Living in Harmony

by Mary Ellis

  John scrubbed every feed or water bucket, mucked out the stalls for Thomas’s twin Belgians and his buggy Standardbred, and then swept the barn floor with the push broom. Hard labor worked wonders for a man’s soul…and for a woman’s too, if Nora King cared to give it a try. After washing at the barn’s hand pump, John strolled back to the house, tired but in a better mood. His temperament further improved when he spotted Amy sewing on the porch.

  “Good evening,” he greeted as he climbed the steps. When she scooted over, he sat beside her. “What are you making?”

  She lifted one eyebrow. “I’m altering my bonnet because the brim isn’t wide enough for district rules. Sally found some matching fabric, so this shouldn’t be too difficult.”

  “Must not let anyone see how pretty you are. I won’t stand a chance.” He snaked his arm around the back of the swing.

  “Seeing at all will be the challenge.” She focused her lovely blue gaze on him instead of the bonnet. Her eyes matched the deep color of Harmony Pond. “All’s well with the livestock tonight? Thomas said you volunteered for evening chores to give him time to work on his sermon.”

  “Jah, but his goats are an ornery lot. One of them tried to butt me when I retrieved his water bucket for cleaning. I can’t figure out why Thomas keeps such troublesome creatures.” He dropped his voice to a whisper.

  “You’re joking, jah?” Her dimples deepened. “The females produce milk, which Sally turns into delicious cheese, and she also uses their milk when the Holstein heifer dries up. Thomas raises the males for meat. They pasture better on rocky, hilly land than cows. That was boar goat meat in the stew tonight. Gut, no?”

  “Ah, I’d wondered what that was. Now I know.” He moved the swing with a boot heel. “But I don’t want to debate goats and cows with you.”

  “I take it you’re a beef man.” Amy knotted the thread and then broke it off with her teeth.

  “I am, but we need to talk about Nora.”

  “She went to bed early with a couple more aspirin. I hope she feels better tomorrow. Those migraines can last for days.” She held up the bonnet to inspect in the fading light.

  “Your sister needs to pitch in while we’re living here. And Sally could certainly use help with two little ones. Nora is no Englischer on vacation.”

  Amy suppressed a grin as though he’d said something funny. “She doesn’t think she is. She wasn’t feeling well today, that’s all.”

  “You have a tendency to baby her.”

  She pondered that for a moment. “Perhaps I did back in Pennsylvania, but I promise I won’t here.” She patted his arm. “If the migraine is gone tomorrow, I’ll stand over her with a stick to make her work.”

  “Gut,” he said, louder than necessary.

  “Should we go inside? Mosquitos are starting to feast on us.” Amy rose gracefully to her feet, repaired bonnet in hand.

  “Another minute, please. I’ve more to say.” He patted the swing. “Amy, her dresses are inappropriate—dark pink, pale green, light blue. Women in Maine don’t wear those colors.”

  “She’s still in rumschpringe, John.” Amy sat back down.

  “Nein. Not here she’s not. Young people in Harmony don’t have that option. They join the church and commit their lives as young as sixteen, but certainly by seventeen or eighteen. Nora is twenty—it’s time for her to make a decision. And until she does, she must wear more appropriate clothing.”

  Amy blinked, staring at him. “We’ll go to the co-op store tomorrow if we can borrow the buggy again. We’ll buy black, brown, and navy fabric and start making new outfits and bonnets.”

  “Danki. I don’t mean to sound cross with you, but your sister needs to understand Harmony’s ways.”

  “We’ve only been here two days, but I’ll speak to her during the drive. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going inside before these bugs eat me alive. I’ll take a cup of valerian tea up to her to ensure she’s as good as new tomorrow.” Amy jumped up and left without another word.

  John would have liked to spend time with her without discussing goats, cows, or cures for migraine headaches. He enjoyed their ride to the lake earlier, secretly glad Nora hadn’t tagged along. Amy pampered that girl. So had her mamm, by buying and cooking special food just for Nora. Finicky eaters became less so once hunger took over. “Ach,” he muttered as one uncharitable idea after another flitted across his mind. It might be better if Nora returned to Lancaster sooner rather than later. With her willful independence, she would never conform to district Ordnung. And the longer she remained, the more influence she exerted on Amy. If the bishop met the undecided Nora, he might not approve their marriage.

  John clenched his eyes tightly shut, ashamed of his thoughts. He should encourage the younger sister to find the one true path instead of wishing her shuffled back to Pennsylvania.

  Forgive me, Lord. I should concentrate on my own sins instead of pointing fingers at someone else.

  The next morning Amy almost didn’t see John standing beside the horse and buggy due to her newly widened brim.

  “Guder mariye, Amy,” he greeted. “I hope you’re feeling better, Nora.” He perused Nora from her green dress up to her black head covering, a perfect copy of Amy’s.

  “I am, danki,” Nora replied, staring down at her shoes.

  “Sally loaned Nora her bonnet, and that dress is the darkest one she owns. We’re not the same size.” Amy tried to keep pique from her tone but failed.

