Double Take (18 page)

On Thursday morning, Anna rose early to call her father’s phone in the barn. He was surprised to hear from her again so soon. Inserting an excited edge to her voice, she told him the good news about Rachel’s baby entering the world, repeating the parts of the story that Madison had told her.

“I will go tell your mamm now,” he said finally. “Thank you, Anna.”

They said goodbye and Anna set the phone down, sighing to see that it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. This was going to be a very long day. It was also Nadya’s day off and, in Anna’s opinion, a good reason to stay home because she wouldn’t have Nadya watching every move she made, scowling at her if she accidentally picked up after herself. Fortunately, she had only two more full days in New York City. While she knew she should do something to make the most of her time here, perhaps even see some of the sights, she had no desire to do anything. So that is what she did. Nothing. Or almost nothing. Finding a novel that looked interesting—and unlike anything she’d be allowed to read at home—she lost herself in it for a few hours.

A bit before noon, Madison’s phone rang again. Assuming it was Garret—since he never seemed to give up—she prepared herself to make another excuse for not seeing him. She was surprised to hear Lucinda’s voice.

“Anna!” she exclaimed. “Wait until you hear this.”

“What?”

“My aunt found Jacob Glick.”

“My Jacob Glick?”

“I think so. Anyway, he has the right birth date and name.”

“Jacob is here still? In New York?” Anna’s heart was pounding hard. “I can see him?”

“Absolutely. My aunt gave me his phone number. You can call him.”

Anna’s hand trembled as she opened a drawer in Madison’s desk, grabbed a pen and pad, and wrote down the numbers in shaky-looking penmanship. “Thank you!” she cried. “Thank you so much!”

“Let me know how it goes, Anna. I’d love to hear the end of this story.”

“Yes,” Anna promised. “I will tell you all about it.” As soon as Lucinda was off the phone, Anna punched in the numbers, holding her breath as she waited, listening to the rings. One . . . two . . . three.

“Hello?” answered a familiar deep voice.

“Jacob?”

“Yes?”

“It’s me—Anna!”

“Anna? Anna Fisher?”

“Yes. A friend found your phone number and—”

“Where are you? Home still?”

“No. I’m here in New York City. In Manhattan.”

“No way.”

“Yes!” she cried. “I am. I really am. Where are you?”

“Brooklyn.”

“Where is that?”

“Not far from where you are. What are you doing there?”

“I came looking for you.” There was a long pause, and Anna felt worried—did he not want to be found? “I would like to see you, Jacob . . . if it is all right.”

“Of course it’s all right. It’s great. How about if I come over to visit you?”

“Yes. That’s a good idea. I’m not clever at finding my way around this big city.” She told him where she was staying and he sounded impressed, but when she started to explain why she was there, he cut her off.

“I can’t make it over there until around three,” he told her. “Is that okay?”

Anna felt a cold wave of disappointment. “Not until
three
?”

“Yeah. I have classes until then.”

“Classes?”

“In fact, I’m late now, Anna. I have to go. See you around three. Okay?”

“Okay.” As she set the phone down, she felt nothing close to okay. She had come all this way, made all this effort, and now that she had finally found Jacob, he wasn’t willing to drop everything to run and see her? That did not make sense.

She decided to call Lucinda, explaining what had happened and how much it bothered her. “I have over three hours to wait now.”

“Why don’t you come down here and wait with me?” Lucinda suggested.

“Thank you.” Anna was already on her way out the door. “I would like that.”

Something about the smell of fabric, the textures, the colors, the sewing notions . . . it comforted Anna. “Please, let me help you again,” she told Lucinda.

“Gladly.” Lucinda handed her a long black dress with pins in the hem. “This is next.”

Anna frowned at the hemline. “But it is uneven.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“Uneven?”

Lucinda nodded.

“Oh.” Anna tried not to think about the unevenness as she slowly stitched. It was not for her to understand the way the English thought. The more she saw on the television and on the streets, the less she understood—and the more she longed for home, where everything, for the most part, made sense.

“Did he sound happy to hear you’re in town?” Lucinda asked.

