Eli shrugged. “Guess there’s only one way to find out.” Laura held her stomach and took a deep breath, as though she were having trouble getting enough air.
“Are you okay? Did you swallow some water?”
She nodded. “A little, but I’m more worried about meeting your mother than anything else. What if she doesn’t like me? What if she throws me off your property or disowns you because you brought me there?”
Eli snickered. “I hardly think either of my folks would throw you off the property or disown me.” He motioned to the food. “Let’s put the leftovers away and head over to my place before you freeze to death.”
“Okay. I—I think I do need to get warmed up a bit.”
CHAPTER 5
As they traveled down the road in Eli’s buggy, Eli explained that his father’s farm was situated on sixty acres of dark, fertile land, and as they approached the fields he spoke of, he mentioned that they had been planted in alfalfa, corn, and wheat.
“They remind me of a quilt—rich, lush, orderly, and serene,” Laura said, as she snuggled beneath the quilt Eli had wrapped around her before they’d left the lake.
Eli smiled. “You sure do have a way with words, you know that?”
She shrugged. “I’m just expressing the way I see things.”
An expansive white house came into view, surrounded by a variety of trees and shrubs, while an abundance of autumn blooms dotted the flower beds. Laura spotted a windmill not far from the home, turning slowly in the breeze as it cast a shadow over the tall, white barn directly behind the house. There were no telephone or power lines on the property, she noted, but a waterwheel grated rhythmically in the creek nearby, offering a natural source of power. There was also a huge propane tank sitting beside the house. Laura assumed it was used for heat or to run some of the Amish family’s appliances.
“This is it,” Eli said with a sweeping gesture. “This is where I live.”
Laura’s gaze traveled around the neat-looking farm. Sheep and goats stood inside a fenced corral, and chickens ran about in a small enclosure. On the clothesline hung several pairs of men’s trousers, a few dark cotton dresses, and a row of towels pinned in orderly fashion.
“Here you go; this should help.” Eli grabbed a towel from the line for Laura and led her around the house and up the steps of a wide back porch.
When they entered the kitchen, Laura’s mouth fell open. She felt as if she’d entered a time warp and had stepped back in time. The sweet smell of cinnamon and apples permeated the room, drawing Laura’s attention to the wood-burning stove in one corner of the room. No curtains hung on the windows, only dark shades pulled halfway down. Except for a small, battery-operated clock and one simple calendar, the stark white walls were bare.
A huge wooden table sat in the middle of the kitchen, with long benches on either side, and two straight-backed chairs, one at each end. A gas lantern hung overhead, with a smaller kerosene lamp sitting in the center of the table. Against one wall stood a tall, wooden cabinet, and a long counter flanked both sides of the sink. Strategically placed near a massive stone fireplace sat a sturdy-looking rocking chair.
Eli motioned to the stove. “Why don’t you stand over there? The heat from the stove will help your clothes dry.”
Like a statue, Laura stood as close to the stove as she dared. “Do all Amish live this way?”
Eli moved across the room. “What way?”
“So little furnishings. There aren’t any pictures on the walls and no window curtains. Everything looks so bare.” Laura rubbed her arms briskly with the towel and then did the same with her stringy, wet hair.
“The Old Order Amish believe only what serves as necessary is needed in the home. Although I must admit that my folks live more simply than some in our community.”
This home was like no other Laura had ever seen. Here was a group of people living in the modern world yet having so little to do with it.
Eli looked a bit uncomfortable when a slightly plump Amish woman entered the room. Her brown hair, streaked with a bit of gray, was parted down the middle and worn in a bun at the back of her head. A small, white head covering was perched on top of her head, just like all the other Amish women Laura had seen in the area. The woman’s hazel-colored eyes held a note of question when she spotted Laura.
“Uh ... Mom, I’d like you to meet Laura Meade.” Eli motioned to Laura, then back to his mother. “This is my mamm , Mary Ellen Yoder.”
Eli’s mother gave a quick nod in Laura’s direction. Her forehead wrinkled as she looked back at Eli. “What in all the world?”
She doesn’t like me. The woman’s just met me, and she’s already decided that I’m the enemy. Laura forced a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Yoder.”
Mary Ellen grunted and moved toward the stove, where she began to stir the big pot of simmering apples. “Do you live around here, Laura?”
“No, I ... uh...”
“Has your car broken down, or are you lost and in need of directions?” She stared at Laura and squinted. “And why are your clothes all wet?”
