Just Plain Sadie (18 page)

“Well . . . Chris is supposed to come.” There it was.

“Melanie, I don't think this is a good idea.”

“Why not? You and Chris used to be quite a thing.”

“Well, that was before . . .” She really couldn't say. Chris hadn't told anybody about his trip to Europe, and she was walking around having to keep his secret from all her family. It really wasn't fair. “We're not a couple, you know.”

“About that . . .”

Sadie shook her head. “There are things you don't know, Melanie. Things that I can't tell you.”

“But I'm your sister.”

Sadie shook her head. “It has nothing to do with that. It isn't mine to tell. Just know that Chris and I are not a couple and we are not getting married.”

“If you say so. But will you come to Millers' Pond with us?”

How could she refuse?

* * *

In addition to the group of young people that Melanie had mentioned, Jonah Miller also joined them, along with Sarah Yoder. Sadie supposed it was only natural, considering the pond was on his parents' property. But the fact that he was with Sarah Yoder was something of a surprise to Sadie.

Not too long ago, Jonah and her sister, Lorie, had been quite a thing, though their relationship was on again-off again. Lorie and Jonah argued a lot and did not see things the same way more often than not. Then Lorie met Zach Calhoun and everything changed.

Everyone had brought quilts and blankets and spread them out on the banks of the pond. Sadie could hardly wait until it was warm enough to swim again. She loved coming out here on her days off. Sometimes it was girls only and sometimes her and Chris and other couples. Though now Chris would be leaving, and Ezra wouldn't be welcome. Who knew when the next time would be that she would be able to come out here and enjoy herself like she had in the past?

Melanie plopped down next to her. “Why don't you look like you're having a good time?”

“I'm having a great time.” She hoped God didn't strike her down for the lie. But Melanie was so happy these days, loving life and being married to Noah. And here was Sadie, wanting everything her sister had and not able to have it. She added that transgression to her mental prayer list. “Who is that?” She nodded toward the quilt on the opposite side of the pond from where she and Melanie sat.

“That's Abbie King. You remember her, right?”

Sadie searched through her memory, trying to pull up what she knew about Abbie King. “It was her brother that was killed in the car wreck.”

Melanie nodded. “That's her.”

“We haven't seen much of her lately.”

“Noah said that she had a hard time after Alvin died, so they sent her to some family in Missouri to stay for a while. She's only been back in town a couple of weeks.”

Suddenly Sadie didn't feel quite so sorry for herself. Sure, she had lost Lorie to the
Englisch
. But she hadn't lost her completely—she could still visit, but Abbie King had lost her brother forever.

“I'm glad she's back,” Sadie murmured.

“And did you see Mandy Yoder is here?” Melanie leaned a bit closer to deliver that piece of gossip.

“Sarah's cousin?”

Melanie nodded. “I guess it's Mandy Burkholder now.”

“She married Levi Burkholder, didn't she?”

Melanie nodded again. “Right after Titus Lambert went to prison.”

It was funny how her own problems had her forgetting the trials of others. A few years back Titus Lambert had been involved in a car accident that killed Alvin King and another boy, an
Englisch
boy. Because of that, Titus had been sent to prison; his girlfriend, Mandy, had married another; and Abbie had gone away to deal with her grief. It was so sad really.

Sadie shook her head. “We really shouldn't be gossiping about this.”

“Then let's gossip about you.” Melanie's smile was infectious.

“There's nothing to gossip about.”

“Really?” Melanie nodded off to one side.

Sadie looked up to see Chris headed their way.

Melanie pushed to her feet. “Okay then. I'll catch you later.” And with that, she disappeared.

Sadie waited for Chris to come closer.

“Mind if I sit down?”

Sadie shook her head without looking at him. She really didn't know what to say, but she couldn't turn him away.

“I miss you, you know.” His words were so quietly spoken she almost didn't hear them.

She swung her gaze in his direction, searching for any evidence that he was telling her the truth. There was nothing but sincerity written on his face.

