by Linda Maran
As Angela pulled into the small parking area of Mast’s Hardware, Kristen’s insides tightened. She hoped Jacob Mast wouldn’t glue his eyes on her as he had the last time. Surely, John wouldn’t tolerate a repeat performance, and she didn’t want any hard feelings to come between them for her sake.
To her surprise, Jacob didn’t stare the way he’d done during her previous visit. Instead, he acted the complete opposite and barely looked at her, except for brief moments when she spoke. He was polite and pleasant, and she sensed an uneasiness come over him as he took the brown-papered package that Riley handed to him.
“Emily Esh requested that you be given this in the event of her death. This is her daughter, Kristen,” Riley said.
“Jah. We already met. Hullo, Kristen. Again, I’m sorry for the loss of your mother.”
“Thank you.” She let herself take a good look at him. Jacob Mast was a handsome man, with medium brown eyes and hair to match. A hint of gray grazed the sides of the hair that showed from under his straw hat, but it didn’t detract from his youthful look. Mom’s first love. Kristen offered him a smile for that fact alone.
He looked surprised for the briefest moment then smiled back.
“I hope you can forgive me for the staring of you at my sister’s haus. I didn’t expect you to look so much like Emily…like your mamm. Denki for coming along to give me this.” He looked down at the package in his hand.
Kristen thought she saw a tremor.
“You’re welcome. I just wanted to see my mother’s final wishes fulfilled.”
John walked over. He and Jacob exchanged some small talk in Pennsylvania Dutch.
Riley cleared his throat, and Kristen was glad for the cue for them to be on their way.
When she looked back at Jacob, he smiled. It was a strained smile this time. Then he averted his eyes from hers and looked downward to the package he held.
Kristen turned and walked away. She wished she could see what her mom had given to him. Maybe old love letters. Or something of his she’d kept all these years.
Kristen wondered why his sister, Katie, didn’t live here with him and his widowed cousin instead of alone in Stone Arabia. She’d ask Aunt Elizabeth about it.
Now it was time to deliver Mom’s letter to Bishop Ebersol. If only she could read it. Was it an explanation for leaving to go work for Ross? Did Mom want her to become Amish as she’d been? What? Her mind raced with questions. Even after her death, her mother still managed to keep her in the dark.
~*~
Angela made good time on their way back to Palatine. She kept Riley occupied with the history of the area and how the Amish came to settle in New York State.
Kristen listened as intently as Riley.
How the influx was mostly Old Order Weaver and Andy Beiler groups from Wilmington, Ohio, with the recent incoming of some less conservative Amish from overcrowded Lancaster.
These were the things her mom should have told her. Now here she was listening about her lineage from the family’s driver. An Englisch woman. The whole thing seemed a tad bizarre.
To prevent herself from bringing her thoughts to her lips, Kristen took out the sandwiches she’d made for everyone. A mouthful of food would be far better than a mouthful of resentment. Besides, it was nearly three thirty and none of them had eaten anything since breakfast.
When they pulled into the bishop’s driveway, they’d just finished their sandwiches.
Kristen reached into her deep leather bag and handed everyone a small juice box. Her pocketbook seemed bottomless, which she liked. But it was time to buy a more reasonable bag to carry around. This one, her only one, was studded with stars in the black leather on the front side of it. She turned the studded part to face against her. Studded stars and her Plain dress didn’t mix. Especially when visiting the bishop.
John held the car door open for Kristen and Riley to step out. A light shower had begun to fall. They hurried to the porch while Angela waited in the car.
When they reached the covering of the porch, Riley turned to John. “Thank you for coming. Having someone who is a member of the community with us might make for a more relaxed visit, don’t you think?”
“Bishop Ebersol is very accommodating to all people. I ’spect that his greeting would be the same for each person who came to his door. Church member or not. After five or ten minutes, you’ll feel as if you’re at the haus of an onkle. We are blessed in this way. You’ll see.” With that, John knocked on the door.
