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Sarah came out of the house, carrying her son, Gideon, as Ellen climbed out of the buggy with two pies.
“Sarah!” She always enjoyed spending time with her cousin. She and Sarah had shared a room when Sarah had first come for a visit, and Ellen had loved having her stay. She’d been pleased when Sarah, originally from Kent County, Delaware, had moved permanently to their village of Happiness after she’d fallen in love and married Jedidiah Lapp.
“Ellen.” Sarah beamed at her, then greeted her aunt, Ellen’s mother. “Josie, ’tis gut to see you. We haven’t had time to spend together lately.”
Her mother held a pie and made to grab one from Ellen, who smiled as she shook her head. “You’re looking well, Sarah,” Mam said. “Your little one is certainly getting to be a big boy.”
“Ja, he is. I don’t know where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday that he was a newborn and now he’s three years old.”
Holding two pies, Ellen asked her cousin where she wanted her to put them.
“Jedidiah is getting a table. Would you like to set them inside until the table’s ready?”
“Nay, I’m fine,” Ellen said, studying Sarah’s little son, who gazed at her with a big sloppy grin. “I’ll wait.”
As soon as Sarah set her son down, Gideon immediately ran to Ellen for attention. Her cousin quickly grabbed Ellen’s pies so that Ellen could reach for him. “Want to go for a little walk, Gid?”
“Mam, can I?” Gideon asked his mother in Pennsylvania Deitsch.
“Ja, you may walk with Cousin Ellen, but you must be a gut boy.”
The child nodded to his mother, then to Ellen who scooped him up for a hug.
“Be careful, Ellen,” Sarah warned. “My soohn is no lightweight.”
“Ja, he isn’t.” Ellen smiled at the dark-haired child as she set him on his feet. “We’ll walk side by side—ja, Gideon?” She extended her hand and the child grabbed it and held firm as they headed toward the back farm field.
“Where shall we go?” she asked him.
“Goats,” he said.
“You want to see the goats?” When he nodded, she grinned at him. “Let’s visit your goats, then.”
* * *
Isaac left the house with Jedidiah, carrying the table Sarah wanted outside. He looked across the yard as they negotiated the last of the porch steps to discover his sister-in-law Sarah with Josie Mast. He glanced about but didn’t see Ellen anywhere. He was strangely disappointed. He was wondering how she’d fared since the accident, whether or not the bump on her forehead had changed color like the bruise on her cheek. Then he heard a giggle and spied Gideon running from Ellen, who chuckled as she ran across the yard after him.
“Come back here, Gideon!” she called laughingly.
“Set it down a minute, Isaac,” Jed said. “I need to speak with Sarah.”
Isaac silently set down the table. He watched as Jed approached his wife to say a few words with her. He saw Sarah gesture toward the back lawn.
It was visiting Sunday. Community folks were milling about the yard and inside the house, family and friends of Jed and Sarah. He heard voices from near the barn, where two men whom he recognized as church elders were joined by a newcomer he didn’t recognize.
The sound of a squeal made him smile and turn back to watch Ellen and his nephew as Gideon ran from Ellen, the child’s shriek of laughter evidence of his enjoyment of her chase. By her expression, he could tell that Ellen was having as much fun as Gideon. She laughed as she caught up to him and snatched him into her arms. When she began to tickle the boy’s ribs, Gideon burst out into childish giggles. Isaac stared, fascinated by their play, and found his lips curving in response.
Jedidiah returned and picked up the end of the table. “My son is enjoying himself. Ellen will make a gut mudder one day.”
A mudder? She was too young to be a mother. Without saying a word, Isaac shot her one last quick glance. His gaze locked with Ellen’s briefly as she set Gideon down, then turned away. He focused his attention on moving the table.
“Sarah wants it there,” Jed said with a nod of his head.
“Close to the house, near the back door?” Isaac guessed.
“Ja, she says it’ll be easier for the women to bring out the food.”
They carried the table to the designated area. After the brothers had set the table in place, their parents arrived. Isaac followed Jedidiah to greet them. He reached for the platter of cupcakes and cookies in his mother’s arms.
