Unexpectedly, she recalled another market day years ago, some time after Eli’s tragic death. Susie had gone to get coffee for them as a surprise, and she’d come upon Ella Mae and Mamma whispering at the market booth, their heads together, ever so serious. Mamma had seemed startled, if not alarmed, to see her suddenly standing there, cups in hand. “I best not say more,” she’d told Ella Mae—rather abruptly, Susie had thought.

The memory troubled her now. What were they discussing? Susie wondered to this day.

In the first two hours after arriving at market, Susie received five new orders for her cross-stitched family trees. Carefully, she wrote down all the essential information—correct dates and name spellings, as well as thread color preferences. Mamma, too, was having a successful sales day.

As usual, Britta didn’t interact much with customers, shy as she was around strangers, but she helped bag up purchases for Mamma. She also went to get brats and potato salad for them for lunch from the deli two aisles away.

Midafternoon, Obie’s mother, Kate, dropped by the market table. Susie tried not to let her emotions overtake her and put on her best smile, listening as Kate talked adoringly about her newborn grandson. But Kate said nothing about Obie possibly going to Sugar Valley come fall, which baffled Susie.

Is it too upsetting to talk about?

After hanging out the Monday washing, Susie called Rachelle Good to schedule a ride to Landisville to visit her sister Polly and Henry, primarily to have the anniversary family tree she’d completed for Mattie Bieler stretched and framed. Henry was skilled at making custom frames using leftover wood and had kindly offered his woodworking services to her without charge for a number of years now.

When Susie arrived, her sister was in the kitchen, rolling out dough. Polly sprinkled flour on her hands and all over the rolling pin, preparing to fit the dough to the large baking pan.

“I’m makin’ deep-dish pizza for the noon meal,” Polly said. “There’ll be plenty for us and you, too. I hope you’ll stay.”

“Sure,” Susie told her, smiling at little Joey over in the corner babbling in Deitsch while playing with building blocks. Susie went over and tousled his hair, the color of butter, and he grinned up at her. “Is your baby sister asleep?” she asked.

“Jah.” He bobbed his little head and held a block up in his chubby fist to show her.

Polly glanced over at them. “Joey has been busy building nearly all morning. He’ll be a big help to his Dat someday.”

Susie agreed, happy to spend time with them both again.

A while later, when two-month-old Nellie Ann awoke crying, Susie walked into the next room and reached down to pick her up from the cradle. She carried her into the kitchen, swaying back and forth. “She’s so petite, like a fragile flower.”