Kristen drew in a shaky breath, and then the sound of footsteps drew near.
A young girl, who looked to be around nine or ten years old, opened the door.
“Hullo, Margaret. Is your daed at home? We came for a short visit.”
“Jah. He is.” She opened the door wider and stepped aside for them to enter. Then she ran off to another room.
Minutes later, Bishop Ebersol appeared with a kind smile and a warm welcome. “Gut to see you, John. Hullo, Kristen.”
Kristen nodded as John shook the bishop’s hand.
“Bishop, this is Attorney Riley Gallagher.” The bishop and Riley shook hands, and then Riley withdrew a white envelope and handed it to the bishop the moment they entered the large living room.
“I am the executor of the Last Will and Testament of Emily Esh. She wanted this letter to be hand delivered to you.”
Bishop Ebersol took the letter and looked at it for a few moments in silence. Then his gaze shifted to Kristen. And he opened it.
Kristen hadn’t expected the bishop to open the letter right then and there. She’d figured he’d wait ’til they left. Would he read it aloud? She, Riley, and John exchanged quick glances.
There were four typewritten sheets. The bishop scanned each one and then replaced them in the envelope. He looked toward Kristen…again. His smile had dimmed somewhat and his eyes held a serious pensive look. He said nothing for what seemed like a full minute. Finally, he spoke. “Would you be able to make time one nacht after supper to talk?”
Kristen really wasn’t sure if she wanted to, but out of respect for her mom’s wishes, she nodded.
The bishop then patted John on the shoulder and shook Riley’s hand again. They never sat or had tea or coffee. She had heard the bishop was a busy man, and she was glad to leave.
On the way to the Palatine Hotel, John invited Riley to dinner, but he declined, saying he had to get on the road due to a court case the following morning.
Kristen thanked him for staying the extra day for her sake. She could see pity in his eyes.
Kristen hated pity.
She’d gotten that same look of pity from teachers and fellow students when her mom couldn’t attend her plays or recitals due to working crazy hours at the hotel. She’d gotten the same look from Cindy’s parents when she’d been greeted at their door for Christmas dinner, and later, when she was orphaned and moved in with them. Again, she was getting it now.
Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Jonas, and even Aunt Miriam, did not cast her pitiful glances. Nor did her cousins. They accepted things as they were and dealt with them. No judgments, no blame given to anyone. No pity. Good or bad, no matter, they thanked God and found a blessing in all of it. She wondered if she could ever be that way.
Kristen sighed. She didn’t see as clearly with her soul as they did. Where was the blessing in this for her? She glanced over at John.
13
John convinced his daed that a familye picnic would be gut for all of them, even though his main intention was to have Kristen experience some time in their beautiful woods. He wanted her to like the area so that maybe she’d stay. But Daed didn’t need to know that.
This off church Sunday was warm but not hot. The sun bright in a clear blue sky made for a perfect summer early July morgen.
He said a prayer of thanks for the cloudless non-humid day.
“The sandwiches are all made,” Mamm told John as he stepped into the kitchen. “Can you get us the cooler from the shed?”
He held it up so she could see it. “I’m ahead of you, Mamm. I washed it out so it’s clean and ready to fill.”
“It’ll be plenty full, that’s a sure thing.” She placed a pile of foil wrapped sandwiches into the cooler.
Kristen turned from the counter and aimed a smile at him.
He froze to the spot as if time halted along with the beat of his heart.
“We added cheese to the church peanut butter sandwiches.” She had a playful glint in her eyes.
“Gut.” He had to try his best to honor his daed’s wishes and not cross the line of friendship. No teasing smirks, cute remarks, or discreet smiles.
“We have egg salad too,” Mamm said, placing another batch of foil wrapped sandwiches into the cooler. “Mary made them last nacht.”
Anna ran into the kitchen and went straight to the fridge. “Don’t forget my fudge.” She took out a pan of the white confection. “I have to cut it and wrap it first.” She broke a small piece off and handed it to John.
