by Amy Lillard
From the road came the rattle of a vehicle and the crunch of gravel. Soon Ezra’s blue truck came into view. She tried not to jump up and down with glee; at least she was able to contain herself better than Cora Ann. He pulled up in front of the house and she rushed to the truck, not even allowing him to get it in park before she slid in next to him.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m glad to see you.”
Ezra smiled. “I’m glad to see you too. Happy Valentine’s Day.” He took a red envelope off the dash and handed it to her.
“Can I open it now?”
“Uh-uh, wait until we get to the restaurant.” He put his truck in reverse and backed it up so he could head out the driveway nose first.
Sadie pouted. “Why would you give it to me now if you knew you were going to make me wait until I get to the restaurant to open it?”
“I’m mean like that.”
“Well, I’m not going to be mean, and you can’t have what I have in my purse for you until we get to the restaurant.”
“You call that being nice to me? That’s a teaser if I’ve ever heard one.”
Sadie laughed. Tonight was going to be such a good night, she could hardly wait until they got to Pryor. Tex-Mex and Ezra by her side, everyone around them in love and celebrating Valentine’s Day. How much better could it be?
They chatted all the way to Pryor, about this, that, and the other, nothing in particular. She didn’t mention any of her friends, and he never mentioned any of his. She didn’t want to talk about her mother, and she knew he didn’t want to talk about his. So they kept it light. What they might eat once they got to the restaurant and how long they thought they might have to wait for a table since it was Valentine’s Day.
“I take it your mourning is over?”
Sadie shook her head. “No. But I’m so tired of wearing a black dress that I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Ezra frowned. “So you wore it anyway?”
“Jah, sure. Why not? It’s not likely that I will run into anybody I know in Pryor on Valentine’s Day. All my friends are together playing games and stuff.”
Ezra shook his head. “Sadie, you don’t know who you might see.”
Posh, she wanted to say. But she bit her tongue and kept the word back.
“Let’s not worry about it,” Sadie said. “We’re supposed to be having a good time tonight. I wanted to wear something pretty for you. And that black dress . . . It’s not pretty.”
“You wore that for me?” He shot her a grin that for all intents and purposes had a wicked gleam in it.
“I did. This is my favorite dress. And I can tell you one thing. My dad loved color. He wouldn’t have wanted us to wear black any longer than necessary.”
“But that’s not the rules.”
Sadie held up her hands. “We said we weren’t going to do this. We are not to talk about it anymore. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Sadie stared at the window as Ezra drove them through town. Pryor wasn’t a big city by any stretch of the imagination, but it was so much larger than Wells Landing that it almost made her head swim. Ezra pulled up to the parking lot of the red-tile-roofed building. “This is it.”
He took her elbow and led her into the restaurant. Sadie relished his touch. All her life she had been waiting for that undeniable something that two people in love have, and she found it with Ezra Hein. She’d been about to give up, thinking it was not even real. She was so glad that she’d listened when he came along.
He held the door open for her and escorted her into the building. Then he whispered something to the host, and before she knew it they were placed in front of all the people waiting for tables and were seated in a dark, secluded corner with a red bowl with a white candle flickering between them.
“This is so romantic.”
Ezra smiled. “It’s also the best Tex-Mex.”
“It’s perfect. What looks good tonight?” she asked.
“I always get the fajitas.”
“That sounds good, but I’m thinking I want the enchiladas.”
“Then you should have the enchiladas.”
The waitress brought over chips, salsa, and glasses of water. They each told her what they wanted, then she left, leaving them time alone once more.
This was what Sadie had been waiting for. Time for her and Ezra. And it was miraculous.
“What’s Logan doing tonight?”
Ezra shook his head. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about our friends tonight.”
“I thought it would be fine.” That could probably be the most stupid thing she’d ever said. But she was quickly running out of conversation that didn’t involve family, friends, religion, or any of the other taboo subjects they had come up with.
“Do we have plans for after dinner?”
“Not really. I figured we would play it by ear and see what you might want to do later. You have any suggestions?”
Sadie smiled. “I do, but we can talk about that later.”
Their food arrived and Ezra tucked in as if he hadn’t eaten in a year. It made Sadie smile, seeing him eat and enjoy himself. She knew he worked so hard on the ranch that he needed a diversion as much as she did.
Before long their dinner was done, their waters had been refilled a couple of times, and Sadie was so full she could hardly move. “I’m going to have to watch what I eat on the days that we don’t go out or I’m going to get fat.”
Ezra shook his head. “You’re not going to get fat.” He grabbed the check and together they walked up front to pay at the cashier.
Sadie slid into the truck and shot him a smile. “Want to hear my idea? Let’s go to the movies.”
Ezra frowned. “The movies?”
“Jah, what’s wrong with that?” Sadie asked.
“A lot of things.” Ezra had been about to start the truck, but instead he left the engine off and turned to face her. “We can’t go to the movies. You’re Amish, and I’m Mennonite.”
“Jah,” Sadie said. “And?”
“And nothing,” Ezra said.