Anna considered this. Happy . . . had Jacob sounded happy? “I am not sure,” she admitted. “He sounded surprised.” She remembered her conversation with Madison last night and relayed it to Lucinda.

“You’re kidding! Madison helped deliver your aunt’s baby?”

“I am not sure it was exactly like that. But she did help. She was very excited about it.”

“That is totally weird.” Lucinda laughed. “Madison Van Buren delivers an Amish baby.”

“That may be overstating it.” Anna frowned.

“Anyway, it’s crazy.” Lucinda got a funny look. “But in a way, it all adds up.”

“It adds up?”

“Well, Madison used to talk about wanting to go back in time. She was always reading funny old books. She secretly watched
Little House on the Prairie
too.”

“The Laura Ingalls Wilder books?” Anna nodded. “I read those books too.”

“You live those books.”

Anna shook her head. “Oh no. Not like that. We are not in the wilderness.”

“Anyway, I’m starting to get it. Madison is living out one of her childhood fantasies.” Lucinda set the scissors down. “Who would’ve thought?”

“Madison said we cannot exchange until Saturday.” Anna pulled the thread through. “At first I was upset. I wanted to go home today.”

“But now Jacob is here.” Lucinda grinned. “Aren’t you glad you stuck around?”

“Yes.”

“What does Jacob look like?”

Anna closed her eyes for a moment, remembering. “Jacob is tall and strong. He has brown curly hair and hazel eyes with flecks of gold. A nice straight nose, a good smile, good teeth. He is a handsome man, I think.”

“Did he say what kind of school he’s attending?”

“No. He has only been here for a few months.” Anna frowned. “His schooling, like mine, ended after eighth grade.”

Lucinda looked up from what she was sewing. “You’re kidding. You haven’t gone to school since eighth grade?”

Anna nodded. “It is how we do it at home.”

“Wow, that would be totally awesome.”

Anna blinked. “You would want no more school too?”

“Sure. Then I could start designing my own line of clothes.”

“Oh.”

“My mom says I can’t start working in design until I’ve had at least two years of college. We argue about it all the time.”

“You argue with your mother?”

“Absolutely. But she’s a cool mom. I mean she lets me work with her and I’ve learned a lot. Not that I would say that in front of her.”

“I have learned a lot from my mother too.” Anna sighed. “I think I will say that in front of her, when I see her.”

“On Saturday?”

Anna shook her head. “No. I go to my aunt’s house on Saturday. I am expected to stay with her for a while, to help her with the other children and things.”

“How will you get there?”

“I came on the bus. Madison got the ticket for me.” Anna frowned. “How do I get the ticket back there? Do you know?”

“You go to the bus station,” Lucinda explained. “Or you can get it online.”

“Oh, Jacob can figure it out.” Anna winced as she poked herself with the needle. “I hope he will go back with me.”

“Do you think he will?”

“I think if he loves me, he will.”

“And he’ll be welcomed at home?”

Anna thought for a moment. “He will be welcomed if he speaks to the deacon and admits he was wrong and asks to be baptized.”

“What was he wrong about?”

Anna pressed her lips together, trying to remember exactly. “It wasn’t just one single thing. Mostly it was the way Jacob questioned things.”

“You’re not allowed to question?”

“He questioned important things like how we live, what we believe, the Ordnung.”

“Ordnung?”

“It’s the rules. We are a community with rules that we agree to keep. Everyone must work together and respect the rules.”

“Or what happens?”

Anna tried to imagine what would happen if her family and neighbors and the entire settlement all quit obeying the Ordnung. “Chaos maybe.” She wanted to say “chaos like how the English live,” but that seemed ungracious. “We are different,” she said instead. “It is because we are different that we continue.”

“What do you mean by
continue
?”

“I mean it is our traditions—the way we dress, the way we live, the way we believe—that sets us apart. It is the setting apart that preserves us.”

“I think I get it.” Lucinda shook out the garment she was working on. “Kind of like the Tibetan monks in the Himalayas.”

Anna tilted her head to the side. “What?”

“They’re religious too. They keep apart from the outside world. I read somewhere that’s why they’re still around—although they do suffer a lot of persecution.”

