One True Path

by Cameron, Barbara;

  Feeling a little relieved, she found herself doodling on the paper. She was so busy sketching when she felt movement beside her she was startled to see Saul was sitting down, and in fact, the bus had filled again.

  “I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I thought you might when you saw what I got,” he told her as he held out a paper sack.

  She tucked the pencil behind her ear and laid the pad of paper on her lap. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “You gave me part of your sandwich,” he said, shaking the bag.

  Elizabeth opened the bag and found a Big Mac and French fries. “Oh, a favorite of mine,” she breathed.

  “Good. Diet Coke okay?” he asked, holding out a drink carrier. “I don’t think you need to save the calories, but every woman I know drinks diet instead of regular.”

  She had to admit he was right.

  He set the drink carrier on the floor between his feet and pulled his own Big Mac from his bag.

  She felt him lean over and look at the pad of paper before she could juggle things in her hands to cover it.

  “Nice,” he said. “How long have you been sketching?”

  She shrugged. “Couple of years. Not much time for it.”

  “You’re good.”

  Elizabeth blinked. Very few people had seen her sketching, but she’d never had anyone actually compliment it. Her teacher had done so years ago, but it didn’t count. Besides, Lydia had told her she had to stop sketching in class and concentrate on her lessons.

  She knew she had a problem with staying focused and it hadn’t gone away when she got older. Hadn’t she just taken out her pad of paper to make a list and then started sketching birds? But as she munched happily on her hamburger and fries, she refused to chide herself for her inattention.

  Hadn’t she just been given a sign all would be all right? His eye was on the sparrow . . . He was already showing He was taking care of her by bringing her a meal she hadn’t had to pay for. She smiled. He’d brought her a Big Mac just like He’d brought the sparrows—er, pigeons—their crumbs.

  * * *

  Saul ate his Big Mac and was glad he’d bought one for Elizabeth when he saw how happy she was to get it. He got the impression she didn’t go to McDonald’s often.

  The unexpected stop there had been welcome. Usually Lavina packed him food for his trip home on the bus, but he’d decided to leave a day early and she’d acted a little upset with him over it. Which was strange because things hadn’t gone well with this last visit. He was beginning to think absence hadn’t made the heart grow fonder—the physical distance between them since her parents had moved the family to Indiana had caused an emotional gulf as well.

  There had been a way to fix it. He could have asked her to marry him. They’d been headed down that road for a long time now. But something had held him back.

  She hadn’t said anything even though the visit before this one she’d hinted so broadly he began to wonder if she’d ask him to marry her, reversing the usual role. But then she didn’t.

  He’d brought the subject up with his father just before he left this time. “How do you know if the woman is the one God set aside for your wife?”

  His father had stopped stocking a shelf and turned to study him, stroking his beard thoughtfully, as his eyes seemed to gaze inward.

  “It’s just a feeling you get,” he’d said finally. “You just know. And if you’re not certain, well, she’s probably not the right one.”

  His father had thumped him on the shoulder in an awkward gesture of support and urged him to make another trip north. He’d insisted he could get along without Saul.

  “No one’s indispensable,” he’d said gruffly.

  Saul felt a mixture of gratitude and consternation. “You’ll miss me when I’m gone,” he’d called after his father’s back as the older man headed for the stockroom.

  But he grinned as he turned back to the order form he’d been working on. Thank goodness his father wasn’t insisting his duty lay here helping run the store. Each time Saul had left, there had been no pressure about only staying a few days.

  It was likely his father would be surprised to see him when he walked into the store tomorrow.

  He’d cut his visit short, making an excuse to Lavina, and returning to Paradise a day ahead of the date he’d told his parents.

  Elizabeth made a noise with her straw, draining the last of the Diet Coke. She wriggled her nose and grinned when she realized what she’d done. “Sorry! It was so good. I don’t drink them often.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it.” He watched her put the empty hamburger wrapper back in the bag. “Maybe we could go get lunch there sometime after you get settled?”

  She paused and stared at him. “I—guess.”

  “You don’t have to feel like it’s a date,” he rushed to say as silence stretched between them. “Just friends.”

  Elizabeth nodded.

  “How long do you think you’ll be here?”

  “I don’t know.” She looked away from him, folding down the top of the bag.

  He frowned, hearing a curious mix of sadness and indecision in her voice. What was it about? he wondered. Was this really a visit or had she left her home in Indiana for some reason?

  “How much longer will it be before we get to Paradise?” she asked him.

  Saul glanced out the window and calculated. “About a half hour,” he told her.

  Elizabeth sat up straighter and her eyes sparkled. “I can’t wait.”

  There it was again, he thought. The mix of emotions. She looked excited, sounded excited. But her hands shook as she put her pad of paper back in her purse.

  As much as Saul was ready to get off the bus, inhale some good fresh air, and climb into his own bed, he wanted more time to figure this woman out. She was a mystery he wanted to solve.

  “Where will you be staying?” he asked, trying to sound cool and polite since she’d been wary of him asking personal questions earlier. “I need to know where to call for you. When we go for that Big Mac.”

