The Shunning (18 page)

"I ought to spank you," he told her.

"I know, but not right now. I'd rather you kissed me again," she admitted, her cheeks turning red at her forward behavior.

"I would rather kiss you, too, but I promise you are going to have a warm bottom before this night is over." He then lowered his mouth to hers in a sweet kiss."

* * *

Martha hurried the younger children off to bed a little earlier than normal and once they were settled she returned to the living room where Levi was waiting for her. They were going to confront Mary and it was Levi's idea to have Mark in on the conversation because if anyone knew what his twin was up to it would be him.

"Mary, Mark, could we have your attention,"
Dat
spoke quietly but firmly.

"Sure,
Dat
," Mark answered for both of them. He hoped it was about the birthday they were having next week. He was looking forward to his
rumspringa
, and being allowed to go to the singings at long last. He knew that Mary already had her eye on Joseph Yoder, and that Joseph was waiting on Mary to reach sixteen so he could openly court her.

"Mary, your
Mamm
has brought it to my attention that you have been giving Sadie a rough time over Samuel's shunning. You have been gloating and telling her that you are happy she can't see that boy. I would like to know why you would find that acceptable behavior."

"Maybe I should go on up to bed," Mark offered. He wanted no part of the discussion that could get his sister in so much trouble it wouldn't be funny.

"No, Mark. This is the time I expect you to show us that you are grown enough to know right from wrong, and if you know something about this situation your
Mamm
and I expect you to come forward. We know that Mary is your twin, but if she has done something shameful, it is your duty to correct the matter."

"It is Mary's to tell, not mine," he stated, giving his twin a meaningful look.

"I don't know what you are talking about!" she denied.

"Mary, you need to tell the truth. I told you that you couldn't fool the folks for long."

"Oh, Mary! How could you do something so shameful?" Martha asked, her heart breaking.

"Shameful? I would think you would find Sadie's behavior shameful! At least Joseph is a nice young man!" she declared. "Unlike that horrible Samuel Hilty!"

"What are we talking about here?" Levi asked quietly, confusion written all over his face.

"You found out that Mary is courting Joseph Yoder behind your backs, right?" Mark asked helpfully.

"What?" Martha exclaimed. "You are doing
what
?"

"It is no big deal,
Mamm
. We just take walks together and talk about how nice it will be when I am finally sixteen and able to go for buggy rides and to the singings. Joseph is a nice man." She was smiling and happy.

"That is not what we want to discuss, young lady, but you can be sure we are going to talk about this before the night is over," Levi promised. "We want to discuss your sister and your behavior towards her and Samuel."

"Of course you do! Everything is always about Sadie...! Perfect Sadie who does no wrong!" Mary's expression was full of anger.

"Mary, did you have anything at all to do with the rumors floating around about Samuel?" Martha asked directly.

* * *

"It is time to take you home, Sadie," Samuel said regretfully. "I don't want you to get into even more trouble with your parents for staying out so late."

"Hopefully they won't have missed me at all, Samuel."

"Do you plan to sneak inside?" he asked.

"I'll go in the same way I came out," she answered.

"And how is that?" He looked at her expectantly.

Sadie immediately knew that telling Samuel the truth would not be the smartest thing she ever did. "Oh, it doesn't matter. But, you are right, as much as I hate it, I should be going."

"Sadie, why don't you want me to know how you plan to get in the house without being heard or seen?" he asked.

"Oh, it's not important..." she said evasively.

"I think it might be..."

Sadie looked into his blue eyes and could tell that he wasn't going to let it drop. She took a deep breath and said, "I climbed out of the window in my bedroom and down the trellis. I'll go back inside the same way. You needn't worry; I'm quite good at it."

"Quite good at it?" Samuel asked, his voice strangled. "Quite good at it! Just how many times have you found a need for this, young lady?" he demanded.

