A Simple Singing

by Leslie Gould

  When David arrived to collect us, Aenti Suz asked him about a nearby bakery.

  “There are a couple.” After a little bit of discussion, Aenti Suz guessed Elijah worked at one closer to the beach.

  “Let’s stop by and say hello,” she said. That surprised me. Aenti Suz hadn’t been very warm to Elijah. Perhaps she’d changed her mind.

  We rode the bus for a short ways and then got off near a fancy grocery store.

  “The bakery is in here,” David said.

  We traipsed through the store to the back with all of our stuff. When we reached the bakery, Elijah was working the counter, joking with an Englisch woman. He wore a red apron over what looked like jeans and a button-up white shirt. His hair had grown out since the bowl cut he wore when he was home, and his face lit up when he saw me. After he’d placed the woman’s order in a paper bag and thanked her, he said, “Hey, Marie. When did you arrive?”

  “Yesterday,” I answered.

  “And now you’re off to the beach?”

  I nodded.

  “I get off at noon,” he said. “How about if I meet you there?”

  I turned toward Aenti Suz.

  She smiled. “We’d like that.” She quickly introduced David to Elijah, and then the two chatted for a moment about which beach we were going to. When they’d finished, I told Elijah good-bye. On our way to the door, I picked up several postcards, paid for them, and then joined Aenti Suz and David outside.

  “We can walk from here,” David said. “It’s only a couple of blocks.”

  As we headed toward the beach, I noticed a man, probably about my age, digging in a garbage can. I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t help but wonder what his story was. I assumed he was homeless and thought of the shelter back in Lancaster.

  But as soon as I saw the Gulf, I forgot the young man. I’d never seen so much water at once, and the sight of it took my breath away. It wasn’t as blue as I’d imagined but instead a frothy green. I breathed in the salty air and couldn’t help but smile as I gazed over the water. It appeared infinite from where I stood, although there were a couple of islands between the beach and the horizon.

  “Those are keys,” David explained, pointing. “That’s Siesta Key and then Lido Key. They both have incredible beaches.”

  Considering it was a Wednesday, there were a lot of people at the beach. Some walked along the water’s edge. Others sat in chairs. There were volleyball courts, and a young man and a young woman, both in shorts, were bumping a ball back and forth.

  I had shorts on underneath my dress, but I didn’t plan for anyone else to know that.

  We unfolded our chairs, and then David rolled up the legs of his pants. We all kicked off our flip-flops, and I paused for a moment while Aenti Suz headed toward the water with David. The warm sand felt so soothing between my toes that I felt as if I didn’t want to move. I dug in deeper, closed my eyes, and tilted my face toward the sun.

  “Marie!” Aenti Suz called out. “If you think that feels good, come into the water!”

  I opened my eyes.

  She gestured for me to join her. I walked slowly, from the loose sand to the hard, cooler sand, and then into the water. The warm waves lapped against my ankles, and I stepped in deeper, joining David and Aenti Suz.

  She squealed and grabbed my arm as a higher wave rolled in. “This is wonderful!”

  We held up our skirts and walked out farther. David said he should have worn his shorts, and I almost laughed, thinking of a sixty-something-year-old Amish man in shorts. But then I noticed two men with full Amish beards coming out of the water, soaking wet, wearing T-shirts and shorts.

  We spent the next couple of hours on the beach, and just when I began to wonder if Elijah would show up at all, he called out my name.

  I turned my head toward him. He wore shorts and a T-shirt too, and carried a volleyball under his arm, along with a towel. After greeting Elijah, Aenti Suz and David said they were going for a walk.

  Elijah and I bumped the ball back and forth for a while, and then he said he was going for a swim.

  Once he was in up to his chest, he yelled, “Come in!”

  I waded in to my knees, holding my dress up, but didn’t want to go any farther.