  “Maybe you could give me your number,” she said.

  He nodded. “Good idea.” He pulled a business card from his jacket. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the pencil behind her ear.

  She looked surprised it was still there and handed it to him. He wrote his cell phone number on the back of the card with the store address and phone number on it. He gave it to her, she looked at it for a moment, and tucked it safely into her purse.

  “So tomorrow you have to work?”

  Startled she had initiated conversation, he nodded.

  “A job’s a good thing.”

  “True.” He inclined his head and studied her. There was a wistful note in her voice. “What did you say you did in Goshen?”

  She smiled. “I didn’t.” After a moment, she said, “I worked in a fabric store.”

  Too bad she was just visiting, Saul thought. They could use someone like her since Miriam was taking maternity leave soon. Then he realized what she’d just said.

  “Worked? Does that mean you left your job?”

  She touched her mouth with her fingers and looked chagrined. Then she nodded. “I needed a break.”

  “I guess so,” he said gravely. “I mean, you must have been there forever.”

  “You’re laughing at me.” But she said it tentatively, as if she was unsure if he was teasing.

  “No. You just make it sound like you’ve been doing it for so long you had to retire or something.”

  “I just need a break. Vacation. Whatever you call it.” She frowned. “Rumschpringe.” She paused and glanced around. “I hate to use the word. Englischers seem to think we turn into wild things and run around getting drunk.”

  He winced. “Well, some guys I was friends with did, but I know what you mean.”

  The bus slowed and moved into the lane to the exit ramp. Passengers who were getting off at the next stop began shifting in their seats, looking out the windows.
r />   Saul watched Elizabeth pull on her jacket and loop the strap of her purse over her shoulder. He’d seen her tucking her purse on one side of her between her body and the bus wall, guarding it carefully. She lifted her tote bag and put it on her lap.

  “Thanks again for the sandwich and the coffee.”

  “Thank you for the Big Mac.”

  They were turning into strangers again now the enforced intimacy of the bus ride was nearly over.

  “Don’t forget we’re meeting for another once you get settled.”

  She nodded but her attention was riveted on the front of the bus as it came to a stop.

  Saul remembered his mother once complaining his father, anxious to be on his way for a hunting trip, had already left them before he walked out the door. Now he knew what she meant; he felt the same way about Elizabeth. She was already mentally out the bus door, so eager to be at her destination.

  He stood and gestured for her to precede him, and they joined passengers in the line to disembark from the bus.

  “Who’s meeting you?” he asked her when they were standing by the side of the bus where the driver was getting their luggage.

  “My new roommate.” She scanned the crowd of those waiting for bus passengers. “Oh, there she is!”

  “I’ll see you soon, Elizabeth No Last Name.”

  She smiled at him. “Yes, Saul Miller. Have a good night.”

  He watched her wend her way to a woman her age waiting for her and then turned to look for the driver who waited for him.

  “Good trip?” Phil asked, as he loaded Saul’s suitcase into the van.

  “It was okay,” Saul said. “What’s been happening here?” he asked, knowing the man would fill the drive with chatter about the latest goings-on and he wouldn’t have to contribute anything.

  He didn’t feel much like talking now that Elizabeth wasn’t near. He wondered if he’d see her again or if she’d forget about him once she was settled.

  And he wondered why he was thinking about her instead of Lavina . . .

  * * *

  Elizabeth held onto the armrest on the passenger side of the car and prayed as she caught a glimpse of the speedometer while Paula chattered a mile a minute.

  “Did you have a good trip? I got a little worried when the bus ran a half an hour late.”

  “I’m sorry if you had to wait—”

  “Didn’t! I checked before I drove to the bus station.”

  “Oh. That’s good.”

  Elizabeth studied Paula. They were so different in looks and personality: Paula’s chin-length blond hair curled madly all over her head, she wore bright lipstick and jeans with holes at the knee and a big blue men’s chambray shirt. They’d met when Paula’s family had visited Goshen earlier in the year. They’d written dozens of letters since then—Paula had once called them pen pals. Elizabeth had grown to feel safe enough to feel she could talk about her frustrations and dreams, and when she had, Paula had invited her to visit.

  She’d accepted the offer immediately, hoping Paula was sincere. Paula had written back and invited her to come as soon as she wanted. Elizabeth was on a bus to Paradise a month later.

  “You’re sure it’s not a problem to stay with you for a while?”

  “I told you it isn’t! My parents wanted me to get a roommate.”

  “I don’t know how long I need to stay.”

  Paula reached over and patted her hand. “Don’t worry about it. When you decide, I’ll just advertise at the college for a roommate.”

  They couldn’t have been more different: Elizabeth was Amish, Paula was Englisch. Elizabeth had dark hair. Paula’s hair was a streaky blond mass that made Elizabeth think the sun had run its rays through it. Paula had laughed and said the streaks came from a bottle.

  It was another way they were so different. Elizabeth was shy and quiet. Paula fairly bubbled with exuberance.

  “You’re being quiet.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “That’s me. Quiet.”

  “The deep ones are always quiet.”

