The Timepiece

by Beverly Lewis

  “Wait . . . that’s a real place?” Adeline looked baffled.

  “You’ll have to see it,” Sylvia said, going on to describe the amazing discounts. “It’s always packed with customers.”

  “If shopping’s involved, then count me in,” Adeline said, sounding enthusiastic.

  “Okay. I’ll go an’ call a driver,” Sylvia said, motioning to the cornfield where the local phone shanty stood hidden.

  “I’ll drive us,” Adeline offered. “Why not?”

  “Well . . .” Sylvia didn’t want to keep taking advantage of her, although it was nice to have a vehicle so handy.

  “No, seriously—let’s take my car.”

  Still a bit hesitant, Sylvia agreed. “Denki.”

  Adeline waved it off. “It’s the least I can do when your family has been so kind to me.”

  So after Mamma, Sylvia, and Adeline made and served a noon meal of macaroni and hamburger, the young women headed southwest toward Quarryville.

  “It’s their second outing together,” Earnest remarked when he came in for a thermos of cold meadow tea and Rhoda mentioned the girls had gone to BB’s. “They must be warming up to each other.”

  Rhoda smiled. “Maybe so.”

  “Who would’ve guessed?”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Rhoda said, pouring the cold tea carefully into the large thermos.

  He wanted to lean down and kiss her cheek but winked at her instead. Then, glancing at the thermos in his hand, he said, “This should keep me goin’ till suppertime.”

  “If ya run out, come back,” Rhoda said with a laugh. “There’s more where that came from.”

  He nodded and hurried toward the hallway to the utility room. Thus far, he hadn’t told Rhoda of the Kauffmans’ concern that Adeline might possibly influence Sylvia toward the world. Truth be told, he didn’t see the point.

  Nothing to worry about there, he reasoned as he made his way toward his little shop. Our Sylvie has a good head on her shoulders. . . .

  As Adeline drove, Sylvia stared at the dark clouds building up off to the west, above the area’s rolling green hills.

  Adeline turned to glance at Sylvia through her sunglasses. “If you don’t mind my asking, where do you purchase the clothes you don’t sew? Or do you make everything?”

  “Nee, I don’t make everything.” She smiled. “Things like socks, underwear, and even pajamas come from Walmart or wherever I can get the best price. There’s even a row of hitchin’ posts in the Walmart parking lot. They know we Amish shop there for basics.”

  She glanced in the direction of the Welsh Mountains again and pointed out the coming storm.

  “You seem more aware of the weather than most people I know,” Adeline commented. “More in tune with nature, too.”

  “Dat says that Mother Nature is a show-off, always remaking herself for our enjoyment.” She laughed a little. “And Mamma likes watchin’ all the birds that come to nest every spring.”

  “I noticed your tall birdhouse with four openings—like mini condos.”

  Sylvia nodded. “Oh jah, that’s for the purple martins. Our Dawdi Riehl makes lots of those to sell,” she said, going on to talk about how she was taught to appreciate and observe nature. “When we were little, Dat would take Ernie, Adam, and me on winter walks . . . ’specially on snowy days. ‘What animal tracks do you see?’ he’d ask, then get us to identify the animals that made them. From then on, we kept our eyes wide open to the outdoors. There’s always something new to see.”

  Adeline appeared to consider that. Then, after a moment, she said, “You must really enjoy your life.”

  Surprised, Sylvia nodded. “Don’t you?”

  Adeline frowned. “Some days.”

  The lukewarm way she said it made Sylvia’s heart go out to her.

  Adeline sighed loudly. “Mom’s death took my breath away, and I think I’m still finding my way back to normal . . . whatever that is.”

  Sylvia bit her lip, trying to imagine losing her own mother.

  “It feels like I’ve lost part of myself,” Adeline said, shrugging a little. “It’s hard to explain.”

  Her openness touched Sylvia. “I’m awful sorry,” she said softly. “I really am.”

  Adeline glanced her way again, as if she wanted to share more. “There were times after Mom became sick that I wished I had a sister, someone who could get inside my head . . . you know . . . understand what I was feeling.”

  I’ve always wanted a sister, too, Sylvia thought, but Adeline’s not exactly what I had in mind.

