Free Dear to Me by Wanda E. Brunstetter

family and closest friends were here: Gabe and his folks; Grandpa and Grandma Stutzman; Susie; Barbara and Paul Hilty with their six children; and her immediate family—Mama, Papa Noah, Isaiah, and Grandpa Hertzler.
     “Why don’t you open your gifts now, Melinda?” Mama suggested.
     Isaiah bobbed his head up and down and said, “Let’s see what you got, sister.”
     Melinda blotted her lips on the paper napkin that had been lying in her lap. “Which one shall I open first?”
     “Why don’t you start with Susie’s?” Grandma nudged Susie’s arm. “Run on out to the buggy and get it.”
     Susie left the picnic table and hurried across the yard. A few minutes later, she returned carrying a small cardboard box, which she placed in Melinda’s lap. “Happy birthday. I hope you like it.”
     Melinda opened the flaps on the box and grinned when a pair of pretty blue eyes stared up at her and a pathetic meow escaped the tiny white kitten’s mouth. “She looks like a fluffy ball of snow,” Melinda said as she lifted the kitten out of the box and nuzzled its little pink nose. “I think I’ll call her ‘Snow.’ ”
     Susie grinned from ear to ear. It was the first genuine smile Melinda had seen her aunt give all evening. “I’m glad you like it, Melinda. It’s one of Daisy’s busslin.”
     “Danki,” Melinda said.
     “I can hold the kitten while you open the rest of your gifts,” Susie offered. “That way you’ll have both hands free.”
     Melinda handed the kitten to Susie, and Susie took a seat on the bench to the left of Melinda. Gabe occupied the spot to Melinda’s right. “Who wants to be next?” Melinda asked, glancing around the table.
     “I will.” Papa Noah placed a cardboard box on the picnic table in front of Melinda. “I had this made especially for you, and after you see what it is, you’ll probably know who made it.”
     Melinda lifted the flaps on the box. Inside she discovered an ornate birdhouse with a little door on it. She looked at Papa Noah and smiled. “Danki. I really like it.”
     “I’m glad you do, and now you can thank Gabe for all his hard work.”
     “You made this for me?” Melinda asked, glancing over at Gabe.
     He nodded and smiled, looking rather pleased with himself.
     She opened the little door on the birdhouse and peered inside. “What’s this?”
     Gabe’s smile widened. “It’s a separate compartment I added so we can keep sending notes to each other and not have to worry about the birds making a nest on top of our messages.”
     “That’s a good idea,” she said.
     “Why don’t you open mine next?” Gabe handed Melinda a smaller cardboard box. “I hope you like it.”
     With mounting excitement, Melinda tore open the box. Her breath caught in her throat when she lifted out a little carved fawn that had been glued to a small piece of wood. “It’s beautiful, Gabe. Danki so much.”
     He smiled and reached under the table to take her hand. “I attached the piece of wood to the deer, thinking you might be able to use it as a doorstop.”
     “That’s a good idea, but it’s so nice, rather than using it as a doorstop, I might decide to set it on my dresser so I can look at it every morning when I first get out of bed.”
     Melinda was about to open the rest of her gifts, but the wind became restless and clouds raced across the sky. Minutes later, it started to rain. Everyone grabbed something off the table and dashed for the house.
     
     “Whew! What a downpour,” Mama said as they entered the kitchen. “It amazes me how swiftly the weather can change during the spring.”
     Melinda placed her kitten on the floor, and it scurried under the stove. The older guests found seats around the kitchen table, while the younger ones went to the living room to play games. Melinda, Gabe, Susie, and Aaron headed outside to watch the storm from the safety of the front porch.
     “I like watching the way the wedderleech zigzags