A Simple Song Read Online Free PDF

suspected, her parents did not approve of her or Cal going to the group singing out of respect for Mammi’s passing. “Not for at least a month,” Daed proclaimed when Cal asked the next morning. Of course, Drew wasn’t concerned since he no longer went, and for some reason he was still allowed to visit Hannah at her home on Saturday night after the farm work was done. But Cal, like Katrina, was disappointed. Still, they knew not to argue with Daed. Especially when Daed was feeling particularly poorly. It seemed his back was worse than ever. Katrina overheard her parents quietly talking about some kind of medical surgery that might help him, which had to mean Daed was even worse than he let on. Of course, when the subject of money and how they would pay for it came up, the conversation had ended abruptly. “We will never have that kind of money,” Daed had told Mamm. “Don’t mention it again.”
    A shadow of sadness hung over their entire household. Mammi was gone. Daed’s back was never going to get better. And there would be no group singing for at least a month. Despite the sunny spring weather, the Yoder home seemed draped in sorrow.
    Katrina’s secret escape from all this grimness was getting to listen to Mammi’s radio. She could hardly believe it when, on Saturday night, the song “After the War” by Willow Tree was played. She was so excited that she nearly jumped up from where she’d been sitting by the irrigation pond, ready to run to tell her family this news. But then she remembered: this was her secret. However, as she listened—and to her amazement—she discovered she could kind of remember the tune as well as some of the words. She could almost sing along—or at least hum.
    For the next week, Katrina listened to the radio so much that she had to replace the boxy little battery twice. Fortunately, her father always kept a big supply of batteries of all sizes in the pantry, and she found some that fit there. She told herself she would purchase more to replace the ones she was using the next time she went to town. In the meantime, she was so enthralled with the music on the radio that she did all her chores—and more—with enthusiasm. After a while Mamm actually became suspicious.
    â€œI am grateful that I have such a hard-working daughter,” she told Katrina after she’d offered to hang the wash, which was supposed to be Sadie’s chore. “But I am wondering why you are being so helpful.”
    Katrina felt an all-too-familiar twinge of guilt. “It’s just that I like being outside,” she told Mamm. And this was true. “The weather has been lovely.”
    Mamm studied her closely. “Is that all?”
    She shrugged. “I know how Sadie gets all clogged up and sneezes after being outdoors at this time of year.”
    Mamm nodded. “ Ja , that’s true enough.” She smiled. “You are a good girl, Katrina.”
    Naturally, her mother’s praise made her feel even more guilty. But as soon as she turned the radio on and stuck the plug in her ear, she forgot all about her guilt. It was as if she couldn’t stop herself. Listening to this music was incredible, and it was becoming her window to the world—like Bekka had said about the computer. She also realized that the radio station played a lot of the same tunes again and again, and after a couple of weeks, she had learned many of them by heart.
    â€œI’m sure you’ve been missing Bekka,” Mamm said to Katrina as she came into the house after working in the garden on a Friday afternoon.
    Katrina nodded. “She and her family should be back from the gift show by now,” she told Mamm. “I hope it went well for them.”
    â€œMaybe you want to go visit Bekka and find out,” Mamm said.
    â€œYou don’t mind?”
    â€œYou deserve it, Katrina. You’ve been working so diligently. Ever