Uncle Plats

by Aqua Allsopp

  “I like it, myself. And that doesn’t surprise me. You seem to fit in here very well.”

  She smiled, looking up at him with her sparkling eyes. “You sound like you might be considering coming here to stay with us for a time. Do you think your family will object? Do you have a girlfriend who would be upset?”

  He wondered if it was an innocent query or if she was scoping him out to see if he was attached. He hoped he wasn’t blushing. He was glad it was getting dark so she couldn’t see even if he was. “I don’t have a girlfriend who would be upset. I don’t think my parents would object, though it might come as quite a surprise to them.” He was glad she was walking slowly. He enjoyed talking to her and didn’t want it to come to an end too soon. They had been around the family the whole evening. He may not have been totally alone with her at that point, but having the two little boys trailing along behind them didn’t make him as uncomfortable as another teenager or an adult would have.

  “Why do you say that?” She stepped up on the porch but didn’t cross to the door. She hovered at the top step, looking at him. Lamps attached to the pillars that flanked the porch steps had been lit. He watched as her eyes flickered in the moving light.

  “Why would they be surprised?” He hesitated, not wanting to reveal too much of his rocky past all at once. He didn’t want her to think he had been a bad person all his life but he certainly hadn’t led the upstanding life she had – morally speaking. “Well, I know that you have a very different way of living. If I were to come and join the community, they would be surprised by my willingness to change.”

  “Are you willing to change?” Her voice was soft. He looked directly in her eyes.

  “I am.”

  “Why?”

  He stopped to think about the question. A lot of his reasoning had to do with the fact that Eve was here and had struck him so profoundly. But he knew that couldn’t be his only reason. It wasn’t good enough to just want a girl. He needed to change himself and the way he was leading his life. Otherwise, he would never make it in an Amish community. He knew that without having to know the ins and outs of the culture.

  “I…I have several reasons.” He kept his voice low, aware that the boys had walked toward the door but had stopped, distracted by a box of small sculpted wooden horses sitting next to the front door. They took a few out and knelt to run them around on the porch. “One of them,” he looked at her, “is because this is where you are. And I’d really like to get to know you better. I like spending time with you and talking to you. I have since the first time you came into the store. I always look forward to you and your family coming in. It makes my day.”

  Even in the dim light, he could see her cheeks turn red. She dropped her eyes to the floor. “I enjoy talking to you, too, Kenny.”

  “And also, well…I haven’t led a picture-perfect life, you know. I wasn’t raised like you. I’ve had girlfriends before…” a lot of them, he thought, “and some of those girls wouldn’t have very nice things to say about me. But I’m meaning to change my ways. I’m trying to be a better person.”

  “This isn’t a place to run away from your problems, though.”

  Kenny heard the echo of Abraham’s earlier words in his head. He nodded. “I know. I was actually talking to Abraham about this topic earlier today and that’s what he said. But if I really wanted to run away from my problems, I could always move away, go to a different city in a different town and start over. But I don’t want to do that. I…I feel like…” He stopped and looked around, peering up at the darkening sky for a moment. “I kind of feel like I’ve been called here. I need to be away from the city to truly experience life the way it was meant to be lived.”

  “We live a harder life than many. We are fed and clothed and sheltered. But we must work for it. And we work for it as a community, rather than individually. Do you think you want to be in a place like that?”

  Without hesitation, Kenny nodded. “Yes. That’s what I want. I want to work hard, to be appreciated for it and to appreciate others for helping me work hard. Does that make sense?”

  “Ya. It does.” He didn’t want to take his eyes from hers. When she finally turned away and headed toward the front door, he reached out and grasped her arm.

  “Wait…” He let go immediately and pulled back a step, ashamed that he had broken a rule he knew they would be upset about. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

  But Eve didn’t look upset or angry. She stopped and waited for him to say whatever he wanted to say, a gentle smile on her pretty face. He scanned her full lips, her high cheekbones and the way her bonnet made her hair circle her face like the softest curtain ever.

  “What is it, Kenny?” she asked. Her heart was pounding like a drum. He had touched her. It was like electricity flowing through her arm from where they had made contact.

  “I just…I just wanted to say I’m sorry for barging in on your family tonight. I wasn’t sure how to approach this whole situation and when Abraham stopped on the road and asked if I had broken down, I just went with it from there on. Everything I’m saying and doing is totally unplanned. I just wanted to let you know that. No premeditation here.”

  He lifted both hands so that his palms were facing her in an “I surrender” type of way. “I promise.”

  She giggled. “That’s good to know, Kenny. But I never really suspected that there was any premeditation. You seem very good-hearted to me.”

  “I try to be. I really do.”

  “Come on back inside. We’ll get the eggs put away and you should probably go back with Abraham soon. It is nearly time for me to get the younger children ready for bed and, well, that’s something you will not be able to help with.”

  He laughed. “Nor would I want to, I suspect. They seem very excitable.”

  She laughed with him. “Excitable is an understatement, Kenny!”