“I don’t understand what’s wrong. We’re sneaking around, going against everybody’s rules and the things that they want for our lives, and you think going to the movies is a bad thing?”
“The movies have always been off-limits. You know that.”
“Not always,” Sadie argued. “I know people who went to the movies on their rumspringa.”
Ezra sighed. “Neither one of us are running around.”
“Why does that matter when we are already breaking the rules?”
“Someone will find out, Sadie. Someone always does. I don’t have a problem sneaking out to see you and not telling people that I’m dating you. But I do have a problem with something like going to the movies.”
“That does not make any sense.”
“You and I both know that the Amish bend rules much more than the Mennonites. I can bend the rules so I can see you, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go as far as to sit in a movie theater and watch a movie. My mother would have a fit.”
“And mine wouldn’t?” Sadie shook her head. “I’ve gone against everything in my life to be with you. I don’t see how us going to the movies is any worse than anything else we’ve been doing.”
“I don’t know how to tell you why. It just is.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!” Sadie hadn’t meant to yell, but this conversation was so unreasonable. It was okay to do all those other things against their communities, but going to the movies was taking it too far? It was about the dumbest thing she’d ever heard.
“Ridiculous or not, it is how I feel.” His voice turned cold, hard.
Sadie wanted to cry. “It’s Valentine’s Day, we were supposed to go out on a fabulous date.”
“I thought that’s what we were doing. Until about ten minutes ago.”
“Whose fault is that? I made a suggestion. You are the one who got all righteous on me.”
>
Ezra looked like he wanted to say something in return, but instead he turned around and started the engine to the truck.
Sadie buckled her seat belt, but still continued to frown at him. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“I’m taking you home.”
* * *
He was fuming. How had such a special night turned into ash? He hadn’t thought about anything past going to eat dinner. Thinking about their impromptu ice cream dessert the other day made him realize that maybe some things were better left unplanned. Then they could have a good time doing whatever they wanted whenever they wanted.
As long as that didn’t include going to a movie.
He didn’t want to take Sadie home. He wanted to do something fun. Take a walk, get another ice cream, anything as long as they were together.
Anything but go to the movies.
He could feel the anger coming off her in waves as she sat next to him on the trip back to Wells Landing.
Some Valentine’s Day this was turning out to be. After what seemed like an eternity he pulled up to her house. “Can I go down the driveway or not?”
“No need,” she snapped. She grabbed her purse from the floorboard and slung it over one shoulder, then pushed the truck door open. She slammed it behind her and stopped in front of his headlights. He could see bright flashes of pink on her cheeks, one more testament to her anger. She looked as if she was going to say something else, then spun away. He watched her stalk out of sight, then he turned his truck toward Taylor Creek.
* * *
Chris pushed his way into Kauffman’s Family Restaurant. He wanted to see Sadie. He had been thinking more and more about that picture that Joshua had showed him, and he needed to make sure that she was okay.
She had been his best friend for so long. It was more than a simple breakup with a girlfriend. He’d lost the one person he could truly talk to.
This was all his fault. If he hadn’t told her that he wanted to go to Europe, then she wouldn’t be acting so wacky. She had been through so much lately—losing her father, her sister moving away, and now this.
Her sister Melanie bustled over, no doubt alerted to his entrance by the bell’s summons. “Why hello there, Chris Flaud,” she said with a smile. “What brings you in tonight?”
“I thought I would come in and talk to Sadie. But I expected to see her, not you.”
Melanie frowned. “I thought she was out with you. In fact, I worked for her today so she could go out.”
Chris bit back a sigh. She was out with that Mennonite again. He couldn’t blame her. He had practically thrown her by the wayside, asked her to wait. Even Joshua had told him that was a bad idea. What had he been thinking?
Melanie motioned him back around the counter and toward the row of booths off to one side. “But you can come back here to sit down. I’ll come and join you in a second. Coffee?”
Chris nodded. What could he do? He had come to see Sadie, to talk to her, only to find out that she had gone out with someone else again. He wanted her back. If he couldn’t have her back romantically, then he would darn sure take her back as a friend. He missed her terribly.
Chris slid into the booth and watched as Melanie bustled away. She stopped for a moment to talk to Cora Ann, who was filling glasses behind the waitress station.
Cora Ann looked up at him and nodded, her mouth pulled into a small frown. The way everybody was acting, he would’ve thought she had died. Going out with a Mennonite was almost as bad.
Melanie came back a few minutes later with two steaming cups of coffee. She sat down across from him and cupped her hands around her mug. “So,” she said.
“So,” he repeated.
Melanie shook her head. “I’m worried about Sadie.”
“Me too.”
“She lied to Mamm about where she was going tonight. She lied to me too.”
“She’s been sneaking around with that Mennonite guy.”
Melanie’s eyes grew wide. “Do you think that’s where she is right now?”
“I’m pretty sure.” He took a sip of his coffee and stared out over the restaurant. People were eating, milling about. No one was in too big a hurry, but he looked at those people and he couldn’t help but think they had no problems. Not like the weight of his heart. As much as he knew he was being ridiculous, it was still how he felt. “My brother found a picture of her online with him. Ezra.”
