Disappearances (35 page)
Authors: Linda Byler
Where was Tim? Leaping out of bed, she hurried across the kitchen, her bare feet sliding across the sleek hardwood floor. The barn was dark. No buggy. Her breath came in dry gasps now. Where was Tim? She woke Mark, grasping his shoulder, shaking him hard.
“Mark! Mark!”
He groaned, turned on his back.
“It’s 1:25. Where is Tim?”
“I dunno.”
Clearly concerned, he threw back the covers, stuck his legs into his denim trousers, buttoning them as he moved across the floor.
“Where could he be?”
“He may have had trouble with his horse. That Reno. He’s a spirited one.”
Sadie put an arm around Mark’s waist, needing comfort. His arm came around hers, his love and concern warm in his touch.
Headlights? They held their breath as the bluish LED lights turned in the drive. They both exhaled, then decided to stay up, see what had happened. The washhouse door opened, shoes were kicked off, and Tim charged through the door.
“Hey!” Mark said, from the darkened living room.
“Whoa! You scared me!” Tim said.
“Why don’t you light the propane lamp?”
Mark and Sadie blinked in the bluish light. Mark pointed to the clock and Tim grinned sheepishly.
“We thought you may have had an accident,” Mark said sternly.
“Nothing like that.”
Tim grinned again, self-consciously this time. Then, as if there were no words to tell them how happy he was, he moved across the floor, gathering them both into a bear hug, one on each arm.
“I have a date with Anna.”
His words were so full of happiness, they were like music. Mark clapped Tim’s shoulder, congratulating him warmly. Sadie hugged him back and said she was glad.
They made hot chocolate, Tim got the shoo-fly pie, soaking it with the warm sweet liquid, and Sadie asked if Anna hadn’t offered him a snack. He said she hadn’t, and they all laughed when Mark said that was what Sadie used to do, too. No snack.
And then, because there was so much happiness that the house could barely contain it all, they sat in companionable silence as little swirls of contentment permeated the air.
Sadie knew their future held trials, dark valleys, days of despair, but that was God’s way. He supplied the strength and courage to face each dawning day.
In the barn, Paris whooshed her nose in the feedbox, then crumpled to the clean straw, resting, content, the happiness from the house including her.
The End
—
Arma geld
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “money for the poor.”
Bupp-lich—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “childish.”
Chide—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “nice or normal.”
Covering—
A fine mesh headpiece worn by Amish females in an effort to follow the Amish interpretation of a New Testament teaching in 1 Corinthians 11.
Cutsing
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “throwing up.”
Dichly—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “head scarf” or “bandanna.” A
dichly
is a triangle of cotton fabric, usually a men’s handkerchief cut in half and hemmed, worn by Amish women and girls when they do yard work or anything strenuous.
Dat—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word used to address or refer to one’s father.
Driver
—When the Amish need to go somewhere too distant to travel by horse and buggy, they may hire someone to drive them in a car or van.
Fer-sarked
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “taken care of.”
Gaul’s gnipp
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “the horse’s knot.”
Goot-manich—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “kind.”
Grosfeelich
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “proud” or “conceited.”
In Gottes Hent—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “in God’s hands.”
Kannsht doo Amish schwetsa
?—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect question meaning “Can you speak Dutch?”
Kalte sup—
A cold refreshing snack served in very hot weather as an alternative to cookies. Made with fresh fruit, served in a bowl, it contains a liberal amount of sugar, a few slices of heavy homemade bread broken on top, and ice cold milk poured over everything.
Loddveig—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “pear butter.”
Mam—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word used to address or refer to one’s mother.
Maud
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “maid.”
Obrichkeit
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “government.”
Ordnung—
The Amish community’s agreed-upon rules for living based on their understanding of the Bible, particularly the New Testament. The
ordnung
varies from community to community, often reflecting the leaders’ preferences, local traditions, and traditional practices.
Opp-Gott—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “almost a god,” or “idol.”
Patties down
—Putting one’s hands on one’s lap before praying, as a sign of respect. Usually includes bowing one’s head and closing one’s eyes. The phrase is spoken to children who are learning the practice of silent prayer.
Phone shanty—
Most Old Order Amish do not have telephone landlines in their homes so that incoming calls do not overtake their lives and so that they are not physically connected to the larger world. Many Amish build a small, fully enclosed structure, much like a commercial phone booth, somewhere outside the house where they can make calls and retrieve phone messages.
Rumspringa—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “running around.” It is the time in an Amish person’s life between age 16 and marriage. Includes structured social activities for groups, as well as dating. Usually takes place on the weekend.
Schadenfreude
—The feeling of gladness at seeing your enemy suffer a defeat or setback.
Shtrubles—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “messy, fly-away hair.”
Siss kenn fa-shtandt—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect sentence meaning “That’s unbelievable!” or “That’s not right!”
Siss net chide
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect sentence meaning “It’s not right.”
Toste brode, millich und oya
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “toast, hot milk, and a soft-boiled egg.”
Verboten
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “forbidden.”
Voss iss letts mitt ess?—
A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect question meaning “what is wrong with her?”
Ya
—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “yes.”
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Good Books, Intercourse, PA 17534
Cover design by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Design by Cliff Snyder
978-1-4532-7595-5
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Intercourse, PA 17534
This edition published in 2012 by Open Road Integrated Media
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New York, NY 10014
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