A Joyful Break (Dreams of Plain Daughters) (13 page)

He had it from a good source that the Senator and his son would be arriving soon but in the meantime, getting pictures of Violet Robinson and her cousin might prove to be fruitful.

But he needed pictures of Carrie Robinson too. She hadn’t been outside except on the balcony knitting something yesterday. Boring. He wanted a shot of her in a swimming suit. She’d been photographed a lot in her simple but elegant clothes. No one had ever gotten a shot of her in anything less than formal clothing. He’d told Rachel how he was driving his Aunt Donna to the store, so hopefully she mentioned that to her aunt. He’d like her to feel safe and venture outside while she thought he was away.

Senator Robinson was a lucky man. Carrie Robinson was a beautiful woman with an interesting childhood. In doing his research last evening, he’d learned that Amish had a choice whether to join their church, or to live in the outside world. He found it interesting that Amish babies are not baptized at birth, but make their own choice when older whether they want to join the church and become baptized. Although it was helpful to research the Amish online, he was glad to get information directly from an Amish person. He’d have more credibility for his article with a real live Amish person sharing what it was like being in her world.

If Rachel met a young man, it’d be even better. Anything Amish seemed to make the news these days. People had diverse opinions about them and were enthralled with them driving buggies for their transportation.

Tapping into the Amish perspective until the even hotter news was available should pay off in huge dividends for him. He desperately needed the money. When the Senator arrived he’d be ready with his camera. Even though he could tell Violet was mistrustful of him, it was a free world and they couldn’t stop him from taking pictures.

Chapter Eleven

Rachel loved her new one piece swimming suit. Or swim dress as Violet called it. She almost didn’t buy it, though, when Violet said in the fitting room that the Calvin Klein style was flirty while still covering her hips and breasts.
I don’t want Adam’s friend, Nick, to think I’m flirting with him, but hopefully he’ll never see me in this suit.
She wasn’t sure about wearing her new capris and tops around the guys either. Maybe switching back to her clothing would be for the best. Feeling free from her Amish upbringing and being on the beach didn’t mean she had to give up her Plain clothing. She understood why Violet wanted her to experience as much as possible during her
rumschpringe
, but she might feel a bit more comfortable without too many changes.

“Rachel, you should reapply some sunblock.” Her
aenti
pointed a knitting needle to the bottle of sunblock on a small table by the pool. “The Florida sun is stronger than what we’re used to. I don’t want your fair skin to get sunburned.”

Violet looked up from her magazine. “Yeah, it won’t take you long to put more lotion on your face and what little skin shows.”

“Hey, a lot of me is exposed.” She stopped swimming and rested her hand on the side of the pool. “Remember, Violet, I’m usually in a dress to my ankles.”

“I love your suit. It has long classic lines and isn’t frumpy at all.” Aunt Carrie stopped knitting to glance at Violet in her bright red bikini, stretched out on a lounging chair. Aunt Carrie, wearing a one-piece black suit, said, “I’m relieved you didn’t get a suit like my daughter’s.”

“Well, maybe if Nick sees me in this bikini, he’ll realize I’m not just Adam’s little sis.” Violet sighed, a long dramatic one. “I can’t wait to see Nick.”

Aunt Carrie gave Violet a thoughtful look. “Honey, don’t get your hopes up. He’s probably not going to be himself. He’s having a hard time dealing with his mother’s sudden death.”

“I wasn’t thrilled when I first learned Nick was coming, because I wanted a quiet time with you two and Adam, but I realize that was selfish of me.” Using the ladder, Rachel climbed out of the pool. “It’s great that Adam thought to include Nick.”

“I think it’ll be a blessing for you and Nick to share some of your feelings about your mothers with each other… but only if you’re both comfortable with this.” Aunt Carrie took a sip of iced tea. “If he needs to vent to me, I’ll be ready too. Even though, my parents were older when they died, it was still unexpected and difficult. I miss them so much at times.”

“I can’t imagine losing you or Dad,” Violet said. “It’s heartbreaking that Grandma and Grandpa Troyer and Aunt Irene aren’t with us any longer.”

“Did I ever tell you that my sweet
mamm
finished a wedding quilt for me? It’s beautiful and before her death, she told me how much she enjoyed making it for me and Samuel. I’ll always cherish it even if I don’t marry Samuel.”