Melanie shook her head. She stood. “I need to get Mamm. Don’t go anywhere.”
He didn’t even have time to respond as she hurried away, returning moments later with her mother in tow.
Maddie Kauffman had never been one of his favorite people, but she was Sadie’s mother. Still, the woman looked as if she’d been sucking on green plums. Her face was always tense and unhappy, and he couldn’t help but wonder how she could produce such sweet, loving daughters when she herself seemed as sour as a persimmon.
“Tell her what you told me,” Melanie said.
“My brother Joshua, he showed me a Facebook page. There was a picture of Sadie and that Mennonite boy, Ezra Hein.”
“Facebook? Like on the computer?”
“Jah.”
He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but her face grew even more pinched and her mouth flattened into a thinner line than before. “Show me.”
She led them into the office. There was barely room for the two of them. She sat down behind the restaurant’s computer and tapped a few keys. A few minutes later Facebook appeared on the screen. It didn’t take long before Chris found his brother and tracked down the guy who worked at the shed company with him. He clicked on the picture then zoomed in, finally showing her the picture of Sadie and Ezra.
Maddie shook her head. “I don’t know what to do. We can’t let her continue like this.”
Melanie nodded.
Chris stood, uncomfortable with the whole situation. He’d come here to find solace for himself and instead he’d only brought pain to the others around him.
Maddie Kauffman grabbed his arm before he could take even one step from the office. “Chris, help us,” she beseeched.
He shook his head. “What can I do?”
“Something. Anything. We can’t let her go on like this.”
That was when he understood Maddie Kauffman was so worried about Sadie because she was afraid she would lose that daughter like she had lost her other.
“You could court her again,” Melanie said.
Chris wasn’t quite sure what to say. He would love nothing more than to court Sadie. He had made so many mistakes where she was concerned. He would like to correct all those. But he had already decided. He was going to Europe in a few months, and Sadie didn’t want to wait for him. What was a guy to do?
“Please,” Maddie asked, squeezing his hand in her own bony fingers. “I can’t lose her too.”
To his surprise, Chris found himself saying yes, that he would try to keep Sadie busy, go out with her, make sure she knew he cared. With any luck and God on their side, they could convince her that Ezra Hein was no good, and staying with her family and the righteousness of the Amish faith was the only way to go.
Chapter Sixteen
Sadie was rolling silverware at the restaurant the following afternoon when Cora Ann summoned her to the phone. Sadie was so excited she nearly tripped over her own feet trying to get to it. Cora Ann told her it was a guy, and she knew it was Ezra calling to apologize. His stern attitude about going to the movies was ridiculous. All he needed was a little time to understand how crazy dumb his thoughts on the matter really were before he would offer her his apology.
“Hello?” she said, then waited to hear his familiar voice.
“Sadie, is that you?” Not quite the familiar voice she had been expecting.
“Chris?” She hadn’t heard from him in days, weeks maybe. They never talked anymore.
“One and the same. How are you doing?”
“Okay, I guess.” She was frustrated and tired
and heartsick all at the same time, but other than that she was fine.
“Good, good,” he said.
“Is that why you called? To find out how I’m doing?” She was more confused than ever. But she had to admit that she loved hearing his voice. She had missed him since they had been arguing.
“I wanted to ask about bowling tonight.”
“We settled that. You can go bowling. Find some girl and take her.” The thought was not one she was comfortable with, so she pushed it aside.
“See, I have found a girl.”
“Oh?” She hoped her voice sounded even and only mildly interested.
“You.”
“Chris, this is not a good idea.”
“I think it’s a great idea. You’re a good bowler. I’m a good bowler. Between the two of us, we could take them all.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” She looked around to see if anybody else was listening in on the conversation, then she lowered her voice where only he could hear. “You’re leaving.”
“And you’re dating a Mennonite. I know.”
Was she? She had been, but after last night she didn’t know where her relationship with Ezra stood.
He had dropped her off at the driveway without a word and left. No good-night kiss or another date for the next week. Nothing.
“Chris,” she started in protest.
“I miss you, Sadie. You’re my best friend. Come bowling with me. That’s all I ask.”
How could she say no to that?
* * *
“The dynamic duo returns!”
Sadie wasn’t sure who said the actual words, but she smiled, happy to be embraced back into their buddy bunch.
Jonah and Lorie still weren’t among them and never would be. Jonah had really taken Lorie’s leaving hard. He hardly came out anymore. Sadie had even heard that he had been going to wild parties in Tulsa. But the rumor mill in Wells Landing was so extreme that there was no telling what they would’ve said about him or Lorie.
“It’s good to be back.”
There was a lot of back patting and handshaking. Even Ruthie and Hannah gave Sadie a hug.
“We asked Melanie to join us. And Noah too, of course,” Hannah said. “I hope you don’t mind. We needed a fourth since Lorie’s gone now.” As she said the words, Hannah looked off in the distance as if she didn’t want to look at Sadie directly when she said them.