The Shunning (10 page)

Sadie slept, and did not wake until Mary entered their room to put away her shawl and the black
kapp
she wore over her white prayer
kapp
. "You are still ill?" Mary asked. "Do you want me to have
Mamm
come up here to tend you, Sadie?"

"No. There is nothing she can do that would be permitted. Samuel came by while you were all at church services and he gave me a switching. I am very sore and just wish to lie in bed. Moving about is painful."

"Ohhh!
Dat
will not be pleased!" Mary cried out in dismay.

"
Dat
gave Samuel permission to deal with me," Sadie admitted, her cheeks a flaming red with embarrassment. "I behaved badly, Mary, and I will offer my apologies to
Dat
and
Mamm
when I feel I can move about without crying."

"I will bring you something to eat, sister," Mary said, tears filling her eyes. She ran from the room and hurried downstairs to find her
Dat
and
Mamm
in the kitchen. "Sadie is in terrible pain; Samuel Hilty gave her a switching while we were at church today! It hurts her to move! Mama, shouldn't you do something?" she asked.

"No, daughter. Your
Mamm
needs to let Sadie wear this punishment until it goes away on its own. It was given with a purpose and with my blessing."

"I think it terrible!" Mary spoke her mind.

"I think you will be doing extra chores in the barn if you do not control your tongue, young lady," Levi warned.

"Samuel really hurt her. She does not feel like getting out of bed."

"I am sure she doesn't," Martha said softly. "The way a man punishes a woman he loves is much different than the way a loving
Dat
punishes a daughter. Sadie is too old now for your
Dat
to take to the woodshed; he permitted Samuel to punish her because he knew it would be effective."

"I don't understand this, Mama!" Mary tearfully proclaimed. "Why would you and
Dat
permit Samuel to punish Sadie when you will not permit them to court each other?"

"Enough with the questions, Mary," Martha said gently. "I will go and see Sadie."

Levi was relieved that his wife knew what to do. He asked Mary to make some coffee, and she hurried to do his bidding. He could tell Mary was very upset with him but he knew of no way to explain why he would permit Samuel to punish Sadie. He went with his gut feelings and instincts. Sadie would realize her errors quickly with Samuel wielding the switch, or he hoped so. He was pleased that Martha was checking on Sadie, however. He did not wish to find her abused in any way.

Martha knocked on the door and entered to find Sadie lying on her bed, her arms wrapped around her pillow. Her pretty eyes were red-rimmed and swollen from crying. "Sadie, you are in much pain?" she asked.

"I am hurting. Samuel gave me a switching and it was terrible."

"Switchings hurt," Martha agreed. "Do you feel injured, daughter, or just very sore?" she asked in a motherly tone of voice. "Do you want me to examine you and see if you need attention?" she offered.

"No, Mama! Samuel made it very clear that I am to wear this switching until it fades away naturally. He said the reminder over the next few days as I work at the restaurant, and help you here, will keep me thinking of what is right. I do not wish to disappoint him any further than I have by my behavior, and I want to tell you and
Dat
how sorry I am for the rude way I have behaved the last few days. I know now how awful I was. I sincerely apologize to you, Mama."

Martha sat down on the bed and hugged her daughter tightly, offering forgiveness, as was their way. "I love you, Sadie, and I do understand how difficult this waiting is for both you and Samuel. It won't be much longer now, and I am sure
Dat
will permit you to court openly. In the meantime, it will please me if you obey
Dat
and keep your promise to him."

"I will, Mama. I promise. I have learned my lesson." Sadie was not just saying the words, she truly meant them. "I did not set out to upset
Dat
and break my word. Truly. But that is what I did, and I should have said 'sorry' immediately and accepted the punishment
Dat
was right to insist upon. I was very wrong to thwart him."

"
Ja
, but you are human, too, and in
lieb
. Your
Dat
will understand. Do you feel you can come downstairs and join us for supper?"

