A Simple Singing

by Leslie Gould

  I shook my head.

  She smiled. “Not everyone can hear a note like you can, in your head.”

  I did understand that because I knew my sisters couldn’t and Mamm couldn’t either. I believed that Dat could though. He told me one of the hardest things for him about joining the church was giving up music. Although he hadn’t entirely, at least not the harmonica, until Mamm forced him to.

  Elijah yelled at us from the edge of parking lot. “Hurry!”

  We started toward them, but Paula barely strolled along. She certainly wasn’t in a hurry.

  Elijah yelled again.

  “Oh, good grief.” Paula increased her stride and I did too. As we reached him, Paula said, “Marie has perfect pitch.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” Elijah responded.

  Paula stopped. “Do you even know what that is?”

  Elijah nodded his head. “I’ve known all along that she’s perfect.”

  I grimaced.

  Paula laughed.

  Billy said he was starving, and the discussion about my singing ability ended just as quickly as it started, thankfully.

  “Let’s go to Yoders,” Elijah said.

  The restaurant was crowded with Amish, Mennonites, and Englischers, and we had to wait twenty minutes for a table. I was starving, and all the savory smells didn’t help. The peanut butter sandwich I’d eaten for lunch wasn’t enough, considering all the time I’d spent in the water.

  Finally, we were seated. All of us ordered the fried chicken and mashed potatoes. After we finished our meal, we all ordered pie—coconut crème for Paula and Billy, peach for Elijah, and key lime for me.

  We talked about our futures as we ate. Paula said she was thinking about enrolling in college the next year. “Cleaning bungalows is fine, but I keep thinking there’s something more for me in life.”

  “What would you study?” I asked.

  She gave Elijah a snarky look and answered, “Social work.”

  He laughed. “That figures. I knew you were a bleeding heart.”

  She gave Elijah a second snarky look. “Or music.”

  He groaned. “The world doesn’t need another Taylor Swift.”

  Paula chuckled. “As if.”

  I’d heard of Taylor Swift but didn’t know anything about her. Clearly Paula and Elijah were just having fun though. I asked Billy what he planned to do. He just shrugged and said, “First I need to figure out if I’m going to join the church or not.”

  Paula kicked Elijah under the table. “What about you?”

  He glanced at me. “I’m going home in the spring, probably by May, to farm with my Dat. Then in a year or two, he’ll turn the farm over to me.”

  Paula wrinkled her nose. “I can’t imagine.”

  Elijah seemed hurt. “What do you mean?”

  She shrugged. “Oh, you know. The whole thing. Horse and buggy. No electricity. Driving a tractor with metal wheels.”

  His expression turned into a pout. “What do you have against our tractors?”

  Paula rolled her eyes. “Back in Ohio, our tractors have rubber tires.”

  It was true that the Lancaster County tractors had metal wheels. It seemed perfectly normal to me, but I could see how it would seem odd to others.

  “Those silly scooters don’t make sense either.” Paula’s voice was both light and serious at the same time. “We get to ride bicycles.”

  “Hey,” I said, hoping my voice sounded as if I were joking. “Don’t make fun of our scooters. We’ve been riding them our entire lives.” The bishops in Lancaster County didn’t allow bicycles. Only scooters.

  “Yeah.” Elijah grinned.

  “Sorry to offend you,” Paula shot back, but her tone was light. Until it grew more serious. “And farming? Really? Elijah, you are the last man I can imagine dragging a field or pulling a calf.”

  He shrugged dramatically. “It’s my destiny.” Then he laughed.

  Paula shook her head and then focused on me. “So what do you plan to do, Marie?”

  “Well.” I drew out the word, trying to stall as my face grew warm. Would she put it together that I hoped Elijah was integral to my future plans? “I’ll go back to Lancaster County and help my Mamm run our home and spend time with my nieces and nephews. Take charge of the garden. That sort of thing.” I wanted to add, and wait until Elijah comes home, but of course I didn’t.

  I could tell Paula wasn’t very impressed with my answer. Instead of commenting, she asked, “Will you come down again next year?”

