CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 

Martha’s color had paled due to the absence of a fake tanning bed, but she didn’t mind because Ray found her beautiful without the unnatural bronze. The green earth had frozen under an unexpected flurry of silver snow, and the sloping hills housed tender pines topped with delicate snow. Two baby deer bounced up one of the snow-caped hills and disappeared over its slick, silver tip. A snap of chilly air mixed with crystals of snow splashed against the front of the buggy.  Martha’s teeth chattered, her body shivering. The weather at home was so different from in Kentucky.  It would take a while for her body to get adjusted. 

It is so early for snow.  Martha realigned the chestnut-brown wool blanket over her legs and upper chest. At least the team recognized me. They had: Molly and Mandy had rekindled a liking to her. Her daed had just gotten the horses a year before she’d left home.  Molly had a rich, dark brown coat and twinkling brown eyes. She seemed to be the leader of the team.  Molly had a light brown coat and light brown eyes. She looked about ten pounds lighter than Mandy.

A smile etched across Martha’s face  as she flicked the reins. One day, Alice would be driving to instruction class too. Would Alice participate in Rumspringa like she had done?  Martha hoped not. When Alice got old enough, Martha would sit her down and tell her story. The freckled-face child was too young to hear the story now. She was busy bonding with her grossmammi and grossdaedi. Martha’s parents seemed to enjoy the child’s company. 

Martha clicked at the horses when the black buggy got towards the end of the road. The traffic on the four-lane highway seemed busy today, and there were trotting horses leading black buggies on each side of the road.  The horses stayed still while vans of tourists passed by.  Martha’s mouth could taste the rivel soup and pickled beet eggs from Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen, which was located on State Route 241 in Mount Hope. Mrs. Yoder’s had a grand lunch buffet with homemade soups, fresh salads, and delicious fried chicken. Ray was supposed to meet her there after he attended the Exotic Animal Sale across the street from Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen. They also needed some bar soap to make homemade laundry soap. It would be awhile before Martha got the hand of making homemade soap again. Lehman’s was conveniently located across the street from the bank that sat next to Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen’s parking lot. A hitching post was located behind the bank.

Martha looked and saw that the road was clear. She flicked the reins and directed the happy horses down the road.  More dancing brown deer entertained themselves amidst the sloping blankets of snow, and some late migrating birds flapped their black wings in the sky, pushing their chilled bodies southward.

Heading South.

Martha had done that over eight years ago. She’d felt alone and frightened. She gaze dup at the sky. The birds didn’t seem frightened. They seemed on a required mission to get to a safe, warmer climate. Had Gott planned Martha’s journey to the Harrodsburg Projects Complex to strengthen her faith?  There had to be a reason. Although she’d taken a detour, she’d ended up with Alice’s daed, and they’d soon be a happy couple. They were due to get married six months after she’d rejoined the church. This was a requirement of the church. If they got married before, Ray would be put in the bann for six months.

They didn’t want that.

So they waited to do the right thing this time.

The black buggy stopped at the light before continuing through the intersection. Her twinkling deep bronze-painted eyes scanned the roadside and saw Heini’s Cheese Chalet. The brown and white building had a Swiss ambience to it. Martha’s mouth watered. She could taste their famous yogurt cheese, its smooth texture and rich flavor. Maybe she and Ray could take Alice there next week. This week was just too busy. It was Tuesday, and she hadn’t gotten her laundry out yet.

Across the street and down the road a bit was a large white building that housed Kauffman’s Country Store. The smell of cinnamon and donut filled the air. If she hadn’t planned on lunching with her special friend at Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen, she’d lead the horses into the busy parking lot to grab some orange cookies and apple fritters. Being that she’d stayed awake part of the night envisioning the heaping strawberry crème pie that she would have at Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen, she declined the thought of deep-fried apple fritters and orange cookies.

But the delicious, red and white layered pie wasn’t the only thing that had kept her up last night. A circle of butterflies had taken over residence in her belly. She was nervous, but not about the instruction class that was scheduled in the afternoon. She was concerned about the attic.

