Yes, she’d recognize him when she saw him, and that’s something she’d always known in her heart. Rose hadn’t met the man she’d share her life with. Perhaps her mother was right and she couldn’t waste time. Her future husband was out there somewhere and she had to find him soon before he married another. What if his mother was also putting pressure on him to marry? He might marry someone else before they found each other.
Chapter 4
Nancy Yoder looked out the window to see Rose walking toward the house. Rose was a sweet girl, and nothing but a dreamer. If she didn’t set the girl on the right path, what would become of her?
Rose was a tall and willowy girl, attractive with her brilliant red hair, but that would do her no good if she didn’t get her head in the right space—and fast. Nancy had been blessed to find her husband when she was a young teenager, but if Rose didn’t think about finding a man now, it might be too late. She could see in Rose’s eyes from earlier that day she’d felt the pressure of her words. Rose was a girl who needed guidance, and besides, it was for her own good that she marry soon.
“Tulip, take your sisters upstairs. I want to have a word with Rose alone before your vadder gets home.”
“Mamm, we’re not three-years-old,” Daisy said.
“Yeah! We don’t need anyone to take us upstairs.” Lily jumped to her feet.
“We’ll go by ourselves, Mamm,” Tulip added in a tone of disgust.
Tulip never liked to be grouped with the twins, preferring to be treated as older along with Rose. Her three younger daughters made themselves scarce, while Nancy waited by the door for Rose.
When Rose pushed the door open, her mother was right in front of her.
“Mamm! Where is everyone?”
“The girls are upstairs. Sit down with me for a moment so we can talk alone.”
Rose studied her mother’s face to carefully judge her mood while she let the shawl slide from her shoulders. “Have I done something wrong?”
“Nee. I want to talk more about what I was saying this morning.”
Rose hung her shawl on the peg behind the door, and walked into the living room. She sat on the couch and her mother sat down next to her.
Nancy inhaled deeply. “Rose, I know you think I’m meddling in your life, but I don’t want you to have regrets about anything when you’re older.”
“I’m only twenty.”
Nancy felt bad that she hadn’t had this conversation with Rose two years ago. There had been many men who had gotten married in those years, and five of them she could name off the top of her head, any one of whom might’ve been perfect for her daughter.
“If you don’t act now to find a husband—”
“I’ll miss out,” Rose finished her sentence for her while nodding her head.
“Jah, you will. Now, you said you’d give it some thought today, so did you think of anyone you might like?” Nancy watched as Rose’s eyes glazed over. “Perhaps I should get your vadder to talk to you?”
“Nee, Mamm. Dat wouldn’t be comfortable talking about things like this.”
“Well?”
“I … I have thought about it and …”
Nancy leaned forward, placing her fingertips behind her ear to pull her ear forward. It was something she used to do when her children were smaller to show them that she was listening intently. Old habits were hard to break. “And?”
“And I do like someone, but we’ve been keeping it quiet.”
Keeping relationships quiet was often the Amish way among the young. Many people didn’t know couples were together until their weddings were published, and a date for the wedding announced.
Nancy was relieved. “You have? You like someone and he likes you in return?”
Rose nodded. “That’s right.”
“Who is it?”
“If I tell you, it won’t be keeping it quiet.”
Nancy nodded. Rose had the right to privacy because she was an adult now and Nancy had to respect her rights. Still, Nancy hated it when there was something she didn’t know. Who was this mystery man? Was he a suitable match? The thing that kept Nancy awake at night was that Rose was a girl who could easily be led astray. The girl just didn’t think things through. Or was the whole thing a ruse made up by Rose to deflect attention and put off finding a man? “Perhaps we could have him over for dinner one night?”
Rose bit her lip. “Maybe.”
“Rose, are you just saying this to stop me talking to you about marriage? Does this man exist other than in your daydreams?”
“Mamm, how could you possibly say that to me?”
“You’re not denying it. This morning you made no mention of this man and that would’ve been the opportunity to do so. Why’s that? Why didn’t you talk about your man this morning?”
Rose crossed her arms over her chest and slumped back into the couch. “He does exist.”
“Then who is he?”
“I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Can’t we just leave it at that? I’ll take notice of your warnings about finding myself missing out if I wait too long.”
“Do I know him?”
“Of course you do. He’s from our community. I’m not sneaking off to see an Englischer. You should at least be happy about that.”
From Rose’s response, it was more clear Rose knew Nancy wouldn’t be happy about her choice in a man.
She thought about all the men she’d seen Rose with over the past weeks and the only man she could think of was Mark Schumacher. The two of them were always talking together to the exclusion of others. She closed her eyes, picturing them as a couple, and in the future, married. Then she opened them and locked eyes with Rose. “Mark Schumacher?”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“I’m just asking you a question. Is that who the mystery man is?”
“Jah, it’s Mark, and there’s nothing wrong with him.”
“Nee, there isn’t. I like Mark.”
Rose sat on her hands. “You do?”
“Jah. He’s a fine young man. And you clearly get along with one another.”