  “No,” I answered. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, I’m afraid.”

  Her expression fell into a frown. “Oh, that’s too bad.” Then her face brightened. “I’ll just have to visit you then. If I come in the winter, may I borrow a coat and boots?”

  “Of course. I’d really love that,” I answered. And it was true—I really would. I liked Paula regardless of her not joining her church. Regardless of her wanting to attend college. And all the nosy questions she was asking. We were absolute opposites, except for our shared love of music, but I found her honesty and genuineness refreshing.

  I took the last bite of my pie and then pulled my purse from my bag to pay, but Elijah said he’d get it. Billy did the same for Paula.

  When they dropped me off, Elijah walked me to the front door and then kissed the top of my Kapp. “I had a great day,” he said.

  “Me too.” I looked up into his dark brown eyes. I wanted to say more, but feared I might sound too eager.

  He leaned down to kiss me, my very first. I closed my eyes and our lips met. Tingles flew up and down my spine. Then he hugged me again, and I hugged him back, feeling as if I were in a dream. Was I really in Florida? My arms wrapped around Elijah Jacobs? In January—but in eighty-degree weather? Jah, it was true. I was.

  Long after I’d told Aenti Suz goodnight and went to bed, I relived the kiss. Over and over. Finally, it was my turn to fall in love. Soon it would be my turn to court. And to marry.

  As I fell asleep, music played inside my head. It was an old tune, one Dat used to play on his harmonica, something he learned during his running-around years. I hadn’t thought of it in years. “Turn, Turn, Turn” was the name of the song. It was about there being a season for everything in life. It wasn’t until I was older and someone read the passage in church that I realized it was from Ecclesiastes: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

  I was entering the season I’d longed for. Finally, God was rewarding me for my faithfulness.

  12

  I spent every minute I could with Elijah through the rest of the week. Aenti Suz continued to be absolutely fine with my hanging out with him, and I guessed that she was spending as much time with David.

  On Sunday, Aenti Suz and I met David at the Amish church for the service. A variety of people, Amish and Mennonite, gathered around outside.

  Soon we headed into the church, where there were two sides of benches, like in any Amish service. Aenti Suz and I sat on the women’s side, while David sat on the men’s. I expected Elijah to show up, but he didn’t.

  I enjoyed the singing, which was very similar to home, but found myself not concentrating on the sermon. I thought of Elijah instead.

  When I saw him on Monday, I asked him why he hadn’t been at church. A sheepish expression passed over his face. “I slept through my alarm. I promise I’ll be there next week.”

  As Elijah and I got ice cream cones the next day, I asked him if he had any music on his smartphone, curious after seeing the video clips on Paula’s phone. He seemed pleased I was interested in his cellular device, as he called it, but said he wasn’t that into music.

  “Really?”

  He shrugged. “I’d rather watch cat videos.”

  Holding his cone with one hand, he clicked on his screen and then turned it toward me. I licked my ice cream as I watched. A tabby swatted at a banana peel, then a calico stumbled around with a plastic container on her head, and t
hen a gray cat played a keyboard, hitting one key at a time with his paw.

  Elijah laughed. “Look, cats and music. The perfect video.”

  I thought of Dat’s silly song. Maybe he would have understood Elijah’s bizarre interest. But I was puzzled. “People film their cats and then put it on the Internet for everyone to see?”

  “Jah.” He kept his eyes on his phone. “And then someone edits all the clips into one long video.” Two cats tried to squeeze into the same small box at the exact same time. Elijah laughed. “Aren’t these videos hilarious?”

  I really couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. We’d both grown up with barn cats, but neither of our families actually let cats live in the house, not like the Englischers in the videos. Having cats in the house and filming them, let alone allowing one on a keyboard, all seemed so foreign to me.

  I concentrated on my ice cream cone as he continued to laugh at the video.

  I didn’t see Elijah the following day. And then the day after, Thursday, he ended up working a long shift at the bakery, but he called our landlady and asked her to give me the message.