And the hidden box.

Martha sighed and decided to push her fears away. She wouldn’t open the box because it clearly had a note on it that read, “For Alice to open when she turns sixteen. Do not throw this box away or attempt to open it before she turns sixteen.”

The box had clearly been left by Mrs. Dailey. What else could this late quilter do to keep the community on its toes?  Had Mrs. Dailey handwritten an apology letter since she hadn’t pulled the lovebirds from the loft on that night of Rumspringa? Or had she left some money for Alice to start her own business?  It puzzled Martha. She wanted to tell Ray about the hidden box, but she was worried that he might open it. It would be over seven years before Alice turned sixteen.

A fast, white hot rod, striped in orange passed the buggy at a record speed and startled Mandy, but Molly pulled the load and trotted on down County Highway seventy-seven.  Children with black bonnets and sweaters played softball in the schul grounds, and more chestnut-toned deer stood on the hill behind the schoolyard watching the youth. Maybe the deer realized that the wire fence protected them from marching children. Or maybe, like the vans of tourists from Amish Heartland Tours,  the deer had become accustomed to keeping their distance while snapping mental snapshots of the quaint schoolyard.

Inclining up the hill, Martha recalled that the schul benefit breakfast was this Saturday, and she had promised to help fix buttermilk biscuits. The church members, Englisch neighbors, and some tourists always attended the breakfast. The large benefit was advertised in the Ohio Country magazine. She had to report there at four o’clock in the morning to bake the biscuits. Hungry patrons would stand in line to eat at six o’clock in the morning.

But Ray wouldn’t be there because he had volunteered to help out at Miller’s woodworking since Leroy Miller had gone to a wedding in Indiana. Ray was the first person for LaVonne to pick up at four thirty in the morning.  LaVonne was a bubbly, sparkling single mother who’d befriended the Amish many years ago. She loved mornings and enjoyed covering the scenic route twice a day.  She also owned Amish Heartland Tours and had a quaint little office downtown across from Boyd & Wurthman’s Restaurant. The grey tourist information booth had a gingerbread haus appearance.  Colorful brochures of area attractions, lodging, and dining were neatly displayed inside.

Although Martha enjoyed all of the restaurants, Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen was her favorite. The rivel soup was impressive, and the fresh salads were delicious. As she made her way past snow-caped farms, she noticed that several homes had swaying cape dresses, baby blue work shirts and children’s clothes on clotheslines. She hadn’t been the only woman late with the laundry.

I think I’ll fit in here. But she should, for she was born here. But somehow, she felt like she was starting over again; she was a newcomer having to prove herself.

And she was right. Proving and accountability were particularly crucial aspects of Amish life. The Plain folks took the scriptures seriously, and they expected their members to do the same. Even though they married within the New Order Amish communities,  they expected the non-Old Order members to have been attending an Old Order church for six months to prove that they were serious about life with an Old Order man. If they didn’t follow through the six months, the Old Order member that was marrying them would be disciplined.

In the ban.

And no one wanted to be in the ban. Martha and Ray had discussed the situation and decided that they would wait the six months. It would be worth it. Martha knew that Ray was taking an enormous leap of faith in her, and she didn’t want to let him down. She would prove herself and join the community that she was raised in.

As the horses came to a stop at the intersection of State 241 and County Road 77, Martha saw that Lehman’s had oil lamps on sale for twenty-five-percent off. She made a mental note to tell Ray. Unlike other stores, Lehman’s sold products for the Plain folks. He had bar soaps, Borax, and such to make homemade laundry detergent. He even provided three soap recipes, printed on white paper, for tourists. Martha wondered how many tourists made the soap when they got home. Hopefully, she would start making Lye soap like her mother.

Directing the horse across the street at the four-way stop, Martha nodded at Mr. Bill Yoder, who was coming out of Lehman’s.  He smiled and noted back. It felt good to be home again, although it would take some adjusting. The horses turned left to enter the hitching post. Martha unraveling the brown wool blanket and tossed it in the seat. She stepped down from the buggy in time to see Ray walking down the steep hill that entered Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen’s side parking lot. The nippy wind bobbled his black hat atop his head, but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were on her.

