Doubting Thomas-Nurse Hal Among The Amish

by Risner, Fay

  “There is nothing I can tell you. Trust in the Lord and in your soon to be husband,” Elton said earnestly.

  Jane patted Emma's hand. “Elton is recht. Trust Adam and all will work out. You have much to do, preparing for the wedding and little time left. It is best to concentrate on that, and stop worrying about what is over the horizon. That is God's work.”

  Elton and Jane's advice didn't make Emma feel better. They didn't solve her worries, but she vowed to try to do as the bishop said. She would pray.

  Emma closed the screen door and paused on the Bontrager front porch, wondering when she'd ever feel happy again. In the kitchen, she heard her name mentioned. Jane and Elton were talking about her.

  Jane said, “Poor Emma. Adam really should not keep her in the dark like this.”

  “Ordinarily, I would say you are recht, but Emma should have more faith in the man she loves. It surprises me she does not. If her faith is not strong enough to believe in Adam now, maybe they should not get married after all.”

  Emma walked to the buggy, stunned by the bishop's words. Elton and Jane's conversation certainly didn't make her feel any better. They knew something about Adam. She asked, and they deliberately didn't tell her.

  She was sure Adam was avoiding her, but why? What was it everyone but her knew about Adam and weren't willing to share with her? Was the bishop serious when he said she and Adam should not get married if she didn't trust Adam? The bishop had to be wrong. Her faith in Adam had always been strong. It would be again if she could just get Adam to explain to her what he'd been doing all this time away from her.

  Chapter 7

  The last day of June, early in the morning, the sky clouded over and let go with a gentle shower. The Amish community was thankful for the rain. They needed moisture to make their garden and field crops flourish.

  Just as the rain ceased, a buggy stopped in the Lapp driveway. An Amish farmer ran to the clinic, his long gray beard flopping on his chest. He knocked hard on the door.

  Hal rushed from the living room to let him in. “Wilcom, Hiram Mast. Come in.”

  The farmer's fuzzy gray eyebrows furrowed together. “Nah, I cannot stay. I just wondered if you wanted to take a look at Rudy Briskey.”

  “What's wrong with him?”

  “I just went by his cornfield while it was still raining. He was down between the rows, flat out like he was unconscious.”

  “You didn't stop to check on him?”

  “Nah, I would not know what to do for him so I came to get you,” Hiram answered as he hurried down the porch steps.

  “Denki for stopping. I'll go see about him.” Hal rushed to the cupboard for her nursing bag.

  Emma appeared in the doorway.

  “Emma, you want to go with me? Hiram Mast says Rudy Briskey is laying in his cornfield.”

  “Jah, I heard, I will hook Ben up to the buggy.”

  Soon Hal drove east on the road and turned at the intersection. The Briskey farm was a quarter mile down that road. Hal drove the buggy into the field driveway closest to the house and parked at the edge of the corn rows. She looked across the rows of small green shoots. “Do you see anything, Emma?”

  Emma shaded her eyes with her hand from the sun's glare. “Nah, I do not.”

  “What are you two trying to see?” The booming male voice of Rudy Briskey so close beside the buggy made Hal and Emma jump.

  Ben blew and tossed his head, startled by Rudy's loudness.

  Hal pulled back on the lines. “My goodness! Easy, Ben.” She stuck her head out the driver's window. “Rudy, you startled us. Are you all recht?”

  “Jah, why would I not be?” Rudy asked impatiently, rubbing his long, brown beard.

  “Hiram Mast stopped by. He told me to check on you. He said you passed out in the corn rows.”

  Rudy burst out laughing and slapped his leg. “That is a gute story. Maybe Hiram should have stopped to check on me himself. That would have save you the bother of driving all the way over here.

  I am all recht. A gute shower came up while I hoed weeds. I was so glad to see it, alls I did was flop down on the ground to enjoy nature's wonder. While I was flat, I praised God for the moisture to my crops. Is anything wrong with that?”

  “Nah, that is a gute thing. We are glad you are all recht. Now we best get back to our company. See you at worship service next,” Emma said.

