Andy (17 page)

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Authors: Mary Christner Borntrager

Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Juvenile Fiction, #Religious, #Christian, #test

BOOK: Andy
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Page 136
with Aire, he asked her to go with no one else but him.
Most of the
Yunge
(young folks) accepted Andy and no longer made fun of him. Now if only Aire would consent to be his
Aldi
(girlfriend), the road back would seem smooth enough.
 
Page 137
25
The Answer
Time passed quickly, and Andy and Aire were becoming best friends.
"I never thought I could be as comfortable in the company of a girl," Andy told Aire late one Saturday night at her place. The rest of her family was in bed. "When we are together, I feel right at home."
"Sell macht mich froh
(that makes me glad)." Aire's laugh trilled again in a way that thrilled Andy.
"Remember the first time I took dinner at your house?" Andy asked. "I was so nervous I poured gravy into my coffee instead of
Raahm
(cream)."
"Well, I can see how that could happen," Aire comforted him. "The cream and gravy pitchers looked alike."
"How I wished no one would have caught what happened," Andy admitted. "I knew you did, though, because you insisted on replacing my coffee right away."
 
Page 138
"Du meenst net
(you don't mean)!" Aire exclaimed.
"Don't mean what?" Andy asked.
"Why, you don't mean you would have drunk that coffee anyway!"
"That's for sure what I planned to do," Andy assured her.
"Ach
,
helf die aarme
(oh, help the poor)!" Aire exclaimed.
Recalling that incident was a bonding experience for them. Now Andy became silent. Aire detected a serious expression stealing across his face.
"What is it, Andy?" she asked. "Why are you so quiet?"
The couple was sitting on a swing glider under the grape arbor at Aire's home.
"I was thinking how things have changed since I came home. Aire, have you thought of baptism and joining our church?"
Aire was surprised. "Why, Andy, I just talked to Mom this very week about being
gedaaft
(baptized)."
"Did you really? Oh, it seems things are falling in place. Do you think God has a special plan for us?"
"What do you mean, Andy?" she asked.
Andy hadn't quite planned it this way, and he began to stutter. "I . . . I thought. . . you and memaybe we couldoh, maybe we could start instruction for baptism at the same time and after that. . . ." Andy's voice trailed off, and he didn't finish his sentence.
"Ya," Aire prodded, "and after thatwhat were you going to say?"
"After that,. . . maybe we could get married."
There, he had said it.
 
Page 139
"Don't you think you should ask me first?" teased Aire.
"Well, would you?" Andy asked.
His face felt so warm, and the palms of his hands were sweaty. Why was he so nervous again? They had just talked of how at home they felt in each other's company. It seemed to Andy that Aire was still very much at ease.
Why am I not more relaxed?
he wondered.
Aire paused a moment, and then she said, "I must have some time, Andy, to pray and think about this. Baptism and marriage are two very important steps in our lives. Don't you think so?"
"Oh, yes, they are," Andy agreed.
He wondered how long he would have to wait for his answer concerning marriage. Was Aire doubtful about spending the rest of her life with a former runaway? Perhaps she couldn't trust him.
Andy imagined that she thought,
When the going gets rough
,
he might leave me
he left his own family
.
Maybe he had no right to ask her. Yet, why would she keep company with him at all if she didn't care for him?
"You're so quiet again, Andy. Is it something I said?"
"It's just that I have no right to expect that you'd want a former drifter for a husband.
Vergess das ich dich gfrogt hab
(forget I asked you)," Andy moaned, placing his head in his hands.
"Why, Andy!" Aire cried. "I didn't think any such thing! Every girl needs time to ponder before giving an answer to such an important decision.
"Don't you ever think I'd let your past make a differ-
 