  “It’ll be fine for one day.” John offered a hand to step up. “Would you like me to drive you to the store? Thomas said he can spare me for another morning because I accomplished so much last night.”

  Amy tugged the reins from his fingers and tucked her skirt around her legs. “How can we have a woman-to-woman chat with you along?” She clucked to the horse. He pulled hard against the harness.

  John grabbed the bridle and held on tightly. “But you’re not familiar with Thomas’s horse or the way to town.”

  Amy exhaled through flared nostrils. “I will drive two miles down this road, turn left, and drive two more miles. I don’t think anyone could get lost going to Harmony. And I know how to handle a Standardbred. I owned one in Lancaster until I sold him to my cousin.” She held his gaze.

  “As you wish,” he said, releasing the bridle.

  “See you at lunchtime.” Amy nodded to him as the buggy rolled down the driveway.

  Nora turned to look out the back window. “I’m surprised he’s not running after us. He has changed.”

  Her three emotionless words duplicated Amy’s suspicion of the previous night. She’d replayed the porch scene several times when sleep refused to come. “No, he hasn’t,” she said after a pause. “But we live in his brother’s house. Therefore, we must abide with their district’s rules.”

  “Thomas seems nice to Sally, but he barely tolerates us.”

  “That is how it should be, no? And not the reverse?”

  “Why can’t he be nice to everybody?” Nora leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

  “Don’t be quick to judge. Maybe he has more on his mind than us. Now, put on your sunglasses to prevent another headache.”

  “I doubt they are permissible with the new Ordnung.” Nora crossed her arms.

  Amy glared at her, but Nora kept her eyes closed. “They are for medical reasons, not to look fancy. Please don’t get cranky with me.”

  Nora dug in her purse for the sunglasses, donning them before she replied. “I’m sorry, Amy. Thinking about no rumschpringe in Harmony has made me cranky. How do young people meet and start courting? You said at breakfast there were few social events to speak of.”

  Suddenly, she pivoted on the bench. “Surely you don’t mean they arrange marriages—fixed-up deals between parents and the bishop?” Nora pulled her glasses down her nose and peered over the top. “If that’s the case, you can point this buggy toward the bus station and mail my meager belongings whenever you get a chance.”

  Amy burs
t into laughter, as did her sister. Near hysterics lifted the somber mood that had prevailed since John relayed Thomas’s expectations. “No, nothing like that, but courting is far more…conservative. I asked Sally to spell out the particulars while you were in the shower.” She glanced at Nora.

  “Go on.”

  “They do hold singings, but everyone attends them, including parents and children. Remember, there are only twelve families here until more folks move to town. The other two Maine districts are far away.”

  “I never realized there would be so few people.”

  “After a singing or a preaching service, a boy could ask to walk a girl home, but her parents will walk a few paces behind them. They aren’t left unchaperoned.”

  “Except when he takes her for a ride in his courting buggy, jah?” Nora’s question was filled with hope.

  “Nein. No courting buggies here.” Amy shook the reins to hasten their pace.

  Nora stared, wide-eyed and frightened. “How exactly do people fall in love? Surely a man doesn’t walk up to a woman and say, ‘You look like a pleasant enough person to spend my life with…how about we get hitched a week from Thursday?’ ”

  Amy laughed but without much humor. “I asked Sally about that. After a few walks, if the boy is still interested, he talks to his parents. If they think it would be a good match, then the boy speaks to her parents.”

  “Wait a minute, schwester—”

  Amy held up her palm. “Let me finish. If her parents agree to the relationship, then they will talk to their daughter. If she says ‘Not interested,’ the matter is dropped and never discussed again. You must admit this saves the boy time and energy if a gal has her heart set on someone else.”

  Nora rolled her eyes. “Seems to me time is all they have in Maine. There’s not much else to do. Okay, what happens if the girl says jah?”

  Amy stifled her grin. “The plot thickens, no? The boy will spend Sunday afternoons at the girl’s home. They get to know each other better. They can sit on the porch and talk, or they can take a walk as long as one of her siblings tags along. At any point either can decide this isn’t the right one for them. But there are no romantic buggy rides or holding hands or stolen kisses under the stars.” Amy studied Nora’s expression to make sure the point hit its mark.

  “I get the picture.” She sounded uncharacteristically meek.

  “I love you and would like you to stay in Harmony, but no one will think badly if you choose to return to Lancaster County. This isn’t exactly what you were expecting.” She slapped the reins on the gelding’s back.

  “Is it what you were expecting?”

  The question caught Amy off guard. “No. I had planned to work before I had children. But I have John. My future has already been determined.”

  Nora squared her shoulders. “You’re not married yet.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing, I suppose. All these strict rules are hard for me to take in.”

  “Would you like to go home? You could live with grossmammi, same as Rachel and Beth.”

  Nora remained silent for so long that Amy assumed she had no answer. But as the buggy turned into the Amish co-op parking lot, she replied quietly, “No, I don’t want to go back there. Despite hundreds of young men, no one interested me. I’ll stay to see what prospects Harmony has to offer.” She hopped down when the buggy rolled to a stop. “Besides, I need to prevent my sister from making any stupid mistakes.” Nora ran toward the store before Amy could demand an explanation.