"No, Mama. I don't think I can sit down at all right now. I am not sure how I will work tomorrow, but I must. Samuel says I must not take off work because I was punished."

"He is going to be a firm husband," Martha stated matter-of-factly.

"
Ja
, he is," her daughter agreed. "I do not intend to earn another switching... ever."

Later that night her father stopped by her room to say good night, and Sadie apologized to him. Levi could see she was sincerely remorseful and he accepted her apology with love. "I felt you too old for a
Dat'sbletching
; was I right?" He wanted to be sure she did not hate him for permitting Samuel to take her in hand.

"I am still your daughter,
Dat
; but my heart is with Samuel, as his is with me. He felt it his place to correct my behavior because he doesn't want his wife behaving as a spoiled
kinner
. He was firm in his lesson, but it was given with care and with love. I am truly sore, and it was very difficult to accept the switching, but afterwards, Samuel made sure I was all right before he left. I was shaking and in so much pain, but he held me and offered forgiveness and comfort until the shaking stopped and I was over the very worst of the pain. He left then and reminded me the time would eventually pass, and he warned me not to get into trouble the next two weeks," she said with a smile.

"I don't imagine you will, ain't so?" he asked with a little smile.

"I never intend to get into trouble again," she said so earnestly that he had to chuckle.

"I would remind you that 'never' is a very long time, daughter. You sleep well now. Tomorrow will come early, and
Mamm
will need your help in the kitchen before you go off to your job." It was his gentle way of reminding her that the switching would not get her out of her chores here at home.

"
Ja
, Dat. I will get up early and help
Mamm
." He nodded in approval and then said good night before leaving her room. It wasn't long before Mary came in, and asked her a bunch of nosy questions. Mary was very angry that Samuel gave her older sister a switching, and she vowed she would never marry a man who believed in spanking!

Sadie was up early, and dressed, and starting breakfast before her
Mamm
came downstairs. Her backside was very sore, but the initial sting was gone. She had welts, however, and they itched a bit. It was annoying. Sitting was extremely painful, and while she thought her parents might permit her to have a pillow since she told them how sorry she was, she knew that Samuel wouldn't approve. She wanted to have a clear conscience when she saw Samuel next.

* * *

Samuel woke the morning after switching the woman he loved with her on his mind. He wished he knew how she was doing... He feared she would hate him for making her so sore, but he wouldn't know until the next Church service. It was going to be a long two weeks!!!

Chapter Seven

Sadie was so excited she could barely sit still to eat her breakfast. If her parents noticed, they said nothing, but not so her brothers, Atlee and David.

"Sadie, why are you looking at the clock every two seconds?" David teased.

"For some reason she is anxious for worship this morning." Atlee picked up on David's remark. "Baptism isn't for four more weeks, little sister," he purposely stated, his eyes twinkling merrily as the rest of the family looked on and Sadie's cheeks turned pink.

"I am not looking at the clock all that often," she argued. "I just don't want us to be late," she offered an excuse.

"If we left an hour from now we would still be early," David said dryly. "I think you are rushing us through our breakfast in hopes we will get there early so you can see that Samuel Hilty."

"David and Atlee, stop teasing your sister and eat your breakfast. I'm sure you have chores to get done before we leave...?" Martha sternly reprimanded her eldest sons.

"Your
Mamm
is right. Eat your breakfast and make sure the animals are cared for so we can leave early today. It is quite a drive to get to Elder Yoder's farm and the tourists are starting to spend weekends here. We may have a lot of cars to contend with this morning."

"
Ja, Dat
," Atlee replied immediately. He had a special girl he wished to see and he was not about to get on
Dat's
bad side before the day began.

"I can't understand why Sadie would want anything at all to do with that horrible Samuel Hilty after the terrible way he treated her!" Mary was not shy about making her feelings known. "Sadie was extremely sore for nearly a week after he switched her!"

