Free Amish Circle Letters II: The Second Circle of Letters by Sarah Price Page A

then his staple gun had broken.
    Truth was that he could have borrowed a neighbor ’s staple gun but he wanted to see his wife.
    “Why, he llo Steve!”
    Steve grinned at his father-in-law as he walked toward the back counter. “Good day, ja ? Looks like snow!”
    Jonas smiled and reached out to shake Steve ’s hand. “Sure does now, don’t it? What brings you out this way?”
    Reaching into his pocket, Steve pulled out a piece of paper with a list of items that he needed. “Need some supplies,” he said, handing the list to Jonas. “More sheetrock, two rolls of insulation and a new staple gun. And thought I might also spend a little time with Mimi”, he added.
    “Well now,” Jonas said. “Bet she would sure like that. Might perk her up a bit.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the back door. “She’s in the house. I’ll put your list together and load your wagon while you go visit.”
    Steve flashed him another grin and hurried out of the back door to head toward the house. Ever since he had brought Mimi back to her parents on Sunday evening, he had spent every free moment working on the grossdaadihaus . He wanted his wife with him, not living apart. He already had decided that as soon as the kitchen was fixed, he would bring her there. They could put a bed in that room until the upstairs bedroom was finished. It would be warm and cozy, perhaps a little tight, but they would, at least, be together. And that, Steve told himself as he opened the kitchen door, was the most important thing to him!
    She was sitting in the chair, staring out the window. Her prayer kapp was on the kitchen table, not on her head. When she heard the door, she barely glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes looked vacant and distant.
    “Mimi?” Steve removed his black felt hat and set it on the table next to her prayer kapp before he quickly crossed the room in four long steps. Kneeling by her side, he reached for her hand. “What’s wrong, Mimi?”
    She kept staring out the window.
    “Are you unwell, Mimi?”
    She shrugged.
    “Where’s your mamm ?”
    Mimi sighed and turned to look at him. “She left after dinner to go visit her sister.” Her voice was flat and emotionless. “Why are you here?”
    Confusion crossed his face as he caressed her hand. “I came to visit you,” he said. “I missed you.”
    “That ’s nice,” she whispered, returning her gaze to the window. Despite trying to fight them, the tears began to glisten in her eyes.
    “Mimi, what is going on?”
    And then she began to cry. She covered her face and looked away, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. “Oh Steve!” she sobbed, fighting the hold of his hands on her shoulders as he tried to embrace her. “I just feel so awful lonely!”
    “What on earth?”
    She shook her head and pushed him away, refusing to meet his gaze. “Living apart is for young married people! Not us. We’re too old to be doing this! It feels foolish when we’ve waited so long to find each other!”
    Ah , he thought. So that is the problem. “Oh Mimi,” he said, trying to soothe her as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest. “Is that what this is about?” He leaned back on his heels and looked into her face, wiping at her tears with his thumb. “That’s why I’m here, Mimi. To get more supplies. I want to finish up the paneling and bring you there as soon as possible.”
    She sniffled and avoided his eyes. “Couldn ’t I just stay at your parents? They have enough room with Mary Ruth gone, ja ? Mayhaps, I could help you then.”
    Steve frowned. “ Well…” He hesitated. It was true that his parents had an extra room, especially with only John David living there until the tenants would move out of the farm that he had rented to them. It would be tight having Mimi there. They’d have to move into Mary Ruth’s old bedroom. However, this wasn’t the way that it was traditionally done among the Amish and Steve wasn’t certain if such an