Abram's Daughters 04 The Prodigal (23 page)

Lyddie's eyes grew wide at the question. "For goodness' sake, Mamma, what would give ya that idea?"

She didn't want to say she'd had a nagging feeling, but she | did wonder how on earth Mamma had faced four daughters' limes of rumschpringe. Truly, she felt sympathetic for any mother with a courting-age daughter.

! "There are rules to be followed during the running-around years, Lyddie." She reached for her hand. "Spendin' time with

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a boy following Sunday singings is all well and good. But ya shouldn't see each other too often otherwise."

"But what does it hurt to see each other more than that?" The light of love, or something close to it, was evident on Lydiann's sweet face.

Leah's heart sank. Just what I've worried about. "Ach, dear one, I daresay you're a bit young to get serious."

Lyddie's brow knit into a frown. "But didn't you like a boy long before you were sixteen? Sadie told me so once when we were up in the high meadow last spring, gathering willow twigs to weave into wreaths." She stopped a moment. "I ... I hope I'm not speakin' out of turn, Mamma. You fell in love when you were young, didn't ya?"

This moment Leah wondered why on earth she hadn't gone along to the pastureland when Sadie had invited her that day. What had she been thinking, allowing Lydiann to go off for hours alone with Sadie? She gathered herself, torn between her present feelings and what she knew she ought to be saying about all of this. It wasn't really Sadie's fault that such a sensitive topic had come up. Better Jonas and her romantic tale than for Sadie to have revealed hers with Derry Schwartz.

"Mamma, you all right?" Lydiann asked, staring at her.

"Oh sure, I'm fine. And about bein' in love and all... I'd have to say it was such a long time ago I've nearly forgotten." But she had not forgotten how much she'd loved Jonas . . . and how she'd felt the autumn day Sadie had revealed he was not the man her sister had married after all. Leah honestly believed she might never forget the bolt of shock that had ripped through her upon hearing the stunning news.

"Do ya remember how it felt when the first boy you ever

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li >ved reached for your hand and held it for miles on end?" I ydi;inn's words were coated with honey, but it didn't make I hem any more pleasant for Leah to hear.

Lyddie and her beau are farther along than I thought. . . .

"Oh, Lydiann, I oughta remind ya to be ever so careful. I )on't fall too quick, too soon."

"Fall?" Lyddie gasped. "You make it sound dangerous, Mamma. Don't ya trust me?"

Of course she did she had believed in her heart that l.yddie was eager for romantic love, though perhaps not the k i nd that involved devotion and commitment to one person lor a lifetime. Leah tried to explain the difference, saying all I he things Mamma and Aunt Lizzie had told her back when she' turned sixteen.

At one point Lydiann seemed a bit peeved, and Leah couldn't help but worry this time of courtship might cause a rift between herself and her girl. Well, she would move heaven and earth to make sure that didn't happen. If it meant stepping back and praying about it more, she'd do that. The lact Lydiann was willing and almost excited to discuss such

I h ings was a cfemfort, a reminder they indeed had as close a mother-daughter relationship now as always. Leah earnestly desired to preserve their good relationship until such a time as the two of them would become equals. More than any-

I1 ling, it was essential for her to keep the talk flowing. She must attempt to keep an open mind, as well try to know and understand what Lydiann was thinking, if at all possible, even though the People expected the courting years to be secretive.

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Just as their dogs had seemed to indicate earlier, the weather began to change around midafternoon, and a storm blew up. Lydiann watched the gale from her bedroom window, high on the second floor in what had been Hannah and Mary Ruth's bedroom when they were her age. She observed the storm whip the row of maples lining the pasture and lift and twirl the barnyard dust. A single bird flew for cover, heading home to the four-sided birdhouse Dat had erected.

Let nature get this out of her system, thought Lydiann, not happy about the prospect of meeting her beau in the midst of such a gust and rain. Surely, though, this fast-moving storm would pass by nightfall. She hoped so, because she wanted so much to ride next to him, talking into the wee hours. And who would've thought she'd like the first boy she'd ever spent time with. Well, that wasn't necessarily true, because she'd developed something of a crush on Carl Nolt a few years ago, and he on her, too. Discussing their differences, his being Mennonite and all, had made for several long walks between his house and hers, but no one in her family knew about them. She'd always felt she wouldn't be happy if she wasn't Amish, unlike Mary Ruth, who seemed to thrive in the Mennonite church.

