The Ebb Tide

by Beverly Lewis

  “That’s an idea! I’ll definitely keep it in mind,” Sallie told her, laughing.

  Sallie and Autumn had already visited several children’s and gift stores along the cobblestoned walkways of Washington Square when Sallie spotted an especially appealing ensemble in the window of a clothing shop. The flowing skirt was rather eye-catching in swirling flowers of pinks and blues and yellows, and it was paired with a pretty pastel blue top with a modest neckline and cap sleeves. Sallie was certain the graceful style would be comfortable on even the warmest day.

  Boldly, she decided to go inside to take a closer look, wondering what Autumn would think about her curiosity about the Englischer clothing. I can almost hear her questions now. . . .

  She motioned to Autumn, and they headed inside, where a tastefully dressed clerk was so pleasant she didn’t even blink when Sallie described the skirt and top in the display window. The petite woman simply asked her what size.

  For a second, Sallie was thrown off guard, since she’d never worn anything store-bought before, having created all of her dress patterns for years now. “I really don’t know for sure,” she replied.

  “I’ll make my best guess,” the clerk said, coming to her rescue. “I’ll bring you a few options. And would you also like me to set up a fitting room, miss?”

  Sallie agreed, relieved when Autumn made a beeline to the nearby costume jewelry case, otherwise occupied, at least for the time being.

  The skirts and tops the clerk showed her were lovely, and Sallie had the hardest time narrowing them down. “I’ll try these,” she said, pointing out her favorites. “Also, is there a place for a child to sit and wait near the dressing rooms?”

  “There is, yes,” the clerk replied, leading the way.

  Sallie touched Autumn’s head lightly as she passed her. “Follow me, sweetie.”

  Autumn came without questioning and right away picked up a children’s magazine by the chair outside the changing room.

  “This is just for fun,” Sallie whispered to herself in the dressing room mirror. “It’s not like I’m buying something.”

  Pulling up the first skirt and zipping it felt so peculiar. Never had she worn anything but her homemade Plain garb, and nary a zipper. Practically grinning, she slipped the soft top over her head, careful not to muss her hair bun, and oh, what a transformation!

  Shouldn’t I feel more awkward?

  Just then, the clerk knocked on the door and asked how Sallie was doing, also offering the three-way mirror just around the corner.

  “Denki—er, thank you,” Sallie replied, turning this way and that in the dressing room mirror. But there was no need to parade herself out there in front of Autumn, humorous though the girl’s reaction might be. Sallie could see for herself how attractive she looked.

  Buoyed by that discovery, Sallie removed that skirt and top and hung them up, next trying on the second skirt and blouse. This skirt was similar in style, only a solid tan, and the well-designed blouse in summery colors featured a petite collar and short sleeves.

  While modeling this ensemble, she glanced at her maroon-colored Amish dress and black apron hanging on the spare hook behind her and sighed. There was no comparison between the old and the new. What if I purchased one outfit? she thought, realizing that her sandals would go perfectly with either option. I can easily afford it with my pay from the Logans.

  Sallie mulled over the tempting idea, ultimately deciding on one skirt and top. Oh, and wouldn’t it be fun to wear the new items tomorrow evening when I meet Kevin again. But do I have the nerve? What would he say?

  As before, Sallie pushed off the decision. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

  She put her Amish dress and apron back on, surprised at how heavy and confining they felt to her now, then paid for the new things and left the store without Autumn’s ever seeing what she’d bought.

  While walking past other shops, Autumn was unmistakably curious and asked not once but several times what Sallie had purchased. Finally, Sallie redirected the questions by asking where Autumn would like to have lunch.

  “As long as it’s ice cream sundaes, it really doesn’t matter,” Autumn said mischievously. “We are starting with ice cream, right?”

  “We made a deal.”

  Autumn grinned. “Yay!”

  Just ahead, Sallie spotted a store specializing in seashell jewelry. “Goodness, look at that.”

  “Let’s go inside, okay?” Autumn opened the door for her.