"You are too young to understand, Mary," David said quietly. "You are still a little girl, too young for your
rumspringa
. When you grow up you will understand how it is."

"I will never permit a man to treat me the way Samuel Hilty treated Sadie. It is wrong."

"Daughter, do you think it is wrong when a parent punishes a child?" Levi asked softly.

"No, but that is different. A child must learn right from wrong."

"True. But do you think adults never make mistakes?"

"It doesn't matter if they do; no man should treat a woman like a child," Mary insisted.

"I do not think either your
Mamm
or I would treat a child with such a firm switching. That is how a man treats the woman he loves when she has earned correction. Treating her as a child would not benefit the marriage."

"I don't care! I'll not marry a man who thinks he has the right to punish me."

"You would marry someone who would permit you to do as you please without any restrictions?" Sadie asked, surprised. "We are raised to believe the man is the head of his family."

"I think it is wrong, Sadie, and I do not approve of your Samuel Hilty! You are not engaged yet, and he had no right to punish you! I think it was wrong for
Dat
to permit it to happen!"

"Mary, you are acting like a little girl," Mark whispered to his twin, his eyes warning her she said too much. "You need to hush now."

Mary seemed to realize she said too much. "I am sorry,
Dat
," she quickly apologized.

"We will talk of this later, daughter," Levi said quietly, getting to his feet. "I would like to leave within the hour, so let's all be about our chores quickly this morning,
ja
?"

Everyone nodded to show they understood, and breakfast was quickly finished so everyone could do what was necessary in order to leave for services. Martha instructed Mary to make sure the younger children were all washed up and that their clothing was clean, and she asked Sadie to help her pack plenty of food in baskets to share at the meal following the worship service. By the time Atlee came inside and told them that his
Dat
was ready to leave, they were all ready to go, and did not keep Levi waiting.

Sadie tried to contain her excitement as she rode in the buggy that Atlee was driving to the service. With their large family, it took two buggies for everyone to ride, and as the small children grew larger, it might take another buggy... unless some of the older children married and moved away to start their own families. Sadie was seated beside her eldest brother and noticed he seemed to be in a good mood, too. David and Mark rode with them, and their
Mamm
asked Mary to ride with them and help with the younger children. Sadie was positive that Mama was doing her best to keep Mary from arguing with Sadie about Samuel Hilty. Mary disliked Samuel and nothing Sadie said seemed to make a difference. Still, Sadie looked forward to seeing him today, and she hoped he planned to attend the singing that night and that he would offer to drive her home afterwards. She'd looked forward to this day for two whole weeks, and she prayed that Samuel had not decided she was too disobedient to consider for a wife.

"He will be there, little sister," Atlee looked down at her and whispered for her ears only. "A man does not go out of his way to punish a woman he does not care deeply about."

"Is that how you feel about Miriam Kaufman?" she dared to ask.

"You noticed, huh?" he asked with a smile.

"
Ja
. You have asked to drive her home from several singings now, and I've seen you talking to her at services. She is a nice girl," she added.

"We are courting," he admitted. "I intend to ask her to marry me this fall. We may have two weddings in the family."

"Two weddings?" She looked at Atlee in shock. "Are you talking about me?"

"
Ja
. Samuel will ask you soon, I am sure.
Dat
would never have permitted him to punish you if he did not feel Samuel was the man you would marry. You do wish to marry him, don't you?" he asked with brotherly concern.

"
Ja
. But I did not think
Dat
would allow the wedding so soon."

"Once Samuel is baptized,
Dat
will have no objection to him. You need to be patient, little sister. I, too, am waiting for Miriam to be baptized before asking her to marry me, and then we will keep the engagement quiet until the banns are read. I do not wish to have the eyes of the community on us looking for signs of improper behavior. Our courting will be quiet. I suggest you and Samuel do the same. Of course, asking
Mamm
to plant a lot of celery this year would be a
goot
idea."

"Oh, Atlee, I am so excited. I have never felt this way before about any man."