Martha blushed gave a warm greeting, “Looks like we had perfect timing, Ray. How is the day going?”

Ray swung his baby blue sleeve-covered arms loosely as he approached the buggy. “Gott’s blessed us with another beautiful day. I saw nine deer on my way to the sale!”

Martha’s twinkling brown eyes widened and her brow arched up. “Nine?  I didn’t see that many. Did you see some by the schul?”

Ray’s blue eyes deepened and the chilly air feathered his deep red hair. “Only a buggy accident. I am glad that Frank Bontranger was only scraped up a bit.” He shook his head and motioned for her to walk up the hill next to him. “The tourists don’t understand about horses. They don’t go fast on the roads.”

Martha objected. “Most tourists obey the yellow warning signs and slow down. At least that is what I have seen while I have been home.”

He tilted his head and grew a slight smile. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe all the fast ones are on the road when I’m driving.”

Martha chuckled. “That is probably so, Ray. With the 150,000 Amish families in Holmes County, I’d say we have an extremely low buggy accident rate.”

He wiggled his brow. “You’re right. Holmes County is the largest population of Amish folks in the country.”

Ray opened the door to Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen and Martha’s mouth watered. They crisscrossed the foyer floor past the neatly arranged tables of Amish and Mennonite cookbooks, wooden scripture plaques, and souvenirs.  Approaching the hostess stand, they were warmly greeted before being seated at a window table. A group of Amish women sat to their left, and a Mennonite couple to their right. Mr. Yoder was checking the dining room count as Martha, the friendly Amish waitress came to their table, pen in hand.

Ray smiled and said, “Hello. We will have iced tea to drink and  three slices of strawberry pie after the buffet.”

Martha wiggled her nose and rolled her bottom lip under her top teeth. Ray was ordering a slice of pie for Alice, and she knew it. It felt so good having him include their dochder.

She’d been correct as Ray tilted his head and added, “The third slice of pie is to go for our dochder.”

Martha already knew. “I thought that you were ordering Alice a dessert. She is so cute. They just left here so she will enjoy two slices of pie.”

Martha was puzzled. Alice should be in schul. Why had her mamm not sent her to schul?  “She was out of schul?”

Martha’s brown eyes twinkled, and her white kapp strings flipped above her white apron as she leaned in to reply. “Her schul took a field trip to the Exotic Animal Sale. She was with her schoolmates, teacher, and a driver.”

“Oh, that is interesting,” Martha looked over at Ray, who had not offered any information about the field trip. “I didn’t know anything about the field trip.”

Martha smiled and said, “I’ll be right back with your drinks. Help yourself to the buffet.” She turned and walked away.

Ray looked at Martha and said, “They do this field trip once a year; usually before the breakfast benefit meal.” He cocked a brow and inquired, “You are still helping with the benefit breakfast, aren’t you?” He looked down at the paper placemat that doubled as a menu. “The schul could really use the money. I pray that it goes well.” His forehead creased up and his gaze leveled with Martha’s warm brown eyes. “You know Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen’s menu is just as tempting as the items on her buffet. Maybe we’ll have a date night and order the roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy.”

Martha’s face relaxed, her eyes growing a lighter shade of saddle-brown. “Oh, I see. Did you see our dochder at the sale?” Her saddle-brown eyes scanned the dining area to see if she remembered anyone from schul.

She did.

But it was an old love, someone she could forget about. She craned her neck to try to see if the former love was sitting with his schwester or one of the schul girls. He had no beard, so he couldn’t be married.

Ray said warmly, “I had lunch with Alice. We had noodles. She ate half of mine. I told her they were the same recipe as Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen, and she begged for them after lunch.”

Martha’s heart melted. It was so good that Ray was bonding with Alice. The fact that he’d shared half of his noodles with Alice assured Martha that she’d chosen the right man.

In the loft.

In Rumspringa.