by Daria Wright
“But I saw you, Agnes. I saw Blake dropping you off early in the morning and he cancelled on me the night before. You disappear for the night… What am I supposed to think? What would you have me believe?”
CHAPTER TEN:
Agnes started to speak but closed her mouth. She turned away her face so Chelsea couldn’t see her eyes anymore, but she could tell from the way she was twisting her hands in her lap that Agnes was holding something back from her, something bad.
“Whatever it is Agnes, please tell me.” Chelsea said stiffly. “I would rather know the truth then imagine all these things.”
“I swear to you Chels; nothing happened between Blake and I.” Agnes pleaded, “I would never ever do that to you, and neither would he for that matter. You must realize how much he cares for you …how much he loves you. How much I love you?”
A lump formed in Chelsea’s throat at the words and she was reminded once again of how strong and beautiful her friendship with Agnes was. And she felt a wave of remorse wash over for her doubts. All of a sudden she knew without a doubt there was more to this and it had nothing to do with them betraying her. On some level she must have always known, so why had she jumped at the chance to think the very worst of her friend and Blake? Because you wanted to have a reason, a complication not to be with him, she told herself. Because you’re too scared to admit your own feelings for him...and what it might mean. The realization felt like a light bulb going on in her head, but right now she had bigger fish to fry. Her friend was clearly in distress, and she needed to get to the bottom of that before anything else.
Getting to her feet she fetched a bottle of water from the small fridge next to the television and handed it to Agnes. Agnes unscrewed the top and took a grateful sip.
“Thank you.”
Chelsea settled herself across from Agnes on the small ottoman,
“You’re welcome. Now do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Agnes looked up at Chelsea and she realized for the first time how haggard and worn out she looked. Consumed with her own anger and misery, Chelsea had hardly paid attention to Agnes in the last few days, but now she saw clearly the dark circles under her dull eyes, the hollowness of her cheeks and the droop of her shoulders. Even her hair seemed to lack shine and care. What had happened to the vibrant, bubbly Agnes of just a few days ago?
Another wave of remorse crashed through Chelsea and she reached out to take Agnes’ cold hands in her own.
“Whatever it is, I’m here for you.”
Taking in a deep breath Agnes told her about that night. She told her about the boy she had been out with, how she had slept with him and had even had a threesome with another girl and him. But that night he had brought over two of his friends and they had all ganged up on her and had assaulted her and tried to rape her.
Chelsea listened to the horrific tale, stunned into silence.
“I managed to get away and didn’t know what to do…”
“So you called Blake.” Chelsea finished for her.
“Yes, he took me to a hospital, stayed me with me all night and then dropped me off in the morning. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before.”
“No! I’m sorry for having doubted you, for not being there for you. Please forgive me Agnes. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” Agnes said softly, “I really don’t know but I think I’m ready for a quiet life back at home.”
“Agnes you don’t mean that!”
“I do; something like this would never have happened in our community.”
“Maybe, maybe not. There are bad people everywhere, Agnes – and good people. I think that’s what I’ve learned from this whole trip. The world is made up of good and bad. I think you just got carried away a little, I don’t think wilting away back home is the solution.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever feel safe or comfortable here again though.”
You’ve been through a very bad experience, a very traumatic one so I think it’s normal for you to feel that way. But I don’t think it will last forever.”
Chelsea couldn’t believe how the tables had turned! At the start of this trip if someone had told her she would be the one urging Agnes to leave their community behind, she would never have believed it – yet here she was doing exactly that.
“Will you really be happy going back to the Amish way and living like that for the rest of your life?”
After a brief moment of hesitation Agnes shook her head.
“Then I think that’s your answer.”
“When did you get so wise all of a sudden?”
Chelsea tilted her head and fixed an imperious look on her face.
“I was always this wise,” she said haughtily.
A smile broke across Agnes’ face and she kissed Chelsea affectionately.
“You’re right, you always were wise. So now tell me-” but she broke off her sentence as something suddenly occurred to her.
“Chelsea, today is Friday right?”
“Yes,”
“And what time is it?”
Chelsea glanced over at the digital clock on the nightstand. The numbers 8:20 p.m. glowed in bright red.
“Weren’t you supposed to meet Blake like an hour ago?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
With a cry of despair Chelsea jumped to her feet, her worries about Agnes gone out the window. Given the recent developments with Agnes, her earlier decision to not meet Blake seemed like a foolish one but now… now it was much too late! Engrossed in her conversation with Agnes, she had completely lost track of time.
“It’s too late.” She said in a strained whisper, “That was an hour ago, he must be long gone. He’s going to think I don’t love him, Agnes!”
“Call him.” Agnes said, handing her the phone.
With fevered fingers Chelsea punched in the memorized numbers. She waited for the phone to ring and for his warm voice to greet her, but it went directly to voicemail. She called again hoping the line didn’t connect properly for some reason, but again it went to voicemail.
