The Miting (41 page)

Once Leah finished the passage, she turned down the lamp and watched the snow fall softly against the window.

Thank You, Lord, for the best Gift of all—Your Son.

A few days after Old Christmas, Leah asked
Daet
to let the bishop know she wanted to begin classes to join the church. Jacob made the decision, too. They wanted to have the six months of classes finished before midsummer so they could plan an early October wedding. They would have liked to get married sooner, but Jacob had committed to helping his brothers with their harvests. Even October was still pretty busy, but it was the soonest he thought he could be ready.

Of course, they kept all thoughts and plans to themselves. In the Amish way, Leah and Jacob wouldn’t announce they were getting married until the banns were read at church.

Things settled down at home, and Leah fell into a pattern of helping
Daet
in the shop,
Maem
at home, and Ada with any work she had to do. The winter months passed slowly as Leah and Jacob pressed onward with the every-two-week classes.

One Sunday night in March on their way back from a singing, Jacob allowed Bingo to mosey along toward Leah’s house. The moon was bright, and the air held a weak promise of spring.

“Leah, I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a while now, but I’ve been worried about what you might think.”

She looked at him, eyebrows raised. “What?”

“I took your blue Bible and put it away in the drawer at the bottom of my dresser. But one night when I couldn’t sleep, I went and got the Bible and read it.” He paused and glanced at her.

Leah waited for him to continue, but her heart was starting to speed up when she guessed where the conversation might lead.

“Anyway, I really began to understand some of the stories and sermons I think the bishop has been trying to tell us for years. His readings in German, though, just didn’t stick with me like the English Bible. Before, I didn’t understand why you wanted to pray for salvation that night at the Schrocks’ Bible study. But after reading a few verses, I made my mind up to find out. When I was in town last week, I called Matthew Schrock.”

“Oh, Jacob! Did you?”

He nodded. “Matthew plans to meet with me sometime this week. He’s excited to talk to me, too.” Jacob looked shy and a little uncomfortable with his news. Leah was proud of him.

But right then she felt that denouncing her born-again faith in Christ was the worst decision of her life. And though she’d been doing everything the bishop, the church, and her parents had wanted, she was ashamed, ashamed of sneaking in her room to read the Bible. Her sadness reflected in her eyes. Jacob took her hand.

Leah loved him for his openness in sharing with her, but she couldn’t help wondering how his family would take the news if he announced he was a born-again believer. Would they react the way
Daet
had? Would they make him renounce his newfound belief?

Though Jacob’s parents were known as gentle, kind people who were more open-minded than many in the community, they would always be Amish. Jacob’s ancestors included many bishops and lay preachers. Their kin were deeply respected, and no one in their family had ever left the Amish community.

Would his decision to serve Christ wholly lead him to be the first in his family to be brought under serious discipline? Leah didn’t know if she wanted him to experience the same hurts she had.

She met his gaze, and for a brief moment, she saw uncertainty fill his eyes. But with a deep swallow that lifted his Adam’s apple, his expression fixed in resolute determination.

“It’s all going to work out right in the end, Leah. Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”

He brushed a stray tendril back under her
kapp.
His compassion brought tears to her eyes. He turned away and slapped the reins lightly on Bingo’s back. “Get along, Bingo.”

Later, she prayed for Jacob’s new curiosity and hoped this would truly be the beginning of an entirely new life for him. Leah prayed God would give her courage to do what was right. If He meant for her to stay, then she would. She also wanted to read the Bible in the open again. Hiding felt like lying. Leah just couldn’t believe
Maem
or
Daet
could really be upset about Bible reading.

A few days after Leah talked to Jacob, Martha came by the house. Her baby was crying pitifully in the buggy seat beside her, and she looked flustered and hot. Leah walked out to greet her, glad she’d come by. She had only seen Martha once or twice since they came home. Martha had been skipping membership classes and not going very often to church services. Though it was only a rumor, Leah heard Martha was close to being reprimanded by the bishop again.

Leah went around to the side of the buggy where baby Johnny was howling his displeasure and took him in her arms. His little face was red with anger, and his hands flailed. She tucked him close to her chin and rocked him gently. “Aww, little
bobli
, shhh shhh … it’s okay.”

Martha gave Leah a dry look, her eyes weary. “He’s teething, and he’s majorly grumpy.” She led the horse to the hitching post and gave him a portion of oats.

“A long visit, is it?” Leah asked, observing her.

Martha sighed. “I hope you don’t mind. I need to get away from
Maem
for a while. Gosh, she’s a mess sometimes! And Johnny gets on her nerves when he’s having a crying jag.”

Leah led her into the living room and settled Johnny on his blanket. He was content when she brought him a cold washcloth to chew on. He actually gave Leah a timid smile once or twice.