“Umm, vanilla is my favorite. It’s real gut, Anna.”
She broke another piece off for herself.
Mamm looked over at her with a frown.
“I want to see how it came out too, Mamm.” She bit into the fudge. “I might need another piece to be sure.”
“Ach, Anna. Bring the pan here, please. I’ll cut it up quick so we can get a move on.” Mamm took the tray from her and began her task. Then when she thought no one was looking, she sampled a piece herself.
John cleared his throat and gazed at her with a smile and crossed arms.
Mamm waved her hand at him and chuckled.
“Too bad Daniel isn’t coming. He loves Anna’s fudge,” John told her.
“Vell, I think that Rachel will have some gut things for him to eat while he’s visiting with her and her familye,” Mamm gave another chuckle.
John nodded.
Rachel must be as nervous as a cat chasing its tail since Daniel finally accepted an invitation to her home. He’d been avoiding the route of courting, even though he’d taken Rachel to several singings already.
John looked over at Kristen as she placed some of Anna’s cut and wrapped fudge into the cooler. She’d fit right in at a singing, although she might not know the songs. But he had to get that idea out of his mind. For now.
Thirty minutes later, Angela came to drive them in her SUV as agreed. It was a tight squeeze with seven of them. Daed had said he’d stay home if Daniel was coming, being just as happy sitting on the porch reading the Bible and then the Budget.
John released a long breath of tension when he found himself seated against the car door with Daed on his other side, rather than Kristen. Being close to her would be pure torture. Sharing the same car and staring at the back of her kapp, bun, and neck was torture enough.
In forty minutes or so, they entered Glimmerglass State Park with its splendid woods, lake, beach, and picnic tables.
“We’ll go to the picnic tables at the overlook like we always do,” John said, as he and Daed each took an end of the cooler to carry. “It’s an uphill walk on the trail, but it’s not a long one.” John looked at Kristen as he said that.
She nodded, and then looked at the scenery around her. If she didn’t think this was special, then the Jersey Shore must be likened to Paradise itself.
“It’s pretty, ain’t so?” Anna asked Kristen as she took her hand.
“Very pretty. It has everything in one place. Mountains, water, a beach, and woods.”
“Flowers, too, at the overlook,” Anna added while Mary, Angela, and Mamm caught up to them.
John and Daed led the way onto the trail toward the overlook. It still hadn’t gotten very hot, and the trail was shaded by trees.
John turned to see how Kristen was faring.
She listened to Anna tell of other things they would soon see while she looked out ahead of her.
And…she was smiling.
~*~
Kristen enjoyed the walk along the trail, and when they emerged onto the overlook, she understood the beauty John had tried to explain to her about the area. The expanse of the sparkling lake hugged by the green mountains made her feel as if she’d stepped into a painting. They stood in a large clearing of grass with several picnic tables scattered about and wildflowers flowing along the base of the surrounding trees.
“This is beautiful,” she said, more to herself than to the others.
“Jah, the handiwork of God is before us,” Aunt Elizabeth said.
They walked over to one of the empty picnic tables.
Two of the four were taken, and Kristen could smell a mingling of delicious scents the breeze carried her way.
A young couple sat on a blanket on the grass, and an older man looked out over the lake with binoculars.
Mary unrolled one of the two worn quilts she’d carried and covered the picnic table with it while Anna and Aunt Elizabeth unrolled the other quilt onto the grass to sit on.
Kristen, Mary, and Angela joined them while John and Uncle Jonas took their seats at the table.
“Do you come here often?” Kristen asked.
“About twice during the summer, so we can visit the lake. We have some nice picnic spots closer to home, mainly fields with a few streams here and there. You’d like those spots, too,” John answered. Kristen smiled at him, but he barely smiled back.
“I’m sure I would. Do people swim in the lake?” She directed her gaze to Mary this time.
“Jah, the Englisch do. But we just wet our feet, not taking much to swimming with our Amish dress code.”
