Almost Eden Read Online Free PDF

Daniel in a vision, and Daniel fell on the ground before him. Then God touched Daniel and gave him strength. Reverend Funk said the same thing can happen in the lives of Christians today. Then we sang, “Dare to be a Daniel.”
    “Stew?” I turned up my nose at the slop on my plate. “We’re having stew?”
    “What’s your problem?” Beth was standing there with a ladle of goop. She looked like she had a good idea of what she’d like to do with it, too.
    “Nothing, only–” I bit my lip. I’d said the wrong thing. Again. After I’d promised God and everything. “Sundays we usually have chicken, that’s all.” Roast chicken with
bubbat
, which Mom said was Mennonite dressing, but which was really more like cake with raisins in it. Yummy. And mashed potatoes and gravy and peas. My stomach growled just thinking about it.
    “Well, this Sunday we’re having stew. If that’s not good enough for you, too bad.”
    “It’s good enough.” I put a piece of meat in my mouth and started chewing, to show her.
    “I’ll have you know that I missed Sunday School and was late for church so I could make this stew.” Beth was snarly even for Beth.
    All I could do was smile and nod, since I was chewing still.
    “There are plenty of people in this world who are starving, you know, people who would be only too glad to have a hot bowl of stew.”
    Now she really did sound like Mom. Still chewing, I mumbled. “I know.” Never mind that it was 80 Mo outside.
    “They can have mine,” said Lena, pushing her food away. She crossed her arms and frowned so hard her eyebrows nearly touched. I knew that look.
    Dad obviously didn’t, or else he wasn’t paying attention again. “Do you girls always have to natter at each other? Eat your dinner.”
    I could have told him that wasn’t going to work. Only I was still chewing yet.
    Tears flooded Lena’s eyes. “I can’t. It tastes like, like…” She looked to me.
    I managed to swallow. “Like crud?”
    “Yeah. Like crud.”
    Now Beth got all blurry-eyed and red-faced. “I don’t know why I bother.”
    “Have you tasted it?” I asked her.
    By now Dad had sampled the stew for himself. “Maybe we should go out to eat. It is Sunday. Stew is always better the second day.”
    “
Oooo!
” Beth pushed back her chair and began banging dishes around.
    “
Oooo!
” I was pretty good at imitating Beth. Lena giggled.
    Soap suds flew across the room as Beth whipped around. “You’re such an imbecile!”
    “What’s an imbecile?” asked Lena.
    “It’s a fancy word for idiot,” I explained. I knew a lot of words my friends didn’t know. For one thing I read a lot. But I also made a point of looking up any word Beth used to insult me with.
    “Oh. Why doesn’t she say idiot then?”
    “She thinks I’m too stupid to know I’ve been insulted and that’s like, you know, a super-duper insult.” I grinned widely, teeth and everything.
    “Enough!” Dad slammed his fist on the table. A fork jumped to the floor. He barked out something in Plautdietsch.
    He didn’t need to translate. We all buttoned our lips. In the end we went out to the Harvester for burgers, and then Dad said he was going to see Mom.
    “Can we come with?” Lena asked.
    “Not today.”
    So Lena gave him a card she’d made for Mom. I gave him the notes I’d taken in church so Mom wouldn’t miss the sermon about Daniel.
    Tommy meowed loudly when Dad dropped us off at home. He scowled and shoved the cat out of his way with his foot. “If no one is going to feed that animal, I’m going to get rid of it. Some farmer would take it for his barn.”
    “Don’t look at me,” Beth said. “I’ve got enough to do without worrying about a grungy old alley cat yet.”
    “I’ll feed him,” I told Dad.
    Please God, give me strength.

    After Dad left, Beth said she had a headache and went to have a lie-down. Lena disappeared next door to play witha friend. I filled Tommy’s saucer with milk and made some