A Simple Spring: A Seasons of Lancaster Novel

by Rosalind Lauer

  All those years when she was growing up, she had watched Englishers and craved their world. Now that she was here, there was no returning to her Amish life.

  And that terrible truth was breaking her heart.

  “Hey, songbird!”

  When she spotted Mike backstage, Sadie pushed past the other visitors and leaped into his arms. He staggered backward, holding her so that her feet dangled in the air above the floor.

  “It’s so good to see you … to hug you.” She could barely believe she had said such a thing, but with Mike it didn’t seem awkward.

  “I know.” He eased her down to the floor, and she lifted her chin to have a close-up look at him. His blue eyes were a lightning strike to her heart. “It feels like you’ve been traveling for a year,” he said.

  “I was getting so sick of holding that silver phone to my ear when I really just wanted to be with you. Did you ever notice that, no matter how much you talk, you only reach a small part of the person on the other phone? It’s very disappointing.”

  “You’re right.” He took her hand, and she squeezed his fingers. No cell phone could give you a connection this good. “There’s nothing like real life,” he said. “And by the way, how about those mad skills you’ve acquired on the electric piano. I know we talked about you taking lessons, but you’ve hit the ground running. Where did that stuff come from?”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve been practicing, every day. Red let me borrow his Wurlitzer, and he showed me a few little tricks.”

  Mike talked with Red while Sadie went to the bus to quickly gather her things. Then they were off, strapped into Mike’s car and moving through the streets of Philadelphia. Although they had talked at least once a day these past few weeks, conversation flowed easily between them. It was always easy with Mike.

  Maybe that was because he was really the only person who knew what she was going through now. He understood the tug-of-war between her Amish past and her future in this other life. After the tour, there were so many good things that Mike was helping her set up. He’d found a review class for the GED, the examination that was equal to having a full high school degree. And a piano teacher who would come to Katherine’s house. And church every Sunday, with a chance to sing in the choir. So many wonderful things were waiting down the road for Sadie, after the tour and her visit home.

  Her visit home …

  It had taken her most of the time on the tour to realize that she would not be going back to her Amish home to stay. Oh, ya, she missed her brothers and sisters dearly! But she could not deny the journey of her heart, now that she saw her path whenever she closed her eyes and prayed.

  Her Amish life was like the beginning chapters of a sweet book. You could read them over and over again, but the story could not go on until you dared to read the rest of the book.

  Sadie and Mike talked about how bittersweet the tour had become. Every day brought the clear joy of being able to sing as a job, along with the cloying boredom of living on the bus, eating meals of crackers and soda pop, and putting up with Frank’s silly schemes. It would be a relief to finish the tour and bid farewell to Frank.

  When they arrived at Katherine’s house, it was nearly midnight. Sadie tiptoed through the parlor, trying not to wake her, but the older woman’s voice came from the back room.

  “Well, get in here already and let me see you.”

  Sadie peeked around the wall to see Katherine standing with the help of only a cane now. She straightened, a welcoming light in her eyes. “It’s good to see you. I hear you’re quite a rock star these days.”

  “I don’t know about that. But I’m happy to have landed here with you again.”

  “The vagabond life wearing thin?”

  “Very thin. I’m grateful to have a real bed to sleep in tonight.”

  “Good. Well, I need my beauty sleep, but you know your way around the place. Make yourself at home. Oh, and the fridge is stocked with eggs and milk and bacon.” Katherine cocked one brow. “That’s a hint.”

  “Ah, good. I’ll make a delicious breakfast for all of us before church.”

  They said good night to Katherine and headed up the stairs. Sadie peeked into the room she’d stayed in, so happy to be here, but there was no stopping now. She followed Mike to the tippy-top and stepped out onto the roof into the warm July night.

  Her hands pressed to her chest as she stepped toward the landscape of starry lights. “I’ve dreamed of this these past weeks. Dreamed of being here with you.”