  Hal slapped the reins against Ben's back and pulled toward her to get him to back out of the driveway. “We better leave before he thinks he owes me two more sheep for a home visit. John wouldn't like it if I brought home anymore of Rudy's scrubs.”

  That set them both to laughing, but all too soon, Emma's laughter faded. Her mind went back to what had been bothering her for days as she stared out the windshield.

  Hal glanced at Emma, wishing the girl wasn't so troubled. After all, this should be a happy time in her life. “How did your visit with Bishop Bontrager go yesterday?”

  “The bishop was not much help, but he tried. He stuck up for Adam more than he sympathized with me. Elton called me a doubting Thomas for not trusting Adam. He said I should pray for the strength to believe in Adam if I really intended to marry him. Jane agreed with Elton.”

  “Sounds like gute advice to me. We all believe Adam is a gute, hard working man, and I shouldn't have to remind you that you believe that, too.”

  “Ach jah, and I almost believed all that Bishop Bontrager said. That was before I overheard him and Jane, in the kitchen, talking as I was ready to leave their porch. They know something they would not tell me. Jane told Elton I should know. Elton said it was Adam's place to tell me. He could not do it.”

  “What were they talking about I wonder?” Hal mused.

  “Whatever it was, Bobby Keim and Priscilla Tefertiller had almost the same conversation at the singing at the Tefertiller farm three weeks ago. I overheard them talking. They agreed I should know something about Adam, but Adam should tell me.”

  “Are you sure you aren't making too much out of what you heard?”

  “Nah, at the last worship service, Bishop was talking to Lovina Keim. He was concerned, because Adam was not there. Elton wanted to know if Adam was working on the Lord's day. Lovina said he wasn't. Adam was just avoiding me. Hallie, I cannot take not knowing what is going on much longer.”

  Hal grimaced. “Sounds like you have been doing entirely too much eavesdropping on everyone, Schnuppich.”

  Emma gave her a stern look. “All recht, but I was not snooping on purpose. What I heard was by accident.”

  Hal put her arm around Emma's shoulders and hugged her. “I understand completely. Still I don't think Adam is the kind of man to hurt you intentionally.”

  “Exactly why he has not gotten up the nerve to face me yet. Adam does not want to marry me, and he is avoiding me. I feel as if my future is at stake here. If that is it, Adam should be man enough to tell me the wedding is off,” Emma groaned, twisting her hands in her lap. “Otherwise, Adam should want me to know we have a roof over our heads somewhere. Maybe it is with his mother and Bobby for awhile. That is all recht. I just want to know.

  He should be interested to know how I worked it out so I have September off when school starts. It is as if he has not given any thought to how important teaching is to me. If he was interested, he would be discussing these details with me.”

  “Ach, dear Emma! You have spent your whole life being a worrier, and I fear you will never stop. Did you know that?”

  Emma's eyes widened as she shook her head no.

  “You've carried the load for everyone. That has to stop. At a very young age, you took care of your mother and worried about how she affected all of you. After she died, you were saddled with raising your brothers and taking care of your father. You worried about all of them all the time.

  Your father married me, a hopeless excuse for a homemaker, and you constantly worry about me. There wasn't time to be a girl with a life of your own until you met Adam. Now you're wor
ried about him. Give the man a break. He's going to marry you. Soon he'll be the head of your house and taking care of you. You won't have to worry so much then. Not that any of us will ever be able to stop you.

  As for now, don't make yourself sick over what you don't know. Take care of what you do know. You need to think about yourself. You're getting married. I'm sure of it. This should be a wonderful moment in your life. Try to look forward to it. Concentrate on it, and let Adam take care of where you're going to live.”

  Emma folded her arms at her waist and looked at the road. Her tone was cryptic. “I will try, but it will not be easy. Someone in the Lapp family has always had to have a level head and worry that everything goes recht for all of us. If only there was a way to blank out unwelcome thoughts. So far I have not found it.”

  Hal decided to give up. She realized she hadn't said anything that made a difference in Emma's mind. She wanted to be in control of everything happening around her. No one was going to convince her not to be.

