Englisch on Purpose (Prequel to Amish by Accident)

by J. E. B. Spredemann

  “First of all, Luke and I aren’t courting. And, even if we were, I wouldn’t let him keep me from visiting you.”

  “You say that now, but wait until you’re all in love with him. Promise me you’ll at least come visit!” Mattie knew she sounded desperate, but she couldn’t imagine never seeing her best friend again.

  “Are you sure you’re leaving? I wish you’d stay.”

  “I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to be stuck here forever. And I know that if I meet someone here, I will be. I want to see New York. Who knows? Maybe I’ll hate it and come back someday.”

  “No, you’ll love it. I know you will.” Elisabeth placed the finished bouquet into the basket that swung on her arm and smiled with pleasure.

  “Promise you’ll visit me?”

  “I can’t promise, because I don’t know the future. But I will if I can, okay?”

  “I guess I’ll have to settle for that then.” She reached over and embraced her friend. “I’m going to miss you.”

  “Jah, I’ll miss you too, Mattie.” Elisabeth removed a blossom from her basket and placed it into her friend’s hair.

  <><><>

  “Elisabeth, will you take these eggs over to Chloe? She and Rachel will be baking tomorrow and she asked if we had any extra to spare.”

  “Yes, Mamm. You don’t think she’ll mind if Mattie comes with me?”

  “Of course not. And tell Chloe to stop by and say hello sometime.” Leah turned from the stove and smiled.

  “Okay, Mamm, I will.”

  “Mattie, will you be staying for dinner?” Leah asked.

  “No. I have to be at work by one.” Mattie frowned, still wondering how she would get there without her car. “Thanks for the pumpkin roll and coffee, Leah.”

  “Did you like it? Rachel Brenneman brought that over the other day.”

  “Rachel’s great at baking,” Elisabeth added.

  “I agree,” Mattie said.

  “You girls have a good time,” Leah called as they walked out.

  Mattie turned to Elisabeth. “I like your mom; she’s nice.”

  “So is your mamm.”

  “Most of the time. But she’s been getting on my nerves lately. She sides with my dad too much.”

  Elisabeth’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that what wives are supposed to do? He’s the leader of the home.”

  Mattie shrugged. “I guess, but I feel like Mom used to support me more. I felt like she could understand better because she used to be an Englischer, you know?”

  “But your vadder was Amish.”

  “Yes. Maybe I should just be happy that we’re not Amish. No offense to you. There are a lot of good things in the Amish, but I don’t think I’d be able to go along with everything. I can’t imagine not being able to have a car or a telephone.”

  “It’s not so bad when you’re used to it. When you don’t really know about those things, it’s easier to live without them. I think those who join the Amish have the hardest time because they’ve used worldly things their whole lives.”

  “Do you think a car and cell phone are worldly?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I would think that if the leaders really thought they were worldly, they wouldn’t use them at all. Yet, they hire drivers to take them places and have phone shanties to make calls. To me, that doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It’s just our way. Your folks don’t have a television.”

  “I know. They value family time. And it’s difficult to have time with family if everyone is staring at a screen the whole time. But I think that televisions can be used for good or for bad. Not all shows are bad.”

  “It’s just an extra safeguard, that’s all.” Elisabeth turned to Mattie. “Will you have a television when you move to New York?”

  “Maybe. But it’s definitely not high on my priority list. Besides, I think I’ll be so busy there I don’t know if I’ll find time to even watch it.”

  <><><>

  Elisabeth knocked on the back door of the Brenneman’s home. She heard the sound of power tools coming from their large woodshop and figured Saul and one of his sons were probably building a new playset for a customer. She noticed a vehicle parked out by the shop.

  “Hello, Elisabeth. Mattie,” Chloe greeted with a smile.

  “There’s a truck out by the shop,” Elisabeth said.

  “Jah. Probably one of Saul’s customers, no doubt.” Chloe glanced toward the shop. “Denki for bringing these over, girls. Would you like to come in for a snack?”

