“He’s perfect for you.” Lily giggled and poked Daisy in the ribs with her elbow.
Their father turned around to look at Jonathon, and then he glared at the twins. “It’s been a long time since I had to scold the two of you, but if you can’t behave, you’ll spend the rest of the day in your rooms.”
“Sorry, Dat,” Daisy said.
“Yeah, we didn’t mean anything bad,” Lily said, looking down at the table.
“I’m not sure what you meant, but you must watch your tongues. Small words can light great fires.” He shook his head. “I’ll be telling your mudder about this.”
“Nee, Dat, please nee,” Lily pleaded.
“We’ll go up to our rooms right now, but please don’t tell Mamm.” Daisy leaned over toward her father.
“She’ll ask why you’re in your rooms and I’ll not lie,” he said in a stern tone.
Lily nibbled a fingernail. “We won’t do it again. We’re sorry.”
“See that you don’t say anything like that again. And then we can forget the whole thing.” His eyebrows pinched together as he shook his head. “I’ll let it go this once if you watch your words.”
“Denke, Dat.” Lily glanced at Daisy with a look of relief. “We won’t do it again. It was just a silly thing to say and we know that now.”
“Just watch your tongues,” he repeated.
Tulip did her best to hide her amusement at how scared the twins were of their mother. Most people she knew were more scared of their fathers than their mothers, but their mother could be very stern sometimes and thought nothing of dishing out harsh punishment. Most of the punishments were in the order of staying in the house for two weeks and only being allowed to go to the meetings. That also meant having no friends over to visit.
The twins were quiet for the remainder of the wedding, which was most unlike them. Tulip couldn’t stop glancing over at Nathanial. It was a nice feeling to potentially have someone special in her life. Even if nothing came of their date, it was nice to have that feeling of harmony and light within. Now she had a little taste of what it would be like to have a special man in her life just as Rose now had Mark.
Chapter 3
That night, when Nancy was at home with her husband, she sat on a chair in their bedroom and brushed out her long hair with slow, smooth strokes while a single tear trickled down her cheek. It wouldn’t be the same without Rose in the house; it already felt empty.
“What’s wrong?” Hezekiah asked.
“Nothing.”
“Now come on; I know it’s something. Are you sad about Rose moving out of the haus?”
“I’m happy she’s married.”
“That’s not what I asked you.”
“I’m just a little sad that our kinner have all grown up, and now our first dochder is married. I want them all to be young again. I want to turn back time, and have all of them small again and gathered around my feet pulling on my apron strings, annoying me. Now I’d give anything to have them surrounding me like that again.” She wiped away tears from her eyes.
Hezekiah got up and stood behind his wife. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “That’s why we have to enjoy each and every moment. Each moment Gott gives us in this earthly home is precious.”
“I wish I had enjoyed that time more when they were little. I kept looking forward to the time they’d be bigger, when I should’ve been enjoying them at the ages they were.” She shook her head. “I had looked forward to the time when I could have an adult conversation with them and they would have their own opinions and ideas. Now that time has come, I miss their younger selves. You see, it is like they are each two different people—their younger selves and their older selves. I miss their younger selves. I know that doesn’t make much sense and I’m babbling like a crazy woman.”
“It makes perfect sense.”
“People used to say to me, Enjoy them while you can because they grow up so quickly. I don’t think I ever really did.”
“There’s no point in being upset about things that you cannot change, Nancy. Start now by enjoying each and every day for what joy it brings us.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She inhaled deeply. “We can’t turn back the clock.”
“Now you can pass on your knowledge and your experience to our kinner, and to Shirley and soon to our other grosskinner when they arrive.”
She laughed. “And they probably won’t listen to me, just like I never listened to my parents.”
Hezekiah chuckled. “You’re probably right. We can only give them advice. It’s up to them to follow it. Life’s a journey, and we don’t know in which direction the wind will blow our sails. All we can do is set our sails in the one we think is the right direction, with Gott’s help, naturally.”
Nancy breathed out heavily and then sighed. “I know I can’t get the time back. I should enjoy the time I have with Tulip and the twins before they get married. And then when that happens it will feel very strange indeed. Do you realize that means the haus will be empty?”
“Jah, it’ll be just like when we were newlyweds. We’ll have the place to ourselves.”
“I can look forward to that while also enjoying what’s happening now.”
“Gut! With the love you and I have for each other, our life together will be wunderbaar. I don’t see that it could be any other way. We’ve been very blessed, you and I. We’ve always enjoyed each other’s company and we’ll go on doing that into our old age.”
“I hope I go to Gott before you do,” Nancy said while wondering why she was suddenly feeling so emotional. Normally, she wasn’t a sensitive person prone to sudden pangs of nostalgia.
“There’s no point talking about things like that. Gott takes us when he chooses.”
“I know that, but what would I do without you?” She began to cry once again, and he encircled his arms about her.
