A Joyful Break (Dreams of Plain Daughters) (17 page)

Embarrassment crossed the wife’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. And here I’m blabbing about my cousin and you’re from the same town.”

“It’s funny how you can travel a long distance and happen to run into someone from your area. We live in northern Ohio, but once we ran into a friend in New York at a Broadway play.” The husband dropped the camera in his wife’s beach bag. “Thanks for taking the pictures.”

“We better scoot. We’re going to breakfast. It was nice meeting you,” the wife said in a rush.

“Bye. Enjoy your breakfast,” Violet said. When they were out of hearing range, Violet turned to her. “Well, say something.”

“I can’t believe Katie never told me Mary was working at the bakery. She likes to bake but I’m sure the husband was right, and the main reason she’s working there is because of Samuel. I’ve seen her looking at him whenever we’re together.”

“I wonder how fast Mary will get a call from her cousin. She looked shocked when I told her about you and Samuel. I’m glad I mentioned how long you two had dated. Mary needs to face it. She doesn’t have a chance with Samuel.”

Rachel gave a small laugh. “Can you believe it? I come all the way to Florida to get away from Fields Corner, and I run into relatives of Mary Zook’s. She’s never been my favorite person. I’ve been nice to her but she seems to dislike me.”

“She’s probably jealous of you. If I were Amish, I’d be chasing Samuel. He’s a hottie.”

“Is that right?” She decided to tease Violet. “I guess you want me to marry Samuel so you can get a discount on his furniture.”

“Hey, that’s a great idea. I saw a roll top desk I love on the Weaver’s website.” Violet turned and over her shoulder said, “Let’s head back and eat breakfast. Walking has made me hungry.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were seated at the table with plates filled with French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and fruit. Aunt Carrie placed the coffeepot in the middle of the table before she joined them.

“Mrs. Robinson, everything looks delicious,” Nick said as he broke off a piece of toast.

Rachel removed her black bonnet but kept her white
kapp
on her head. She saw Nick staring at her head.
I hope he doesn’t ask why my hair’s pinned up.

“Thank you.” Aunt Carrie smiled at Nick. “I want you boys to have enough energy on the golf course.”

“Honey, you outdid yourself.” Uncle Scott took a sip of his coffee. “And you make the best coffee.”

Violet frowned. “Geez, Nick, why do you keep staring at Rachel’s head?”

“I’m sorry. I’m a journalism major so I tend to be nosy. I was wondering about Rachel’s black bonnet. Since we just talked about our mothers last night, the black bonnet reminded me of my mother’s funeral.”

Quickly, she swallowed her mouthful of sausage. “Single women wear black bonnets when going to town or other public places. And what I have on now is my prayer covering and is called a kapp.”

With an amused expression, Uncle Scott said, “When I met my lovely wife here, I asked her the same question about her bonnet.”

“You were a pest,” Aunt Carrie said, fondly.

“Violet, it looks like we’re going to have the same boss this summer,” Nick said.

Adam groaned. “Dad, what were you thinking? You’ll have your hands full with these two chatty ones.”

“Oh, you’re just jealous.” Violet waved her fork at Adam.

Nick grinned at Violet. “Hey, we’ll have to be lunch buddies.”

She noticed how Violet’s eyes brightened at Nick’s statement. She was happy for Violet that Nick finally singled her out. Maybe it was God’s plan for Nick and Violet to get to know each other better through their summer jobs.

* * *

“Adam, you and Nick put the golf clubs in the SUV while your dad has a second cup of coffee,” Carrie said.

“Sure, Mom,” Adam answered.

Rachel said, “Violet and I’ll take care of the dirty dishes. Thank you for cooking breakfast. Everything was so good.”

“Thank you,” Carrie said as the girls picked up the plates and silverware from the table.

“This is nice having all of us together.” Scott poured cream into his coffee.

“If Mr. Sullivan doesn’t return your call about taking pictures and especially of Rachel, you need to try again. I didn’t like how he happened to be around when Rachel went for walks. Even one morning when she got up early to walk, he was on the beach and asked her a lot of questions. He also stared at our cottage one day. That was creepy.”

