Plain pursuit

by Beth Wiseman

“It was pretty obvious at the hospital that they didn’t know who I am.”

  “I think they were fairly . . . surprised.” She didn’t want to say too much on Lillian’s or David’s behalf.

  “So will you be including information about shunning in your article now?”

  “I hadn’t really thought about it. But I have to tell you, the practice seems cruel to me.”

  “We all know going in what can happen if we don’t adhere to church laws.”

  “Sounds like you’re defending it.”

  “No, not defending it. Just explaining it. Where are you?”

  His abrupt change of subject caught her off guard. “Just driving around. I’m in Bird-in-Hand right now.”

  “I thought it sounded like you were driving. Listen, I was getting ready to head out for some supper. Any interest in joining me? I’m about twenty minutes from Bird-in-Hand, but I can head your direction since you’re not familiar with the area.” When she hesitated, he added, “It would be unethical for me to discuss David with you. I just thought maybe we could talk. Maybe convince you to have Samuel or Lillian call me.”

  “I ate already.”

  “Yeah, I suppose four thirty is still the supper hour. And we’re almost two hours past that. What about a cup of coffee?”

  He’s being pushy. “I’d better get back. It’s only my second night here. I was just trying to give Samuel and Lillian some time alone to talk about . . .”

  “Me?” He laughed. “Trust me. It will be a short conversation. What about dinner tomorrow night? There’s a café off the main drag in Paradise.”

  “I don’t know.” His persistence was starting to make her uncomfortable.

  “Or just a cup of coffee.”

  Just as she opened her mouth to firmly decline, the good doctor threw her a temptation the reporter in her couldn’t resist.

  “We can even chat about the story you’re writing. I can give you some insight about shunnings. Don’t all good reporters cover things objectively?”

  Darn. He was feeding her journalistic drive. It would be nice to hear his side of the story.

  “Maybe just coffee,” she said, relenting.

  “Great. I’ll meet you at the Dutch Bakery on Lincoln Highway at six o’clock. Just turn left off of Black Horse Road and it’s on the right. Is that time okay?”

  “I guess so.”

  “And, Carley—it would be good if you could convince Lillian to call me before then.”

  After Carley agreed, she closed the cell phone. She wasn’t stupid. If she did convince Lillian to call him before then, Noah wouldn’t have any reason to keep the coffee date. And she’d never get his side of the story about the shunning. But, she reminded herself, David was the issue here.

  David was back in the fields with Samuel the next morning, so Carley tried to talk Lillian into calling Noah. It was the right thing to do. If Noah chose to cancel the coffee date, so be it. She’d make do without his input for her story. Doctors weren’t high on her list of people to socialize with anyway, she reminded herself.

  “He looks fine,” Lillian said. “A few stitches aren’t keeping him from work. He has an appointment with Dr. Reynolds next week to see if the stitches can come out. And I’m sure if anything is wrong, Dr. Reynolds will find it.”

  Lillian’s tone indicated she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She changed the subject and explained that several women were getting together for an occasion they referred to as Sisters’ Day. Lillian’s friend Sadie was hosting the event, usually held once a month. According to Lillian, Sisters’ Day was a gathering of women, not necessarily sisters, who spent the day together doing a preplanned task—quilting, canning, baking, sewing, or even cleaning house for a sick friend. All the women looked forward to the monthly get-together.

  “And it’s a gossip fest,” Lillian said. Then she tapped her finger to her chin and corrected herself. “Actually, gossip is a sin, so let me say it another way—things are discussed about the community and the people within the community.” She smiled, as if that justified any potential wrongdoing.

  After cleaning the breakfast dishes, Lillian readied the buggy and she, Carley, and Anna left for Sisters’ Day. Carley was glad to see Lillian put Anna in a child carrier in the backseat of the buggy. She’d noticed during her drive the afternoon before that some of the Amish women carried their babies in their laps, and the practice made Carley incredibly nervous.

  “This is your first buggy ride, no?” Lillian asked as they turned out of the driveway onto Black Horse Road.

