by Marta Perry
“Ne.” Anna caught Susanna’s hand. “Come on, Susanna-banana. I’ll braid your hair.” Susanna giggled and followed her out of the kitchen.
When Susanna was safely out of earshot, Fannie spoke softly. “I know you’ve both heard the rumors about Eli, but I wanted you to know I don’t believe them. There are things the boy isn’t telling us. Roman says he has a good heart.”
Ruth tried not to listen, but it was impossible not to hear Mam’s reply. “I keep telling Martha and Alma it’s wrong to judge Eli without proof.”
Fannie sniffed. “That Alma asked me straight out if Eli was shunned in Belleville. He wasn’t.” She leaned close to Mam and lowered her voice. “Roman thinks the world of his sister Esther, but he thinks she’s ill-treated Eli. You know about Eli’s real father, don’t you?”
Mam shook her head.
“He left the Old Order Amish church. Went to the English.” Fannie glanced across the kitchen. Ruth concentrated on prying open a plastic container of sesame seeds.
“You needn’t fear to speak in front of Ruth,” Mam soothed. “She’d not spread ill about anyone.” She chuckled. “Our Susanna is another story. She means no harm, but whatever she hears…”
“Well, it’s no secret,” Fannie continued. “The way Roman tells it, Eli’s father abandoned his family and his faith. He always had an eye for worldly ways. He liked the English women with their legs all bare and their bosoms showing, and they liked him, too. One day, when he was plowing, he just left his team in the field and walked away.”
Ruth couldn’t contain her curiosity. “He just abandoned his family?”
Fannie nodded. “Too handsome for his own good, some said. They claim Eli is the spitting image of him. The oldest boy favored Esther’s side of the family, and she had a soft spot for him. But their father…” Fannie shook her head. “’Course, he died before Roman and I started courting.”
“There was a tragedy with Eli’s older brother, too, wasn’t there?” Mam asked. “Terrible for your sister-in-law.”
“And for Eli, I imagine.” Ruth sprinkled sesame seeds over the coleslaw. She shivered at the thought of losing one of her sisters.
“It was Eli looking so much like his father that worried Esther,” Fannie said. “At least that’s what Roman thinks.” She added more honey to her coffee. “Roman says Esther never gave the boy a chance to explain his side. You know, concerning that girl who made the accusations. Then, before the matter could be brought to the church, she took off—ran away.”
It was on the tip of Ruth’s tongue to ask Fannie if Roman had asked Eli himself if it was true about the girl, but she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t want to know? Maybe because as long as it was just a rumor, Ruth could think Eli might be innocent.
Mam shook her head. “Some English people think that such things never happen to us, but they do. We are all human and all capable of sin. It’s what happens after we sin that really matters.”
A knock on the door startled Ruth, and she crossed the kitchen to answer it.
“It’s too early for Roman,” Fannie said. “He…”
Ruth didn’t hear the rest of what Fannie was saying. Her attention centered on the tall figure standing on the back porch. It was Eli. She swung open the door, suddenly feeling guilty. Had he heard them talking about him?
He grinned shyly. “Ruth.”
“Eli.” Her hands nervously found a speck of mayonnaise on her apron.
He stepped into the room. “I came early,” he said, stating the obvious.
Eli’s yellow hair was damp, his cheeks freshly shaved. He was wearing English jeans and the Nittany Lions T-shirt, and his head was uncovered. No hat at all.
Mam rose from the table where the women had been enjoying their coffee. “Good to see you, Eli.”
Eli shook his head. “I meant to say, I came early…to…speak to you,” he said, directing his attention to Hannah.
Ruth looked at him. What he’d have to say to Mam, she couldn’t imagine. Surely, he didn’t have the nerve to ask if he could walk out with Miriam. Not dressed like that. And it was too soon. No one here really knew him. Surely, their mother wouldn’t…
“Yes, what is it, Eli?” Ruth’s mother didn’t seem to notice the English clothes.
Eli straightened and cleared his throat. “They have movies,” he began awkwardly. “At the mall.”
“Ya,” Mam agreed. Her mouth tightened into a thin line, but her eyes twinkled with mischief. “This even I have heard.”