“Laura’s from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mom,” Eli said, before Laura had a chance to respond. “She attends a designer school in Lancaster, and she fell in the lake while we were—”
Mary Ellen whirled around to face Eli. “You know this woman?”
“We met at the farmers’ market a few weeks ago. Laura was interested in my birdhouses, and I’ve been showing her around.”
Mary Ellen’s gaze went to the wicker basket in Eli’s hand. “You two have been on a picnic at the lake?”
“Jah.”
“It’s beautiful there,” Laura put in. “The lunch you made was wonderful.”
Before Eli’s mother could respond, the kitchen door flew open, and two young Amish men sauntered into the room. They spoke in their native tongue but fell silent when they noticed Laura standing beside Eli and Mrs. Yoder near the stove.
“These are my younger brothers, Lewis and Jonas.” Eli motioned to the rowdy pair. “Boys, this is Laura Meade. We met at the farmers’ market, and I took her on a picnic today, but she ended up falling in the lake.”
Lewis removed his straw hat, revealing a thick crop of dark, Dutch-bobbed hair. Then he nudged Jonas and chuckled. “It looks mighty nice around here, jah?”
Jonas nodded and removed his hat as well. “It sure does.”
Laura felt their scrutiny all the way to her toes, and she knew the heat of a blush had stained her cheeks. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Turning to his mother, Jonas said, “Pop will be right in. Have you got any lemonade? We’ve worked up quite a thirst out there in the fields.”
Mary Ellen nodded and moved across the room to the refrigerator.
Jonas, who had light brown hair and blue eyes like Eli’s, pulled out one of the benches at the table. “Why don’t you set yourself down and talk awhile, Laura?”
Laura glanced at Eli to see if he approved, but he merely leaned against the cupboard and smiled at her. His mother was already pouring huge glasses of lemonade, while her two youngest boys hung their hats on wall pegs and took seats at the table.
Laura would have expected Eli’s brothers to have reacted more strongly to a stranger in wet clothes standing in their kitchen, but maybe they were used to having uninvited guests show up out of the blue.
She had the distinct feeling that Mrs. Yoder would be happy to see her leave, however, and she was about to decline the invitation when Eli spoke up. “I think Laura could probably use something hot to drink, and some of those ginger cookies you made yesterday would be nice, too, Mom.”
With a curt nod, Mary Ellen scooped several handfuls of cookies from a ceramic jar, piled them on a plate, and brought it over to the table. Then she poured some coffee from the pot at the back of the stove into a cup and handed it to Laura without even asking if she would like some cream or sugar.
“Thank you.”
“Welcome.”
&n
bsp; Lewis and Jonas dropped to one bench, and Laura sat beside Eli on the other one. Her hair and clothes were somewhat drier now, and since the table was near the stove, she figured she would be nearly dry by the time she finished her coffee.
Eli made small talk with his brothers about the weather and their work in the fields, and occasionally Laura interrupted with a question or two. She was getting an education in Amish culture that rivaled anything she had ever read about or seen on any postcard.
They were nearly finished with their refreshments when the back door swung open, and a tall, husky man with grayish-brown hair and a full beard lumbered into the room. He slung his straw hat over one of the wall pegs near the door, then went to wash up at the sink. All conversation at the table ceased, and Laura waited expectantly to see what would happen next.
The older man dried his hands on a towel, then took a seat in the chair at the other end of the table. He glanced at Laura but said nothing. Maybe he was used to seeing strangers in their house, too.
***
Eli decided he needed to break the silence. “Laura, this is my daed, Johnny Yoder. Pop, I’d like you to meet Laura Meade.”
Laura nodded. “Hello, Mr. Yoder.”
Pop gave a quick nod, then turned to Mom, who was now chopping vegetables at the kitchen counter. “What’s to eat?”
Mom’s face was stoic as she replied in Pennsylvania Dutch, “Our guest is having coffee, and the rest are having lemonade and cookies. What would you like?”
Pop grunted. “Coffee, please.”
Mom brought the coffeepot and cup to the table and placed it in front of Pop.
“Danki,” he muttered.
Eli turned to his father again. “Laura’s from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She’s attending some fancy school in Lancaster, and I’ve been showing her around the area.”
“The wisdom of the world is foolishness,” Pop grumbled in his native language.
Eli grimaced. “There’s no need to be going rude on my guest.”
