Uncle Plats

by Aqua Allsopp

  “I have to admit that I’m excited about having met David Shear also. Being invited to work on a project to build something with wood makes me feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” Bill said with excited anticipation. “It’s no coincidence that we met the Shears tonight, Mom.”

  “Oh I agree Bill, God put the Shears in your path for a reason. Just keep your heart open for what lessons and experiences the universe is offering you and you’ll find the answers and direction for whatever you’re looking for.” Ann advises in her sweet and gentle voice.

  “That’s good advice Mom, I will. Well, we’d better try and get some sleep. The Amish start work early and I have a feeling it’s going to be all manual labor.”

  “Ha, ha, you can bet on that son,” Roger said

  “Goodnight Dad, night Mom—Love you,” Bill replied.

  *****

  Bill pulled into the long driveway of what he hoped is the Shear farm, at 4:30 a.m. A pale green house with darker green shudders, a small porch with four rocking chairs and two child-size chairs with wicker seats stood before him as only one of two structures for what seemed like miles. At 4:47 a.m., a boy about Benual’s age, came out of the front door and walked towards the barn, then stopped, turned, and walked towards Bill’s truck. Bill got out of the truck, with Zack following behind.

  “Good morning Mr. Jost, it looks to be a fine day for work today. “Good morning Zack,” said Benual.

  “Good morning, Benual right?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “I’m glad that I found your house. I didn’t want to go around knocking on doors waking folks up so early in the morning,” William said.

  “Oh, no sir, we Amish get an early start, being productive at your work is a Godly pursuit. I was just about to feed the horses, would you like to join me, sir?”

  William looked at Zack, who was smiling like a Cheshire cat, and said, “Yeah!”

  Watching Benual lovingly feed, water, and interact with the horses in a way that is reminiscent of how most dog owners care for their beloved dogs gave William deep respect for the boy.

  He observed how Benual took his responsibility seriously. The maturity in his manner was evident. He saw in Benual a quiet confidence, an open and friendly nature, and a very relaxed body posture. Benual’s voice, movement, and demeanor seemed to convey that Benual thinks that everything is just fine in my world. There is no danger, I am sufficient, I have all that I need or want, and I am at peace and living in joy.

  Bill saw in Benual what his son Zack could become as a young man in the right environment. In that moment, he realized that Zack’s spirit could be nurtured to become a man with a similar countenance as Benual’s, or his spirit could be crushed by the wrong environment. It became clear to Bill that not only did he need to choose his next profession wisely, he also needed to be mindful of the environment in which he lived. Suddenly Bill felt the gravity of deciding his next move in life and it dragged on him immensely. To end his internal dialogue William decided to get to know the boy better.

  “Benual, how old are you?” Bill asked.

  “Why I’m a man full grown, I’m 16, sir.”

  “Ha, ha, ha.” Bill blurted. “I’m sorry Benual, I’m laughing because you’re right, you walk, talk, and speak like a grown man; but where I come from, 16 is still a kid. Most 16-year-olds that I know can’t be trusted to be at home alone without getting into some kind of trouble or danger. You, on the other hand, I think you could manage this entire household if you had to. You are a very impressive young man sir.”

  Benual blushed at such high praise, and from an English man too. “Thank you very much, sir,” Benual said quietly, with his head down in modesty.

  Benual leads Zack and William back to the house, through the front door, and into the kitchen where everyone was gathering around a large table with bench seating. Mr. Shear was carrying a little girl who looked to be about three-years-old.

  “Guder mariye Heir Jost. How are you this fine morning, young Zack?

  “Good morning Mr. Shear, I’m well, thank you for asking, sir. I met your horses, they’re beautiful and docile animals,” said William.

  ‘Ah yes, the horses are as much a part of my family as my lovely children. Right Katy-Lynn?”

  “Yes Papa,” Katy-Lynn whispered as she planted a sweet kiss on her father’s whiskered face.

