Jed drew a deep breath. “Are there other Amish folk I might talk to ’bout this?”
“Well, there’s ol’ Joseph over yonder.” She pointed behind Jed as she rang up the total. “If anyone has an ear for that sort of news, it’s him or his wife.”
Jed hadn’t seen the older gentleman whom he now spotted sitting near the cookstoves, arms crossed, a piece of straw between his teeth.
Cautiously hopeful, Jed took his purchases and went to dillydally by the barrels, kegs, and crocks, feeling a bit awkward as he moseyed over to the aforementioned Joseph.
“May I help ya?” the friendly Amishman asked, leaning forward as Jed approached.
Jed glanced down at his large bag. “I found what I came for, but I’m wonderin’ if you might’ve heard tell of a young newly fancy gal by the name of Lillian.”
Joseph pinched up his round face and removed the piece of straw. “Newly fancy, ya say?”
“Within a month or so,” Jed added quickly, then recounted the snippet of information he’d overheard his uncle telling Perry. “Have you heard anything along those lines?”
The old man paused a moment, then nodded. “Honestly, I don’t miss much of anything. And jah, I have seen a newly minted gal in here quite a bit, and it looks a little strange ’cause she’s not the kind of young woman you see in a hardware store.” He paused again. “At least not dressed like she was. Lillian, you say?”
Jed nodded, hopes rising again.
“Hmm.” The older man gestured toward the door. “Can’t place the name, but I’ve seen a fancy girl walkin’ down the street, usually by herself, so I’m gonna say she lives no more than a few blocks or so from here.”
“Which direction?”
“East,” Joseph said, pointing. “Likely right off Emerson.” Then he cleared his throat. “Well, I can’t rule out Jericho.” He shuffled a bit. “Well, no, prob’ly Emerson.”
Jed sighed. A lot of homes along Emerson. But it was a place to start, if only he had more time. He thanked Joseph, then was headed for the main entrance when he heard the old man bellowing across the store, “Why don’t ya try the machine auction over yonder? Somebody there might help ya get closer.”
Jed thanked him again and headed out the door, making his way to the van parked in front of the store. There, he unloaded his purchases and told George he was going to wander about the auction. “Would ya mind waitin’, say an hour or so?”
“Take your time.” George smiled and waved his hand. He’d gotten himself a Coke somewhere and had the radio going.
Jed walked across Kidron Road, where town workers were applying a patch of asphalt. A few black carriages were coming this way, and on his side of the street, a fatherly looking Amishman was pulling a small red wagon with two young boys inside. The bearded man nodded and said, “Hullo,” pulling off to the side of the road. Probably headed to the auction, too.
More Amish, two teen boys and a girl, came strolling along, the boys wearing black Preaching clothes and the girl in a pale violet dress and black apron. The girl ceased talking when she spotted Jed. Then, as they passed, she let out a hushed giggle.
Like Bettina might.
Jed decided to head to the auction, too, and started asking a few folks outside the building. Once inside, feeling nervous, he approached the first Amishwoman he saw and explained his mission, but she only shook her head, so Jed went on to the next woman. For the next forty minutes, and feeling increasingly foolish, Jed asked one person after another, but no one could recall an Amish teenager recently turned English living in the vicinity. “Could be anyone, really,” one woman said. “There’s a bunch of former Amish living round here.”
And Jed began to wonder if Joseph was imagining things.
It wasn’t long before the hour was up, and Jed had nothing to show for it. He headed across the street, ready to throw in the towel for today.
Deep in thought, he glanced up and saw a young couple, both Englischers, heading this way. The woman was especially pretty in navy walking shorts and a white sleeveless top, her short blond hair in soft waves as she talked to the man in jeans and a black T-shirt.
Jed nodded as they approached, then passed. He lifted his gaze toward the sky, taking in the warm air and wondering if he’d done the right thing, coming here.
He felt frustrated that he didn’t know where to turn, or what to do next, so he prayed for God’s help as the late afternoon sun played on the trees, dappling the leaves and casting shadows on the ground as he walked. Was the gate slamming shut on his hope of finding Eva’s sister?