  “How thoughtful of him,” Aenti Suz said. “Now you can join David and me for the potluck at the park.”

  I was disappointed not to spend the day with Elijah, but I was happy to have an event to attend. I helped Aenti Suz make deviled eggs and a potato and ham casserole. David stopped by for us, carrying a box of crackers and a bag of cheese slices. He held both up and joked, “My specialty.”

  We walked to the park, watching as others whizzed by on bicycles. None of us had ever learned to ride one, and Aenti Suz teased that she was tempted to rent a tricycle. David said he did sometimes, but he didn’t mind walking. None of us did. The day was cooler—only in the high seventies—and the afternoon breeze had picked up.

  We could hear children playing in the park as we turned the corner. Most were preschoolers who’d come with their parents or grandparents, but there were scholar-aged children too. There was an elementary school in Pinecraft that the area children attended.

  Of course there were quite a few teens and lots of young adults too, many who lived and worked in Pinecraft or Sarasota, and others who had come down for the season.

  The tables under the picnic shelter were covered with checkered tablecloths and heaped with food. My mouth watered at the sight. Homemade bread. Peanut butter spread. Chow chow. Pickles. Beets. Fried chicken. Ham. Potatoes. Pasta. All sorts of salads. Jah, the food looked and smelled like home.

  After we ate, a group of Youngie gathered in a circle on the grass. I almost didn’t recognize Paula—she wore a Mennonite dress and Kapp—but she spotted me right away. “Marie! Over here.”

  “Go ahead,” Aenti Suz said. “Just introduce me to your friend later.”

  “I will.” I hurried over to where Paula stood with a group of young people I didn’t recognize. She introduced me around, and I quickly gathered that she attended church with most of them. One of the young men had a guitar and started strumming it. He wasn’t as good as Gordon, but who was I to judge a musician? Paula began singing, but I didn’t recognize the song. I hummed along as best I could.

  The young man played another I didn’t recognize, but then Paula asked him to play “Just as I Am.”

  Paula started singing and I joined her. “Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come!” We continued on through all six verses, just the two of us singing, and when we stopped, several people who’d gathered around began to clap. I looked away, embarrassed.

  Thankfully, Aenti Suz and David approached us and I quickly introduced them to Paula. At the same time, Elijah climbed out of a car and started toward us. “I got off sooner than I thought I would,” he called out. “A co-worker gave me a ride.”

  Aenti Suz shaded her eyes and said, “Grab a plate. There’s still lots of food left.”

  I left the circle of Youngie and joined Elijah as he filled his plate. After he finished eating, we each grabbed a piece of pie and drifted back to the singing. As we did, Aenti Suz said she and David were going for a walk and she’d meet me back at the bungalow.

  Elijah and I ate our dessert as we listened. Paula was still singing, this time another praise song that I didn’t recognize.

  After a few minutes, once Elijah finished his pie, he grew restless. First, he stood. Then he took both of our plates to the garbage. He returned and stood behind me, shifting from foot to foot.

  Finally, I stepped beside him and said, “Want to go for a walk?”

  “Yah,” he said. “That would be great! How about if we head toward your place?”

  So off we went as the sun set.

  “How are you getting home?” I asked.

  He shrugged and grinned. “I’ll figure something out.”

  I guessed that Aenti Suz and David were probably at our bungalow and suggested we go there.

  “Good idea.” Elijah’s hand bumped against mine. He didn’t dare take it, even though dusk had fallen. We’d never hear the end of it if anyone saw us holding hands. It was enough to know he was close, to know that he wanted to hold my hand.

  We kept on walking. A bat flew overhead. The breeze picked up, and the fronds of the palm trees swayed back and forth above us.

  “It’s been great spending this time with you,” Elijah said. “I’m so glad you came down.” He shot me a grin. “I’m feeling much better about going back home now.”

  He brushed my hand again. “I have to say that I was a little worried when you came in so late with that Mennonite guy though, when I stopped by to see you after Christmas. What’s his name?”

  “Gordon.”

