After the company left that evening, Emma plopped down in a chair at the table by Hal. “Where did you find that unusual bread kneading pail?”
“At the Old Thrasher’s Reunion. Your father helped me get the pail and the milk can for the boys back to the car while you were sightseeing.” Emma’s face turned blotchy as she bit her bottom lip. “Emma, is everything all right?”
The girl took a deep breath. “Jah, What could be wrong? Guess I am just tired. Ach, but I have had a voonderball gute birthday, Hallie,” Emma exclaimed, kissing Hal on the cheek. Looking away, she paused.
“What is it?” Hal asked.
“Such a surprise to get a gift from Mammi and Dawdi. How did your folks know that I would be getting a hope chest for my birthday?”
“Actually the idea was Mom’s. While she was here, she saw your mother’s chest and admired the workmanship on it. She said someday we should give you Diane’s hope chest. She said it would mean more to you than it would to me just sitting in a corner of the bedroom collecting dust. Besides, she knew I was getting a new hope chest at the wedding. When your Papa told me about your approaching birthday, I wrote Mom and told her now was the time to send you something to put in a hope chest. Our gift was your mother’s hope chest, because John said a hope chest is what Plain girls get on their sixteenth birthday.”
“I am glad Mammi and you thought to give me such a special gift,” Emma said.
After the evening prayer, Emma announced to them all, “Josh has asked me to the singing Sunday evening at Metta Yutzy’s house.”
“Do you want to go?” John asked.
“Jah. Josh is new in the neighborhood. He thought me going with him would be a gute way to get acquainted with people our age,” Emma said.
“He thought so, did he? Margaret told me Josh is eighteen,” Hal offered, looking uneasy.
John nodded. He understood her meaning. Eighteen was not that much older than Emma, but that young man did not have a very pleasing personality. He paused to lay his bible back on the bookshelf before he said to Emma, “If that is what you want to do it is all recht with me.”
“That is gute. I think I need to get into bed. I am tired,” Emma said.
The boys played checkers for a while. Finally, John looked at Hal as he said, “Boys, put the checkers away and go to bed.”
“Papa, I am win–-,” Daniel started to complain.
“I think it is time to call it a night now,” John said firmly.
Hal had an uneasy feeling as she watched John’s gloomy face. It was the same feeling she had when he came in from chores. Something was wrong. From his grave look and sound of his voice, she was certain she wasn’t going to like knowing what it was. After the boys disappeared upstairs, he clasped his hands together in his lap and studied Hal.
She said in a low voice, “John, I know something is wrong. Just tell me. Are you upset that I gave Emma a birthday party?”
“Ach, nah. This has been almost a voonderball gute evening,” he said dryly.
“Almost, but not completely good. Is it about that boy, Josh? Quite honestly, I didn’t like the idea of Emma going anywhere with him before we get to know him better. I’ve had a bad feeling about him ever since the first time I met him,” Hal admitted.
“Now who is being overly protective?” John said with a gleeless smile on his face.
“It’s my women’s instinct about men that tells me that boy is no good. Trust me,” Hal insisted.
“I do, and I feel the same way, but I have to trust Emma to make gute decisions now that she has come of age to go out with boys. Recht now she is curious about this one, because we have so few young strangers that live near us. If I protested about Josh, she would be more drawn to him. If she is allowed to see through him herself, she will be the wiser for it. It is not about Josh that I am worried recht now. It is something else, and it is a worse thing at the moment for you than it is for me.” John hesitated.
“You’re really worrying me. What’s the matter?”
John cleared his throat, suddenly looking sad and tired. “Did you see the buggy with Elton Bontrager and Enos Yutzy in it drive up by the barn at milk time?”
Hal shook her head. “No, what did they want?”
“They came to call on me about official church business. They came tonight while Luke Yoder was here. It was a meeting with church ministers. They confronted me about riding in your car when you drove to Mt. Pleasant,” John said.
Hal groaned. “They found out. What did they say?”
John studied his folded hands grimly. “They questioned me and accused me of committing a sin against the Ordnund. I agreed that I was guilty.”
“And?”
“They said since I was not a man to sin and break the Ordnund rules they believed me when I said I am remorseful. It had to be the bishop’s decision to forgive me. He did. Deacon Yutzy and Luke agreed with him. I am forgiven in the eyes of the church unless I repeat the same temptation again. If I get caught, which is never going to happen again, I would have to go before a member meeting at church where the members decided if I am guilty as charged. If they so say, I would be disciplined severely. But as of now, this matter is over and forgotten for me.”
“Oh good. You aren’t in trouble anymore,” Hal said with a sigh. Then she frowned. “What about the children?”
“They are not baptized in the church yet so they are not in trouble. They do not have to follow the rules of the Ordnund until they are a member of the church.” John took a deep breath. “It is true I am not in trouble, but you are in very much trouble yet. Elton said you have to meet him, Luke and Deacon Yutzy at his house tomorrow night at seven to discuss this matter with them,” John informed her.
