by Susan Vail
Rebecca looked up at Aaron and observed how his eyes sparkled when he talked. And it didn’t matter what he talked about – they sparkled just the same whether it was something serious or something light hearted.
“I don’t think you’re even listening to me,” he said smiling, bringing her attention back to their conversation. Rebecca was immediately embarrassed. He caught her daydreaming about him. Thankfully he didn’t tease her about it anymore. “I can tell you’re tired,” he said to her. “I shouldn’t be rambling on and on about my horse.” Was that what he was talking about, she wondered. She hadn’t heard a single word.
The clanging at the door made them both turn to look as a customer walked in. She was around their age, maybe a year or two older. Her long blond hair was pulled up tight in a ponytail, accentuating her large, doe eyes. She smiled at Aaron as he took his place behind the counter – her bright red lipstick reminding Rebecca of the red frosting she used on the cookies.
“Well, aren’t you cute,” the girl said to Aaron. He blushed but didn’t turn away from her. “And look at your little Amish clothes,” she said to him winking. “I like it!”
Rebecca burned with anger – your little Amish clothes? As much as that irritated her, Aaron’s reaction made her feel sick. He was blushing and giggling! Giggling! She couldn’t believe how quickly he was falling into her little trap. Rebecca joined him at the counter, hoping it would bring him back to his senses. Instead he acted like she wasn’t even there.
“What can I get for you?” he asked the girl with a certain bravado in his voice that Rebecca hadn’t heard from him until now.
The girl smiled. “Well, I don’t want to get fat,” she said opening her coat and showing off her tiny figure, “so I’ll just take one of the small cinnamon rolls.”
Rebecca watched in horror as Aaron didn’t look away from her. Instead she followed his eyes to her stick, straight body. “Oh,” he said to her with a smile. “You could never get fat.”
The girl laughed. “Ok, then. I’ll take two.” Aaron’s laughter was too much for Rebecca to bear. She stormed into the kitchen and tried to calm her throbbing head. How could he act like that? she wondered.
She made her way out the back door and sat at a small table in the sun. Her father had put that table out there for her a few weeks ago, encouraging her to take a break from the baking every now and then. She had never used it until today and was thankful it was there.
She let the sun wash over her face. It was still cold outside but the sun made it comfortable without a coat. If it had been a cloudy day it would’ve been unbearable.
She sighed, thinking over the conversation she had just heard. Was it really that bad? she wondered. Had Aaron really done anything wrong?
The truth hit her hard. He was flirting with the girl and it had made her jealous. Before she had time to think it over anymore, Aaron emerged from the back door, his head down and a wistful look on his face.
“What happened in there?” he asked her as he sat down at the table beside her. He didn’t know what he had done wrong, he just knew he had done something. He watched as tears filled her eyes. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he didn’t know if it was appropriate. Instead he waited patiently for her to talk to him.
Rebecca felt silly for feeling like she did. No wonder God had never put a guy her in life before. Clearly she couldn’t handle it. She had only worked with Aaron for a few days but already she was developing feelings for him. She couldn’t help but admire the way he helped her dad, or love the way he winked every time he told a joke or teased her.
She decided to be honest with him even though it would mean more embarrassment for her. “I was jealous,” she said not looking up at him. “Of the way you talked to that girl.”
Aaron was surprised. “How did I talk to her?” he asked.
Rebecca looked up at him and could see a genuine look of confusion on his face. Boys are so clueless, she thought to herself. “You were flirting with her,” she finally said.
His face fell. “I didn’t mean to,” he replied. “I was just trying to be friendly…like your daed.”
She let his words sink in and she mulled them over a bit. Her dad did act like that – only it wasn’t flirting when he did it – it was just being friendly. Why was it different when Aaron acted like that?
“I can see why you would say that though,” he added. “I will admit, when she told me I was cute it made me feel good. I’m not very good with girls and for a moment it made me feel like I wasn’t a bumbling idiot.”
“I’ve never known you to be a bumbling idiot,” Rebecca laughed. “If anything I’m the bumbling idiot.”
The pair laughed for a moment, both thankful for the light hearted moment. “I should’ve been more sensitive to your feelings,” Aaron watching her. “I knew how you felt about me and I shouldn’t have acted like that with another girl.”
Rebecca felt sick to her stomach. She needed to tell him the truth. “Aaron,” she started. “There was a mix up about the cake. One of our customers ordered it and then changed his mind. I already had it made so I took it to you…to your family.” She saw his demeanor change and she regretted not being honest to begin with. “When you confronted me, I didn’t want to hurt your feelings so I just went along with it.”
Aaron was quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in. “So you don’t love me?” He asked.
There was a sadness in his voice that confused her. Maybe he just wanted to feel loved by somebody – even if he didn’t return the feeling. She couldn’t fault him for that. She knew it would make her feel good to know that someone loved her…that she was loveable.
She looked at him and her heart swelled with…what was it….certainly it couldn’t be love. At least not yet. But she did have feelings for him. How would he feel if she told him?
