Plain Proposal (15 page)

“I hope you’re right. But I’m going to get my two cents in, and I don’t think you should be sneaking out at nine o’clock at night to go meet someone. It’s not safe.”

“Around here it is.”

“How can you say that? Just yesterday a woman stole from your home.” Shelby shook her head. “The world is not a safe place, Miriam. And your people aren’t exempt just because they are Amish and live in the country.” She paused. “And your mom said there might be a storm. Please don’t go.”

Miriam was touched by Shelby’s concern. “I feel like we’re sisters right now.” She smiled. “But no worries. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve snuck out of my house.”

Shelby stiffened. “Huh?”

Miriam giggled. “I’m eighteen, Shelby. I’ve been in my
rumschpringe
for two years.”

“But this is your first date?” Shelby’s voice rose an octave as she spoke.

Miriam shrugged as she smiled. “That’s just because I’ve been waiting for Saul. But I’ve snuck out to meet Leah and Hannah before.”

“What in the world for?”

Miriam wasn’t proud of her actions, but she wanted Shelby to stop worrying so much. “There was a country gospel band playing at a restaurant in Lancaster. That rarely happens, and we wanted to go. We all felt like our parents would forbid it because it was on a Thursday night and the music didn’t start until ten o’clock.” She shrugged again. “So we snuck out, met on Lincoln Highway, then walked to town and called a taxi cab.”

“Did you get caught?”

“No.” Miriam looked down for a moment. “I felt kinda bad about it, though.”

“Trust me. You’ll probably feel bad about this too, but I can see that you’re determined to go.” Shelby leaned over the side of the bed and reached into her purse. “Here.” She pushed her cell phone and cord toward Miriam. “Plug it in somewhere when you get to the restaurant. Even thirty minutes will give you a little bit of a charge, and at least you’ll have it on your way home, just in case you get into any trouble. I’m going to write in my journal some more for a while. I’ll leave the window open so maybe I can hear the phone ringing in the barn if you need to call for something.”

Miriam latched onto the phone, then took a deep breath. She had on her best green dress and black apron, and she smelled like orchids. Tonight was going to be the best night of her life.

It was nine o’clock when Shelby watched Miriam from the window. Her cousin seemed to be right. It appeared she was going to make a clean getaway. She waited until she saw Miriam maneuver the buggy onto the street before she climbed into bed. As she kicked back the quilt and tucked herself beneath the sheet, she felt an overwhelming urge. She leaned back against her pillow, then closed her eyes.

God, are You there
?

She waited, not expecting an answer but not sure whether to go on.

I was wondering if maybe You could keep an eye on my cousin tonight. She’s rather naive, and I don’t want to see her get into any trouble. I think Saul is probably a good person, but sneaking around is never a good thing and can lead to other trouble. I should know
.

Shelby opened her eyes and stared upward at the twinkling lights from the lantern, the smell of perfume still lingering in the air. She closed her eyes again.

I wish I knew why I’m being punished
.

She paused.

Never mind. I know why. For the bad stuff I did. When will my penance be over? When will I feel happy again? Please, Lord. Please . .
.

As she figured, no guidance came drifting into her mind, and her glimmer of hope was quickly replaced by anger. When she thought about the fellowship she used to feel when she went to church with her parents and the one-on-one connection with God she once had, her bitterness only escalated. Her parents had ruined her life in every way. Not only did they stop loving each other, but they’d stopped going to church. Shelby knew she was a grown woman, and she certainly could have gone to church on her own, but what was the point? God didn’t care what happened to her, and all those years of praying and trying to live the right way hadn’t served her well.

She recalled all the times she disobeyed her parents during the divorce, and she knew that drugs and alcohol hadn’t served her well either, but God must still be punishing her for her bad choices. Otherwise He’d help her find some kind of peace in her heart. Especially at night, loneliness seemed to overtake her as recollections of better times haunted her. She reached for her journal, unlocked it, and then stared at the page. For the first time in a long while, she didn’t have anything to write. She’d already voiced her thoughts. . . to God.

And He clearly wasn’t hearing her.

Rebecca tossed and turned, just like she had the night before. She fought the anger building inside her about what happened yesterday. How could a guest in their home steal from them like that? She thought about the time and effort that had gone into making the quilts, and they were going to feel the loss of income for the next couple of months.

She rolled onto her side, tried to ignore Aaron’s snoring, and then asked God to free her heart of anger. . . and worry. And as wrong as it was, she worried about Miriam’s interest in Saul. She didn’t know the boy well, but what she did know was that he’d been in trouble several times, even reprimanded by the bishop. But most troubling were the rumors that he might not get baptized and would leave the community. If that was true, where did that leave Miriam if she and Saul grew close? Miriam was eighteen, but in so many ways she was still a child, and Rebecca feared Miriam wouldn’t be able to cope with a broken heart.