“You mean you’re not allowed to wear bathing suits?”
“Nee. We usually wear an old dress if we go in the water. The men and boys can go shirtless. Women and men do not swim together.”
Kristen was about to comment when her cell phone rang. “Oops, sorry. I meant to turn it off. Riley said he’d call when he mails out some things to me so I’ll know to expect them.”
“Go ahead, Kristen. Answer it. It might be him,” Aunt Elizabeth urged.
The caller ID on her phone was not Riley at all. It was Cindy’s cell number. Kristen got up and walked off to the side to take the call. “Cindy? I didn’t expect to hear from you again.”
“Oh, Kristen, don’t think that way. You’re still my oldest and bestest friend, despite the whole Derick thing.”
“Friends call and talk things out. They keep in touch. You never…”
Cindy interrupted her. “I’m here, Kristen. I’m sitting in a taxi in front of the house of your Amish family.”
“What? But I’m not there now. We’re all at a picnic about forty minutes away by Otsego Lake. Why are you here?”
“I need to talk to you about things. But I can’t stay long because I need to be back by late tonight. My parents don’t know I came.”
“Then call them and say you’ll be staying over with me. My aunt or uncle can speak to your mom, if you’d like.”
“No, I can’t do that, Kristen. I’ll tell you why later. Let me think…I know! I’ll say that I’m at Merri’s house for an overnight. Her parents are on vacation, and Merri will be home all night. I’ll give her a call now and tell her to cover for me. When will you be back here?”
Kristen lowered her voice to nearly a whisper. “A few more hours, I think. We haven’t had our picnic lunch yet, and we came here today mainly so I could see the area. I can’t just tell them I need to leave.”
“Where can I go in the meantime?”
“Hmm…sit on the front porch in one of the rockers. It’s shady there. But first go see if the back door leading into the kitchen is unlocked. If it is, go inside and make yourself at home. Have something to eat and drink. OK?”
“OK. Thanks, Kristen. I’ll send the taxi driver on his way then. See you later.”
“Bye.” Kristen returned her cell phone into the pocket of her dress then walked back to the blanket.
“Everything all right?” Aunt Elizabeth’s ingrained p
erception seemed tweaked.
“I guess so. It was my friend, Cindy. She came to the house to visit me. I told her to sit on the porch or go inside if the door is unlocked and wait for us. Is that OK?”
“Ach, sure. Too bad she didn’t tell you she was coming sooner. We could have gone on our picnic another day.”
“She’ll be OK. I think she might have to spend the night being that it’ll be a few hours before we get back.”
“That would be fine. We’ll have a simple but nice dinner together. Aunt Miriam will be joining us, too.” Uh-Oh. Kristen hoped Aunt Miriam wouldn’t take an immediate dislike to Cindy for being an outsider as she seemed to do with her.
“Speaking of dinner, I wouldn’t mind having our picnic lunch now.” Uncle Jonas peeked under the cooler lid.
Kristen’s appetite wilted as she tossed around the possible reasons for why Cindy had turned up so unexpectedly. Was Derick OK? Why couldn’t Cindy tell her parents she’d come to visit? After all, they’d known her since her early girlhood and acted as foster parents for several weeks prior to her coming here.
“Kristen? Have a sandwich.” Mary waved her over to the table.
“And some fudge.” Anna pointed to the foil wrapped confection.
She looked over at John, and his eyes locked on hers for a split second, but then he busied himself with the choices of food. He wasn’t acting like himself. Seemed on purpose, too. Between John’s changed behavior and Cindy showing up out of the blue, Kristen didn’t know whether to cry or get up and run.
She opened the foil of her church peanut butter sandwich, and when she took a bite and tasted the cheese, she couldn’t control her tears. Before anyone might notice, she took her sandwich and walked toward the view of the lake. Nothing unusual about that. The sight was pretty, and she couldn’t take any more of John’s distant behavior. Unless it was just her imagination. So much was happening at once that her emotions were all bungled up.