Naomi smiled. It felt as though she too had realized that her little sister knew a little more about her than she did. So she didn’t see the need to keep on hiding it from her any longer. So she took a deep breath, closed her eyes right before letting it all out as slowly as possible. For a moment, Naomi felt it was the most freeing feeling that she had in a very long time.
“You remember how we talked about that young man from out of town? About how freeing it was for you to learn that we could talk about these things and get to keep a secret? Well… I also have a secret that I will need you to keep for me… you know, as your big sister. Getting to carry these secrets around can take a toll on someone you know.”
All this time, Miriam was just watching her sister, not knowing what to do. From the way she was preparing her, it seemed as though the kind of secret that she was about to tell her was life changing. But Miriam realized that at that point, there was no turning back.
Naomi did her a solid and even though she didn’t have any obligations, she knew that she had to return the favor. That was what sisters did, right?
“…look, I don’t want you to panic or proceed to tell mother anything about this. But we have a cell phone.”
And with that, Naomi delved her hand in a secret pocket on her scarf and pulled out a phone, holding it as though it was some top secret government agenda.
Once again, Miriam froze.
The coincidence wasn’t happening to her. Two cellphones in two days? Was this some sign from heaven or what? And all of a sudden, she had about a million questions racing quizzically through her mind.
“Where did you get it? How much did it cost? Where did you get the money to buy it? Who gave it to you? Does mother know all about this? Can I use it? How does one get to use this? Wait a minute, is it alive? Does a cell phone have a soul?”
All those questions kept on popping into her head though a good number of them were really stupid, and Miriam couldn’t get them out of her mouth.
And all that time, Naomi just kept a firm eye on her sister with a reassuring smile across her ever beautiful face. Miriam didn’t know what to do. So after glancing around a little, she decided it was a good idea for her to check Finally it out. The first time she did it in haste and didn’t get to see the phone with a keen eye.
But now, she had a phone in her homestead. And in as much as this was shocking, she decided to embrace it.
Chapter 8
-The New Era-
And as Miriam stood there, holding the forbidden gadget in her hands, she realized that the new era had just begun. Her teacher was right. Despite the fact that the Amish children were obedient and very respectful of both their parents as well as their cultures, they were starting to feel as though they were being left out.
And that alone was a bad thing because they were curious to know how the world is working especially after reading all about it.
Miriam spent the rest of the evening learning how to use the phone. It was always on silent, and it never left the room with their parents, especially their father, would cause an uproar if he ever found out that his beloved daughters were the ones who were having a blast with the very technology that he spent his enter life resenting.
That would have been the shame on his entire family.
“So, where did you get it?” Miriam finally asked, as soon as she got to learn how to switch it on, off and send a text message. It was simple and needless to say, she didn’t have to wait for ages before anyone could write back to her. In the end, it meant life was much simplified.
“Well, my soon to be husband gave it to me. He is going to the big city to learn all about engineering before he comes back home and makes it a better place. We need this. And I don’t want you to see this as a way to rebel against our parents. But I want you to see it as a new way to look at things.”
Miriam finally understood why her sister, of all the people, would get to risk everything. It was not just because of love. It had everything to do with the future. Yes, the fact that they were Puritans meant that there were some things that they didn’t partake in. But the technology could also be used for good. And that was what Naomi was trying to tell her.
“What if father finds out?” Miriam asked
“He won't. Father is among those die-hard Amish Puritans that are left. And the last thing we want to do is him sad. So at the moment, we keep it to ourselves. If you ever need to use it, then it will be a good thing that you ask me to show you how.”
“And what use would I find the phone? All of my friends are here, and they don’t have cellphones.”
“How about Henry? I heard that he was sticking around because of a girl that he met. Maybe you two should get to know more about each other. Heck, you can introduce him to other friends of yours like Sam. From him, I am sure that you will be in a position to learn much more about the world that he grew up in.”
That was a brilliant idea. But still Miriam had her fair share of doubts about the whole thing. Naomi told her that she had had the phone as soon as she started courting her fiancé. That meant that she had been hiding the phone for close to a year, and Miriam didn’t understand how on earth she didn’t have a clue.
“We were just waiting for you to be old enough to learn these things.”
“And mom, does she know all about this?”
“Yes, and it's hard for us since we are always having problems with her. But she didn’t tell father because she too knows that it’s the dawn of a new era.
Miriam was taken aback by how she never really understood whatever the hell was going on between her siblings and her mother until that night.
How could all of this be happening right under her nose? The uneasiness was happening to their community and yes, it started seeming as though God was showing her the signs by firstly making him meet with Henry and then her big sister presented her with a cell phone.
“I know that one of these fine days, our mother is going to ask you all about us because she suspects. If she does…”
“I won't tell her. I fully understand sister.”
The thought of lying to her mother was distasteful to her. Miriam, just like her siblings did love their mother very much. But these were new times, and they were stuck right in the middle. It was either they stick to the old ways and spend the rest of their lives wondering how the outside world is and how it would have felt to embrace technology or just go ahead and embrace the new era as it came.