“That’s what worries me. You aren’t engaged to Samuel.” Violet’s voice wasn’t her usual upbeat tone but serious. “Just don’t fall for Nick.”

Grabbing a beach towel, she frowned at Violet. Her cousin should realize there was not any possibility of her falling in love with Nick. For one thing, she wasn’t about to date an English young man. She needed to concentrate on making a decision whether to marry Samuel in the upcoming fall or winter months. What a relief that Nick and Adam wouldn’t even be around that long. She hated seeing Violet concerned that she’d go after Nick. Why would she even think that? She’d never want to hurt her cousin.

“I’m not going to be interested in Nick. I do love Samuel. I’m just not sure my love is strong enough to get married to him right now. I have a lot to work out first in my own life before making any commitment.” She squeezed Violet’s arm. “Besides, you’re like my
schweschder
.” Rachel paused to see Violet’s reaction to her word for sister.

“
Schweschder
means sister,” Aunt Carrie explained.

Rachel continued, “I’d never flirt or do anything to make Nick think I’m interested in him becoming a boyfriend.”

Violet shrugged. “Sorry but I don’t think you realize how gorgeous you are…you might not fall for Nick but I can see him wanting to spend time with you. Plus you’re so mature for your advanced age.” She grinned a little. “You’re only a little older than I am, but sometimes I have it over you, cousin… or
schweschder
.”

She laughed. “How’s that?”

“Yes, I’m interested in this explanation.” Aunt Carrie stopped knitting and glanced at Violet.

Violet closed her magazine. “It’s true you’ve been taking care of your siblings while I’ve been attending college.” Violet sat up straighter in her chair after she glanced at both of them. “I’ve taken care of several immature freshmen since starting college. Many freshmen go crazy after being cut loose from family and being on their own. I don’t party like they do. My roommate’s gotten ill several times from partying and drinking too much. She also has loose morals and picks up random guys and brings them to our room. I’ve tutored students struggling in their science and math courses. I’ve done all this while adjusting to living away from home… and trying to keep my grades high. It hasn’t been easy.”

Aunt Carrie gave Violet a worried look and said in a firm voice, “You should’ve told us about your roommate. You shouldn’t have to put up with that. You needed to move out of that room months ago. Or Laurie should’ve been the one to get out. I can’t believe you never said a word about any of this.”

Violet shrugged. “I didn’t want to worry you and Dad. I’m not going to room with Laura again. When we had to get our room requests in for next school year, I requested my friend, Tanya, to be my roommate. I met her in my science class.” Violet grinned before she said, “She’s a nerd, like me.”

“I can’t imagine leaving home and being in a dorm. I’ve always been surrounded by family. This is my big escape from Fields Corner but I’m still with family.” Would she be able to cope as well as Violet in a similar situation? she wondered.

Aunt Carrie patted Violet’s arm. “I’m proud of you that you didn’t give it to peer pressure.”

“Even though it seems our worlds are completely different, some Amish teenagers do go a bit wild during their
rumschpringe
. Maybe not as serious as some of the stuff that your college students do. All I know is that some do cut loose and drink alcohol. Their drinking might get them into serious trouble with the law. Then this type of behavior gets portrayed in the news. But
rumschpringe
shouldn’t be depicted this way as being a time of wild partying. It’s the exception rather than what normally occurs. At least, in our district it doesn’t happen often.”

“Did Peter and Samuel try alcohol?” Aunt Carrie asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Both did drive cars a few times, go to baseball games and movies but otherwise, they weren’t interested in anything not Amish. And many don’t experiment in your world at all, but attend Sunday sings after church and play volleyball games.” She smiled. “I have a mean serve.”

“Hey, we can challenge Adam and Nick to a volleyball game.” After Violet gave her a pleased glance, she turned to her mom, “You and Dad can play too.”

“Sounds like fun. Dad and I can use the exercise.”

“Do the teenagers actually sing at these Sunday evening things?” Violet asked.