Eli shuffled his feet. “Today, they show a…”
Ruth folded her arms over her chest. A movie at the mall? Her gaze darted from her mother back to Eli. He looked so young, so unsure of himself.
“Speak up,” Fannie said.
His words came out in a rush. “A decent movie. Noah and the Ark. No bad talk or fancy behavior. I saw it. Last night. Roman and I went to be sure…”
Fannie’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s where you and Roman went? He never said a word.”
Eli extended one hand toward Hannah. “Would you give me permission to take—”
Mam frowned, interrupting. “You want to take my daughter to the mall? On a date?”
“Not a date, exactly. Just to see the movie. A good story, a Bible story. Educational. And full of wonders. The ark that God bade Noah to build, the animals, the great flood that covered the earth.”
“Which one?”
Eli’s brow furrowed beneath the fringe of yellow-blond hair. “Which one?”
“Which daughter do you wish to take?” Mam demanded, her eyes still twinkling.
“Um.” His cheeks grew bright red. “Susanna and Anna, Miriam and Ruth.”
“Oh, no,” Ruth interrupted. “I’m not—” She fully intended to refuse the invitation but before she could get the words out of her mouth, she suddenly realized that she wanted to go. Desperately. With Eli. The back of her eyelids stung. But Eli had really come to ask Miriam to go to the show with him. He’d just asked about the rest of them when he had lost his nerve. He didn’t really want Ruth to go. That was plain to see.
A slow smile spread over Mam’s face. “And if Fannie and I wanted to go with you to see this Noah and the Ark? Would you take us as well?”
“Ya,” Eli answered. “I would. And there would be room.”
“On your motorbike?” Mam asked. She was teasing him outright now. Ruth knew it, and a small part of her felt sorry for Eli. Mam had raised his hopes. He looked so eager, and when Mam would tell him Miriam couldn’t go, that none of them could go, he would be crushed.
“Ne.” He raised his chin and stared back at her boldly. “I hoped you would let them go. I hoped they would want to, so I asked a driver to come with her van. There will be room for anyone who wants to go.”
“Susanna would love it,” Ruth put in, feeling a trickle of excitement.
“What of my dinner?” Mam asked. “What of my turkey and the ham?”
“There is a show at four o’clock,” Eli explained. “We’ll have time to eat, drive to the mall, see the movie, have an ice cream and be back before dark.”
“I can see that you’ve thought this out,” Mam said. She nibbled her bottom lip, a habit that Ruth and her mother shared. Then, Mam turned and looked straight at her. “What do you think, Ruth? Would your sisters like to see this movie?”
Fannie frowned. “The bishop might not think…”
“But the bishop isn’t here. It’s Ruth I asked,” Mam said.
Ruth’s mouth felt dry. “I think,” she began. “I think that Miriam has not yet been baptized in the church, nor Susanna. I think the movie might be educational for them.”
“And you?” Mam asked. “What do you think about going?”
Ruth couldn’t look at her mother or Eli. She wanted to say she didn’t want to go, but she couldn’t lie. “Ya, Mam,” Ruth admitted glancing at the floor in front of Eli’s boots. “I would like to see the movie, too.”
“It’s settled then.” She
nodded. “You may ask my girls, Eli. But I expect them home before dark.”
“We will be,” he promised. “I’ll take good care of them.”
“And one more thing,” Mam said.
“Anything,” Eli said.
“Church is here next week. I would like you to help us make ready. And I would like you to come to the services.” She arched one eyebrow.
Eli grimaced. “I’ll come because you ask,” he said. “But don’t blame me if your bishop kicks me out the door.”
“He would never,” Mam assured firmly. “Bishop Atlee is a fair man and a good shepherd to his flock. You’ll be welcome here. You’ll be welcome in our church, or I will know the reason why.”
* * *
Anna, wearing her best Sunday-go-to-meeting dress and bonnet, led the way up the carpeted ramp through the darkened theater and found a seat. Ruth slid in beside her, followed by Susanna, clutching an enormous container of popcorn and so excited that she had the hiccups. Ruth had to admit it had been very thoughtful of Eli to invite Susanna. None of the boys in the neighborhood were unkind to Susanna, but Eli was the first to ask her to go on a date with her sisters.