“I miss you too.” And it was the truth. She missed Chris, her friend, her steady, her rock. He had been the one thing she could depend on all these years. And she hated that they had a falling-out.

“Does that mean you'll go bowling with me again on Thursday night?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him no. She didn't want him to get the wrong idea. Chris knew her true feelings, and she knew his. Sure, if they were to get married they would make a great couple. Not in a completely
Englisch
romance kind of way, but look at how some of those turned out.

Maybe her argument with Ezra was getting the better of her. They were on their way to reconciliation. But everything around her was so confusing these days. Chris wanted to make up, she and Ezra had argued. It was almost too much.

But what was the harm in spending time with her best friend?

She nodded. “I would like that very much.”

Sadie tried not to let her confusion get the better of her on Monday. She'd had a nice afternoon with Chris sitting by Millers' Pond, talking and visiting with the other members of their youth group and buddy bunch.

But she was waiting for her special date surprise on Tuesday with Ezra. Then she would have a day off in between to collect herself before she and Chris went bowling on Thursday night.

That was the hardest part of it all. She loved spending time with Chris and the other people she had known practically her entire life—Ruthie and Hannah, even Abbie King and Mandy Burkholder. Unfortunately she couldn't do things like that with Ezra.

Yet spending time alone with Ezra, just the two of them without the pulls of community and family, was special in itself as well.

But she couldn't figure out where she belonged in all of that.

* * *

“So where are we going?” Sadie asked for what had to have been the eighth time since Ezra had picked her up that morning. As best she could tell, they were headed into Tulsa, but Ezra had gotten off the highway. Now they were driving on unfamiliar streets. She tried to see if there were any road signs announcing the sights coming up from the exit they had taken. She thought she'd seen Mohawk Park, but she couldn't tell if it was this exit that led to the park or the next one.

“Be patient.” Ezra smiled. “We'll be there in a minute.” Two more miles and she figured out where they were headed.

“The zoo?”

Ezra nodded. “I thought it might be fun.”

Sadie couldn't stop the grin spreading across her face. She hadn't been to the zoo in years. Since before she was even Cora Ann's age. “I think it'll be great fun too.”

Ezra parked the truck and the two of them made their way to the zoo's entrance. He bought the tickets and led them through the turnstile and into the main area of the zoo. “What do you want to see first?” he asked.

Sadie shook her head. “I want to see everything.”

“Everything it is.” He hooked her arm through his and led her toward the right. First up were the monkeys and the rest of the primates.

The weather was good for February. Being a Tuesday, there weren't many people milling around the zoo. Sadie felt as if the animals were giving a show just for them.

They walked through the reptile house and into the rain forest section with its little poison frogs and all sorts of exotic creatures that she had never seen before. The penguin habitat and the polar bears, everything was magical and wonderful. She felt as if she had stepped into another world. Then they took the train around over to where the Galapagos tortoises were housed.

“It says here this turtle is almost a hundred years old,” Ezra said, pointing to the little stand that contained information about the creatures.

Sadie shook her head. A hundred years was a long time. The tortoises were wrinkled and slow, but they were somehow beautiful in their own special way.

“Do you want to see the giraffes now?” Ezra asked, pointing toward the penned-in fields where the giraffes were kept.

But Sadie was drawn to the other side. The elephants. “Can we go . . .” She gestured toward the giant creatures.

“We can do whatever you want,” Ezra said.

“Then I want to see the elephants.”

This time, Ezra grabbed her hand and together, fingers entwined, they made their way toward the elephant habitat.

“They're beautiful.”

Ezra chuckled. “You really think so?”

“
Jah
. I do.” She leaned against the fence, not so much to get a better view, but to be a little closer to such magnificent creatures.

“Even prettier than the zebras?”

Sadie nodded.

“And the tigers?”

“
Jah
.”

Ezra tilted his head to one side as if he was trying to get a better angle to view the big beasts. “Don't get me wrong. They're great. But what do you see in them?”

