by Aqua Allsopp
“Ha, ha, that’s funny. I like you too Dad. I like how you can be serious or silly, we like the same kinds of things for fun, and I know you have my back.” If you weren’t my dad I think we’d be best friends.”
“Well ain’t that somethin’? Do you think we’re the first father and son that’s ever come to like, love, and respect each other on a road trip, Zack?”
“No, I think it happens all the time if they really pay attention to each other,” Zack answered. “But, if you were one of those dads that’s always yelling—do this, get that, shut up, hurry up, you never do anything right, and using a lot of bad words too, I wouldn’t like you.”
“Well if you were one of those kids that hates everything and everyone, has a chip on his shoulder about something, acts like he’s too good for a little hard work, and acts lazy and uninterested, I wouldn’t like you either. I’d still love you because you’re my son, but I wouldn’t like being around you.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean, but Dad, all of the kids that I know that act like that, when you get to know them they have some bad stuff going on in their lives.”
“Like what, Zack?”
“Like a parent that’s not around or one that’s on drugs or alcohol, a parent that’s really angry and mean and hits them a lot, and acts like they don’t care if their kid lives or dies. And, sometimes when parents are really strict or super religious and they’re cramming it down the kid’s throat instead of letting the kid make up his own mind about following the strict rules of their religion. I think anything is easy to accept if you feel like you have a choice.”
“Wow, very well said, and insightful my son!”
“Thank you, Father,” Zack says before they both crack up at the sound of their very formal speech with the other. Later they rode in silence, reflecting on the evening’s exchange.
“Welcome to Lancaster, Pennsylvania”, the sign read. Zack searched the map for a nearby campground and found the Lancaster/New Holland KOA campground, where they would stay for a day or two before going to Ann and Roger’s home.
Zack and Jost both were enjoying the outdoors too much to be confined to a cul-de-sac in his grandparent’s subdivision. It was early afternoon so they had plenty of time to get settled in and explore before nightfall.
The weather was typical for June in Lancaster, it was a warm day, at 81°, but after dark it cooled down to 61°. Jost commented on how clean the air smelled, and Zack asked to sleep with the camper windows open. They each noticed in the other a sort of slowing in speech, movement, and temperament. They both seemed very tranquil and at peace even.
“Dad, you look different.”
“Well, a few days of razor stubble and a couple of weeks without a haircut will do that to a man,” Jost replied.
“No, it’s not that, you seem like, well if you were a car, somebody took their foot off the gas and you’re just coasting along, you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I think I do Zack, I feel different too. Calm, relaxed, peaceful.” “How do you feel?” Jost asked his son.
“I feel the same way Dad. I’m glad we took this trip,” Zack said as he threw his arms around his father’s neck and squeezed as if he planned to never let go. Jost sank into the hug and just let himself go with the emotion of the moment, then suddenly the two men found themselves crying tears of relief.
Jost was the first to break the silence. “We’re running low on toiletries, what do you say we go to the store, and maybe buy some fast food for dinner?”
“Let’s do it, Dad, I’m getting a little tired of your cooking anyway, ha, ha, ha.”
“What, you don’t like my cooking? You little ingrate, I’ll get you,” Jost said as he ran after a giggling Zack, who was happily running through the camper, taking care to stay out of his dad’s reach.
*****
Driving through Lancaster County’s Town of Strasburg, they passed sprawling farms, horse-drawn buggies, and cobblestone streets, before arriving at a strip mall at a Target store. By the time the pair found a shopping cart at the store’s front door, they had already decided what they were having for dinner.
The delicious combination of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni was wafting through the air. Zack looked at his father without saying a word, and instinctively they both said, “Pizza!” In a mesmerized sort of tone, while giving each other a fist bump in recognition of the other’s excellent choice.
“Why don’t you order for us Zack?” Zack stepped up to the counter at the food kiosk inside of Target, next to the Starbucks.