But since Lydiann had met Jake, there had been very little space in her mind or her heart for Carl or for remembering fondly their school years together or his once-frequent visits. Truth was, Carl was the sort of fellow whom any girl might enjoy having as a kind of brother, but she couldn't imagine feeling about him the way she did about Jake, who was not only good-looking and fun-loving, but able to look at her with an expression that made her heart melt but good. She didn't know if falling in love was supposed to feel this way, but

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scarcely could she wait to ride through the night with Jake, elderly listening to his voice, feeling secure and ever so happy while leaning her head on his shoulder, her heart nearly bursting

// this blustery weather continues, Jake won't come for me, she thought sadly. They'd made this agreement early on since i here was no way for him to contact her beforehand. So she si if down on her bed and prayed, asking the Lord God to bring ii swift end to the wind and rain, dearly hoping she might see her beau this night.

The busyness of the Sisters' Day work frolic in Adah's kitchen was a welcome relief to Mary Ruth. Beginning at inidmorning the group of women had gathered at Adah's to put up canned peas. She worked alongside her twin and tenyear-old Ida Mae, pleased to have this time with Hannah and her oldest girl. She listened intently as her sister shared some of her daughters' latest antics, all the while happily anticipating the souHsd of children in her own home.

"Katie Ann's been collectin' butterflies lately," Hannah said. "Gid and I can't figure out how she catches them without damaging their wings, but she does. And she's got herself quite a collection now."

Ida Mae nodded, her blue eyes smiling. "You oughta see if, Aunt Mary Ruth. Ach, I wish you could . . ."

By the sound of things, evidently young Ida Mae wished her auntie might be allowed to visit their home. Mary Ruth was drawn to Ida's demure face and strawberry blond hair. So similar to Hannah's, she thought, wondering whom her baby

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or babies might favor in looks.

"I'll ask Dat if you can come up to the house after the frolic, maybe," said Ida Mae.

To this Hannah frowned quickly and changed the subject. "Where's Lydiann today?"

"Best be askin' Leah," said Mary Ruth. "I thought for sure she'd come, but she may be workin' with Dat."

"She sure seems to like workin' with the barn animals," Hannah replied. "She's a lot like Leah was at that age."

Mary Ruth hadn't thought of that before, but she could certainly see what Hannah meant. Lydiann did love the outdoors, and she liked working alongside Dat and Gid, too, though she hardly did so as often as Leah had.

"I, for one, am glad to keep my girls round the house, especially these summer months," Hannah said, smiling warmly at her Ida Mae as she reached for another jar.

"Not so much falls on your shoulders now, right?" Mary Ruth said.

Hannah nodded. "It's lots more fun, too, than when they're off at school all day long."

Feeling suddenly dizzy, Mary Ruth went to wash her hands at the sink, then stepped outdoors for a breath of fresh air.

Leah wished Lydiann had come along to the Sisters' Day work bee, but she hadn't pressed the issue. If Lyddie wanted to stay behind and help Dat in the barn and the fields, then so be it. Still, she couldn't help but think Lyddie was probably daydreaming about her beau again, though she mustn't let herself get caught up in anxiety over Lydiann's rumschpringe.

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long before Mamma had died, before she'd ever asked Leah i i> bring up Lydiann and Abe as her own, Leah had often conu-mplated notions of fate and a person's destiny, wondering if il was possible that a single spoken word or one misdeed could i bange the course of a person's future. She wasn't so sure about such farfetched youthful thoughts these days. All the same, the notion lingered in the back of her mind that she imist step lightly where things of the heart were concerned.

She worked alongside Sadie, Adah, and Adah's younger sister, Dorcas, trying her best to think about other things. She was thankful when Dorcas began telling how her young sons hnd been going on "adventures," as she put it. "They're havin' ibemselves a great time roamin' the acres, goin' exploring. But yesterday Little Joe wandered off alone and, when he did finally come home, he said he'd found what looked to be a little grave."

Leah perked up her ears.