“I do, do I? Just like that. He didn’t come to the house to ask me if I’d like to come. He commanded that I be there and had you tell me,” Hal rankled.
John was irritated when he said, “The bishop has spoken. He doesn’t ask when he wants to have a meeting about a church member’s breaking the Ordnund rules. You must obey his order to go see him. His word is our law. Usually Elton would have talked to you personally in private, but with the birthday party tonight, he did not want to confront you in front of company. For your sake and Emma’s, he wanted this to be a happy time.”
“All right, I get it. I truly didn’t think anyone would be the wiser about our outing. What has happened to cause us all this trouble?” Hal asked, alarmed now.
“Stella and Moses Strutt was at the Old Thrasher Reunion. Stella could not wait to get back to Elton to tell him she saw you driving your car and my family was with you,” John said.
“Fudge! Of course, Stella would hurry right to Elton. She’s probably trying to get even with us for Daniel’s frog causing her to make a spectacle out of herself at the wedding. I’m sure she’s been on her high horse ever since that day,” spit Hal.
“Hal!” John arched an eyebrow.
“All right, I’m sorry I said that about Stella.” Hal put her hand up in the air. “I hope to kiss a pig if I’m not sorry. It just sort of snuck out. Stella Strutt always seems to rub me the wrong way.”
“That may be, but truth is we should not have went anywhere in your car. It is not Stella’s fault that we broke an Ordnund law. That was our decision. Now we have both gotten in trouble for being tempted to use that car,” John said ruefully.
“I am so sorry, John. I didn’t think this would happen. What will Elton say to me?”
“Be prepared. He told me to tell you he is going to tell you that you have to sell the car,” John said bluntly. “The moment has come that you have to face this.”
“Oh,” Hal groaned. “I can’t imagine going to Wickenburg all winter, in the cold and snow, in the carriage to do my Home Health job. My car has a heater and gets me there faster.”
“You can quit the job if you want to. You do not have to work away from home. Just take care of the clinic patients here. Soon you will have a baby to take care of which will take up your time,” John suggested.
Hal’s voice cracked. “I might agree if more Plain people consented to come to the clinic so I could stay busy. I really enjoy being a nurse. It’s what I went to school to do. I’m good at it, and I hate to give up my job. What am I going to do?”
John paused for a moment. “Have you ever thought about taking a lay off in the winter from the job and going back to work in the spring? That way the ride to town would be warmer and safer for you out alone while you drive the buggy.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone else that ever does that,” Hal declared.
“Barb is a gute friend. She would understand. Gute nurses are hard to come by and keep. She might consent to do this for you just so she has your job filled part of the time.”
“All right, I’ll talk to Barb to see if she’s agreeable to that. Otherwise, if I have to I’ll have to drive Ben all winter,” Hal said reluctantly.
“There’s one more thing. Bishop Bontrager wants you to throw away that cell phone.”
“Throw away my cell phone?”
“Doing these things are the only way to be forgiven by our church,” John insisted.
“Will that be the end of this if I do as I’m asked?”
“Jah, you have to tell the ministers you are guilty, and you will repent. To be forgiven like they did me, you will have to look and act like you mean what you say. We can only pray that will be enough. The punishment may be worse for you,” John explained earnestly.
Hal looked puzzled. “I don’t understand. All you had to do was say you were sorry out in the barn, and they forgave you. Why wouldn’t that be enough for me tomorrow night at Elton and Jane’s house?”
“I was just a passenger. You were the Plain person driving the car. That is a worse offense than my riding in it,” justified John.
Hal studied John’s face. “So you really don’t know what will happen to me?”
“Believe me, it did not feel gute when I was accused of being tempted by my new wife who’s name should have been Eve even though I knew I was guilty. The first offense is usually forgiven if the person says they are guilty. If the offense continues that is when Plain folks have to make our things recht in front of the other church members.
In your case if the bishop decides it needs to be, he will tell you to make sure you are at a member meeting at the next Gemeesunndaag. The meeting happens recht after the church service. You have to confess you are guilty in front of all the congregation. I told him I will come with you tomorrow night so you do not have to face him and the other two alone.”
“Oh dear, now I’m so very sorry I dragged you into this,” Hal said, tears in her eyes. “They won’t decide to excommunicate me, will they? I just became Amish and have a lot to learn. Can’t they take that into account this one time?”
“Excommunication is for those that continue to sin. That would be too harsh a punishment for the first time. That will not happen. Once you are Amish, you are supposed to know recht from wrong, but usually you will be given chances to make your things recht as long as you do not continue to sin. We will have to take whatever Elton decides is your punishment this time and live with it. We know we cannot make the same mistake again, and we move on. That is all we can do,” John said stoically. He held out his hand to help Hal up. “Now we need our rest.”