“Where’s my grosssoohn?” Mam asked when Isaac had returned after putting the dish on the table.
“He’s playing with Ellen.” Jedidiah grinned as his son ran away from the young woman, who laughed as she took off after him.
Gideon saw his grandmother and raced toward her. Unaware, Ellen gave chase, looking eager to catch the little boy.
“G’mammi!” the child exclaimed as he threw himself against Mam.
Ellen saw Katie and halted a few feet away. “Now I know why he was running this way,” she said with a grin.
“He’s having a gut time with you, I see,” Dat said.
“I’ve been having a gut time myself, Samuel.”
“You like children,” Isaac commented, unable to help himself.
She stiffened as if she’d just realized that he was there, but then he saw her relax as if she’d come to accept his presence. “Ja, I do.”
They chatted for several minutes about Katie and Samuel’s grandchildren and how much all of them had grown. Then Jedidiah picked up his son and accompanied their parents toward the house, leaving Isaac alone with Ellen.
He studied Ellen intently. “Your bruises... Your cheek looks better, but now you have one on your forehead.” He paused. “You’re feeling better?” he asked softly.
She nodded. “Ja, much better.”
He looked at her approvingly. “Gut.”
Sarah approached. “Ellen, may I talk with you for a moment?” She waved Ellen to follow and the two women moved away to chat privately.
Isaac wondered what they were discussing. He saw Ellen nod with a smile and Sarah grin, looking pleased.
“I think Sarah is asking Ellen if she’ll help out after the baby comes,” Jedidiah said softly as he rejoined Isaac.
Isaac glanced at his brother with surprise. “You mean Sarah’s...?”
Jed beamed. “Ja.”
“God has blessed you, Bruder.” Isaac was pleased for his oldest brother, who dearly loved his wife and son. “I’m happy for you.”
His brother looked at him. “One day you’ll have a family of your own.”
Isaac shook his head. “Not anytime soon. I learned a hard lesson with Nancy.”
“The Englisher was never like the girls in our community.” Jedidiah hesitated. “We were worried from the start that she’d hurt you.”
Isaac felt his stomach tighten. “I never knew you felt that way. You were all kind to her.”
“And why wouldn’t we be? You liked her. We hoped we were wrong, but she didn’t seem as involved in your relationship as you.”
Isaac sighed. If only he’d been smart enough then to realize the truth—that Nancy never cared for him. He thought of Ellen and recalled the friendship they’d once shared. Fool that he was, he’d tossed it away in favor of Nancy, believed Nancy over her when Ellen had wanted only to make him see Nancy’s true nature.
Too many regrets. He didn’t want to talk or even think about Nancy any more. She was gone, and he was glad. Jedidiah was an astute man and he let lie the topic of his past relationship with her.
Sarah and Ellen approached. “We’re going to see to lunch. Either one of you hungry?”
“I am,” Jed said.
Sarah gazed at him with affection. “You’re always hungry.”
“Always for your cherry pie.”
“I didn’t make a cherry pie for today.”
“I made a cherry pie,” Ellen said with a smile.
Jed’s dark eyes lit up, and Isaac groaned as he shook his head. “What is it with my bruders and their sweets?” he groused.
Ellen raised one eyebrow. “You don’t care for sweets?”
“I like them well enough, but my older bruders are obsessed.”
“You don’t like snitz or custard pie, I imagine,” Ellen said.
“Custard pie?” Isaac asked. He enjoyed custard pie.
“Vanilla custard.” She looked amused.
“I like custard pie. You made one?”
She nodded. “Too bad you don’t like sweets. Fortunately, there are plenty of folk here who will be happy to eat my custard pie.” She walked away with a laugh and Isaac could only stare at her. A small smile curved his lips and he chuckled. I deserved that. But if she thinks I’ll not be getting a slice of that custard pie, she is mistaken. She’s yet to learn how determined I can be to get what I want.