He was waiting for her to answer. She had to say something. “Not yet,” she replied.
“So there’s a chance that one day you could?” he asked, the hope in his voice evident.
“Yes”, she laughed. Maybe one day.” She saw his smile brighten and he sat up taller. “Do you want me to love you?” she asked, curious.
He shifted nervously in his chair. “Since you were honest with me, I’ll be honest with you.” He looked up at her and took a deep breath. He hadn’t planned on sharing this with her and didn’t know how to say it without sounding childish.
“I’ve liked you for a long time Rebecca. I prayed about it over and over – that Gott would give me the courage to ask you if I could give you a buggy ride home after one of the socials. But then you stopped coming to them and I thought that was a sign from Gott that it wasn’t meant to be.” He paused and wished her tender expression would give him a hint as to what she was feeling. “I couldn’t get you out of my mind and I prayed that Gott would give me a sign if I should seek you out. Then you came to my door with the cake and I thought that was the biggest sign Gott could give me. I thought it was an answer to my prayers.” He laughed at how foolish he had been. “And then when your dad came by later that night to ask me to help out at the bakery…well, I thought that was part of your plan…His plan.”
“But why did you come here the next day and say we should just be friends?” Rebecca asked him confused.
“I didn’t mean we should just be friends,” he said sheepishly. “I meant I wanted to start out as friends. You know, take it slow and get to know each other before we made any kind of decisions about our future.” He paused and his cheeks turned a fiery red. “But now I know you never felt like that about me to begin with. I misunderstood everything and made quite the fool out of myself.”
“I think,” Rebecca said slowly, “that we both played right into Gott’s plan. We just didn’t know it. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you these last few days. I might not be ready to deliver you a cake that says ‘I love you,’” she said with a smile. “But I’d give you one that says ‘I like you.’”
Aaron sm
iled. He reached over and put his hand on top of Rebecca’s. Her first instinct was to pull away. Instead, she left her hand carefully tucked beneath his. She felt the warmth of his hand seep into hers. “Your hands are freezing,” he said to her. She may feel cold on the outside, she thought. But she felt warm and happy on the inside.
Chapter 6
Valentine’s Day was busy at the bakery as was expected. Rebecca’s mother and sisters spent the day serving customers, wiping down tables and helping in the kitchen when Rebecca needed it.
Occasionally, she would see Aaron, who was also keeping busy, carrying cakes out to people’s cars or helping her father at the counter. He would smile at her and her heart would flutter in her chest.
“So,” her mother said with a smile. “I don’t think you’ll be taking time off from the bakery any time soon.”
Rebecca laughed, knowing what her mother meant. “Neh,” she replied. “I don’t think I will be.”
“For once,” her mother said pulling her daughter close, “I’m happy to hear that.” She smoothed the back of Rebecca’s prayer cap and closed her eyes. She loved her daughter and only wanted the best for her. “He seems like a very nice boy,” she whispered to her.
“He is,” Rebecca replied, still in her mother’s embrace.
Her mother pulled away, a tear in her eyes.
“I expect this kind of thing from Daed, but you too?” Rebecca laughed.
“I’m just thankful,” her mother said, gently squeezing her daughter’s shoulders. “Gott is so gut to us.”
“Now you do sound like Daed,” Rebecca smiled.
“Well gut!” Her mother said with a wink as she picked up a tray of cookies Rebecca had just finished decorating. “He’s a wise man!”
Her mother smiled at her and then disappeared out the kitchen door, heading to the front of the bakery to fill the display cases with the freshly decorated heart cookies.
Rebecca’s heart filled with happiness. Here she was, in a bakery her family owned, doing what she enjoyed the most. And now she had Aaron in her life to share it with. She quietly sang a hymn as she prepared another batch of buttercream frosting. As she sang and filled the piping bag, Aaron came up from behind her. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, trying not to startle her.
She spun around and came face to face with him. Their gaze locked for a moment and Rebecca thought her heart would run away with itself.
“I have something for you,” Aaron said barely louder than a whisper. He took his hands from behind his back and handed her a heart shaped cookie. In shaky letters were the words “I like you.”
She looked up at him and smiled, her heart swelling with admiration for this kind-hearted man that God had put in her life.
“I know it’s not as pretty as your cookies,” he said to her. “But I did the best I could.”
She reached out and took the cookie from his hand, letting her fingers brush up against his. “I think it’s perfect,” she said gazing into his eyes. And she meant it.
Epilogue
1 year later
Rebecca wiped her flour-covered hands on her apron. She picked up a tray of freshly decorated cookies and started towards the door that led to the front of the bakery. Several pieces of her hair had fallen out of her cap and she tried to blow them out of her face to no avail. Another busy Valentine’s Day at the bakery, she thought.
“Let me help you with that,” came a familiar voice behind her. She turned around to see Aaron and couldn’t help but smile. He took the tray from her and set it on the counter beside them. Gently, he moved the hair from her face and tucked the loose strands back under her cap. He looked at her lovingly and her heart filled with so much love for him it felt like it could burst.
