“Will you push me?” The excitement in her voice couldn’t be tampered.
Will nodded and came behind her. His heart quickened its beat as he stood close, his hands on the ropes beside her. He pulled the ropes back and whispered in her ear, “Are you ready?”
She nodded and he pulled back a little more.
“Higher,” she urged.
He stepped back even further until the swing reached the height of his chest. “Hang on.” Will let go of the ropes and watched with delight as Sally flew through the air. He still remembered the thrill he experienced when his father let go of his first push.
“Wee!”
Will smiled at her enthusiasm. He’d never seen an adult this excited about swinging. “How long has it been since you’ve swung?”
“Not since school. Five years ago.”
He frowned. “How old are you?” He supposed he should have asked that question already.
“Nineteen. How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.” He waited until she brought the swing to a stop. “Done already?” His brow rose.
“Don’t you want to?”
He stood in front of her and met her gaze. “Yes, I want to.” However, he wouldn’t without her permission.
The meaning of his words registered in her eyes. She nodded oh so briefly. That was all the consent he needed.
Without breaking eye-contact, he lowered his lips onto hers. When she closed her eyes, he did as well. If this was her first kiss, he never would have known it. Her hands cradled his neck, and she deepened the kiss.
If he had any doubt about her feelings toward him – or his for her – it fled the moment their lips met. He eventually broke contact, desperate for reprieve.
“Sorry.” She bit her lip.
His breathing came hard. “Oh, no. Don’t be sorry. I just broke away because…well, you know.” He caressed her face. “Man, that was wonderful!”
“I thought so too.”
He glanced back toward their picnic blanket, lest their lips meet again. “Should we finish our lunch?”
She smiled. “Jah. We’d better.”
Chapter 4
William turned the page and scribbled furiously in his notebook. By the look of it, one would think he was cramming for a final. But that couldn’t be further from reality. He determined to read every piece of literature he could get his hands on, regarding the Amish and their culture.
One thing he’d learned was that they seemed to be walking contradictions regarding a lot of things. And Sally – Saloma – proved his point. It was absolutely clear that she cared for him, but she seemed reticent somehow. No, not with her kisses – she gave those quite freely. He observed that she only allowed herself to feel and experience in part, emotionally-speaking.
When he’d mentioned a relationship, and alluded to a possible future together, she seemed apprehensive. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out the problem. Was she afraid to get too close?
He sat in front of his laptop again, but this time he typed in ‘Amish dating and marriage’. His eyes roamed over a foreign word: rumspringa. He’d heard the term before, but had never learned its meaning. ‘Rumspringa literally means running around. It’s a period of time, recognized by some Amish communities, for young people (usually between the ages of sixteen and early twenties) to seek a mate and taste a little bit of the Englisch world. Some Amish young folks will drive cars, drink alcohol, and even date non-Amish, whom they call Englischers. The majority of Amish young folks decide to stay within their familiar communities, but some do leave to embrace an Englisch lifestyle. The Amish have an eighty-five percent retention rate.’ Wow, eighty-five percent! William read that last line again to be sure he’d read it correctly.
“I see you’re hard at work again.” Uncle George walked into the library. “Do you have exams approaching?”
“No, they’re still a couple months away.”
“What are you working on now?”
“Research.” William briefly glanced at his uncle, and then turned back to the screen.
“That’s vague.”
“Last time I told you what I was researching you got bent out of shape.”
The heavy sigh from his uncle was not unexpected. “What is this fascination you have with the Amish?”
“I’m dating an Amish girl.”
Silence.
William tried to determine what Uncle George would say next. He suspected his response to this new revelation wouldn’t be positive.
“That’s not a good idea,” his uncle finally spoke.
William’s jaw clenched. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“You should read that book.” He pointed to the Bible beside William. “It’ll give you a little wisdom. Read the part about not being unequally yoked.”
“Since when do you care about what the Bible says? You haven’t stepped foot in a church in years, Uncle George.”
“We’re not discussing my life.”
“Who I date is none of your business.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, William. You are my sister’s son. Since neither she nor your father is here anymore, I have a responsibility for you.”
“I’m not a child anymore.”
“Perhaps not in age, but your poor choices indicate that you lack the maturity to make adult decisions.”
“Are you serious?” William raked his hand through his hair. “You want to dictate who I go out with?” He stood up and leveled his gaze at his uncle. “No.”
“William, I feel that your parents would have agreed with me on this.”
William’s fist clenched and he felt his fingernails digging into his palm. How dare he presume to know what Mom and Dad would think! He took a deep breath in an effort to respond calmly. “I respectfully disagree with you. I know my parents would love Sally.”
“There are millions of women out there who aren’t Amish. You can find someone else.”
“Why are you so prejudiced against them? You’ve never even met Sally.”
“I have my reasons.”