  “Look at them.” He gestured toward a group of girls in the water about fifty yards away. Some wore shorts. Some wore one-piece swimsuits. One wore shorts with a bikini top. One was in a dress but nevertheless in the water. “They’re all Plain, either Mennonite or Amish.”

  I put one hand on my hip, holding my skirt with the other. “You’re kidding.”

  He laughed and pointed to another group of young people. “You can tell the Englisch girls. They’re the ones with hardly anything on.”

  My face grew even warmer than it already was from the heat of the day. I turned away from watching them, but I didn’t go in any farther. After a while, Elijah joined me in the shallow water. The warm waves against my legs felt good and being with Elijah felt even better.

  When Aenti Suz and David returned from their walk, she said they planned to return to the bungalows. “You can stay here with Elijah,” she said. “Although you’ll want to get something to eat.”

  “I need to get lunch too,” Elijah said. “We can eat and then come back. Later in the afternoon, a group of friends are coming to play volleyball.” He turned to Aenti Suz. “I’ll get her home by eight or so. Does that sound all right?”

  “Perfect,” she said.

  I wondered again at Aenti Suz warming toward Elijah. Perhaps she wanted to have more time with David and figured having me spend time with Elijah was her best hope of it.

  I’d never known Aenti Suz to return any man’s interest though. David seemed like a nice person, but I was still surprised she actually wanted to hang out with him.

  Elijah definitely knew his way around the area. We ate at a place not far from the beach, and then headed back to the sand. By then there was a group gathered around one of the volleyball courts. Elijah served the ball he’d been carrying high into the air, landing it in the middle of the group. Another young man, who wore shorts and no shirt, grabbed it and served it back to Elijah, but I stepped forward and bumped it back to the group.

  “Who’s with you?” one of the girls asked as we approached.

  “This is Marie,” Elijah answered. “She’s from back home.”

  The guy who had served the ball turned to me and said, “You can be on my team.”

  I smiled but didn’t answer. Elijah quickly introduced me around, first to Billy, who had just subtly complimented my volleyball skills, and then to Paula, who’d asked who I was.

  Billy was from Lancaster County, from a district near ours. I hadn’t met him before, but we knew many of the same people, besides Elijah. And I remembered Elijah mentioning him when he was home.

  Soon we were playing a game, with me on the other side of the net from Elijah, playing next to Paula. She wore shorts, modest by Englisch standards, and a tank top, which I guessed was probably modest to some too.

  I asked where she was from.

  “Here,” she said.

  “You live in Pinecraft year round?”

  She nodded. “My parents manage several properties. We’ve lived here since I was eight.”

  I tried to hide the shock in my voice. “You’re Amish?”

  She shook her head. “Mennonite.”

  Most likely from a pretty liberal group.

  Elijah had just served a ball. I set it, straight up, and then stepped aside. Paula spiked it over the net. She was nearly as tall as I was and a good athlete.

  The other team bungled the play, and it was our serve.

  “Where are you from originally?” I asked as we took our positions.

  “Ohio. Holmes County.”

  “Do you get back often?”

  Paula laughed as the volleyball sailed over the net. “Not if I can help it. Most of our relatives come down at some point in the winter, thankfully, so we don’t have mu
ch of a reason to go back.”

  That sounded sad to me. “You don’t want to go back home?”

  “It’s not home anymore. Pinecraft is.” She practically sang the words.

  That was hard to imagine.

  I enjoyed playing with the others and watching Elijah. He was well liked, that was certain. He and Billy teased each other in a good-natured way.

  After several games, Elijah grabbed the ball and held it on his hip. “Anyone hungry? We can cook burgers at our place.”

  Everyone seemed to think that was a great idea. Elijah turned toward Billy and asked if we could ride with him.

  “Sure,” he said.

  Paula grabbed the volleyball. “Me too!”

  After I retrieved my chair and bag, we all headed to the parking lot, to Billy’s tiny car with only two doors. After putting our things in the trunk, Paula and I wiggled into the backseat. The floor was covered with fast food bags, and I did my best to find a place for my feet. Paula caught my eyes and rolled hers. We both laughed.

