Her mother gave her a long look. “That’s because you don’t know the hardships they go through when they do not live a lifestyle like ours.”
“I took my time in the town getting to know the people. I just decided that I wanted to live the way I’d been raised. I guess it could change. I mean, it did for Deb.” She stopped short, unsure whether her mother wanted to think about Deb or not. Hepzibah didn’t say anything. She continued stirring the eggs in the pan. Elisabeth wondered silently if her mother and father ever thought about Deb: if they missed her, or had any real feelings about her situation. They never mentioned her. It made her sad that they would turn their backs on her sister, their daughter.
“Have you got your overcoat?” her mother asked. “It’s going to be chilly today. It might rain also, so take an umbrella with you.”
“All right, mother. I will.”
***
Rosie was a constant and loyal companion for Elisabeth. She never let anyone know that she was spending her time in the restaurant and the shops while Elisabeth visited Deb. She understood the love the two sisters shared. She had three sisters of her own and knew that she would never want something to happen to them like what had happened to Deb and Elisabeth’s family.
They talked all the way to town, joking and laughing about the antics of Rosie’s younger brothers and sisters and the many pets they had running around their farmland.
“You should have seen them, Liz,” Rosie laughed, holding on to the reins with both hands. “They were tumbling all over each other.”
“I bet it was quite funny,” Elisabeth said, laughing with her friend.
Their laughter was interrupted by a flash of lightning across the sky and a clap of thunder that startled them both.
“My mother was right. She said it was going to rain.”
“It looks like it might be a bit more than just rain,” Rosie said, leaning forward and casting her eyes up into the dark sky.
“Yes, I think so. I brought my umbrella. Did you bring yours?”
Rosie nodded. “Yes, my mother also told me to bring mine. And my rain coat. I have them both.”
“I think we will need them,” Elisabeth said. “Listen, do you want to come with me to Deb’s this time? It’s quite all right if you do.”
“I don’t want to be an intrusion.”
Elisabeth put one arm around her friend’s shoulders and pulled her close. “You are never an intrusion. Come with me. Then we will not be lying if we are asked if we spent the whole day having fun together.”
“Okay, Liz. That sounds lovely.”
Chapter Two
The girls left the buggy by the general store and walked down the street to get to Deb’s house. It was easier for them to visit without being noticed when they didn’t park the buggy right outside her home. The rain had slowed to a steady drizzle and both of them had their umbrellas open and their raincoats on.
“I wish it was a pretty day,” Rosie said as they walked. “Then we could be looking up at a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds and birds chirping and it would be so much nicer.”
Elisabeth nodded. “You are right about that. That would be very nice. But I know that we need the rain, too. We won’t have crops to feed us if they don’t get the rain they need.”
“Yes, yes,” Rosie chuckled. “I know that, Liz.”
Elisabeth smiled at her. “I’m looking forward to seeing Deb.”
“Yes,” Rosie replied, “I still can’t believe that we even have to do this to see her. She was always a good girl, doing what your parents wanted her to do. They shouldn’t shun her because she chose to marry a man that is not of the Amish faith, especially if she chose to stay in town.”
“I know. I think so, too. But…well, papa is very strict. I guess it’s just…his way.”
Rosie frowned. “It’s not the best way…I’m sorry. I do not mean to disrespect your family.”
“I understand, Rosie. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me either.”
They were almost at Deb’s house. They could see it in the distance. It was two stories, with a long front yard that consisted mostly of small shrubs, flowers and grass, making it very artistic. There was an iron arch over the front porch and a small rug in front of the door that had two cats in the design. The house itself was white, with dark red shutters. Each of the windows had a different colored curtain, and all the curtains were closed so that the interior of the house was blocked off from the outside world.
“They always keep it so dark in the house,” Rosie said, lowering her voice as if Deb would hear and be offended by what she was saying.
“I know. But Deb will open the windows when we come in. I’m sure of it.”
“Does she usually?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, good.”
They went down the walkway together and Elisabeth knocked on the door. “Deborah!” she called out. “It’s me, Liz! And Rosie has come with me! Can we come in?”
“Yeah, come on in!” she heard her sister calling from inside the house.
Liz turned the knob and pushed the door open. It was cool inside the house and smelled of cleaning solvents. Her sister popped her head out from one the of the doors and smiled at them. “Come on in here, girls! I’m just doing a little cleaning. Stephen is still at work, he will be there for a while. How are you girls doing today?”
They followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Liz was grateful that although it smelled like cleaning solutions in the living room and hallway, it smelled of baking cookies in the kitchen.
“I am baking cookies and pastry pies,” Deb said.
“I love cookies!” Rosie sounded so excited, the other two ladies had to laugh. She blushed and covered her grin with one hand. “Well, I truly do. And mama doesn’t allow us to have cookies often.”
“Why is that?”
Rosie shrugged. “Oh, that’s just mama. Sometimes I think she thinks everything is bad for us. She fears everything will be a bad influence.”
Deb looked at her from the counter, where she was cleaning with a dirt-darkened cloth. “You mustn’t let her know you are here then. She will definitely not be happy with my bad influence.”