  Mr. Shear laughed at delight at his sweet child’s affection, swinging her around and into her place at the table. “Come, children, your mother has prepared a wonderful breakfast that we mustn’t let get cold. William, Zack, please join us. William, please sit here to my right in this honored position at our table. Zack, I know Zackery would love for you to sit beside him,” said David.

  When everyone was seated David began saying, “Now, everyone is in their proper position we can begin. Heavenly Father, thank you for this bounty before us and bless the hands that prepared it. May our work today be pleasing to you oh Lord. Amen.”

  Bill could see that Sarah got her beauty from her mother, Miriam. Although she appeared to be a little ill at the moment, he noticed how much Miriam looks like her daughter Sarah, but not quite. There’s something a little different about the mother but he can’t quite put his finger on it—until she turned her head just so, and then it hit him.

  Miriam’s head seemed just a little larger than it should be for her tiny frame. It’s barely noticeable, but William is a man who is trained to notice outliers, changes, and inconsistencies. As he looked around the table he observed that little Jacob appeared to have a large head also. Something that he dismissed yesterday, as children sometimes can appear to have a large head or ears that they eventually grow into and suddenly the body part seems less prominent. William wondered if it was “a thing” among the Amish or just one family’s trait.

  At that moment, he suddenly wanted to pull out his smartphone and Google “disorders among the Amish”, but thought better of it. Instead, he continued to eat his breakfast, make small talk, and laugh with the Shear family, trying not to stare at Miriam or her little son Jacob.

  *****

  After breakfast, the younger children road scooter-like bicycles to a one-room schoolhouse; while David, Benual, William, and Zack loaded into the buggy and road about five miles to a large structure with a sign that read “Zook Amish Built Cabins”.

  “This is where we work William, we apply our woodworking trade to projects that are contracted to our community by an English company. There is mostly Amish working here, but there are a few English workers too. So you see, our communities, the English, and Amish work side-by-side in harmony,” David said.

  Entering the building, William saw Amish men and other boys Benual’s age and adult English men shaking hands greeting each other good morning and gathering tools and materials to begin their day. After brief introductions and clearing it with David’s English counterpart—who is also a supervisor, William and Zack were allowed to work without pay for as long as they wanted.

  William worked with David and Zack worked with Benual. They each learned how to cut and finish logs to become a part of a pre-assembled modular log cabin, built with 300-year-old Amish carpentry techniques.

  William loved the work, the smell of the wood, seeing the finished materials and photos of assembled cabin homes. During lunch, he read some of the letters and photos on the wall of happy families enjoying their log cabins and thought—what a great way to make a living. He looked around and saw plainly dressed English men alongside Amish men and boys working, talking, and at times even singing together. William began to think about a career making log cabins and asking himself, “Bill are you seriously thinking about becoming Amish, or just working alongside the Amish?” After some deep reflection throughout the day, he wasn’t sure of what he wanted.

  Riding back to the Shear house, he envisioned what his life would be like as an Amish man. His faith and values are very similar to David Shear’s, he loves the
family and community life, and he very much wants Zack to grow up with the quiet confidence that he can already see in his son. William realized that he had a lot to think about, but vowed to stop thinking for now and just enjoy the moment. The sights, the sounds, and the smells of the present. It felt good!

  There was a buzz about the Shear home, with children and adults busy at preparing dinner and living life. Sarah asked William and Zack about their day and laughed, smiled, and listened intently as they each spoke. William was wondering if her aqua-blue eyes were intentionally staring into his own, or it was his imagination. At the moment he didn’t care, he only knew that he couldn’t help blushing, as he watched her sweet, pink lips move as she talked. He was mesmerized by her. Even her hand gestures seemed like the movement of a dancer, and when she walked she almost glided across the wooden floors. At times during dinner, the voices of everyone else seemed like white-noise because all that William could see and hear was Sarah.

  *****

  “There is not another sister, friend, or brother loves the way that Jesus can.”

  “He proved his love for me when he died on Calvary, he gave his life for fallen man.”