Sadie stared at them, trying to find the words to describe how the elephants made her feel. “They're so big and beautiful, a little cumbersome and yet graceful all in the same moment. Can you see the intelligence in their eyes?”

Looking at the elephants was like seeing a reflection of something bigger than herself. Not in true size, for there was no mistaking the elephants were gigantic compared to her, but somehow bigger at an internal level, as if they held a special place in God's eyes.

“Okay,” Ezra agreed.

But Sadie had the feeling he was saying that just to appease her. It upset her that Ezra couldn't see what she saw in the elephants, couldn't see love and compassion and all things beautiful wrapped up in big feet and wrinkly gray skin. It was as if God was playing some sort of trick on mankind to put something so special in an unlikely package. Sadie wondered if God was waiting on man to discover this specialness that He had hidden.

“I feel sorry for you, Ezra Hein.”

“Sorry for me?” Ezra asked. His eyes were alight with surprise.

“
Jah.
I feel sorry that you can't see what I see in them.”

He thought about that for a minute, then smiled. “I guess it's a good thing I have you here to point it out to me.”

* * *

Ezra had the feeling that Sadie could sit and watch the elephants all day long. In fact, he made a mental note to bring her out to the zoo again with the intention of just going to the elephant habitat and sitting for as long as she wanted and watching these creatures that she had fallen in love with. But for now it was still February and cold. Not terribly bad. Spring was starting to warm the air.

That was the way of Oklahoma. A February day could be seventy or ten degrees, depending on the whim of nature. But for now he thought it best that they get someplace warm, at least for a little while.

Sadie said a sweet good-bye to the elephants, and he led her into the nearby gift shop. There was a café adjacent where they could get something warm to drink. He bought them each a cup of coffee, then they wandered through the gift shop, checking out all the animal-related items for sale there.

There were plastic-molded animals that looked realistic, though they were miniature. There were stuffed animals and postcards, coffee cups and drinking glasses of all sorts. There were even T-shirts and hats and all sorts of clothing for people to buy.

Sadie started looking through the many shirts there on display, while Ezra wandered into the section that housed some of the smaller items.

He wanted something for Sadie to remember today. It had been perhaps the best time they'd had together. When he had set up this date, he wanted someplace they could go and perhaps not be found out or be worried about being found out. After the trouble in Pryor, he felt it was better to go someplace where they would blend in even more. Not that they blended in completely. He supposed to the average person he looked like the average person, but Sadie in her black and prayer
kapp
, thick stockings, and walking shoes was so obviously Amish that a few people had stopped to stare. She seemed not to notice, or maybe she didn't care, as she wandered through the zoo's trails beside him.

He looked at the coffee cups, but there was nothing with an elephant on it. There were ones with the zoo's logo on them and some that had pictures of some of the newer habitats and creatures, the dinosaur exhibit and the penguins, but nothing with her majestic elephants.

There were postcards, but they didn't fit the bill. He wanted something beautiful for her to remember today by. Something as beautiful as she considered those big gray elephants out there.

Then he found it. It was the only one left, and he wasn't sure how he even saw it. But there it was: a silver necklace with an elephant pendant. It was fairly small, maybe no bigger than a dime, with this small indentation for an eye. Its trunk was raised up in salute, and it was perfect. She could wear it everywhere she went and have an elephant with her always. It was beautiful and he knew she had to have it.

“Ezra, look at this.” She held up a pink nightshirt—at least he thought that's what it was—in front of her. It reached down to her knees. On the front were the intertwining trunks of two elephants that formed a heart. Below that it read I HEART ELEPHANTS.

“Would your mother care if you had that?”

He saw that rebellious light in Sadie's eyes flash, then she seemed to think about it without that surge of emotion. “I don't see why not. There isn't anything in the
Ordnung
about nightshirts with elephants on them.”

“Then you should have it.”

He hustled her to the counter, not giving her even a second to change her mind about the nightshirt. He handed the necklace to the cashier and gave her a look that he hoped the gray-haired lady behind the counter could understand. He wanted the pretty silver trinket, but he didn't want Sadie to know about it. Some things needed to be a surprise.

