A Life of Joy (34 page)

She chewed more popcorn and couldn’t help savoring the taste. Boy had she missed movie popcorn! There was nothing like it. She wondered if Rebecca would let her buy some of the popcorn that she could make on the stove.

Lindsay turned her focus back to her friend. “Are you excited about college?”

He shrugged. “I guess so. I’ve never been a fan of school, but I know I don’t want to work in retail for the rest of my life. I just don’t know what I want to do.”

“You’ll figure it out,” she said. “Are most of your friends going away to school?”

Sipping his drink, he shook his head. “I’d say a handful of them are going away, but there are a few who aren’t going to school at all. So, your sister’s rule that everyone must go to college in order to make a life isn’t true. You can make a life without college, but it may not be as financially stable. It all depends on what path you choose.”

Lindsay nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I know that she wants what’s best for me, but I’m tired of her trying to make decisions for me. I think she feels like she has to take over for our mom, but she really doesn’t.”

“What do you like best about living with the Amish?” he asked.

“Family,” she said without thinking twice. “I love being a part of my aunt’s family and having the extended loving family in our church district.”

She told him about the Kauffman cousins and also about Lizzie Anne and Matthew. She was about to share about the bakery when the lights dimmed and the previews began. Leaning back in the seat, Lindsay held the bucket of popcorn in her lap and lost herself in the movie.

“Did you like the movie?” Taylor asked from the driver’s seat as the truck rumbled through the parking lot toward General Booth Boulevard.

“Yeah,” Lindsay said with a nod. “It was really good. Very funny. It was nice to see a movie again.”

“I guess movies aren’t allowed in the Amish community, huh?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “No movies. No television.” Lindsay held onto her large soda, wondering why she thought she could finish a drink that big. She should’ve gotten the smaller size. “The Amish believe that movies and television can be a negative influence that takes the focus off important things, like God and family.”

“Does that mean you’d be in trouble if your aunt found out you went to the movies?”

She shook her head. “No, she wouldn’t be upset. I haven’t joined the church yet, so I can pretty much do whatever I want, within certain limits.”

He glanced over at her. “Once you join the church, then you’re held to all of the rules?”

“That’s right,” she said.

“Are you planning to join the church?”

She sipped the drink. “I’m not ready yet, but I think I will someday.”

“I’m glad that you like it there,” he said. “I sometimes wondered how you were doing and if you were happy in Pennsylvania.”

She studied his expression. “Really? You wondered about me?”

He nodded. “I did.”

They drove in silence. Taylor negotiated the twists and turns of Sandbridge Road while they made their journey out to the beach house.

“Do you think you’d be up for another movie?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said. “This was fun.”

“Great.” He steered onto Sandfiddler Road and into the driveway of the beach house. “Thanks for coming with me. Movies are no fun alone.”

“Thank you,” she said, gathering up her purse from the floorboard. “See you tomorrow in church.”

“Have a good night,” he said.

As she climbed the stairs to the second level of the house, Lindsay smiled, thankful that she’d made a good friend.

She found the family room empty, and on the way to her room, she heard the television sounding from Trisha’s room. Glancing at her bed, she found her notepad. Although she’d had fun with Taylor, she couldn’t stop thinking about Matthew. She felt the urge to write him a letter but wasn’t quite sure what to say.

While it was easy to write to Katie and Lizzie Anne, writing to Matthew was very different. She missed him but didn’t want to sound too eager. Lifting her pen, she began to write:

Dear Matthew
,

How are you? I’m enjoying my time here in Virginia Beach, but I do miss home
.

Aunt Trisha is doing much better and is progressing with her therapy. I’ve gotten involved with the youth group at my former church and I’m volunteering at a nursing home. I’m very excited because I was able to help a patient who speaks Dietsch. She’s from Pennsylvania too
.

How’s work? How are your sister and her family?

Katie mentioned that you’ve been going to singings. I’ve been able to see some of my old school friends, which is nice
.

Aunt Trisha’s house is on the beach, and every day I go for a walk and a swim. It’s relaxing to be outside by the waves
.

I hope you’re doing well. Please write back when you can
.

Sincerely,
Lindsay

As she sealed the envelope and addressed it, Lindsay hoped that he’d write back.

20

T
hree weeks later, Lindsay burst into the den holding the certificate high above her head like a balloon. “I did it!” she yelled to Trisha. “I passed! I got my GED!”

“Yay!” Trisha yelled. “I knew you could do it. Give me a hug.”

Rushing over, Lindsay enveloped Trisha in a tight squeeze. “I’m so relieved. I was so certain I was going to flunk it.”

“I told her that she doubts herself too much,” Frank said, tossing his truck keys onto the coffee table. “I knew she could do it all along.”

“I agree,” Trisha said. “This calls for a celebration.”

“I agree,” Frank said with a grin. “Let’s go to dinner.”

“Dinner?” Lindsay said, studying Trisha. “But I thought you weren’t thrilled about going out on crutches.”

Trisha waved off the thought. “Hopefully I’ll get my walking cast on Monday. The doctor said that I should get good news at my next appointment. I can hobble around to celebrate this momentous occasion.”

Lindsay smiled. “Great. Let’s go!”

After a delicious dinner at Trisha’s favorite Italian restaurant, Frank drove into a shopping center and parked in front of a cellular store.

“What are we doing here?” Lindsay asked.

“We wanted to get you a nice gift since you worked so hard to get your GED,” Trisha explained. “Go in with Frank and pick out a phone.”

“What?” Lindsay asked. “You’re getting me a cell phone?”

“Yes,” Trisha said. “Go in the store and pick it out.”

Lindsay shook her head. “You don’t need to do that.”

“Come on,” Frank said, wrenching open his door. “If you don’t come with me, I’ll just pick one out for you.”

