Anna quickly moved to introduce everybody. She looked from Harvey and Joe to her cousin and his wife. “Harvey, Joe, this is my cousin Jacob and his wife Rachel and their three kinner: Leah, Kate, and Faithy.”
“Well, if those aren’t the three pertiest little girls I’ve ever seen!” Harvey gushed.
Anna watched as the girls’ faces lit up. It seemed everyone loved Harv.
Jacob’s eyes widened when he shook Joe’s hand, as a look of recognition registered. “Joseph? Joseph Bender? I can’t believe it’s you!” He reached for his old friend to embrace him. “Jake Schrock, remember?”
Anna’s mouth hung open. Bender?
Joe nodded to Jacob, then briefly glanced at Anna. “How have you been?”
“Wonderful, as you can see by my beautiful fraa and kinner. How about you? What are you doing in Pennsylvania? Did you finally get tired of old Bishop Burkholder?” Jake asked with a chuckle.
Mammi gasped.
“Trust me, Mammi, if you only knew him.” Jacob clarified, “Strictest bishop I ever heard of.”
“We shouldn’t speak disrespectfully about our elders,” Mammi reminded with a pointed glare. “No matter how strict they are.”
Jacob ducked his head in apology. “Sorry.”
Harvey spoke up unabashedly. “Well, I can’t see no reason not to start eatin’.”
As Jacob said the silent prayer, Anna couldn’t help but dwell on Joe. So many questions filled her mind. She wished she could request a private audience with Joe – or Joseph – right this instant. He was Amish? Why hadn’t he ever mentioned it to her?
She now realized that she really didn’t know him at all. At least, not like she thought she did. No wonder he had so much character. She should have recognized it right away. As she thought on it, things finally began to add up. Like how he knew exactly how to handle a horse and buggy. Or that he was familiar with yumasetta and loved whoopie pies.
Apparently, the fact that he was homeless had thrown her for a loop. Which led her to another question: where was his family? And how did he end up on the streets?
How many secrets does Joseph Bender have? She wondered as she eyed him from across the table.
Even so, Anna couldn’t help the excitement that built up inside her. Perhaps there was a chance for her and Joe. It almost seemed too good to be true. Joe is Amish!
<><><>
This is exactly what I didn’t need, Joseph thought. Not that he wasn’t happy to see Jacob. No, that part was wonderful. But now Anna knew that he’d once been Amish. No doubt, by the curious way she was looking at him at present, Anna would want to know the truth of his past. All of it. He wasn’t certain he was ready to share, but some things in life seemed to be inevitable.
After the dinner dishes had been washed, and the others had gone to bed, Anna beckoned Joe to the kitchen table. All was quiet in the house except for the fire crackling in the woodstove.
“Would you like more coffee?” Anna offered.
“No, thank you.” He studied her as she took the seat opposite him. Joe waited patiently for Anna to express herself. He knew she must have a plethora of questions.
“How come you never told me?”
He shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. I used to be Amish, I’m not anymore.”
“You make a horrible liar, Joseph Bender.” Anna’s reproving eyes met his.
Joe sighed. “Where do you want me to start?”
Anna reached for his hands and clasped them in her own. “How about the beginning?”
Joseph nodded, then began his story.
“I don’t know if you ever heard the controversy about the orange safety triangles?” he lifted his eyes in question.
Anna nodded. “That was Swartzentruber Amish, right?
Joe offered an affirmative nod. “Well, I guess it kind of started with that. I’d put one on my buggy, but they were verboten. The bishop and elders had decided that we, as a district, weren’t going to conform to the world. That meant no orange safety triangles.
“Anyway, that was what put me on the black list the first time. The second time was Mary, she was my aldi.” Joseph searched Anna’s eyes to see whether she’d want him to continue or not.
Anna bade him on.
“Mary and I had been courting for a while. She was a quiet type and didn’t share her thoughts much, but I was fine with that. I figured that if she had something to say, she’d say it. Well, one night, I’d gone to her bedroom like I usually did.” Joe stopped when Anna’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, but this is necessary if you want to know the whole story.”
“Did you…” Anna’s voiced stopped short of asking the question he knew was on her mind.
Joe shook his head. “No, I respected Mary. I wouldn’t…I mean, I was certainly tempted to, but no. We never had a physical relationship.”
He watch as Anna released a nervous sigh.
“They do allow bed courtship in my old district.” Joseph continued, “Anyway, this particular time I’d gone into her room, Mary’s brother was there. I’ll never forget the look on Mary’s face. It was a mixture of embarrassment and fear. Anna, Mary’s brother was defiling her.” It hurt to say the words and his blood still boiled at the thought. “I was so shocked and angry. In hopes of her brother changing his behavior, I told him we were betrothed and that we’d be married in six months. Do you know what he said to me?”
Anna shook her head and he noticed tears in her eyes.
“He smirked and said, ‘Well, I guess that means I still get six months with her.’ If I ever thought I might be able to take someone’s life, it was then. It took every ounce of composure I had not to strike Mary’s brother. But I knew that if I allowed myself the pleasure, my anger would become insatiable and I’d kill the man.
“Mary was embarrassed. She didn’t want me to go to the bishop, but I had to. I thought that surely something would be done about it. From there, it seemed like things just got worse. Sure, the elders ordered her brother not to go near her, but do you think he listened?
“I finally took matters into my own hands. I think Mary hated me for it, but I just couldn’t stand by and see her being taken advantage of. I went to the Englisch authorities. At first, they didn’t want to do anything either. It seemed like they were real wary of getting involved in Amish matters. But I kept bugging them about it until they could no longer ignore me. I desperately wanted to see her brother put behind bars so he wouldn’t hurt Mary or anyone else again.
“I tried to keep Mary away from the house as much as possible, so we’d go riding in my buggy a lot. Well, one night when we were out on the highway a car came around the corner. He wasn’t going too fast, but he’d said that he just didn’t see the buggy. I know he would have seen us if I’d had the orange triangle on my buggy, I’m almost certain of it.
“Anna,” Joe took a deep breath. “Mary died in that accident. We were so close to going to court, but the case ended up being dismissed because Mary was no longer there to testify.
“Do you know who the elders were angry with? Me. Do you know who ended up being excommunicated over this whole matter? Me. They said I could be accepted back into the fold if I repented. If I repented? No way. I wasn’t going to do it.”
Tears now streamed from Anna’s eyes and pooled on the table in front of her. “Oh, Joe. I’m so sorry. What they did was wrong.”
“Now, you and I can’t be together because of it.” Joseph wiped his frustrated tears on the sleeve of his shirt.
Anna shook her head. “Our bishop is different. We are not Swartzentruber, we are much faster.”
Joe’s mouth lifted a little on one side. “I noticed.”
“I’m certain that if you tell the story to Bishop Hostettler, he’ll understand. I don’t think he’ll uphold the Bann.”
Joe sensed Anna’s excitement, but he didn’t want to get her hopes up. “I don’t know, Anna.” Joseph’s face then brightened as though lightning suddenly struck. “Does this mean you want to be with me now – that we can date?”
Anna nodded.
Joe stood up from the table and moved around to Anna’s side. Anna stood to meet him and he pulled her into his embrace. He gently stroked her back and held her tight for several minutes. He never thought he’d be given this opportunity again. “I might want to kiss you,” he admitted.
She smiled up at him and replied, “I might want to kiss you back.”
That was all the invitation he needed. Joseph bent his head and brought his eager lips to Anna’s. Only in his dreams had he ever believed this would happen, but here was Anna, in his arms. He couldn’t help but breathe a silent prayer of thanks for God’s providence once again.