A Dream for Hannah (17 page)

Jake decided that it was time to update his folks on where he was. They had all gone to the Greyhound bus station to see him off, but he had been clear from the start that he didn’t know when he would be back or where he was going.

He recalled his mother’s tearful final words to him, “Just stay in the Amish communities.”

She would want to know by now what bishop he had reported to. The fact that he had not done so yet would not be welcome news, but there was still time to do something about that. Since he arrived he had learned of a small community of Amish in Troy, just west of Libby. He hadn’t yet made any attempt to join a church service—partly because of his job, but mostly because he didn’t want to be reminded of anything to do with Eliza.

The gathering of his kind on a Sunday morning could bring back a rush of unwanted memories. He wanted to forget, but he also wanted to stay Amish. Jake wasn’t sure how to make that all work together. He had kept his Amish clothing but didn’t wear them on his job. He imagined that could be explained satisfactorily. Although as a member of the church, he might be required to make a “confession” because uniforms were not allowed by most bishops.

Jake truly wasn’t sure if wearing his uniform crossed the line, but he considered a confession a serious matter, one that would require him to admit his error and beg forgiveness of God and the church. Afterward the church would take a vote. As grave as that might be, it would be much better than a “knee confession,” which was required for more serious offenses.

Jake had been baptized in preparation for his wedding, and the thought of that now sent bitter feelings through him. Yet, it was time to let his parents hear from him.

He got out his paper and pen and wrote.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I arrived in Montana and have been working for the Forest Service since then. The work is wonderful, and the scenery is beautiful all around here.

His pen faltered. Did he have enough courage to tell them what they really wanted to know? He gripped the pen tightly and tried.

There is an Amish community close by, but I haven’t been there yet. I have no plans to become English. Just thought I’d mention that. Please understand that I need some time alone. If Deacon Henry asks about me, you can tell him that.

Again he paused and wondered if he had said enough. He decided he had not and continued to write.

If I would decide to come home today, I would look exactly the same.

Those were code words for his haircut, and they would know what he meant. Few identifying features are as guarded by Amish males as their haircuts. Clothing can be changed in a few minutes, but cut hair takes months to grow out.

Thanks for your understanding on this matter. I will try to be at church at the Amish fellowship in Troy this Sunday.

Then Jake signed his name, addressed the envelope, and dropped it into the outside box where it would be taken into Libby later and sent out in the mail.

Hannah woke the first morning of her stay in the West and felt more rested than she had in a long time. It was still dark outside when Betty called from the bottom of the stairs, “Time to get up, Hannah.”

She answered in a muffled voice and got dressed quickly. She had lit the kerosene lamp on the dresser in her room but noticed no light in the hall. She figured the light was supposed to stay in the room and so she blew it out and managed to find her way down the sawn-log stairway without tripping. Hannah opened the stair door into the living room and found it dark except for the light from a gas lantern hissing near the kitchen ceiling.

“We get up early around here in the summertime,” Betty informed her from the kitchen. “Winter’s a little different. Now it’s breakfast at five thirty. Steve has to be up by dawn because his ride to his job on the mountain comes at six.”

Hannah rubbed her eyes, washed her hands at the sink, and got busy without much instruction from Betty. Her mother’s sister seemed to have much of the same breakfast routine. Hannah cracked eggs into the pan on the stove and then flipped them at exactly the right time, which brought a look of admiration from Betty. “Your mother taught you well. She always was the best cook around the house.”

“She tried,” Hannah acknowledged. “Well it looks like you’re learning,” Betty said as she lifted the bacon out of the pan. “As soon as it’s daylight, I’ll show you how we do the horseback riding. I’m sure you noticed the horses yesterday, but with the English riders, it’s a little different. You have to follow a set of rules with them in case of injury and such. We have to be careful.”

Hannah nodded as she lifted the last of the eggs out of the frying pan.

Steve came through the kitchen door and took a chair. “Breakfast smells good,” he said. “Good morning to you, Hannah.”

“Good morning,” Hannah replied, realizing at once she was very glad she had come.

“The children eat later,” Betty said. “Kendra is old enough to start getting up earlier, but I just haven’t started that yet.”

“How old is she?” Hannah asked and searched her memory from the evening before. “Ten?”

“Eleven,” Betty said. “She just turned eleven this month.”

Steve glanced at Hannah from across the table. “You are about seventeen, aren’t you? Any boyfriends yet?”

“Steve,” Betty said, scolding him, “don’t start that with her.”

Neither of them noticed that Hannah had turned pale instead of the expected blush of red at the remark. They took her silence as a no. There was no boyfriend, and, of course, they knew nothing about Peter. Her mom wouldn’t have written such news.