“Hi, what can I get for you, sir?” asked the friendly server behind the counter. A pimply faced teenager who didn’t look old enough to meet the 16-year-old working age requirement.
“I’d like one large pepperoni pizza and two medium green iced teas please.” Jost tapped Zack on the shoulder to get his attention and to hand Zack his debit card to pay for dinner.
“That’ll be $12.99 sir,” the server/cashier said, taking the card from Zack’s outstretched hand.
“Here’s your receipt sir, your pizza will be ready in about 20-minutes if you’d like to do some shopping while you wait, so just hold on to your receipt please.”
“Thank you,” Zack said before walking away and returning the debit card to his father.
“Well done sir!” Jost said, mimicking the server’s polite address toward his young son.”
Zack grinned an embarrassed smile because he felt proud that the server called him sir, and because he could tell that his father was proud of the way that he handled himself during the small business transaction of ordering dinner. Zack had a little extra swagger about him as they walked down the main aisle toward the “personal care” section.
Zack chooses his favorite toothpaste and they agree to share Jost’s favorite deodorant, grabbed a few other necessities like toilet paper, and facial tissue, then headed back toward the cashiers to pay for their goods. “I think we could both use some running socks, Zack, let’s head down this aisle.”
Zack followed behind his father and the cart like a duckling. The sock quest took the pair past the toy aisle, which made Zack fall behind his father by a few paces as he slowed to see what was new in “Toyland”. Seeing nothing that interested him, he walked quickly to catch up to his dad, when the sight of a mannequin in front of the women’s department made him stop in his tracks. Tears began to well up in his eyes until his little knees buckled under the weight of grief.
“Are you okay?” a soft voice asked, as Zack’s little body crumbles into her arms as she knelt to make eye contact with the sad, little, English-boy. Zack instinctively tucked his head in the pad of her shoulder, where a hunter might tuck his rifle to avoid the shoulder shattering kick of a rifle.
Jost quickly realized that he didn’t hear the sound of his son’s sneakers padding behind him so he turned to find out where Zack had gotten off to, only to find him in the arms of an Amish woman. At that sight, he abandoned his cart and ran to see what was the matter with his boy.
“Zack, Zack, what is it Son, are you okay?” Jost asked with great concern.
“He was staring at this mannequin when it looked as if he collapsed and became very upset,” the woman said. By now there was, what looked like a family of seven people crowded around his son. The woman gently whispered to Zack, “Your Papa’s here boy, you’re okay, I’ll stay with you.” She then slowly handed him off to his father.
Jost picked Josh up and looked at his face. “What is it Son, what happened?”
Without speaking, Zack pointed at the mannequin, then put his face in the crook of his father’s neck, continuing to sob uncontrollably. When Jost looked up at the mannequin he felt his heart catch in his throat too. “Oh, I see, I understand Zack, I miss her too. I remember when we bought that same robe for your mom. She looked really pretty in it didn’t she?” Josh nodded yes in agreement.
Seeing an adult male in the group, Jost instinctively addressed him with an explanation. �
�I’m so sorry for the trouble sir. My son just lost his mother about four months ago and we bought a bathrobe identical to that one while she was in the hospital, before she” …his voice trailed off. “It’s okay son, you go ahead and be sad if you want. If I wasn’t so prideful I might cry with you,” Jost nervously chuckled.
The Amish man stepped forward and extended his hand to Jost saying, “I am truly sorry for your lost sir, I can understand how hard this must be for a boy his age. We don’t do this very often, but we were just about to sit down for supper in the restaurant here. We’re having a pizza!” He said with a guilty smile on his face as if he were bordering on sin.
“My name is David Shear and these are my children, Benual, Jacob, David. Zachariah, Ruth, Katy-Lynn, and Sarah. My wife Miriam is feeling poorly and stayed at home this evening. Please sup with us on a lovely pizza, it would be our pleasure.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Shear. My name is William Jost, and this is my son Zack.”