  Later, after examining a multitude of sand-dollar necklaces, colorful coquina clamshell earrings, starfish bracelets, and jewelry made with Cape May diamonds, Sallie understood why Autumn had insisted Sallie would be offered a good amount for the perfect quartz crystal she’d found. But that didn’t make her any more inclined to do anything but enjoy it herself. Found as Kevin and I searched together. The memory brought a smile to her face.

  No wonder Autumn commented on how happy I am!

  Next evening at the Logans’, Sallie could hardly keep her mind on the supper conversation, pondering whether to wear her new clothes to meet Kevin. Hopefully, he would not be shocked.

  But other thoughts began to crowd out her plan: What would Mamm and Dat say . . . or Frannie? Maybe I should just return the outfit.

  “Care for seconds, Sallie?” Monique was saying, frowning a bit, as if she’d been trying to get her attention.

  “Oh, sorry.” Sallie shook her head politely at the offered pasta salad. “Nee, denki. But it was delicious.”

  Autumn looked bemused, not saying a word as she simply eyed Sallie.

  She knows something’s up, thought Sallie, who kept careful track of the time, wanting to meet Kevin at the curb right at seven-thirty sharp, as planned.

  Monique and Autumn were sitting poolside, their feet dangling in the water, when Sallie strolled past. She’d nixed the idea of trying out her new clothing tonight, lest Autumn intercept her and delay the evening.

  “Have a real nice time,” Monique called to her, smiling as Connor snoozed in the nearby shade in his infant bouncer, a pacifier in his mouth.

  “Denki.” She waved to Monique. “I’ll see you all in the mornin’.” Sallie headed across the driveway to the street just as Kevin pulled up.

  He leaned over to open the door from inside, and she got in. “How was your day?” he asked, always so polite.

  She told him about her morning spent at the nearby beach with Autumn, as well as of putting up the dozen quarts of dill pickles Monday. “I’ll bring some next time I see ya, if you’re still interested.”

  “Still interested?” Kevin laughed with gusto. “Are you kidding?”

  She said nothing about her little shopping spree yesterday, but it did cross her mind to mention what she’d done just to get his reaction. However, even that made her apprehensive, so she asked about his day instead.

  “I’ve been buried in the lab at the research center since Monday, coming up with theoretical models for the paper I’m writing.”

  “Do you still get to go out on the Salt Marsh Safari?” That sort of work sounded much less tedious.

  “Twice a week now. But I’m scheduled at least once more on the sunset dolphin cruise before my internship is up.” He mentioned his mom’s visit Monday noon to pick up the shells he’d gathered with Sallie’s help. “She stopped by for lunch with Uncle Brad and Aunt Connie, but I was out and missed seeing her this time.”

  “When’s the craft fair?”

  “In a few weeks. And, if I’m not mistaken, it will be on the promenade here in Cape May.”

  As they drove into the parking lot for the lighthouse, Sallie said she’d seen dozens of pieces of jewelry made with small shells, including clamshells, but that was the closest she came to revealing her recent purchase.

  “Did you know you can tell the age of clams by the number of dark rings in the shell?” he said, turning off the ignition. “The softer-colored rings represent the slow growth during the wintertime, so disregard t
hose.”

  “You know so much,” she said as they got out of the car to walk toward the lighthouse, then out to the deck platform that overlooked pathways to the beach and the ocean.

  “Well, the sea has fascinated me from the first day I saw it,” he said. “I remember my dad bringing me to Cove Beach here in Cape May for the very first time. I didn’t hesitate—just ran right in, splashing and laughing, like it was the best playground ever. Dad practically had to drag me out again.” He chuckled. “I was thrilled when I discovered I could build a work life around my love of the sea.”

  He pointed toward the sand dunes and shoreline below. “The lighthouse is closed right now, but we can take the path down to the beach, if you’d like. It’s only a fifteen-minute walk.”

  She agreed, and as they strolled along, she mentioned her plans to go to the zoo with Autumn next week. “Do you have a favorite animal?” she asked, slipping her hands into the pockets of her dress.

  “Well, as you can probably guess, my favorites live in the ocean.”

  That made her think of the octopus shell she’d shown Autumn. “Oh, I was wonderin’ the other day if ya know anything ’bout the octopuses who live out in the open sea—the ones with the pretty shells?”