When he’d gone clear to the outskirts of town, Jed hurried back to the van, not wanting to keep his driver any longer. “Thanks for your patience,” he said as he got back into the front passenger seat, realizing he’d met his dead end. On top of that, he’d missed supper back home. I’ll be eating warmed-up leftovers tonight.
Chapter Thirty-seven
JED’S DRIVER TURNED CAUTIOUSLY onto Kidron Road, mindful of the many cars and buggies. And as they crept along, Jed felt reluctant to leave the area for home, though he couldn’t put a finger on why.
A few blocks up, Jed noticed the same blond girl he’d seen earlier walking alone wearing sunglasses, barefoot now as she dangled her white sandals. Oddly, her young man was hurrying down the street in the opposite direction with a determined gait, as if angry.
Wait a minute, Jed thought.
“Could ya pull over and park here, George?” he blurted.
The driver looked askance at him.
“This shouldn’t take long.” Jed opened the van door and got out. He waved to the young woman, feeling mighty awkward as he tried to catch her attention.
She glanced toward him and then turned away, heading up the sidewalk.
Jed continued briskly and did the only thing that made sense. He called her name, hoping she’d respond. “Lily!”
The young woman stopped walking and turned to face him, clearly startled.
Jed was a few yards away, hoping not to spook her any more than he already had, when she removed her sunglasses and squinted. “Lily Esch?” he called to her. He suppressed his smile, having stared at her photograph long enough to know this was, in fact, Eva’s sister. “It is you.”
Her mouth dropped open. “How do ya know me?”
Jed was close enough to smell her perfume. Her face was made up, her lips bright red. Jed had already mentally rehearsed what to say to her, aware that he had only so long to win her over. “I know your sister Eva,” he said hastily.
A worried look crossed her countenance. “Did something happen to her? Is that why you’re—”
Jed shook his head. “Eva’s fine.”
Lily seemed relieved, then scowled again. “Did she send you here to look for me?”
“Nee, but she’s very worried.”
Lily’s eyes suddenly clouded.
“Can we talk?” Jed asked.
She glanced back at the retreating man, now more than a block away. “I’m not sure, I . . .” Fidgeting with the hem of her top, she stared at her feet.
Jed sensed his moment slipping away. “It’s not too late to go home, Lily, if that’s what you want.”
Her head came up at the suggestion, and for a moment, he expected her to laugh at the notion, or to become angry at his presumption that she would want to return home.
He waited for her reply as she stared back at him, as though debating her reply. Once again, she glanced up the street, then back at Jed, her expression riddled with indecision.
I spoke too soon. “Listen, you don’t have to decide this minute,” he said now. “You can think about it.”
“Ach, what a dumb thing I’ve done.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks.
“Are you okay?”
“Not at all.” She brushed away her tears, smearing her makeup so that she had dark smudges under her eyes. She looked at him curiously. “I’m sorry . . . who did ya say you are?” she asked in Deitsch.
“Jed
Stutzman, from Berlin . . . not far from here.”
“And you know Eva?”
She’s not convinced.
“Eva gave me a look around her candy shop after we met at an auction near Quarryville a few weeks ago.” He described the glass case filled with candies, naming some of Eva’s favorites. “She loaded me up with her famous truffles for my trip home.”
“How are they doin’—my sisters?” Lily struggled to ask.
“They’re terribly concerned. Eva was distracted the whole time we were together, frettin’ over you.”
“And I’m stuck out here, trying to be something I’m not.” She groaned as she fiddled with a heart-shaped necklace. “I could kick myself.”
“There’s only one way to fix a mistake,” Jed said gently, looking back at George in the van. “Just don’t keep goin’ forward with it.”
“Poor, dear Eva, what I’ve put her through! How can my family forgive me?”
The sight of this fragile yet beautiful girl crying right there on the street made him want to take care of her somehow. But I’m a stranger to her. . . .
“I guarantee they’ll welcome you with open arms,” he said quickly.
Lily shook her head. “I can’t just go home as if nothin’ happened.”
