Unlikely Sweethearts (An Amish Christmas Story)

by J. E. B. Spredemann

  He said yes!

  If only church weren’t still twenty-five minutes away. If only Holly would show up early. He couldn’t wait to share the news with her. And with Wesley. And with every other person who would lend him an ear and celebrate his good fortune with him.

  He said yes.

  TEN

  Holly’s heartbeat quickened with every mile closer to church. If only Mom would drive faster. Or perhaps she should have driven her own car. She surmised that either way, the drive would have taken forever.

  She couldn’t wait to see Randy. Ever since her father left home to go to his meeting with Randy, Holly had been on pins and needles. She wasn’t all that optimistic at the outcome because she was quite certain Dad’s response to Randy would be a big fat, “No!” Nevertheless, she’d been praying for God’s will in the matter.

  Whatever the outcome, though, she was still excited to see Randy at church tonight. She’d miss him miserably when he returned to college after the new year. Hopefully, they could write letters back and forth to continue their friendship.

  The moment Mom’s car rolled to a stop, Holly practically jumped out. Well, she tried to. She would have if she hadn’t forgotten that her seatbelt was securely fastened. Stupid thing.

  She attempted nonchalance as she drew the door to the church open. Her eyes immediately searched out Randy, who was chatting with her father in the second pew. As if he could sense her presence, his head turned toward the foyer. A handsome smile danced across his features and he rose from the pew and headed in her direction.

  “Will you walk outside with me?” His smile belied his serious tone.

  “Of course.” She glanced back at her father, who was in the process of greeting Mom.

  Randy held the door open for her and the two of them stepped outside into the brisk air. “Are you too cold? If so, we can go back inside.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Let’s sit?” He gestured to the bench in front of the church.

  She sat down next to him, anxiously waiting to hear how his meeting with her dad went. It took everything within her not to shake him into spilling every minute detail.

  A huge smile spread across his face.

  That could only be good, right?

  “If I were allowed to touch you, I’d take you into my arms and spin you around in circles. And maybe even kiss you.” A lopsided grin formed.

  She gasped. “He said yes?”

  Randy nodded, his eyes sparkling. “He said yes.”

  “Really? I can’t believe it.”

  “Neither could I. But he’s giving me a chance, so I’m going to do my best not to blow it.”

  “Wow.” She couldn’t keep herself from smiling.

  “I don’t know how I’m going to do with this no-touching thing. I’m dying to lift my fingers to your face and caress your cheek.”

  Her cheeks heated at his blatant forwardness.

  “Is there such a thing as speed courting?”

  A giggle tripped from her lips.

  He squeezed his eyes closed. “You know, this has to be a form of cruel torture. I want to kiss you so badly.”

  “You’re so dramatic. And cute.” What would it feel like to let him kiss her? She could only imagine.

  “I am?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re pretty darn cute yourself.”

  She needed to change the subject, focus their attention elsewhere. “I’m excited about caroling on Saturday. Are you?”

  “I’m excited that I’ll get to be with you.”

  “You don’t like caroling?” She felt her lips turn down at the sides.

  “Ah.” He shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m not the best singer in the world.”

  “That’s fine. You can always lip sync if it’s that bad.”

  He chuckled.

  “I pretty much love everything that has to do with Christmas. It’s definitely my favorite time of year.”

  He lifted his hand toward her face, then must’ve thought better of it, and dropped it to his side. “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I’m coming to your house for dinner on Sunday.”

  “You are? My dad invited you?” Excitement bubbled in her belly.

  “Mm-hm.”

  Music wafted outside from the auditorium. “Oh, it sounds like we better go inside. Church is starting.”

  “I get to sit by you.” He grinned.

  They stood from the bench and he held the door open for her.

  “I think I’ll like that.”

  ELEVEN

  A few moments later, Randy gestured toward the pew in front of Wesley and his family. He slid in beside Holly and she offered him a hymnal. Randy glanced back at his brother, his smile wide, and gave him a thumbs up. Wesley nodded in turn, seemingly impressed.

  His brother leaned close and whispered. “You’ll have to tell me all about it later.”

  “You know I will.” Randy whispered back, then turned his attention to the song leader, who’d chosen a Christmas-themed song. He didn’t miss Holly’s smile or joyful exuberance as she sang with her heart and voice.

  The service flew by way too quickly for his liking. It was a strange thing, really. As though just being next to Holly made him feel like a better person. Her enthusiasm for life and faith seemed to automatically rub off on him. He had participated in the congregational singing more than he ever remembered doing. He listened intently to the pastor’s sermon, occasionally glancing toward Holly, who’d been fervently jotting down notes and Scripture references. It was like a whole new experience. Nothing less than amazing.

  Holly turned to him after the closing prayer. “I’m going to ask my parents if they mind staying for a while so we can talk.”

  “Okay.” He nodded, then watched her walk in the direction of her parents.

  He turned to Wesley. “Can you believe her dad agreed? I’m still trying to get over the shock.”