“Ah, so the Englisher can’t understand the Deitsch. Is this the problem?” Pop asked with a flick of his wrist.
“What kind of fancy school do you go to, Laura?” Lewis questioned.
“I’m learning to be an interior decorator.”
“It’s so she can help folks decorate their homes,” Eli interjected.
Mom placed another plate of cookies on the table. “It wonders me so that anyone could put such emphasis on worldly things.”
“As I said before, Laura and I went to the lake for a picnic,” Eli said, changing the subject to what he hoped was safer ground. “It’s sure beautiful there now. Some of the leaves are beginning to fall.”
“I’ll be glad when wintertime comes and the lake freezes over,” Jonas added. “I always enjoy goin’ ice-skating.”
Eli noticed that Laura’s hand trembled as she set her cup down. He wasn’t the least bit surprised when she hopped off the bench and announced, “Eli, my clothes are drier now, so I think I should be going.”
He sprang to his feet. “I’m gonna drive Laura back to Paradise so she can pick up her car. I’ll be home in plenty of time for chores and supper.”
When no one responded, Eli opened the back door so he and Laura could make a hasty exit. “That didn’t go so well, did it?” he mumbled a few minutes later, as he helped her into the buggy.
“No, it didn’t, and I’m sorry for putting you through all that. Your parents obviously don’t approve of me.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re just friends. I’m sure they know that.”
Laura twisted the ends of her purse straps, biting down on her lower lip. “Maybe it would be better if you never saw me again.”
“No,” Eli was quick to say. “I want to be your friend, and I’ll be glad to show you around more of the area whenever you like.”
“Even if your parents disapprove?”
He shrugged. “Pop and Mom are really fun-loving, easygoing folks, and since we’re not courting or anything, there’s nothing for them to be concerned about.”
Laura looked a little disappointed. Was she hoping they could begin courting? No, that was about as likely as a sow giving birth to a kitten.
“How about next Saturday?” she asked. “Could you show me around then?”
He nodded. “Jah, I think I could.”
***
As the door clicked shut behind Eli, Mary Ellen turned to Johnny and frowned. “This isn’t good. Not good at all.”
Johnny glanced at Lewis and Jonas, then nodded toward the living room, across the hall. “Why don’t you two go in there awhile? Your mamm and me need to talk.”
Jonas grabbed a handful of cookies and his glass of lemonade, then headed out of the room. Lewis did the same.
“Now let’s talk this through,” Johnny said, turning his chair to face Mary Ellen.
She moaned and let her head fall forward into her hands. “What are we going to do about Eli and that fancy English woman?”
“Since Eli’s not joined the church yet, I doubt there’s much we can do except look the other way.”
Mary Ellen lifted her head. “We can’t just stand by and let him be led astray.”
Johnny reached over and took hold of her hand. “Now don’t go borrowing trouble. Maybe Eli has just been showing Laura around, like he said. Might not be anything more to it than that.”
“I hope you’re right. It would break my heart if any of our kinner were to leave the Amish faith.”
***
Eli returned home an hour later, just in time for supper. He was glad when neither of his parents brought up the subject of Laura, but just as they were finishing with the meal, Jonas spoke up.
“That English woman you brought home is sure pretty, Eli. Too bad she isn’t Amish, because if she was, I’d be tempted to court her.”
Mom let out a little squeal and pushed away from the table, and Pop just sat there with his eyes squinted, looking kind of befuddled.
“She’s not trying to make you go fancy, is she, Eli?” The question came from Lewis, and it was followed by a jab to Eli’s ribs.
“Of course not. Laura’s just a friend who wants to know a little something about the way we live. I only brought her home after her fall in the lake so she could get dried off a bit.”
“You play with fire, and you’re bound to get burned,” Mom mumbled from across the room, where she stood in front of a sink full of soapy water. “There’s always trouble somewhere, and that Englisher had trouble written all over her pretty face.”
Eli shook his head. “I’m old enough to make my own decisions, don’t you think?”
Jonas grinned. “I’m thinkin’ my big brother might be in lieb.”
“I’m not in love! As I’ve already said, Laura and I are just friends, and I don’t see how it could hurt for me to spend a little time showing her around the countryside and sharing a bit about our ways.”
“Why would she need to know our ways?” Mom asked.
“She’s just curious about our lifestyle, and I think—”
“A few questions here, and a few trips around the country there, and soon that woman will be trying to talk you into leaving the faith.”
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