Just Plain Sadie (13 page)

She wasn't a bad kisser. In fact, he'd had to make himself stop. He had to pull away from her and wrap his hands around the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white to keep from reaching for her again.

This was why the elders told them not to be alone with each other. The temptation was so great. Especially when he felt like he had just kissed the one God had made especially for him.

Oh, would Logan have a time with that one. But it was the truth. There was something special about Sadie Kauffman. Ezra couldn't say what, and maybe he didn't even want to know. Finding out could take away the beauty of the mystery and make it common instead. No, for now he'd just go with it, and know that he'd better not kiss her again anytime soon. Especially not when they were alone.

He pulled his truck up to the front of the rec center and found an empty parking spot.

“Are you ready to go in?”

“It's going to be okay?” Sadie asked. She was cute when she worried. But there was nothing to be concerned about. So the Amish had a few hang-ups about the Mennonites. His mother's issues with Sadie had nothing to do with the fact that she was Amish, but that she existed at all. With time he was certain that his mother would get over that. She needed some time to adjust to the fact that there was a new woman in her son's life, another person other than herself. And Logan? Ezra didn't know what to do about his cousin, and frankly, he didn't care. Logan had found his happiness. No one should begrudge Ezra his own.

“It's going to be perfect,” Ezra said, flashing her a quick smile before releasing his seat belt and hopping out of the truck.

Sadie must've been a little nervous, for she didn't wait on him to let her out, but slid to the ground and slammed the door before he even got around the back of the tailgate.

She took a deep breath as if fortifying herself for some type of battle. “Okay,” she said. “Let's do this.”

Ezra was nearly bursting with pride as he walked into the rec center with Sadie at his side. He led her into the gym where volleyball nets had been set up, one on either side of center court. They played four to a team but never boys against girls, always couples against couples. It made the matches more even. He liked playing with the girls as well. It tended to make some of the guys a little more humble. And humility was always a good thing.

“Hey, Ezra, you got here.” Logan jogged up, wearing long basketball shorts and a T-shirt with the arms ripped out. If a person didn't know he was Mennonite, they would think he was like any other
Englisch
guy at any other basketball court at any other rec center in the world. Mennonite girls were more easily identifiable with their small black head coverings and print dresses. They looked like a slightly less conservative version of most Amish girls.

“Are you going to play in that?” Logan pointed to Ezra's jeans and boots.

“I've got some shorts and tennis shoes right here.” He indicated his gym bag, though he doubted he would put on the shorts. It was strange to think about playing with Sadie while only wearing half a pair of pants. He couldn't really say why. Maybe because the rest of the couples there were married and they weren't. “I'm just going to change my shoes,” he said. For now.

Logan nodded, then looked to Sadie. “It's good to see you again. Sally, right?”

If he'd been a more violent man, Ezra might have punched Logan in the face. But as it was, he simply said, “It's Sadie,” and let the rest of it go.

“Come on, Sadie. I'll introduce you to the girls.” Logan hooked one arm over his shoulder in that age-old gesture to follow him.

Sadie looked from Logan to Ezra then back again.

Ezra wanted to tell her that she didn't have to go. But maybe it was better this way, to have her jump in and meet the girls on her own terms. He knew they were interested in her. And she them. He had known most of these couples his entire life.

Instead, he sat down on the bottom bleacher and started putting on his athletic shoes. He kept a close watch on Sadie as she followed Logan around. She laughed and smiled and appeared to have a really good time.

He had known it would be like this, he thought as he tied his shoes. Her friends might not be as accepting of their relationship, but he knew his would be. In time, he was certain that they could convince all of their friends and family they belonged together.

By the end of the night, Sadie wondered if she would even be able to remember three of the girls' names. There were just so many of them. Aside from remembering their names, she had to remember the boys' names and then what girl belonged to what boy. It was enough to make her head swim. It didn't help that the gym was loud and every time the ball hit the ground it echoed four times through the building. Or maybe she was just nervous. She wanted them to like her so badly. And that kiss.

Ezra had kissed her, and she felt like she was walking on clouds. Now she was here with his friends playing volleyball and having the best time of her life.

Clapping erupted on the other side of the net as the ball went out of bounds.

“Okay,” Ezra said. “We can do this.” He clapped his hands encouragingly, and Sadie wanted nothing more than to go over and wrap her arms around him. He was cute when he was being athletic.

She shook her head at her own fanciful thoughts and moved up to the front of the net as Ezra's cousin moved back to serve. She and Ezra were playing with Logan and his girlfriend Mindy. Against another couple. If she remembered right it was Peter and Mary and Mose and Amanda. Or maybe it was Peter and Amanda and Mose and Mary. She couldn't remember.

Logan served the ball high and true. Peter went back to hit it and bumped it up for Mary to hit. The ball went high and Mary spiked it down, hitting Sadie in the face.