“Oh, Deb!” Rosie stood up abruptly and moved to give Deb a big hug. “I haven’t seen you in ages, my friend. It’s so good to see you looking happy and healthy! You look like you’ve gained a little weight, so you must be eating right.”
Deb blushed and lowered her head. “Yes, I do eat healthy foods all the time. I am trying not to gain too much weight, though.” She looked directly at Elisabeth, who was staring out the window in front of her. “I’ll be gaining enough soon, as it is.”
Her words got the reaction she wanted from her sister. “What does that mean?” Elisabeth asked. “Why are you going to gain weight? Don’t tell me! Don’t tell me!” Her face broke out into a big smile.
Deb nodded. “Yes, Liz. I’m going to have a baby!”
Elisabeth squealed with delight, jumped up and ran to her sister. There, she threw her arms around her and bounced up and down. “Oh, Deb! I’m so happy! That is wonderful news!”
Deb dropped her eyes. “Thank you, sister! I’m happy about it too. But…well, I just wish mama and papa were here to help us with the celebration.”
They hugged and Elisabeth pulled away, grabbing her sister’s arms with her hands and holding her at arm’s length. “You’re not so big! How long till your baby comes?”
“Doctor says five months. I should be getting big soon, though.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Elisabeth couldn’t help pulling her sister into another hug. “I can’t wait to see your little baby! Have you and Stephen discussed names yet? Will you be staying here? Do you need any help?”
“Oh, I need help, of course,” Deborah laughed. “I will need someone to help me get through this. I’ve never had a baby before.”
“There’s nothing to it,” Rosie said from the table, smiling widely at th
e two women. Both of them looked at her.
“And how would you know?” Elisabeth asked, with a large smile.
Rosie shrugged. “My mama says there’s nothing to it. And she’s had all of us kids, so I believe her.”
“I bet it’s different for each woman,” Elisabeth said, and then looked at her sister. “But that doesn’t mean it will be more of a struggle for you, Deb! I’m sure you’ll have an easy time of it.”
“Oh, we’ll see about that,” Deborah laughed. Elisabeth finally released her from her tight grip, lifting her nose to the smell of slightly burning cookies.
“I think your cookies are done.”
Deborah also took a sniff. “Oh, my. I think so, too. Okay, here we go, girls. Hope you are both hungry!”
She turned and opened the door on the deep, black, potbellied stove to take out the tray of cookies and pastries. “Hmmm,” she said, eyeing them.
“Are they done, Deb?” Elisabeth looked over her shoulder to look at the cookies. Some looked done, some looked doughy and still others looked dark around the edges, as if they were ready to burn.
“Some of them are. I just got this stove a few weeks ago. I am still getting used to how to use it.” She smiled at her sister, setting the tray down on the countertop. “You can try one of the ones that look done if you like. Then I will put the tray back in for a short amount of time. With this kind of baking, you have to be exactly on time.”
“I’m sure they will be delicious, darling!” Elisabeth scanned the tray, looking for one that was mostly done, but not burned and not raw.
Finally, she spotted the one she wanted and plucked it off the tray. It was hot. She blew on her fingers, transferring the hot cookie to the plate as quickly as she could.
“Oh, Deb!” Elisabeth was glowing. “I’m so proud of you! So very proud of you!” She looked at Rosie. “I’m gonna be an aunt!”
Rosie nodded “I know! It’s fantastic!”
Chapter Three
The months passed so quickly, Elisabeth could barely believe it. She wanted to be there as much as she could for Deb, but found that it was getting harder and harder to get away from her community. Frequent trips to town were frowned upon by the elders and her family members. She knew it wouldn’t be long before they began to suspect that there was something else going on. She didn’t know how else to get into town, so when her sister was five months into her pregnancy, Elisabeth told her mother that she was opening a small roadside stand to sell her handmade wares, such as hats for the ladies, gloves, handkerchiefs with initials embroidered in them and other embroidered items. It gave her time to get away from the farm.
She spent a lot of her time making the products she would sell while at her sister’s. In fact, Deb often joined in, sitting with her in a comfortable chair and knitting or cross-stitching. Elisabeth made some items to give to the children in the town, such as small towels or napkins with their names on them. Personalized gifts, she said, were the best kind of gift, because it lets the person know they are known by their name and not just by face. She also made gifts for some of Deb’s neighbors, who were always so kind to them both.
“There’s a woman in town,” Deborah said one day, as they were embroidering handkerchiefs and small towels. “Who says she can guess what sex the baby will be. Stephen says that’s silly and there’s no way she could possibly know. But I bet she could. She’s always been right before.”
Elisabeth raised her eyebrows, pushing the needle through the fabric carefully so that she didn’t stick herself. “How could she possibly know?”
“She says there’s just some way she can tell. She’s always been right.”
Elisabeth pressed her lips together. “Always? Every time?”
Deborah nodded, her eyes wide.
Elisabeth shook her head. “I just don’t see how that’s possible. What does she do to find out?”