  Once she followed Nora inside, she soon forgot what had irritated her. “Oh, my,” she enthused, starting down the first aisle. “Who knew a general store would have all this?” During Thomas’s initial tour of Harmony, they hadn’t had time to see more than the outside of the building.

  “Just about anything a person needs or wants.” Nora ran a finger down a display of beeswax candles, scented lamp oils, and hand-wrought iron candelabras. Row after row of shelves held hardware, housewares, shoes, boots, and bulk foods. Handcrafted furniture, birdhouses, and birdfeeders were displayed on the covered front porch and against the back wall. The farmer’s market offered every sort of garden produce beside cookies, pies, bread, and baked goods. Woodstoves and other equipment designed to be diesel, propane, solar, or wood powered were sold in a room in the back. A sign on the wall advertised colors and prices for metal roofs, outbuildings, and custom-made siding. The two women wandered the aisles, wide-eyed as any tourist.

  “Something for everyone, both English and Amish,” said Amy.

  “Look at this!” squealed Nora, turning a corner. Dozens of bins of bulk candy, sold by the ounce or pound, tempted those with a sweet tooth. She began scooping sugary confections into little bags.

  “I’ve found my favorite section.” Amy grabbed a couple of plastic sacks for herself. “Save some of those Jordan almonds for me.”

  When they approached the front counter with their candy selections, a clerk stepped forward shyly. Then an older woman hurried up behind him. “Be sure to visit the building next door,” she said, leaning around the young man. “You’ll find fabric and thread, as well as handmade throws and quilts both new and used. Lots of unique patterns you don’t see anymore. Oh, and welcome to Harmony,” she added after a small hesitation.

  “Danki. Dress material is what we’re here for.” Amy addressed the woman while the young man rang up their purchases. They both placed money on the counter for the candy, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Nora. He blushed all the way to his earlobes. Nora seemed more curious about the taste of purple gumdrops than her admirer. After Amy accepted her change, she stuffed the sweets into her purse and headed for the side door.

  “How did that woman know we’re new?” asked Nora, stealing glances at the young clerk over her shoulder. It seemed she had noticed the man’s attention after all.

  “Don’t be a goose. Because she doesn’t know us, we must be new.” Amy pulled open the door and nudged her sister outside.

  They immediately noticed a log cabin-style building with a straightforward sign: “Quilts and More.” When they entered they saw that new quilts hung from the ceiling on all four walls, their craftsmanship a testimony to Maine’s long winters, along with price tags that reflected the amount of time involved. Amy spotted bolts of cloth standing on end on tables against the wall. “You start picking out fabric and thread,” she said, pointing toward the back. “Buy enough for three dresses in navy, brown, or dark-green. I want to check out this table of secondhand quilts.”

  Nora dutifully shuffled toward the sewing supplies while Amy rummaged through the used items. As the storekeeper had predicted, she found many unique quilt patterns. The colors and materials had softened from daily use and repeated launderings. One particular quilt caught her eye.

  “How about this beauty?” Amy held up the end for her sister to see. “These are the prettiest shades of blue and lavender.”

  Nora peered up from measuring a length of olive-colored serge. “You love anything blue.”

  “Doesn’t this look like waves in the sea, rising from the darkest depths to meet the sky and clouds? You can practically feel the undulating waves.” Amy set the quilt into motion.

  Nora scrunched up her face. “How would you know what the ocean looks like? That just looks like crooked strips of blue and purple to me.” She turned her attention back to the drab green.

  Suddenly, Amy’s gaze landed on a small bug stitched onto the quilt’s binding. “Come look, schwester. I believe the quilter marked her work with a signature.” She pulled the fabric up to her nose to study.

  Nora abandoned her selections to join Amy at the table. “Mamm would call that vanity,” she said, peeking over her shoulder.

  Amy’s breath caught in her throat. “She did call it vanity—every time her sister added a red-and-yellow ladybug to one of her creations.”

  The two sisters stared at the embroidered insect and then each other.
“It can’t be,” said Nora.

  “But it is. Look at those tiny black antennae. Who else would go to such trouble?”

  “Aunt Prudence.” They uttered the name of their mother’s sister simultaneously. “The aunt who was shunned and left Lancaster County in disgrace. We never knew where she resettled.” Amy refolded the quilt with near reverence.

  Nora’s eyes rounded like an owl’s. “I guess we do now.”

  “Finish your shopping. I’ll wait for you at the front register. I’m buying this quilt.”

  Nora gasped at the price tag. “You could make a brand-new one this winter. You’ll certainly have plenty of time. And you can add your own ladybug—”

  “No. I just know this once belonged to our aunt. I want it.” Without another word she pulled out her checkbook and marched to the checkout.

  FOUR

  Save from wrath and make me pure

  Thomas arched his back, working out the kinks in his lower vertebrae. Because John insisted on finishing the barn chores and the last of the alfalfa was cut, he had time to find his fraa. She proved easy enough to locate.