Sarah pointed at Ivy’s face. “She has a face.”
Holly frowned in confusion. “What’s wrong with her face?”
Sarah giggled nervously. “I have to go help Mamm fix supper.”
Holly still looked perplexed.
“We’ll make sure Ivy stays up in the bedroom,” Rachel assured Sarah. “I hope that’s okay.”
Sarah looked unsure, but she nodded. “Mamm told me to ask if you need anything.” She looked around the crowded room and laughed. “It looks like you don’t need anything.”
“I need to use the bathroom,” Holly admitted as she carefully laid Ivy down next to Bunny.
Sarah showed them where the bathroom was, and Rachel was relieved to learn this house had indoor plumbing. “How does it work?” she asked Sarah.
“What do you mean?” Sarah asked with a confused expression. “You have not used a flushing toilet before?”
Rachel laughed. “Yes, I have, but I’m just curious about how you have water pressure without electricity. Is there a pump to get water to the house?”
Sarah’s brow creased. “There is a windmill that makes power to get water up into the water tower.” She held her hand up high as if to illustrate the height. “And then the water tower uses gravity to get it into the house.” She dropped her hand down as if to explain how gravity worked. Then as if to further explain, she turned on the tap. “See?”
“Really?” Rachel was impressed. “That’s very clever.”
Sarah looked at Rachel as if she questioned her sensibilities, but instead she simply pointed out the lanterns hanging on the wall. “These are for light. So you can see.” Now she pointed to the matches on a nearby shelf. “You use these to light them with.” Then, shaking her head, Sarah went on downstairs. Thankfully, she did not take the time to explain the towels or the toilet tissue to Rachel.
Holly giggled as she picked up the box of matches. “I’m not supposed to play with these,” she told Rachel.
“I know.” Rachel frowned as she took the matchbox from Holly. “Let me light the lanterns for you.”
“I like how this kind of light looks,” Holly said as the lantern flickered to life. “It’s all fuzzy and warm, don’t you think?”
Rachel looked at Holly, sweetly illuminated in the soft golden light. “Yes, it is kind of fuzzy and warm.” She shivered slightly as the chill of the house ran through her. “And fuzzy and warm can be very good.”
Rachel felt uneasy and slightly intrusive as she and Holly went downstairs. She could hear quiet voices in the kitchen and felt the polite thing to do would be to go in and offer to help, but she had no idea how this would be received.
“Should we see if Aunt Lydia needs help?” she asked Holly.
Holly nodded. She’d carried Bunny down with her but looked uncertain now. “Should I leave Bunny here?”
Rachel agreed. “Yes. She probably won’t be much help in the kitchen.”
Holly set Bunny in a chair, then took Rachel’s hand and together they walked into the kitchen. “Excuse me,” Rachel said politely. “Is there something we can do to help?”
Rachel was relieved when Lydia found several simple tasks that needed doing, and soon both Rachel and Holly were busily helping. Rachel could tell that having unexpected guests for dinner had probably put some extra pressure on their hostess tonight. At least they appeared to have plenty of food. As Rachel smelled the pork roast cooking, she realized she was actually quite hungry.
It wasn’t long until everyone was finding their places at a long wooden table illuminated by a large kerosene lantern that hung from the ceiling. Although it was a simple meal with mismatched dishes on a bare wood table, it felt surprisingly festive due to the flickering golden light. Rachel and Holly were told to sit with Sarah on a bench that ran along one side, and the three boys sat on the bench on the opposite side. Then Daniel came in and, without saying a word, sat at the head of the table.
“Good evening,” Rachel said in a friendly tone, trying not to stare at his odd-looking beard.
“Gut-n-owed,” Daniel said to her.
Lydia set the last of the serving bowls in the center of the table, taking her seat at the opposite end of the table. She took a moment to introduce everyone, and afterward Daniel bowed his head, as did the rest of his family. Rachel nudged Holly, hinting that she should imitate their host too. She waited for him to ask a blessing on the food, but no words were uttered. Instead, everyone just kept their heads bowed, with no one saying anything. All Rachel could hear was the ticking of a clock somewhere.