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, but I don’t. I’ve never met anyone like Sally before, and I’m pretty sure that she’s the one God wants me to marry. If you can’t handle that, then I don’t know what to say to you. As far as I’m concerned, we have nothing more to discuss.”
William scooped his laptop into his arms and fled the room.
<><><>
Saloma whistled as she sent the clothing piece-by-piece through the wringer washer. When Dat added the laundry room to the house, it had been a huge blessing. She no longer had to carry the laundry up and down the basement stairs, which had been a difficult task when the clothes were heavy with dampness.
As she hung the laundry on the line, thoughts of her time with Will filled her head. Ach, he was certainly the kindest man she’d ever known. And he was ever so handsome. What would a life with Will be like? An Englisch life would be so different than what she’d always known.
She glanced at the laundry lightly blowing in the breeze. Most Englisch folks didn’t even use a clothes line, did they? She looked down at her plain dress, with her cape and apron. If she were Englisch, what would she wear? Would she don men’s trousers like most of the Englisch women she’d seen, or would she wear a pretty, colorful dress? What would William want her to wear?
The clip-clop of an approaching horse made her think of Will’s transportation. Could she learn to drive an automobile like the Englisch? How would she go about getting her driver’s license? Where would she attend meeting? Would she have to go out and get a job or would William want her to stay home? Did Will believe that children were a gift from God, and would he want to have as many as God blessed them with, or would he only want one or two like some Englisch families had?
All these foreign thoughts made her dizzy. For certain, if she and Will were to consider marriage, they would have to discuss many things.
And then there was the most difficult p
art of all. What about Mamm? Who would take care of her, now that Dat was gone? As the oldest of the kinner she felt a responsibility to care for Mamm. After all, Mamm and Dat had always cared for her. Could she just leave behind everything to live for her own selfish desires? She didn’t think so.
Perhaps she should break things off with Will and consider John Glick’s proposal. John was certainly more suited to her. He was Amish. He knew how to farm and enjoyed it, unlike William, who had no clue about farming.
But wasn’t there more to a marriage than just farming and being Amish? She didn’t care for John the way she cared for Will – the way she loved Will. Yes she realized, I love William and that fact alone was more pertinent than all of the others combined.
Could I just walk away from Will now that I’ve discovered our love? Certainly not. It was then she realized there was no power on earth stronger than the power they shared between them: the power of love.
<><><>
William couldn’t get his uncle’s words out of his head. What did he mean by ‘unequally yoked’? He searched through the concordance next to his Bible until he came to the passage that mentioned the phrase. There was only one.
He quickly opened his Bible and flipped to the verse in Second Corinthians and silently read the words. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?
What was Uncle George implying by recommending these verses to him? Did his uncle think that Sally wasn’t saved? Is she saved? Didn’t the Amish basically believe the same things that Christians do?
This only meant one thing: he’d have to study more and talk to Sally about her beliefs.
William sighed. He loved Sally like no other person on earth, but his love for God trumped all else.
Chapter 5
“Saloma, kumm.” As soon as the younger maed had gone to bed, Mamm beckoned to Saloma. The urgency in Mamm’s voice frightened Saloma.
What could be wrong? Had Mamm discovered that she’d been seeing William? Had someone in their community seen them together?
Mamm waved her near, a look of disappointment in her eyes. “Ach, Saloma.”
The tears in her mother’s eyes brought tears rushing to the surface of Saloma’s eyes too.
What would she say? “Mamm, I–”
“Don’t say anything. Just read this.” She quickly drew an envelope from her apron pocket.
Saloma unfolded what appeared to be an official document of some kind. Her eyes skimmed the words on the page, but they were so technical she scarcely understood their meaning. “What does this mean?”
“They want to take our land away.”
Saloma gasped. “What? How can they do that?”
“This paper says this land belongs to someone else.”
“That’s a lie! Dat’s vatter bought this land.”
A helpless look crossed Mamm’s face. “It says that your vatter gave this land away.”
None of this made any sense. “Dat would not give our land away!”
“Saloma, it is true. A lawyer came by the house today and delivered these papers. He explained it all to me.”
“Explained what? I don’t understand any of this, Mamm.”
Mamm took a deep breath and looked Saloma in the eye. “This is going to be difficult to hear, dochder. I’ve been trying to figure it out since the man came. It didn’t make any sense. I don’t know why your father never told me.” A tear slipped down Mamm’s cheek. She grasped Saloma’s hand for strength.
“Mamm?”
“Seems your vatter had another fraa before me. It was before we ever met.”
Utter shock coursed through Saloma’s being. Her father had been married before? She shook her head. “I don’t believe it, Mamm. That man is a liar! It’s not true!”
Her mother took her hands in her own. “It is. He has papers to prove it.”
“What do papers mean? They mean nothing to me.”
“In the eyes of the law, they are everything. We could fight it, but he said it would just cost us a lot of money. And we would probably lose anyway.”