  “So, how are you going to manage with college and all that?”

  Randy shrugged. “We’ll figure it out.” He thought on her father’s suggestion of attending satellite courses. It was something he’d definitely need to look into. But even if that wasn’t feasible, the thought of them corresponding by letter sounded exciting. He had a feeling that if he didn’t attend a satellite campus, he’d be spending an awful lot of money on gas.

  Holly returned. He’d almost grasped her hand, but caught himself. This whole no-touching thing was such a foreign concept to him. It would take some getting used to.

  “Let’s go sit in the back,” he suggested.

  “Sure.” Her smile stretched across her face, telling him she might be as excited as he was about their courtship.

  Wow, they were actually courting. Officially. Wouldn’t his college buddies get a kick out of that?

  She slid into one of the chairs at a table in the fellowship hall. He sat across from her, to avoid the temptation to touch her.

  ~

  Randy’s smile broadened and he caught Holly’s eye. “Can you believe your father agreed? I’m still floored.”

  She loved his enthusiasm. It had certainly been an answer to prayer. But, what now? They seemed to have so little time together before he busied himself with his college courses again. Not a lot of time to build a relationship. She knew she’d miss him immensely while he was gone. And then there was added worry about all the college women he’d be around. The type of women Randy was used to. Women he could likely date and touch at will. Was she fooling herself, thinking the two of them could even make a relationship work? They seemed to be opposites in so many ways.

  She snapped out of her melancholy thoughts. Thankfully, Randy hadn’t seemed to sense her volley of emotions. “You’re still coming to caroling on Saturday, right? You’re not going to back out or anything.”

  “And miss spending time with you? Do I look like a crazy guy?” He chuckled. “Wait. Don’t answer that.”

  He never ceased to mak
e her giggle. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  “I’m not sure. Your dad and I talked about the possibility of me attending college at a satellite campus. That way I’d be closer. I’ll likely be researching for that.”

  Her smile widened. “Really? Is there one close by?”

  “There might be one in Columbus.”

  Her heartbeat quickened. “That’s only…what, like an hour away?”

  “Or less. It would sure beat going all the way up to West Lafayette.”

  “When does it start up again?”

  “The second Monday in January. Since it’s my last semester, it’s going to be pretty intense.”

  “But you’d be living at home, right?” She couldn’t suppress her excitement at his announcement.

  He nodded.

  “I’ll be praying for you.”

  His lips twitched.

  “What?”

  “You’re cute, that’s what.” He winked.

  “I’ve never considered offering to pray for someone to be ‘cute.’ I take my prayers seriously.”

  He couldn’t seem to squelch his amusement. “I’m sure you do.”

  “Well, my dad agreed to a courtship between us, didn’t he?”

  “You have a point.”

  “I’m praying about other things too.”

  “Like what?”

  “You and your Amish grandparents.”

  “Don’t even bother. That’s a lost cause.”

  “Why do you hate your grandparents so much?”

  “I don’t hate them.” He sighed.

  “You say that, but I don’t know how truthful it is. Your words and actions prove otherwise.”

  In that moment, his face transformed. His eyes flashed with something akin to fury, similar to what she’d seen during their Walmart excursion, but this look seemed to convey sadness as well.

  She dared to lightly touched his forearm. “Will you share what you’re thinking with me?”

  He worked his jaw and swallowed. “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Please?” She glanced up to see if others in the fellowship hall could hear their conversation. They occupied a table toward the back corner of the large room, so it was unlikely. No one seemed to be paying them any heed.

  “I don’t remember too much. I was young, maybe Jaycee’s age.” He blew out a noisy breath and clenched his hands. “Mom had spent the better part of the morning baking, since Dad had said his folks loved baked goods. She was excited to finally get the opportunity to meet Dad’s parents for the first time.”

  “You had never met them then?”

  “No. I don’t think I knew they even existed. It was different with Grandma and Grandpa Mills, Mom’s parents. They were like normal grandparents, even though they lived in a different state and we didn’t see them all that often. But I was excited when I found out about Dad’s parents because I thought, you know, Wesley and I would get another set of grandparents. And they didn’t even live that far away from us.” He shook his head and his frown deepened.

  “Boy, was I wrong. We pulled up to their house and we all got out of the car. I still remember Wesley teasing me about us getting spoiled since we were their only grandchildren. Anyway, when Dad went and knocked on the door, my grandmother answered. She’d smiled, but it wasn’t like I’d expected. Mom handed the baked goods to her, but she didn’t take them. Then my grandfather came up behind her. I couldn’t understand the words he exchanged with Dad because they weren’t speaking English, but I knew by the tone it wasn’t a pleasant conversation. Dad told us all to go get into the car. I didn’t understand why.