It wasn’t long until food was put on the table that he and Jed had set in the backyard. Besides the Masts and his own family, the Kings, the Peachys, the Zooks, and Alta Hershberger and her two daughters had come to share their visiting day. This was Jed and Sarah’s first gathering at the farm. Watching his sister-in-law move among her guests, Isaac felt admiration for Sarah’s ease with having so many people at her home. He wondered if he’d ever have a place where he could invite family and friends and feel so comfortable with them. Ever since the night when Whittier’s Store was vandalized by Nancy’s brother and his friends, he hadn’t known a moment’s peace. He’d taken the blame for something he didn’t do, not because Nancy had asked him to—although she had—but because he’d been protecting a male friend, another member of their Amish community. Other church members, he knew, now looked at him with disappointment. It bothered him that they’d never questioned whether or not he could have been guilty, but just accepted that he was. He didn’t feel less in the eyes of his family. His mother and father were supportive of all of their children, but he couldn’t help feeling as if he’d let them down, too.
He’d hoped that his friend Henry would come forward and confess his part in the Whittier’s Store debacle. But Henry had kept silent and remained noticeably absent from the community and Isaac’s life. Apparently afraid to speak up after seeing how the community reacted to Isaac’s guilt, Henry must have been unable to bear what would happen if he were to admit that he was one of the guilty parties.
No one is more disappointed with me than I am, Isaac thought. By taking the blame, he had effectively lied. And that was what made it difficult for him to stay in Happiness. As hard as it would be to live out in the English world, it might be better than living here without joining the Amish church. And how could he join the church when he didn’t feel worthy?
Seeing Ellen with his nephew made him think of simpler, happier times when he and she roamed the countryside together as friends. He’d made a terrible mistake when he’d taken up with Nancy, Brad and their English friends. Now he was destined to pay for it.
* * *
Ellen did what she could to help Sarah put out lunch before she went in search of her friend Elizabeth. She was eager to go rumspringa and she wanted Elizabeth to go with her. She found Elizabeth with a group of young people, including the Peachy siblings and Peter Zook, who had congregated near the pasture fence.
“Elizabeth,” she called as she approached. Her friend’s eyes brightened when she saw her. “May we talk?” Ellen asked.
Elizabeth said something to the group before she joined Ellen, who stood on the outskirts several yards away. “Is there something wrong?” her friend asked.
“Nay, I want to go into Lancaster next Saturday.”
Her eyes gleamed. “A rumspringa adventure?” Elizabeth asked.
“Ja. Would you like to go?”
“Ja.” Elizabeth nodded vigorously. “What should we tell our eldre?”
“The truth,” Ellen said, hoping her parents would approve.
Her friend agreed. “What will we do?”
“Shop? Eat? See a movie?” Ellen grinned. “Whatever we want to do.” Check out the Westmore Clinic for Special Children, she thought.
After talking with her friend, Ellen grew more excited about the trip and couldn’t wait to ask her mam and dat for permission. But she decided to wait until later to approach them.
* * *
“Dat, Mam,” Ellen said after they had returned from Jedidiah and Sarah’s house and everyone had settled in at home. “I’d like to go into Lancaster with Elizabeth next Saturday.”
Her father frowned as he faced her. “Why?”
Ellen felt her belly flutter with nerves. “We want to go on rumspringa. I’m old enough to experience the English world. We thought we’d get something to eat and wander about the outlet mall.”
“I don’t know if that’s a gut idea—” Dat began.
“I don’t see why you can’t go,” her mother said at the same time that her father spoke. Mam immediately grew silent. She wouldn’t go against her father’s wishes.
Ellen’s spirits plummeted. Her dat wasn’t going to allow her to go.
“She is old enough, William,” Mam said gently, much to Ellen’s shock.
Dat narrowed his gaze as he studied his daughter. “Nay, she can’t be.”
“I’m seventeen, Dat.”
Her father looked surprised. “You are?” He firmed his lips. “You’ve grown up too fast.”
Ellen noted his surprise with amusement. “You still have plenty of time with the boys. They are a long way from rumspringa age.”
“Why now, Dochter?” he asked seriously. “Do you plan to leave our community? Are you unhappy here?”
“Nay, Dat. I have no plans to leave, but I want to see the English world. Just because I want to see it doesn’t mean I don’t want a life here...a husband and family.”