  “Oh, no thank you. I have to be at work at one,” Mattie said.

  Rachel walked up behind her mother, wearing an apron and a smile. “Mattie, will you be at the singing Sunday night?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll see if I can get away.”

  “Are you and Jacob going, Lis?” Rachel’s eyes sparkled.

  “I will, but I can’t answer for Jacob,” Elisabeth said. She noticed Rachel’s excitement dwindle a little.

  “We’d better get going, Lis,” Mattie said.

  Elisabeth agreed and they turned to go.

  “Tell your Mamm I’ll see her at meeting on Sunday,” Chloe called out.

  “Oh,” Elisabeth hollered back, “Mamm said to tell you to stop by sometime.”

  “Okay. Tell her maybe next week.”

  <><><>

  Mattie slid off the back of the motorcycle. “Thanks for the ride, Johnny.”

  He smiled. “That’s what cousins are for, ain’t so?”

  “Sure.”

  “Hey, are you going to be able to get off work for the camping trip?”

  “Camping trip? When?”

  “Your folks ain’t said nothin’ to ya yet?”

  Mattie frowned. “No.”

  “Well, yous and us and the Hostettlers are supposed to go camping soon.”

  Mattie’s eyebrows rose. “All the Hostettlers?”

  “Nee. Uncle Josh’s family only.”

  “When?” How could her parents not have told her yet?

  “A couple weeks, I think.” Johnny began backing up the bike when he noticed her father approaching.

  Mattie began walking to the house.

  Her father nodded. “Johnny. Thanks for bringing Mattie home.”

  “Gern gheschen, Uncle Matthew.”

  “She won’t be riding with you tomorrow.”

  Mattie spun around. “Yes, I will, Johnny.”

  “You’re not allowed to ride motorcycles, in case you have forgotten.” He frowned at Mattie.

  “In case you have forgotten, I don’t have a car to get to work.” Mattie’s planted her hand on her hip.

  “Go to your room, Mattie.” He turned to Johnny. “You’re not to give my daughter any more rides. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Uncle Matt.”

  “Tell your brother too.”

  “All right.”

  Mattie slammed the door on her way into the house. “He makes me so mad!”

  Maryanna walked from the kitchen into the living area where Mattie was. “What’s wrong, Mattie?”

  “Everything, that’s what. First, Dad takes my keys, and now he’s forbidden Johnny and Judah to give me a ride. What does he expect me to do? Walk four miles to work?” Mattie vented.

  “I thought I told you to go to your room.” Mattie turned at her father’s voice.

  “Mom’s talking to me.”

  “Now, Matilda!”

  Mattie ran up the stairs and slammed the door to her bedroom. She wished it had a lock on it. She opened her closet door and reached for an old coffee can she’d decorated two years ago. She removed the lid and dumped out the money she’d been saving. She started organizing the bills by denomination and began counting. Five hundred dollars. It wasn’t a whole lot, but it was a start.

  Oh, how she wished it were five thousand dollars! If it were five thousand, her parents would surely find her bedroom empty by tomorrow morning. But the amount was far from it. Tomorrow she’d have
to ask her boss if he could give her more hours. If she didn’t make more money, she’d never be able to leave. That would certainly drive her crazy.

  Chapter 3

  “Well, he finally did it.”

  Mattie’s brow rose at her friend’s unreadable expression. “You’re being elusive, Lis. Who did what?”

  “Luke asked me – well, actually, he asked Jacob – if I’d ride home with him.” Elisabeth nibbled her bottom lip, a half-smile on her face.

  “And?”

  “I did.”

  “And?”

  Elisabeth shrugged. “It was fine.”

  “Fine? Just fine? Details, please.”

  “He seems nice. And he’s cute.”

  “What did you talk about?”

  “He talked about his work on his father’s farm. He said he wants his own farm someday.”

  “Sounds like he’s making plans.”

  “He is. He already has some money saved up for it.”

  “It sounds like he’s ambitious.”