  A laugh escaped before Elizabeth could stop it. “I’m not deep. You’re the one who’s going to college.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not doing so well,” Paula said.

  It suddenly got very quiet in the car.

  “Why?”

  Paula shrugged. “I’m having trouble with my English class. Math, no problem. But if I have to do any writing like I have to do in English and history, I’m in trouble. College is harder than high school. A lot harder than I thought it would be.”

  Elizabeth bit her lip. “English was my best subject in school. I’d love to help you, but we only go to school to the eighth grade and then we go to work.”

  “I appreciate the offer.” Paula sighed. “I just have to buckle down and work harder. Maybe go to the tutoring center at school.”

  Back home, Elizabeth had often helped the teacher with the younger students. Later, she helped her brothers and sisters with their homework while their mother cooked supper. But it wasn’t going to help Paula.

  “It doesn’t sound easy but you’ll be glad you did it. There aren’t many jobs for people without a college education. Not in your world and not even in mine.” She smoothed her skirt. “Several people in the shop I worked in had college educations. I’d never be promoted to senior clerk or manager there no matter how long I stayed.”

  “But I thought most Amish women worked at home.”

  “After they’re married.”

  “You’re too young to get married,” Paula said firmly. “Women shouldn’t get married until they’re at least in their middle twenties. You’re only twenty, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Paula pulled into the drive of an apartment building. “We’re here. Welcome home!”

  They got out of the car and Paula got Elizabeth’s suitcase out of the trunk. “I’ve got it,” she told Elizabeth. “You look tired.”

  “I shouldn’t be. All I did was sit on the bus.”

  “Traveling is tiring.”

  Elizabeth doubted Paula had ever traveled on a bus. When she and her family had visited Goshen, they’d come in an expensive looking SUV.

  “Hungry?”

  “I have a sandwich left,” Elizabeth said, holding up her tote.

  “I’m not sure it’s safe to eat anything you’ve been carrying around your whole trip.”

  “It’s insulated.”

  Paula reached for the bag. “C’mon, I’ll make us some soup and sandwiches.”

  “I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”

  “No trouble. My mom brought some stuff over as a welcome present. Does a turkey sandwich and homemade vegetable soup sound okay?”

  “Sounds great.”

  Paula warmed the soup in the microwave while she made them sandwiches. They sat at the kitchen island and ate while she peppered Elizabeth with questions.

  “Who was the cute Amish guy who got off with you? Do you know him?”

  Elizabeth nearly choked on her soup. She’d seen Saul?

  “He was just someone who was on the bus.”

  “Oh, so you didn’t know him? Seemed like you two knew each other when you were talking.”

  “We talked on the ride. He’s from here.”

  “Are you going to see him again?”

  Elizabeth felt her cheeks warming. “We might. It’s not a date or anything.”

  “Sounds promising, though,” Paula said. She spooned up some soup.

  “What about you?” Elizabeth asked shyly. “Are you dating?”

  “I’ve been going with Jason since we graduated from high school. But he wanted to serve in the military. He got shipped to Afghanistan and I have no idea if he’s signing up for another stint, when he’s coming home . . .”

  She sighed. “Everyone tells me I should look for another guy. But he’s the guy I love. We’ve been staying in touch by e-mail but it hasn’t been easy with Internet connections where he is. Besides, I don’t think anyone realizes there
aren’t many guys like Jason. This guy in my Algebra class asked me out for coffee and I thought, hey, it’s just coffee. Turned out he just wanted me to let him cheat on the next test.”

  “Oh, my! How wrong!” Aghast, Elizabeth stared at her.

  Then, just as suddenly, it occurred to her she shouldn’t have said anything. What if Paula felt it was okay to let the man cheat from her test? What if she felt judged? What if she kicked her out? Would she tell her to get back on a bus and go back to Goshen? She couldn’t do that, she—

  “Well, of course, I told him to stuff it!” Paula said, sounding disgusted. “How dare he even ask such a thing. What kind of a person does he think I am, anyway?”

  Relieved, Elizabeth spooned up more soup. Why had she been worried? she chided herself. Paula had seemed to her to be a good person and she was seldom wrong about this sort of thing. Jumping to conclusions Paula would order her out . . . well, she was just plain silly. She was letting her fears get to her.

  It was a big step to leave her home, her life back in Goshen. She’d been so scared. But she’d packed her suitcase, walked on shaking legs out of the only home she’d ever known, and climbed aboard the bus to bring her here to a new life—for however long she stayed.

  She could do this with some faith and confidence or she could do it in fear. Warmed by the welcome she’d received from Paula, the soup she’d reheated, and now eager for the comfort of some rest in bed after trying to catch some sleep on the moving bus, Elizabeth stood. She gathered up her empty dishes and those in front of Paula.

  “This was so good,” she said. “I’ll wash up.”

  Paula got up and walked over to the kitchen counter. “Let me introduce you to my dishwasher,” she said, grinning. “I think you’re going to like it as much as I do.”

  She showed her how to load the dishes and where to pour the dishwashing powder in the receptacle in the door. Then she closed the door, pressed a button, and the machine began making a swishing sound.