by Jan Drexler
Ida Mae handed her shawl to Judith, then helped Sadie with her wraps. “I’m sure you get your turn at holding them and changing diapers, though.”
Esther laughed. “I can just see Judith changing diapers.”
“Then get ready to be surprised,” Judith said. “Eli still wears diapers, too. And all of those diapers need to be washed every day.”
Sadie moved past the girls, leaning on her cane as she went. She patted Judith’s arm. “I know you’re a wonderful-gut help to Annie.”
Judith and Esther carried the cloaks and bonnets into the bedroom while the others went into the front room where the quilting frame was set up.
“Now that there’s just us,” Esther said, “you can tell me. How are you doing?”
Esther’s eyes were fixed on Judith’s face, concerned.
“You were right. It is a lot of work taking care of a house full of people and babies up to our ears.” Judith smiled to relieve Esther’s worries. “But Annie and I work together well, and we have a lot of fun in the midst of the work. I had forgotten how cheerful she is.”
Esther smiled. “She’s much happier since she married Matthew.”
“And the babies make her even happier, if that could be possible.”
“So, who was that boy you were talking to?”
Judith felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “What boy?”
“That handsome young man who headed for the barn as soon as we walked toward the house.”
It was just like Esther to jump to conclusions. “He’s the neighbor’s hired hand. He carried a basket over for Verna.”
“I know I saw him talking to you.” Esther grinned. “I’d say you’re sweet on him, the way you’re blushing.”
“He’s a friend.”
“Is that all?”
Judith looked straight into Esther’s eyes, dark blue, just like her own. “Ja, that’s all. I’m teaching him Deitsch, and so we’ve spent some time together. But I’m not ready to settle down to one boy. The Singing next week is only my second one, and I plan to have fun with the other girls.”
Esther tapped a forefinger on her pursed lips as Judith’s face turned even warmer.
“I think there’s more to him than you’re saying. Did he ask to take you to the Singing?”
Judith sighed, giving up. “How can you always guess my secrets?”
“Everything shows on your face.” Esther pushed the pile of cloaks aside and perched on the edge of the bed. “Tell me all about him. What is his name? Where is he from?” She covered her mouth as an idea struck her. “He isn’t one of those bachelors from Illinois or Ohio who has come to look for a wife, is he?”
Sitting next to Esther, Judith was determined to answer her sister’s questions as quickly and simply as possible. “He’s not from anywhere. He lives right here in LaGrange County. His name is Guy Hoover, and he works for the Masts.”
“He has family around here, then?”
Judith shook her head. “He’s from the Orphan’s Home.”
“What Amish family would allow a child to go to an—” Esther broke off, then whispered. “He isn’t Amish, is he? I didn’t think Hoover sounded like an Amish name.”
Judith shook her head. “That’s why he wanted me to teach him how to speak Deitsch, so he would fit in better around here.”
“Then he must be wanting to join church?”
“Not from what he says, but who knows what will happen?”
“Are you going to the Singing with him? He asked you, didn’t he?”
Judith picked a bit of lint off the quilt they were sitting on. “He asked, and I told him we could walk together, but we’re not courting.”
“Why not?”
“Two reasons.” Judith ticked them off on her fingers. “One, he isn’t Amish.”
“But he could be, right?”
“I’m not going to keep company with anyone who isn’t Amish.”
“I would, if he was part of the community. It isn’t much different than seeing an Amish boy who isn’t baptized yet, is it?”
Judith shifted on the bed. She hadn’t thought of that.
“Two, I’m not going to pay attention to only one boy. Not yet.”
Esther nodded. “All right. I can understand that, because I feel the same way. I don’t want to tie myself down just yet. There will be plenty of time for that later.”
Judith laced her fingers around one knee. “Unless the right boy comes along. How is Thomas Weaver?”
“He still only has eyes for Ida Mae.”
Ever since Ida Mae had moved from Ohio with Mary to live with Aunt Sadie, the most popular boy in the Shipshewana church had ignored all the girls except her.
“Have you gone to any of the Singings in Shipshewana, yet?”
Esther nodded. “We’ve had two since you moved, and both of them were a lot of fun.”
“Does anyone special take you?”
Esther grinned. “You know how protective our brother is. Samuel made me promise to only ride with him for the first few times.”
“Matthew insisted on driving me to the first one.” Judith shifted on the bed so she could see Esther’s face better. “But have you met anyone at the Singing? Anyone new?”
Esther shook her head, but her cheeks turned pink. “It’s the same crowd of boys that we always saw at church.” She stood, heading for the bedroom door. “We had better get in to the quilting before we miss everything.”
Judith hopped up and grabbed Esther’s arm. “Not until you tell me his name.”
“I didn’t say there was anyone.”
“Esther...”
“All right, but you have to keep it a secret.” Esther chewed on her lower lip until Judith nodded. “It’s Forest Miller.”
“Forest?” The gangly fourteen-year-old had been the bane of Esther’s existence when the two of them were in eighth grade.
“He’s nicer than I thought he was a few years ago.”
“Didn’t you hate him when you were in school together?”