  Elisabeth nodded.

  “Did he kiss you?”

  Her friend turned two shades darker.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. So he is ambitious.” Mattie grinned. “Did you kiss him back?”

  “He only kissed my cheek.”

  “Did he ask to take you home again?”

  “Jah.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I would.”

  “Does this mean you’re planning to stay Amish?”

  Elisabeth sighed. “I’m sure I don’t know what I want.”

  “Well, I hope you don’t make any commitments until you’ve visited New York first.”

  “I haven’t made any commitments. Luke and I just rode together once. But I don’t know how I’d ever get all the way to New York.”

  “You leave that to me. Just promise me that you won’t marry Luke – or anyone else – until you’ve had a chance to see what a different life would look like.”

  “Mattie, it would be a long time before I would even consider anything like getting married. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  “You and I both know these things can happen fast, Lis.”

  “Nee, I’m not ready to marry yet. Besides, I will have to be baptized first, remember? And I’m not sure I want to join the church yet.”

  “There’s always time later if you change your mind, right? Once you join, you’ll be stuck.”

  “I know. That’s why I plan to take things slowly.”

  Mattie nodded. “I’m glad to hear you say that.”

  “I have to admit, though, New York does sound a little frightening.” Elisabeth grimaced. “And fun.” She smiled.

  “It does, doesn’t it?” She grasped her friend’s arm and squeezed. “Just think of all the things there are to do there. I can’t wait to go to a Broadway show.”

  Elisabeth frowned, her expression clueless.

  “It’s like a big play, or like seeing a movie in person, kind of.”

  “Like the Sight ‘n Sound Theatre?”

  “Yes, but even bigger.” Mattie smiled.

  “But that costs a lot of money, jah?”

  “It’s not cheap, but I hope to get a good job. It’s definitely not something I’ll do every week, or every month, even. Maybe I’ll meet some handsome rich guy and he’ll take me.”

  Elisabeth shook her head and grinned. “Maybe. You’re really going to New York, aren’t you?”

  “Have I talked about anything else for the last year?”

  “I know. It just makes me sad to know that someday you might not be here anymore.”

  “Don’t be. I fully intend to rope you into going with me. I just wish that you and I were the same age. That would make everything so much easier.”

  “I don’t know how my folks will ever let me go with you.”

  Mattie’s eyes bulged. “You’re going to ask your parents? That’s not a good idea, Lis.”

  “Why ever not?”

  “Think about it. Do you really think your father will give you his blessing? He won’t approve any more than my dad will. And what do you think your mom will say?”

  “You’re right. So, you think that I should just leave without telling anybody?”

  Mattie nodded.

  Elisabeth blew out a breath. “I don’t know if I’d ever have enough nerve to do that.”

  “When the time comes, you will.” Mattie locked eyes with Elisabeth and realized she was not only speaking the words to her friend, but to herself, as well.

  <><><>

  Rachel clung to Jacob Schrock’s waist as the horse leaped over the blue barrel in the field. His male scent filled her senses as she reluctantly released her grasp.

  “I’m sorry, Rachel. I should’ve warned you the jump was comin’ up.” Jacob briefly glanced back at her.

  “It’s okay. I saw it.” She blushed, thankful Jacob couldn’t see her face. “Sorry for holdin’ you so tight.” A strand of her blonde hair escaped from under her kerchief.

  “No, it was gut. Uh, I mean, I’m just glad you didn’t fall,” he hastily added.

  “Rachel!” Her mother’s voice echoed in the distance.

  “Ach, that’s my mamm. I better go!”

  “Already?” Was Jacob disappointed?

  “Jah, I’d better.”

  He turned the mare around and headed toward the pasture fence that bordered their property. “You wanna ride again later?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll have to see. Uh, you can let me off here.” Rachel slid down from the saddle.

  Jacob frowned. “Okay.”