“Whoever goes first, we won’t be long without the other. We’ll be together forever in Gott’s Kingdom. This life is brief in comparison with eternity. And we’ll spend eternity together. I think we can cope with maybe one or two years without the other, don’t you?” He patted her on the shoulder and kissed her again.
“I know.” She grabbed his hand and held it tight. “I know I’m being silly.”
“Nee, you’re not being silly. It’s nice to hear how much you care for me. I haven’t heard that in a while.”
She turned to look him in the eyes. “You haven’t?”
“I know how much you care for me, but it’s nice to hear it every now and again.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve been distracted. I’ve always done my best to be a good fraa.”
“You’ve been the best fraa to me, and the best mudder to my kinner, that a man could have. And I don’t know how you do half of the things that you do. You’re truly an amazing woman.”
She got up, stood in front of him, and wrapped her arms around him as he enfolded her in a hug. “I’ve truly been blessed. Rose has a perfect man and now it must be Tulip’s turn.”
“All in Gott’s timing, Nancy, all in Gott’s timing.”
“That’s exactly right.” Nancy said with a little smirk turning the corners of her lips upward. Nancy closed her eyes and thought back to earlier that day. Rose’s wedding had been beautiful. The ceremony had taken place outdoors between two overhanging trees. It was a beautiful sight to see how Rose looked adoringly into her husband’s eyes.
She had seen that Jonathon’s cousin, Wilhem, was sitting next to him and she noticed many girls looking at him while ignoring Jonathon. She thought it funny that girls placed such a high priority on the way men looked before getting to know them. Jonathon was a lovely man but because he was quiet and a little overweight, girls didn’t give him a chance.
His handsome cousin won’t be single for long, Nancy thought. Her worst nightmare would be that Tulip or any of her daughters would get married and go to live far away. She was certain that Tulip
hadn’t even noticed the handsome stranger who spent most of the wedding by his cousin, Jonathon’s, side.
Chapter 4
Tulip managed to get out of the house on Saturday afternoon by telling her parents she was visiting friends. That wasn’t a lie; Nathanial could be classed as a friend. She certainly didn’t know him well enough to call him more than that. Because her mother was reprimanding the twins over something they’d forgotten to do, she just told Tulip she could go without asking any questions at all.
Tulip had taken the most reliable of their buggy horses and the smallest buggy. Once she found a spot near the café to park the buggy, she secured the horse and then smoothed down her dress with both hands. There was another horse and buggy on the same road and she wondered whether that might have been one that Nathanial had borrowed from the relatives he was staying with.
As soon as she turned the corner onto the main road, the café came into sight. She could see Nathanial’s smiling face through the large window. He stood up and waved to her. Walking on the rough floorboards, she breathed in her favorite aroma—the smell of freshly-ground coffee.
“You look lovely, Tulip,” he said as soon as she sat opposite him.
“Denke.”
He’d made her feel relaxed right away. She took in her surroundings. The café was large, with around twenty small tables inside and more tables outside under the awning on the broad sidewalk. On the mottled brown walls hung two large paintings that looked more like graffiti than art.
“I thought you wouldn’t come.”
Looking back at him, she gave a little giggle. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I thought your parents mightn’t like me.”
Tulip realized that he’d expected her to tell her parents where she was going. Somehow she’d gotten the opposite impression. She couldn’t tell him that she hadn’t told them because they might not approve of her seeing Jacob’s brother—that might make him feel bad. “They don’t know you.”
“I met your mudder at the wedding. I haven’t met your vadder yet, but I will since I’m staying longer. Now, what would you like to eat?”
“Just a coffee for me.”
He pushed a menu over to her. “Nothing to eat?”
“Nee, denke. I’ve just eaten at home.”
“I’ve just eaten too, but I can always eat more.” He took the menu back and looked at it for a while before he said, “I’m going to have a steak sandwich. Can you help me eat it?”
“I could have a little.”
“Gut!” He sprang to his feet to place their order at the register.
While he was gone, Tulip looked around, hoping that there was no one there who might happen to tell her parents she was sitting alone with a man. No, there was no one around that she knew. They were the only Amish couple in sight.
When he sat back down, she asked, “How is your bruder?”
“Jacob? He’s okay. He’s married now to Jessica. I’m not sure if you know that? And they’ve had a boppli.”
“That’s nice. Jah, I did hear that.” She had to change the embarrassing subject of Jacob and Jessica. “So, what kind of work are you looking for?”
“Anything. I learned the upholstery trade just like Jacob, but it’s not something I want to do for the rest of my life. I like being out in the fresh air, and I like to build things.”
“There should be plenty of that sort of work around.”
“Which one?”
“Either, I suppose.”
He chuckled. “I hope so. I’m starting my search on Monday. My onkel is asking around for me. He knows some builders. What is it that you like doing?”
“I don’t have a job. I stay at home helping my mudder. There are only me and my two younger sisters at home now.”
“Do you like doing that?”
She shuddered. “Not really. I’d rather be out of the haus. I want to get some kind of a job, I just haven’t worked out what I’d like to do.”