After another fifteen minutes of thrashing around because of her frustrating thoughts, she pushed back the sheet, reached for the lantern, then eased out of bed. Quietly she fumbled in the bedside drawer for a match. As she headed downstairs, the aroma of chocolate chip cookies still lingered in the air, and she smiled as she thought about John eating six of the warm treats earlier, straight from the oven. Her youngest boy had a sweet tooth for sure.

Rebecca poured herself a glass of milk, then peeled back the foil covering the cookies. She put the lantern on the counter and savored the moist cookie in her mouth, thinking that she could probably eat six cookies too, if she allowed herself. She rinsed it down with her milk, then slowly made her way back upstairs, hoping sleep would come soon and thankful she could sleep in a bit tomorrow since there was no church service.

Shelby would be glad she could sleep in. Poor girl just couldn’t seem to get up in the morning. As she passed by the girls’ room, she paused, then slowly turned the doorknob. Before she pushed the door wide, she lowered the flame on the lantern so as not to wake them. She smiled at Shelby, her head buried beneath the covers, wondering how she could sleep like that when it was so warm. Then she held the light a little higher toward the far bed, but Miriam was nowhere to be seen. Her heart thudded in her chest.

She stepped out of the bedroom and padded down the hallway to the bathroom. After shining the light into the small, empty room, she hurried back to the girls’ bedroom. Gently she pulled the covers from Shelby’s head and whispered, “Shelby, wake up, dear.”

After a groan, Shelby cupped a hand above her eyes to block the light. “What is it, Rebecca?”

“Where’s Miriam?”

Shelby bolted upright in the bed and cleared tangles from her face. “Huh?”

Rebecca’s heart rate picked up. “Shelby, where is she?” She turned the flame up on the lantern. “Is she outside? Maybe on the porch? Did she go to the barn for some reason? Maybe she couldn’t sleep.” Rebecca walked to the window, but there wasn’t a light coming from the barn. She spun around and edged closer to Shelby. “Did she tell you where she was going?”

Shelby rubbed sleep from her eyes, then blinked several times. “She isn’t here right now.”

Rebecca held the lantern higher and thrust her other hand on her hip. “I can see that. Where is she?”

“I’m not sure exactly.”

“Shelby. . .” Rebecca took a deep breath, afraid her anger was going to boil over.

For nearly two hours, Miriam and Saul sat at Yoder’s Pantry after they’d decided it was too late to go to a movie. It took awhile for Saul to seem comfortable, but once he started talking, Miriam hung on his every word. He loved to talk about cooking and recipes, especially about cooking for his family. Miriam could tell that it was Saul’s way of loving and nurturing them, and it endeared him to her even more. Her Saul had an independent spirit, something she loved, and he was kindhearted.

As much fun as she was having with Saul, Shelby had been right about sneaking out. Guilt kept a steady hold on Miriam. She had to admit that regret about her choice was putting a damper on her time with Saul. She glanced at the clock again. Eleven thirty.

“This has been great,” she said to Saul as he finished his second piece of pie, following the full meal they’d had earlier. “But I guess I need to go.”

Saul chewed, then quickly swallowed. “
Ya
, this has been fun.” He smiled, and momentarily Miriam forgot about everyone else but him. The dreamy way he’d been looking at her all night had caused her heart to flip several times. “And I have some new recipes to try out on
Daed
and the boys.”

Miriam took a sip of her coffee, then stifled a yawn. But there was something else weighing on her mind, and even though she knew it was late, the question had been lurking on the tip of her tongue all night. “Saul, I’ve heard a couple of people say that you might not be baptized come the fall. That’s not true, is it?”

Any hint of a dreamy look on Saul’s face vanished instantly, and his eyes averted hers. “Where’d you hear that?”

Miriam shrugged, disappointed since that was not the outright denial she’d hoped for. “Just rumors, I guess.”

Saul reached for his coffee, spilling a bit over the side before he took a sip. Then he reached for his hat on the seat beside him. “I guess we better get you home before your parents don’t let you out of the
haus
again.” Miriam could tell his smile was forced and something had changed. Saul stood up and waited for Miriam to do the same.

A few minutes later Saul opened the door of her buggy. “I’m going to follow you home. It’s too late for you to be on the road.”

Alarms went off in Miriam’s head. If she got caught coming home, it would be even worse if Saul was following her. “No, no. You don’t have to do that. The storm they predicted just moved around us. I’ll be fine going home.” Even though she’d forgotten to charge it, she pulled Shelby’s cell phone from her apron. “See, I have a phone.”

To her surprise, Saul reached for it, then flipped it open. “I thought about getting one of these, but. . .” He stopped mid-sentence as his forehead creased. “The battery is dead. The light doesn’t even come on.”

“
Ach, ya
. I was supposed to charge it inside somewhere.” Miriam hung her head, knowing that she wasn’t being completely truthful with anyone tonight.

He handed the phone back to her. “I’m following you home.” His tone was firm and protective, and Miriam smiled at him. Her parents never got up during the night, and she’d just be quiet going into the house. They’d never see Saul. She refocused her thoughts on whether or not he would kiss her tonight. He closed the door, then promised to stay right behind her.