“Yes,” Anna agreed. “It is like that. We have enemies too.”

“The Amish have enemies?”

Anna explained, as best she could, the lessons she’d learned in history, retelling stories of religious discrimination dating back to the sixteenth century, of those who died for their beliefs, and of the price paid for their religious freedom. “It is what holds our people together,” she finally said. “Our history, our beliefs, our Ordnung.” She felt a strange sense of pride as she spoke of these things—as if she was starting to believe them herself for the first time.

“That’s a pretty cool heritage,” Lucinda said as she went over to use a sewing machine.

“The truth is I was questioning it myself,” Anna admitted.

“Is that why you traded places with Madison?”

“Yes. That and my longing to find Jacob.”

“Hey, speaking of Jacob, it’s almost three.”

Anna jumped up. “Oh! I should go down to the lobby. It’s where I said I would meet him.”

“Thanks for helping again,” Lucinda called. “My mom does want to pay you. I can help you with the bus ticket stuff too.”

“Or Jacob can.” Anna waved.

“Have fun!”

As Anna hurried to the elevator, she considered her appearance. She hadn’t even thought to change her clothes or do anything with her hair—and now it was too late. What would Jacob think to see her dressed like an Englisher girl? But she didn’t have any other options. As she went down, she realized that he too would be dressed differently. Everything here was different.

With her phone in her hand in case he called, she began pacing back and forth in the lobby, looking outside the glass doors to see if he was coming. What would he look like? How would he act? What would she say? Would it be like what she watched on television last night—the couple who had been parted, running to each other, embracing, kissing?

She and Jacob had first kissed about a year ago. It was springtime, and he had declared his love for her and kissed her. Then they had sneaked out a number of times, holding each other and kissing, and Anna had felt ready for marriage. Now that seemed so long ago.

Seeing that it was fifteen minutes past three, Anna decided to go out on the sidewalk. Perhaps he was confused or lost. She might spot him and—

“Anna!”

She turned to see a young man walking toward her now. “Jacob,” she called out as she ran to him—and just like old times, they embraced. She buried her head in his shoulder and took in a deep breath. He smelled different.

He held her at arm’s length and looked at her, studying her closely, and then he laughed. “Oh, Anna, you look so different.”

“That is like the pot calling the kettle black.” She pointed to his very short hair. “You cut your hair.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I told you, I am looking for you.”

He nodded to the building. “But why are you staying here? This is a very expensive neighborhood.”

She smiled. “I know. Would you like to see where I live?”

He blinked. “Sure.”

Anna smiled at the doorman and he opened the door for them. “Right this way,” she told Jacob as she went to the elevator and pushed the up button. Inside, she slipped in the card, then pushed number 26 and waited.

“Very slick.” He nodded with appreciation.

“We’re going to the penthouse,” she explained.

“You live in a penthouse?” He threw back his head and laughed. “Did you marry a millionaire?”

She turned and glared at him. “No, I did not marry a millionaire.”

The doors opened, and she pressed the code numbers for the security system and let them inside.

“Wow, Anna.” Jacob stared at the penthouse with wide eyes. “This place is awesome. Really, you have to tell me what’s going on with you. If you didn’t marry a millionaire, how did you get all this?”

“Are you hungry?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen. “I haven’t had my lunch yet.”

“Yeah, sure. I’m actually starving.”

She opened the giant refrigerator and removed some of the plates of food that Nadya had left for her lunch and dinner. She carried them out to the large dining room and set them on the huge table before she went back for the plates and silverware. The whole time, she could feel Jacob’s eyes on her, and she knew he was completely bewildered. For that matter, so was she. Everything about this felt very strange. Almost like a dream.

“There,” she said when all was ready. “We will eat now.”

They both sat down, and Jacob looked thoroughly stunned. “Seriously, what is going on here?”

“Do you want to pray first?” she asked.

With a blank expression, he shook his head.

“In that case, I will.” She bowed her head and prayed silently, but when she finished, Jacob seemed even more perplexed.

“Please, Anna,” he pleaded, “what’s happened to you?”