  It only took a few minutes to reach Elijah and Billy’s house. It was also a bungalow with a patio in the back. The house was a mess—there were dirty plates and glasses in the living room, and the carpet needed to be vacuumed.

  “Who all lives here?” I asked.

  “Billy and me,” Elijah answered. “And two other guys.”

  “Really?” I glanced down the hall.

  “The other two guys share a room,” Elijah answered, heading toward the kitchen. “And Billy sleeps on the couch.”

  I guessed that would make rent a lot cheaper.

  “Hey, Billy, turn on the grill!” Elijah called out.

  I picked up two dirty plates in the living room.

  “You shouldn’t bother,” Paula said.

  “I can’t help myself,” I replied. “How can they live this way?”

  “Oh, this isn’t bad.” Paula flipped her long hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes again. “I think they actually cleaned up. You should see it most of the time.”

  I wondered how often Paula came over. In the kitchen, I helped Elijah slice an onion and tomato.

  “We have chips too,” he said, holding up an opened bag.

  “Great,” I answered, wondering what Aenti Suz was having for supper.

  Soon the others from the volleyball game arrived, and Elijah put the frozen burgers on the grill while Billy dug a stack of paper plates out of the cupboard.

  No one led us in a prayer before we ate, but I paused and said one anyway. The burgers were overcooked and the chips were a little stale, but it was a fine meal anyway.

  After we’d finished eating, Elijah said, “We should take you home.”

  “I’ll clean up first,” I said. “It will only take a minute.”

  “If you insist,” Elijah joked, but he ended up helping.

  “It’s nice to have a woman’s sight in here,” he said, as I scrubbed the counter. “I know we let things go more than we should.”

  I bit my tongue from agreeing with him. Instead I simply gave him a sweet smile and batted my eyes, which made him laugh.

  We all traipsed out to Billy’s car, and Elijah was yawning by the time we reached the bungalow where Aenti Suz and I were staying. “It’s time for bed,” he said. “I need to get up at 3:30.”

  Elijah walked me to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow after work.”

  I juggled my chair and towel. “I’m not sure what we’re doing.”

  “Stop by the bakery and let me know.” He grinned. “I’d really like to spend as much time as possible with you while you’re here.”

  He’d said that before, but my heart still fluttered as I told him good-bye.

  When I stepped into the living room, I could hear voices in the kitchen.

  “Hallo,” I called out.

  “Marie,” Aenti Suz answered. “We’re back here.”

  She and David were washing dishes, and the pie our landlady had delivered the day before sat on the counter.

  Aenti Suz asked me how the rest of the day had gone, and I told her what all we had done. I left out how messy Elijah’s apartment was and that no one had led us in prayer before the meal.

  After David dried the last dish, he said it was time for him to go.

  “What about a piece of pie?” Aenti Suz asked.

  “Could I take a rain check?” he asked.

  “You’ll be taking your chances,” Aenti Suz teased. “It might all be gone.”

  He patted his belly, which was pretty small compared with a lot of men his age, and said it was a chance he was willing to take.

  As Aenti Suz walked him to the door, he asked, “Is it all right if I come back tomorrow morning?”

  “Of course,” she said. “In fact, come for breakfast.”

  As the door closed behind him, Aenti Suz turned toward me. “Isn’t it wonderful to be here? In such a beautiful location and in the warmth of God’s amazing sun—in January.”

  I nodded, thinking of my previous self-righteous opinions about Pinecraft. I felt a little guilty at how much I was already enjoying it.

  “I’m looking forward to church and the singings for the entire community.” I’d heard that musical instruments were used at the singings.

  “They definitely do things differently here.” Aenti Suz turned her head upward to the overhead light in the kitchen. “We should enjoy the warmth and rest while we can.”

  That made me think of Dat’s cancer and how hard that time had been for our family. Honestly, we were all still grieving him. Jah, I would enjoy this time of rest and relaxation.