Esther shrugged. “He has changed and grown up.” She smiled in a way Judith had never seen before. “And maybe I have, too.”
Judith dropped her sister’s arm and watched her walk away. Esther with a beau? Her eyes prickled as she thought of Forest, an earnest young man who worked on the family farm with his daed. As the only son, he would take over the farm when his parents retired, and he would do well. If Esther ended up marrying Forest, her future looked bright and secure. Perhaps she should reconsider her vow to stay free from romantic entanglements. When Esther married, Judith would be the last one of the family without a husband, and that sounded like a lonely prospect.
* * *
A figure waited for Guy at the end of the lane on Sunday evening. He had tried to be early, but Judith had arrived at the meeting place before him. The air was cool, but not bitter, and Judith stamped her feet in the dusky light just after sunset.
“You’re late,” she called when he got close.
“I’m not. I checked the kitchen clock. I’m right on time, so you’re early.”
When he got close enough, he could see she was grinning at him, her eyes luminous.
“I don’t want to be late to the Singing.” She started down the road, leaving him to catch up. “I met some more of the girls at the Sunday meeting this morning, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again.”
Guy lengthened his stride, pushing away the familiar gnawing ache of being left behind. “Wait up. We planned to walk together, remember?”
“Then hurry up.” She turned midstep and walked backwards. “And you’re supposed to be speaking Deitsch, remember?”
Jogging the last few steps, he fell in beside her as she faced forward again. “Ja, ja, ja. I know. But it’s hard.”
“It will only get e
asier if you practice.”
Guy caught her arm. “If I promise to stick to Deitsch, will you slow down and walk with me?”
“I don’t want to be late. Everyone will notice if we come in late together, and we don’t want them pairing us off.”
“Why not?” A warm feeling filled Guy’s chest as he thought of the jealous looks he would get from the other boys if that happened.
“Because we’re not together.”
As she hurried ahead, he took her arm again and made her walk at a slower pace. By his side. Her arm yielded to the pressure and she matched her steps with his. “We could be.”
She looked at him, tilting her head to see past the edge of her bonnet. “But we’re friends.”
“Yeah. We’re friends. What’s wrong with that?”
Judith looked to the crossroads they were approaching. The clip-clop of a horse sounded from ahead, coming toward them, the buggy silhouetted against the dusky gray sky as the horse turned onto the road toward Deacon Beachey’s.
“Nothing. Except...”
Guy stopped in the road and turned her toward him, forgetting all about speaking Penn Dutch.
“Except what?”
She chewed on her lower lip, not meeting his eyes. “Except that, well, I don’t want people to think we’re more than friends.”
That gnawing ache started again and his stomach clenched. “I’m not good enough for you? I’m not Amish?”
Judith hesitated just long enough for his clenched stomach to spiral toward his feet.
“No, no, of course not.” She glanced at him, then away again. “It’s just that this is all so new for me, and I want to make friends with both the boys and the girls. If they thought we were a couple, then everyone would leave us to ourselves.”
Guy couldn’t answer. He didn’t know her well enough to figure out if she was telling the truth or just trying to make him feel better.
“Come on,” she said, tugging at his arm. “Let’s keep walking.”
He fell into step beside her. “So which girls have you met?”
“I like Waneta Zook. She’s so friendly and kind.”
Guy nodded. “Her brother Elias always makes me feel welcome, too. But he doesn’t come to the Singings here. He has a girl in Clinton Township he likes, so he goes over there.”
“And then there are Mandy and Rebecca Stoltzfus. I found out this morning that my sister-in-law Ellie is their older sister. So that makes us sisters, too, doesn’t it?”
A twinge of jealousy surprised Guy. Jealous of Judith? He looked at the side of her bonnet, wondering how she made friends so quickly. They crossed the road as they turned at the corner. Elam Beachey’s house was just ahead on the left.
“Anyone else?”
“There’s Hannah Kaufman. She’s been very friendly. And this morning I met her sister Susan.”
“And you already met her brother Luke.”
“Ja, I’ve met Luke...” Her voice trailed off.
“What do you think about him?” Guy heard a hard edge to his question. He knew his own opinion of Luke. They had never been friends.
“He’s nice.”
Such a safe answer.
“I saw you talking with him at the last Singing.”
“He brought me some punch, and he wanted to take me home.”
“He isn’t the kind of fellow you want to spend a lot of time with.”
She looked at him. “Why not?”
Guy had a slew of reasons, starting with the rakish smile Luke’s face always held when he talked about girls and ending with the disdain in his voice whenever Guy was around. But that was his opinion, and he didn’t want to gossip.
“He just isn’t the type for a girl like you.”
They had reached the Beacheys’ lane, and buggies crowded the narrow space, making it impossible to walk side by side.
He slowed to let Judith walk in front of him, but first, she looked straight at him. “You have no idea what kind of boy is right for me, Guy Hoover. I’ll make my own decisions about that.”
She hurried on, meeting some other girls who had stepped out of buggies and were walking up to the house. Guy stood in the crusty leftover snowbank beside the lane, watching them. Judith was wrong. He knew her well enough to know that Luke was not the right boy for her.
