SummerHill Secrets, Volume 1 (11 page)

Long before Skip arrived home from school, I called Chelsea Davis to get my homework assignments.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

“Lots.”

“So I’ll see you on the bus tomorrow?”

“Only in the morning,” I explained. “My brother and I are going to an Amish wedding around noon, so I won’t see you after school.”

“Well, have fun with Levi,” she said, chuckling. “He’ll be there, right?”

“It’s his brother’s wedding, silly.”

“Oh yeah,” she said, playing dumb. “Well, maybe you’ll rack up some extra credit for your social studies grade.”

“Maybe. Except I’m only going to witness the marriage vows. The rest of the wedding ceremony starts at eight o’clock and goes till about noon.”

“Why so long?” she asked.

“For one thing, there are two preachers. One tells Bible stories from Creation to the Great Flood, and the other preacher finishes with love stories like how Isaac married Rebecca. And, of course, there’s the Amish favorite: the great love story of Ruth and Boaz.”

“Ruth and who?” Chelsea asked. “I never heard of a Bozo in the Bible.”

I giggled. “I’ll tell you about it sometime.”

After we said good-bye, I headed downstairs to set the table. I wasn’t sure when Aunt Teri and Uncle Pete would arrive, but I set places for them anyway.

Halfway through Skip’s supper of overcooked cheese omelet, our relatives arrived. I dashed to the back door and flung it wide.

“Merry, Merry,” Uncle Pete said, greeting me. He
always
said my name twice.

I hugged and kissed Aunt Teri as she followed her husband’s fat stomach into our kitchen. She spied the omelet morsels left on our plates and promptly began signing to Uncle Pete. Something about stirring up a decent meal for these poor orphans, to which Skip mouthed a hearty, “Amen!”

We sat down, except Aunt Teri, who moved around the kitchen with the ease of a ballerina. We were talking ninety miles an hour, probably because we hadn’t seen Mom’s sister or her husband since last summer. But with the talk flying so fast, we caught up quickly, especially on family matters.

The biggest news was that Aunt Teri was pregnant!

“How soon?” I asked.

Uncle Pete sat up tall and proud in his chair. “Next summer—and it’s twins,” he boasted, turning to sign so Aunt Teri wouldn’t be excluded from the conversation.

I almost swallowed my tonsils. Thank goodness Uncle Pete started yakking his head off, otherwise it might’ve been obvious that I suddenly clammed up.

“Mom’s gonna be so-o surprised,” Skip was saying. But I tuned them out, and in a few minutes excused myself to do my homework.

As for Skip letting me sleep over at the Zooks’, it was no problem. Uncle Pete, however, threw a royal fit when he heard I was going to the neighbors’ so he and Teri could have my room.

“Everything’s cool,” I assured him. “You’ll see me in time for breakfast tomorrow.” No one in her right mind skipped out on Aunt Teri’s mouth-watering waffles!

Skip waited to take me to Rachel’s until after dessert—Miss Spindler’s apple pie certainly had come in handy.

Thick clouds covered the moon as I followed my brother out to the car. The clouds were a heaven-sent blessing. Old Hawk Eyes would have a troublesome time focusing on the comings and goings of Merry Hanson on a night like this!

Skip drove me the short distance to the Zooks’, even though I could’ve walked. Rachel and I always ran back and forth, even at night. After all, SummerHill Lane wasn’t a superhighway or anything. The most traffic we ever had was the scurry of Amish buggies heading for house church or the market. I’d taken Skip up on his offer only because I didn’t want to cause trouble between us. No need to stir up new suspicions about Lissa’s whereabouts.

Loaded down with my overnight case in one hand and schoolbag in the other, I hopped out of the car near the wagon wheel mailbox on Zooks’ private lane. I waved to Skip as he backed up and headed home. I felt good about outsmarting Old Hawk Eyes once again!

