by Sarah Price
“Would you ever consider moving away from Lancaster County?”
The question surprised her. “I’ve never even thought about it, Caleb.”
“There’s lots of land at some of these new communities. I sure been thinking about it.” He paused and glanced at her as if gauging her reaction. “And not so many tourists.”
Now it was her turn to respond with a simple “I see.” Truth was that she didn’t understand his desire to move away from Lancaster County. Of course, since he was older, the farm would most likely pass down to one of his brothers and, if he wanted to farm, he’d be hard pressed to find a farm in Pennsylvania.
For a few moments, neither one of them spoke.
Drusilla took the time to enjoy the sounds of nature: birds singing, crickets chirping, and the sound of the wind rustling the green leaves of the canopy that overhang the path.
Every year, the youth from their g’may came to the Appalachian Trail to hike and enjoy some time by themselves. It was a time for the young men and the young women to get to know each other better while still being chaperoned and in a healthy, unworldly environment. Of course, not every youth was able to attend. This year, Daniel had not even asked if he could attend for he knew that his father needed help on the farm. In past years, Drusilla had stayed home so she appreciated Daniel’s selfless sacrifice that enabled her to attend.
“Ohio,” Caleb said at last.
“Excuse me?”
He reached out and plucked a blade of tall grass from the side of the path and popped it into his mouth. “Ohio was what I was thinking, Drusilla. There’s an awful lot of farmland there and not so many people coming to gawk at us.”
“Us?”
Caleb nodded his head. “Ja, the Amish.”
Ah, she thought. Now she understood what he meant. “Does it really bother you so, then?”
Caleb gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders. “I reckon not, but I’m thinking about my kinner.”
The mention of children made Drusilla blush which he didn’t seem to notice or, at least, did not tease her about the flash of red that covered her cheeks.
“You see,” he continued, “the way that Lancaster County is building up, farmers selling their land to developers and all, I figure there will be more people and that means more visitors as well as tourists. Less land, too. How will I provide land for my sons? I can’t even afford my own farm in this area. And, while I like helping my cousin at that hardware store and all, I sure don’t fancy the idea of being a store hand in order to support my family.”
Drusilla nodded her head. “I can see where that wouldn’t be very fulfilling,” she said, “if you prefer working outdoors, anyway.”
“Ja, that’s it exactly.” He seemed pleased that she understood, his face lighting up. “So I’m thinking of heading out to Ohio, Drusilla, to find a small farm. I figure any farmers that want to retire will be wrapping up their last crops in the autumn and making their retirement known.”
An awkward silence fell between them. Drusilla wasn’t exactly certain why he was telling her this. It wasn’t as if she saw him frequently. After all, he lived in a different church district that wasn’t exactly convenient to her family’s g’may. Yet, he sure did seem intent on courting her, making no secrets about his interest in her. Still, the last thing she wanted to do was to presume that he was hinting at anything. If this was courtship—and, without having anything to compare it to, she wasn’t always certain that it was!—they hadn’t been courting for more than a few months and she had barely been with him during that time.
So rather than say something that would embarrass herself, she remained silent.
“Ja vell,” he finally said. “Thought you should know in case you don’t see me around for a while, anyway.”
“I’ve never been to Ohio,” she managed to say, hoping that she sounded neutral enough. She knew that she had distant relatives who lived in Ohio, second or third cousins. But she had never gone there to visit them.
“It’s supposed to be a beautiful place with rolling hills and pretty little farms.”
Up ahead, someone called out and Drusilla glanced in the direction of the noise. The group up ahead had arrived at their designated camp location. Miriam and Naomi waved to her to join them, but Drusilla felt as if she should say something more to Caleb about his announcement regarding Ohio. “I sure do hope you have a fast and safe trip, Caleb. I’ll be praying for you while you’re gone.”
He smiled at her and nodded his head. “That would be greatly appreciated,” he said. Before she could excuse herself and hurry over to help the other women set up their tents on the one side of the campground, he reached out and touched her arm. “Don’t forget about your promise to go see that waterfall with me, Drusilla. In the morning, mayhaps?”
“I won’t.”
As she hurried over to join her cousins, her mind seemed to be in a whirl. Surely Caleb was hinting at something with his comments about Ohio. On the one hand, she suspected he was hinting that a move to Ohio was something that would benefit their future together. The only problem was that, while she liked him well enough, she never considered moving away from her family to another state.
She wished that she had someone she felt comfortable confiding in, someone that she could talk to about her mixed feelings about his announcement. While Naomi and Miriam were as good as sisters to her, she didn’t want to hear their reaction to Caleb’s upcoming trip to Ohio. The only other person that Drusilla might confide in was her mother, but, as of late, she had her hands full with the baby as well as Mammi Ana not being so well. She couldn’t burden her mother with the news that Drusilla might someday soon get a proposal from Caleb and such a proposal might mean she would move to another state.