  The clippity-clop of hooves hitting the pavement, the way the horse followed Lillian’s every command, the breeze in her face—it was wonderful. But Carley had one concern. “Yes. And I was wondering—will we be going on the highway where all the cars are? This road is fine, but I’d be a little nervous on the highway.”

  A huge understatement. Watching cars quickly swerve around the buggy was bound to bring thoughts of the red Chevy into play. It had taken her long enough to get back into a car and drive again after the accident. Unprotected in a buggy amid the traffic—she wasn’t ready for that.

  “I was naerfich at first too,” Lillian recalled. “But I got used to it. And no, Sadie lives two turns up on the right. We don’t have to get on the highway.”

  “Did it take you long to learn the language?”

  “Actually, it’s a German dialect with some English mixed in. And I still have a lot to learn.”

  Carley was unsure whether to broach the subject of Noah, since Lillian hadn’t, but her curiosity won out. “Did you and Samuel have a chance to talk about Noah?”

  Lillian’s twinkling eyes darkened. “We talked about it a little, but Samuel made it clear to both David and me that Noah was not a part of our lives and that it should not be discussed.”

  “Isn’t that odd, though?” Carley was quick to ask. “I know you’ve only been Amish for a short time, but don’t you think that totally cutting off a family member is extreme?”

  Lillian deliberated before answering, pursing her lips. “I guess it must seem that way. But when a person is baptized, they promise to abide by all the church laws. Like Samuel said, Noah knew what he was doing. He knew that if he left the Order, he would be shunned—for life.”

  “It just seems so sad to me.” Carley wondered how Lillian would feel about her having coffee with Noah that evening.

  “Carley, it might be best if we don’t bring up Noah anymore, especially around Samuel. It’s an unfortunate situation, but I don’t think we will be seeing Dr. Noah again. Samuel said there’s probably nothing wrong with David. Noah is just trying to find a way back into Samuel’s life, and Samuel wants no part of it.”

  Carley opened her mouth to clarify, but before she could speak, Lillian surprised her with some new information.

  “Evidently there’s much more to the story.” Her gaze met Carley’s, almost daring her to speculate.

  “Like what?”

  “Well,” Lillian said, taking a breath, “breaking his vows wasn’t the only thing Noah did. It was bad enough that he chose to leave the district, go to college, and become a doctor. But there’s something else.”

  “What?” Carley searched Lillian’s face for a clue. “What did he do?”

  Lillian shrugged and shot her a dead-end look. “I have no idea. Samuel wouldn’t say.”

  What? “He told you Noah did something else, but he won’t tell you what it is? But he’s your husband.”

  “Ya, and I must respect his privacy. He’s the head of the household.”

  “Wait a minute. This doesn’t sound like the Lillian I know. Don’t you feel like Samuel should tell you? And what’s this about him being the head of the household?”

  “I knew that when I married him, Carley. Things are different here. Samuel and I have a wonderful relationship, but some things aren’t pushed.” Lillian sighed. “Sometimes I press Samuel when I shouldn’t. It’s not easy for me to just let things go. Especially i
f I feel strongly about it.” She lowered her chin, cutting her eyes toward Carley. “Or if he’s not telling me something.”

  Carley was surprised that Lillian accepted Samuel’s refusal to speak about the shunning. But knowing Lillian, she had probably forced the issue a tad. She just lost the argument in the end. Carley reminded herself how different Lillian was now, and how much happier she was because of her new life. Maybe sacrificing in some areas was worth it.

  “There’s Sadie’s place.” Lillian pointed to her right. “You’ll like Sadie. And there will be several other ladies here too. Oh! And don’t mention Noah. Samuel’s two sisters will be here also.”

  Carley nodded as Lillian went on. “We’re going to tag the quilts for the mud sale this Saturday. A mud sale is held at the firehouse. They call it that because the fields outside the firehouse are almost always muddy from rain this time of year. Thankfully it’s been dry around here lately. The one we’re going to is in Penryn, about thirty minutes from here. You’ll love it. It’s a huge auction with mostly Amish men, women, and children running it. They’ll auction all kinds of farm equipment, housewares, and trinkets. But the biggest-selling items will be the quilts. Our district has two hundred and forty quilts to auction. And I’m in charge of the quilt sale this year.” She beamed with excitement.

