by Amy Lillard
“I don’t have the answer to that,” Melanie said. “It just is. And don’t forget that they have electricity.”
“We have electricity in our restaurant. What’s the difference in that and having it the house?”
“Electricity leads to TV and computers and radio and all the other worldly things.” Melanie shook her head.
“I’ve been to Ezra’s house, and there’s nothing there like that. They use electricity to light the house and to have hot water and cold food, all the things that we use propane for. So they pay the electric bill to the city. Is that really ungodly?”
“They’re not like us,” Melanie said finally.
Sadie pinched the bridge of her nose. Her head was starting to pound, and the last thing she wanted to do was argue with her sister. Why were people so narrow-minded? Why couldn’t they see past all the little things on the surface to the person underneath? What did it matter that he was a Mennonite? Was it really important that he cut his hair different? Or that he wore patterned shirts? And the whole electricity thing was so ridiculous she couldn’t even laugh at it.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Melanie said.
“I’ve already been hurt. By a guy I’ve known my whole life. An Amish guy.”
“Look,” Melanie started. “I know it was hard when Chris broke up with you.”
“Chris and I were never a couple and I told him that I wouldn’t wait . . . I mean, that I couldn’t marry him.”
Melanie inhaled sharply. “You?”
Sadie nodded.
“Why?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Sadie . . . ?”
“It doesn’t concern you, Melanie.” She hated to be like that with her sister. But she couldn’t divulge Chris’s secret no matter how hurtful his abandonment. What happened between them and the secrets he’d confided to her were not something that she could share with her sister.
“Find a nice Amish boy. Can you do that?”
“The only available Amish boy I know is thirteen, and I think he likes Cora Ann.”
“You are exaggerating.”
Sadie snorted. “You know what I mean. This whole town has had me tagged with Chris since we were fifteen years old. You started going with Noah and Ruthie started going with Mark. Lorie started going with Jonah—”
“Look how that turned out.” Melanie had been as hurt as Sadie had when Lorie left. But they had all been grateful when Lorie came back and made up with their mother. She might not have stayed within the Amish faith, but she had been there when Melanie got married. And they would be there in June for Lorie when she married the Englischer Zach Calhoun. They were family, and that was all that mattered.
“Well, Chris and I aren’t going to work out either.”
“He looks so miserable.” Melanie shook her head. “I understand that you can’t tell me why you broke up with him, but could you see fit to give him another chance?”
“Did he . . . Did he send you here to ask me that?” Was Chris having second thoughts about going to Europe? Her heart gave a funny flip-flop in her chest. He’d made it quite clear that he wanted to go to Europe. Was he having reservations about leaving? And if he was, why hadn’t he come himself?
“Noah asked me to come.”
“Why would your husband care?”
“I’m not sure that he does, really. But his father does.”
Bishop Treger, Noah’s father, was a much more conservative leader than Sadie’s bishop. Bishop Ebersol was father to Emily, one of Lorie and Sadie’s best friends. He had seen them through a lot of tough times over the last few years. She didn’t think he would care that she was dating a Mennonite boy. Not like Bishop Treger would. Not like her friends and family. Everybody was more than willing to point fingers and show how different they were when they didn’t take any time at all to look for all their similarities.
“Just think about it, will you, Sadie?”
“I’ll think about it.” How could she think about anything else? But thinking about it didn’t mean it would change anything at all.
* * *
She probably should have waited until she knew that she could find the bishop at home. But she hadn’t. She’d driven over to the Ebersols’ only to find that Bishop Ebersol was visiting with the Riehls.
Sadie hopped back into her buggy and headed over to James and Joy’s house. A couple of years ago, James Riehl had been kicked in the head by a cantankerous milk cow. The injury to his brain had rendered him somewhat childlike. He could hold his own in most conversations, but there was something so innocent and sweet about him. Everyone loved to be around him, especially Emily, his new daughter-in-law. Emily had more of an idea about what Sadie was going through than anyone.
Emily had loved Luke Lambright, but he loved race car driving more. Kind of like Chris loves the thought of traveling more. So Luke left the Amish, leaving Emily behind. Soon after that, Elam Riehl had come into the picture. Now her friend was the happiest she had ever seen her. Emily had a new baby girl.
Sadie pulled her buggy to a stop in front of the Riehls’ house, thinking that maybe instead of the bishop, she should talk to Emily. Maybe her friend had some insight on what to do.
The bishop’s buggy was still parked out front, so Sadie was in luck. She had her choice of who to talk to—Emily or her father. But Sadie had a feeling that the bishop would render the best advice in her situation. She hopped out of the buggy and skipped up the porch steps as the front door swung open. James Riehl stood on the other side of the threshold, baby Lavender in his arms. “Sadie Kauffman! I’m glad you’re here!”
Sadie smiled. James’s enthusiasm was contagious. It was so hard to be around him without smiling. After coming back from such an injury, he showed them all how good God was and how precious life.
He looked up and down at her black attire. “Mourning still?” He nodded sagely. James had an adoration for the color purple and he always wanted to know about the purple things people around him owned.