"Not often, but when we were all younger, it was a fun way to sneak up behind Atlee and David when they thought I was inside. Good heavens, Samuel... I wasn't sneaking out to spend time with boys, if
that
is what you think! I did go with a group of girls from work to see a movie one night," she confessed, looking at him. "You believe me, don't you?" she asked, her lower lip trembling.

"Of course I believe you, but Sadie, it isn't safe! What if you lost your footing? Or the trellis broke? It isn't safe and I don't want you to do it again. Is that clear?" he asked, giving her a little shake. "I understand why you did it tonight, and I love you for it. I truly do, but when you put yourself in danger, I have no choice but deal with it. I'm going to have to spank you, and that is the last thing I want to do tonight."

"No, you don't have to spank me, Samuel. I promise I won't do it again."

"You walked here by yourself and in the dark. What if a car hit you? You would have lain there until morning and you were missed at home!" He looked at her in frustration, and then said, "You've earned a spanking for placing your safety at risk, my
lieb
. I don't want to do this, but I must. It is my duty as your future husband."

"Oh, Samuel!"

"Don't look at me like that, Sadie. Come here and let's have this done right away." He pulled her over to a bench outside his horse's stall, and then he gently tugged her down over his lap. He didn't toss up her skirts, but his hand smacked lightly on her bottom. "I would think less of myself if I didn't do this." He spanked again and then again. "I want your promise that you won't do this again, Sadie. I couldn't bear for something to happen to you!"

"I can't make you that promise, Samuel!" she answered, and then waited for his inevitable reaction.

Chapter Twelve

The spanking so far had been very mild; Sadie realized that Samuel's heart wasn't in correcting her. They hadn't seen each other for five long weeks, and he was so happy to have the stolen time with her to put much effort into spanking her. If she were to promise him she wouldn't climb down the trellis in order to come to him, she figured he would stop the spanking altogether... but she couldn't make that promise. "I'm sorry, Samuel, but I can't promise I won't do it again! I love you, and I need to see you and be with you. You are my life and my heart belongs with yours. Spank me if you must, but I cannot give you my promise!"

Samuel found that he could not punish his sweet Sadie. He carefully lifted her until she was sitting on his lap, and he kissed her. "I love you, my sweet Sadie."

"Oh, I know you do, Samuel!" Sadie returned his sweet kisses, pleased that the
bletching
was over. She could barely feel the few swats he'd given her, but she would remember them for the care and mercy he'd shown her.

"I am praying this will soon be over, my
lieb
, so we can openly court each other."

"I am praying, too. I know that Atlee and David are doing their best to question people, but no one seems able to give a source. It comes back to a few girls, and they are confused about the source. I have tried talking to them, but no one will talk to me about the situation."

"It will all come out soon," Samuel stated calmly. "It is in God's hands, and He is merely testing us and our love to make sure we are steadfast." He kissed Sadie again, and then gave her bottom a hearty spank that caused her to gasp and then reach back to rub the stinging handprint on her right cheek while looking at him in shock. He grinned, "Let me take you home now, Levi's Sadie. It grows very late."

* * *

"Mary, did you have anything at all to do with the rumors floating around about Samuel?" Martha asked directly, watching as anger filled Mary's dark eyes.

"Answer your
Mamm
, daughter!" Levi's voice thundered in the room and Mark visibly shuddered. His twin was in more trouble than she knew, and it was time for her to tell the truth and stop torturing Samuel and Sadie.

"Mary," he whispered, "it is time to tell the truth. This cannot continue. Sadie is too unhappy, and you are tearing our family apart." Mary flashed him a look of contempt, her eyes warning him to shut up!
"Tell the truth, or I will!"
he promised.

"Very well!" she snapped at her twin. "Yes, I am the one who started the rumors, but only because I wanted to protect Sadie from that horrible man! If you both would have listened to me, it wouldn't have been necessary to do something so drastic!"

"How could you do something like this?" Martha asked, her voice full of pain. "Sadie is your sister!"

