by Sarah Price
The group had hired two vans to transport the fourteen youths to the park, almost two and half hours away. The plan for the day included a two-mile hike by Hornbecks Creek to see the different waterfalls along the forested path. The drivers would pick up the group on the other end of the trail and take them south to Lenape Lake for their picnic lunch and more hiking.
Samuel tugged at the loose string to her prayer kapp. “Our first adventure,” he whispered when she looked at him.
The same day that she had gone to Verna’s to tell her the news, Samuel had stopped by to invite her to join the group. He’d caught up with her on the way back from the mailbox in the late afternoon.
“Kate!” he’d called out as he waved from the open door of his buggy. “Just the person I came to see!”
She hugged the mail to her chest and waited for him to catch up to her. Her bare feet felt dry and dusty. She wished she had worn her garden shoes.
“Wanted to ask you about Saturday,” he said when he stopped the buggy. “Didn’t know if you could get someone to fill in for you at your aendi’s. There’s a hiking trip.”
“Verna told me about it already,” Kate replied.
“Oh?”
She nodded. “Ja, and Maem said I could go along.”
He removed his hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. “Does that mean you’re courting Verna now?”
She laughed and shook her head.
“Gut! I’d hate to think you were two-timing me.” He smiled back at her and winked. “You be certain to pack a nice big lunch, Kate. I want to sample your cooking for the first time at Lenape Lake!”
As he drove away, she had practically skipped down the driveway toward the house. His sparkling eyes and gentle teasing made her heart skip a beat and her cheeks flush pink. It was a feeling she was getting used to . . . and liking it as well.
Now, as the van headed toward Route 222, she felt comfortable sitting next to Samuel and listening to him tease John about how his horse had come untied from the hitching post at the hardware store earlier in the week. As he told the story, he laughed and occasionally touched her shoulder. Each time he did that, she felt a warmth bloom on her skin under his fingers.
“I’m sure it’s happened to you, Samuel,” John shot back.
“Nee, John. I learned how to tie a safety knot that my horse can’t undo!” He winked at Kate. “Mayhaps I could teach it to you?”
With the roads clear of traffic and the laughter in the van, the trip seemed to take no time at all to arrive at their initial drop-off point. By the time they pulled into the parking lot, Kate could hardly believe that two hours had passed. Between Samuel, John, and Isaac teasing one another, the other young women in the van had laughed during the entire journey. Kate was almost sorry that the ride was over when it was time to depart the van.
When they started hiking the trail, Kate was glad that she had worn her black sneakers rather than her boots. She wasn’t partial to sneakers, but she gained a newfound appreciation for them as the group walked along the trail, especially as it became steep in some spots. For the first half hour, she walked with Verna, Sylvia, and Katie Ellen. They had ridden in the other van, so she hadn’t a chance to visit with them during the drive. She noticed that Samuel and John walked ahead of the others, their heads tilted together as if they were deep in discussion.
The trees lined the path with a banner of green leaves. Birds chirped from the branches and squirrels scurried along the ground. When the path crossed open areas, Kate noticed wild honeysuckle bushes and inhaled the fragrant scent of the freshly blooming flowers.
By the time they reached the first waterfall, Kate felt more relaxed than she had in months. She stood alongside Verna, staring at the cascading water as it rained down the thirty-foot drop. The peaceful sound of the water added to her sense of calm. For a moment, she shut her eyes and just listened to the sounds of nature.
“You sense it, too?”
She opened her eyes and turned to look at Samuel. “Sense it?”
He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked at the water. “God’s grace. It’s here. We are surrounded by it, Kate.”
Following his gaze, she stared at the gushing water. It fell over the rocks in a way that looked like soft white fabric fluttering in the wind from a clothesline. The waterfall was narrow at the top and wider at the bottom, with the underneath rocks visible in the middle.
“Only God could have created something so perfect,” he sighed.
Kate looked at him, studying his profile. He didn’t seem to mind, or perhaps he didn’t notice, that she watched him. The serious look on his face as he admired the view caught her off guard and, once again, hinted at the many different layers to his personality. He continued to intrigue her, surprising her with the depth as well as breadth of his emotions.
When he finally glanced at her, he smiled and removed his hand from her shoulder. “Let’s walk together, Kate,” he said, his voice low. “The middle falls aren’t that far from here, and I’ve shared you enough for a while.”
They walked slowly, lagging behind the others. He picked up a stick from the ground, scratching at the bark with his fingernail. It peeled off in long sheets, which he dropped to the ground as if leaving a trail behind him.
“I like nature, Kate,” he announced. “I thought about what you said a few weeks back, about treeless cities.”
That surprised her. She hadn’t thought she had said anything worthy of reflection.
“I’m glad I traveled,” he continued. “Don’t get me wrong. But I’m happiest right where I started. There’s something about being a farmer that sure does keep me connected with God.”
She pursed her lips, sensing that serious Samuel was at hand. “How so?”