  He moved beside her and slid an arm around her waist. “Does that mean I’m a dream come true?”

  “Aren’t you the funny one?”

  “Hey, is that sarcasm I hear?” He turned to face her, his handsome face lit with amusement. “What happened to the sweet, wise Amish girl I used to know?”

  “She’s right here.” She stepped into his arms, reaching up to cling to his broad shoulders. “I’ve always been right here.”

  His arms surrounded her, pressing her body to his with a tenderness that took her breath away. This love … this was so very right.

  She sighed against him as his lips brushed hers, then pressed into a kiss.

  With all the fears and doubts that had shadowed her thoughts over the past few weeks, not once did she question that she and Mike belonged together. Mike had told her that in the Englisher world it was not a good thing to marry so young, when they both needed more schooling and jobs to support a family. But in her heart and soul she believed that they would marry sometime in the future.

  Oh, to be Mike’s wife! Cooking for him and caring for their home, while he solved the problems of the world with his earnest charm. And the babies they would have … little ones who would grow up showered by God’s love, free to make choices without the weight of tradition on their shoulders.

  Sadie couldn’t imagine a more wonderful life.

  The next morning Sadie found joy in the cracking of fresh eggs and the sizzle of bacon in a fry pan. There were fresh blueberries and Florida oranges that Sadie peeled and sliced into a fruit salad. Mike brewed the coffee and toasted frozen waffles that tasted surprisingly good.

  It felt good to sit for a meal with two people she cared for. My new family, she thought.

  Katherine had so many questions about the tour, and Sadie wanted to know what the doctors were saying about Katherine’s progress. It felt like a little family reunion.

  As Sadie started to do the dishes, Mike turned the water off and pulled her away from the sink. “The cleanup can wait,” he said. “Gran, Sadie has something to show you, out in the parlor.”

  As Sadie sat down to play “Amazing Grace” for Katherine, joy bubbled in her soul. Frayliche, as they said at home. This was what it would be like to perform for her parents, she thought. People who loved her and who were delighted with what she’d learned.

  When she finished, Katherine applauded, then gave a hoot that made Sadie laugh.

  “Thank you,” Sadie said. “Thank you for starting me on the piano. I will always remember my first teacher.”

  The next morning at church, Sadie was once again mesmerized by the talented musicians who turned prayer into beautiful music. The reading was the story of the Good Samaritan, one of Sadie’s favorite Bible stories. She had been taught to help people in need, and she had always helped at quilting frolics or putting up peaches or whatever could be done to raise money for families who had seen hard times.

  But today, the story of the man who stopped along the roadside to help an injured traveler reminded her of Mike. Mike was her Good Samaritan. Hadn’t he stopped along the road, more than once, to give her a ride?

  Mike had always been a fixer. He had traveled to Jamaica and done so many good things. She loved the stories of the young boys who had come to hang out on his front porch—the little soldiers. He had started their friendships by offering soda pops and crayons to draw pictures. Then he had started teaching them how to write and read letters. Before he left the coun
try, he had helped most of those boys enroll in a real school.

  Her heart felt light as her gaze wandered to the choir section, where he sat in a blue robe. How she loved him! God’s goodness lived in Mike Trueherz. That was his special gift, and he shared it with others every day.

  One of the songs, called “Wandering Afar,” captured her interest because it reminded her of her own journey.

  Wand’ring afar on the mountain wild,

  Still He is calling, “Come, my child;

  Hasten to Me, I will all forgive;

  Perishing soul, oh, come and live!”

  She had been wandering so far from her home, and oh, she felt the need for forgiveness, but not from God in heaven. The people she needed to forgive her were back home in Halfway. Adam. Bishop Samuel. Her sisters, dear Ruthie and Leah and Susie and Mary, who must be missing her help every day. The little ones, who must be wondering where she’d gone. And then Gabe and Simon and Jonah. After losing their parents two winters ago, her siblings didn’t deserve to lose a sister.

  But she had gone … left them all behind.