Though Miriam was a little young, she was considered a young woman by Amish standards and that simply meant that she was old enough to think critically and make very mature and sober decisions concerning her community as well as their future. And that was what she did. As a matter of fact, Naomi was counting on that and from the look of things, her small sister didn’t disappoint.
The movement had begun. And in a few years from that day, there would be a smooth transition from the old ways to the new ways. And when that time came, the young Amish generation will have the challenge of finding a way to blend in technology with their culture without losing their values as a people.
“Well, do you want to text your friend Henry?” Naomi whispered.
“Well, yes… but I don’t have his number.”
“Fear not. I took the liberty of going over to his grandmothers and took it for you. Don't worry, it is simple. Just click the numbers right here and then write the message in this space below. It's simple!”
Miriam smiled. The fact that she learning all about the cellphone was the most interesting day ever!
THE END
Kindle Unlimited subscribers read this entire catalog for FREE!
In the Motorcycle Club Romance Series
Devil's Brotherhood 1 : Billionaire MC Romance
Devil's Brotherhood 2 : Billionaire MC Romance
Devil's Brotherhood 3 : Billionaire MC Romance
My Stepbrother the Biker Dom
Baby Riders : Secret Baby
BEAR Devil : Paranor
mal MC Romance
Lucifer Riders : MC Romance
Riding the Curves : BBW MC Romance
Road to his Heart : MC Romance
Taken by the Navy Biker
Alpha Bear Biker : Paranormal MC Biker
In the Navy Seal Series
SEALed with a Kiss : Military Romance
SEAL of Love : Military Romance
SEAL of Fate : Military Romance
Taken by the SEAL : Navy Seal Romance
SEAL of Desire : Navy Seal Romance
SEAL Attraction : Navy Seal Romance
SEAL Baby : Navy Seal Secret Baby
Taken by the Navy Biker : First Time Navy Seal
My Secret SEAL Stepbrother : Military Romance
In the Paranormal Shifter Romance Series
Mated by the Billionaire Wolf
BEAR Devil : Paranormal MC Romance
Alpha Bear Biker : Paranormal MC Biker
Big Bad Wolves : Paranormal Menage
Ice Bear Touching Me : Paranormal Shifter Menage
Tempted by the Alpha Bear : Paranormal Romance
Gift from the Snow Bear : Paranormal Christmas Romance
Embraced by the Snow Bear : Paranormal Romance
Dragon for Christmas : Dragon Shifter Romance
Love in the Dark : Demonic Romance
In the Billionaire Romance Series
Mated by the Billionaire Wolf
Billionaire Boss : Older Man
Alpha Threesome Obsession : Billionaire Menage
Stradivarius : Desperate Billionaire House Wife
Her English Obsession : Billionaire Movie Star
Pitching Me : Billionaire Baseball Player
In the Demonic Romance Series
Love in the Dark : Demonic Romance
Demonic Duel : Succubus
Vampire in Montreal : Vampire Romance
The Fallen from Grace : Vampire Romance
Bound in Blood : Vampire Romance
In the Taboo Romance Series
Billionaire Boss : Older Man
My Stepbrother the Biker Dom
First time with an Older Man : Taboo Romance
Stradivarius : Desperate Billionaire House Wife
My Forbidden Stepbrother : Taboo Romance
Office Temptation : Office Romance
Tempted by the Doctors : Older Man Menage
Cruise Control : Domination Romance
Doctor's Order : Older Man
Alice and the Older Man
My Secret SEAL Stepbrother : Military Romance
My first time with the Doctor
In the Sci Fi Fantasy Series
If I could turn back time : Time Travel Romance
Alice in Badboy's Land : Fantasy Romance
In the Romance Mystery Series
The Case of the Canari Yellow Diamond : Mystery Romance
In the Amish Sweet Romance Series
Growing Secret Love : Amish Romance
Myriam's Dilemna : Amish Romance
Breaking Promises : Amish Romance
Running Away From Faith : Amish Romance
In the Giantess Shrinking Sci-Fi Series
Giantess Lily Enlarged : Giantess Romance
Giantess Lily Enlarged 2 : Giantess Romance
Under Her Spell : Giant Sorceress
Under Her Spell 2 : Giant Sorceress
Shrunken 01 Love for my Goddess
Shrunken 02 Pray my Goddess
Shrunken 03 Pray My Mistress
Shrunken 04 The Goddess Wrath
Shrunken 05 My Goddess' Redemption
Shrunken Compilation
Gwen My Giantess Girlfriend
In the Sci-Fi Transformation Gender Bender Series
Futanari Punishment : Futagirl
Futa Gift : Futanari
In the Historical Romance Series
If I could turn back time : Time Travel Romance
For a Highland Warrior's Heart
For a Highland Warrior's Eyes
Taken by my Cowboy : Western Romance
The Time Turner Page 13