With age came wisdom, and the woman gave a small nod before slipping the necklace into a small bag, then putting it inside the larger bag where the T-shirt was now stored and ready to go.

Ezra paid the bill while Sadie gushed. “Thank you so much.”

“You're welcome.” His heart swelled at the sight of the pure happiness on her face.

Together they left the gift shop and headed out of the zoo park, back to the parking lot.

“Next time we need to buy a camera.”

Sadie's eyes grew wide. “Oh my goodness! I didn't even think of that.”

“I think it would be fun, don't you?”

“Maybe we can buy one of those disposable ones that they have there in the shop.”

Ezra nodded. “That sounds like a great idea. Then you can take all the pictures you want of those silly elephants.”

“They aren't silly.” She shot him a mock-serious look.

“I know, I know, don't get your dander all up.”

Sadie crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. “Never joke about elephants again.”

“Never,” he promised with a smile.

* * *

“Do you want me to drop you off at the library?” Ezra asked.

Sadie nodded. She hated having to sneak around and see Ezra like this. But after the day they had spent together, she felt as if she would do anything as long as she could spend time with him.

Did that mean that she loved him? Probably. But now the thought didn't fill her with dread and anxiety. She loved Ezra Hein. A Mennonite boy. The idea warmed her from the inside out, and she wanted to climb to the highest place she could find and shout it to all of Wells Landing, hoping that even the people of Taylor Creek could hear. So what if he was Mennonite and she was Amish? They would figure out a way.

Ezra wasn't like Zach Calhoun. Zach could've never become Amish. It would have been too hard for him, but they were so much alike, the Mennonite and the Amish.

And it would all work out. She knew it.

He pulled his truck into the library parking lot and eased it into one of the spaces. Leaving the engine running, he put it into park, then turned to face her. “I'm glad you came with me today.”

“So am I.” Sadie smiled at him, her heart growing bigger each time she looked at him. He was perhaps the most handsome man she had ever met, and he wanted to spend time with her. It was a beautiful thought. And if God put them together, then surely there wasn't anything wrong with it.

“Do you have your sack?”

Sadie nodded.

“Let me see it.” Ezra held out his hand for her to give it to him.

“Why do you need it?” she asked, even as she offered it to him.

“Maybe there's a surprise in here.” He grinned.

“Another surprise?”

He didn't answer with words, just stuck his hand into the bag and pulled out another small paper sack that had been tucked inside. She had no idea how it had gotten there. She hadn't noticed it when they were at the gift shop, but she had been so wrapped up in happiness and elephants that she hadn't been paying a great deal of attention.

“Today was special,” Ezra said. His smile had dimmed and his eyes turned serious, but in a good way. Intense, and dare she hope, loving . . . ? “I wanted you to have something to remember today by.”

“I have a shirt.”

Ezra shook his head. “You need something more special than that.”

He pulled a small box from inside the little paper sack and opened it.

Sadie held her breath as he lifted out a thin silver chain. A small pendant hung there, an elephant with smooth curved lines and a soft shiny finish.

He opened the clasp and reached around her neck to place the necklace there.

Sadie used every bit of energy she had not to pull away. She was torn. She wanted that beautiful necklace so badly, that memento of today, the one thing that Ezra had picked out in the store just for her, but . . .

“The Amish don't wear jewelry.” Her words were barely a whisper. But they felt heavy in the air around her.

Ezra sat back and stared at her for a moment. “I don't understand.”

Sadie wanted to touch the necklace, finger its smooth lines, claw it from her body. It felt fiery and hot through the fabric of her dress. She wanted to take it off, but she wanted to leave it on forever. Confusion had become her constant companion.

“It's okay to go to the movies, but it's not okay to wear jewelry?”

Sadie shook her head. “It's not okay to do either one of those things.”

Ezra snorted. “Now I really don't understand. So it's okay to go against the
Ordnung
and go to the movies, but it's not okay to go against the
Ordnung
and wear a necklace. You Amish have entirely too many rules.”