Feelings of excitement grew with each step. I thought back to my plan to disguise Lissa as an Amish girl. Sure it was risky, but it worked. Mom and Dad would be proud of how I’d handled things. Protecting Lissa from her horrible father. Sharing God’s Word with her. Encouraging her…

Suddenly, I saw headlights coming over the crest of the hill. The car came fast, spitting dust out beneath its tires.

Was it a squad car? Had the police returned? Uneasy about what to do, I stood frozen in the middle of Zooks’ private lane.

The moon slipped out behind the clouds and I could see more clearly. The car kept coming closer…. Anybody could see it was definitely
not
a squad car.

Concerned that the driver was out of control, I stepped back, away from the main road. The car swerved to the far left, coming straight for me. Just when I thought it would jump the ditch and ram the mailbox, the car squealed into Zooks’ lane and stopped in a cloud of dust.

Instantly, I thought of Lissa’s father. My mind filled in the blanks easily enough. This must be one of his wild and drunken joyrides…. He’d seen me walking alone at night. Yee-ikes! I was about to become a statistic!

Just when I was close to totally freaking out, I realized the car was a snazzy red sports car—Miss Spindler’s! In a split second, the darktinted window on the passenger’s side glided down automatically.

“Hello there, Merry,” she called to me, leaning over in spite of the shoulder harness. “Is every little thing all right?”

Her favorite expression,
I thought, not amused by her dreadful timing. Or the way her driving had triggered my imagination.

“Thanks for asking,” I said, trying not to exhibit my fright. “I’m just spending the night at Rachel’s.” I nodded my head in the direction of the house. “You probably heard my aunt and uncle are staying at our house, in
my
room.”

Now maybe the questions would stop. I hoped so.

She fluffed up her blue-gray kink of hair. “Oh yes…that’s right, I do remember that dear cleaning lady of yours saying something about it.” Miss Spindler stared curiously at my schoolbag, which was gaping open, revealing my camera. “It was awfully kind of her to stop by for a chat and a cup of hot coffee.” Her eyes were still glued to my camera. I could almost hear the wheels spinning in her nosy blue-gray head.

“Well, I’ll see you later.” I took two steps away from her red wheels, hoping the conversation was over.

“How was the pie?” she continued.

I turned quickly. “Oh, we finished it off at supper. Thanks very much,” I said, squelching the desire to ignore her.

“I’m so glad to hear it,” she said and put the spiffy car in reverse, grinding the gears as she backed down the lane behind me.

“Close call,” I muttered, but I kept walking, refusing to look back. No way did I want her snooping around here with Lissa hanging out with the Zooks!

When I got to the Grossdawdy Haus, I peeked in the living room window. Lissa was sitting in one of the rocking chairs, beside Rachel’s grandmother. I tapped on the door, and Grandfather Zook let me in. Quickly I explained why I’d come.

“Oh, please make yourself at home. There’s always room for one more around here,” the grandfather said, smiling and tapping his pipe in his hand.

Lissa seemed pleased to see me, but I knew something else was on her mind when she pulled me into her bedroom.

“Hey, you’re not limping that much,” I remarked as she closed the door. “It’s good we got photos of your bruises for my dad.”

She nodded, but by the eager look in her eyes I knew the subject at hand wasn’t her recent abuse. “Remember how you told me you didn’t cry when you were born?” she began. “And how I said I cry all the time?”

“Uh-huh.” What was she getting at?

“Well, I was reading your Bible again, and I found the coolest verse.” She stopped talking and I saw her eyes glisten. “Oh, Merry, I used to be so ashamed of my tears, until now.”

“Show me the verse,” I said, moving the lantern closer.

Placing her hand over her heart for a moment, she appeared to gather courage. Then she turned to Psalms, and I peered over her shoulder as she read. “ ‘You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle. You have recorded every one in your book.’ ”

Lissa looked up. “You know what that means, don’t you? Our tears are precious to God—so precious He keeps them.” She was obviously amazed at this news.

I was silent as she took the lantern from me, placing it back on the dresser. “Thanks for bringing me to this peaceful place,” she said. “I will never forget this day as long as I live.”

“I’m glad you trusted me to help you,” I said, still grasping the significance of Psalm 56:8.