Miriam sat on Susanna’s right, leaving Eli next to the aisle. A few English turned to look and whisper, but then they lost interest and returned to their own conversations. Ruth could see that they were the only Amish in the movie this afternoon, perhaps in the mall. She had expected to be an object of curiosity, but stares always made her feel uneasy. She didn’t think of herself as old-fashioned or quaint, simply apart from the larger world. The way she dressed and the way she lived was outward proof of a covenant with God; she didn’t think herself better than the English, simply different. And different they were. That was obvious sitting here in the movie theater in a sea of brightly colored tank tops, dangling earrings and sparkly open-toed shoes.
Loud music blared from speakers on the walls, and on the screen, bottles of soda pop, boxes of candy and bags of popcorn danced and bounced. It looked very silly, but Susanna was entranced. She’d never seen a show before. Other than Eli, none of them had. Now that she was here, Ruth was nearly as excited as Susanna. She hoped that coming hadn’t been wrong. It had always been a secret dream of hers to watch a movie in a real movie theater. There might be consequences next Sunday, but this afternoon, she would see one of the great stories of the Bible come alive.
Miriam was laughing and talking to Eli. They both seemed so much at ease here among the English, something Ruth had always struggled with. Of course, Eli wasn’t wearing Plain clothing, but her sister was. Miriam’s modest blue dress, black bonnet and apron and black shoes were as Plain as her own. Miriam always embraced new experiences wholeheartedly, and Ruth was certain that when it was the right time to join the church, she would be one of the most faithful. And if Eli and Miriam were to be a couple, he should realize that nothing would divide Miriam from her faith and family.
It wouldn’t matter if Eli had done the terrible thing he’d been accused of, if he truly repented and made his peace with God and the church. Sometimes it was hard to forgive and forget bad sins, but forgiveness was an important part of their faith. How could a person expect God to forgive them their sins, if they were unable to forgive others? But Ruth doubted Mam would let this relationship between Miriam and Eli go much further without this serious matter being addressed.
The lights dimmed. A message appeared on the screen asking people to turn off their cell phones. But before that request had died away, Susanna leaned close and whispered that she needed to go to the bathroom. Ruth rolled her eyes. She’d known that giving Susanna a large soda pop was bound to have consequences. “I’ll take her,” Ruth whispered to Miriam.
When they returned, some sort of cartoon squirrel was scampering off the screen with a cupcake balanced on his head. A pit bull was chasing the squirrel but not having much luck, as the barking dog kept slipping in the strawberry icing. Susanna laughed and wiggled her way past Eli and Miriam back to her seat. Ruth followed. Then the music changed, and a rainbow of lights swirled on the big screen, signaling that the main feature was about to begin.
So entrancing was the story and so real were the characters playing Noah, his wife and their sons, that Ruth could almost, but not quite, forget that it was Miriam, not her, sitting beside Eli. Ruth was trying to concentrate on Noah’s conversation with an invisible voice, when Eli passed Susanna another cup of soda pop. “You shouldn’t give her…” But Susanna was already inhaling the drink. All that popcorn had made her thirsty all over again.
Eli shifted in his seat. The movie was a good one, better than the violent one he’d walked out of two weeks ago. He liked going to the theater. Usually, he sat near the back, by himself, and tried to understand the English, both on the screen and sitting around him. He and Hazel had sneaked away one night to see a romantic comedy. Both of them had been embarrassed by the loose behavior in the story. They’d stayed to the end, but he’d felt ashamed of himself as he’d walked out at the end of the feature. It had been wrong to bring Hazel there, and he knew it. But she’d wanted to go and had threatened to go with some of her girlfriends if he wouldn’t take her.
Sometimes…most of the time…he felt as if he were caught halfway between the Plain life and the English world. He didn’t know if he was completely responsible for Hazel’s disgrace, but there was plenty of guilt to go around. Maybe she would have gotten into trouble even if he hadn’t taken her to the party that night. He’d never know, and he’d never be sure if God or Hazel could ever forgive him. Because of their irresponsibility, a child had been conceived. Hazel’s life, his life and the lives of their families might never be the same.
