Read Online A Surprise for Lily by Mary Ann Kinsinger - Free Book Online

removing her clothes from the closet and folding them neatly before she placed them in a box. Lily quietly sat down beside her and helped fold clothes. It didn’t take long until that job was done, but they didn’t know what to do next. They went downstairs, but there were so many people milling around the house that they kept getting in the way, so finally they went back to Hannah’s room and sat on the floor to talk. The only problem was that they had nothing to say to each other. Too sad.
    By noon, the trailer was filled. Everyone gathered to eat sandwiches and cookies that the women had brought along. Too soon, lunch was over. Now it was really time to say goodbye.
    The women murmured comforting words to Aunt Mary. “God bless you in your new home. I hope you’ll be very happy as you adjust to a new community. Safe travels. Come back to visit often.” Aunt Mary shook each person’s hand, thanking them for helping, saying goodbye.
    Lily gave Hannah a hug. Tears started to sting her eyes and she tried to blink faster to hide them. A little part of her felt bothered that Hannah didn’t seem nearly as sad about leaving as Lily was to see her go.
    As Hannah and her family walked out the door to leave, Lily understood why Mama didn’t want to have to watch them go. She couldn’t stand it, either. While the rest of thecommunity waved goodbye as the van and trailer drove away, Lily ran up the stairs into Hannah’s empty room. She opened the closet door and sat on the floor. The tears that had threatened to come all morning were here now, and she couldn’t stop them.
    After Lily had cried herself out, she wiped her face with her apron. She knew that the women had planned to wash all the walls, windows, and floors after Uncle Elmer’s family left. They wanted to get the house ready for the new family that was moving in tomorrow. How awful it would be if the women opened up Hannah’s closet and found Lily sobbing.
    Slowly, she peeped her head out the closet door. To her horror, David Yoder, Aaron’s father, stood in the middle of the room. He looked surprised to see Lily’s head emerge out of the closet. “I just wanted to walk through the house to make sure they didn’t forget anything before the new family moves in,” he said. He glanced around the room. “It looks like they forgot to take a thermometer.” He plucked a heart-shaped thermometer off the wall and handed it to Lily. “You can take this home with you and hang it on your wall. That way, every time you see it, you can feel good about taking care of something for Hannah until you see her again. You can give it to her the next time you see her. Maybe it will help you to not miss her quite as much.”
    Lily took the thermometer from David Yoder and hugged it close to her. She was sure he must be one of the kindest men she had ever met. As kind as Papa. He could understand how sad she was feeling and tried to make her feel better without embarrassing her. Just the opposite of his son. How disappointed he must be to have a son like Aaron.
    Lily knew she should probably help the women and girlsclean the house, but she couldn’t stay any longer. She found her bonnet from the closet shelf and went to find Papa to tell him that she was going home. That was fine with him. Papa understood, just like David Yoder. Hannah was like a sister to Lily.
    Mama was surprised to see Lily when she got home. She smiled when Lily showed Hannah’s thermometer to her and told her what David Yoder had said. “That sounds like a good idea,” Mama said. “I’ll help you hang it on your bedroom wall right away. I think Hannah would be pleased.”
    Mama helped Lily select the best spot in her room and pounded a nail into the bedroom wall. Lily hung the thermometer carefully on it. Mama and Lily sat on the bed and looked at it. Somewhere out there, Hannah and the rest of her family were