Double Take

by Melody Carlson

  So here she was again—in a similar sort of place anyway. She wished she could find that same town. Or at least stumble onto one that was like it.

  Finally hunger and the need for coffee got the best of her, and she stopped in a small town that, while quaint, wasn’t quite like the one she remembered. Although she was pleased to see a horse-drawn buggy parked on a side street.

  Madison entered what appeared to be the only coffee shop in town and looked around to see fairly ordinary people sipping their mochas and lattes. Deciding to use the restroom before ordering, she took her time. Out of habit, she touched up her lip gloss but was interrupted by someone knocking on the ladies’ room door. Madison tossed her lip gloss into her Kate Spade bag, then quickly exited and plowed straight into the woman who was standing outside. The impact caused Madison’s still-open purse to slide off her arm. Tumbling down, it emptied its contents all over the black-and-white tiled floor, which now resembled a pawed-through sale counter at Macy’s.

  “Excuse me!” The startled woman knelt down, helping Madison to gather her Blackberry, Chanel sunglasses, wallet, and various beauty products. “I am so sorry.”

  “It was my fault,” Madison admitted as they both stood. That was when Madison noticed the long cotton dress, black stockings, and homely black shoes.

  “No, no. I stand too close to the door.” The woman handed Madison the tooled silver bracelet that Grandma Marabella had gotten in Taos and smiled. “Very pretty.”

  “Thanks.” Madison studied the young woman more carefully as she dumped the last items back into her purse, then securely closed it. She didn’t seem as old as Madison had first assumed. Perhaps she was even the same age as Madison. But something about this young woman—something beyond her plain lavender dress, crisp white bonnet, and bright smile—made Madison stare, almost as if she were nine years old again.

  “You are all right?” the girl asked with concern.

  “Yes.” Madison smiled. “I’m fine.”

  “Excuse me.” With her head down, the girl hurried into the restroom, and the lock on the door clicked.

  Madison just stood there, staring at the closed door and wondering, what was it about that girl? What was it that captured Madison so? Was it that she dressed differently? Spoke differently? The innocent simplicity of her plain clothes and her sweet expression? Or was it something about the blonde hair and blue eyes? Sure, the girl was pretty, but that was no reason for Madison to obsess like a stalker. Really, she should go.

  Yet despite feeling silly and conspicuous and slightly nutty, Madison couldn’t help but just stand there, waiting for the girl to emerge from the bathroom.

  “I’m sorry,” Madison said as the girl came back out. The girl seemed caught off guard. She obviously didn’t expect to see Madison lurking here, waiting for her. Why should she? This was just too weird.

  “Is something wrong?” With a concerned expression, the girl glanced around the tiled floor again. “Did you lose something else?”

  “No. It’s just that . . . ” Madison stared intently at the girl, slowly figuring out what was so compelling. “I couldn’t help but notice something.”

  The girl’s brow creased. “Notice something?”

  Madison felt more than a little ridiculous, not to mention way out of her comfort zone, but it was like she couldn’t stop herself. Besides, this was a day for doing strange things—like hiding out from her boyfriend and running away from home.

  “Maybe I’m imagining it . . . ” Madison paused. “But do you think we look alike?”

  The girl’s hand flew to her mouth, and she sounded like she was suppressing laughter.

  “I’m sorry,” Madison said again. “You probably think I’m crazy.”

  The girl shook her head, but her big blue eyes twinkled. “No. Not crazy. But maybe you need spectacles.”

  Madison smiled. “Really? You don’t think we look alike?”

  The young woman opened the bathroom door again. She gently tugged Madison in with her and they stood in front of the mirror above the sink. “See. You are very, very pretty. And I . . . I am plain.”

  Madison blinked to see them standing side by side. Unless she was losing it, which was entirely possible, there seemed to be a most definite resemblance. She was surprised this girl couldn’t see it for herself. Madison reached for a couple of paper towels, using one to wipe off her lip gloss and dampening the other to remove the rest of her makeup. All the while the other girl watched with wide-eyed amusement.