“Please don’t make a big fuss of it. I don’t want you to scare him away.”
Nancy laughed, trying to hide her amazement. Mark was an unusual choice. In her mind’s eye, she’d always imagined Rose with someone older; someone who would act as a stabilizing influence on her. Mark was barely a year older than she. And, what’s more, Mark struck Nancy as someone who seemed a little casual in his approach to life.
Then, another thought troubled Nancy. What if Mark was merely her first boyfriend and she’d grow tired of him? He would distract her, waste her time, and when their relationship was done, she’d be older and many of the men would’ve already married. She looked back at her daughter. “Are you sure about Mark?”
“Don’t worry; we won’t be getting married tomorrow.” Rose laughed.
That wasn’t what Nancy was concerned about, but she didn’t want to worry Rose with her own troubling doubts since Rose was prone to nerves and anxiety. Rose had been better these past years, but any added stress on her oldest daughter wouldn’t be good.
Nancy knew she’d have to let it go as best she could, and trust God. Rose was seeing someone and even if Nancy thought him not a good fit for her, she reminded herself that it was Rose’s choice.
“Have I upset you or something, Mamm?”
She stared into her daughter’s bright green eyes, which perfectly complemented the red tones of her crowning glory. Without saying a word, she leaned forward and kissed her daughter on her forehead. “You couldn’t possibly upset me.”
Chapter 5
Rose was taken aback. Her mudder was not one for physical affection with her grown children. She watched her mother stand and hurry into the kitchen.
Over her shoulder, Mamm called out, “Can you let your sisters know we’ve finished our talk?”
Sisters? Where are they? Still sitting, Rose leaned over to look up the stairs. Moving sh
adows proved that they had been listening in. Rose quietly bounded to her feet and caught sight of them. “I see you!”
The twins giggled and ran down the stairs while pushing and shoving each other.
“We heard Mamm say we could come down now.” Lily stuck her nose in the air as she sailed past Rose.
Daisy was right behind Lily and poked out her tongue at Rose when she walked by.
Rose ignored her and looked back up the stairs, wondering where Tulip was. “You up there, Tulip?”
Tulip appeared. “Yeah.”
Rose knew that Tulip was so gentle and polite that she didn’t want to let on that she’d been listening along with the twins. “You heard?”
“I did.” Her face twisted with guilt.
“It’s okay.”
Tulip walked down toward her. With Rose’s best friend having left the community to go on rumspringa, Tulip had become her closest female friend.
“Is it true about Mark?”
Rose gulped. If Tulip didn’t believe her, that meant her mother would also have doubts. “Not really.”
“Then why did you say that to Mamm?”
“Are you two helping or what?” rang the raucous voice of one of the twins from the kitchen.
“We’re coming in a minute,” Rose yelled back.
“Well? I know it’s not true,” Tulip said.
Rose sighed. “I had to do something. Mamm told me I need to get married soon, but there’s no one around for me to marry. She was putting me under pressure.”
“Why don’t we visit some relatives in other towns—just you and me? That way, we can meet more people and you might find someone.”
“I’m not in a hurry. And I can’t leave the stall. Mr. and Mrs. Walker need me.”
“Someone else would be able to do it for a while. Think about it. It’ll look like you’re doing something to find a man and we can have a good time together.”
“I can’t. If I do that, Mamm will know that I lied to her and I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“She’ll find out soon enough, won’t she?”
“Nee. I hope not.”
“You roped Mark into the lie with you?”
Rose cringed at the word ‘lie.’ “You make it sound as though it’s something terrible.” It was best to keep it to herself that Mark was the one who’d come up with the idea.
Tulip shook her head and her prayer kapp strings were thrown side-to-side. “This won’t end well.”
“Maybe and maybe not, but can’t we keep this between the two of us?” Rose whispered.
Tulip nodded and the pair joined the others in the kitchen to help prepare the evening meal.
Later that evening, Nancy was in her bedroom with her husband.
“Did you have a talk with Rose?” Hezekiah asked.
“About her getting married?”
“Jah.”
“I did, and she says that she and Mark Schumacher have been seeing quite a bit of each other.”
He drew his head back in surprise. “Besides seeing each other every day at the farmers market?”
“Jah, it seems so. She’s fond of him.”
Scratching his neck, he asked, “Do you think she’s taking things more seriously now since your talk?”
“Maybe. I don’t like to put pressure on the girl, but she’s twenty now. I would’ve hoped she would have found someone before now, but it seems she wasn’t seriously looking,” Nancy said. “She must not have been taking her relationship with Mark seriously.”
“We don’t always know what’s going on in our kinner’s lives.”
“Jah, especially when they get older. I just hope my talk didn’t put too much pressure on her. You know what she’s like.”
“You did the right thing, Nancy. There’s pressure in life and we can’t escape that. She’ll have to learn to deal with it.”
“I suppose so, but I always feel overprotective, more protective of Rose than our other kinner. She’s the sensitive one, while Tulip is the smart one. The twins—”
“The twins will mature in time.” Hezekiah smiled as he often did when the twins were mentioned.