  *****

  With Andrew’s permission, Kenny was accompanying the family to the Sunday services so that he could get an idea how they worshipped. Andrew and Abraham both warned him ahead of time that some members of their community were wary of strangers, especially visitors from the city.

  “Very often,” Andrew said as they drove to the Yoder home where the services were being held that day, “we have had visitors who would take pictures with their cell phones. We ask that you not do that.”

  “I wasn’t going to.” It was something he had discussed with Eve some time back. He had no plans to do anything offensive to the Amish community members.

  “I do appreciate that. Also, some of the older generation tend to be uncomfortable with city folk. You will need to ignore their suspicious looks.”

  Kenny chuckled at the fact that he was being told to ignore older people who had a problem with him.

  “Yes, sir,” he said, amused.

  He followed them into the large house, down the corridor and into a large room that had been built off the back entrance. The room was half-full already. People were shooting him looks as soon as he went in but no one looked like they were upset he was there. It was out of curiosity for the most part.

  He sat with the family and remained quiet throughout the singing and the sermon. He found the whole process very interesting and comforting. He’d been to a church in town several times, enough to know that he was a believer in God but not enough to make any ties to any particular place.

  He felt at home with the Grabers and the community. It wasn’t until after the services, when he was eating the prepared buffet lunch with all others who had attended, that he realized there was some type of anxiety creating tension in the room. He looked around for Eve and spotted her with a group of other girls her age. They were standing in a corner, making a half-circle. Eve was watching one of the girls who was talking about a mile a minute. She didn’t look happy, nor did she look angry. She did, however, look anxious.

  When they turned their eyes to him, he became nervous. They were surely talking about him. But what could they
possibly say about him? None of the girls knew who he was.

  After a moment of thinking, he decided that none of the girls knew him except one. The one who was talking. He was sure he’d seen her before somewhere but couldn’t quite place his finger on where it was. Had she come to the city with the Grabers and come in his store? It was a possibility. When Eve was in the store, Kenny rarely had the time or inclination to see anyone else.

  He wondered what he should do. Was it appropriate for him to go over and talk to her? He wanted to find out what was being said about him. She looked crestfallen and it hurt his heart to see it. He looked around until he spotted Andrew, talking to some of the older men. They glanced his way, also. He felt increasingly nervous.

  For a moment, he wanted to bolt. He wanted to take off running and go to his car, which he’d once again left on the side of the road by the first houses. Instead, he gathered his courage and walked to the group Andrew was talking to.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Graber. Can I speak with you?”

  “Ya, sure.” Andrew nodded. He excused himself from his friends and, with a slap on Kenny’s shoulder, directed the young man to a vacant, isolated corner of the shelter.

  “What is it, my young friend?’

  “It feels like everyone in the room is talking about me.”

  “They probably are, to be honest. You are a complete stranger to most of these people.”

  “I feel like it’s a negative reaction to my presence. I would hate that.”

  Andrew shook his head. “No, no, you must just get to know some of them first. Some people resist change more than others.”

  “I don’t want to bother anyone, Andrew. Maybe I should go.”

  “If you are uncomfortable, you can go if you choose. Just know that you are welcome here. I feel you were led to us for a reason. Don’t let anything like pride get in your way. And if you choose to go, please let Eve know you are going.”

  Andrew apparently didn’t expect a reply because he turned on his heel and walked away from Kenny.

  He moved his eyes slowly across the room and stopped, looking directly into Eve’s sparkling eyes. Andrew had told him to speak to her before he left. But he didn’t really want to leave. He crossed the room and stopped a few feet away from her.

  “Excuse me, Eve, may I speak with you?”

  The young ladies surrounding Eve had turned away and were gradually moving away from her. She smiled at him. “I would be honored.”

  She took a few steps away from her friends and walked to the edge of the shelter. They could talk to one another and still be in plain sight of everyone.

  She kept her voice low when she spoke. “How can I help you, Kenny?” Looking up at him, she knew what was going through his mind. He’d seen the way the other girls had looked at him. It was true that they spoke ill of him, several having known him from their trip into town in the prior years. But she didn’t think the man in front of her was the same man they had known. He was technically the same man, but there was something different about him now. He was trying. He wanted something better. And she wanted to show him how to do that.

  “I have a feeling I’m not wanted here. I think I should probably go.”

  Eve raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You want to leave?”

  “I thought it would be better than making people upset.”

  Eve shook her head. “You’ll never face down adversity if you run every time you’re confronted by it.”

  “You don’t want me to leave?”

  “I don’t.”

  “I’m making your friends upset. This is your family. I don’t want that.”

  “What matters is that you are here. You wanted to be here. I wanted you to be here or I wouldn’t have invited you.” She moved slightly closer to him so that they were only inches apart. She had to look up at him. “I think there are many reasons that you should stay.”

  Kenny’s heart was racing. He looked down at her and wanted to grab her and kiss her but he didn’t. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to disrespect anyone. He stepped back.