  “The argonauts?”

  “Exactly.” She was impressed.

  “They aren’t connected to their shells, as you know. The female sheds it and moves on once her babies safely hatch.”

  Sallie nodded, enjoying that for once she knew exactly what he was talking about.

  From the beach, they could observe a pod of sleek gray dolphins diving and swimming, some leaping out of the water.

  “See that,” Kevin said, cupping his hand over his forehead. “Watch how they soar up, as though checking out their surroundings. We call it spy-hopping.”

  “Sounds like I have my own tour guide,” she said, hoping it didn’t sound too presumptuous.

  “Absolutely,” he agreed as they stood there, watching the purple and orange sunset.

  Time, please stop, Sallie thought.

  34

  Sallie was sitting alone near the Logans’ pool Friday early evening when she heard a vehicle drive up to the front of the house. It was the day she had been so happily anticipating. “Schweschder!” she called, running over the driveway to meet her.

  Frannie hugged her hard when she got out of the van, and for a moment, Sallie thought she might be trying not to cry. “It’s just wunnerbaar seein’ ya, Sallie.”

  “I’ve been countin’ the minutes.”

  “Same here,” said Frannie, looking very nice in her royal blue Sunday dress and matching apron. “I got all dolled up for ya.”

  “I see that.” Sallie nodded. “But you didn’t have to, traveling and all.” She insisted on carrying her sister’s bag to the guest cottage, bypassing the house, since Len had taken the family out for a drive. “Come, I’ll show you around my place,” Sallie said.

  “Whatever you think we should do first. I’m up for just about anything.” Frannie added that she’d dozed off during the drive. “It made the time pass quickly.”

  Sallie laughed. Oh, how she loved her sister! “Kumm mit,” she said, eager to give Frannie the short tour. “I put extra towels in the bathroom, and some in the powder room, too.”

  “The what?” Frannie frowned, scratching her head through her white Kapp.

  “It’s what Monique calls the half bath.”

  “A right fancy term, ain’t so?” Frannie said. “Must be where you’re s’posed to powder your nose.”

  “Never thought of that.”

  They laughed at their own naïveté, almost giddy to be together again.

  That evening, Sallie and Frannie walked up and down the two-mile promenade, Frannie marveling at the sight of the ocean—its ever-changing waves and the distinctive smell of sea spray. She kept her neck craned in the direction of the water, on occasion nearly bumping into the other beach gawkers, and Sallie had to smile, recalling her own reaction weeks ago.

  Sallie encouraged Frannie to choose their suppertime fare—hot dogs and relish, followed by ice cream cones—never stopping to sit down until much later, as the sun was setting.

  “So how do you like livin’ in the Dawdi Haus now?” Sallie asked, picturing her sister in that upstairs bedroom.

  “There’s hardly anything to get used to, really, considering I was able to arrange everything like it was in the main house.”

  “Schmaert. I never would have thought of that!”

  “Cousin Essie’s sure lookin’ forward to having you back next month.”

  “She said so?” Sallie was pleased to hear it.

  “Oh, she talks ’bout you all the time.” Frannie shrugged. “We all know you’re her favorite.”

  “Puh! Don’t know ’bout that.”

  “Well, I do, and so does Mamm.” Frannie went on to mention that their mother had put up pickles the other day. “Essie and a few others came over. We had ourselves a jovial time—jokes a-flyin’ like sawdust.”

  Sallie found this interesting. “We must’ve been thinkin’ alike. Last Monday, I taught Autumn how to pickle, though we didn’t have the crowd in the kitchen that I’m used to.” And not nearly the frivolity, she thought, imagining the fun she’d missed back home.

  They passed the Family Fun Arcade, where dozens of teens were pouring into the Skee-Ball section. “Did Autumn enjoy herself?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t necessarily say she did much of the work, but she got her feet wet, and we had a real nice time. We only put up a dozen quarts, though.”

  “Hardly worth getting out the canner for, ain’t?”

