Sadie had invited both Molly and Eva for supper, and they’d arrived early, which was quite all right, considering it had been some time since Eva had gotten out of the house. We’ll have more time with her this way, Sadie thought as Glen helped Eva up the few porch steps and offered his favorite rocking chair, with its padded seat. He began talking with her while Sadie and Molly headed indoors.

Molly sat down at the table with a great sigh, her eyes pink.

“What’s a-matter?” Sadie asked, going over to sit with her.

Tears welling up, Molly began to pour out her woes, her lower lip quivering as she struggled not to cry. “All the way here, Mamma wanted to know why we were leavin’ the house. ‘Why are ya taking me away?’ she kept saying.”

“This is awful hard on you, dear.” Sadie reached for her niece’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“The worst of it was . . . she wanted to know where I had taken her daughter. Me.” Molly’s eyes glistened as she brushed tears away. “It’s becomin’ so difficult to do this alone, Aendi Sadie. I could use more help—anyone in the family who can spare some extra time.”

“We’ll talk ’bout that while you’re here.” Sadie encouraged her to breathe deeply and to enjoy these moments while Glen was occupying Eva’s attention just now. “And Anna’s gone, so maybe you’d like to go in and stretch out on her bed.”

“Are ya sure?” Molly was sniffling.

“I can see you’re all in. Help yourself.”

Molly was up in a jiffy, thanking her. “I really needed to get out of the house today. Denki, Aendi!”

“Have yourself a gut long rest.” Sadie watched her go, her heart breaking.

She could hear Glen out there reading the newspaper to Eva now. Poor man, he’s probably run out of things to say.

Anna’s sister-in-law Cindy called to Anna as Wayne and their sons—Henry, ten, and Alan, eight—and their youngest child, Gracie, age six, made their way up the porch steps and into the house.

Going to meet them, Anna talked first with Cindy, eyeing her pan of peanut-butter dream bars through the plastic cover. “You’ve been busy today, jah?” she said.

Anna then greeted Wayne, saying it was really nice to see them again.

Wayne grinned and removed his straw hat. “Guess ya had to leave town so you’d miss us.”

Laughing, Anna nodded. “You’ve always been the biggest tease in the family,” she said, patting young Alan’s shoulder and taking his little straw hat when he handed it to her. She gave it to Henry, who went to hang it, as well as his own and his father’s, on the row of wooden pegs.