  Finally, with her face devoid of makeup and slightly blotchy from rubbing, Madison pointed to the mirror. “Can you see it now?”

  The girl blinked, then leaned forward, looking first at her own reflection then over to Madison. She turned and looked directly at Madison and nodded soberly. “Yes. You could be my sister.”

  Madison laughed nervously.

  “Like twins,” the girl said.

  “See,” Madison proclaimed. “That’s what I was talking about.”

  The girl continued to stare. “It is . . . what is that word? Freaky.”

  Madison laughed, then stuck out her hand. “I’m Madison Van Buren. What’s your name?”

  “I am Anna Fisher.”

  “You’re Amish?”

  “Ah-mish,” Anna said.

  “Right. Ah-mish.” Madison said it correctly this time. “I came here to get some coffee,” she told Anna as they emerged from the restroom. “Can I get you a cup too?”

  Anna looked a bit uncomfortable.

  “Maybe you don’t drink coffee,” Madison said quickly. “Juice or soda perhaps?” Mostly Madison wanted an excuse to keep Anna here, to have a conversation with her.

  “No, no, I drink coffee.”

  “Oh, good.” Madison nudged Anna over to the counter now, waving at the board on the wall. “Pick out whatever you like.”

  “Coffee with milk,” Anna told her.

  “Okay.” Madison ordered two lattes. Hoping she might entice this intriguing girl to sit a bit longer, she ordered a cranberry scone and chocolate muffin as well. She carried the tray over to a corner table, and suddenly Madison found herself sitting across from a person from a completely different world. As they sipped their coffees—which Anna said was very good—and ate the pastries, Anna explained that she’d been dropped off in town by her father and was waiting for her uncle to pick her up sometime before sunset.

  “What will you do here all day?” Madison asked.

  Anna shrugged. “I will look around. Perhaps I’ll read my new book.” She gave a mischievous smile. “I love to read English novels.”

  “English novels?” Madison liked some British authors too. “You mean like Jane Austen or the Brontë sisters?”

  Anna shook her head, then reached into her bag to remove a flashy-looking chick lit book. “I mean like this.”

  Madison laughed. “I’ve read that one. It’s pretty good.” They started talking about books, and it turned out they’d read several of the same titles. “I guess we aren’t as different as I’d imagined,” Madison said.

  “But we live in different worlds.” Anna set down her coffee cup with a wistful look. “Where do you live, Madison?”

  “New York.”

  Anna blinked. “New York City?”

  Madison nodded. “Manhattan.”

  Anna’s big blue eyes got a bit sad.

  “Is something wrong?” Madison asked.

  “I think my . . . my, uh, my boyfriend is in New York City.”

  “Really? Is he Amish too?”

  Anna looked unsure. “Yes. I mean no. I mean he may be living a different lifestyle now. I’m not sure.”

  “He hasn’t kept in touch?”

  Anna shook her head.

  Madison didn’t know what to say, so she changed the subject. “Why are you going to visit your aunt and uncle?”

  Anna explained that her aunt was about to have a baby and needed help with her other children. “I am not looking forward to it.”

/>   Madison sighed. “I know what you mean.”

  Anna seemed confused. “How is that possible?”

  “I’m not looking forward to going home.”

  “Why not?” Anna blinked. “You must have a very exciting life.”

  “Oh yes, it’s exciting enough. Sometimes it’s too exciting. The reason I drove off this morning was to get away from all that excitement.” Madison forced a laugh. “As I drove past all those sweet little farming communities, I felt envious.”

  “Envious?” Anna looked skeptical. “Of farms?”

  “Of that whole lifestyle. I’ve always wished I could go back in time. The idea of a simple life . . . well, it’s very appealing. All that peace and quiet, the slow pace.”