Page 140
ence! That shall never come between us. You're sorry for what you did, and I've seen such a change in your life."
"You have?" Andy mumbled.
"Andy, I think a great deal of you. There's no one else I would even consider for a husband. I just want to be sure I'm ready and that I'd be good enough for you," Aire declared.
"Good enough!" Andy exclaimed. "Good enough? If anything, you'd be far too good for me."
"Let's get a drink of water," Aire said. "And I think there are some cookes left in the pantry."
Andy followed her, wondering all the while when she would give an answer.
Fall came early, and with it the last gathering of garden produce and crops.
"Raymond Troyers are having a corn-husking bee next Wednesday night," Andy told Aire. "Want to go?"
"That sounds like fun. Let's go."
Later Aire found out that Esther and Louis were going, too. "Why not make it a foursome? I'll ask Esther if we can use the surrey and go together."
Esther agreed it would make for a good time, and so that's what they did. The two couples sang hymns most of the way to the frolic. There was a full moon, just right for corn husking.
After the work was done in the field, everyone was invited to the house for sweet cider and apples.
"What was all the screaming about just before you
Yunge
left the field?" Raymond asked.
"A poor little mouse ran across Savilla Yutzy's shoe," Joey Swartz said.
 
Page 141
''Well, I suppose that yelling scared the mouse more than it scared the girls," laughed Raymond.
That mouse reminded Andy of how the boys used to mock his Maust name and call him a
Maus
(mouse). Tonight they could have called that mouse his relative, but they didn't, and Andy felt accepted by all the
Yunge
. Now he felt more sure of himself, that he might even have laughed off such a joke.
On their way home, Louis said, "Do you folks know that instruction class will begin next Sunday for those desiring baptism?"
Aire glanced at Andy from the corner of her eye. She knew
she
intended to be one of the applicants. She wondered about Andy.
"Ya, I'm planning to join," Andy said.
Aire was thrilled.
"What about you, Louis?" Andy asked.
"No, I think I'll wait until spring. I want to go to Florida for several weeks this winter. If I begin instruction now, I would miss too many sessions."
"I'm going to wait and take instruction at the same time Louis does," Esther added. "Aire, are you taking instruction now?"
"Yes, I am," she answered.
"Well nau
,
gebt
'
s Hochzich
(well now, is there a wedding in the plans)?" teased Louis.
Esther and Louis laughed over this question.
Quickly Andy answered, "I haven't heard anything about it."
Now Aire began to think more about Andy's patience in waiting for a reply to his proposal. She spoke to her parents and treasured their advice.
 
Page 142
"Times are hard," they said, "but if you and Andy work together and always put the Lord first in your marriage, it'll work."
Two weeks later on their way home from singing, Andy finally heard those words he longed to hear.
"Andy, if you still want to get married, I'll marry you."
"When?" was all he could think to say.
"Maybe two weeks after we become members of the church. Would that suit you?"
Would it ever! He would be ready now!
"It would suit me fine. Can you get everything ready by then? Weddings are a lot of work, you know."
"Oh, I've been getting my quilts made, putting up canned goods, and doing my sewing, just in case." Aire added that lilting laugh that Andy liked so much.
"Why, you knew all along!" Andy remarked. But he didn't mind the suspense she had kept him in.
What was it his dad had said? "You went away a boy, and you came back a man."
Now he felt like a mana man walking tall, for at last he had his answer!
 
Page 143
The Author
Mary Christner Borntrager was born at Plain City, Ohio, seventh in a family of ten. She was raised in the Amish faith, and according to custom, her schooling was considered complete with eight grades. In later years, Mary attended teacher-training institute at Eastern Mennonite College, Harrisonburg, Virginia. She taught at a Christian day school for seven years.
At age nineteen Mary married John Borntrager. After their four children were grown, Mary earned a certificate in childcare and youth social work from the University of Wisconsin. For twelve years, she and her late husband worked with neglected and emotionally disturbed youth.
Mary loves to write poetry and novels. She is a member of the Ohioana Library Association. A local television station and many other groups have invited
 

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