“Is the bishop still here?”
“Jah.” James stood aside so that Sadie could step into the house. Since Emily and Elam had gotten married, they had moved in with James and Joy to help with the workload. It was an interesting situation because instead of the grandparents living in the dawdi haus, the kids were living there.
Sadie supposed that was the best plan for them. They could be close to James and Joy when they needed to be and have enough privacy to start a family of their own.
Just then Emily came out of the kitchen carrying her baby in her arms. Sallie Mae Riehl was a tiny thing, only two months old now. But she was shaping up to be the perfect combination between Emily and Elam. She had Emily’s blue eyes and Elam’s dark hair. Sadie knew the first time she had seen her that no one would ever call that baby plain.
“Sadie,” Emily gushed, rushing over to give her a one-armed hug. “What brings you out today?”
“My visit is long overdue, but I really need to speak with the bishop today.”
“And I thought you’d come out to see me.” Emily smiled.
Elam came in the back door, dusting off his feet and pushing his leather work gloves into the back pocket of his pants. He was a big man, the kind of guy that made a girl feel safe and secure. And suddenly Sadie envied Sallie Mae for having her father.
“Next time,” Sadie said. “I promise.”
Bishop Ebersol took that time to come out of the kitchen, where he had no doubt been sitting at the table talking to Joy and perhaps the other Riehl children. It was a fun and happy household, filled with so much love that it nearly brought tears to Sadie’s eyes.
“Did I hear my name?” the bishop asked. He glanced around at the faces staring back at him from the living room.
Sadie could only nod. “I was hoping to have a word.”
The bishop tilted his head to one side, unanswered questions lighting his eyes. He gave her a quick nod and said, “Would you like to take a walk?”
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br /> Sadie swallowed hard and nodded. “That would be good, jah.”
She felt all eyes on her as she turned and headed to the front door. She waited on the front porch for the bishop to don his coat and join her.
Without a word, they made their way down the porch steps and across the yard to the milking barn. It was much cooler inside so they stayed out, allowing the sun to warm their faces.
“You have a serious look on your face, Sadie Kauffman.”
“I’ve got something serious to talk to you about.”
The bishop nodded. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Was she ready? In so many ways she was and in so many ways she wasn’t. She didn’t know where to start. “I . . . ?”
“Take your time,” he encouraged.
“Why do we hold such animosity toward the Mennonites?”
The bishop blinked as if her question had been the very last one he thought she would ask. “I do not have any animosity toward the Mennonites.”
“Then why can’t I date one?” Sadie cried.
The bishop led her over to the fence and propped his arms up on the rail, turning them away from the house. Sadie wasn’t sure if he did that so she would be faced with the calming scene of the cows munching hay in the field or if he didn’t want her voice to carry to those in the house.
“You want to date a Mennonite?”
“There’s a boy, jah.”
“What about Chris? I thought you and Chris Flaud were a couple. In fact, I’ve been waiting on him to come to me and talk about you for a while.”
Sadie shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”
He nodded. “Okay, then. Who is this Mennonite boy?”
“He lives over in Taylor Creek. He’s this really nice guy, and I don’t know . . .” She trailed off, uncomfortable telling the bishop how much she truly liked Ezra Hein. She might even be in love with him. Maybe she was in love if she was willing to sneak around and date him against everybody’s wishes. “Why is it not okay?”
“There’s a lot to think about, Sadie. You know the differences.”
“But are they really that different from us?” she asked.
“Nay.” He shook his head. “The Mennonites are not very different from us at all. We drive tractors. They drive cars. We wear solid colors. They allow prints. They have electricity. We don’t. Those things can all be overcome. But to date a Mennonite . . . Well, that’s not the real problem, now is it? The real problem is we have different churches. If a Mennonite boy comes to court you, one day that might lead to something else. He’s going to want to get married. You’re going to want to get married. Then comes the matter of the church. One of you will have to give up their church. You have to ask yourself, Sadie Kauffman, are you willing to give up your church for him?”
Chapter Fourteen
Was she willing to give up her church for Ezra Hein?
The words haunted her on her way back home. And the worst part of it all? She didn’t know. Didn’t even want to think about it. Didn’t want that hanging like a cloud over her time with Ezra. If they continued to see each other, fell in love, and wanted to join their lives, surely they could find a solution to that problem. It wasn’t anything she should have to decide for herself.
Mind made up, she unhitched her horse and thought only about her upcoming date with Ezra.
* * *
She called Ezra Thursday afternoon. He answered on the first ring, his voice breathless as if he had hurried to answer it. She knew that was silly. He’d most likely had it in his pocket. But she liked to think of him rushing to the phone because he thought it might be her.
“Are we still going out tonight?” She hated to ask because the answer could be no, and her heart wasn’t prepared for that.
“Of course.”
She smiled. “Do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
She felt that hitch in her breath. “Pick me up at the library.”
“The library?” The confusion in his voice was evident.
“It’s just that . . .” She traced the outline of the phone where it hung on the restaurant wall. She had taken a moment to come call him, hoping and praying the whole while that no one would realize who she was talking to. “I think we should keep things low-key. Don’t you agree?”