Oh, she thought, as she silently worked alongside the other women, sliding stakes into the sleeves of the tent and setting up their camp, if only there was a way for Caleb to find the means to buy a farm in Lancaster County. Surely that would solve all of their problems.
Chapter Six
The morning sun had barely started filtering through the trees when Drusilla felt a presence standing behind her.
She hadn’t slept very well, the ground being hard under her sleeping bag and the noises from the surrounding forest making her wonder what, exactly, was on the other side of the tent. Plus, one of the other girls that shared her tent snored, despite Drusilla nudging her a few times.
The evening before had been mostly spent around a campfire, everyone cooking hot dogs over the open fire. Besides the hot dogs, there were fresh tomatoes sliced with basil and a corn salad that Jenny Miller had brought with her for everyone to enjoy. Drusilla had brought three loaves of bread and her cousins brought several tupperware containers of cookies. A few of the other young women had managed to bring chow-chow, pickled cabbage, and even a spongecake with strawberries on top. Despite being miles away from their homes and sitting in the middle of the woods, no one went hungry.
While they ate, several people shared stories about their families. Most of the stories were funny and Drusilla had laughed on several occasions, especially when Raymond Byler told about the skunk that snuck into their horse barn. He had acted out his mother’s reaction to the three youngest kinner who fell victim to the skunk’s powerful defense mechanism.
After everyone had enjoyed their food and desserts, John Miller began to talk to everyone about the sins of worldliness. Drusilla had listened intently, admiring his ability to hold the attention of those seated around the fire. When he finished with his talk, he had asked questions and people contributed to the discussion.
But Drusilla began to think about worldliness, wondering if Caleb might have a point that, with farm land disappearing, future generations of the Pennsylvania Amish would be forced to integrate more into the world of the Englische. Already she saw signs of that, even within her own church district. Why, Liam Stoltzfus was a carpenter, selling wooden furniture to the tourists! And Raymond Byler’s fat
her had already split their farm into smaller sections so that the eldest son could open a shed building business.
Unfortunately, she knew that it wasn’t just the farms that were disappearing as the Amish found other ways to earn an income. There was something else happening among the Amish: change. Some church districts permitted business men to have cell phones and access to the Internet, something that certainly exposed the outside world to the family. Drusilla suspected that Naomi wasn’t the only person who kept her own secret cell phone before she took the kneeling vow. And some kept it afterwards, even though they weren’t running their own business.
That night, as she tossed and turned in her sleeping bag, her mind had raced with too many questions about how she wished to raise her own children. And now, as she sat on a log near the fire, waiting for the pot of water to boil for her coffee, she had a finer appreciation of what Caleb had been trying to tell her the prior day.
“You got enough water in that kettle for two cups of coffee?”
She glanced over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Caleb standing behind her. “I reckon that shouldn’t be a problem, Caleb,” she said and hurried to her feet. “Just know that it’s instant coffee and no amount of sugar or creamer will make it taste like freshly percolated coffee.”
As she dug through the backpack that held some cups, she heard him laugh at her comment. It was a sweet sound to hear first thing in the morning.
A few other people were starting to stir, John Miller being one of them. He emerged from his tent and stretched his back before looking around, accessing the campsite. When he saw Caleb and Drusilla, he lifted his hand to greet them good morning.
After Drusilla handed Caleb the plastic mug of coffee, he looked toward a narrow pathway. “Best go for that walk now, Drusilla,” he said in a soft voice. “Otherwise we won’t get to see that waterfall without everyone else crowded around, ja? I’d like to see it with just you, Dru.”
She lowered her eyes as she cupped her coffee mug between her hands. The way that he had said that last part, about seeing the waterfall with just her, made her feel as if her heart raced and her pulse quickened. Unlike his usual casual manner and light tone with her, this time there was something different about his voice.
“That all right with you?” he asked.
She nodded her head and, without raising her eyes, started to follow him down that narrow dirt path that cut between the trees and led away from the tents.
They walked in silence, Caleb in front of her. He seemed to know where he was going and Drusilla suspected he had awoken extra early to find the exact trail. Certainly he hadn’t wanted to lead her astray, causing them to get lost in the woods. And she found that she liked that about him. A man who thought so far ahead to protect her would be a good provider for many years to come.
As they neared the waterfall, the sound of a rushing stream grew louder. With each step, the noise increased until Caleb stopped walking, standing on the top of a rock beside a pool of water. Drusilla stood beside him and looked at the water that cascaded down a rocky hill before them. At the very top, the water slipped over the edge of larger boulders that jutted out from the embankment. From there, the water created a seamless curtain that fell almost ten feet to the next layer of rocks. With the sun filtering through the overhead tree branches, the water shimmered like gold.
“Oh my!” She couldn’t keep herself from gasping. “It’s just…” She couldn’t find the words to describe how she felt about the sight before her.
“Just what, Drusilla?”
She turned her head and looked up at him. He watched her reaction with hat appeared to be a mixture of curiosity and anticipation. There was something about his expression that seemed more serious than usual and, in that moment, she felt completely at ease with him.