  “Well, the Logans have a small family, so they don’t need many pickles themselves.” Sallie told her about Autumn’s penchant for knowing a good many of the Cape May community. “We teased her ’bout makin’ pickles to give away to her friends on the promenade and suchlike.”

  Frannie seemed amused by that.

  “I plan to give my friend Kevin some, too,” Sallie said, putting her toe in the proverbial water.

  Frannie gave her a probing look. “Oh, are ya gonna see him again?”

  Sallie didn’t want to go into it much, but she mentioned that he’d asked to spend some time with her next weekend. “I’ll give him the pickles then.”

  “So do ya meet him at the beach?” Frannie wore a tight smile.

  “Sometimes.” Sallie changed the subject. “Hope you brought your bathing suit, so we can swim while you’re here.”

  “Wouldn’t think of comin’ without it.”

  Sallie was relieved and looked forward to some beach time tomorrow.

  “By the way, I found something buried in the sand that’s supposedly quite rare.” She mentioned the quartz crystal. “I’ll show you when we’re back at the cottage. The vast majority aren’t as big as the one I found and are milky white or cloudy—have to be polished to bring out their beauty.”

  “Was it hard to find?”

  “Oh jah—some people can spend years and never find one like this. I’d nearly given up on finding even a small one.”

  Frannie nodded thoughtfully. “That’s often when we stumble onto something exceptional.”

  Sallie pondered that as they purchased some popcorn. It reminded her of a similar comment Kevin had made the night she found the remarkable stone.

  Back at the guest cottage, they talked late into the night, falling asleep in the same room and the same bed, almost like when they were youngsters.

  After an eggs-and-toast breakfast with Frannie out on the little deck, Sallie heard Autumn and her father head out to the pool for a Saturday swim, so she brought her sister to meet Len and be reintroduced to Autumn, who grinned from the water, welcoming Frannie excitedly. “Are you going over to the beach today?” Autumn asked, removing her goggles.

  “I certainly am,” Frannie replied.

  Len offered the use of their boogie boards, and Sallie and Frannie thanked him.

  Late
r, while dressing for the beach, they discussed the Elisabeth Elliot quote that had been included in the devotional reading for that morning. It had to do with God not always giving people what they want, or think they want.

  “Havin’ to wait gives us time to learn that He’s always standing with us, teaching constant love and patience, until we finally come to the point of prayin’, ‘Thy will be done,’” Frannie pointed out.

  Sallie nodded. “Jah . . . but the waiting is often hard.”

  “Truth be told, I think our brother Vernon is struggling with the wait over young Aaron’s impending surgery,” Frannie said.

  “I can understand why,” Sallie said.

  “There’s a reason the Lord’s Prayer was first taught to Christ’s disciples, I believe,” Frannie said, stuffing a towel into her tote bag. “God loves us through other people, it seems.”

  Sallie smiled. “Cousin Essie says you’re wise. I happen to agree.”

  Waving away the comment, Frannie suggested they get going. “I can hardly wait to jump into the ocean.”

  “Oh, do I ever know that feeling!”

  Together, Sallie and Frannie ran through the surf while linking hands, letting gentle waves lift and carry them over the swells. They collected shells that still glistened from the night’s high tide, then nibbled on pieces of fresh fruit brought from the cottage, left there yesterday by Evie. They talked companionably as they dried off and sunned themselves on towels next to each other, Sallie telling Frannie this day was every bit as good as she’d imagined it.

  Later, as they relaxed in the sunshine, Sallie pointed out the stilt sandpipers on the beach over past the lifeguard’s high perch. “I learned a lot about the birds around here on the Salt Marsh Safari Autumn and I went on. Aren’t those seabirds cute?”

  Frannie leaned up on one elbow to watch the skinny-legged sandpipers. Their calls pierced the solitude, tsee, tsee.

  “There are so many new sights . . . so much to take in.” She sighed and went back to sunbathing, then began to speak of Jesse and how they were looking forward to their wedding day and to building a life together, and to starting a family, too. Sallie listened, yearning to tell her dearest sister about her extraordinary friendship with Kevin. But she wasn’t sure she should, worried it might ruin Frannie’s visit.