  “Maybe you don’t get what I’m saying.” Adeline stared ahead at the road. “I wouldn’t wish what I’m feeling on anyone.”

  For the longest time, Sylvia contemplated that. She recalled how very sad Dat had been when Mahlon Zook died. She also remembered how she’d felt when Dat finally told her about his first marriage—all because of the pocket watch she’d found in his heirloom tinderbox. She let out a little sigh.

  “You okay?” Adeline asked, looking concerned.

  “I might know just a smidgen of what you’re goin’ through,” Sylvia admitted as the farmland whizzed by. She told about the day she’d learned of Adeline’s mother. “The secret Dat had been hiding for so long sure caused an Uffruhr.”

  Adeline looked befuddled. “What’s that?”

  “An uproar. Dat was shunned for six long weeks because of it.” Sylvia softened her voice. “Truth be told, it kinda felt like we were, too.”

  “Your dad told me some about that.”

  “It was the worst time for him. For Mamma and us kids, too.”

  Silence enveloped them as they rode. It was hard to focus on the landscape around them with everything flying by so fast. In the car, Sylvia noticed the screen and all the buttons and dials on the console, so different from Titus’s courting carriage. She bit her lip at the thought of her and Titus being in such limbo.

  After a time, Sylvia had the urge to know something more about Adeline. “I hope I’m not being too snoopy if I ask ya somethin’.”

  Adeline laughed lightly. “I’ve been the one picking your brain. Ask whatever you like.”

  “I’m wonderin’ if you were nervous ’bout meeting Dat . . . when ya first arrived.”

  “Actually, I was terrified.” Adeline described how she’d broken out in a sweat, despite her car’s air conditioning, the minute she pulled up to the vegetable stand last Friday. “I was close to a panic attack. What if he doesn’t want to be found? What if he’s angry to find out about me only now? I asked myself these and a dozen more questions. I almost bailed.”

  “How’d ya get up the courage?” Sylvia asked.

  “I had to know the other half of the story . . . from his perspective.”

  Sylvia listened, then found herself nodding.

  “And I didn’t really gather the courage. I took mini steps—turned off the ignition, took a deep breath, opened the car door, and stepped out. And then I met you, and there was something about you, Sylvie, that helped me go ahead with it.”

  Sylvia couldn’t believe her ears. And here she’d thought Adeline had seemed unruffled, at least at first. “I helped you?”

  Adeline nodded. “You were so kind, so willing to hurry off to get your father for me.” She drew a breath. “Life can be hard. And you know what? I think this world needs more people like you.” She smiled.

  Embarrassed, Sylvia turned quiet, surprised at how very candid they had both been just now.

  ———

  Adeline was still thinking about her conversation with Sylvia as they turned into BB’s large parking lot, crammed with cars. She drove down one row after another, looking for a spot to park.

  When finally she spotted a place somewhat removed from the store’s entrance, Adeline quickly claimed it, pulling in and sitting there a moment before turning off the ignition. She looked at Sylvia. “You know . . . your dad is talkative enough, but at the same time, he seems quite restrained. Like there’s
this whole world in his mind that he doesn’t reveal.”

  “Jah,” Sylvia said, then looked away.

  “I’m sorry. He’s your father, and I don’t mean to . . .”

  “He’s yours, too,” Sylvia said, surprising Adeline. “But are ya thinkin’ he might be hiding something . . . holding back?”

  “No, I’m not getting that,” Adeline said, then tried to explain that she felt as if she were seeing tiny pieces of an enormous puzzle, when what she really wanted was the whole picture.

  Sylvia nodded. “I’ve experienced that, ’specially when it comes to Dat’s former life as an Englischer.” She was shaking her head. “I’d like to know more, too.”

  Adeline considered that. “How long ago did your dad’s shunning end?”

  “Just days ago, actually.”

  Adeline groaned. “Wow, I have lousy timing.”

  “Maybe it’s for the best,” Sylvia assured her. “Certainly it’s better now than earlier.” She reached for the door handle. “Let’s talk more later.”

  Adeline smiled, feeling strangely close to this long-lost sister, although their lives couldn’t have been more dissimilar.