“Yeah, you’re right. The library it is. Six o’clock?”
“Six o’clock.” She smiled, counting down the minutes until she could see him again.
* * *
Pryor was only about fifteen minutes from both Taylor Creek and Wells Landing. Sadie thought the idea of them going there for dinner was about as brilliant as they could get. Close and yet far enough away that they wouldn’t completely stand out. They could blend in without having to change a thing. And no one there would care about whose church they were going to join and all the other stuff that was giving everyone around them such grief.
She rode beside Ezra all the way there, the anticipation building. Their first real date, not a hangout session with friends, but a real date like she’d heard the Englisch go on. They’d eat, then who knew what they’d do after that. Maybe they could go for a walk or to a movie. The idea was exciting.
The Amish didn’t normally go to movies, but neither did they sneak out to eat dinner with Mennonite boys. What was one more transgression on her record?
Ezra pulled his truck into the large parking lot filled with cars. The restaurant was busy for a Thursday night, but it was one of the most popular in the area. Of course, they didn’t serve traditional home-cooked meals and Amish food like Kauffman’s Family Restaurant did, but they had wonderful steaks and the best pumpernickel bread she had ever tasted.
The hostess seated them and brought water and bread as they looked at the menu. Sadie was so excited she could barely concentrate on the words. “Will you order for me? Please?”
Ezra looked up and caught her gaze, a small chuckle escaping him. “I was about to ask you the same thing. What sounds good?”
“I don’t know. Everything. Anything.” As long as she was with him, the world was a perfect place. She didn’t care if she ate dirt or the most expensive meal the two of them could find.
The waitress came back, order pad in hand. “Have you decided?”
Ezra laughed. “Bring us two specials.”
“How you want those cooked?”
They looked at each other and smiled and turned back to her. “Medium,” they said together.
The waitress finished jotting down the order, then looked up at both of them in turn. She smiled. “Y’all make a cute couple,” she said, then tucked her pencil behind her ear. “I’ll have your salads right out.”
They made a cute couple. Sadie loved those words. She had never heard anybody say that about her and Chris. But with Ezra she felt happier than she ever had with Chris. Her whole life she had thought Chris Flaud was the one God made for her. Now she was beginning to think that special someone was Ezra.
* * *
Worst bowling night ever. Chris pulled his tractor into the driveway and chugged over to its parking spot. It simply wasn’t any fun without Sadie.
She had called him that afternoon to let him know that she wouldn’t be able to come, and he really couldn’t blame her. Their relationship had changed, but he still wanted to spend time with her. She was his best friend.
He swung himself down from the tractor and headed across the dark yard. He had taken his time getting home, not really caring, too much on his mind to make the trip speedy.
“I didn’t think you were ever going to get here.” His brother Joshua was sitting on the front porch.
“What are you doing out here?” Chris asked.
“Waiting on you.” Joshua stood and stretched, smoothing down his pant legs back over the top of his black boots.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Nah, the fresh air does me good sometimes.”
Joshua worked in an office all day on a computer. Not the most Amish so
rt of job, but he said he enjoyed his work. Chris supposed that a dose of fresh air every now and then was just what Joshua needed.
“Maybe I should ask why you are out here.”
Joshua settled himself down in the seat again and patted the bench next to him. “Come here. I have something I need to show you.”
Chris tromped up the porch steps and took the seat his brother indicated. He waited as Joshua pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket and started tapping on it with his thumbs.
“Does the bishop know you have that?”
“You know full well that it is for my job.”
Chris nodded.
“Well, mostly it is.” He sat back and handed his phone to Chris. “See the screen there?”
Chris nodded. His brother had his Facebook page pulled up. He was certain the bishop didn’t know about that.
“That man in the picture works for the shed company. He’s my friend on there.”
“That’s great.” Chris started to hand the phone back to his brother. “Still not sure why you’re showing that to me.”
“Look what’s behind them. Or should I say who?”
Chris looked at the picture again, more closely this time. The guy in the foreground was smiling, standing close to a girl with the same happy look on her face. It looked like they were in some sort of restaurant. There were tables behind them and other things that indicated they had gone out to eat. But at one of those tables . . . “Sadie.”
“Jah, that’s what I thought too. But who’s that she’s with?”
“The Mennonite.” Chris knew that they had been seeing each other. But he didn’t know it was serious. “I wish I could see this better.”
Joshua took the phone from him and made some sort of pinching motion on the screen. Suddenly what had been in the background now filled the screen. It was grainy and hard to make out a few of the details, but the happy look on her face as she gazed at Ezra Hein was unmistakable. As was their clasped hands resting on the table.
“That was taken in Pryor,” Joshua said.
She hadn’t given him an exact excuse as to why she couldn’t come bowling tonight. She had left a curt message on the phone shanty recorder about how she couldn’t make it. He figured she didn’t feel very good, or maybe trying to keep up appearances had taken its toll. But he had never in a million years dreamed that she had been sneaking off with the Mennonite.