  William and Zack found themselves humming, then singing this catchy song over and over, on the way back to the campsite. A huge leap from the song they sang repeatedly on their way to work that morning— “Stop, drop, shut-em-down open up shop.”

  “Oh, no, that’s how rough riders roll.”

  Zack and William were so tired from their early start and a hard day of physical labor that they didn’t so much as think to call Ann and Roger that night or the next several in a row. After a shower, they went straight to bed.

  Before drifting off to sleep William remembered to Google “Amish disorders”. He felt as though he were disrespecting a friend by typing these words, but his concern for Miriam and Jacob overrode his guilt. His heart pounded as he read. His hope, no his prayer, is that it is only a cosmetic anomaly and that there are no serious health risks. He quickly realized that his worse fears were true.

  William came to suspect that Miriam and Jacob have Glutaric acidemia type I or GA1, a genetic disorder that is the consequence of a small number of people sharing a similar, in this case, European, gene pool, who created a new settlement in America, married among themselves, and had big families who then went on to intermarry.

  It seems research and modern medicine may have arrived, and been accepted by the Amish and Mennonite communities, in time to help Joshua thrive, should he indeed be diagnosed with any of the 142 identified “Amish and Mennonite” genetic disorders, but the establishment of the first Amish, genetic health clinic would have come too late, in 1989, to help Miriam, who is well into her 50s or 60s.

  He supposed that Sarah might also carry the recessive gene and worried for her future children. Suddenly, it made him think about his own son Zack and to feel grateful that his Germanic ancestors didn’t pass any genetic disorders on to him.

  This night, William found himself in deep prayer, the likes of which he hadn’t really done since his wife Rebecca’s passing.

  *****

  “This is Bill. Hi Dad, is everything okay?”

  “I was calling to ask you the same thing son. Your mother and I are worried about you. You’ve been in Lancaster for three weeks and we haven’t seen you, and haven’t talked to you or Zack in three days. Is everything okay?”

  “Ha, ha, ha, yeah Dad everything is just fine. We’ve just been working so hard at carpentry every day then spending time in the evening with the Shears, Zack really loves playing with the kids, and well, Dad, I need to talk to you about something. Can we come by for dinner tonight?”

  “Son that’s a silly question, I’m calling because your mother and I want to see you and Zack and to make sure you’re okay. You could come to the house right now if you want, but dinner’s just fine. We’ll see you later son.”

  “Okay Dad, we should be there around 8:00 p.m., I know it’s late but the days are long here and then we need to shower.”

  “Eight o’clock is just fine son, see you then,” Roger said as he hung up the phone. William was excited and nervous about talking with Roger and Ann, but at the same time, he needed to talk with an objective person and didn’t want all of the ribbing he’d have to endure if he called Oberlin or his other friends.

  William’s mind was occupied the rest of the day rehearsing what he planned to say to Roger, Ann, and Zack. He wasn’t even sure how to articulate what he was thinking and feeling. At day’s end, as he road back to his truck he explained to David that he needed to spend a few days with his family and asked if he could come see him afterward.

  “Yes, of course,” David said, as he slapped William on the back. I understand that you must go back to the English world. It has been a pleasure to have you with us William. I hope to see you and Zack again very soon. My door is always open to you.”

  Zack looked up at his dad with surprise and sadness at hearing the adult’s conversation, but he didn’t say a word. He understood that it was time to go visit his grandparents. The look on his face conveys that he is just as conflicted as his father.

  The ride back to the campsite, dressing for dinner, and the ride to Roger and Ann’s house took place in a comfortable silence. Each man, William, and Zack, were someplace deep within themselves trying to sort out their feelings and wants.

  “Ding-dong!” The door flew open as if someone had been standing watch in anticipation of their arrival. “Oh Zack, Bill, I’m so happy to see you,” a teary-eyed Ann said as she hugged the breath out of Zack, and Bill both. Only to be embraced again by Roger.

  The house felt so cozy, so familiar, it even smelled like—home! Ann and Roger asked a million questions about their trip across country and their time with the Amish. They seemed delighted at what they heard. After helping with the dishes, they all went to the living room to talk.