  “I’ve heard the quilts are very expensive—that they can cost over a thousand dollars. I want to go to the shops in town and get one, but I need one that isn’t quite so expensive.”

  “No, no,” Lillian said. “If you want a quilt, buy one at the auction. They’ll cost less. Not by much, but it will save you a little money.”

  Carley’s stomach flipped a bit when they pulled up near the other buggies at Sadie’s farm. She wondered how she would be accepted by the other women. Her bout of nerves worsened at the thought of meeting Noah for coffee later that evening. She’d already made up her mind not to mention the date to Lillian. Even the thought made her uncomfortable.

  But more unsettling was wondering what Noah had done to be so severely shunned by his own blood.

  Following nearly twelve hours of sleep, Noah felt rejuvenated—and anxious about his coffee date with Carley later that night. Not only did he need her to convince Samuel or Lillian to call him, but his anticipation was magnified by the prospect of hearing about Samuel and his family. Of all his siblings, he missed Samuel the most.

  For the first time since moving back, he felt motivated to clean and organize the house. Blaming it on his schedule at the hospital had been convenient, but with the next four days off, he had no excuse not to tidy up a little. For starters, he’d open the windows and air the place out.

  He traveled from room to room, winding his way around boxes he still needed to unpack. When he reached the middle bedroom, he hesitated, then forced himself to twist the doorknob. Inside was a lone blue crate, which he stared at for a long moment. Then he shook his head, determined he would not think about it. Not now.

  With care, he eased around the crate to the window, flung it open, and welcomed the fresh breeze. The room smelled as stale as the memories housed within the oblong box behind him. He knew he would have to open the crate at some point. But not today. Today he would spend cleaning and looking forward to his coffee date with Carley.

  He’d face the demons from his past another day.

  Lillian introduced Carley to seven other women, including Sadie. Two of them were Samuel’s sisters, Mary Ellen and Rebecca. Katie Ann, Samuel’s sister-in-law, was also there, along with Sarah Jane, Lillian’s mother. Lillian explained that Samuel’s mother, Esther, was down with a cold and wouldn’t be attending.

  Last came Linda and Miriam, Samuel’s nieces. Both of the preteen girls took turns coddling Anna, thrilled at the opportunity to participate in this sale.

  The women were pleasant enough, but guarded. Sadie was by far the friendliest of the bunch. She was a tall woman with fire red hair, striking sky blue eyes, and ivory skin—an appearance unique among the women around her, who all had dark or sandy-blonde hair and olive complexions.

  Carley couldn’t get over the work that must have gone into each quilt present. One had such vibrant colors. The women busied themselves organizing the counterpanes, then passed them along to Linda and Miriam for a tag. Carley walked to the far wall and squatted down to inspect a pile of folded quilts. She studied the top quilt—a brilliant display of maroon and pink roses connected by a spiraling, leafy green vine. The one underneath included a design of large dark blue circles with touches of a lighter blue woven throughout. Each circle connected to the next, with large yellow diamonds and sprinkles of pink filling the centers.

  Carley joined the women in the middle of the room. “How long does it take to make a quilt?”

  The women glanced blankly at one another. Finally, Sadie pumped out a hearty, “I don’t think anyone knows.”

  “Hundreds of hours.” Katie Ann sighed. “Die weibsleit gwilde bis in die nacht.”

  “The women quilt long into the night,” Lillian’s mother translated for Carley.

  “I think Morning Glory will bring over a thousand dollars,” Linda squealed, pinning an auction number on a quilt.

  “I reckon Summer Bride will bring a gut amount too,” Miriam chimed in.

  “This will be the first mud sale for the maeds,” Mary Ellen explained. “I hope it doesn’t make wet at the auction.”

  Carley tried to make a mental note for her article of the way the women spoke. She could only assume “make wet” meant rain.