  During July, the days were usually hot and dry in southern Iowa. By the fourth of July, the day started out sultry, the precursor to a storm.

  When it finally did get around to storming, John predicted it would be a humdinger, but he prayed for rain anyway. They hadn't gotten measurable rain the last two weeks of June. His crops were in need of a good soaking.

  That morning, Hal and Nora sat in the swing on the porch, snapping green beans. It was cooler there than in the house. Under the maple tree, Tootie perched in a chair, like a queen on her throne, supposedly watching Redbird and Beth playing on a quilt. Emma was in the kitchen washing jars, and getting the pressure canner water heated.

  Tootie paid more attention to the chickens in front of the barn, then she did the girls. Abraham scratched at a horse pile and clucked excitedly. From all directions, hens ran to see what he had to eat, and so did Tom Turkey. They pecked, scratched and fought over the fleeing bugs.

  “Hallie, that turkey is getting really close to us,” complained Tootie.

  Nora said, “Tootie, just ignore him. He isn't one bit interested in you as long as the rooster keeps finding him bugs to eat.”

  John and Jim came out of the barn.

  Hal called, “How's the cow?”

  “Won't be long now before we have a new calf.” John looked at the cloudless sky. “Hal, I am going to check the hay field.” He turned back to his father-in-law. “Want to walk along, Jim?”

  The elderly man fell into step beside John. “You bet. As much good food as I'm eating lately, I need all the exercise I can get.”

  John whistled for the dog. Biscuit crawled out from under a buggy in the lean-to and stretched. He caught up to the men, passed them than stopped to lift his leg and wet down a wooden fence post. After that, he loped off ahead of the men, reached the hay field and scared up a rabbit. Biscuit gave chase until the rabbit dove down a hole. He ambled back to the men and heeled behind them.

  Part way down the lane, John kicked at a seeded out button weed that was only a few inches high. “That is not gute.”

  “Weeds know when to mature early in dry weather, don't they?” Jim commented.

  John gazed across his cornfield. “Jah. Emma's wedding is right when I should start harvesting, but I might not have to worry about storing a large crop of corn if it stays this dry. Reckon everything happens for the best.”

  “Now don't start worrying about how you're going to get the corn picked. We aren't in any hurry to leave. I can help you get the corn in after the wedding and be glad to do it,” Jim volunteered.

  “That is kind of you. Alls this will work out. Ach, I am not much of a farmer anyway,” John said humbly as Amish farmers do. He stepped out into his large hay field to survey it. “What do you think?”

  “The plants aren't as tall as they ought to be, but second cuttings are never as productive as the first. Third is even worse.”

  “Jah, but the alfalfa leaves are starting to wilt from the heat.” John pointed at his feet. “Big cracks in the ground is not gute.”

  A rumble came from the west, low and lengthy.

  “Where did that noise come from?” John asked.

  “Right out of the blue for sure.” Jim shaded his eyes and looked toward the distant gravel road. “Maybe a wagon's passing by.”

  John took notice of the sky. “Nah, a storm is coming. Look at that thunderhead building.”

  Jim chuckled. “By golly, it's as black as the ace of spades. Looks like you're going to get that rain you been praying for. Reckon we best head for the house while we're still dry.”

  Under the maple tree, Tootie pulled her dress front out away from her chest. She complained, “I'm so clammy with sweat my dress is sticking to me. Those poor chickens and that turkey are so hot. Their mouths are wide open, panting.”

  “We all feel just like you and the chickens do, Tootie. Try not to think about it,” Nora said, throwing the end of a green bean and stem in a bucket between Hal and her.

  “Aunt Tootie, when Mom and I get done, we can all stop to have a glass of ice tea,” Hal said, breaking a green bean into her pan.

  Does the Amish celebrate the fourth?” Nora asked Hal, hoping a subject change would help them forget about how hot the day was.

  “Independence Day is thought of as an English holiday. Given that the Amish don't consider themselves patriotic, it's not a holiday for them,” Hal explained. “They have a holiday of their own called Ascension day the last of May. We went to the picnic grove that day. The Yoder family came over, and everyone fished. It was a day of rest and fun.”