Last night the neighbor had given Scott her nephew’s cell phone number. She’d apologized to Scott and mentioned her nephew wouldn’t sell any pictures. However, Carrie still felt nervous that Sullivan might decide to profit off his pictures of Rachel. She’d hate if David decided her life was too worldly and wouldn’t allow future visits with her nieces and nephews. Even though, Rachel hadn’t posed for any, David wouldn’t like to hear that pictures of his daughter were posted for the world to see. It couldn’t be a coincidence that a photographer happened to visit his aunt during their spring break.

“I’ll call him again this morning.”

“Thanks, honey.” She hated to tell Scott that if he wanted to play golf early in the morning, he better leave. She loved him being close to her again. Whenever he was away in D.C., she missed him and wished he had a different job. She patted his arm. “I like you being here but I suppose you better get a move on. I know how much you enjoy playing golf.”

With a serious expression, Scott asked, “Has it been difficult talking about Amish customs? Do you have regrets?”

“I don’t regret marrying you. I do wish I saw you more.”

Leaning closer to her, his lips brushed hers with a sweet kiss. “I love you.”

She smiled. “I love you more.”

“I don’t think that’s possible. I give thanks to God daily for the day I happened to meet you.”

She laughed. “It was a memorable meeting. You were in such a hurry that you ran into me and knocked my bags out of my hands.”

He grinned. “I’m glad I made such a great first impression.”

“I never expected a guy the size of a linebacker to run into me. You definitely got my attention.” Her broad-shouldered guy could be a softie at times but other times, he fought hard for bills he believed should be passed.

Mr. Sullivan better return Scott’s call soon, or else he might have to deal with her husband’s ire.

* * *

Rachel set a bowl of fresh fruit salad on the table for lunch. Subs were on a big platter and Aunt Carrie put pitchers of iced tea and lemonade next to brightly colored blue and red glasses. She glanced at the arrangement and thought how the fruit and dinnerware looked colorful against the white table. Paintings of the beach with lighthouses and sand dunes were lovely against the white walls.

Nick whispered to Rachel, “How about we go outside to eat by the pool? I’d like to talk again. I kept having dreams last night about my mother.”

After she glanced and saw Violet talking on her cell phone, Rachel nodded. “Sure.”

Once seated at the glass topped round table, Nick said, “My mom looked younger in my dreams and happy. My dad and I were in a boat with her. We used to go boating a lot in the summers. It was lots of fun.”

“That’s good you have happy memories.”

“I was hoping to have more. When I first woke up this morning, I’d forgotten she was gone. Did that ever happen to you?”

“Yes, at first, I expected to see my
mamm
in the kitchen. It was hard being in places where she used to be the most.” She decided to go ahead and spill what she felt God wanted her to do about her father. “Last night, I realized I need to stop blaming my
daed
for not getting a phone and not taking
Mamm
to the doctor. I haven’t wanted to forgive him but it’s important I do.” Should she suggest Nick do the same and forgive the driver who killed his mother? But it might be too soon to suggest it.

Nick’s eyes filled with understanding. “You think I need to forgive the driver, don’t you? But I don’t think I can ever do that. He shouldn’t have been behind a wheel.”

“I understand. You need more time before your heart’s ready to forgive. By the way, forgiving someone doesn’t mean you forget what he did.”

“I’ve heard forgiveness is a big thing in your faith.”

“It is. Jesus teaches us to forgive and to realize God can bring good out of any tragic situation. Love and compassion toward others is what we’re taught to do. I held on too long to blaming my father for my
mamm’s
death. My grudge against my
daed
was wrong. Coming here and away from home has helped. I’ve gotten a new perspective about everything.”

“That’s great your attitude has changed toward your father. I’m sure he’s a wonderful man. After all, he raised a pretty terrific daughter.”

She swallowed a potato chip, then replied, “Thank you.”

Nick took a bite of his meat sandwich and appeared to be deep in thought. “If you met the right guy, would you consider leaving your Amish community, like your Aunt Carrie did?”

This was the perfect opportunity to be clear about her feelings about Samuel. “I doubt I would for any man because I love my Amish boyfriend. If I marry anyone, it will be Samuel. Before I came here, I questioned what was right for me. I thought if my
mamm
had been English, she’d still be alive. Now, I’m thinking it might not have made any difference. God’s way is best, even though it’s hard to accept and understand at times.”