  Anna’s expression grew thoughtful. “Yes, it is all that. Just this morning I told myself to enjoy the sun on my back as I pegged clothes to the line. I wanted to go to the pond and pick some daffodils, and today is pie-making day and—”

  “See!” Madison exclaimed. “I think that sounds perfectly lovely. Hanging out the laundry to dry in the sun, picking daffodils, making pies.”

  Anna laughed. “Here I am thinking I would like your exciting and colorful life. I imagine it’s like the books I love to read. So many are in New York City—all the talk of pretty clothes, going to the theater . . . shoes!”

  Madison smiled as she stuck out a Louboutin short boot. “Yes, we Manhattan girls do enjoy our shoes.”

  “Jacob used to talk about New York. It made me want to see it too. I think that is why I love to read those books.”

  “You should come visit New York,” Madison suggested.

  Anna looked as if Madison had just suggested she should fly to the moon and sample the green cheese there.

  “I know,” Madison declared. “You could come home with me.”

  “No, ” Anna said slowly. “Not possible. My aunt needs me.”

  “Oh, right.” Suddenly Madison started to giggle. She couldn’t believe what she was considering. Really, it was insane.

  “What is it?” Anna asked. “What is funny?”

  “It’s just that—” She burst into laughter. “I just got this crazy idea, Anna.”

  “What sort of idea?” Anna leaned forward.

  “We could switch lives.”

  Anna’s pale brows shot up. “What?”

  “Like that old children’s story—The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. Did you ever hear it when you were little?”

  Anna shook her head, so Madison began to explain the concept of trading lives. She even told Anna about some of the reality TV shows that did this very thing, although that just seemed to muddy the waters.

  “I would become you,” Madison said slowly, “and you would become me. We already look alike—maybe it’s fate.”

  “It is not possible.” Anna sighed wistfully. “But I wish it could be.”

  “It can be,” Madison insisted. She told Anna about how she would mostly be home alone in the comfortable Manhattan penthouse. “Nadya, our housekeeper, is so new, she probably wouldn’t even figure out that you’re not me. You could wear my clothes and do whatever you liked—see the sights, go to the theater, just have a good time.”

  Anna’s eyes grew big. “Oh no, I could not do that.”

  “You might find Jacob.” Madison grinned. “You can use our phones and computers and whatever to look for him.”

  Anna’s blue eyes looked almost hopeful now.

  “What if you found him, Anna?”

  Anna took in a quick breath and seemed close to tears.

  “And while you’re in New York being me,” Madison continued, “I would be helping your aunt with her children.”

  Suddenly she imagined herself living the simple life—taking some cherub-faced children to pick daffodils, hanging the laundry in the sun, or making a big cherry pie. It was like a scene from Little House on the Prairie—the kind of “comfort TV” that she often watched in secret to avoid being teased by her friends. But if this trading places plan worked, she could be living the simple life for real!

  “Oh, please, Anna, just think about it. What if we did it—just for one week?”

  “But how?” Anna looked down at herself. “How can I be like you? You are sophisticated, a city girl . . . and I am simple, a farm girl.”

  Madison pulled out her Blackberry. “We’ll exchange all the information we can today. We have several hours to do it. Then we’ll stay in touch by phone.”

  Anna held up her hands. “I have no phone. Our community is not as liberal as some. Our bishop says no good will come of all these phones.”

  “Well, you’ll have plenty of phones to use in New York, Anna.” Madison winked. “I mean Madison.”

  Anna started to giggle. “Do you think we can do this?”

  “Absolutely.” Madison stood. “Back to the restroom, where our work will begin.”

  As Anna followed her back to the ladies’ room, the wheels in Madison’s head began to spin. She felt certain their clothes would fit since they seemed to be almost exactly the same height and weight. The shoes could be a problem, but Madison figured there could be a way around that too. After all, there were a few shops in this town.

  This whole thing felt like playing a fun new game, and somehow she just knew they could pull it off. If all went well, she might even write about this experience for her sociology term paper. Not only could it be the perfect escape from her life, it might help her grade-point average.