  “He and my grandpa argued with each other for the next several minutes. Mom cried the whole way home, all the goodies she baked still in her arms. Wesley and I cried too. We wouldn’t even eat the treats. I think we were just so disheartened with how the events played out, we’d lost our appetites. And the treats reminded us of our grandparents’ rejection. They didn’t care about us, or if we even existed, it seemed. It crushed me. It crushed us all. Dad hadn’t said more than a few words to any of us for the next week or so. I think he just had to process it in his own way. They must’ve told him to never come back. Because we never did.”

  Randy shoved away tears with his fists. “I’m sorry.”

  Tears pricked Holly’s eyes too. “No, don’t apologize. You were hurt deeply.”

  “I’ve never shared that with anyone before.”

  She reached over and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for confiding in me. It means a lot.”

  “I didn’t mean to dump all my emotional baggage on you.”

  “The load is lighter when more people carry it, right?”

  “Thank you for listening.” He shrugged. “Although, I don’t know what good it did to tell you.”

  “It helps me understand you better. And, in some small way, I think it helps you to talk about it.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “I think it does. It has defined who you are.” She frowned, attempting to process everything he’d just said. “But what I don’t understand is…your grandfather talked to you in Walmart…did something change?”

  “Two years ago my grandparents started coming around.”

  She remembered Shannon mentioning it, but she wanted Randy’s point of view. “Around?”

  “They visited the last two Christmases, and they’ve visited with my parents a few times.”

  “So you guys are no longer shunned, then?”

  He shrugged. “I guess we never were. It was my dad who was shunned.”

  “But they refused the baked goods. And they wouldn’t see you.”

  “I know. I don’t know their reasons for that. But according to my dad, they don’t have a problem with the rest of us, only him because he’d been baptized into the Amish church before he left.”

  “I’m confused. Why would they visit your parents if your dad is shunned?”

  “Honestly, I think they’ve been visiting in secret. Their church doesn’t know.”

  “Oh.” Shannon had said something similar, hadn’t she?

  “Like I said. It’s just dumb religious rules. Things that men made up.”

  “Do you know what the word ‘religion’ means?”

  “Not specifically, but I think I have a pretty good idea.”

  “Well, it probably has more than one meaning. But the book of James says, Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

  “I don’t know if I see your point.”

  “My point is that you probably shouldn’t lump everything ‘religious’ together. Religion in itself isn’t stupid or dumb. Now, if you’re talking about false religion, I totally agree with you. False religion keeps people from God.”

  “I guess I’m talking about false religion, then.”

  “Not even Jesus got along with the religious leaders of His day, although He attempted to open their eyes to the Truth. Christianity is totally different than a bunch of religious rules.”

  He nodded.

  “Have you ever talked to your grandparents about it? Gotten their perspective?”

  His frown deepened. “Why would I want to do that?”

  She rubbed her forehead. “Randy.” She had to remind herself to be patient with him.

  “What?”

  “Look, I’m not saying they’re right. I just think it would help you to see this through their eyes.”

  “What good would it do?” He shook his head. “Listen, Holly, I know you’re trying to help. But sitting down with my grandparents? Just, no.”

  For crying out loud, this man was stubborn. “Why not?”

  “I don’t want to.”

  “So, you’d rather hold on to your bitterness and anger for the rest of your life?”

  Randy squeezed his eyes close.

  She tried to speak gently. “Wouldn’t you rather deal with this
and put it behind you?”

  “I just don’t think talking about it is going to help anything.”

  “But you don’t know that.”

  He rubbed his temples. “Why are you doing this? Why do you care?”

  “I thought it was obvious.”

  “It isn’t.”

  “I like you. A lot. I want to see you happy.”

  “I’m happy around you.”

  She frowned. “You look miserable right now.”

  “You know what I mean. Not when we’re discussing my grandparents.”

  “See, that’s the thing, Randy. You can’t just bury your past hurts. They don’t just go away. They poison you from the inside out. They affect your relationships with those around you. If we are to have a healthy relationship—or any relationship at all—you need to learn to deal with things like this. Because there will eventually be something else that offends you in the future.”

  “Listen, I already know their side of the story. I’ve talked to Wesley about it.”

  “And what does he say?”

  “He doesn’t agree with their position either.”

  “So, he doesn’t get along with your grandparents?” She already knew the answer.

  “He gets along great with them.”

  “So…why can’t you?”

  “It’s complicated.”

  “It doesn’t have to be. If Wesley’s found a way to bridge that relationship, can’t you?”

  He clenched his hands. “I’m not Wesley. And I never will be.”

  “Randy.” She sighed. “I know you’re not Wesley. And I don’t want you to be.”

  “Really? That’s not what it seems like to me.”

  “You’re changing the subject.”

  “Maybe because I don’t want to talk about this.” He turned away from her.

  She blew out a breath. “Fine.”

  His head snapped back and he examined her. “Fine? Really?”

  “Well, I’m obviously getting nowhere, so I’m not going to waste my breath anymore.” What was the point? He’d definitely need to work through his bullheadedness. It could be a good trait if channeled properly, but right now, he was going down the wrong channel.