits to school because they’re studying farm animals. He thought it would be fine to keep them in his desk all day. Poor bunnies. It’s a good thing I caught him trying to stuff them in a paper bag before he left for class.”
    Leah chuckled, smothering the laugh with a big bite of spicy apple and crunchy toast. Maem puttered back and forth between the table and sink before Leah finally got the nerve to bring up what was on her mind. “ Maem , could I talk to you for a minute?”
    “Sure. Let me finish these dishes and get the counter wiped up. I need a second cup of coffee this morning, anyway.”
    Leah sat silently while Maem quickly did the chores, poured herself a hot cup of coffee, and plopped down with a sigh across from her. “I think Benny being a late baby shows my age more.” She grinned. Maem ’s rosy cheeks and soft brown eyes glowed with love and contentment. “Now, I’m ready. What’s bothering you?”
    “Someone told me something a few days ago that really shocked me.”
    “Ja?”
    “This person told me … um … they have a problem at home.” She glanced up as worry passed over Maem ’s face.
    Maem set down her cup of coffee. “Who is this person, Leah?”
    “I promised I wouldn’t tell, but this is a bad thing, so I don’t know if I should keep the promise.”
    Maem picked up her coffee, sipped, and winced as she swallowed the hot brew. She fumbled for the cream pitcher and poured liberally, creating a billowing cloud across the black-brown surface.
    Leah watched as she stirred the coffee to a light caramel color and then took another careful sip. “Tell me what this person said, Leah.”
    “She, I mean they , said someone in their home is doing things to them that aren’t right.”
    “What kinds of things?” Her eyes widened as she guessed Leah’s meaning. “Is this person Martha?”
    “Yes. It was Martha.”
    “Was it some kind of abuse?”
    Leah nodded.
    “Abuse by beating? Or … other things?”
    Again, Leah nodded. “And I saw her stepbrother, Abner, hitting her. He was awful, Maem. It scared me. He’s the one who is—abusing her—in other ways, too.”
    Maem stopped talking and looked out the window toward Daet ’s shop. In the silence, Leah heard the tick-tick of the wooden clock hanging over the sink. A faint rustle from trees scraping the window reached her ears, and she turned toward the sound. The tree’s shadow created a pattern of leaves on the clean floor. “Maem, was I wrong to tell you?”
    Maem shook her head slightly but kept her eyes on the window. Finally, she faced her. “Why don’t you get your inside chores finished so you can be ready to help Daet in the shop today? He has a lot of customers scheduled to pick up their furniture. Ja? ”
    “Shouldn’t I do something? About Martha, I mean?”
    Maem thought for a minute but shook her head. “I know it’s not what you want, but we have to let someone know who can help her.”
    Maem motioned for her to get on with her chores.
    As Leah reached the stairs, Maem added, “We must always be careful when accusing another, Leah. I’ll talk this over with Daet , and we’ll decide together what we should do next.”
    From the bottom of the staircase, she watched Maem as she stirred her coffee over and over, and then closed her eyes.
    She wasn’t sure Maem believed her. Leah knew many in the community didn’t believe a thing Martha said anymore, but her word—and what Leah herself had witnessed—was evidence enough for Leah about how Abner treated his stepsister.
    Maem sighed and rose to rinse her cup at the sink. Leah went up to her room, walked to the window, and waited for Maem to hurry across the yard to the shop. Her pulse hammered at the thought of how Daet