“It’s hard to explain.” He took a few more steps, a pensive look on his face. She knew that he was seeking the way to describe what he felt. “God has given us a gift, Kate. He has made us the overseers to this magnificent planet.” He opened his arms and gestured toward the woods. “Every tree, bird, flower, and field . . . God made them for us.”
She listened intently, hearing the passion in his voice.
“But with such a grand gift comes great responsibility,” he continued, punctuating his words by pointing his finger in the air. “We must take great care of this gift and respect it in His name. The same goes for people. We need to take care of each other.” He dropped the stick on the ground. “I don’t think the rest of the world has figured that out yet, Kate.”
The sorrow in his voice surprised her. “Why do you say that, Samuel?”
“Why, those cities were once wide-open spaces! Instead of honoring God by working the land and taking care of this gift, man has destroyed it. Do you think God is happy with overdeveloped communities, where trees are torn down and people live on top of each other?” He shook his head. “Nee, He is not happy. Nor are the people.”
“You think Englische people are unhappy?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure that they think they are happy, but in reality they are disconnected from each other and from our true purpose.” The toe of his boot found the side of a rock, and he kicked it into the tall grass. “If we can’t watch out for our neighbors, how can we be responsible for tending God’s other creations?”
“It doesn’t sound very promising when you put it like that.”
He glanced at her with sad eyes. “Nee, it does not, Kate.”
Just then, from overhead, a loud noise interrupted them. A bird called out from above. They both looked up and, after shielding their eyes from the bright sun, saw the wingspan of a large bird. Samuel caught his breath just as Kate recognized it.
“Is that a bald eagle?”
Samuel nodded. “Ja, I do believe it is! I saw the white head. And look at how large it is.”
Just as quickly as they saw it, it
disappeared over the tree line.
Kate dropped her arm and turned to face Samuel. “Think about the history of that bird,” she said. “Look at what is around us right now.” She gestured toward the woods. “We’ve managed to take good enough care of God’s gift to keep this pure and untainted by the outside communities. Maybe there is hope for the rest of the world after all.”
“Your positive outlook on life inspires me, Kate,” he said, his voice low and soft. He glanced back in the direction where the eagle disappeared. “Mayhaps there is hope, indeed.” The wistful look in his eyes told her that he wasn’t talking about the eagle but about something else that weighed heavily on his mind.
By the time they caught up with the rest of the group at the next waterfall, Kate had almost forgotten that they were not alone. She almost wished they were. Samuel’s attention to every detail of nature impressed her as did his extensive knowledge of birds and flora. He confided in her that he kept a collection of pressed flowers from his travels, each one carefully preserved between layers of wax paper in a bound book that he had made for that very purpose.
“And you recall where you picked every flower?” She was amazed at this new side of Samuel. How sensitive of him, she thought.
“I label each one,” he admitted. “Where I found it, what I was doing, who I was with.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief. With great pride, he unfolded it and showed her a cluster of honeysuckles. “I’ll be adding this to the collection, Kate, from our first adventure together.”
For a split second, she wondered if there were any flowers pressed in the book from adventures he may have shared with Ella. Just as quickly, she pushed the thought away, knowing jealousy was a sin and immediately disliking herself for having felt it.
“I imagine your book is very pretty,” she said, ashamed at her previous thoughts.
“Mayhaps I’ll show it to you one day,” he replied. Carefully, he refolded the handkerchief and gently slid it into the front pocket of his trousers.
Shortly after they had passed the third and final waterfall, the trail became steep with several trees blocking the path. Kate stood next to Verna and Sylvia as the men assessed the blowdown. Samuel was one of the first to climb over the trunks, avoiding the branches that created an obstacle course. He tried to break several of the thinner branches so that the young women could follow. Without any tools, the task was daunting. The tree was simply too large to properly clear.
“We can just walk around the roots,” Esther called out.
Samuel and John stood on the other side. Kate could see Samuel frown, unhappy with that idea. When the other men made it across the downed trees, one of them agreed that it was too dangerous for the women. Esther didn’t wait for more discussion. Instead, she started walking along the trunk of the tree, pushing through brambles and leading the way for the other women.
“Careful here,” Esther called over her shoulder. “Ground’s soft by the root ball.”
Kate followed, her hand pressed against the trunk of the tree until she neared the roots. She looked up, amazed at how large they were, at least eight times the size of the tree’s diameter. The dried dirt indicated that the trees had fallen a while ago, most likely during the winter. With so much snow and ice, it didn’t surprise her. However, she couldn’t help but wonder why there had been no signs at the beginning of the trail regarding the blowdowns that blocked the trail.
Just as she stepped behind Verna along the crevice, her foot slipped and she fell, tumbling down into a watery hole underneath the tree’s exposed roots.
“Kate!”
When she heard Verna shout for her, Kate tried to sit up, but her hands felt only mud. It was cold and slippery. She managed to kneel and immediately felt a shooting pain in her right ankle. She heard more commotion and noise but could only register the fact that she was partially submerged in mud with a twisted ankle. She felt tears fill her eyes from both the pain and embarrassment at her clumsiness.