  “Tell me, Eve,” he used a normal conversation voice, “what does a man have to do to join your community? I mean, are there classes and stuff like that? Tests to take? Things to memorize?”

  “I can give you an idea of some things you might like to know.”

  Kenny leaned back against one of the poles holding up the roof of the shelter. “Okay, like what?”

  Eve looked out at the bright blue sky. Her profile set Kenny’s heart racing again. “Well one thing you might like to know is that it’s customary for two people to court for at least a year before they take any further steps.”

  Kenny crossed his arms over his chest. “Is that really customary or is that just your personal statistic?”

  She giggled. “A little of both, I guess. But you also need to know that we…I mean, couples don’t hold hands or anything like that. I think that’s…something you wouldn’t be used to. My friends said they knew of you from the city. You know, when they were on their Rumspringa.” She lifted her hands and spoke in a hurried tone. “But I don’t think they know you like I do. I believe that when we were talking in the store every time we came into town, you were always honest with me. I…I like you and I’d like for you to stay.”

  “What will you tell your friends?”

  “I don’t have to tell them anything. Do you have plans for where you will stay? What kind of job you will have? And what about your parents? And your friends? And your job?”

  Kenny laughed. “I’ve been thinking about it for a couple days. I don’t see why I can’t just consult with your dad and Abraham and any other man who would be willing to counsel me.”

  Eve tilted her head to the side and gave him a quizzical look. “It seems to me this must have been in the back of your mind for a lot longer than just a few days. After all, this is a serious change from your life out there. You must give up your cell phone. We don’t have them here. You can’t do a lot of the things you think are normal everyday things.”

  Kenny shook his head. “I have made up my mind. There are a lot of reasons for me to do this but there’s one that tops all of them,” he smiled, hoping she understood what he meant. From the look on her face, it was clear she did.

  “I’m glad you feel that way, Kenny. I really am.”

  “So I’m sure there must be something customary that you do to show that you are courting? Is that right?”

  “Well, usually the man will ask the woman if he can give her a ride home from the event they are at.”

  “I would love to do that.” And he truly would. He could picture it, him, fumbling around with reins he had no idea how to use, considering he had never driven a buggy before. Or ever ridden a horse for that matter. He knew how to drive a car though. And she would be sitting there next to him the whole time, laughing behind her hand at how inept he was.

  Eve smiled.

  “But I can’t.” The amusing image in his mind dissolved into reality.

  A look of bewilderment crossed Eve’s face. “Why not?”

  Kenny laughed. “Because I rode with you and your family to get here. I don’t have a buggy or anything to give you a ride in. My car is out at the Fisher place where I always leave it. And I don’t even know if you can ride in that with me.”

  Eve joined his laughter. “Oh, Kenny! You’re right. And yes, I can ride in it. Just don’t sign it over to me. I don’t want to own it.”

  Kenny pushed himself from the pole to stand up straight. “I hadn’t planned on doing that, don’t worry. But, you know, your uncle said he would loan me one…a buggy, I mean, to use when I come out here. Next time I’m here, I’d like to take you home from…whatever event you have going on at the time.”

  Eve felt a wave of excitement run through her. “That sounds lovely!” She was already anxiously awaiting that time. She bit her lip. “When do you think that will be?”

  “You got anything going on tomorrow?”

&nbs
p; Eve laughed. “You’ve got a lot to sort out before you can be here every day, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I probably do.”

  “Well, I’ll let you know when our next outing is or if we have a party. We have a lot of parties because it seems to always be someone’s birthday. Or anniversary. And when that happens we all like to get together and have a big party.”

  “I hope someone is celebrating a birthday or anniversary soon.”

  They both laughed.

  “I’m really glad I came out here today. Thank you for inviting me.”

  “I’m glad you are here, too, Kenny. You’re welcome.”

  They gazed at each other, their smiles brighter than the sun.

  THE END

  Another bonus story is on the next page.

  Bonus Story 7 of 15

  A Mismatch Made in Muscle

  Description

  This book is about a couple deeply, and madly in love, but their relationship defies every conventional maneuver. Jennifer is a female bodybuilder who loves auto mechanics, action movies, and being physically dominant. Douglas is a scientist who is a small and skinny man, who has a huge brain, but is otherwise a huge wimp. The two of them meet, fall deeply in love, and have a charming life together. They suddenly are hit with a major, emotional, and painful issue that threatens their marriage and livelihood.

  They must find a way to cope and problem-solve, or else their marriage will be destroyed. One of them has got tons of muscle, one of them has tons of brains, but is that going to be enough?

  *****

  She let out a quiet grunt while she bench pressed her new set of weights. She always loved a challenge – but never loved her results. She was never satisfied and was always chasing the next big accomplishment.

  She loudly slammed the weights on their hoisting arms and took a deep breath. Sitting up, she took a whiff and could smell her own foul perspiration. It was time – not to quit of course. It was time for a new exercise. This time, it would be highly cardiovascular.