  Bill began by saying, “Zack, Ann, Roger, I want to be honest with you about what I’m thinking and I want you to be honest with me with your opinions. I really don’t know what to do and I’m scared to death about making the wrong decision. I know as the parent the decision is mine to make, but it wouldn’t be right to decide on something like this without hearing from you Zack, and Mom and Dad. I know you only want the best for us so don’t pull any punches.” Everyone sat back in their seats and listened as William spoke.

  “I feel really good working with my hands, doing something physical, and the smell of wood makes me want to get up at 4:00 a.m. to go to work every day. As an English man, I could wake up at 6:00 a.m., get Zack off to school and start work at 9:00 a.m. He could go home on his own or come to your house, depending on where we live, until I get home around 5:30 p.m. If I decide to take the Amish faith our days would be considerably longer and we would be a little bit separate from you guys, but we’d still see you every week.”

  Bill went on to say, “I look at the Amish kids and see how happy and at peace they are, but I also see all that they are missing out on and will never see.”

  “They’ll have Rumspringa—their adolescent break from Amish life, but then they either chose to be separated from their family or go back to a very small life. I don’t think I want to force Zack into that kind of decision in the future, or a limited education. Zack, you’re a very smart kid, there’s no telling what you might become or what you could contribute to the world given the right education and opportunities.”

  “Then there is the religion. I have to admit that its interpretation of the bible is pretty literal and doesn’t really set well with my personal beliefs, and there is no questioning the pastors and community elders. I’m too independent not to express my own views and I don’t know if I could blindly follow what some man tells me I should believe and how to behave. I think God wants me to exercise discernment, that’s why man has the ability of higher reasoning.”

  “Last but not least, there’s a woman. I’ve never even spent even 30-seconds alone with thi
s woman, or seen more than her face, neck, forearms, and ankles, but her inner and outer beauty has a hold on me that I don’t know if I could shake even if I went back to California. I don’t even know how she feels about me, if she would ever consider living an English life, or if her father would allow it. Also, he’s my friend and I wouldn’t want to upset him by trying to steal his daughter. Not that I’m thinking about getting married right now. It’s too soon, I mean I’m still in love with Becca, I’m just—I think I’ll stop talking now,” Bill said with his eyes cast down to the floor, feeling ashamed of how he was feeling about Sarah.

  Zack was the first to speak. “Dad, I like the Amish and I like Lancaster. I want to live close to Grandma and Grandpa and I like that my Dad wants to be a carpenter. The only thing is when I wore Zachariah’s clothes that one day and you wore David’s it felt weird, and the Amish church feels weird too. In those clothes and at church I kept feeling like I was in a wooden box. I couldn’t stretch, I couldn’t move, all that I could do was shape myself until I felt comfortable in that box. When I felt like that I started picturing myself running on the beach in California with no shirt, no shoes, just my swim-shorts. Diving into the waves, screaming, laughing and having fun. When I try to be Amish, my mind just goes back to the beach, back to feeling free. I don’t think I want to be Amish.”

  “Thank you for being honest son, I really appreciate what you said and I get it,” said Bill.

  “Son,” Roger said on the edge of his chair, “I don’t fault you for falling in love with a beautiful girl, I don’t think Rebecca would either. Moving on with your life doesn’t mean you love Becca any less. I know she wants you and Zack to be happy and I think she would be happy to know that another woman is looking after her boy since she can’t be with him.”

  “It sounds like you found a job that doesn’t feel like work at all, there’s opportunity for promotions and more money, but you can also go do something else if it turns out not to be your passion in the future. Ann and I would love to give up the rental in California and move back here to Lancaster and help you raise Zack. Having you two close means the world to me son. Whatever you do I support you,” a tearful Roger said at the thought of his regaining a daughter when Bill remarries someday—and feeling a little ashamed at the thought of someone replacing his daughter in his life. Then realizing that the other woman would be adding a daughter not replacing one, in his heart.