  She reached for her purse, their conversation echoing in her mind, and she wondered how things stood between Sylvia and her fiancé. But Adeline wouldn’t think of asking. I’ve been too nosy as it is.

  Getting out of the car, she noticed the huge brown-and-white sign, BB’s Grocery Outlet, against the store’s dark brown siding.

  “I’ve got my list,” Sylvia said sunnily, patting her shoulder bag as they hurried across the jam-packed parking lot.

  “Great. And I’ll grab a cart,” Adeline offered, still marveling at the seeming breakthrough she and Sylvia had just had. How did it happen? she wondered, puzzled.

  CHAPTER

  sixteen

  In the middle of aisle seven, Sylvia and Adeline soon located dented cans of mushroom soup, something Sylvia’s mother didn’t care to make from scratch. And while Sylvia was counting out the twenty-five cans Mamma had requested, Adeline was looking for green olives, also on the list.

  Just ahead of them, an elderly Amishwoman was reaching for the top shelf, standing on tiptoes but unable to reach the cans of mandarin oranges. After the woman’s second attempt, Adeline must have noticed, because she hurried over to ask if she might help. Just then, the woman turned slightly, and Sylvia saw that it was Ella Mae Zook.

  With hardly any effort, Adeline got down several cans of mandarin oranges and placed them in Ella Mae’s cart. “They put them up high enough, don’t they?” Adeline noted cheerfully.

  “It’d help if I were a smidge taller,” Ella Mae said with a chuckle.

  “Well, I wouldn’t mind being a bit shorter!” Adeline laughed. “Anything else I can do for you?”

  Ella Mae thanked her, and Sylvia’s heart was touched by Adeline’s kindness. When Adeline returned to their cart, Sylvia commented on how thoughtful it was.

  “Well, she seemed so determined, I had a feeling she might keep trying to reach, no matter how many times she didn’t succeed.”

  Sylvia smiled. “You just helped our dear Wise Woman,” she whispered as Ella Mae headed up the aisle and turned out of sight.

  Adeline’s eyebrows rose. “The woman your brother Ernie mentioned?”

  “Jah.”

  Adeline straightened a bit, smiling now. “Will you introduce me?”

  “We’ll catch up with her in the next aisle.” Sylvia was tickled at this. If anyone will be gracious and accepting of Adeline, it’s Ella Mae, she thought.

  However, other customers and their carts were ahead of Sylvia and Adeline now, so Sylvia suggested they just keep working down Mamma’s list until it was more convenient to talk to Ella Mae.

  Dark gray clouds blanketed the sky and thunder rolled as Rhoda removed three golden-crusted loaves of bread from the oven. Breathing in the familiar aroma, she glanced out the window and felt she ought to alert Calvin and Tommy to the coming storm. Ernie and Adam had gone to town with Earnest to run some errands, and she was glad they had taken the enclosed family buggy.

  “Kumme!” she called to the younger boys, out on the back porch. “Ya don’t wanna get struck by lightning.”

  “Uff em Weg.” Tommy replied they were on their way as he glanced over at Calvin, who was coming now, too.

  The two of them scurried inside the house just as big drops of rain began to fall. Heavier thunder boomed, and Tommy laughed, saying he liked how it felt as it rumbled through him.

  “This seems like a gut time for some ice cream,” Rhoda announced as they washed up at the deep double sink before coming over to the table.

  “Cookies too?” Tommy asked, eyebrows high.

  “Well, you two have been workin’ hard.”

  “We worked up an appetite, jah,” Calvin said, uniting with his brother in apparent hope.

  “Cookies and ice cream it is.” Rhoda smiled.

  Tommy playfully tugged on Calvin’s suspenders as they went to sit on the long wooden bench at the table.

  “I was thinkin’, Mamma,” Calvin said with a glance at her. “Would Adeline wanna learn to milk?”

  “Might frighten Flossie,” Tommy said, frowning a bit.

  “Well, you’d have to ease the cow into it, make sure Adeline moves slowly and quietly in the barn,” Rhoda told them. “But it would give yous a chance to get to know her better.” Dishing up their vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and placing a cookie on the rim of the bowl, she felt proud of her young sons for considering ways to include Adeline.