Did he have the right to be with another girl? A good girl like the sisters sitting beside him? Was he making another mistake, one he would live to regret? If he did choose the Amish path, would he later change his mind and run, as his father had?
Noah was leading the first pair of animals into the ark when Eli heard Susanna’s whisper. This time, it was Miriam who took her hand and offered to escort her to the bathroom. Eli tensed. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. When they returned, he could step out into the aisle and let Susanna and Miriam return to their seats. That was the right thing to do, the sensible thing.
But when the girls returned, Eli did what he’d wanted to do since they arrived; he got up, moved two seats over, and sat next to Ruth. She turned to look at him in surprise, before taking her elbow off the armrest dividing their seats and staring straight ahead at the screen.
Eli couldn’t pay attention to the movie anymore. He was too acutely aware of the scent of green apple soap. The seats were very close, and he caught glimpses of Ruth’s face in the flash of lightning from the screen. A feeling of protectiveness seeped up from the pit of his stomach. For all her prickly exterior, she was everything a man could ask for in a woman: beautiful, kind, strong-willed, loving. But she was more; Ruth was a true example of the faith. Why couldn’t he have met her before he’d taken Hazel to that party? If he had…if he had, everything would be different. His life would be different now.
He locked his fingers together in his lap, and moisture rose along his collarbone. He didn’t know what to do; he’d courted girls before, but no one like Ruth. He’d never felt this way about Hazel or Mary or Edith. He’d never worried that one of them might rebuff his attention. Maybe it would be better not to show Ruth how attracted he was to her, rather than make a fool of himself.
Eli glanced back at Miriam. She was leaning forward in her seat, deeply engaged in the movie. Susanna and Anna were both watching the movie screen, eyes wide with wonder. No one was watching him. No one would see him in the dark. Holding his breath, he reached over and covered Ruth’s warm hand with his.
Startled, she turned toward him. For a second, her small hand trembled in his, as soft and fragile as a new-hatched chick….
In the dark, he searched her gaze and for just that split second, he felt a connection with he
r that he had never felt with anyone before. “Ruth.”
His voice shattered the moment, and she pulled free. “Eli!” She looked at him and then away.
He felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
“Shh,” a woman called from the row behind them.
Anna glanced at Eli, then back at the screen.
Heart thudding against his ribs, Eli gave a sigh and turned back to the gathering storm that threatened to overturn the ark. He felt that way sometimes…lately, a lot of the time. But not tonight. Not tonight, because even though she had snatched her hand from his, she had let him hold it for a second, and he was pretty sure she had enjoyed it as much as he had.
With Ruth beside him here in the dark, peace and a sense of wonder settled over him. Whatever happened, nothing could take away his certainty that, at this moment in time, he was exactly where he should be.
Chapter Nine
On Tuesday morning, Ruth and Miriam took freshly picked strawberries, spinach, lettuce, radishes and twelve dozen eggs to Spence’s. They rarely went to the auction on Tuesdays, but the strawberries might not keep until Friday’s market. Both Anna and Susanna had remained at home to catch up on chores. There was a charity-work sewing bee at Aunt Martha’s that night, and the four sisters and Mam would be going after a light supper.
As usual, Miriam drove the horse, and while she chatted merrily, Ruth just listened. What had happened at the movies had troubled her greatly—not only that Eli had attempted to hold her hand, but that she’d almost permitted it. Ruth grimaced. There was no getting around the truth. She had allowed him. It had only been for a few seconds, but she hadn’t immediately pushed his hand away, and she couldn’t deny that she’d felt a rush of excitement when his warm hand closed around hers.
And Anna had seen it. She hadn’t mentioned it, but Ruth wasn’t deceived. It simply wasn’t Anna’s way to intrude on personal matters or to chide her older sister for a serious breach of decorum. Eli’s behavior afterward—pretending that nothing had happened and buying them all Boardwalk Fries—only made things worse. Although she normally loved fries, Ruth hadn’t been able to eat a bite. It would have choked her.