  “That’s right. Talk about serious—and what a do-gooder. Like Superman without the cape. You were off with him feeding the homeless in the dead of winter, right?”

  “We’d been to the shelter in Lancaster. And then at the hospital—”

  “Jah. I remember.” Elijah’s voice grew in volume. “Hey, maybe we could get this Gordon and Paula together. They seem to have the same interests.”

  “Actually, Gordon will be down here soon.” I turned toward Elijah. “Didn’t he tell you that?”

  He stopped on the sidewalk. “Oh, that’s right. I’d forgotten. So he’s coming down to see you?”

  I quickly assured him that wasn’t the case. “He’s coming down on a mission trip, remember? To serve—”

  Elijah interrupted me. “Let me guess. The homeless?”

  “Jah,” I said, wondering why Elijah was being so obtuse. “Don’t you remember him talking about it?”

  He laughed. “I must not have been listening. But I’m glad he’s coming. Billy seems to have had enough of Paula—she’s even getting on his nerves.”

  It didn’t seem to me as if Billy was annoyed with Paula, and I honestly didn’t think it was a good idea to try to fix her up with Gordon, but I didn’t say so.

  “Enough about Gordon.” Elijah turned around and walked backward. Darkness had fallen, but I could see his face under the streetlight. “Let’s talk about me again.”

  I laughed.

  He grinned. “No. I’ll be serious. Let’s talk about you.” He cleared his throat, as if he was building up to say something more, but then he tripped.

  I reached out my hand, and he grabbed it. He laughed and then said, “You saved me.” He let go of my hand, but he didn’t say any more. The moment seemed to have been lost. We continued on in silence until we reached the bungalow.

  I led him toward the door. The porch light was on, and I expected Aenti Suz and David to be inside. I hoped we could all play a board game together.

  The front door was unlocked, and I opened it. A light was on in the kitchen but that was all. “Hello!” I called out.

  No one answered.

  “Maybe they’re out on the patio,” I said.

  Elijah followed me to the sliding glass door, and I turned on the outside light. No one w
as out there either. “Want to sit outside or in here?” I asked.

  “How about inside?”

  “All right.” I led the way to the living room and sat down on the couch. Instead of sitting on the other side, Elijah sat in the middle, close to me. Elijah stretched and then put his arm around me. I scooted a little closer, sure we’d hear the door in plenty of time to put a little distance between us when Aenti Suz returned.

  Elijah turned toward me, pulling me closer. He kissed the top of my Kapp and then my forehead, like before. Then his lips were on mine again. As I kissed him back, I heard voices out front.

  I quickly pulled away.

  The door opened, and Aenti Suz said, “It’s so good to see you!”

  A deep voice replied, “I just thought I’d stop by and say hello. I was hoping to see Marie tonight.” I scooted all of the way out of Elijah’s embrace.

  “The light’s on—she must be back.” Aenti Suz stepped into the room. “Marie?”

  Behind her was Gordon with a smile on his face—until he saw me sitting on the couch with Elijah.

  Gordon sputtered, “Hello.”

  I stood and asked if he remembered Elijah.

  “Of course,” he answered.

  Elijah cleared his throat. “I’d better get going. I’m picking up a shift in the morning.”

  “Do you have a ride?” Aenti Suz asked.

  He shook his head.

  “I can take you,” Gordon said, still looking at me. I wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but obviously he hadn’t found it.

  “Thanks,” Elijah answered. “I appreciate it, but I was going to call my buddy.”

  “Oh, let Gordon take you,” Aenti Suz said. “It won’t be out of his way, not much anyway.”

  Elijah shrugged. “All right.” He gave me a wave. “See you tomorrow.”

  I walked him to the door, and we both followed Aenti Suz and Gordon outside. A big old van was parked along the curb.

  “It belongs to our church,” Gordon explained. “Everyone else is getting ready to sleep. It was a long drive down.”

  Aenti Suz stood with her hands clasped together. “And yet you still came here?”

  He nodded and then looked at me. “But I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”