A few days later when John and Hal came home from the hospital close to supper time on the in between Sunday, Emma met them at the door. “How was Elton today?”
“Coming along all right. He may get to come home tomorrow. Then will be the hard part for Jane. She will have to keep him quiet for a while. It won’t be easy to do when he gets to feeling more like himself,” Hal said, chuckling.
“Especially since it is time to harvest his corn. Maybe I should check on him often enough to sit him down before he gets any bad notions,” John said. “He doesn’t have many chores. Jane can keep doing them. I’ll get the neighbors together to pick his corn. We always help him anyway.”
“Wonderful! That should take a load off Elton’s mind if you tell him that. The doctor did say he shouldn’t be doing anything strenuous for quite a while,” Hal said.
“Here comes Josh’s buggy. I have to leave now,” Emma said, picking up her bible off the game table. “If you are not in bed when I get home, we’ll talk some more. The boys have chores about done, and I left supper in the warming oven.”
Emma, excited about this first outing with a boy, rushed to the courting buggy and greeted Josh Beiler as she pulled herself in. When the couple traveled down the road, Emma wasn’t sure what to say so she didn’t speak. It didn’t help that Josh stared ahead of the horse as if she wasn’t in the buggy with him. This silence wasn’t a comfortable situation like teasing back and forth with Levi Yoder always was. She could say anything to Levi. The two of them had grown up together almost like bruder and schwestern. Josh was a stranger, and suddenly a very quiet one to boot. She wished she’d had time to get to know him better before this date.
Emma was glad when they arrived at the Yutzy farm. She looked forward to being with a room full of Plain kids she knew. Her friend, Metta, dark brown hair peeking from the edges of her prayer cap, waited in the machine shed door. She waved a greeting as the couple walked toward her.
Metta kissed Emma on the cheek. Her hazel eyes lit up as she surveyed the strange boy with Emma. She held her hand out to Josh. “Ich bin die, Metta.”
“Metta is our hostess tonight,” Emma supplied.
Josh gave Metta his crooked grin as he took her hand. “Wie bist du bet, Metta. Ich bin die, Josh Beiler.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too. Wilcom to the singing,” Metta said shyly as she turned and lead the way into the machine shed.
Emma added, “Josh is living with Levi Yoder’s family for a while. Since he is new to the community, he came with me to meet some folks his own age.” She hoped that made it clear to Metta she wasn’t going steady with Josh.
“That is gute. Josh Beiler, go over and get acquainted with the other boys,” Metta suggested. As Josh sauntered away with his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, Metta said softly, “Levi Yoder is already here.” She nodded toward the group of boys.
Emma whispered in her friend’s ear, “Did he come alone?”
“Jah, he did,” Metta said smugly, giving her a knowing smile.
“Do not smile like a cat full of warm milk. I was just curious,” Emma hissed.
In this large shed used for Enos Yutzy’s farm machinery, half the room had been cleaned out so Metta could have her singing. The girls, in rainbow dresses of purples, blues and mauves, clustered in one area, talking in hushed voices. When they spotted Josh, he caused quite a stir of curiosity. The girls stole furtive glances in his direction and whispered behind their hands.
The boys in the corner were listening to one boy’s tale about the stock dog he was training to bring in the milk cows. The dog was scared of his own shadow. The boy told how the dog, at the sight of a cow headed in his direction, tucked his tail between his legs and raced for home to hide. The other boys laughed.
Two long tables sat in the middle of the cleared area. Metta said loudly, “Everyone should sit down now.”
The girls, not dating, sat opposite the boys at one table. The other table was for couples so they could hold hands. Josh rushed away from the boys just as Emma headed toward the singles table. He made it to Emma’s side in just a few quick steps. Josh took her by the arm and twirled her around swift enough that she bumped into him.
“To this table,” Josh ordered, nodding at the couples table.
Emma pulled away from him and clasped her hands behind her back. “I will sit with the girls at the singles table.”
“We came as a couple,” Josh insisted
“We came together so you can get acquainted with my friends. We are not a couple,” Emma said firmly, keeping her hands behind her back.
Josh took a furtive glance around them to see if anyone was watching. Levi was paying attention. Josh didn’t like the way Levi’s eyes narrowed as he watched them. He shrugged his shoulders and gave Emma a surly grin. Taking a step back, he motioned toward the singles table to let her know he was giving up, but his eyes held a cool, annoyed expression.
Emma walked away from him. She sat down on the end of the bench by Katie Yost. Her hands were trembling. She gripped them tightly together under the table. Her stomach was full of butterflies. She had to gather herself and calm down. She didn’t like the aggressive way Josh squeezed her arm or the distrust she felt when he took a dislike to her pulling away. When she glanced across the table, Levi was watching her closely, clearly concerned. She smiled to let him know she was fine and ignored Josh beside him.
What made her even more uncomfortable the rest of the evening was how many times Levi spoke across the table to Katie Yost, sitting next to Emma. The two of them seemed to be getting along well. Too well. Emma wasn’t so sure she liked the thought of Levi being that friendly with other girls.
Girlish chatter buzzed at the tables mingled with giggles. The boys talked and chuckled as the snack was served. There were sandwiches and cookies along with Metta’s mother’s good homemade root beer.
Once the singing began, some of the couples at the other table wandered outside or into a dark corner to be alone. Emma watched a couple disappear into the darkness beyond the machine shed door. She blushed at thoughts of why they went outside. When she looked across the table, Josh was smirking at her. Emma felt a surge of anxiety flood over her. It was something in his eyes. Suddenly, she dreaded the thought of riding home with him. She’d sure be glad to get this night over with.