"Where on earth was it?" Sadie asked, looking quite surprised.

"Wasn't on^Pop's property, that's for sure ... it was south of us, a way over on that vacant lot. Honestly I think Little Joe must be dreamin' but gut."

Leah had sometimes wondered if someone else might also discover the grave one day. After all, it had been years and years since she and Jonas had first discovered what had then been a tiny mound, clearly trimmed of grass, although they were sure, at the time, that it was simply the well-tended plot of a beloved pet. But Dr. Schwartz had denied it was a grave altogether.

"Little Joe was both upset and confused, truth be told,"

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Dorcas was saying. "He couldn't understand why the plot wasn't in the cemetery."

Sadie spoke up. "Best be tellin' Little Joe not to worry. No need to, really, is there?"

Dorcas shrugged her shoulders. "It bothered him . . . 'twas clear."

"Why's that, do ya think?" Hannah asked, having come over just in time to overhear the conversation.

"Not being in the cemetery, for one. And he said he saw flowers on it, like someone had just been there," replied Dorcas.

So Dr. Schwartz did lie to me when I asked, Leah thought, knowing he was the only one who knew the truth. In her heart, she knew she must approach him on this again; this time she would refuse to let him pull the wool over her eyes.Dowsing for water, indeed!

The night air was good and fresh from the earlier storm, and Lydiann was delighted to be sitting next to Jake in his open buggy. "I almost thought we might not see each other tonight, what with the rain 'n' all."

He looked at her, eyes smiling his pleasure. "I'm mighty glad it stopped, too."

They talked about the next singing and how his twin sister, Mandie, had been asking him who he was seeing. "But Mandie's easy to distract," he said, "what with her interested in a couple of boys. I think we can keep her from finding out about us till the time is right."

"Do ya know who the boys are?" she asked.

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He bobbed his head. "I have an idea, but I could be wrong."

"Your twin sister mustn't want you to know her business, I hen?"

He laughed softly. "Ya might say that."

They rode quietly, passing a good many roadside vegetable stands, all of them cleared off for the night. "Ever notice how busy the roads get this time of year?" she said. "They're nearly ;i public marketplace during daylight hours."

"Well, jah, and isn't it gut for the Plain families up and down Georgetown Road?"

"I don't mind tendin' vegetable stand, but it does get awful hot out there of an afternoon. And there's never a lull, if seems."

"When you're my bride, I'll see to it you have a nice big awning over our roadside stand," he said.

Stunned, she wondered if she'd heard him right. Had he just said what she thought that he hoped to marry her?

Jake turned to look at her, and then reached over to touch her face. "I didn't scare ya, did I, Lydiann?"

To be truthful, she had been a bit taken aback by his boldness. "My mamma would be concerned." She paused, thinking she needed to say more. "And ... I think it's best we ... well, be careful not to get too close, ya know."

He smiled. "I understand, Lyddie. But I want you to think 'bout us being together soon . . . getting married."

None of her family would be much in favor of their wedding anytime soon, particularly since she and Jake were both only sixteen. ,

"Don't ya think we oughta wait a while before sayin' our

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vows?" she asked softly, trying to think the way Mamma would want her to right now.

"I knew when I first laid eyes on ya that you were the girl for me. If you feel the same way 'bout me, why should we wait?"

"I do like you, too, Jake. A lot," she replied, enjoying the nearness of him.

His smile returned. "Well, I happen to love you, Lydiann. And I want to marry you come wedding season."

She was further surprised by his outspoken announcement. "Ya mean, this year?"

"In five months ... an eternity away, wouldn't you say?"

With them having come along this far in just one month, four more months of courting might seem like forever, especially if they kept taking so many nighttime buggy rides.

"This has all come up so quick," she whispered. "Mind if I think on it?"

"You've got yourself, say, ten minutes?" He was grinning to beat the band.

She knew he was teasing her now and was glad for the sweet smell left by the rain and the sounds of chirping insects as they rode under the stars and half moon. If she felt the way she did after such a short time as Jake's girlfriend, how on earth would she feel about him by November's wedding season? Deep in her heart, Lydiann was sure she knew the answer. She already loved him dearly, for sure and for certain.