Deborah shrugged, staring down at the canvas in her hands. She was holding on to a stiff wooden ring that had the canvas stretched out on it, allowing her to easily slide the needle in one side and out the other. She was working on a needlepoint picture of the “Footsteps in the Sand” poem. She wanted to give it to the Pastor of the small church she and Stephen attended. “I think she has some old methods that have been handed down through the generations of her family.”
“Oh, really? Are you going to talk to her about your baby? Do you want to know what it is?”
Deborah nodded. “I do want to know but I don’t really think I can count on what she says. I have to believe that every woman is different and every baby is different, do you understand what I mean? I can’t see how she can just perform some ritual and find out what my baby is.”
Elisabeth’s eyes opened wide. “You should be careful, too, Deb. Don’t let her do anything that might harm the baby.”
Deborah laughed. “Silly girl! What could she possibly do that would cause it any harm? Or me? She’s just going to listen and look and maybe spin a ring around on a piece of string and see which way it swings. I don’t know. I only talked to her friend about it, a woman who goes to the church we go to.”
“What’s that like, Deb? I’ve never asked you before what the church is like where you go.”
“You went to one while you were vacationing in town, didn’t you?”
“I went a few times,” Elisabeth answered, nodding. “But I didn’t go to the one you go to.”
Deborah smiled. “I like my little church. The people are nice. And I like that there are so many different churches here. You really do have quite a pick to choose from. The town may be small but there are a lot of churches. I feel a lot less lonely being without my family. Growing up with so many people around makes it difficult when they are taken away from you and aren’t supposed to even talk to you.”
There was a touch of sadness in Deborah’s voice. It pulled on Elisabeth’s heartstrings. She nodded. “I’m sure it does,” she said.
“I hope you don’t have to experience it. You know, if they find out you’ve been coming here, they will be angry with you.”
“I know. But you are my sister. I just don’t agree with the way you’ve been treated. It doesn’t mean mama and papa are bad people. Or that I don’t have my faith and believe in the Lord. It just means that I want to be with you, too. I do believe God will forgive that, even if mama and papa don’t see it or think that way. You are not living a life that God would object to, I really don’t think you are.”
Deborah shrugged. “I’m glad to have you here with me, Liz. I’m glad that you love me.”
“I do. Mama and papa do, too. I just know it.”
“Perhaps they do and perhaps they don’t.” Deborah sounded sad. “I like to believe they do. But I don’t know how they would be able to turn their back on me the way they have if they did.”
“It’s just tradition. It’s just the way they have been taught to believe.”
“I still love them and think about them. But I…I won’t be able to go back there now. Maybe after I have the baby, I will take him or her to see them. Maybe then they will change their minds.”
“The only way they will change their minds is if you and Stephen both join the community again. And I don’t think that’s what Stephen wants, is it?”
Deborah shook her head. “No, he’s already expressed that he doesn’t want to live like that, in their community. He is already upset that they would be able to turn away from me and turn me out without ever speaking to me again.”
“Does he have a family?”
“He has his father still alive. His mother is dead. He has two other brothers but they don’t live here either. One is a traveling doctor. The other one lives out in the West.”
“Out West? It’s got to be pretty lonely for him out there.”
Deborah nodded. “I have heard that he is lonely. That’s where Stephen’s father, Mark, lives too.”
“Out West?”
“Yes.”
“Has Stephen ever m
entioned moving out there to be near them?”
Deborah shook her head. “No, he’s made a vow that it’s the last place he wants to go. They live in Utah. As a matter of fact, he is supposed to be traveling for business in a few months. He will be near them, I think. But in a different state. Maybe Arizona. Or California. I don’t know. I am afraid he will not be back before our baby is born. I really hope that he is back.”
“Me, too! When is he supposed to leave?”
“He isn’t sure.”
“You only have a few months left!”
“I know.”
Elisabeth gave her an emotional look, reaching out with one hand. Deborah took it. “I will be here for you, Deb. I will find a way to be here for you. I wish I could come and stay with you the whole time he is gone. I hate to think that you will be all alone.”
“I just wish he knew when he was going and when he would be back. He’s gone on trips before and been gone for many months. If he doesn’t leave soon, I have to think he might not be back in time.”
“What’s he traveling for?”
“The company he works for in town supplies the local shops with their items. Like the general store and the granary and the tool shop. The last time he went up north, he picked up a large stock of saddles that a new manufacturer was releasing. They had been imported from another country, I’m not sure which one. And he had to go to New York to pick them up.”
“My goodness! That’s a very long trip! New York must be at least a week away.”
“At least. He was gone for nearly two months.”
“You only have about that left until you have your baby!” Elisabeth was worried. Her sister shouldn’t be left alone in her condition. Anything could happen. What if there was a complication?”
“Will you be going to the hospital to have your baby or are you having it here? Do you have a midwife or a nurse who can come to stay with you?”
“I want to go to the hospital. I want the nurses to take care of me and make sure that me and the baby are doing okay.”
[2016] The Precious Amish Baby Page 46