Martha claimed the rocker so Leah sat on the sofa and watched the little boy play.

“How old is he now?”

“Um, let me think: eight months, or near to that, anyway.” Martha leaned back into the chair and yawned. “I never get enough sleep anymore.”

“I wanted to ask you something, Martha.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“When we first came home, I had to talk with the bishop.”

Martha rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, he asked me if I still had my Bible. He told me you said I had one.”

Martha laughed. She waved away the question. “Oh that. He asked me all kinds of questions, mostly about myself. But when he asked if I knew anything about your life out there in that bad old
Englisher
world, I told him you were too busy being a Goody Two-shoes to do anything bad. I said you were probably holed up in your room from dawn to dusk reading your Bible.” Her eyes grew big. “Oops! I think I probably shouldn’t have said that. But honestly, how can they be worried about you being too good?”

Leah frowned. “It’s water under the bridge now anyway, but I was surprised when he told me you were the source of his information.”

“Don’t let that worry you. If they only knew half the stuff I’m doing, well …” She laughed and leaned closer to her friend. “Did the old Amish grapevine tell you I have a new boyfriend?”

“You don’t!”

“I do. And get this: he’s English.” Her grin stretched from ear to ear, but Leah didn’t understand what was so funny.

“Martha, I don’t know why you even bothered to come home.”

“Oh, you know why I did
that.
But if I’d met Randall before I came home, you can bet your horse’s teeth I wouldn’t have done it. It’s been nothing but yelling about everything I do. If it isn’t my
stepdaet
, it’s
Maem
, and if not her, then the bishop.”

“You came home knowing they expected you to join the church and be a good Amish girl.”

“Yeah, they don’t know me very well, do they?” She smirked. “I met Randall when he saw me walking toward town one day, pulling a wagon with Johnny in it. He stopped to give me a ride. He’s a good guy. We go to the movies together, and he takes me to nice places to eat in Richland. That’s where he lives.”

“Martha, you’re going to get caught. Then you’ll be in trouble, and they may even ban you. Believe me, that is no fun.”

Martha shrugged. “It’s no big deal, Leah. I have a plan with Randall.” Her eyes lit up, and Leah guessed her friend was about to get herself into more hot water.

“You’re going to have nothing but grief if you keep this up.”

She gave a brittle laugh. “Grief is
all
I’ve known. Now I’m looking for some happiness!”

Leah glanced at Johnny and saw he was asleep. “Who’s keeping an eye on Johnny when you’re out with Randall?”

“Nobody, silly. I take him along. That’s the only way
Maem
will keep her mouth shut. If I tried to leave him with her, she’d have a hissy fit. We just take him with us, and I give him lots of bottles to keep him happy.”

Leah watched poor little Johnny as he busily chewed the washcloth and wondered what kind of life he was going to have. She prayed for him right then and there.

Martha stayed through Johnny’s nap, but Leah was relieved she moved to another topic. By the time she left, Leah’s head was splitting. She determined if the bishop ever came asking about Martha again, she would only tell him one thing: pray for her.

A pouring rain woke Leah the next morning. The gloomy light through the window let her down. Rain was needed for the new crops being put in, but for her, the dreary day was the start of something else. She felt sad and sorry. She wanted to stop hiding who she was. The classes with Jacob and the preachers, along with Bishop Miller, were getting pretty serious.

Leah could not possibly obey all of the rules in the
Ordnung
, but she also couldn’t figure out any other way to not be Amish and still have her family.

She thought about what Jacob had said when she first came home: there were Amish who preached the gospel; they didn’t shun their family members who left. A church like that was where Jacob and she hoped to move someday, but Leah had a hard time believing it was true. She often wished she could see this church with her own eyes. Still, she wouldn’t be near her family, and even if Jacob and Leah stayed Amish, she wasn’t sure her family would be able to associate with her since Bishop Miller wouldn’t allow their members to mingle with more liberal churches.

Leah sighed.
All this thinking is getting me nowhere.

She got out of bed and rummaged through her drawer for the Bible. She curled up in the warmth of the covers and started to read.

Leah left the Bible face-up on the bed while she got dressed. As she passed the bed on her way downstairs, she picked up the Bible and held it.

It would be more honest if I took this downstairs to read it like I used to at the Schrocks’ apartment.

Before she could change her mind, Leah tucked it under her arm and headed downstairs. Her palms were sweaty as she walked into the kitchen.
Maem
wasn’t there, and Leah could see Ada outside checking on the newly planted garden. She poured a cup of coffee and took an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter, bit into its juicy middle, and seated herself in the chair facing the window.

Dim light fell across the pages of the Bible, as she carefully turned to the last passage she’d been reading. In the cozy warmth of the kitchen, she quickly became engrossed in the comfort of the Psalms.