  “God bless our handiwork,” Rebecca offered as the women bowed their heads in silent prayer.

  Carley lowered her head, waited a moment, then raised a brow to see if the women were done. They all nodded with an “Aemen.”

  As Linda and Miriam continued to speculate how much each quilt might bring at the auction, Carley flipped through the tags still waiting to be pinned on the quilts. Sunshine Sweetheart, Country Charm, Red Rose of Sharon, Ocean Wave.

  “Lone Star quilt,” she exclaimed when she saw the tag. “Maybe I’ll bid on this one. Which is it?”

  Linda jumped up and down. “Sell is es bescht vun allem!”

  “What’d she say?” Carley whispered to Sarah Jane, who was sitting next to her on the floor.

  Sarah Jane smiled. “She said that is the best of all.”

  Linda found the quilt that matched the Lone Star tag and held it up for Carley to see. Trimmed in navy blue, the counterpane featured one star in the middle that elegantly spiked outward, its points meeting a thick blue border about six inches from the delicate lace along the bottom. Various shades of blue and green filled the star, along with discreet splashes of red and yellow.

  “I love it.” Carley pictured how good it would look on her bed at home. Maybe she would splurge and buy the quilt.

  Once the quilts were all tagged, Sadie offered up an enormous display of refreshments. As Lillian had predicted, the women began to chat about who might be courting whom, how many acres a neighboring farmer was giving to his son as a wedding present, and whether or not all the celery planted at the Lapp farm meant a wedding was forthcoming. The women explained that celery was used in various Amish dishes traditionally served at weddings. They also told Carley that weddings were held in November and December after the harvest was complete.

  Carley’s favorite moment was when Rebecca chimed in. “John Petersheim, Abner’s boy, seen fit to race his buggy down Leaman Road goin’ much too fast. I seen it happening,” she gasped. “He’s in his rumschpringe. I heard the Englisch policeman wrote a warning on a pink slip of paper for him to slow down.”

  Kids would be kids, Carley assumed, Amish or otherwise. And these women weren’t so different, either. Mothers, daughters, friends—kindred spirits with a united faith.

  A silent blessing ended the festivities, and the women began to say their good-byes. As each woman extended a hand to Carley on her way out, she felt her emotions slip. She missed her mother, missed the closeness
of good friends. How had her life gotten so far off track? The warmth in the room reminded her of time spent with girls in her youth group at church when she was young. What had happened to all those girls?

  Lillian toted Anna out to the buggy. “What did you think?”

  “I loved it, Lillian. Your friends are wonderful. I had a great time.”

  “Surprised, aren’t you?” Lillian teased. “You thought they would be different, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe just a little,” Carley confessed, her cheeks warming.

  “I thought maybe tonight after supper, we could sit down and I’ll explain some things I’ve learned about the Ordnung, which is the order of conduct for the Amish. We can start working on information for your article.”

  Carley wanted to tell her about her coffee date with Noah, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she nodded in agreement.

  Noah headed down the highway toward the bakery to meet Carley, wondering what Samuel might have said to her. He wanted to start out with her on neutral ground, not have to rehash things best left in the past. He’d made some mistakes for sure. But being a Christian, no matter what faith you adhered to, included forgiving. And yet Samuel was as unforgiving a man as he had ever known.

  Noah swerved around a buggy and recalled his days behind the reins. They’d been good days. But when his calling became too strong to ignore, he knew being baptized had been a terrible mistake. He took his eighth-grade education and left to further his knowledge in an unfamiliar world. He had almost no money, few friends, and no family to support him. Lucky for him, Doc Eddington took him in and let him sleep on his couch. As Doc mentored Noah, the calling to become a doctor strengthened.

  However, some of his decisions in those days continued to haunt him, particularly the way he paid for his college education.

  He longed for a renewed relationship with his family, and seeing Samuel’s family at the hospital—especially David and Anna—fueled his hope for some sort of reconciliation. Noah knew he should have tried harder to communicate with Samuel in recent years. But pride and bitterness often took the lead, and months without communication turned into years.