It happened so quickly that Sadie hadn't seen the ball coming. One minute she was standing there, and the next minute her face throbbed with pain and stars filled her vision.

“Oh my gosh!” someone hollered, but she didn't know who. The only thing she knew was that it wasn't Ezra. She would've known his voice anywhere.

His voice was soft and next to her. “Sadie? Are you okay?”

She tried to nod, but it hurt too bad. Instead she turned toward him. “I think so,” she said.

“Oh no, you're not.” He said the words gently, in that sweet Ezra way that he had. Then he helped her to her feet and over to the bench.

He reached into his gym bag and pulled out a towel. Only then did Sadie realize that her hands were covered in blood. Her blood. “Is my nose busted?”

“It's just bleeding,” Ezra said. “Here.” He held the towel gently to her nose, then nudged her head back. “I'll help you to the restroom. Okay?”

“Okay,” Sadie said, but she didn't recognize her voice, as muffled as it was by the towel.

“Don't worry. I'll lead you there.”

Sadie tried to relax and follow his lead as Ezra helped her toward the restroom. She couldn't see where she was going, so she closed her eyes, but that only made things worse. She opened them again, watching the ceiling as she walked down the hallway of the rec center with him.

“Here,” Ezra said. “Do you want me to go in with you?” He released the towel into her hands.

Sadie tipped her head back straight. “No, I think I'm fine,” she said and started into the ladies' room.

She blinked a couple of times as she walked into the brightly lit room, then went over to the sinks to survey the damage. It looked worse than it was. She had blood on her face and blood on her hands, but her nose was only slightly swollen. The ball must've hit just right to make it bleed but not break it. Still, she thought as she cleaned up, that was one good thing about mourning. Any blood that she got on her dress was hidden, though she would have to make sure come laundry day that she soaked out the stains.

She had less than three more months to wear the black, but she couldn't go around stained up for even that long. She wet the towel in the sink with cold water, pressing it to her face to eliminate any other swelling. She tried to hurry since he was out there waiting. His voice had been filled with worry as he led her to the restroom. She wanted to make sure that he knew she was okay.

She wrung out the towel again and rinsed the blood that was left in the sink, then held the towel over her face one more time.

“Did you see her?”

At first Sadie almost answered, thinking the disembodied voice was speaking to her, but then another voice joined the first one.

“I cannot believe he brought an Amish girl here.”

Sadie didn't recognize the voices, but she didn't need to know who they were to know that they were talking about her.

“I don't understand. I tried to get him to go out with my sister. Logan has been trying to set him up with Annie K. Then he brings that.”

The words were so mean that Sadie could barely register them at all. Had she just called her a
that
? What was wrong with her? What was wrong with Sadie? She hadn't done anything wrong. She surely hadn't done anything to the unknown girl in the bathroom stall.

“I know. I mean aside from the fact that she's plain and not really very pretty and in mourning wearing all that black, she's Amish. What was he thinking?”

That was the worst thing the unknown girl could say about her? Sadie knew she was plain, she knew she was dressed in black, and yet the worst thing the woman could say about her was that she was Amish? What was wrong with these people?

Suddenly Sadie wanted out of there as fast as she could get. Bile rose in the back of her throat, her stomach churned, and a sob threatened to escape. She pushed it back, stifled it with one hand, and with the other pushed her way out of the restroom.

Ezra was waiting there for her, as he had promised. “Are you okay—” He stopped as he saw the look on her face. “Why do I have a feeling this doesn't have anything to do with your nose?”

She shook her head. “Can you take me home now?”

“If that's what you want.”

“
Jah.
Yes,” Sadie corrected. “I'd like to go home now.”

Ezra led her back to the gym door. “Are you going to tell me what happened in there?”

“Not right now, okay?”

“Okay,” Ezra said. “But you need to tell me. I don't want secrets between us.”

How could there be secrets between them when everyone had made it their personal goal to discuss them whenever and wherever they wanted to? But Sadie didn't say that. She nodded and stayed outside the gym as Ezra went to retrieve his bag.

* * *

He was fairly certain that one of the hardest things he'd ever done was leave Sadie standing outside those gym doors not knowing what had happened in the bathroom. She had only been in there five minutes, tops. Her nose didn't look nearly as bad when she came out as it did going in, so why were those hazel eyes swimming with tears when she stepped back into the hallway?

He hustled over to where he left his bag, not bothering to put his boots back on. He shoved them inside the bag, wanting to get back to Sadie as soon as possible.

“Is she okay?” Logan asked.

Ezra zipped his bag and looked up to see not only Logan and Mindy waiting on answers, but Peter, Mary, Mose, and Amanda as well. Mary looked near tears.

“I didn't mean to hurt her,” Mary said.

“I know you didn't, and she'll be fine. I'm going to take her home now.”

“Will you tell her I'm sorry?” Mary asked.

Normally Ezra would have said for Mary to tell Sadie herself. But somehow he got the feeling Mary would be one of the last people that Sadie wanted to see right then. “I'll tell her,” he said.