“So, you want to get a job soon?”
“I do, if I could figure out what direction to go in. I like cooking, but that’s all I can think of doing. Most jobs go to people with experience and I’ve heard it’s hard to get a job without having worked somewhere else.”
“You could work somewhere for free to gain experience.”
“I suppose I could. I didn’t think of that.”
The waiter brought over their coffees.
“Thank you,” Nathanial said, pushing the black coffee Tulip’s way and keeping the latte in front of himself.
“The steak sandwich won’t be long,” the waiter said before he left.
Tulip picked up a spoon and then poured some sugar into her coffee. She normally didn’t have sugar but the man sitting in front of her was making her lightheaded. Surely sugar would help steady her nerves.
They were halfway through their coffees when the steak sandwich arrived. It was huge and there was an extra plate containing a heaped helping of salad.
“Are you going to get through all that?”
He laughed. “I said I’d need help. I didn’t realize it was going to be quite this large.”
He cut a slice off his sandwich, placed it on the saucer that his coffee cup had stood on, and pushed it over to her. “You can start on that.”
“I’ll try, but I might not even be able to get through that amount.”
He picked up his sandwich with both hands and bit into it. Tulip picked up her portion and tried to eat in a ladylike manner, which was hard because butter was running onto her fingers and dripping onto the saucer.
Nathanial handed her a paper napkin and then used another one to wipe his hands.
“Denke. It’s juicy.”
He nodded because he still had a mouthful.
She ate a little, but that was enough. “I’m done. I can’t possibly have any more.”
He looked down at what was left of his sandwich. “Me too and we haven’t even started on the salad.”
“I’ll just stick with my coffee.”
“I hate wasting food,” he commented.
“Maybe you can take it with you. They might put it into a container for you.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. Denke for coming here today. I wanted to see you before your birthday.”
She smiled at him, not knowing what to say. This was the first time she’d been alone with a man.
He picked up a napkin, leaned forward, and dabbed at her chin.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Just a little butter.”
Now she felt embarrassed that she was smiling at him like a fool while she had melted butter on her chin. “Denke.”
He scrunched up the napkin and put it on top of the salad.
“What does your familye think of you coming here for work?” she asked.
“They don’t know yet. They think I’m visiting Matthew. I don’t see they’ll mind when they find out. I’m from a big familye and most of us have gone in different directions. Jacob’s still close to home, but I’ve got one bruder who moved to Canada to start a community there.”
“That is a long way away.”
“We might never see him again.”
“That’s sad.”
“That’s what he wanted. He married a girl from the community and then they decided that’s what they wanted to do. No one was going to stand in their way.”
“I’m glad both my brothers have stayed close by after they married, and I don’t think Rose will go anywhere.”
“Your familye sounds like they want to be close together.”
“We do.”
“Not all families are like that.”
Tulip nodded and wondered what his family was like. Had he come to the wedding looking for a wife? Many of the young people went to weddings hoping to meet that special someone.
“Would you go on a buggy ride with me if I can borrow a buggy?”
“I’d like that.” If that happened, she’d have to tell her mother who he was because he
’d have to collect her from the house.
“Gut! I’ll see what I can do. I might be able to take Matthew to the markets one day and then borrow his buggy. He works at the markets, you see.”
“I know. Rose works at the markets too.”
“I borrowed Matthew’s buggy today. Hopefully, he’ll let me borrow it again soon.”
Tulip nodded, but wanted to know when he was thinking of taking her on this buggy ride. Buggy rides were the traditional way the Amish dated. She would’ve felt better if he mentioned a day or a time to lock it in rather than it being fuzzy and open-ended. Why were these things so hard? She should’ve gotten some tips from Rose before having coffee with him.
She drained the last of her coffee, which had gone cold. In her heart, she wondered whether Nathanial might have had a girl at home much like his brother had when he’d fooled Rose. Tulip didn’t want to let Jacob’s downfall influence her feelings toward Nathanial, and they wouldn’t have if Nathanial had just made a time for their buggy ride. Now, things didn’t quite feel right to her. She had to examine things with her head and not be carried away by feelings of the heart. That’s what Mamm always said.
“All done?” he asked.
She nodded, hoping he’d suggest a romantic walk in the woods since it was such a lovely day.
“Gut! I’ll walk you to your buggy.”
Was that it? Was that all? Tulip was more than a little disappointed that there wouldn’t be more to their afternoon together than sharing a steak sandwich.
She stood up, and they both walked out of the café.
“My buggy is around the corner,” she said, still holding onto the hope he’d suggest they do something else.
They walked side-by-side in silence. Tulip hoped hard he’d suggest a time for that buggy ride and didn’t want the conversation to go in a different direction. He, too, remained quiet.
When they reached her buggy, he said, “Denke for meeting me here. I’ll see you again soon.”
When Tulip was in the driver’s seat, she looked over at him as he stood straight and tall. “You’re coming to my birthday, aren’t you?” She hoped that would prompt him to make a time.
Amish Tulip Page 2
