A Little Bit of Charm (2 page)
Read A Little Bit of Charm Online
Authors: Mary Ellis
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
Paradise, Missouri
W
hew, it's already the middle of September and still hotter than blazes.”
Rachel looked at her younger sister in horror. “Shush, Beth, before someone hears you. What will the Gingerichs think of us?”
Beth looked up with an innocent expression. “Is âblazes' a bad word? I've heard
daed
say âbuild a blaze in the woodstove' or âa blazing sunset.'”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Just shush on general principles. You'll be on your way back to Lancaster County soon, and then you can revert to your normal self. But let's put our best foot forward while we're still visitors here.”
Beth's green-eyed focus turned wary. “What do you mean by
I'll
be on my way back to Pennsylvania?”
Rachel ignored a question she wasn't yet ready to answer. “Look, here comes the blushing bride and groom.” She grinned with a heart swelling with joy and love for their sister.
“Who would ever guess Nora would get hitched to Lewis Miller? Surely not me.” Beth's words were an audible whisper. “I thought she'd end up with that wily fox, Elam Detweiler.”
Rachel shifted her weight to her other foot, which she then placed directly atop Beth's. No other admonishment proved necessary.
Nora and Lewis approached with the glowing faces only a wedding day could inspire. “Well, my dear
schwestern
, did you enjoy seeing us get married?” Nora wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders, drawing them close.
The three-way hug brought a rush of moisture to Rachel's eyes. “Truly, I did. I've never seen you looking so prettyâ¦or so happy.” Tears cascaded down her cheeks with the realization the four King siblings would not only be in four different districts, but different states as well.
A couple of years ago they were like any other Old Order Amish girls living at home, with their grandparents just next door. They dreamed of a future around the corner, married to boys they had known their entire lives. But a house fire had changed everything. It took their parents to the Lord and their two older sisters to where their hearts led them. Amy, the eldest, settled in Harmony, Maine, where her fiancé's brothers lived. Nora, however, didn't find the ultraconservative district to her liking. So when the handsome, fence-sitting Elam Detweiler, Amy's new brother-in-law, took off with his secret driver's license and his secondhand red Chevy, Nora followed soon after.
But new beginnings are often hard to predict. Not long after moving to Missouri, Nora's independent streak began to fade. For the first time she longed to fit in and be part of a loving, supportive community. If Nora's facial expression today could be trusted, she had found what she was looking for in a town called Paradise.
A frisson of anxiety spiked up Rachel's spine. She thought of
her upcoming plans and wondered whether she was making a big mistake. Would she cause her
grossmammi
grief and worry for nothing? Shaking off the notion, she joined Beth in cleaning up after the wedding meal while the happy couple walked guests to their buggies, expressing gratitude for the gifts and good wishes and thanking them for sharing in their most special day.
Later that evening, while fireflies lit up the backyard with a thousand twinkling lights, Rachel sat on the Gingerich porch. Sleep wouldn't comeâthat much she knew. But she didn't wish to pace the bedroom floor and keep Beth or her gracious hosts awake. She tried to pray, but the only words that came to mind were the rote prayers learned as a child. After several silent “Our Fathers,” she clenched her eyes tightly shut.
Please, Lord, grant my sister a long life with many
kinner
and much joy
. Unbidden tears started anew. Her emotions seemed to be a roiling kettle of soup, rattling the lid and threatening to overflow.
“Why are you out here crying?” Nora gently pulled on her sister's
kapp
ribbon before slipping into the rocker next to hers.
“A better question would be what are you doing out here on your wedding night?” Rachel wiped her face and arched an eyebrow. “Don't you and Lewis have some business to attend to?”
A pretty blush rose up Nora's neck. “Don't speak of things you know nothing about.” She pinched Rachel's arm. “Besides, I'll join him in a little while. We're both too nervous to sleep much tonight. Tomorrow we move to our new home. It's not much, but it's ours.” She rocked with the satisfied assurance of a woman whose life was laid out before her like a well-organized quilt.
Rachel knew no such contentment. Her future looked like an early spring skyâpatchy clouds, intermittent rays of sunshine, and the smell of a coming storm. “I wish Beth and I could stay longer to help you pack.”
“Worry not. My friend Violet arranged everything for our
move and hers before she and Seth left on their wedding trip to the Gulf of Mexico. Violet might not be able to run, but she still maneuvers at the speed of light. She absolutely refused to use her crutches at her marriage ceremony. Her poor
daed
kept hovering as though she might fall over.”
Creak, creak, creak
. For several moments the only sound came from the rolling wooden slats on the porch boards. Then in a hushed tone, Nora asked, “Care to tell me what's troubling you? And don't say ânothing.' You've been weepy eyed all day. That isn't like you, Rachel. You know we'll take a wedding trip in November after the harvest is in. We'll visit Amy and John in Harmony and then come to Lancaster County to see you, Beth,
grossmammi
, and
grossdawdi
.”