“Jost did you say? Your ancestors are German, no?”
“Yes, my grandfather said our family name was Yost until his father came to America and changed his name to Jost.”
“We are of German heritage also, and you have a Zack and I have a Zachariah. Zack Jost how many years do you have now?” David Shear asked.
A puzzled Zack looked at his father for a translation, he had not heard a sentence phrased this way before. In fact, he was having a little trouble understanding some of the things the Amish man and woman were saying, although they were both speaking English.
“Mr. Shear wants to know how old you are,” Jost said to Zack.
“I’m eight, sir.”
“Eight? Well, I’ll be! Zachariah, how old are you?”
“I’m eight-years-old Father,” the Amish boy answered with a broad smile, directed at Zack.
Zack Jost’s eyes brighten and a smile came to his face. Your name is Zack and you’re the same age? Mr. Shear seemed to ask no one in particular.
“That’s so cool!” Zack Jost said.
Seeing that his son’s countenance has improved, Jost put him down and asked, “Do you want to have dinner with the Shear family Zack?”
“Sounds good to me Dad.”
“Please give us a minute to wash up and we’ll l00k for you in the eating area,” Jost said.
Jost and Zack retrieved their cart and went to the bathroom where they washed their face and hands. Jost knelt down to Zack and asked, “Are you okay? You know that it’s okay to cry, laugh, to be angry, and to express whatever you’re feeling okay?” Zack nodded in acknowledgment and gave his father a hug.
The pair left the restroom, paid for their items, and joined the Shear family at their table in Target’s mini-restaurant.
Seeing the father and son, Zachariah immediately said, “Zack, sit next to me if it pleases you!”
That enthusiastic invitation did please Zack, who happily sat next to his namesake while his father collected their pizza. When everyone had their seats Mr. Shear initiated a prayer.
“Heavenly Father we thank you for the blessing of this English food, and for our new friends William and Zack—Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone responded in unison, including William Jost and his son Zack.
“Mr. Shear, do you live in Strasburg?” asked William.
“Please, call me David, Mr. Shear is my father, ha, ha, ha. Yes, we live only 10-miles from here. We are carpenters, my family.”
“My father was a handyman, doing mostly carpentry work, and he sometimes carved some very intricate pieces for his customers who could afford it. He taught me the trade but it’s been many years since I had time for woodworking.”
“Really? And what is it that you do William?”
“I’m, well I was, a warrior—a Marine. I served in Afghanistan and Iraq in psychological operations. It was my job to try to change the hearts and minds of our enemies and of the people that they intended to corrupt, convert, or coerce to act on their behalf.”
“And now that you are no longer a Marine William, what will you do?”
“Well we have a saying, it goes, once a Marine—always a Marine; meaning, it never leaves you, it’s always in your blood. So, I might change my job, but the things that I learned in the Corp like, dedication to my buddies, duty, honor, country, integrity, and doing what’s right when no one’s watching, will stick with me for the rest of my life. As for how I’m going to make a living now? I don’t know David. That’s partly what our trip’s about, to try to figure that out.”
“I see, well, we’d better stop talking and start eating before the little ones leave no pizza for us, men.”
William gave a little laugh at David’s straight-faced sense of humor then took a bite out of his pizza. Glancing down the table at Zack, he could hear that he was involved in a serious conversation about frogs and other reptiles, with Zachariah.
But, William noticed something else. He saw how intently David’s daughter, Sarah, was watching him. He imagined that she’s probably more like a mother to her siblings than a peer, with all of the responsibilities that go along with being the oldest child in a family with a big age gap between the oldest and youngest child.
He was certain that she was only staring at him out of curiosity, but he couldn’t help but blush at the sight of this lovely young woman looking at him.
She’s beautiful, William couldn’t help thinking, but he couldn’t tell how old she is. It wasn’t important, he was only curious, he told himself.
“William, how long will you be in Strasburg?” David asked.
