Just Plain Sadie (14 page)

Sadie could hardly believe her ears. “You mean that?” Never in her life had she felt as special as she did in that moment. Maybe because Ezra was willing to go against everyone he knew to be with her, and yet Chris was dropping everything he knew to get away. She shook her head. Now was not the time to be worried about Chris Flaud.

“More than I've meant anything in my life.”

She pulled her gaze from his and stared down at her half-eaten sandwich. It was the best thing she had ever eaten and yet it tasted like sawdust. Not sure what that meant, she shook her head again, then lifted her chin to meet his gaze once more. “So what do we do?”

He thought about it a minute. “If we can't hang out with your friends in Wells Landing and we can't hang out with my friends in Taylor Creek, then let's go somewhere we can hang out alone.”

Sadie's heart jumped at the thought of being alone with Ezra. The implications, the temptations. Everything about it was wrong and yet right all at the same time.

“Let's go to Pryor and get something to eat next week. Just the two of us. No hanging out with friends on either side, no hanging out with family. Nothing. Just us.”

Her tears threatened again. Maybe she was overtired from getting hit in the face and being talked about behind her back, or maybe the whole conversation was making her a bit fragile. But she would like nothing more than what he just said. Her and him alone, without outside forces pulling at them. Pryor wasn't far from either town. In fact, it was the next big town over, the place they took Daniel to the doctor when he needed to go. Pryor was close enough to Wells Landing and Taylor Creek not to raise eyebrows as she walked in with her black mourning dress and her prayer
kapp
, and surely not close enough to either one that anyone would care if a Mennonite guy and an Amish girl were having dinner together.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I'd like that more than anything.”

* * *

They finished eating and got back in the truck. All too soon Ezra was pulling down the road that led to her house.

“How are you going to explain . . .” He gestured around his face, indicating the injury to her nose.

Sadie shrugged. “I don't know. Tell them the truth, I guess.”

It seemed as if there were going to be a lot of white lies in her future if she and Ezra started sneaking around. It'd be better to tell the truth now and in any instance she could.

“I'll tell them I got hit in the face with the volleyball.” They didn't need to know any more than that. When they found out she had an injury, everyone would fuss over her and that would be that.

Ezra nodded.

They drove in silence a bit, then he turned, casting a quick glance in her direction. “I'm glad you came with me tonight.”

Despite everything, she was glad she came with him too. He pulled up in front of her house and left the engine running. “What time next week?” he asked.

“I have Thursday night off from the restaurant.”

“Isn't that your bowling night?”

“Well, not really. I mean, I would rather eat dinner with you than go bowling with them.” She didn't have anyone else to bowl with except for Ezra. Maybe she should let Chris have that slot. He could take who he wanted to. But she knew he wouldn't take anyone. She'd let the couples worry about that.

Ezra nodded. “I'll see you Thursday, then?”

Sadie nodded in return. What was next? Would he kiss her again like he did on the way to volleyball? It was something she both anticipated and dreaded.

She waited to see what would happen. But he only reached out a hand and ran his thumb across her cheekbone. “I'll see you then.”

Sadie tried not to be disappointed as she slipped from the cab of his truck. She walked up to the porch knowing he was watching to make sure she was safe. When she reached the door, she heard him put the truck in gear and back out of the driveway. She stood there and watched him go, wondering why he hadn't kissed her again.

* * *

Sunday afternoon Melanie came by for a visit. Luckily their two church districts held their services on the same Sunday, so she was off when they were off and they could visit together. Otherwise Sadie wondered when she would ever see her sister. She could understand Lorie's infrequent visits, seeing as she lived in the
Englisch
world and miles away. Melanie lived on the other side of the district.

They settled down in the living room. The day was overcast and looked like it might snow. But Sadie had heard the old-timers talk about it yesterday at the restaurant, and it was supposed to be cloudy for a couple more days and then clear up after that.

“I'm glad you came out today,” Sadie said.

Melanie frowned. “I hear you've been seeing Ezra Hein.”

The statement took Sadie aback, but at least Melanie used his name and didn't call him “that Mennonite boy.”

“Maybe,” Sadie muttered. It was no secret. Melanie had even gone bowling with them the one time. But everything else had been either out in the open or in Taylor Creek. She still had four more days before they went on their date in Pryor.

“Sadie, I know you're upset about Chris. But going out with a Mennonite boy to make him jealous is not a good idea. This can backfire on you.”

Sadie bit back the harsh words that sprang to her tongue. Her sister had no idea, no idea about the situation with Chris. She had already told Lorie, but that was different, Lorie didn't live in town. She didn't talk in the sewing circles and gossip after church and everything else that the Amish tended to do to spread around the “news.” If she told Melanie, it would surely get back to Chris and Johnny and maybe even their brother Joshua.

No, as bad as it spited her, she had to keep this to herself.

“I'm not dating him to make Chris jealous. I've gone out with him a couple times because I like him.”

“He's a Mennonite.” Melanie said the words clearly, pronouncing each syllable as if it were a word in itself.

“I'm aware. But what's wrong with that?”

Melanie sat back. “We're different. That's all. You know that. We don't go to church the same. We don't dress the same. They drive around in cars.”

“Everyone around here drives around on tractors. They both have rubber wheels and both could take a person anywhere they wanted to go. Why is it so terrible to drive a car instead of a tractor?”

“I don't have the answer to that,” Melanie said. “It just is. And don't forget that they have electricity.”

“We have electricity in our restaurant. What's the difference in that and having it the house?”

“Electricity leads to TV and computers and radio and all the other worldly things.” Melanie shook her head.