“Maybe God wants you to experience a non-Amish life after leaving the beach. If you stay with your Aunt Carrie, I can visit and show you what the world has to offer. I respect your Amish upbringing because it’s molded you into the person you are now, but I think it’d be great for you to expand your outlook and see what you’re missing by being shut off from the real world.”

She laughed. “I don’t live in a sheltered spot. I come into contact all the time with outsiders or non-Amish people. When I worked in a bakery, I waited on tourists. Guess what? I shop at Wal-Mart. Isn’t that where lots of Americans buy all kinds of items?”

“It’s hard for me to imagine not having electricity. You can’t enjoy watching TV or movies. I mean, what do Amish do for fun?”

Sipping iced tea gave her a moment to think how to reply to Nick’s assumption that Amish couldn’t entertain themselves without electricity. “We do lots of things. For example, we might go boating in the summers.”

Nick gave her a glance of utter disbelief. “How in the world do you go boating? Do you get a non-Amish driver to haul the boat for you?”

She shook her head. “We use our buggies to haul light boats. Fishing is a popular pastime. I love to go fishing. My
daed
and oldest brother, Peter, like to go hunting. If the fishing and hunting trips are successful, then we have food for the family. Other outdoor activities are camping and bird-watching. My twin brothers, Noah and Matthew, like to keep lists of birds spotted on the farm.” She chuckled. “That’s one of the few times they’re quiet.”

“It sounds like you enjoy the outdoors.”

She nodded. “We do spend lots of time outdoors because we appreciate the beautiful scenery that God’s blessed us with. I have to admit I have enjoyed a change of scenery. I’ll never forget the beauty of the ocean and watching the waves hit the shore.”

“I should take you for a plane ride. You’d love how everything looks so small from the sky.”

“Thank you. That’s a kind offer but I don’t want to fly. We never go in planes unless there’s a big emergency when it might be necessary.” He looked disappointed so she decided to mention something else her family liked doing. Pointing a finger at him, she said, “Don’t laugh but we work on huge puzzles in the winter. We read and play games together in the evenings as a family. We also enjoy ping pong and my brothers like playing basketball.”

“What about teenagers? Don’t they get bored?”

“We have what is called ‘Sunday sings’ and on these evenings, we socialize with other young people. The purpose is to meet the person we might marry someday. We might play volleyball with mixed teams of boys and girls. Or we might play some other outdoor game and of course, sing sometime during the evening. A supper meal is served around five o’clock and snacks are served before everyone goes home.”

“I’d like to go to a Sunday singing. Would that be possible?”

Samuel might not like Nick arriving at a Sunday singing.
Well, just because Nick asked, doesn’t mean he’d actually show up for an Amish social gathering.
“Sure. The ages range from around sixteen to into the twenties.”

Nick smiled at her. “Thanks for answering my questions. Just one more question, if you don’t mind. It’s hard for me to believe that you don’t use electricity. Don’t you sometimes wish you could get your work done quicker by having electricity? You’d have more time to pray because your work would take less time to do with electricity.”

She shook her head. “While doing work slowly, we have time to focus on what God’s given us and there’s more time to pray while working. And we do have gas power. Bottled gas is used to operate water heaters, stoves and refrigerators. We use gas-pressured lamps and lanterns to light homes, barns and shops. We have indoor plumbing. Our bishop in our church district allows the use of phones in our businesses. We can also have a phone in a shanty or in a barn so we remember that the phone is only to be used when necessary.”

“Is there some way I can call you? Are you allowed a cell phone for emergencies?”

Was he interested in her or did he just want to learn more about the Amish in general? Nick was a journalism major so some of his questions might be so he could write a paper about their lifestyle. She grinned. “Are you writing an article about the Amish?”

“I happen to be interested in a beautiful Amish woman.” He reached over and tugged on her kapp string. “I know why you switched to your Amish clothing, but it has made me even more aware of you. Your green dress shows off your gorgeous green eyes.”

Nick caught on to one of the reasons I’m wearing my Amish dress. He’s perceptive. I guess wearing my Plain clothing didn’t get the result I wanted. Nick’s still flirting with me. Not a good thing at all. I’ll try to ignore his compliments.
“I don’t have a cell phone, but Violet knows how to get a hold of me.”