“I don’t know really. I’m in no hurry to find a job, but I do need to figure out where I’m going to work next. I don’t want to do anything high-risk, being a single parent now, I can’t take a high-risk job like law enforcement or security. I have a degree in social work, but I don’t really want to deal with other people’s problems every day, or sit behind a desk. I do think that I want to work outdoors, or with my hands. I don’t know yet, but I’m sure Zack and I will figure it out,” William said.
“Our boys seem to really like each other. I never considered that an Amish boy and an English boy would have so much to talk about.”
“David, I’ve traveled all over the world and have met many people. What I noticed is that people are basically the same and want the same things—food, clothing, shelter, clean water and air, and to love and be loved by a community of people and a few special ones that they call friends and family.”
“Amen to that, Heir (Mr.) Jost!” The two families had a pleasant meal then walked out to the parking lot together.
“Wow, is this yours?” Zack exclaimed when the Jost family stopped in front of a black horse hitched to a black, enclosed buggy with brass side lights, headlights and taillights and reflective stickers. Although it was dusk, William imagined that the lights on the buggy made it a lot safer for the Shear family to travel home.
David Shear proudly showed Zack and William around the interior and exterior of the buggy and introduced them to their horse.
David watched carefully at how William felt the materials of his coach, admired the steel and wood construction, the intricacies that only a perceptive man would pick up.
He noticed how Zack and William gently and respectfully interacted with his horse, an integral member of any Amish family as they depend on their horses for work and transportation.
But, most importantly, David Shear felt respected by the Josts. It suddenly struck him that in the eyes of Zack and William Jost, they were the same. In his heart, he knew that William did not see him and his family as some sort of backward, religious zealots, an Amish oddity to be gawked at like an archeological find.
The Josts were curious about the Amish to be sure, but he sensed that both father and son were curious about the ways in which they were similar and not how much they were different. David Shear concluded that the Josts were humanists!
They respect the sanctity and value of all human life re
gardless of anything; religion, wealth, race, national origin, or way of life.
“William, would you like to work with me and my sons tomorrow? I think you might enjoy the smell of lumber and working with wood again. Zack might enjoy it too.”
“Can we Dad?” Zack begged.
William extended his hand toward David saying, “It looks like you’ve got yourself two green helpers tomorrow Mr. Shear, thank you for the opportunity, we’ll try not to get in your way too much.” The two men laughed and shook hands vigorously.
“Very good then William, until the ‘morrow. We are North of here, the third farm house on your right. If you get lost, just ask any Amish where the Shear farm is and they will help you. Gutte’ nacht (Good night) Zack.” David said as he mussed up Zack’s hair.
Zack extended his little hand up to David and shook hands with the giant of a man at 6’6” and rail-thin. “Goodnight Mr. Shear,” William said.
Zack and William shook hands with all of the male members of the Shear family. Zack hugged Sarah around the legs, saying “Good night Ms. Sarah, thank you for helping me when I was sad.”
Sarah’s eyes filled with tears for this small boy clinging to her. She pressed his head against her womb and gently said, “Good night dear Zack”, as her tear filled eyes met William’s.
Zack slowly pulled himself away from Sarah. William awkwardly stepped closer to Sarah, extending his hand them pulling it back, unsure if he should shake hands with her or not. “Good night Ms. Shear,” he said, almost bowing to her.
Sarah let out a nervous giggle, then casting her eyes downward she offered a soft “good night, Mr. Jost,” as she turned and entered the buggy. Zack and William both watched the buggy until it was out of sight before they spoke.
“I think I like the Amish people, Dad.”
“So do I Zack, I like them very much.” Back in the camper, Zack talked to his grandparents for more than an hour about the evening’s adventure before finally handing the phone to his father.
“Bill, it sounds like you guys have a fun day coming up tomorrow,” Ann said, with excitement in her voice. “Zack sounds so happy about making a new friend.”