That afternoon, Anna sat down at Sadie’s kitchen table and wrote her weekly letter to her Mamm while Baby Jimmy slept in his Pack ’n Play and Sadie was over at her sister Eva’s. Anna wanted to write to her mother about little Emmie and her budding connection with her and her father. But she was careful how she worded things, lest Mamm misunderstand. Anna also mentioned the invitation for dinner with the Allgyers this Friday, October fifth, at Emmie’s uncle and aunt’s up the road. They’re God-fearing, wonderful people, she wrote in the letter, and I think you’d like them as much as I do. You and Dat both.

Anna planned to tell Sadie, as well, so she wouldn’t set a place for her at the noon meal that day. Continuing on with her letter, Anna wrote about her activities with Mart and his delightful Mennonite friends, making a point to be clear that she still saw the handsome young man now and then.

The sun cast slanting lines across the wide-plank floor, and the sound of buzzing bees came through the nearby open window as Sadie sat with Eva in the sunny bedroom just off the front room. As she read aloud to her sister several comforting psalms, she realized yet again that the poor dear did not even recognize her.

The thought crossed Sadie’s mind that it really didn’t matter, because this time together was about being there for her sister and letting her know that she cared.

This ain’t about me, Sadie thought, sitting there in the rocking chair while Eva dozed propped up in bed. It’s about giving the kind of love anyone would yearn for from a sibling, whether they know who you are or not.

A few days later, Anna’s Mamm called, sounding anxious.

“I received your letter,” she said as Anna, seeking more privacy, settled into a white wicker chair on the front porch. “Sounds like you’re spending a lot of time with that Amishman and his daughter.”

Anna sighed and braced herself for what could be an unpleasant call. “I’m helping little Emmie,” she said politely. “And she’s beginning to respond to me, Mamm. I’m truly happy about that.”

“It’s not the child that concerns me” came her mother’s prickly words.

“Well, rest assured that Gabe and I are merely friends. And I’m not there to spend time with him.”