“Caleb, this is surely the most glorious example that I’ve ever seen of God’s perfection when He created earth.” She paused, looking back to the water and taking in the way that the thin glimmers of light that tricked through the tree canopy hit the water and shimmered. “How very special to see this,” she said. “I hope that it’s always here for many future generations to enjoy.”
And, as the words slipped through her lips, she thought back to John Miller’s talk the night before. How long would it take for people to discover, and possibly wreck, such a magnificent sight as that which was before her? How many others merely looked at the waterfall, took a quick photo with their cell phones, and then continued on their way without truly considering the splendor of God’s grace?
“Each rock needed to be placed just so, Drusilla, in order for the water to create that beautiful waterfall. If just one of those large rocks at the top,” he said, pointing to the highest point where the water pushed away from the earth and began its descent, “had not been placed just so, the effect would be different. In fact, without the proper placement, they could be dislodged and ruin the entire grandeur of the sight. But God knew what He was doing, ja? He knows which rock needed to be paired with another in order to create the perfect waterfall.”
Drusilla felt his hand on her arm and, once again, looked at him.
“God wants you to be my paired rock, Drusilla. I think you feel the same as I do about that, but just in case you were questioning it, I want to make certain that you are of the same mindset.”
She caught her breath. “Are you…?”
His blue eyes held her gaze and he merely lifted an eyebrow as he waited for her to say something else.
“Are you…asking me to…?”
“Ja, Drusilla,” he responded with a slight nod of his head. He gave her a teasing look, his eyes glancing up toward the heavens as if exasperated with her. “That’s what I’ve been saying all along. I reckon just spelling it out for you is the only way to get you to realize what my intentions are.” Then, sobering, he hesitated and looked at her once again. “I want you to marry me in October.”
“Oh!” She caught her breath and placed a hand against her stomach. She felt her heart beating rapidly and, for just a moment, her knees felt weak. After all this time, he truly had meant what he said!
While their courtship had been brief and she had made more than one or two blunders, he still wanted to marry her. Of course, she knew that many Amish couples dated for just a few months, hardly seeing each other. It was more important to establish some level of compatibility in values and work ethic. The rest of getting to know each other would come later. But, as she stood there before Caleb, her mind racing in different directions as she tried to make sense of what he had just said, she knew that she loved him and wanted nothing more than to be his wife.
Yet, what had he said just the previous day? Something about the expense of land in Lancaster and his going away to look for a farm in another state? She hadn’t realized that he meant it, nor had she realized that he meant to go so soon. How could she possibly leave her family? Her mother needed her help with chores and the children, especially Hannah who showed no signs of becoming less difficult as she entered the next phase of becoming a young woman. Drusilla’s patience with Hannah would certainly help her mother in home-schooling Hannah.
And then there was her father. The two boys were not old enough to help in the autumn and spring. They still had school and Daniel could only do so much. Her father needed her assistance with so many outdoor chores.
Finally, Drusilla knew that her grandparents were a handful for her parents to handle. Mammi Ana grew worse each day, her mind as addled as a small child. Ana could barely remember anyone’s name properly and, with the exception of holding the baby, had little interest in anything.
He waited, patiently, and continued to search her face for an answer.
“But…I…” she said at last, stumbling over her words. “I…Well, you…”
At this response, Caleb frowned. Clearly he hadn’t expected any hesitation on her part. “But what, Drusilla?”
“You want to move to Ohio,” she whispered, forcing hersel
f to look away. “I…I never thought about moving so far away from home and certainly not so quickly!”
“I just said I’m going to look, Dru,” Caleb countered, his voice even and patient. He reached out and touched her chin, gently redirecting her gaze so that she had no choice but to look up at him. With a smile, he studied her face for a long second before settling his gaze on her eyes. “But, Drusilla, there’s no sense in even going to see what’s available if you won’t go with me. You are part of my waterfall and I need to know whether or not you’d be willing to move if that’s the only choice we have of raising our family on a farm.”
This side of Caleb, so serious and concerned about her thoughts toward their future, was a different Caleb. Normally he teased her and took on a more authoritative role. Now she could see that, in marriage, he wanted a partnership with her. He would neither force his opinions on her nor make decisions without her input. He was telling her something even more important: the choice was hers.
He made no move to close the distance between them; he merely left his finger under her chin and waited.
Drusilla bit her lower lip. She was almost nineteen and she knew that her parents wanted to her begin her adult life. To ask Caleb to wait was unrealistic. He, too, had a future that he wanted to begin building. And Caleb made it clear that she was the one woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He also made it clear that, if she wanted to live on a farm, she might have to be open to options.
Suddenly she thought about John Miller and his young wife, two of the adult chaperones on the hiking and camping trip. While they seemed happy enough, Drusilla remembered that they hadn’t been able to find land so they started a broom making business. While profitable, at least according to what his sister, Linda, had told her at the singing a few weeks back, Drusilla didn’t want to raise her children with such exposure to Englischers and such a reliance on the outside world to survive.