Eventually Holly’s head popped up, but Rachel sent her a quick sideways warning glance, tipping her head to signal Holly to keep her head bowed. She wasn’t sure what was going on here, but she didn’t want to be impolite or disrespectful. Finally, after what seemed an awfully long time, Daniel said “amen,” and just like that, the table sprang back to life in an almost other-worldly sort of way.
It wasn’t so much that they were a chatty bunch, but it was clear from the activity that they were all hungry. They’d probably been working hard; plus it was cold outside. As food was passed and served and shuffled about, a few bits and pieces of farm information were exchanged around the table, as well as some thoughts about the weather and the forecast. It sounded as if this snowstorm was expected to last a few days. Rachel hoped they were wrong about that. She told them about the good driving weather she and Holly had enjoyed today. However, no one seemed interested to hear more. In fact, no one seemed terribly interested in the two virtual strangers sharing the table with them. Perhaps this was their way of being polite and unobtrusive, or maybe they were just too hungry to express interest in anything but the food.
Yet, as hungry as this family appeared, no one gobbled down their food. No one was in a hurry. Instead, they were content to savor and enjoy the meal, and Rachel thought that was admirable. Too often, she saw people rushing to eat. It was refreshing to witness a family all sitting together and enjoying a meal. It reminded her of some of the old television shows she used to enjoy on TV—shows like The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie. Although it was hard to believe that people actually lived like this, she knew they were not putting this act on for her benefit.
Eventually the meal ended, and Rachel and Holly remained in the kitchen to help Lydia and Sarah. Thanks to the number of dishes and the absence of things like a dishwasher, the cleanup was far more tedious than Rachel was used to. When they were finally done, though, there was a good sense of accomplishment to see that all the counters were clear and clean and the dishes were all put away.
“Do you like to play games?” Sarah asked Holly.
Holly’s eyes lit up. “Yes! I have Nintendo in the car and I have—”
“I don’t think Sarah means video games,” Rachel quickly explained.
“Oh?” Holly nodded with a perplexed expression, almost as if she were a tourist in a foreign country, trying to figure out a completely different culture.
“Sarah probably means board games. Like Chutes and Ladders.”
“I like those games too,” Holly said with renewed enthusiasm.
The game Sarah set up appeared to be similar to Chinese checkers. It involved a handmade wooden board and colored marbles, and it didn’t take long before Holly got the hang of it. It also didn’t take long before the two restless older boys disappeared. According to Sarah, they’d probably gone out to the barn to “horse around.” Ezra remained behind, whittling on a piece of wood and eventually joining in the marbles game. Meanwhile, Daniel tended to the fire and read from a serious-looking brown book. If anyone was curious about their houseguests, they were doing a good job of keeping it to themselves. Perhaps this was simply Amish etiquette.
Rachel had brought her ebook reader with her, and it had a fully charged battery, but she was uncertain about getting it out. She didn’t want to insult anyone with her technology. Instead, she decided to just sit and soak in all this quiet activity. After all, when would she ha
ve an experience like this again?
Seeing the children down on the floor—two who appeared to be from another century playing with Holly, who was dressed in a bright plaid jumper with lime green leggings—made for an interesting scene. Rachel almost wished she had her camera, and yet she’d heard the Amish didn’t care to be photographed. She was glad that the children were including Holly and were having fun. After a bit, Lydia joined them in the front room. She had a sewing basket in hand, and with nothing more than a nod in Rachel’s direction, she settled herself onto the high-backed bench near the fire and began to work on mending what appeared to be a pair of trousers. It was all a very homey scene, albeit quiet, and Rachel was determined to enjoy it.