He waited until Judith and the other girls had gone into the house, then followed a group of boys in. The kitchen was crowded and hot, but the front room was spacious. Someone had already cracked a window open to keep the air fresh, and the walls that had been moved out of the way for the morning’s service were still off to the side. The young men were lined up along the far wall, waiting for the girls to come in and take their seats, and Luke Kaufman was with them, surrounded by a few friends.
As soon as Guy stepped into the room, Luke spotted him and beckoned him over.
“Look fellows,” Luke said. “It’s the Englischer, trying to be Amish again.”
Guy didn’t answer. He never answered Luke. In the past, he had a hard time understanding him, but his Dutch must be getting better. He not only understood the words Luke used, but the mocking tone behind them.
“Leave him alone,” Benjamin Stoltzfus said. “Guy can come to the Singings. He comes to church, doesn’t he?”
“Only because old man Mast makes him.”
The back of Guy’s neck was on fire. It was one thing for Luke to ridicule him, but to speak of David Mast in that tone was unfair.
“He doesn’t make me come.”
Luke’s eyebrows shot up. “The Englischer speaks.” He looked around the circle of onlookers. “Be careful what you say, boys. It seems he understands Deitsch, after all.”
Benjamin pushed out of the group, clasping Guy’s shoulder and propelling him toward the table.
“Let’s find our seats. The girls are beginning to sit down.”
“Did you hear what he said about David?” Guy shrugged Benjamin’s hand off. “He needs to know he can’t talk about folks like that.”
Benjamin stopped, facing Guy. “He’s just trying to rile you up, don’t you see? He’ll keep prodding you until he gets you sent home. Is that what you want?”
Unfamiliar words skipped over Guy’s understanding. “Say it in English. What is he doing?”
“Trying to get you to start a fight, and you don’t want that.”
Guy glanced at Luke’s mocking face, still holding court with the group of boys.
“Ne, I don’t want that.” He slipped back into Deitsch. “Denki. I’m glad you stepped in.”
“No problem. That’s what friends do, isn’t it? Look out for each other?”
Benjamin’s words sent an unfamiliar warmth through Guy’s middle. He watched as Benjamin slipped into the chair across from Susie Gingerich. He had never thought he’d have friends among the Amish. Too often he only saw the laughing faces and Luke’s mocking grin, but maybe he spent too much time worrying about Luke’s opinion instead of noticing fellows who were being friendly. Judith had reminded him about Elias Zook earlier, and now Benjamin Stoltzfus. Maybe he could fit in with this crowd.
Guy scanned the girls taking their seats, watching for Judith, but just as he saw her take a chair, Luke pushed past him and sat across from her. Guy finally found an empty seat across from a girl he didn’t know. She blushed and giggled, whispering to the girl next to her, but he ignored her, glancing down the length of the table toward Judith.
Her face flushed as she glanced toward Luke, then looked down at her lap. She bit her lower lip, then stole a glance at Luke again before looking in Guy’s direction. Judith smiled at him, then opened her book as the first song was announced. The smile was friendly, in spite of Luke’s presence. Maybe she still considered him a friend, after all.
Chapter Five
Judith sipped a cup of punc
h during the break, standing on the edge of the group of girls. Listening to Hannah’s story of their pig, which had escaped from its pen yesterday, only took half of her attention while she watched the group of boys across the room. It seemed that Luke was telling the same tale as his sister from the laughs he was getting from his audience.
“Mamm was furious by the end of it,” Hannah said. “The old sow ran right through the clean wash on the line. The rope broke and she dragged all the sheets through the mud. Mamm had to do all that laundry over instead of getting the garden plowed like she wanted.”
“How did the pig get out?” asked Waneta.
“My sisters and their families were visiting while the men were at the mud sale over in Granger, and one of the kids opened the gate.”
Hannah laughed, but the rest of the girls looked at each other. Judith knew what they were all thinking. If one of their nephews or nieces had done such a thing, there would have been trouble. And what had Hannah been doing while all this was going on? She hadn’t said a word about helping her mamm.
“If I had been your mamm,” Waneta said, “I would have made the kids wash the dirty clothes.”
“Not them. They won’t do anything unless their daeds are around.” Hannah shrugged. “That’s the way it is with kids, isn’t it?”
Judith was glad when Waneta changed the subject.
“Are any of you coming to the quilting at our house this week? Mamm and I are putting my quilt top in the frame, and I can’t wait for all of you to see it.”
“Is it a special quilt?” Mandy Stoltzfus grinned at Waneta. “I heard Reuben talking to Daed about buying the farm next to ours sometime this year.”
Waneta’s face turned bright pink, but couldn’t hide her smile. “Of course, it’s a special quilt.”
Mandy nodded knowingly at the rest of the girls. “It’s the pattern Reuben picked out.”
“Maybe,” said Waneta, laughing along with the rest of them. “You never know.”
The group of boys had broken up, some of them heading outside and some heading to the kitchen for more refreshments. Luke walked straight over to Judith and her friends.
“What are you girls talking about?” He winked at several of them, but his gaze finally rested on Judith.