“They love you. You’re their sister.”
“But I have no money, not even to make a phone call.”
He saw his chance and took it. “Leave that to me. I’ll get ya home, Lily.”
———
At first, Lily was hesitant to get into the van with two men she didn’t know.
George saved the day when Lily gave him the address of the Mennonite family with whom she had been staying. He lit up, saying they were his relatives. “That’s one of my father’s many brothers. You can call him if you want to double-check,” he offered Lily.
Everyone’s related round here, Jed thought, grateful for another divinely ordered facet to his search. And to think I nearly gave up looking!
Clearly reassured by this happenstance, Lily wasted no time in getting into the van. George drove them directly to the redbrick farmhouse surrounded by cornfields, where Lily quickly gathered up the few articles of clothing she’d brought, as well as thanked her kind host and hostess. It was time to say good-bye.
As they neared Jed’s parents’ farmhouse in Berlin, George pointed out the neighbors, who were putting on a new roof. A half-dozen Amishmen were crawling around high on the pitch of the roof, nailing down shingles. “A fine day for such a big chore,” George said.
It was so quiet behind Jed that he wondered if Lily had fallen asleep. She’d said very little once they’d left Hank Garver’s place.
By the time they were turning into the familiar lane, Jed had decided how he would tell his family about Lily’s need to spend the night. He hoped to leave for Lancaster before dawn tomorrow, a visiting day for Jed’s church district. We’ll arrive in Eden Valley a little after noon, perfect for a surprise reunion with the Esch girls.
Jed hadn’t thought much farther ahead than that. The whole thing was in God’s hands—He alone had arranged Jed’s every step thus far.
George had already consented to drive Jed and Lily to Lancaster County. I’ll run up quite the bill with this driver, he thought.
He paid George in cash, then helped carry Lily’s small suitcase to the back porch, where he asked if she’d mind waiting in one of the hickory chairs there. “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “You’ll like my family.”
This is a first, he thought. I’ve never brought home a fancy-looking girl before!
“I’m sorry to put you out like this, Jed,” said Lily, sounding chagrined.
“Believe me, no bother.”
His mother was kindly accommodating when he mentioned he was helping a young woman return to her Amish community.
“Your father mentioned this to me last evening,” Mamm said, her dish towel slung over her left arm. “I’ll warm up some supper for the two of yous, all right?”
Just then, Bettina walked downstairs and into the kitchen. “There’s a girl in shorts sittin’ out on the porch,” she said quietly. “Is this—”
“Jah, her name’s Lily Esch,” Jed said. “I’m taking her home to Pennsylvania tomorrow.”
“You found her that quick?”
“It’s a long story, and it all started with finding a photo of her in a book on the train. She’s a sister of the girl I met back in Lancaster,” Jed explained. “And I don’t know what happened to change Lily’s mind, but something definitely has. I guess I was in the right place at the right time—glory be.” He wondered how ridiculous this must sound. “Honestly, I was ready to give up and head home when I felt prompted to stay the course.”
“Kinda like a miracle?” Bettina asked.
“Jah, I’d say so.” Beginning with the book and the photograph.
Bettina grinned at Jed. “Surely George can get Lily home without you tagging along, ain’t so?”
“Why, sure, but . . .” Jed stammered. “I just want to make sure . . .”
Bettina’s face shone with delight. “And you say she’s the sister of the girl back in Lancaster?”
Jed sighed. Bettina was going to have fun with this. “Jah,” he confirmed, crossing his arms, waiting for further grilling.
“You’re gonna look like quite the hero, I’ll say.”
Jed nodded. “That’s the goal.”
“Plus, you’ll see your friend again . . . uh . . . what’s her name?”
Mamm spoke up at last, eyeing Bettina. “All right, young lady. Leave your brother be.”
She laughed, and Jed couldn’t help laughing with her.
Eyes dancing with humor, Mamm snapped her fingers at Bettina. “Hurry now. Go up an’ make sure there’s fresh bedding on the spare bed, won’t ya, and stop being such a troublemaker!”
