Previously: Noah is questioned by Detectives Emerson and Irving regarding his acquaintance with Albrecht “Al” Katterheinrich. Jonah and Reinhardt clean shop office, find a bottle opener, and enjoy warm Frostop. Noah counsels Reinhardt.
THE CHEVY rumbled to life. The noise woke Jonah who had been asleep upstairs. Weathered floorboards creaked under his footsteps as he went to the window. The Chevy reached the end of the lane and turned north. Jonah’s breath fogged the windowpane as he watched the truck disappear down the road.
After dressing, he went downstairs. He found his mother shuffling around in the kitchen. The scent of coffee and toast was in the air.
“Where’d Dad go?”
“Good morning, Jonah, your father had to run errands this morning.”
“When will he be back?”
“I’m not sure, but he left a list on the fridge for you and Reinhardt.”
Jonah read through the list. It covered the basics with a few other odds and ends—“unload circus wagon”—things of that nature that always needed done, but never would be done for all eternity, like stocking the firewood supply.
“This is great,” he said under his breath.
“What? Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Eleanor frowned. She set her coffee mug on the counter and came to give her son a hug. “You know Son, I used to have to crouch down to hug you, but you’ve grown so big. You’re taller than me.” She smiled at him. “Listen Jonah, your father and I love you very much—don’t roll your eyes.”
“Okay, Mom,” he said as he took a step back. He was looking down and rubbing his forehead. “Well, I’ve got things to do.” He waved the list. A piece of toast protruded from the toaster. Jonah grabbed it. “Can I have this?”
“Yes, but come back for lunch. I’ll make sandwiches.”
Jonah held the toast in his mouth, stuffed the list in his front pocket, slipped on his work boots, and went outside. “And we need to do school later!” she called out the door.
“Okay, Mom, I’ll be around. Send Reinhardt out when he wakes up.”
Late in the morning, Reinhardt came out and found Jonah at the farrowing barn. He asked his older brother, “Did Mom tell you where Dad went?”
“No,” Jonah said. “I’m glad he’s not around. I didn’t want to see him.”
“Why?” Reinhardt asked with a shrug. “You said yourself, ‘cleaning is hardly a punishment.’”
Jonah’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he stared fixedly at his little brother with a curious expression.
“I just thought Mom was weird about it when I asked her,” Reinhardt explained.
“Did you check the chickens already?”
“No, I just came out.”
“Well do that. I’ll finish up here then meet me behind the house.”
“What’s back there?” Reinhardt asked.
“Those logs from the woods.”
Reinhardt stared blank faced.
“The logs in the circus wagon!” Jonah said irritated. “Sheesh, Rein—” he caught his breath, “just go.”
“Oh, those logs, right.”
Once Reinhardt had finished tending the hens and brought in the eggs, he joined Jonah behind the house. On the back of the house there was a small hatch for tossing logs down into the basement. In the winter the furnace would be lit and stoked. Last season Reinhardt had lost many games of rock-paper-scissors and had been the one to stoke the furnace.
“It’s pretty empty down there. Let’s chuck them all down first and then stack them together.”
“Okay,” Reinhardt said.
Once the wagon was emptied, Reinhardt asked, “Can I fetch the tractor? I’ve been practicing hitching up.”
Jonah’s eyes widened in wonder, “Really? Sure, go ahead.” Reinhardt brought the tractor around, and Jonah closed up the basement hatch.
Jonah called out over the putter of the tractor’s engine, “Just don’t pin me between the tractor and the wagon please.” Reinhardt smiled, and then with several jerks and clutch grinds, he maneuvered the tractor into an acceptable position.
“Well, not too bad little brother, but only because the wagon is empty and light enough to rock. Here, hold the tongue and hitch pin; I’ll rock it for you.” Jonah heave-hoed the wagon into alignment, and Reinhardt dropped the hitch pin through the holes.
“Thanks, Jonah. Practice,” Reinhardt said, “makes one better.”
“That it does. Can you take this to the shed and back it in?”
Reinhardt cringed. “Well, I’m likely to jackknife it.”
Jonah nodded. “Yeah, me too,” and he took the driver’s seat, shuffled a bit on the hard surface of the seat, then stood back up. Reinhardt was standing on the hitch pin aloof and smiling; Jonah eyed his little brother with the same curious expression he had earlier.
“What?” Reinhardt said when he saw his brother’s look.
Jonah responded more to himself, “Still a little sore.” Then he said, “Why don’t you drive, Reinhardt? We’ll just pull it into the barnyard.”
Reinhardt parked it in front of the shed. He hopped off the tractor seat, and his mood was good. Jonah continued eyeing his brother and asked, “Isn’t it especially uncomfortable in that hard seat?”
“Not particularly,” Reinhardt said.
“I’ll make it hurt!” Jonah side-stepped at the same time and gave Reinhardt a side-wind kick square on the backside. It knocked Reinhardt down.
“Jonah, why!?” Reinhardt croaked as he slowly maneuvered away from his brother on hands and knees.
“Dad didn’t give you the belt?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Yesterday?”
“No, he gave you one?”
“Unbelievable!” Jonah shoved Reinhardt and began to walk away. Just then they heard their mother called out from the porch.
“Boys, I’ve got lunch—” Her voice broke off seeing them close at hand and Reinhardt laying in the gravel. “Jonah, what did you do to your brother!?” She came down the porch steps, but didn’t have any shoes on. “Come inside this instant, both of you.” Reinhardt quickly ran with his head dipping down between his shoulders and stealing glances behind him. Jonah kept his distance coming up at a slow walk. Eleanor took Reinhardt inside and sent him to the bathroom to wash up. She came back to a sulking Son in the mudroom. “Reinhardt tells me you kicked him? What on earth did you do that for?”
Jonah didn’t respond.
“Go to the table, and when Reinhardt joins us, you apologize. Do you hear me?”
“Alright, Mom.”
“Go.”
At the table Jonah picked at his food. “Are you going to tell Dad?” he asked.
Eleanor said, “If you resolve this with your brother you won’t need to be concerned.”
“Well, when is Dad getting home?”
“He hasn’t called yet to let me know.”
“Where did he go?”
Eleanor, standing at the kitchen sink, had her back to him and spoke slowly, “I believe your father wanted to talk to you yesterday about that, but the day went a little south. I think it would be best if you waited until he returns. After all, it may come to nothing.”
“What may come to nothing?”
Reinhardt had crept to the kitchen doorway. He asked, “Did Dad go back to Indiana?”
Eleanor turned from her distraction at the sink and faced her sons. “How did you know that?”
“I didn’t know. I was asking,” Reinhardt said.
Jonah’s mood grew darker.
“Son—”
“He’s taking a job in Indiana!?” Jonah yelled.
“It may come to nothing; it’s just an inter—”
“I’m not moving to Indiana, Mom!” Jonah yelled as he jumped up and knocked his chair back. “I’m not moving there!” He declared again as he stomped to the front door.
“Where are you going? Jonah. Jonah, come back inside and be reasonable,” Eleanor pleaded, following after him.
Jonah slammed the door on his way out, leaving his mother exasperated. She came back to the kitchen and wiped her face on the towel and leaned over the sink. Reinhardt picked up the chair that had toppled over, and then quietly slipped into his own seat at the table. He listened; Eleanor was breathing pretty regularly.
“Mom, are we leaving the farm?”