  That made me think of Annie and her family and all the hardship they faced. They had no hope of rest and relaxation, of escaping to a place like Pinecraft. There was no way for them to avoid the war that was coming their way.

  “Could you tell me more of Annie’s story tonight?”

  “Good idea.” She hung up her towel. “Where were we?”

  “A man had arrived late at night to take the slave girl and baby. His voice was familiar to Annie, but she didn’t know who he was, and she didn’t know if she should trust him or not.”

  “That’s right.” Aenti Suz turned toward the coffee pot. “Now, you cut the pie while I make a pot of decaf. Then I’ll tell you what I can before bedtime.”

  9

  Annie

  Who are you?” Annie asked again.

  Felicity groaned and tightened her arms around Mingo. “It doesn’t matter who he is.” She stepped ahead of Annie and to the soldier’s side. “Let’s get going.”

  The man tipped his hat at Annie, and she could see it was Ira King, from the day before. “Thank you, ma’am,” he whispered to Felicity, but the grin on his face indicated that he recognized Annie too.

  “We need to hurry.” He put his arm around Felicity and helped her walk faster.

  “Wait.” Annie hurried after them, remembering the crude talk of the soldiers the day before. “Where are you taking her?”

  Ira kept walking, but over his shoulder he whispered, “Trust me, I can’t tell you that. I know this area well.”

  “Maybe you’re taking her to the other soldiers. Or . . .” Her voice trailed off.

  Ira stopped and Annie bumped into him. “What are you talking about?”

  She swallowed nervously. “The soldier in the back of the wagon insinuated . . .”

  Ira shook his head. “I won’t take this young woman anywhere near him or anyone like him.”

  Annie’s stomach lurched. Ira defused the situation yesterday, but he hadn’t stood up for her.

  The baby fussed. “Come on.” Felicity tugged on Ira’s sleeve, and they continued on.

  As the trio disappeared into the trees, Annie followed behind, listening. The baby wailed, and then a deep baritone voice, singing a song she’d never heard before, began. She listened carefully and could make out a few words. “Seeing Nellie home, In the sky the bright stars glittered, On the bank the pale moon shone . . .” />
  But then the voice of another man called out, “Whatcha got, Ira?”

  “Shh,” Ira said. “Where’d you come from?”

  “I’ve been following you.”

  “Well,” Ira said, “what I’ve got is none of your business.”

  “How about the bounty catcher down the road? We could make some money.”

  “We’ll see,” Ira said. “Right now I’m going to take them to Peach Bottom. You can ride along, or walk if you can’t keep your mouth shut.”

  Annie’s heart sank. She hesitated for a moment and marched through the forest after them, but by the time she reached the road the wagon was on its way.

  If she yelled, she might wake up George and Harriet. She didn’t care. “Ira King!”

  He waved his hand in the air. The other soldier, who also sat on the bench, laughed. Annie sank to her knees in the middle of the road. Had she just endangered Felicity and her baby? Or even sent them back into slavery?

  Her heart raced. Finally, she rose and said a prayer and then turned back toward the house. As she climbed the stairs of the porch, the creak of the rocking chair startled her. George wore his dressing gown.

  “Is it Harriet?” Annie asked. “Has her time come?”

  “No,” George said. “Voices woke me.”

  “Goodness,” she said. “I must have heard the same. I went to investigate . . .”

  He gave a puzzled look. “Why are you still dressed?”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. I was just getting ready for bed.” She yawned and quickly headed into the house.

  The next morning, when George came in with the milk, he said, “We’ll have an extra person for breakfast.”

  “Oh?” she asked.

  “He’s hitching his horses. We’re going to talk business.”

  Annie finished up the corn cakes and sausage and turned to place the food on the table as a soldier came through the back door, taking off his hat. She froze.

  “This is Ira King,” George said. “Kate’s boy.”

  As the man smiled, his blue eyes twinkled.