The Shunning (7 page)

"Thank you, sir."

Levi nodded, and then climbed into his buggy and turned his horse and headed down the lane.

Samuel let out the breath he'd been holding and smiled. He had permission to court Sadie... once they were both baptized. He could wait and he hoped that Sadie felt the same.

* * *

Sadie was bored and she couldn't help but wonder what Samuel was doing. He was probably plowing his fields and getting ready to plant his crops, just like her
Dat
and brothers were doing. She had a day off from the restaurant and wanted to do something fun and special. Her
mamm
and Mary were visiting ill members of the community and taking them gifts of food, and while Sadie promised she would fix the noon meal for her father and three of her brothers, that was a simple matter. Sadie tried to sew, but found she was all thumbs. Quilting did not interest her, either. She missed Samuel, and seeing him every two weeks was simply not enough.

Sadie decided there could be no harm in filling a basket and taking it to Samuel that afternoon. Surely her
Dat
would not consider that 'courting'. Sadie busied herself baking some cookies, and a shoofly pie, and adding a loaf of
Mamm's
bread. She took some of the potato salad she made for lunch and put it into a plastic container, and then put some chicken salad into another container. She also decided to put in some chow chow, and a couple small jars of jelly and jam. Sadie remembered how much Samuel loved the milk and butter her father's cows produced, and she added that as well. Satisfied, she put the basket aside and had lunch on the table when her
Dat
, Atlee, David, and Mary's twin, Mark came inside, more than ready to sit down at the table and eat. They had their silent prayer, and ate heartily of the simple meal.

"This chicken salad is
goot,
daughter," Levi complimented her.

"The potato salad is better,
Dat
," Mark offered his opinion.

"They're both
goot
," Atlee argued, and everyone laughed.

"How is your work going?" Sadie asked quietly.

"No complaints.
Gott
has given us a
goot
day to be outside. The sun feels good on our backs today." Levi loved farming.

"It is hard work, Sadie, but it goes faster with all of us tending the fields," Mark said solemnly.

She nodded. "I am sure you are a big help, Mark."

"He is," Levi confirmed. "I am a fortunate man to have such
goot
sons to help with the work."

The talk centered on the weather and other farm matters while Sadie quietly refilled glasses and cut pieces of shoofly pie for dessert. Finally, the men finished eating, thanking her for a good meal. She waited until they were going out the door and asked, "Atlee, may I take your buggy out this afternoon? I thought I would visit with a friend since I have a day off."

"Sure. I'll harness Jack for you before heading out to the field. Just be careful. Jack doesn't like car horns," he warned.

"I will be careful," she dutifully promised as she cleared the table. Once the dishes were done and the kitchen tidy, Sadie made sure her hair was smooth under her
Kapp
, and she put on a clean apron. She wanted to look presentable when she saw Samuel. The drive there was uneventful and she waved at Samuel when she saw him. He was hard at work and she felt a pang of guilt for interrupting him.

Samuel could not believe that Sadie was actually at his home. He was torn between excitement at seeing her and frustration that she was ignoring her
Dat's
wishes and coming here. If she came without his permission, he was going to have to scold her firmly. He tied the horses under a tree so they would have some shade, and then he jogged to the house, where Sadie was waiting on the porch. "Sadie, I am surprised to see you!" he said, giving her a smile. She was so beautiful, and when she smiled her entire face smiled with her. "You are lovely today."

"
Danki
, Samuel," she replied, blushing. "I brought you a basket. I thought you would be working hard and you might like something
goot
to eat."

"It is thoughtful of you.
Danki
, Sadie," he said, accepted the basket. "This is heavy," he announced, his blue eyes full of surprise. "How did you manage to carry this?"

"I am very strong," she informed him. "I missed you, Samuel. Two weeks seemed too long to wait to see you again."

"Did you have your
Dat's
or
Mamm's
permission to come here today?" he asked.