"Yes, she is my sister, and she plans to leave us just when she is most needed, leaving me here to care for this house and a new
boppli
! And it is Samuel Hilty's fault! I cannot understand why she is so obsessed over him! That man beats her for every little thing. She is not permitted to use her own mind for anything, and yet, she excuses his behavior! He is
Englisch
for all that he pretends to adopt Amish ways! I do not trust him; someday he will take Sadie away!"

"This is not true, daughter. You are the
only
one who sees Samuel as a threat. This entire community has shamed him because of your words, and now we will have to beg his forgiveness. And what of Sadie? How will she forgive you for this? How will she forgive me?" Levi asked sadly. "You go straight to bed. I am too upset with you to treat you fairly tonight."

"Why will you not believe me? Sadie does not love him; she only wants to escape this house and the extra work a
boppli
will make for us all!"

"That ain't so, Mary!" Mark spoke up. "Sadie has been sad. She loves Samuel and you have wronged them both. You are going to have to stand before the Bishop and ask forgiveness."

"I will do no such thing! I would run away and live on my own before asking forgiveness for doing the right thing!" Mary stomped her foot and then ran from the room.

Mark jumped to his feet, prepared to go after her, but his
Dat
reached out and stopped him. "Let her go. She needs to be alone and think, and she will only continue to argue if she remains down here." When Mark nodded, Levi motioned for him to sit down. He also took a seat and then asked solemnly, "Have you known of your sister's lies all along, Mark?"

"Not until last Sunday,
Dat
," he answered truthfully. "I overheard Mary telling a couple of the girls that a friend of hers saw Samuel driving his car in the next county. Those two couldn't wait to go and tell others. I confronted Mary and she said that she was trying to keep Sadie from making a huge mistake by marrying Samuel. I told her she was in the wrong and she needed to confess, but she refused. I gave her one week to change her mind and come forward or I would tell you myself,
Dat
. I have never seen Mary as hateful as she has been with Sadie lately. I don't understand why she hates Samuel so much!"

"You should have told us on Sunday, son," Martha stated. "This is a very serious matter."

"
Ja, Mamm
. It
is
serious, but I wanted Mary to right the wrong on her own. I did not want to be the one to point a finger at her, and I thought she would come to you and
Dat
, but she is too full of anger to admit she is wrong."

Mary came running down the steps and into the living room, carrying a quilt in her arms. "I thought you might like to know that your precious Sadie is not in her bed. She left this rolled quilt in her place and she sneaked out the window and down the trellis!" Mary threw the quilt to the floor, anger staining her cheeks. "I wonder how many other nights she has done
this
?" Mary asked dramatically, doing her very best to get her older sister into trouble. "Samuel is just no good if he encourages her to sneak around when he is shunned!"

"Go to bed, Mary, unless you want a trip to the woodshed right now." Levi knew he was too angry to discipline his daughter, but as a threat, it was a good one.

Mary turned on her heel and ran back up the stairs, muttering about Sadie being allowed to do anything while she was always in trouble.

"Mark, next week you will turn sixteen and your
rumspringa
will begin. You will be considered an adult in the eyes of the church, mature enough to make good choices. Keeping this terrible thing a secret for even four days was not wise."

Mark bowed his head in the face of his
Dat's
criticism. "I am sorry,
Dat
. I thought that Mary would confess if I gave her an ultimatum. I wasn't protecting her."

"Mark, I see your side," Martha assured him, "but some things are too serious for you to make a decision about, and this was one of those times. You should have come to us that same day and let us decide how to handle Mary."

"I understand,
Mamm
. I am sorry."

"Go on to bed, son. You meant well, and your
Mamm
and I know that."

Levi looked at Martha and saw the sadness he felt within him reflected in her pretty eyes. "I am shamed, Martha. I have wronged our daughter and treated Samuel badly. How can I make it up to them?" He put his hands over his face and covered his eyes.

Martha was shocked. Levi was not a man who showed his emotions so plainly, but he was in terrible pain and he needed forgiveness. "Sadie loves you, Levi. You are a good
Dat
." Before he could answer her they heard a buggy outside and it did not go to the barn, but stopped in front of the porch.