  With the restroom door locked, and with their backs turned to each other because Anna insisted, they stripped down to their underwear. Anna drew the line there, and Madison was actually relieved—it was weird enough trading clothes, but underwear . . . well, that was downright creepy. Then, with backs still turned, they exchanged their clothes and proceeded to dress.

  Madison wasn’t sure how she felt about the heavy black stockings, but the shoes fit. Although they were uglier than sin, at least they were comfortable. So was Anna’s cotton dress. The pale purple fabric felt cool against her skin. It was probably softened from washing and wearing, and it was cut so loose that it almost felt like a nightgown. The smell was odd, kind of a mixture of body odor and sunshine. Not terrible. Just different. But Madison was having difficulty fastening the funny little wrap that went on top. Finally she looped it over her shoulder, but it still hung loosely around her middle. She asked Anna if she was ready.

  “I guess so.” Anna sounded dubious.

  “Turn around then.”

  They both turned around and immediately started to giggle. “I never wore boys’ trousers before,” Anna said. “It is very strange.”

  “Those jeans look better on you than me,” Madison told her.

  Anna stepped up to adjust the apron around Madison. “The apron is attached with straight pins.”

  “Straight pins?” Madison frowned. “How is that possible?”

  “I will show you.”

  Madison watched as Anna fastened several pins.

  “You need help with your cape too.”

  “Cape?”

  Anna pointed to the black piece of fabric draped over Madison’s shoulders. “This is your cape, and it goes like this.” She wrapped and crossed the straps around Madison’s front, then pulled them behind her. “You use these straight pins to fasten them in back.”

  “More straight pins?” Madison tried to look over her shoulder to see. “That’s all that holds it on?”

  “Yes. You must do it right.”

  Next Madison assisted Anna with the wide Gucci belt and other accessories, except for her earrings, which she simply dropped into her purse. She looked at Anna and laughed, pointing to Anna’s head. “What about your bonnet?”

  Anna touched her white bonnet. “My kapp?”

  “Is that what you call it—a cap?”

  Anna nodded. “I am supposed to wear it always when outside of the home.”

  Madison frowned. “But you can’t wear it and pass for me in Manhattan.”


  Anna looked stumped.

  “And I can’t be you without it either,” Madison told her. “If we’re really trading lives—even just for this week—don’t we have to do this the right way? I can’t pretend to be you without your bonnet—I mean your cap.”

  “But there is so much more. How will you talk like me?” Anna asked. “My community is a conservative one, and we speak mostly English.” Anna looked worried as she adjusted the bracelet on her wrist. “But Aunt Rachel and Uncle Daniel’s settlement is even more conservative. They do not use much English inside the home. Mostly they speak Pennsylvania Dutch.”

  “Pennsylvania Dutch?” Madison frowned. “Is that some kind of Dutch?”

  “It is a German dialect.”

  “Great.” Madison nodded. “I’m third-year German.”

  “Third-year German?” Anna looked confused.

  “I studied German for three years in school. I spent six weeks of last summer over in Germany too. And I even know a smattering of Dutch.” Madison spoke some German, and Anna actually understood some of it. “And your speech isn’t that different from mine,” Madison said to bolster Anna’s confidence.

  “Thank you. It is from reading English novels. I practice speaking it inside my head sometimes.”

  “We can do this, Anna,” Madison urged her. “And if we do it right, you might not just have a fun break, but you might find your boyfriend.” Okay, Madison knew that was ridiculous, but Anna didn’t have to know that.

  Anna reached up to her white cap, slowly removed it, and handed it to Madison. “I am you . . . you are me.”

  As Madison stood in front of the mirror, allowing Anna to comb and flatten her long hair—which was almost exactly the same length as Anna’s—part it in the middle, and tightly pin it up, she wondered what on earth she was doing. Anna showed her how to wear the cap, positioning it just so on the crown of her head, pinning it securely, and letting the strings hang loose on the sides.