Steve chuckled. “We have several boys around here—all who are still single. There aren’t as many choices as there are back East, but, still, they are a bunch of decent fellows. What we really don’t have are many girls to select from. That’s always a serious problem for the boys, of course.”

Betty finally noticed Hannah’s pale face. “Now look what you’ve done,” she said. “You’ve scared the girl with these stories of our savage boys.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, laughing. “I’m just trying to give her some warning. You don’t have to be scared, Hannah. Trust me. They don’t bite.”

Hannah was unable to find words, and so she said nothing. In one way it was a relief to know her mom and dad had told no one about Peter. But in another way, a great loneliness rushed over her. She wished someone did know. She wouldn’t feel so alone then. Out here no one knew about Peter, the accident, or her guilt. Hannah pressed back the tears and decided it would be best to keep things so. She wanted a fresh start, after all.

Fifteen

By nine o’clock, two cars were already in the driveway.

“Looks like you’ll have on-the-job training,” Betty told Hannah. “I had hoped to give you more instructions first, but you’ll just have to follow my lead now.”

“I’m nervous,” Hannah said.

“Don’t be,” Betty said. “It’s not really hard. You read them the rules, saddle the horses, give them a map of the land, see that they mount safely, and send them off.”

“I’ll watch you,” Hannah said.

“I’ll stick with you for a few mornings, and then I’m sure you’ll be fine on your own,” Betty assured her.

With Hannah in tow, Betty headed for the barn. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully to the two couples getting out of their cars. “Ready for some horseback riding?”

Everyone nodded and smiled.

“Well, it’s first come, first served around here,” Betty said. “You let me know how many horses you want and for how long.”

“They were here first,” the couple in the jeep admitted. “We’ll see how long they take and then come back. There are things in town we can do.”

“What are the rates?” the couple in the blue Mazda asked.

Betty told them.

“We’ll take an hour, then, with both horses.”

“I’m so sorry, we only have two horses,” Betty told the other couple. “It takes fifteen minutes to saddle up and go over the basics, and then they take their hour.”

“We’ll be back,” they said and headed back toward Troy.

“Okay, now for you,” Betty told the other couple. “Let’s see. First here are the rules.” She rattled them off and asked about prior riding experience. Both claimed to have had some.

Hannah watched closely as Betty saddled the horses, adjusted the stirrups to fit the man and the woman, and finally directed them to the trail toward the mountain.

“We sure could use another set of horses,” Betty told Hannah as they watched the two go around the bend.

As if to confirm her words, another vehicle pulled into the driveway. Hannah saw they were another young couple, this time with two children. When the man rolled down his window, Betty asked them, “Are you looking for horse rides?”

“Yes,” the man said, “my wife and I were hoping to go riding. We also need a place for the children to stay for the time we’re out. An Amish riding stable seemed like just the place. We used to do a lot of riding before we were married. It brings back good memories for us both.”

“We would be glad to accommodate you,” Betty said, “but we only have two horses, and they are both out at the moment.”

“When is the next available time?” the man’s wife asked.

“I don’t know for sure,” Betty told them with some hesitation. “We serve our customers in order on a first-come basis. The horses are already spoken for during the next hour. Then another couple has reserved them after that. I could take your names for after the second couple has finished.”

“That’s too bad,” the man said. “Maybe we’ll check back in a few hours—maybe after lunch.”

“That would be fine,” Betty said. “I’m so sorry.”

As the car pulled out, Hannah asked, “Why don’t you buy more horses?”

“That’s what I was saying all last summer, but I just couldn’t take care of the riding stable with two more horses and the housework too—not with the children, I can’t. Kendra is of some help but not enough yet.”

“Well, I’m here now,” Hannah told her, “for all of the summer at least.”

“Let’s see how the rest of the day goes first,” Betty said, nodding. “Then I’ll talk about it with Steve tonight.”

The rest of the day went as it had started, without sufficient horses to meet the need. Hannah caught on to the routine quickly. By late afternoon, Betty let her take care of the last riders of the day—the couple with the two small children who needed babysitting while the parents were out riding. With delight Hannah entertained the children in the barn by teaching them to play the simple Amish games she had learned as a child. When the parents returned in an hour, the eyes of the children shone, as did those of their parents.

“This has been a perfect ending to the day,” the man told Hannah. “We are so grateful to you for babysitting the children.” They paid Hannah the requested fee as well as a generous tip for the time she had spent with the children. She held the money tightly against her side and waved as they drove off.

When Hannah showed her aunt the extra money, Betty said, “You did real well for the first day, and they paid you for babysitting too.”

“It was a lot more fun than cleaning houses,” Hannah said.

After supper Betty talked with Steve in the living room. They put their heads together under the light of the gas lantern, Steve with a notepad where he scratched figures every few minutes. Thirty minutes later they had apparently made up their minds.