“They need those cookies up front,” she said smiling.
“Well, they’ll just have to wait a minute,” he replied slyly.
He pulled her close to him and she let out a laugh. “My daed could walk in any minute!”
“I have nothing to hide,” he said to her, his voice low. “In less than two months you’ll be my wife.”
She felt his breath on her ear and felt a shiver slide down her spine. She knew they shouldn’t be this close, especially not here, with her family just on the other side of the door, but she didn’t want to leave his embrace either.
“You are beautiful, Rebecca King,” he said looking into her eyes. “And I think you’ll be even more beautiful as Rebecca Hershberger.”
She let out a giggle and he pulled her even closer. His strong arms held her against him and she closed her eyes and let her mind wander to places it shouldn’t. With her eyes still closed, she felt him press his lips against hers. It was a sweet kiss, tender and short, but it hinted at what was to come once they were married.
A noise from the other side of the door jolted them and made them pull away. With hearts racing they turned to see if they had been caught. Thankfully, Rebecca’s father had paused before coming in, talking to a customer about a cake order instead.
Rebecca quickly smoothed her dress and then her prayer cap. She looked over at Aaron who gave her a quick wink and smiled at her.
“Those cookies ready?” her father said, poking his head around the door.
“Jah! They’re right here!” Rebecca said as Aaron picked up the tray to bring them up front.
Before disappearing behind the door Aaron turned to her. He couldn’t believe this kind, beautiful girl would soon be his wife. And to think it all started with a cake.
I could never have imagined the wonderful things you had in store for me, he prayed silently. The events in our lives may seem random to us, but they are just little pieces of your plan.
Aaron stole one last look at her before he left. She was already busy decorating the next batch of cookies. The same pieces of hair had escaped her cap again and Aaron thanked God for a lifetime of tucking them back in.
Amish Love Letters
Chapter 1
Dear Emma, Jesus died for your sins. He loves you. I liked the tomato you drew in class today. You can draw real good.
Matthew handed the note to Emma as they walked out of the one room school house. She took it and smiled at him. Their mothers were best friends so it was only natural that Emma and Matthew would grow up together and be best friends too.
This was the first note Matthew had ever written anyone. At nearly seven years old he was proud of his handwriting and his new writing skills. Emma, being only six, couldn’t read very well yet, but she knew her sister would read it to her on the way home.
“Matthew gave me a note today,” Emma told her sister Sarah. “Will you tell me what it says?” She handed the note to her sister. Sarah was four years older than Emma and took the note with a sly smile on her face.
“A boy gave you a note?” Emma said smiling. “Let’s see what it says.”
She read the note out loud. Emma puffed up a little hearing that Matthew liked her tomato drawing. She wasn’t one to brag but she thought it was pretty good herself.
“I think he likes you,” Sarah said, nudging her sister in a playful way.
“I hope he likes me,” Emma said innocently. “We’ve been friends since we were babies.”
“No,” Sarah said with a laugh. “I think he likes you enough to take you on a buggy ride!”
Emma was confused. “He doesn’t know how to drive a buggy,” she replied.
Sarah rolled her eyes. There was no need explaining this any further. Emma was just too young to understand what she was trying to say.
When they got home Sarah opened the heavy front door and hollered for her mother. Esther walked around the corner, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Hello girls!” she said happily. “How was school?”
“I drew a really good picture of a tomato,” Emma reported. Normally she wouldn’t announce something like that but since someone else had pointed it out first she felt it was ok.
“And she got a love letter!” Sarah add
ed, handing the letter over to her mother.
Esther read the note and smiled. Matthew was as sweet as his mother.
“That’s a very nice note,” she said handing it back to her youngest daughter. “You should keep it in a safe place.”
Esther turned to Sarah. “You two go upstairs and wash up and hurry back down here to help with dinner.”
The girls did as they were told. Before coming back downstairs Emma ran to her closet. She pulled out a little box she kept some of her favorite things in. She opened the lid and saw a bird’s feather, some shiny rocks, and a scrap of soft fabric with delicate pink roses printed on it. She gently tucked the note under the piece of fabric and gave it a little pat as if reassuring the note it was safe inside the box.
Chapter 2
Dear Emma, I saw how you helped that baby bird today when we were outside for lunch. I know that made God smile. You are so nice to birds and people. You are a nice person.
Emma read the note and smiled. Matthew had been writing her little notes for four years now. He seemed to notice every nice thing she did or said and he was always quick to compliment her on them.
She added the note to the box in her closet. The box was nearly full and soon she would need another one to hold the letters she assumed she would get in the future.
Even though they were getting older Matthew and Emma still continued to spend time together, mainly because their mothers got together frequently. While their mothers enjoyed an afternoon chat over tea the pair would walk to the pond on Emma’s property and catch frogs. They would line them up and let go of them at the same time, cheering on the frog they had claimed as their own, until one finally crossed the finish line which was really just a stick set several feet in front of them.