Sadie quickly looked down at the porch. "I said I was visiting a friend." She could not lie.

"Your
Dat
asked us to respect his wishes and only see each other at meetings and singings until we are baptized."

"
Dat
is not the one who must wait for days and days!" she exclaimed, her temper making her sound petulant.

"You broke your
Dat's
trust, Sadie. Come inside," he ordered, opening the door. Sadie stepped inside and followed him into the kitchen. Samuel unpacked the basket, exclaiming over everything she'd packed inside. "This is very nice of you, Sadie," he said, then leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "I will look forward to a
goot
meal after working hard all afternoon."

"I wish I could invite you to our home for supper," she said so wistfully that he had to smile in spite of his feelings.

"Sadie, I know your intentions were the best, but you crossed a line with me when you broke your promise to your Dat. This is not the way I would have you behave."

"But I missed you so much, Samuel!" she pouted.

"I miss you, too, and I don't want to scold, but I would be remiss if I permitted this behavior to pass without consequence."

"What are you talking about?" she asked warily, backing away from him and the serious look of determination in his blue eyes.

"I am talking about giving you the
bletching
you have earned."

Chapter Five

"Why is it you always want to give me a
bletching
, Samuel?" Sadie asked, doing her best to stay out of reach.

"Because I care what you do, Levi's Sadie. As the man who hopes to court and wed you someday, I need to correct you when your behavior is not what I would expect of my wife."

"I thought I was being thoughtful and treating you with kindness by bringing you a basket; now I am sorry I came!" She burst into tears and took off running for her brother's courting buggy. Sadie made quick work of turning the horse and buggy and leaving Samuel's farm; at that point she did not care if she ever saw Samuel Hilty again. He was a pain! She went straight home and carefully unhitched Jack and put him in his stall. She gave him a quick brush and made sure he had water before heading to the house. To her dismay, her
Dat
was in the kitchen, his foot propped on a chair, and an ice pack lying on his knee.

"
Dat
, what is wrong?" she asked in concern.

"I twisted my knee in the field, daughter. It is just a minor inconvenience. Now, why have you been crying?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," she replied, giving him her back as she started gathering ingredients to put on a roast for their supper. She was certain her
Mamm
would appreciate not having to rush around to fix a meal when she got home.

"It matters to me," Levi said softly. "Put that roast aside for a moment and sit down with me and tell me what troubles you so."

Sadie obeyed him, pulling out the chair and taking a seat. "Would you like a snack,
Dat
?" she offered.

"No." He looked at her, willing her to answer his questions.

"It is Samuel Hilty,
Dat
. I wanted to see him, and thought it would be nice to take him a basket. I know he is as busy with the spring work as you and my brothers, and he has no one to cook for him. I gathered things I thought he would enjoy and drove over there to surprise him. He did thank me for the basket, but was upset with me for coming without asking you first if I may. He thinks I broke your trust." She kept the part about his threatening to spank her to herself. That part was too embarrassing to share. "Are you upset with me,
Dat
?" she asked, unaware of the tears filling her eyes.

"You care for this man very much, daughter...?" Levi asked.

"Right now I don't care if I ever see him again!" she blurted out the words, but her heart knew that she was lying.

"Your feelings are hurt," Levi said, nodding his head. "You were expecting Samuel to be grateful, and take time from his day to do a bit of courting. Instead, he thanked you for being thoughtful and then scolded you for breaking your promise to me."

"I did not feel I was doing that,
Dat
!" she protested. "I just wanted to see Samuel for a few moments and offer him food."

"Those are the actions of a woman who is being courted." Levi watched as her dark eyes opened wide. "I think you should spend some time thinking about why you gave me your word and then made excuses to break it, Sadie. Your anger with Samuel is misplaced. He is attempting to guide you on the right path, which is obedience to your parents. After supper tonight we will discuss this matter again and you may let me know what punishment you think appropriate."