Ezra slung his bag over his shoulder and started for the door. The girls fell back, leaving Peter, Mose, and Logan to walk with him. They got halfway to the door of the gym when Ezra turned around.

“Is there something you guys would like to talk about?” He would've liked to have said that he was surprised when Logan nodded. But he wasn't.

“Why did you bring her here?” Logan asked.

“Because I like her.”

“She's Amish,” Mose said.

Ezra closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head, trying to free those rattling thoughts from his brain. Was that such a bad thing that she was Amish?

“We are Mennonite,” Peter said.

Ezra had known them all since they were in grade school. Logan was his cousin, Peter was his neighbor, and once upon a time Mose's mom and his mom had been the best of friends. But that was before his dad had walked out and everything had fallen apart.

Ezra had managed, he had moved on, but at times like this he felt as separated from them as he had the day his father had walked out the door.

“Does that really matter?”

The three men looked at each other, then turned back to him. “There's a reason we have two religions.”

That had to be one of the dumbest things Ezra had ever heard anyone say. But he had no rebuttal. He gave them a curt nod and started for the door. They were fine, but Sadie needed him.

He pushed the door to the gym open so hard it hit the wall behind and snapped back. Sadie jumped, and he immediately regretted the action. He couldn't remember being this mad ever in his life, not even when her friends had questioned him at the bowling alley. These were
his
friends. How dare they? Some people had a lot of gall.

“Are you ready to go?” Ezra asked. He did his best to make his voice sound calm and collected when inside he was anything but. His emotions churned like an angry storm. What was wrong with everybody?

“
Jah
.”

The last time she had corrected herself and said yes, but this time she left it in the Pennsylvania Dutch. It was a start, as far as he was concerned. He didn't want her changing for him.

He walked back out to the truck. “Do you want some Tylenol? I think there's some in the glove box.”

“That would be good,” Sadie said. “My head is really hurting.”

Ezra looked around the cab of the truck. Usually there was a stray water bottle hiding out somewhere, but he didn't see anything. He started the truck and put it into reverse. “Hold on a second. I'll get you to a store. You can get something to drink and take some then, okay?”

“That'd be great.”

He found a Love's Country Store, one of his favorites. They were a little smaller than some of the other convenience stores in the area, but they made good sandwiches and had a place for people to sit inside the building and relax for a few minutes. Right now, relaxing was something he and Sadie desperately needed.

He led Sadie over to the booths that sat near the front windows of the store so she could watch the traffic drive by. He got them both a Coke and a chicken Italiano sandwich.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” He took her hand into his, hoping the gesture gave her strength and confidence. He had a feeling she needed it.

“There's really not a lot to say.”

Ezra released her hand and took a bite of his sandwich. “I think there's probably a lot to say. But I don't think you want to say it, and I don't know why.”

Sadie picked up her sandwich and started to eat as well. Maybe if they got some food they would feel better....

She popped the pills into her mouth and uncapped her drink, taking a long swig before she spoke again. “Thank you. That was really sweet of you.”

To his dismay, tears welled in those hazel eyes once more.

He reached across the table, squeezing her fingers in his own. “Don't cry.”

“Give me a minute, okay?”

“Okay,” Ezra said. “As long as you know I'm here for you.”

Sadie nodded, but she was about to cry again, so Ezra looked away. He thought that might be best.

Girls were such a mystery to him. He'd spent most of his life around girls of another sort, bison and deer, bovine and ostriches, and all the other creatures on the ranch. But not the ones like the one seated across from him. He really didn't know what to do with
them
. Maybe once upon a time he thought he did, but now he was so out of practice he felt like he was playing a different game.

“Do you feel better?”

“
Jah.
I think I'll be all right.”

“Are you going to tell me what happened in the bathroom?”

“It doesn't matter really.”

“If it makes you cry, then it definitely matters.” That possessive streak in him rose to the surface. Anything to do with her mattered. But how could he tell her that? Would she even understand something he didn't understand himself?

“There were some girls in there.” Sadie looked away, out the window at the cars passing by.

“What girls?”

She shook her head. “I don't know. I didn't see their faces.”

“So what happened?”

She shrugged. “I heard them talking is all. They couldn't believe you brought me to play volleyball.”

Never in his life had Ezra wanted to smash something like he did in that moment. “Don't worry about those girls. They don't matter.”

“How can they not? Your mother doesn't want us together. My mother doesn't want us together. Your friends don't want us together, and my friends don't think we should be together. Why is the whole world against us?”

Ezra sighed. “I don't know that. But I do know one thing.”

“And what is that?”

“The decision is ours. This is our life. And the more I get to know you, the more I want to get to know you and the more time I want to spend with you. I don't care what anybody says. Not my mother, not my cousin or those girls in the bathroom. There's only one thing that matters. And that's what you want.”