  God had called her to follow her heart, but that didn’t make it easy to leave her family behind. Soon she would be returning to Lancaster County, just for the twins’ birthday, and she didn’t know how they would welcome her … or if they would welcome her at all.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  August third, the last scheduled tour date in Brooklyn, New York, came and went without the tour bus leaving the city. On the last night in Brooklyn, Frank told the band that he had been approached by a club owner in Manhattan who wanted them to perform for the next four nights.

  “Four nights in Manhattan,” Frank exclaimed. “This is big-time, baby!”

  Tara tossed her hair back with a smile, and even Red seemed happy about it. But Sadie was worried.

  “I have to be back in Halfway by the morning of August eighth,” she said. “Very early in the morning. I won’t have time to do a gig the night before.”

  “Sadie, Sadie, hold on.” Frank held his hands up. “You didn’t hear me. I said Manhattan. The Big Apple.”

  “I heard you just fine, Frank. But I promised to be home by then, and it’s important.”

  Frank let out a dramatic sigh. “Okay. How about this? You stay for the gig, and I swear to you, I’ll get you home in time. If the bus can’t move fast enough, we’ll rent a car and leave right after the gig, okay?”

  “I don’t know.” Sadie frowned. “I can’t miss it.”

  “You won’t. Cross my heart. If you agree to stay, I’ll get you there.”

  Sadie wanted to refuse him, but then she saw the intense wanting in Tara’s eyes and she thought of the story of the Good Samaritan. Right now Sadie was the only one who could help the band make it down this road, and the pressure weighed on her. She wanted to be a helper.

  “Whew.” Red sighed. “This is huge. Is there a way we can make it work for Sadie?”

  “I said I’d drive her home in time.” Frank started pacing, his nervous habit.

  Sadie closed her eyes, firming her choice. “All right. But—”

  “Fantastic!” Frank gave her shoulder a happy shake. “You’ll thank me later. This is going to be a great break for us!”

  The Manhattan gigs were more noisy and crowded than most. After each performance people streamed backstage, hoping to meet the band and get photos. Sadie was swarmed by people who wanted to talk with her, buy her a drink, or take her photo with their cell phones. Sadie was glad for the band’s success, but in the back of her mind was the thought of their last performance, the rush to get back to Halfway, and the worries about facing Adam and her family once again.

  At last, the final performance came. Sadie gave it her all, knowing that this might be the last time she ever sang with Red, Tara, and Frank. Closing her eyes, she escaped the earthly world and opened her voice to the heavens. Floating to a place of joy and peace, she thanked God as she sang, thanked Him for teaching her how to open her heart and use this gift.

  After the performance the crowd of people backstage made it impossible to find Frank. When Sadie finally spotted him talking with a man and woman, he was jumping with energy again.

  “Sadie lady, did you hear that crowd?” he asked her, then quickly introduced her to the two people, Guy Delta—a record producer—and his A and R person, Trina Feldman.

  “Guy and Trina were in the audience and they want to talk with us about getting the band into the studio.”

  Sadie’s heart sank. “That’s very nice, but can Frank talk to you on his cell later? We need to get driving back to Pennsylvania.”

  The two businesspeople turned back to Frank, who shrugged.

  “Sadie just doesn’t get business. She really was raised Amish, so all this talk is totally out of her league.”

  Her teeth ground together at the insult. She understood what was going on. She simply didn’t have the patience for it. “Frank … we have to go now. You promised.”

  “Just give me a half hour or so, okay? We can’t give up now,” Frank insisted.

  “I can’t spare the time.” Desperate, she grabbed his arm, hoping to make him understand. “I have to be home by first light.”

  “Then you’ll have to find another way home.” He wrested his arm free.

  They argued, with Sadie insisting she must go home in time for a family celebration, and Frank refusing to walk away from the chance of a lifetime—a producer wanting to meet with him. “But you promised …,” she reminded him. His shrug made her see that promises were not to be taken seriously among the English.