Because, Rachel assured herself, by tomorrow night if all went well, she and Holly would be back in the Chicago apartment and this would be only a memory. It was surprising how the apartment suddenly sounded far more inviting than ever before. She actually missed it. Oh, it wasn’t that Rachel didn’t know how to rough it a little. It was simply that she didn’t quite understand the reasoning behind these rustic deprivations. Sure, it was fun, in a going-back-in-time sort of way, but as a full-time lifestyle? Perhaps she could understand why Miri had left all this behind her, although it did make Rachel curious too. It was so mysterious to think her modern-minded sister-in-law had grown up in this sort of quaint atmosphere. Perhaps while she was here, she would learn a bit more about Miri’s previous life. For Holly’s sake, she hoped so.
It wasn’t too long until Lydia announced it was time for the children to get ready for bed, but as she and Holly went up to Sarah’s room, Rachel realized there was still only one bed. She was about to go downstairs and inquire about this when she heard the boisterous voices of the older boys as they clomped up the stairs, and just like that, a rollaway cot was set down next to the bed. This was followed by a set of bedding carried in by Sarah and Lydia.
“Here you are,” Lydia said as she placed the folded blankets and things in Rachel’s arms. Rachel thanked them and began to make up the narrow bed.
Now Lydia went over to where Sarah was watching Holly removing her pajamas from her backpack. “And do not forget we have church in the morning, maed.”
Sarah nodded. “Ja, Mamm. I know.”
“Schlaf gut,” Lydia said. Then she gave Rachel an uneasy glance and exited the room. Unsure of what Lydia had said, Rachel told her good night and continued wrestling with the cot.
Wearing a long white nightgown, Sarah came over to check her progress. “I can sleep on the cot, if you want to sleep with Holly in my bed,” she offered generously.
“But I want to sleep with you, Sarah,” Holly insisted as she tugged on her pink Hello Kitty pajama top. “Aunt Rachel can sleep on the cot.”
Rachel tried not to feel slighted by this surprising preference, but suddenly it was like Rachel was in grade school again, being pushed aside by one friend for another. Still, as she slipped into her own silky pajamas, by herself in the bathroom, since it felt strange to dress in front of the young girls, she decided that her reaction was perfectly silly. Besides, she would rather sleep alone.
Like little girls at a sleepover, Sarah and Holly had some trouble settling down for the night, and eventually, Holly begged Rachel to read to them from her favorite bedtime storybook. “It will help me go to sleep,” Holly pointed out.
“I can read it to you,” Sarah offered kindly.
“Okay,” Holly gladly agreed. “I’ll bet you’re a good reader.”
And so, for the second time that night, Rachel felt slightly displaced . . . or replaced. But, once again, she told herself it was perfectly ridiculous. She should be happy for Holly’s sake. How fun for her to have this special night with her cousin. She hoped that’s all it was. Just a one-night sleepover. Somehow, they had to get out of this place by tomorrow. Rachel was determined.
After the girls had finally drifted off to sleep, and the rest of the house grew quiet—as in completely quiet—Rachel became unbearably restless. Tossing and turning on the lumpy cot, she knew she was never going to be able to go to sleep. Normally, she would get out of bed and read until she was sleepy when she felt like this, but she didn’t want to get up and stumble around the very dark house. Yet the idea of lighting one of those lanterns and creeping around was equally unsettling, so she remained in the uncomfortable little bed with all her uncomfortable big thoughts and desperately hoped that morning would come quickly. This was what came from getting that last coffee when she’d filled up with gas just before coming here. The caffeine was playing havoc with her nerves.
After a while, she realized her anxiety was not related to the double espresso as much as to plain old fear. The truth was she was scared to death. She’d been trying to be positive, hoping for the best, but underneath it all, she was afraid she was really going to lose Holly. In fact, it already felt like she was losing her—and they’d only been here a few hours.
She couldn’t even imagine what tomorrow would be like. Lydia had made it clear they had church in the morning. Rachel knew that Lydia expected Holly to go with them—and she suspected that Lydia wanted Rachel to be on her way by then. How could Rachel possibly leave Holly behind? Why hadn’t Michael and Miri considered the consequences of their poorly thought out decision to do this? How dare they go and die, leaving Holly’s life hanging in the balance like this? As much as Rachel missed them and wished they were still here, she also felt very angry with them, infuriated by their shortsightedness . . . and their selfishness. Their foolishness was going to cost Holly and Rachel everything.