“I got you.” Two hands lifted her by her arms, slipping underneath her to pull her out of the hole. Without looking, she knew it was Samuel.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, avoiding the eyes of the women who crowded around her, trying to see if she was all right.
He pressed his lips together and knelt by her side, one hand under her head as he wiped the mud from her cheeks.
“You’re a mess, Kate Zook!” he finally said. The lightness of his tone countered the concern in his eyes. “You hurt at all?”
She nodded her head, trying to hold herself together. “My ankle.” Reaching her hand down, she realized that her dress was wet from muddy water. She fought the urge to cry, her humiliation increased by the knowledge that she was filthy dirty.
He let his fingers run along her lower leg, trying to feel if anything was broken. Gently, he removed her wet sneaker and black sock, resting her foot on his knee. “Can you wiggle your toes?”
Wishing that everyone would give her a moment to compose herself, she avoided looking at him and did as he instructed. “Ja, I can wiggle them,” she said, then lowered her voice. “Does everyone have to stare so?”
He covered her bare toes with his hand, the warmth of his touch startling her. No one had ever before touched her bare skin. The intimacy of the gesture caused her to jump and she hoped that no one noticed.
“Mayhaps you could go wait over there,” Samuel said to the young women nearby. “Give her a minute, ja?”
When they left, he released her foot and stood up, reaching a hand down to help her to stand. She leaned against his arm and tried to put weight on her right foot. A shooting pain ran up her leg and she winced.
“No good, eh?”
She shook her head.
He pursed his lips and glanced over at the group. They stood to the side, waiting and watching. “Well, we don’t have much choice, do we? We can’t go back, so we have to go forward.”
Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head. “I can do it.”
“I’ll be right here by your side, Kate,” he said. “Every step of the way this time.”
She lifted her eyes, tears filling them, and looked at him. “I feel like such a burden,” she said.
“Seems this is the second time I left you alone and you got hurt,” he mumbled.
The pain in her ankle outweighed her curiosity at what he’d said. Rather than ask his meaning, she merely replied, “I should have watched where I was walking. It’s my fault, Samuel. I’m so sorry.”
Samuel didn’t reply, a frown on his face as he supported her weight. She wondered if he was upset with her and didn’t blame him if he was. After all, this was their first big adventure, and she’d twisted her ankle while in the middle of a hike through the woods. She could only imagine how disappointed he was. She’d surely ruined what was supposed to be a fun day of enjoying nature. Determined to not further wreck the day, she took a deep breath and did her best to walk beside him, ignoring the pain in her ankle and just focusing on taking one step at a time.
By the time they caught up with the others at the end of the trail, it was past noon and Kate apologized to the others for having kept them waiting. No amount of reassurance from her friends eliminated the disheartened feeling that grew in her chest. She did her best to not show how painful her ankle felt as they climbed into the vans for the short trip to the lake.
Only Samuel’s occasional inquiries brought any attention to her injury. For the rest of the day, she sat quietly on a blanket in the shade of a tree by the lake, watching as the other youths continued hiking or ventured into the water, the men rolling up their pants while the women held the edge of their dresses so that they did not get wet.
Samuel did not join them. He seemed content to stay by Kate’s side, lounging on the blanket and sharing more stories with her. She almost forgot about her injured ankle as he made her laugh, tell
ing of his antics as a child and sharing details of how often he had been taken out to the woodshed by his daed, something that his younger brother Joshua had not escaped, either.
By the time the van drivers indicated they were ready for the long drive back, Kate felt as if the afternoon had not been ill spent, despite not being able to walk into the water or hike more trails. She sat next to Samuel on the ride home, drowsiness overcoming her, and without realizing it, she fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
For the next week Kate stayed inside the house, her leg propped up on a stool so that her ankle could heal properly. Her morning chores were limited to folding the clean, dry clothes and mending tears in clothing. She complained that she felt useless, but Maem insisted that she relax, keeping the weight off her foot.
By Thursday she couldn’t take any more sitting inside the house. She felt helpless, not being able to assist with the chores, gardening, or even taking care of David. She also noticed that the more attention she received from Maem, the more bitter he grew. His comments and remarks became more cutting and horrid to the point that Maem seemed to have him sitting outside for most of the day, despite his complaints that he was tired.
On Friday morning she made up her mind that enough was enough. The previous day she’d felt less pain when she walked. So she woke up extra early and dressed in the dark so that she could hurry downstairs before anyone else awoke. She was determined to help Daed with the morning milking.
It wasn’t as though he had complained about milking the cows without her help. Kate just knew that it was a lot of work, and with only one set of hands, it took twice as long. Of course, Miriam and Becca awoke at their regular time to help with the stall mucking and haying of the animals. Still, Kate felt obligated to help. She wasn’t the kind of person to sit around and let others tend to her chores, injury or no injury.
When she opened the door to the dairy, she was surprised to see the kerosene lantern already lit in the barn. She hadn’t heard Daed walk down the stairs when she was dressing, the creaking of that third step always a dead giveaway that it was time to awaken in the morning. But sure enough, the light was on and she could hear him talking to one of the cows.