  A panic overtook her as she realized Frank was not going to take her home. She was going to miss the birthdays. She stormed out of the club, onto the bus. It took her only two minutes to gather her few possessions into her backpack, and then she wasn’t quite sure where to turn next. Trying to think calmly, she remembered someone talking about a train. Remy had taken a train from New York to Philly.

  Backpack in hand, she ran to the street and looked around at the gray buildings looming overhead. She knew that trains ran through all of Manhattan and Brooklyn. She had heard them rumbling underground sometimes while walking down the street. How would she find the train that would take her to Philly?

  She ducked into a corner store with its lights still blazing and went to the man at the counter. “Can you tell me how to get the train to Philadelphia?”

  He scratched his neck. “Philadelphia?” His accent was quick, like a galloping horse. He shook his head.

  Sadie’s chest burned with disappointment as she turned away.

  “You need to take the Amtrak train.” A woman around her age stood behind her with a carton of milk and a bottle of soda pop in her hand. “It leaves from Penn Station. Thirty-third Street.”

  “Oh?” Sadie blinked. “Penn Station. How do I get there?”

  “If you’re in a hurry, take a cab.”

  “Thank you.” Sadie nodded. “Thank you very much.” She wheeled and ran out to the street. Her heart raced as she stood at the curb and waved at the cars moving toward her. She had learned that the yellow cars were the ones you hired for a ride.

  Penn Station … She said it over and over in her head, so it was no problem saying it to the driver when he pulled up beside her.

  Penn Station was hidden under a big building, but she rode the escalator down, and followed the signs for Amtrak, as the woman had instructed. At the ticket office her spirits lifted when the agent told her that a train to Philadelphia was boarding at that very moment. She purchased a ticket, found her way to the right platform, and collapsed into an empty seat on the train.

  It was going to work out. She would be back in Philadelphia by one a.m. And after that …

  She could only think of one way home to Halfway, but she hated to call Mike in the middle of the night. She settled back into the seat and stared out the window to the passing lights. The train was quiet, with most people either asleep or reading. The gentle rocking moti
on of the train on the tracks relaxed her, and she imagined that everyone on the train was in God’s cradle, being rocked so gently.

  By the time the train was pulling in to Philadelphia’s South Street Station, Sadie had decided to call Mike. He was a helper; he’d said so himself. And right now she needed help.

  Inside the station she juggled her bag to her left arm to get to her cell phone. But when she flipped it open, she saw that the battery was blinking. It was running out.

  Quickly she pressed Mike’s name, but before it could ring, the phone blinked and turned off.

  Oh, no! What good was this Englisher technology when it left you stranded so far from home? She wanted to toss her cell phone into a trash can. A sob slipped out of her throat, and tears filled her eyes.

  She was going to miss the birthday song.

  Her promise would be broken.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  The buzz of his phone startled Mike awake. He checked the screen, but didn’t recognize the number. Who would be calling at one-thirty in the morning?

  “Hello?” His voice was low from sleep.

  “Mike, it’s Sadie.”

  “Sadie …” He swung his feet down and sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay?” She didn’t sound okay. And why was she calling from this strange number?

  “I’m so very sorry to wake you, but I have a problem here. I’m in Philadelphia, at the train station, and I need to get back home before sunrise. If I don’t leave soon, I’ll miss the birthdays and … oh, I promised Ruthie, and now …”

  “You need a ride?” Mike had already pulled on his sweatpants. “No problem. I’m on my way.” He swiped a hand through his hair. If it was a mess, at least it would be uniformly ruffled. “So you’re at the South Street station? Are you in a safe spot where people can see you? Under a light, with people around?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Sitting right outside the ticket office, and there’s a very nice policeman who’s let me borrow his phone. Mine is out of battery.”

  “Okay, you just stay where you are.” Mike opened the tall oak door of Gran’s house, stepped out, and locked it behind him. “I’ll be there in a flash.”