When the singing stopped and everyone went to their buggies, Josh acted as though nothing had happened between them. His eyes were as dark as the night and expressionless as he let Emma go ahead of him out the machine shed door. She couldn’t imagine what he was thinking, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Knowing might make her more fearful. Josh went around the buggy, leaped in and waited for Emma to join him. He clicked to the horse to start the buggy down the dark road.
Emma hugged her side of the seat and remained quiet. Out in the open, the moon brightened the landscape. She tried to keep her mind on what was in the shadows beside the buggy. Dark humps of cattle grazed, moved slowly in a pasture. An ambling creature, probably a coon, ran across the road in front of them. The startled horse’s head flew up, but he kept going.
Emma’s heart drummed a faster beat when Josh pulled back on the lines and turned down the narrow lover’s lane that followed along the creek.
“This is the wrong road,” Emma told him, hoping he was just turned around.
“Nah, it is not wrong. I thought we could take the scenic route through the trees and by the water. This road does wind back out to the road that goes past your farm, ain’t?”
“Jah, but it is getting late. Too dark to even see the scenic route as you call it. Besides, tomorrow is going to be a big day. My family has to go see about a friend in the hospital. I need to get home,” Emma excused, instantly nervous about Josh’s sudden change in routes.
“We will be at your house soon,” he assured her.
The horse’s hooves echoed off the trees on either side as they traveled along the packed dirt road. The buggy wheels crunched on the rocks like gritting teeth. Leaning back against the seat, Josh grew quiet again. With the silence between them, Emma prayed the rest of the night would turn out all right for her. If only there was enough moonlight allowed through the trees so she could see his face.
Suddenly, Josh commanded, “Whoa.” He pulled back on the lines to stop the horse.
Emma looked around. The trees were so close on this narrow desolate road branches almost scraped both sides of the buggy. The night turned blacker as the moon slipped behind a dark cloud. The timber was too still. She was alone with this boy she didn’t know. One she wasn’t sure she liked even a little bit. She tried to keep the nervous tremble out of her voice, “Why are we stopping here?”
“Thought we could just sit and talk,” Josh said as he edged his arm around her shoulders.
Emma wiggled away from him, leaving his arm on the back of the seat. “I need to go home now.”
“We will leave soon.” Josh dropped the lines and slid closer. He put his head close to her face. His breath, hot on her cheek, held a hint of sweet rootbeer. His next move was so swift he’d pressed his lips hard against hers before she had a chance to dodge. Their teeth rubbed together, and Emma’s lips smarted from the hard pressure of his lips. While he had her penned to the seat, Josh ran a hand down the front of her blouse.
Emma wrenched her flushed face clear of him and slapped his hand away. She snapped, “Do not do that. Take me home now.”
“Not yet. We are just getting to know each other. It is not really that late. I thought we could take this blanket we are sitting on and spread it out on the ground under the trees. Talk awhile maybe,” he said with a chuckle.
“Never!” Emma hurled herself from the buggy, managed to land on her feet and sprint across the road. She bent low, running through the thick underbrush. She heard Josh’s feet hit the ground. He was after her. Terrified of what would happen if he caught up to her, she raced blindly in the dark. Stumbling through overgrown thickets of gooseberry and blackberry. The sticker covered branches snagged at her clothes.
She dodged around the black forms of sprouts and trees. Lower branches hung down like bony arms, grabbing at her. The painful stings when the branches slap her face brought tears to her eyes. One branch poked her in the forehead and slid up under her prayer cap. The cap hung up. Its pins took hair as the cap flew off with the branch, but Emma didn’t have time to retrieve the cap. She kept moving as she rubbed her smarting head. Brush behind her crackled almost as loud as the leaves and sticks under her feet. Josh was too close.
Emma stopped to get her bearings and tried not to pant too loud. She listened intently. The wind tore through the tree tops as if warning in angry whispers of danger. The crashing of Josh’s feet tromping through dried leaves and breaking sticks roared in her ears. Somewhere in her, a little voice encouraged, “Run, Emma. Run fast.”
Josh shouted, “Come back. I’ll take you home if that is what you want.” The wind carried his voice so that he sounded closer than he actually was. At least, Emma hoped that was the case. She took off, moving away from him.
The girl had no idea which direction she was headed but she knew she had to keep going. Her only hope was that Josh had to be more lost than she was. He didn’t know this timber. She did. She had played in these trees for years in the daylight. If she could out distance him, she’d eventually find her way out.
After what seemed like forever, Emma stopped to lean against a tree to catch her breath. The night air chilled her hot perspiring body, causing her to shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself and wished she’d thought to wear a shawl. She was winded and had to try hard not to pant too loud. If she didn’t make much noise, Josh would never be able to find her in the dark. But no matter how softly she put her feet down on the timber floor, she feared every footfall hammered and echoed around her. The sounds in the timber seemed louder at night.
On a limb above her came a strong flapping of wings and then a thunderous who who who. She’d woke up an owl that was crankily broadcasting her where abouts to Josh. She had to keep moving.
When she approached, small shadowy forms leaped up and rustled out of sight. Each one made her heart pound faster. She veered off toward where she thought the creek might be, but she couldn’t be certain she was going the right way. She just knew if she found the creek, she’d be able to walk along it to home without being in the open for Josh to find. Not the shortest route, but she knew better than to stick to the road. Josh would catch up to her for sure. The creek wound through several farms before it reached the Lapp farm, but what choice did she have.
Suddenly, Emma left the protection of the trees and stepped onto the edge of the road. The babbling murmur of running water on the other side the road let her know she was headed in the right direction. She looked both ways, listening for sounds of Josh’s buggy. Just when she was about to cross the road, she heard what she dreaded most. The slow clip clop of hooves, soft grinding wheels and harness jangling.