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care of her sisters. They’re down with the flu.”
    Virginia pursed her lips. “That’s too bad. Sure hope Naomi doesn’t get the bug. She’s got enough problems without taking sick.”
    Abraham reached around to rub the kinks in his lower back. “If you’ve got something to say, Virginia, please say it.”
    “Ginny. I prefer to be called Ginny.”
    “What kind of problems do ya think my daughter has?”
    She shrugged her slim shoulders. “Naomi works hard. Seems to me you ought to cut her some slack.”
    Abraham frowned. “Some what?”
    “Some slack. You know, give her a bit of space.”
    He raised his eyebrows.
    “Let her do some fun things once in a while. Nobody should have to spend all their time doing chores and baby-sitting. Especially not a twenty-year-old woman who’s never even been on a date.”
    He squinted. “How would ya know that? Has my daughter been whining about how unfair her daed is by makin’ her work so hard?”
    Virginia shook her head. “Naomi’s too sweet to whine.”
    Abraham was tempted to tell the English woman she didn’t know anything about his daughter, but he decided to change the subject instead. “What brings you to my store this afternoon? Shouldn’t you be at school today? Naomi’s mentioned you attend some fancy college in Lancaster.”
    “I’m done for the day, and I came by to see if you have any new rubber stamps. I’m doing a scrapbook of my Christmas vacation to Florida.”
    “Haven’t had anything new since the last time you came askin’ for stamps.”
    “I see.”
    “If there’s nothin’ else I can help ya with, I need to get back to settin’ these lamps in place.” He gestured to the shelf where he’d already put four kerosene lanterns.
    A ripple of strange-sounding music floated through the air, and Virginia reached into her pocket and retrieved a cell phone. She wrinkled her nose when she looked at the screen. “That’s my dad calling. Guess I’d better head over to the restaurant and see what horrible things await me there. Tell Naomi I dropped by.” Virginia marched out the door, not even bothering to answer the phone.
    Abraham bent down and grabbed another lamp. “If that girl was mine, I’d wash her mouth out with a bar of soap!”
    ***
    Naomi gathered the edge of her dress so it wouldn’t get tangled in the tall grass and sprinted toward the creek. By the time she arrived, she was panting for breath but feeling more exhilarated than she had in a long time. She flopped onto the grass under a weeping willow tree, leaned her head against the trunk, and lifted her face to the warm sunshine. So many days Naomi used to spend here when she was a girl and life had been uncomplicated. She wished she could step back in time or make herself an only child so she wouldn’t have any siblings to care for.
    “No point wishin’ for the impossible,” Naomi mumbled as she slipped her shoes off and curled her bare toes, digging them into the dirt. “I’m supposed to be satisfied, no matter what my circumstances might be.”
    At their last preaching service, the bishop had quoted a verse of scripture from the book of Philippians, and it reminded Naomi she should learn to be content. The apostle Paul had gone through great trials and persecutions, and he’d been able to say in chapter 4, verse 11: “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
    Naomi sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Heavenly Father, please give me rest for my weary soul and help me learn to be content.
    ***
    Naomi awoke with a start. She’d been dreaming about camping with Ginny and her English friends when a strange noise woke her. She tipped her head and listened, knowing she shouldn’t have allowed herself the pleasure of drifting off. No telling how long she’d been down here at the creek. What if the kinner were awake and needed her? What if Papa had come home and discovered she wasn’t in the house taking care of his sick children?
    She