Rachel nodded. “Yes, they do but it’s more than just singing. Usually there are outdoor activities included for the young people. In the fall, there are bonfires and hayrides. In the winter we enjoy sledding and ice skating while in the spring and summer, we take long walks and have picnics. Amish teens get restless and we feel the same things any other teens do. Spending time at the singings with other young people helps us to find the right person to marry.”

“So is that the main purpose of the Sunday get-togethers to find your future spouse?”

“The weekly events are special because Amish youths from surrounding districts come together to socialize. This gives a boy a chance to arrange a date with a girl. Usually the first date will be him taking her from the singing that evening. Of course, that’s after he’s asked the girl if he can drive her home in his buggy.” She paused for a moment. “But to answer your question, the get-togethers are to provide a time to find someone whose personality and character will mesh with your own in hopes of creating a Christian home which God will bless.”

“That’s sweet.” Violet arched her eyebrows. “Is that how you and Samuel started dating?”

“
Ya
. I was so
froh
when he escorted me home after a singing in his courting buggy.”

“What’s a courting buggy?”

At the ringing of her cell phone, Aunt Carrie put down her knitting project to glance at her caller ID. “I better get this. It’s Marlene returning my call. I’ve been hoping she’d call me to tell me what she’s learned about our nosy neighbor.”

After Aunt Carrie left to go inside to talk, Rachel answered, “The courting buggy has a single seat for two riders and is open. There’s little privacy in these buggies. It’s meant to be intimate but yet is open to discourage certain unsuitable behavior.”

“I like the idea of the courting buggy. It sounds very romantic. Sorta like an open carriage ride in New York City.” Violet left out a deep breath. “Nick’s home is in New York. I’d love to be in a carriage with him.”

Her cousin was absolutely right. Being in Samuel’s courting buggy was romantic. Telling Violet about their dating customs made her realize how special dating was in the Amish faith. It seemed much better than going to college to meet new people. Of course, young adults in the English world went mainly to college for the purpose of furthering their education, not to find a mate. She didn’t have any desire to go for higher learning, but she knew Judith sometimes wanted to go to high school to learn more. Judith had self-educated herself with all the books she read. Their mother had been frustrated on more than one occasion with Judith when she needed to do her chores, but was instead buried in one of her many books.

Aunt Carrie slid the glass door shut behind her and returned to the pool area. With her hands on her hips, she said, “Not good news, I’m afraid. Marlene’s unhappy about the situation here. Apparently, Donna…the woman she has to keep an eye on this house told her nephew about our visit. He is short on cash so when Donna realized we were coming, she told him to come.”

Violet’s brown eyes widened. “I’m surprised that Marlene let it slip out about us being the visitors. You asked her to keep it quiet.”

“She didn’t mention our name and just said her friends, but I guess Donna remembered reading that we lived next door to Marlene. That’s not hard to believe because Marlene’s husband has been in pictures with your father many times.” Aunt Carrie sat down. “Marlene’s afraid she might have said that her neighbors were going to use her beach house, so that caused Donna to investigate further.”

“Mom, we might approach Mr. Sullivan and give him a few pictures of us, so he won’t take any when we aren’t watching.” Violet glanced at her. “We’ll tell him not to take any of you.”

“I’m sorry I talked to him.” Rachel hoped her conversations with Mr. Sullivan hadn’t made the situation worse for her relatives. She knew how they hated the media to exploit them while they were spending family time together.

Aunt Carrie patted her arm. “It’s okay. He did tell you that he was a photographer, so he was blunt about his career. We probably don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Mom, I’m curious. Did an Amish guy ever take you home in his courting buggy before you met Dad?”

“
Ya
, a few times but nothing serious ever happened.”

“It’s hard for me to imagine you with anyone else except for Dad.”

Aunt Carrie said, “Me too.”

Rachel watched as Aunt Carrie resumed knitting. She’d been curious what her aunt was making. It looked like a blanket. “What are you knitting?”

“It’s a prayer shawl. I started knitting a shawl for a good friend, Rose, who had to deal with cancer tests, chemotherapy, and other treatments.” Aunt Carrie sighed, looking up from her knitting. “She never complained except to tell me she was cold all the time. I used to drive her to her appointments so I spent a lot of time in waiting rooms. I started knitting her a shawl. I prayed for Rose as I knitted it, because I wanted her to be covered in prayer when it was finished.”