Finally, feeling totally helpless, Rachel knew the only thing she could do, the only power she really had, was to pray, and so she asked God to intervene on her behalf. “Please, make Lydia understand that I need Holly and that Holly needs me. Let us be on our way out of here first thing in the morning.” She prayed this silently but fervently—and several times for emphasis. As she said “amen,” she believed God was listening, and that he was going to be merciful.
When she got up the next morning, she looked out the window to see a thick blanket of snow on the ground. She knew that driving all the way back to Chicago in the Karmann Ghia was no longer an option. She also knew that the closest airport was probably in Cleveland. The Karmann Ghia wouldn’t be safe for that long of a trip either. Not in this weather. Even if it was a risk she could take for herself, she wouldn’t think of taking it for Holly. For the time being she seemed stuck here . . . but maybe that was a good thing.
7
Once again, Rachel got dressed in the privacy of the bathroom, but when she came out she saw that Ezra and Noah were waiting. Despite their blank expressions, she could see the impatience in their stances and suspected that there were time limits for using the only bathroom.
“I’m sorry,” she told them as she hurried out with her pale pink pajamas bundled in her arms. When she got back to Sarah’s bedroom, she was surprised to see that Holly’s dress was still lying on the bed. “Why aren’t you dressed?” Rachel picked up the green velvet Christmas dress. She had felt this was the most acceptable thing for church, but there was Holly wearing what looked like a white slip and long black stockings, and Sarah, already dressed, was pulling a cornflower blue dress over Holly’s head.
“What are you doing?” Rachel asked as she laid her pajamas on the cot. “Why aren’t you wearing your own dress, Holly?”
“Sarah and Aunt Lydia got me an Amish dress to wear,” Holly said proudly. “I get to dress like them today, Aunt Rachel.” She spun around to show off her long dress. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Sarah giggled. “It’s not beautiful, Holly. It’s plain. And plain is good.”
“Well, I think it’s beautiful too,” Holly insisted.
“Now hold still while I pin the apron on,” Sarah instructed.
To Rachel’s horror, Sarah had a bunch of straight pins, the kind Rachel’s mother had once used for sewing, and was pinning the white apron and some sort of shaw
l over the dress. “What are you doing?” Rachel asked.
“Pinning her apron and cape,” Sarah explained.
“But those pins—they’ll poke her.” Rachel felt angry. Not only did the cotton dress look too cool for winter, it was unsafe to secure those other pieces with straight pins. “I really don’t think you should pin it like that. It looks dangerous.”
“No, she will be fine,” Sarah assured her. She looked at Rachel with clear blue eyes but a confused expression. “We always pin our clothes like this.” She turned around to show Rachel her own apron and cape. “See?”
“But don’t the pins poke you?”
“No.” Sarah made a tolerant smile, as if she were reassuring a child. “If you pin them right, you are fine.” She showed her how it was done, but Rachel still felt skeptical. She’d never heard of pinning clothing on to a child like that.
“Sarah,” Rachel said firmly, “I do not want Holly to get hurt by these ridiculous pins. What if a pin slips out and stabs her?”
“That will not happen.” Lydia’s figure shadowed the doorway. “Sarah knows how to pin clothes properly. You need not trouble yourself, Rachel.”
Rachel frowned at her. “But it seems unsafe.”
“It is how we do it here. It is how we have done it for generations.” Lydia, predictably, was dressed identically to Sarah and Holly. Even her dress was blue, although it was darker.
“But why?”
Lydia gave her an exasperated expression. “We do not have time for this now.” Lydia looked carefully at Holly as if inspecting her. “The dress is good on her,” she told Sarah. “And it is good that Holly’s shoes are black, but they are not plain enough.”
Rachel wanted to ask why everything had to be so doggoned plain but knew she wouldn’t get an answer.
“Come, come,” Lydia said. “Hurry and be ready, maed. It is time for breakfast and then we go to church.”
A Simple Christmas Wish Page 6