“I've been to Ezra's house, and there's nothing there like that. They use electricity to light the house and to have hot water and cold food, all the things that we use propane for. So they pay the electric bill to the city. Is that really ungodly?”

“They're not like us,” Melanie said finally.

Sadie pinched the bridge of her nose. Her head was starting to pound, and the last thing she wanted to do was argue with her sister. Why were people so narrow-minded? Why couldn't they see past all the little things on the surface to the person underneath? What did it matter that he was a Mennonite? Was it really important that he cut his hair different? Or that he wore patterned shirts? And the whole electricity thing was so ridiculous she couldn't even laugh at it.

“I don't want you to get hurt,” Melanie said.

“I've already been hurt. By a guy I've known my whole life. An Amish guy.”

“Look,” Melanie started. “I know it was hard when Chris broke up with you.”

“Chris and I were never a couple and I told him that I wouldn't wait . . . I mean, that I couldn't marry him.”

Melanie inhaled sharply. “You?”

Sadie nodded.

“Why?”

“I'd rather not say.”

“Sadie . . . ?”

“It doesn't concern you, Melanie.” She hated to be like that with her sister. But she couldn't divulge Chris's secret no matter how hurtful his abandonment. What happened between them and the secrets he'd confided to her were not something that she could share with her sister.

“Find a nice Amish boy. Can you do that?”

“The only available Amish boy I know is thirteen, and I think he likes Cora Ann.”

“You are exaggerating.”

Sadie snorted. “You know what I mean. This whole town has had me tagged with Chris since we were fifteen years old. You started going with Noah and Ruthie started going with Mark. Lorie started going with Jonah—”

“Look how that turned out.” Melanie had been as hurt as Sadie had when Lorie left. But they had all been grateful when Lorie came back and made up with their mother. She might not have stayed within the Amish faith, but she had been there when Melanie got married. And they would be there in June for Lorie when she married the
Englischer
Zach Calhoun. They were family, and that was all that mattered.

“Well, Chris and I aren't going to work out either.”

“He looks so miserable.” Melanie shook her head. “I understand that you can't tell me why you broke up with him, but could you see fit to give him another chance?”

“Did he . . . Did he send you here to ask me that?” Was Chris having second thoughts about going to Europe? Her heart gave a funny flip-flop in her chest. He'd made it quite clear that he wanted to go to Europe. Was he having reservations about leaving? And if he was, why hadn't he come himself?

“Noah asked me to come.”

“Why would your husband care?”

“I'm not sure that he does, really. But his father does.”

Bishop Treger, Noah's father, was a much more conservative leader than Sadie's bishop. Bishop Ebersol was father to Emily, one of Lorie and Sadie's best friends. He had seen them through a lot of tough times over the last few years. She didn't think he would care that she was dating a Mennonite boy. Not like Bishop Treger would. Not like her friends and family. Everybody was more than willing to point fingers and show how different they were when they didn't take any time at all to look for all their similarities.

“Just think about it, will you, Sadie?”

“I'll think about it.” How could she think about anything else? But thinking about it didn't mean it would change anything at all.

* * *

She probably should have waited until she knew that she could find the bishop at home. But she hadn't. She'd driven over to the Ebersols' only to find that Bishop Ebersol was visiting with the Riehls.

Sadie hopped back into her buggy and headed over to James and Joy's house. A couple of years ago, James Riehl had been kicked in the head by a cantankerous milk cow. The injury to his brain had rendered him somewhat childlike. He could hold his own in most conversations, but there was something so innocent and sweet about him. Everyone loved to be around him, especially Emily, his new daughter-in-law. Emily had more of an idea about what Sadie was going through than anyone.

Emily had loved Luke Lambright, but he loved race car driving more.
Kind of like Chris loves the thought of traveling more.
So Luke left the Amish, leaving Emily behind. Soon after that, Elam Riehl had come into the picture. Now her friend was the happiest she had ever seen her. Emily had a new baby girl.

Sadie pulled her buggy to a stop in front of the Riehls' house, thinking that maybe instead of the bishop, she should talk to Emily. Maybe her friend had some insight on what to do.

The bishop's buggy was still parked out front, so Sadie was in luck. She had her choice of who to talk to—Emily or her father. But Sadie had a feeling that the bishop would render the best advice in her situation. She hopped out of the buggy and skipped up the porch steps as the front door swung open. James Riehl stood on the other side of the threshold, baby Lavender in his arms. “Sadie Kauffman! I'm glad you're here!”

Sadie smiled. James's enthusiasm was contagious. It was so hard to be around him without smiling. After coming back from such an injury, he showed them all how good God was and how precious life.

He looked up and down at her black attire. “Mourning still?” He nodded sagely. James had an adoration for the color purple and he always wanted to know about the purple things people around him owned.

“Is the bishop still here?”

“
Jah
.” James stood aside so that Sadie could step into the house. Since Emily and Elam had gotten married, they had moved in with James and Joy to help with the workload. It was an interesting situation because instead of the grandparents living in the
dawdi haus
, the kids were living there.

Sadie supposed that was the best plan for them. They could be close to James and Joy when they needed to be and have enough privacy to start a family of their own.

Just then Emily came out of the kitchen carrying her baby in her arms. Sallie Mae Riehl was a tiny thing, only two months old now. But she was shaping up to be the perfect combination between Emily and Elam. She had Emily's blue eyes and Elam's dark hair. Sadie knew the first time she had seen her that no one would ever call that baby plain.

“Sadie,” Emily gushed, rushing over to give her a one-armed hug. “What brings you out today?”

“My visit is long overdue, but I really need to speak with the bishop today.”

“And I thought you'd come out to see me.” Emily smiled.