Bettina nodded, but before she left, she grabbed her mother’s tea towel and snapped Jed’s knee.
“Daughter!” Mamm exclaimed. “Behave yourself!”
But Bettina was already gone, scampering upstairs to finish her chore, leaving an echo of giggles trailing behind her.
Jed smiled at Mamm and headed outside to get Lily, who looked quite relaxed in her chair.
Lily glanced up and smiled. “I’ll need to do something ’bout these clothes.”
Jed pulled up another chair and sat, appreciating her concern. “Did ya bring along a change?” he asked, thinking also about tomorrow. Her attire would disappoint her sisters.
“Unfortunately, I got rid of everything Plain.” Lily pulled on her hair and looked glum. “And this curly mop.” She moaned. “How will I ever get it under a Kapp?” She confided in him, saying that the first thing she’d done upon arriving in Kidron was to get her waist-length hair cut. “Got a permanent wave in it, too, but it turned out too curly.”
Jed smiled encouragingly. She looked beautiful to him, but he could see how it would be mighty tricky to get her hair into a bun. Nee, he thought, impossible for many months. She must’ve been determined to be English.
“Why am I tellin’ you all this?” she laughed, blushing.
“It’s okay, really. I have a sister who tells me strange things. Well, a few sisters, actually.”
She smiled and covered her legs with her hands. “I wonder if one of your sisters might have a dress I could borrow. I look so, um, worldly.”
To her credit, her shorts weren’t short shorts like some fancy women strutted around in, but Daed wouldn’t know what to think. Such attire simply wasn’t respectful.
“It’s just Mamm and my youngest sister inside, so now’s a gut time to meet them and find out if Bettina has something for you.”
Lily offered a relieved smile and gushed her thanks.
He picked up her suitcase and held the screen door for her. Tomorrow was another day, and hopefully it, too, would prove to be providential.
Chapter Thirty-eight
BETTINA JOINED JED AND LILY when they sat
down to the reheated leftovers, something Jed assumed Mamm had privately asked his sister to do. Bettina had managed to work wonders with Lily upstairs. With the help of many bobby pins, Bettina had plastered Lily’s hair down on both sides around her middle part. Bettina’s lavender dress and black apron were equally transforming on Lily, who’d washed the makeup from her face, as well scrubbed as any rosy-cheeked Amish teenager.
While they enjoyed Mamm’s leftover pork chops and onions, and mashed potatoes and gravy, Bettina kept the conversation going, and it appeared that Lily liked her rather well. She spared Lily further embarrassment, Jed thought, watching the two of them interact so comfortably across the table.
Lily glanced over her shoulder and must have noticed that Jed’s mother had slipped outdoors. Leaning forward, Lily lowered her voice. “I’ve never known any fella to be so ferhoodled as my boyfriend,” she said, eyes sad.
Bettina covered Lily’s hand, her manner warm and gentle. “How did you meet him, Lily?”
Lily took a small breath and sighed. “I met him a year ago, when I was in Kidron with my friend Fannie Ebersol and her family. Mark was at the Thursday hay and cattle auction, where Fannie and I had gone for fun. Mark came right over while I was looking at some of the craftware. He said he was a horse trainer, and a very gut one. I guess I should’ve picked up on his bluster even then.” She went on, reliving the relationship aloud, explaining how Mark had been eager to seek her out despite her Plain appearance. He’d even urged her to give a mailing address where he could write to her. “With Fannie’s permission, I gave him her address, and he began writing to me there twice a week. For nearly a year, he never missed.”
Jed couldn’t get over how trusting Lily had been of an outsider, and as she described their quickly developing romance, she admitted that reading Mark’s expressive letters had made her yearn for modern life.
“I mistakenly believed that if I could just live closer to Mark, I’d learn how to put my Plainness behind me,” Lily told them. “But as it turned out, he became upset, even angry—that’s what happened again earlier today, when he stormed away—and denied that I was givin’ my all to be English, like him. ‘You’re more Amish than you know!’ he hollered at me.” Her chin trembled, and she bowed her head.
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