Rachel debated only half a second. There was no point in withholding the truth any longer. “When you get to Pennsylvania, you might only find one sister.” She stared into the darkness as the moon slipped behind a cloud. “I've decided to take the bus from St. Louis to Louisville after I put Beth on the train to Chicago.”
Nora stopped rocking. “Who on earth do you know in Louisville?”
“Not a soul. Once I'm in Louisville I'll board a bus to Elizabethtown. Then I'll arrange for a hired van to take me to Charm.”
“You're planning to visit Cousin Sarah? But you hate chickens.”
Rachel laughed. “I do not hate chickens as long as they're in a pot with celery, onions, and dumplings.” They shared a chuckle. “The fact that Sarah and her husband operate a free-range chicken farm doesn't deter me. Kentucky is known for only one thing, and it isn't Rhode Island Reds. The Blue Grass state raises the prettiest horses in the world.”
“Prettier than Old Smokey after you braided his mane and tail with ribbons?”
A pang of nostalgia filled her heart. Old Smokey was her father's favorite Belgian draft horse, now relegated to light work
with
grossdawdi
in his twilight years. “
Jah
, even prettier than him if magazines and library books can be trusted.”
“If you've decided on visiting Sarah on your way home, why not take Beth?”
A long minute spun out in the humid evening air while Rachel chose her reply carefully. In the end she decided on a short, honest answer. “Because if I find living on a chicken farm tolerable, I intend to stay permanently.”
“Whatever for? I know you love horses and have read more about them than any Amish person in the country, but horses are big business in Kentucky. What would a Plain gal who's never held a paying job in her life do there?”
Somewhere a faraway train blew its whistle. “I haven't the slightest idea. All I know is Lancaster County is a lonely place since
mamm
and
daed
died. I love our grandparents and I'll miss little Beth something fierce, but I can't see myself sticking around any more than Amy or you could. There are too many sad memories.” A lump the size of a rock rose up her throat, threatening her composure.
“I of all people cannot find fault with your plan, but I hate the idea of us spread across the eastern United States.”
“Missouri is certainly not the East. Have you checked a map lately?”
“Truly, it is not,” agreed Nora with a laugh. She flicked away a mosquito.
For several moments they rocked and listened to tree frogs and crickets fill the air with a late summer serenade. Each of their hearts grew heavier as the irrevocable future closed around them like heavy fog. “No matter where I end up, you will always be my
schwester
,” murmured Rachel.
“And I, yours.” Nora clasped her hand in the shadows as they savored memories of their shared childhood. Impulsively Nora
leaned over and kissed her cheek. “
Gut nacht
, Rachel. I believe I've kept my new
ehemann
waiting long enough.” After a nervous giggle, the bride went inside the house, leaving her sister alone with her thoughts and fears for the future.
When Rachel fell asleep that night, frolicking colts, majestic stallions, and gentle mares filled her dreams, giving her the best sleep she'd had in weeks.
The next day Rachel and Beth accepted tearful hugs and a packed lunch that would feed far more than two, and then they climbed into the back of a hired car bound for downtown Columbia. After paying their driver, they boarded the bus to St. Louisâa frightening city in terms of the amount of fast-moving traffic. Rachel waited almost until the bus pulled into the terminal to drop her bombshell.
“What do you mean you're only buying one train ticket to Chicago?” demanded Beth. “How do you intend to get home?”
“After I put you on the train, I'll take a cab back to the Greyhound station. I'm traveling by bus to Louisville.” She patiently spelled out the sketchy details as she'd done the night before to Nora.
Beth listened to the explanation without interruption and then wailed, “That's fine and dandy, but why can't I go too? I've never been to Kentucky either.”
“Because if all goes well, and if Sarah and Isaac allow it, I will stay and work. You're too young to move away from
grossmammi
and Aunt Irene yet.”
“Will you court boys there?” Beth turned toward her on the seat.
The unexpected question caught Rachel by surprise. “I'm not thinking about courting now. I just want to find a job.”
“But you're already twenty.” Beth sounded aghast.
“That's not that old in this day and age. People are waiting longer to marry.”
“Why can't I come with you? If you decide to stay longer than a visit, you could put me on a bus home then.”
Finally, the question she had dreaded. “Please don't be hurt, Beth, but I truly wish to try this out by myself.” With a shaky hand, she pulled a printed sheet from her purse. “I wrote out directions on how to change trains in Chicago to catch the Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh and then the Pennsylvanian on to Harrisburg. There you'll catch the bus to Mount Joy. It's all spelled out very carefully. It's exactly what we did on the way here in reverse.”