“Did you talk to the bishop? What did he say?”
“No. I will speak with him about this tomorrow.”
Saloma bit her fingernail, debating whether to speak what was on her mind. “Mamm, I…I know someone. He…uh…is Englisch. Maybe he can help us. His uncle is someone important, I think.”
“Saloma, what are you saying? Who are you talking about?”
“I have an Englisch friend. I will talk to him about this.”
“No. I don’t want you talking about our business with some strange Englischer. I will talk with the bishop. He will know what to do.”
Saloma nodded, then spoke the words that had been on her mind. “Mamm, what if they do take our home away? What will we do?”
Tears filled Mamm’s eyes once again. “I don’t know, dochder. I just don’t know why your vatter would have done this.” Mamm’s voice broke off in a sob, and Saloma drew her close.
Dear Gott, what are we going to do?
<><><>
Saloma’s heart raced as she dialed the number Will had given her. He’d said that, if she ever needed to call him for anything, she shouldn’t hesitate to do so. She closed the door to the phone shanty to be certain no one would hear her conversation.
“Hello?”
Relief washed over her when Will answered on the second ring. Just the sound of his voice soothed her frayed nerves.
“Sally? Is that you?” Concern echoed through his words.
“Jah, Will,” Saloma choked back tears.
“Is something wrong?”
“Jah. Very wrong.”
Panic seized his voice. “What is it? Are you hurt?”
“Nee. It’s not like that,” Saloma reassured him. “I-I need to talk to you.” She sniffled.
“Wait right there. I’ll come get you.”
She quickly thought of a place where he could pick her up. “Do you know where our vegetable stand is? Can you meet me there?”
“Yes, I’m coming right now.”
“Denki.” She put the phone back into the receiver with a shaky hand. Hopefully no one would see Will picking her up out at the stand. She figured that was the most secluded place on the property.
Property that would soon belong to a stranger.
<><><>
William yanked his button-down flannel from its hanger and hastily slipped his arms in. The evenings were sometimes chilly, and this night was no exception. He grabbed the Jeep keys from his dresser and slid them into his pants pocket then quickly made his way down the hall. He attempted to keep his anxious thoughts at bay.
“Going somewhere?” Uncle George’s voice echoed from the great room.
This was not the time for a discussion. “Yes. I’m going out for a while.”
“It’s a little late, don’t you think?”
“I realize that.” William grimaced. How many questions was Uncle George going to ask?
“How long will you be?”
William glanced at his watch. It was nearly ten-thirty. “I don’t know.”
“Where are you going?”
He felt like telling Uncle George it was none of his business, but attempted not to show disrespect. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time to talk. I’ll have my cell phone if you need to get a hold of me. I need to go now.” He thought about Sally waiting outside for him.
“Meeting a woman at this time of night is not a good idea, William.”
If he wanted to argue, they could do that later. Right now, the most important thing was getting to Sally.
“Bye, Uncle George.” William quickly slipped out the door.
What could be wrong with Sally? Why did she sound so distraught over the phone? Imagining every possible calamity, his wandering mind caused him to accelerate a little faster.
<><><>
As Will turned the corner,
he noticed a buggy was stopped in front of Sally’s roadside stand. Should he approach, or should he wait until the buggy left? Sally glanced his way. If only he knew what she was thinking.
Maybe he would just drive by. No, that might not be the best idea. What if his presence would cause trouble for her?
Will pulled off the road and waited. He watched intently as Sally politely listened to the person in the buggy. Hopefully, it wasn’t her bishop.
He noticed an arm reach out from the buggy and grasp Sally’s hand. The hair rose on his neck. Was there a young man in the buggy? Sally glanced his way again then back to the person in the buggy. William began to feel uneasy. Was someone trying to hit on Sally?
A moment later, Sally stepped back from the buggy and the wheels began to turn. Will watched as the buggy disappeared over a hill. He turned the engine over and approached the roadside stand.
“Sally?” His eyes met hers, and he felt the spark that had been so evident since the day they’d met. Sally briefly smiled then jogged around to the passenger’s side and hopped into his Jeep. William reached over and grasped her hand. “You okay?”
She offered a slight nod that told William something was indeed wrong, but she was dealing with it.
He thought about the man in the buggy and decided it’d be best to bring that up at a later time. Still, another man holding Sally’s hand just didn’t sit right with him.
He glanced at Sally. “Want to talk about it?”
She nodded and took a cleansing breath, it seemed. “It’s about our home. Ach, it’s kind of a long story.”
Will reached to the dashboard and turned up the heater. “Are you cold?”
“A little, jah.”
“I wish I could take you back to my place but my uncle…” He wasn’t about to tell her that his uncle had a disdain for Amish people. “It’s just better if we’re not there when he’s home. We can park somewhere.”
An Undeniable Secret (Amish Secrets--Book 4) Page 3