Lindsay followed him into the store and stared at the sea of complicated looking phones. She felt as if she’d walked into another world, a world that was foreign and strange to her after living with the Amish for four years.

“What do you think?” Frank asked. “Do you want internet access or do you just want the ability to text?”

Lindsay shook her head. “I have no idea.”

He pulled out his rugged-looking phone and flipped it open. “I don’t use internet really, but I text pretty often. Here. Take a look at it.” He handed it to her. “What do you think?”

“Honestly,” she said, turning it over in her hands. “I don’t have the need for a phone, and I hate to see you spend the money. My friends and family back in Pennsylvania don’t use them, and I’m not sure how I could keep it charged when I go back.”

“But you can use it while you’re here with us,” he said. “You can call your friends, like Taylor and Vicki.”

Lindsay considered his suggestion. She’d gone to the movies with Vicki and Heather last week, and Taylor took her out for ice cream. She could call them to make plans, but she could also use the house phone for that.

She looked up and saw the excitement in Frank’s eyes. She knew she had to let him get her the phone, but she felt as if she would disappoint Rebecca and Daniel if they found out she had one. Cellular phones were a gray area in some Amish districts, but the bishop in the Kauffmans’ district didn’t allow them except for business or special circumstances. What would she
tell Daniel and Rebecca if they found out she’d gotten a cell phone?

However, on the other hand, she couldn’t bear the idea of hurting Frank and Trisha either.

“Okay,” she finally said, moving over to a display of phones. “Which one do you think is best for me?”

Twenty minutes later, they walked to the Suburban with a phone that included a keyboard, complete with a hot pink cover. Lindsay climbed into the back and fastened her seat belt.

“What did you get?” Trisha asked from the passenger seat.

Lindsay handed her the pink phone. “The salesman said it’s the best for texting.”

“Great!” Trisha said, examining it and then handing it back to her. “Good choice.”

“Thank you,” Lindsay said, slipping it into her purse.

Frank discussed work on the way back to the house, and Lindsay stared out the window, contemplating her time in Virginia and wondering how everyone was back in Bird-in-Hand. She wished that she could go back soon. Although she enjoyed being with Frank and Trisha, she couldn’t stop the feeling that she didn’t belong here. The cell phone seemed to be a symbol of how much she didn’t fit in.

The Suburban bounced into the driveway at the beach house, and Lindsay hopped out. She yanked open Trisha’s door and held out her hand, which Trisha grasped.

“You need to call Jessica,” Trisha said as Lindsay helped her climb down to the driveway. “She’ll be so proud of you when she finds out you got your GED. You can call her from your new cell phone.”

“Good idea.” Lindsay nodded. “I will.”

Frank appeared with the crutches and assisted Trisha on her journey to the door. Once they were inside, Frank hoisted Trisha up in his arms and carried her up the stairs while Lindsay followed behind them with the crutches.

Frank carried Trisha into their room to help her change into her pajamas, and Lindsay slipped into her own room and sat on the bed. She pulled the phone from her purse and studied it.

She then kicked off her shoes and headed outside through the kitchen to the deck. She descended the stairs and crossed to her favorite spot on the sand. Staring across at the waves she couldn’t help but think that the beach calmed her. Sitting on the sand was relaxing for her, much like sitting in the porch swing back home at Daniel’s house.

Lindsay dialed Jessica’s cell phone number and waited for her to answer.

“Hello?” Jessica asked, sounding confused.

“Jess,” Lindsay said. “It’s Lindsay.”

“Lindsay?” Jessica asked. “Where are you calling from? I don’t recognize this number.”

“It’s my new cell phone,” Lindsay said, crossing her legs at her ankles.

“Your new cell?” Jessica exclaimed. “You, my Amish wannabe sister, got a cell phone? How’d that happen?”

Lindsay rolled her eyes at the sarcastic comment. “It was a gift from Trisha and Frank to congratulate me on getting my GED today.”

“What?” Jessica said. “You got your GED today?”

“Yes,” Lindsay said with a smile. “I did it.”

“I’m so proud of you! That’s fantastic. Mom and Dad are smiling down on you.”

Lindsay looked out at the waves. “I hope so.”

“You must be flying high,” Jessica said. “I wish I were there to celebrate with you. Did Trisha and Frank take you out to eat or anything?”

“Yeah,” Lindsay said. “We ate at Little Italy and then went to get the phone. I’m so glad that all of that studying paid off. I really worked hard for more than a month.”

“See? You’re good at school,” Jessica said. “You just don’t
give yourself enough credit, and you used to give up too easily. Now you can start looking into college. Maybe you can come to Richmond and go to school with me. I could set up an interview for you with the admissions person, since I know her personally.”

Lindsay bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath to calm her frayed nerves. Her sister was doing just what Lindsay had feared—taking her GED achievement and turning it into a reason to nag her more about college.

“Jessica,” she said, fighting to keep her voice calm. “I don’t want to go to college, and I want you to drop the subject now.”

“Why don’t you want to go?” Jessica asked, sounding annoyed. “You just proved to yourself that you can set a goal and achieve it. College is the exact same way. Is it the money? You know Mom and Dad set up a trust for us.”

“But not everyone wants to go to college.” Lindsay sat up and mustered all of her confidence from the pit of her stomach. “It’s like Taylor told me —he has friends who went away to school, and he has friends who decided to get a job and work. Taylor is going to go to TCC because he’s not sure what he wants to do. Not everyone is going to follow your path, and I’m really sick and tired of you pressuring me.”

Jessica blew out a loud and dramatic sigh. “Lindsay, your whole problem is that you don’t see your own worth.”

“No, that’s not my problem,” Lindsay fired back. “I miss my family and friends back in Pennsylvania. I don’t want to go to Richmond with you.”