“His phone is turned off.” She said dully.
“He must have decided I’m not coming and he turned off his phone.”
“You have to go to the bridge now.”
“Agnes, it will be no use; he’s gone by now.”
“You don’t know that for sure! You have to try, otherwise you’ll regret it forever.”
“It’s too late, I was supposed to meet him at 7:30….”
Agnes jumped to her feet and pulled Chelsea up,
“It’s never too late.” She said decisively, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned by watching all these romance movies is that it’s never ever too late for true love. Let’s go!”
In less than ten minutes Agnes had managed to hustle Chelsea out of the hotel room and into a cab.
“Golden Gate bridge, as quickly as you can,” she instructed the cabbie firmly and watched with immense satisfaction as the cab drove away in lighting speed.
All the way to the bridge Chelsea kept thinking to herself that there was no way Blake would still be waiting for her. She had kept him waiting for more than hour, how could he possibly still be waiting for her? When they arrived at the mouth of the bridge, she anxiously scanned the surroundings trying to spot Blake, knowing it was a hopeless task. And then to her utter amazement she saw his familiar figure standing a few hundred feet away, eyes trained on the horizon. From the droop of his shoulders, Chelsea could tell he was starting to lose hope that she would come. Her heart ached at having caused him even a moment of pain and she ran towards him. As she got closer he must have heard her footsteps, because he turned and his face lit up with a bright happiness. She held out her arms to him, needing to be held and he grasped her around the waist and swung her around joyfully.
“You came!”
“I did. I’m so sorry.” She whispered before leaning down and kissing him tenderly on the lips, “I’m so sorry, so sorry.” She repeated again and again, punctuating every
apology with a hearty kiss. She could never have imagined herself behaving like this but she felt no shame with him.
“What are you sorry about?” Blake asked her looking puzzled.
“Oh never mind that now.”
“No, all that matters is you’re here.” Blake put her down gently and asked, “Does this mean what I think it means? You’re going to stay here with me and give us…give this a chance?”
“Yes! A million times yes. But I need to go home first and explain. I owe my parents and my community that much at least.”
“I will come with you then,” Blake said firmly.
“Oh, I’m not sure that would be a good idea.”
“I’ll stay in a town nearby and only come when you tell me to, I think its important your parents meet me and see I’m not some vagabond man luring their daughter away from everything they hold dear.”
Touched beyond words at how insightful and considerate he was, Chelsea was rendered speechless. She didn’t know how to explain to this man just how much he meant to her and just how badly she was falling in love with him. But Blake answered for her by pulling her into his arms. As passing cars on the Golden Gate bridge hooted and honked their approval, he pressed his lips down firmly on hers. The kiss of a man who has conquered his heart’s desire at last.
THE END
Adopted by the Amish
(A Forbidden Love Story)
By: Elaine Young
Chapter One
Everything happened in slow motion the day Jessica’s family was killed. They’d been coming home from a stupid movie that she didn’t even want to see. The car had been shaking but her father insisted it was fine – then all of a sudden the wheel came loose and the car lost control.
The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain Jessica felt as she watched her mother, who hadn’t been buckled in, fly towards the windshield. She closed her eyes, but that didn’t stop the sounds.
She didn’t remember passing out, or feeling someone carry her out of the car and into a house, but when she woke up, for a split second she thought she was dreaming. Everyone was dressed in clothes that looked like they weren’t from this century, and the house was being heated by a wood stove. Then she looked towards the door. A police officer stood there, sadness in his eyes and a grim look on his face.
He didn’t need to say a word for her to know what had happened.
Jessica cried and cried. The elder woman tried to comfort her. She tried to hug Jessica, but Jessica pushed her away, screaming.
Maybe it was just that the police were too scared to try and move her, or maybe they were friends with the family- Jessica wasn’t sure, but they allowed her to stay with them, on the condition that service workers be able to stop by. She was pretty sure it was against the rules, but she didn’t care.
“Well figure out what to do with her once she’s had some time to process.” The police officer said. Because really, processing was going to do her so much good.
Although she’d been difficult to deal with the family had done everything they could to help her, and it was because of that that Jessica had decided to stay with them. She was there for three days before she got up to get a glass of water while the kids were getting ready for bed and heard the littlest one praying to God that Jessica would be able to heal. For some reason that had sealed the deal for her, and she’d decided to stay.
She would be eighteen soon, a legal adult. Which meant she would be able to do whatever she wanted, and she was sure that she wanted to join the Amish community that had welcomed her.
“So… I was thinking, I’d like to be baptized,” she said one night at dinner. Everyone turned to stare at her. She felt her cheeks turn a deep shade of pink.
“R-really?” Mary, the mother of four and wife of the house, stammered.
“I mean if you guys would be willing to let me live here a little longer.”
She didn’t want to overstay her welcome, but she was finding this way of life right for her, and truth be told she had no clue what she would do if they said no. She didn’t have any family since her parents had died a few months ago, in the car crash outside the house.