  “What's the holiday for?” Nora asked.

  “It is to celebrate the ascension day of Christ and happens forty two days after Easter.”

  The sticky breeze picked up and blew the welcome scent of rain dampened earth at them. Hal set her pan on the floor and walked over to the end of the porch. She put her hand on the wall and leaned over to looked behind the house. Thick, black, low hanging clouds were rolling in from the northwest.

  “Listen to the thunder,” Hal said. “A storm is coming. John will be pleased to see the rain.”

  The low rumbles of thunder came close together in the distance.

  “Let's moved the pots of beans to the basement to finish snapping them. It will be cooler down there maybe,” Hal suggested. She yelled, “Emma, it's going to rain. Can you come out and help Aunt Tootie with the girls. They need to go to the basement to play. Mom and I will close the house windows.”

  “Jah,” Emma called out the kitchen window before she shut it.

  No longer than it took the men to walk back to the house, the black storm spread over much of the sky. Spears of lightning diced though the dense cloud cover. The wind turned from gusts to strong, swift moans, swaying harshly through the high branches of the maple tree.

  Suddenly, the violent wind seemed to whip from all directions at once. Leaning into the wind, John and Jim held their straw hats on their heads. Their trousers whipped around their legs.

  “This storm bears watching,” John said gravely.

  “That it does,” Jim agreed. “The lightning is sharp. Regular sky busters for sure.”

  John pointed to a tail sticking out near the base at the front of the roiling, dark cloud. “Watch that white tail swing down.”

  “That's a tornado brewing if I ever saw one,” Jim agreed. “Quite a combination coming at us. The green on the front of that cloud I'd say means wind and hail.”

  “We better get the women and kids to the basement.” John ran for the front door. He burst into the empty kitchen. “Hal, where are you?”

  “In the basement. What's wrong?” Hal called up the stairs.

  John shouted at the open basement door. “A tornado is headed at us. Where are the boys?”

  “In the barn. They went to check on the cow again,” Emma said.

  “All of you stay put. I am going to get the boys and be recht down,” John said.

  Outside, he braced himself to st
and upright in the wind and tried to make his voice heard over the roar as he called his boys' names.

  Daniel looked out the barn door and said something over his shoulder to Noah.

  “Get to the house quick. Storm coming.” John pointed behind him.

  Noah appeared behind Daniel. They looked where John pointed. The black cloud's white swirling tail spiraled closer to the ground. It took both boys, fighting against the wind, to close the barn doors.

  They ran to the house and tramped down the basement steps. John and the boys joined Jim at the window that faced the west. From there, they watched the storm approach.

  Bright flashes of lightning repeatedly cracked, and thunder boomed a reply. Suddenly, rain poured down in sheets. Redbird and Beth whimpered and hugged when the wind and rain pelted the house. Hal picked up Beth, and Nora lifted Redbird into her arms.

  The gale force winds sweep over everything in the storm's path, raising debris and dust into the air. The tornado seemed like a large black whip snapped down from the clouds as it landed a mile from the Lapp farm. The vortex of whirling debris and dirt veered off to the southeast.

  John said in amazement, “That is a whole wagon flying in the air, ain't so?”

  “It is, and look! There goes a tree or the biggest part of one,” Jim said excitedly.

  “Holy buckets! I hope that big tree at the end of the house doesn't blow over on us,” Tootie exclaimed.

  “It would not do that, ain't so, Daed?” Daniel asked, worried now that Tootie suggested it.

  “Only God knows what will happen next, son” John said gravely.

  Emma was sitting on an old rickety chair with her head resting on her left hand. The shtruvela (stray hair) that escaped from under her prayer cap stuck to the sides of her sweaty face. Her frightened eyes stared at the havoc outside the window.

  Tootie complained out loud, “I'm hot and so thirsty. I didn't get my ice tea.”

  “Hush up, Tootie,” Nora scolded.

  A flash of lightning cracked close by. An especially loud roll of thunder almost drowned out Tootie's frightened squeal. Another flash of lightning followed and a loud crack and boom.