My Scandalous Mennonite Diary #26

• Mary

I am sitting on the bed in the bedroom of my parent’s house.

Will anyone ever care about me?

Will I ever be loved?

The loneliness seems overwhelming and tears start to flow. My shoulders shake with emotion. Will this ever end?

A clattering sound startles me out of my dream.

I stare at the ceiling above me, wondering what is happening on the roof.

Nothing else happens so I start to wonder if I was imagining things.

My overactive mind reviews the dream I just had. I am so thankful that I escaped my old life.

Despite the gossip of village life, I am in a much better place mentally than I used to be.

The conversation I had with my husband over supper was such an encouragement.

Instead of criticism…he had asked questions…a lot of questions about what I had all learned on the radio.

I really felt that he wanted more out of life.

He said he wanted to sleep on it and talk to me more about it tomorrow.

Footsteps clatter overhead and then the banging and clattering begin again.

What in the world is going on?

I leave the warmth of the bed and move to the window.

Everything I see outside is shaded in darkness and shadow.

Who in the world would be up on the roof at this hour of the night?

I turn back to the bed. I am tempted to wake my snoring husband. But, I hesitate. I know that he has to wake up at five o’clock to get to Winnipeg on time.

The warehouse that supplies our store only accepts pick-ups first thing in the morning.

It is a long day and Abe needs all the rest he can get.

Silence falls once again.

Hopefully, our troublemaker is done for tonight.

With that hope in mind, I return to the side of the bed. For a moment, I watch the sleeping form of the man I married.

What a blessing it was to answer his questions.

I look forward to speaking about them further.

I breathe out a silent prayer that he will finally embrace the truth.

How wonderful it would be to have total unity in our family.

The clattering begins again. Louder now. It sounds like someone is trying to beat their way through the roof.

I know what I need to do. I move to the door of the bedroom and then make my way down the stairs. Soon, I find myself outside in the chill of early morning.

A pregnant woman alone under the light of a moon shrouded in clouds.

Somewhere in the distance, I can hear a dog barking.

As I look up, I can see a shadowy figure moving around on the roof of our house.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I shout.

The figure freezes for a moment and then vanishes over the peak of the roof.

I move to the other side of the house, just in time to see the skinny figure of Edwin Wolfe scampering off into the distance.

I hear voices somewhere in the dark.

I shiver as a tingle of fear courses through me.

Who else is out there?

What are they up to?

…To be continued…