“Not at all,” John gave her a smile.
Jessica smiled widely. “Really? You mean, it won’t be too much trouble for you?”
The husband and wife exchanged looks. “Of course not.”
And that was that; Jessica was going to officially become part of the Amish community. Her eyes sparkled as she finished her dinner quickly, and opted to help do the dishes.
“You’re really going to do it?” Anna asked as she washed and Jessica dried.
“Y-jah.” If she was going to join the community she still needed to get a few things down pat and she knew that. Like the language, and the customs. She still wasn’t used to wearing a Cap or the dresses, but she was going to get used to it. She was going to show everyone in this home that she could do it.
“Don’t you want to…?”
“What? Go back to the English world? Nee, there is nothing for me there. Just a constant reminder that I don’t have anyone. Here, I do. I have people I can count on.”
It’s not that they were her family, not by blood at least, but they treated her like family.
At first, it had been hard. She and the rest of the family had to find a middle ground while she grieved over her parent’s death, but she found being out in the garden, helping the daughters with the yard work and helping Mary with the housework, had been good for her. Most nights it left her so tired she wasn’t able to think before closing her eyes and falling asleep, and that was what she needed. Though it didn’t stop the nightmares.
“We’ll speak to the preacher on Sunday.”
Jessica turned to see Mary watching them both.
“I don’t want to get in the way of any marriage announcements,” she said quickly. The weddings would be coming up soon; all the girls had been talking about it. She didn’t want to get in anyone’s way. Just like English girls, Amish girls often spent their entire lives dreaming about their weddings.
Jessica couldn’t bring herself to take that away from someone. She gave a soft smile. She could wait as long as she had to.
“Nonsense, we’ll see what David says and then we will go from there.”
“The girls will be so happy to hear you’re going to be joining us!” Grace, the youngest of the children, exclaimed. Her blue eyes sparkled.
“I’ll be happy to tell them.”
When Jessica first started staying with the family she had been stared at and whispered about. But since getting to know the community, and going to Dave before church one day, the community had grown to accept her, despite the fact she didn’t quite understand things. Sometimes it was hard, when the young girls and boys had to help her with customs, but no one made fun of her, or judged her harshly. To my face, at least.
As the girls finished the dishes Mary watched them carefully. “Jessica, John would like you to help with the store tomorrow.”
“Of course.”
John owned a furniture store, which wasn’t uncommon for the Amish in the area. A lot of Englishers wanted to come buy nice, Amish-made furniture, which meant that the store often did very well, and provided a good income for the family as well as the community. Since Jessica had started working there they’d found she was able to connect with the English buyers faster than ever, and the sales had gone up.
Although it was never said, Jessica understood that the store was one of the main reasons she’d been welcomed into this family- one of the reasons the family had been able to afford for her to stay with them for so long. So she didn’t mind helping our three or four times a week.
“And Anna, your father would like you to join them as well.”
“Alright, maemm.” Anna was normally the one who came with Jessica when she was working. Although Anna was almost as old as Jessica, and in all rights should be getting ready for her wedding, she had no interest in settling down
. She loved the shop that her father owned and often spent all her free time there. Although no one would admit it, she’d even built a couple of the pieces they’ve sold.
The two girls finished putting everything away and padded to the bedroom that they’d begun to share with one another. Drained from the emotional stress of worrying about telling everyone her announcement Jessica fell onto the bed and pulled the covers over her, just for a quick rest before changing and getting ready for bed. Before she realized it she was out cold.
Anna and Jessica were awake first thing in the morning. Just as the sun was beginning to rise they headed towards the kitchen and began to prepare for the morning. Anna started to get breakfast ready, while Jessica tended to the fire and put a kettle on the stove.
It didn’t take long for everyone else to wake up and for the family to have their breakfast together. John was quick to leave for the shop, but Anna and Jessica had to stay a little longer to help clean up and do some of the morning chores with Mary before they could head over to the shop and help John open up.
“Do you plan to tell anyone about your intentions before you speak to Dave?” Mary asked in a quiet voice.
Jessica shrugged as she retied the bun on her head. “I haven’t decided,” she admitted. “If people find out it’s not a big deal.”
She didn’t want the family to feel like they had to keep secrets from their friends or family; she just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.
Anna came into the room, freshly changed and her hair done in a bun that somehow looked much neater than Jessica’s.
“Ready to go?”
“Jah,” Jessica nodded.
“Have a gut day,” Mary said with a smile.
“You too.”
The two girls headed out at a brisk pace to make sure they would get there before the shop opened. During the walk, Anna talked.
“Emma is going to be so excited when she finds out,” she was saying, “and when Christina announces her engagement she’ll be so thrilled that you’ll be there to see her wedding. We’ve all been wondering, you know. I mean, if you were going to leave us. We’ve grown fond of you.”