We undressed for bed, and when Lissa put on a long cotton nightgown, I giggled. “You’re turning into a real Amish girl, Liss.”

“It’s kinda fun while it lasts,” she said, a sad quiver in her voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m nervous about what happens next. You know, tomorrow when your dad comes home and talks to his lawyer friend.”

“Don’t worry, Liss. My dad’ll take care of everything. You’ll see.”

That seemed to calm her down a bit, but it was my bedtime prayer that made a bigger difference. Before slipping into the creaky bed, she looked at me wide-eyed. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“You can count on me, Liss, you know that.” I reached for my camera. “You look so cute in that Amish nightgown,” I said, taking the cap off the lens. “Mind if I take a quick shot?”

She posed comically as I aimed my camera.

Click!

“Now hop in bed,” I said. “And cover up with the pretty Amish quilt.”

Click!

Another one of my before-and-after sequences was complete.

Later in the moonlight, we lay side by side in the double bed. Lissa was silent except for her breathing. Soon it became steady and slower, and I knew she was asleep. The five-o’clock milking experience had taken its toll.

I, on the other hand, tossed and turned, struggling for sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Lissa’s amazing discovery.
God saves our tears?
Who would’ve thought the Bible contained such a strange verse! The fact that it did had a peculiar effect on me.

At last, I slept.

Long before dawn the next day, Rachel’s grandmother knocked on our bedroom door. “Rise and shine, girls,” she called. “It’s weddin’ day!”

Lissa groaned. “I’d never make it as an Amish girl,” she said. “Starting with this five-o’clock cow-milking thing.”

I crawled out of my side of the toasty-warm bed. Swinging my legs over a mountain of quilts, I tested the floor with my big toe. “Ee-e-ek!” I squealed as my bare skin touched the cold floor.

“
That’s
another big problem,” Lissa said, referring to the icy floor. “Hurry, let’s get dressed before we change our minds!” She laughed out loud.

I noticed a tranquil look on Lissa’s face. Something was different.

She avoided my eyes, looking down at the hardwood floor. “It’s not polite to stare.”

“I’m sorry, Liss, it’s just that you seem so…settled, so happy. It’s a nice change,” I said, touching her shoulder.

She went to the dresser and lit the lantern, holding it close to her face. “Is this the face of a lost soul?”

“Huh?” I frowned.
What is she doing?

“Well, is it?” she persisted. “Look closely. What do you see?”

I inched my way across the cold floor, studying her hard.

With a confident thud, she set the lantern down on the dresser. “Remember what you said about the family of God?” She smiled. “Well, I’m a member.”

“When did this happen?”

Her face shone. “In the middle of the night.”

“
This
is the middle of the night,” I teased.

A giggle escaped her lips. “I talked to God last night—by myself—just Him and me. I’m so-o happy, Merry, and it’s all because of you.” She hugged me close. “Thanks for showing me the way to my heavenly Father.”

I was speechless. Life sure was full of surprises!

Lissa put on one of Rachel’s brown work dresses, and we hurried outside to the barn. I helped by pouring fresh milk into the aluminum container and rolling it into the milk house. Tough stuff for a modern girl.

Levi offered to help on the next trip to the milk house. When I thanked him, a smile spread across his face. “Comin’ to the wedding?”

I felt my face grow warm. “Skip and I’ll be there.”

He looked quite pleased as he straightened to his full height and marched off toward the house. I wondered what was going through his Amish head. Surely he knew better than to flirt with an English girl like me.

I turned my attention to Lissa, who was washing down the next cow. When she touched the cow’s udder, I had to look away. Ee-ew!

Lissa got down and got dirty right along with Rachel and her brothers. It said a lot. Lissa was willing to do anything to fit in with this family. Willing to do whatever she had to, to keep from going back to her dreadful family situation.

Just then Curly John ran outside looking
ferhoodled
, as the Amish say—running around like a chicken with its head cut off—looking for his suspenders. Levi and Aaron slinked around the side of the house looking awfully guilty.