“What do you think of Mark?”
“He’s a nice boy.”
“Exactly! A boy. He’s not a man, really, is he?” Nancy asked. “He’s just a freckle-faced boy. I can’t see him being a man and taking care of our Rose.”
“He’s still young—give him a chance.”
Nancy’s gaze swept upward to the ceiling. “I always saw Rose with someone older.”
Hezekiah chuckled. “And he will be older in a few years. Stop worrying so much. Things have a way of following their natural course. She just needs to relax and the current of life will set her on the right course.”
Nancy looked into her husband’s eyes and was comforted. Maybe she was being overly concerned. She wanted Rose to be interested in a man, and now she’d found out she had something going on with Mark. He was an interesting choice and she’d have to keep a close eye on the two of them.
Chapter 6
Rose couldn’t wait to get to work to tell Mark that she’d taken him up on his offer of him being her pretend love-interest. As soon as Mrs. Walker dropped her off at the entrance of the farmers market, she hurried to their side-by-side stalls.
Mark had his back turned so she grabbed him by his arm and pulled him behind the stalls so no one would hear what she said.
“Whooaa! What are you doing, Rosie?”
“I need to tell you something important,” Rose whispered.
“What is it?” He leaned forward and opened his eyes wide.
“It’s my mudder—you know what we were talking about yesterday afternoon?”
“Jah?”
“I had to pretend that you were my boyfriend.”
Mark appeared to be enjoying every moment of Rose’s dilemma. A hint of smugness touched his lips as he leaned back on one foot and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Then he straightened up. “Hang on a minute. You’re not joking with me?”
“Nee. I’m telling you what happened and what I had to say to Mamm.”
He sighed and rubbed his chin. “Tell me what happened. Tell me everything—who said what?”
“I was frightened she might send me away somewhere or try to find someone for me.” Rose imagined what kind of man her mother would find for her. Probably someone old and stuffy who never laughed, who had a big farm somewhere, and would come home smelly and sweaty at the end of the day. “Anyway, it’s all right, isn’t it? It was you who suggested the whole thing.”
“It was a joke, Rose. I wasn’t serious.”
Rose opened her mouth in surprise. “Nee, it was not a joke! You can’t say this to me now, Mark. I more or less already told my mudder that you’re my boyfriend.”
“I wasn’t serious. How do you think we’d ever pull that off?”
“I haven’t thought it through, obviously. My mudder put me on the spot and then I just kept hearing your voice repeat what you said yesterday.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re letting me down when the whole thing was entirely your idea.”
He rubbed his chin, not looking as smug as he had a moment before. “Are you blaming me for this whole thing, Rosie?”
“Jah, I am. I’m totally blaming you for everything. All of it. It was all your idea and now you’re leaving me hanging. I’ll look so foolish when I tell Mamm I made it all up.” Rose huffed and folded her arms across her chest.
Mark shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll go along with it, if it’ll get you out of a jam.” One side of his mouth tilted into a crooked smile.
“Denke, Mark, you’re a lifesaver.” She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.
When she pulled her head away, he put his fingers where she’d kissed him.
“Now, about my benefits for pretending to be your boyfriend.” His eyes sparkled with mischief.
“You’ll simply do this as a friend—as a favor to help me. There
’ll be no payments made or benefits of any kind. Agreed? And we’re only acting; this is not real. Okay?”
He rubbed his forehead and breathed out heavily. “Agreed. The things I get myself into. How well do we have to act this thing out?”
“Just well enough to fool my parents for as long as my mudder has this bug in her head about me marrying. It will probably pass in a couple of weeks. I’m sure it’s just because of Trevor’s wedding.”
“Just a couple of weeks, eh?”
“I’m sure that’s all it’ll take. Anyway, this is all your fault, so don’t pull that face.”
“How could it be my fault? I’m not the one who wants to trick her mudder.”
“You should’ve just kept your mouth closed because if you hadn’t said—”
“Okay, okay—lesson learned. I agree with you. Next time I’ll shut my—”
“Hi, Rose.”
Rose turned to see one of the Walker boys, who was delivering more flowers to the stall.
“Hello, Sam.” Rose left Mark so she could instruct Sam where she wanted the flowers placed.
When Sam had delivered the last bucket off the trolley, he hung around talking for longer than usual. Rose thought it a little odd and wondered whether her mother was matchmaking already and had spoken to Sam about her. And if that was so, it meant Mamm didn’t believe the story about Mark. Rose knew Sam had a second job to get to. He worked with his parents in the morning, and then worked for a building company throughout the day.
When Sam left, Mark walked over. “Were you trying to make your pretend boyfriend jealous just now?”
“Did it work?”
He laughed. “Not really.”
“Well, you’ll need more practice as a boyfriend. Am I your first girlfriend?”
“First pretend one.” He laughed and went back to straightening his stall, ready for the day’s customers.
Rose’s mind danced around Mark and the memories of him for as far back as she could recall. She’d never heard about Mark having a girlfriend and she was convinced he’d never had one.
Amish Rose Page 3