  Calvin leaned back and stretched out his arms. “She is our sister, after all.”

  Tommy kept his hands in his lap till Rhoda carried over a dish for each of them. Then he picked up one of the spoons Rhoda had brought and scooped up a big bite. “Appeditlich!” he announced.

  “Delicious, for sure,” Calvin agreed, digging in.

  Rhoda dished up some ice cream for herself and hoped Sylvia and Adeline didn’t get caught in this fierce downpour on their way back from BB’s.

  The wind had picked up significantly, and the gray clouds had turned charcoal while Sylvia and Adeline were shopping. There hadn’t been an opportune moment for Sylvia to introduce Adeline to Ella Mae, so they made their way to the front of the store, where all the cashier lines were quite long.

  “This place is as packed as you predicted,” Adeline whispered to Sylvia.

  “It’s almost always like this. The discounts are one of the main draws, and the cashiers are all so friendly—many are Plain, as you can see.”

  While they waited, Adeline asked Sylvia what she thought about destination weddings, but Sylvia didn’t know what she meant.

  “Oh, sorry . . . it’s basically a wedding celebrated someplace where people vacation, sometimes many miles away from where the couple lives,” Adeline explained. “Only a few family and friends are invited—the people you feel closest to and really want to come. Everyone spends a few days together relaxing and having fun.” She paused. “Supposedly it takes the stress out of planning a wedding by making it small and a lot more manageable.”

  Ain’t for me or any Amish, thought Sylvia, though of course she didn’t say that as Adeline continued to describe some of the ideas she was exploring. “I went with my parents on vacation to Mackinac Island when I was little, before my brother was born,” Adeline said. “Seeing the pretty brides and their handsome grooms riding down Main Street in quaint horse-drawn carriages has stuck in my head all these years.” She also mentioned the possibility of getting married on a yacht on Lake Tahoe. “Brendon and I have also talked about Bow Bridge in New York City’s Central Park. It’s a beautiful spot.”

  Such different-sounding options! “Honestly, I’m prob’ly not the best person to ask about any of those,” Sylvia replied.

  Adeline looked confused. “Why not?”

  “Well, I’ve never seen any of those places.”

  “Where will your wedding be held?
” Adeline asked as they moved forward in the cashier’s line.

  What with the way things stood with her and Titus, Sylvia felt awkward answering that question, and she felt she should also be mindful of what she said with so many folk nearby. “Amish weddings usually take place at the bride’s parents’ home or in a rented white tent pitched outside the house.”

  Adeline’s eyes blinked. Then, smiling, she whispered, “You must think I’m a romantic dreamer.”

  “Aren’t we all?” Sylvia wanted Adeline to know she was interested. “It’s fun to hear your ideas.”

  “Well, I appreciate your humoring me,” Adeline said. “So which of the settings I mentioned would appeal most to you, if you weren’t Amish?” Adeline asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

  “I’d have to think on that.”

  “Just give me your knee-jerk response,” Adeline insisted cheerfully.

  Sylvia thought over each of the locations, then said, “Maybe the island you mentioned.”

  “Ah yes, the one with the horse-drawn carriages.” Adeline laughed a little. “Of course you would choose that.”

  Sylvia enjoyed seeing Adeline so bubbly and talkative. She wished she, too, felt as happy and settled about her future as Adeline seemed to be.

  ———

  After paying for the items, Sylvia suggested they wait out the heavy rainstorm; the clouds were quickly moving off to the east. As Adeline pushed the loaded grocery cart toward the side near the exit, Sylvia spotted Ella Mae Zook sitting beside her cart on one of the benches. Now’s our chance, she thought, motioning for Adeline to follow her.

  “Hullo, Ella Mae.” Sylvia mentioned that she’d seen her earlier but wasn’t able to catch up to greet her. “I happen to be shoppin’ with the young woman who helped ya out earlier.”

  Adeline stepped forward to shake her hand. “I’m Adeline Pelham, Sylvie’s half sister.”

  Lest Ella Mae wonder, Sylvia spoke up quickly. “Maybe you’ve heard already. Lately I have no idea what the grapevine’s spreadin’.”