  Rachel turned to leave as Jacob moved to release the mare from her saddle. He’d always preferred to ride bareback, so she figured he’d saddled the horse for her benefit. As soon as Rachel was out of Jacob’s sight, she set out in a sprint toward home. Dear God, please don’t let Mamm know I was ridin’ with Jacob. Rachel didn’t know the reason her mother was so adamant about not riding horses. After all, she’d heard her mother and friends used to race each other all the time. Why couldn’t she enjoy the same pleasure? Of course, she knew that riding with Jacob Schrock was something altogether different.

  She slowed her pace as she approached the back door. “I’m here, Mamm.” Rachel looked around the kitchen and discovered the younger kinner had already returned from school. She’d finished earlier this year, the same as Jacob had. Now, she mostly stayed home to help Mamm out.

  “Oh, gut. You’re back.” Her mother smiled.

  “Did you want me to do somethin’, Mamm?” She hoped the blush on her cheeks didn’t give her away.

  “Let’s start on supper. We’ll make your dat’s favorite.” Her mother’s smile rapidly transformed into a frown. “Your dress…were you riding again?”

  Rachel looked down at her dress. Sure enough, she’d managed to acquire a two-inch tear just above the hem. She chided herself. It must’ve happened when she squeezed through the fence between their property and the Schrocks’. “Mamm, I–”

  “I see our girl’s back.” Rachel sighed in relief as her father walked through the door. Until he noticed her mother’s frown. “What’s wrong?”

  Rachel spoke softly, “I was riding again.” She absentmindedly smoothed her apron.

  Her mother studied her father, waiting for what Rachel hoped wouldn’t be a reprimand.

  Her father frowned. “Chloe, we should let her ride once in a while, don’t you think? Don’t you remember how much you used to enjoy riding?”

  “You know how I feel about this, Saul.” Her mother’s voice held a familiar tone. This had long been a subject of contention in their home. “I wish you’d never taught her to ride.”

  “But she loves horses. And everyone should know how to ride a horse,” her father replied.

  “I disagree. They’re dangerous.”

  Rachel had heard this conversation before. This was the part where her mother mentioned her older sister, Amanda Chloe, who’
d been injured on a horse as a girl. Even now, as a married woman with several children, she still walked with a slight limp. Rachel often wondered if her mother blamed herself for her sister’s accident.

  “Amanda Chloe’s accident wasn’t your fault, Chloe,” her father’s tone softened.

  Rachel turned away when her father stepped close to her mother. It wasn’t appropriate for the children to watch while the adults were showing affection, Mamm had once told her. She couldn’t decipher what her parents were whispering, but figured it was probably none of her business.

  She moved toward the cupboard to retrieve the items needed for the evening meal. Rachel glanced up when her father sidled up to her.

  “What I’m more concerned about is whether our daughter was riding alone or not.” Her father’s knowing tone caused Rachel’s cheeks to flush.

  Her mother gasped. “Rachel?”

  “I, uh, well, Jacob Schrock asked me if I’d like to ride with him.” She licked her lips. “He’s a really gut rider, Mamm.”

  Her parents exchanged a look.

  “What do you mean with him?” It was her father speaking now, his voice more stern than a few moments prior.

  “Were you on the same horse? Together?” Her mother’s tone indicated she was definitely in hot water.

  Rachel’s heartbeat quickened. She nodded. “We were just riding.”

  “How were you just riding?” Her father raised a brow.

  Were her folks really asking these embarrassing questions? Their silence indicated they were waiting for her answer. She’d loved the feel of her arms wrapped around Jacob’s waist and her cheek pressed against his warm back, but thinking about it now with her folks here was horrifying. She had the feeling that Jacob enjoyed it too, because he’d leaned back slightly and told her she could hold him tighter if necessary.

  “Rachel?” Her father clearly required an answer.

  “Dat, you know I like riding,” she protested, hoping her parents would stop asking so many questions. It wasn’t working, by her father’s frown. She’d better just confess, lest she get herself into deeper trouble. “Jacob had a saddle. I was behind him, holding on.”