Sadie sat there with her mouth hanging open as she watched her
Dat
dispose of the ice pack and then limp outside to begin working once more. Once he was out of hearing, she gave vent to the tears she'd been holding inside.

Sadie's
Mamm
and sister Mary came home a couple of hours later and Martha was pleased to find supper slowly simmering on the stove. Sadie kept herself busy and did more baking, trying to will herself to stay calm. She simply could not understand why her
Dat
was so upset with her. It was their way to take baskets of food to others.

Martha quickly noticed her eldest daughter's sadness and asked what was wrong. She listened patiently while Sadie blurted out her story, including the fact that her
Dat
was upset with her for breaking her word to him, although she did not think she had.

"If you did not think you were doing wrong, why didn't you ask your
Dat's
permission to take the basket to Samuel?"

"I thought he would say 'no'.
Dat
doesn't want Samuel and I to have any time together!"

"That is not so, Sadie Miller, and you know better.
Dat
and I do not want you courting until you are both members of the church. We do not want your heart broken if Samuel changes his mind and is not baptized. Without baptism into the Amish faith, you cannot wed him. It would not do to spend so much time together and then suffer a broken heart."

"Samuel is going to be baptized at the same time I am. He isn't going to change his mind. You and
Dat
are worrying for nothing. I am supposed to be in my
rumspringa
, and yet, I have no more freedom than Hannah and Katie! I am eighteen and fully grown now. I know my own mind and it is time for you and
Dat
to permit me to make my own decisions, even my own mistakes! I am going to my room, Mama. If you need my help with supper, call me."

Mary's eyes were wide when she looked at her
Mamm
. "Sadie is not listening with her heart, Mama."

"Do not fret, daughter. Your
Dat
will find the right words. We should pray for Sadie now." Martha closed her eyes and bowed her head.

* * *

Samuel thoroughly enjoyed the food from the basket, and he wondered yet again if he was too firm with the pretty little redhead. She meant well, and was thinking of him, treating him kindly, but he simply couldn't get past the idea that she'd broke trust with her
Dat
. Sadie's accusation that he always seemed to find an excuse to spank her made Samuel doubt himself. He had to admit that he'd spanked her several times since they met... That first time occurred within minutes of stopping on the road to offer her a ride home. Sadie had a very spankable bottom, but the only reason he gave her a
bletching
was because he truly cared about her and her actions. And now he was faced with another problem... He could not continue with Sadie until she admitted she was in the wrong and took the
bletching
she'd earned. His biggest hope was that she told her
Dat
and
Mamm
what she'd done and that they did not blame him, or think he encouraged her to come over. It wouldn't do to have her
Dat
angry enough with him that he would deny them permission to court after they were baptized.

Samuel considered returning the basket to the Miller home, but thought it best to wait until Sunday and take it to the church services. He could give it back to Sadie then and find out if she was ready to accept the
bletching
she earned.

* * *

Sadie was not looking forward to going to meeting this Sunday morning. She was still unhappy with her parents, and with Samuel Hilty. The fact that her
Dat
agreed with Samuel and insisted that she broke her promise to him hurt her feelings. She simply did not see it that way, but while she was permitted to attend the church services, she was not allowed to attend the singing that evening. It was her punishment for going over to Samuel's without permission. Sadie felt her father was being unfair but she had no choice but to obey and accept the punishment. If her
Mamm
had not spoken quietly with her
Dat
and put a restraining hand on his arm, Sadie would have found herself in the embarrassing position of being sent to the woodshed to await a paddling for speaking her mind and telling her
Dat
he was being unfair. Her
Mamm
sent her to her room with instruction to pray for guidance.

Sadie had been praying, but she had not changed her mind. She felt her
Dat
was being unfair, and she felt that Samuel's threat of a
bletching
was also unfair. Her head hurt and Sadie was tempted to tell her parents she would not be accompanying them to the gathering. She went downstairs and silently pitched in to get breakfast on the table while her
Dat
and brothers took care of the livestock.