“Any story, really,” Mamma said, taking another bite of her cookie, clearly enjoying herself.

“Here’s a quick one: I’ll never forget the day Mattie brought David home to meet us.” She paused and looked around. “Right here in this kitchen.”

Mattie’s face turned pink as Ella Mae continued. “The weather had taken a nasty turn that washday, and I’d lost track of the hour, but I knew Mattie planned to come sometime later with her beau. Anyway, when it started makin’ down rain real heavy, I ran out and snatched as many clothes as I could off the line and hung them over near the old cookstove.” She pointed to the stove. “Not this fancy gas one, mind you.

“To make a long story short, Mattie arrived with David before I was ready for them.”

Mattie covered her mouth with her hand and nodded.

Ella Mae took a sip of her tea, then asked her daughter, “Why don’t you tell the rest?”

“Well, since it’s just us womenfolk . . .” She glanced at her mother, shaking her head but also smiling a little. “David and I walked into this big kitchen from out of the rain and saw two nightgowns . . . and a row of Mamma’s underclothing hanging up to dry.”

This struck Susie as funny as it did Mamma, and soon everyone around the table had joined in the laughter, Mattie included.

“I don’t know why I’ve never heard this story before!” Mamma exclaimed. “What on earth did your mother say when her future son-in-law walked in, Mattie?”

“Let me answer that,” Ella Mae said, grinning. “I was embarrassed, but David was ever so nice ’bout it, acting like there was absolutely nothin’ whatsoever out of place. But Mattie, now, she nearly had a fit.”

Mattie chuckled. “I was mortified, jah, as you can imagine. Poor David told me later that he’d never seen anything like it, since his own Mamm always hung the clothes in the basement when it rained.”

“He must’ve wondered what sort of family he was marryin’ into,” Ella Mae said, fanning her face with a hankie.

This brought yet another round of merriment, and Susie was glad Mamma had agreed to come along, seeing what a wonderful time she was having today.

———

That family story led to another, and another, which Ella Mae and Mattie took turns telling, and it was apparent to Susie as she listened that both of them cherished the act of sharing them.

As the hour grew late and Susie and her mother were preparing to leave, Mattie mentioned that Kate Yoder was having a Sisters Day gathering at her house a week from tomorrow. “She wants some company,” Mattie said, her expression serious now. “You’re both invited.”

“She’s not under the weather, I hope?” Susie asked.