MENDING FENCES (2 page)

            Maria put on a brave face for herself and everyone who was watching her and headed out the door.  As she climbed into the buggy waiting for her, she heard the horse stomp his feet as if even he was impatient.  Her lip quivered.  She didn’t have the strength to look back.  Now, she could only look forward.

Maria expected the ride into town to be long and silent.  Her father was a strong, quiet man, but when he did speak, everyone listened.  He guided the horse down the dirt path that led to the highway.  They would slowly make their way into the nearby town as Maria would watch the cars whiz by them.  She had seen the highway before, but that was about as far as she had been.  She always wondered why people in the outside world were in such a hurry.  Did they have somewhere important to go all the time?

            Maria enjoyed the bump of the buggy as it hit divots in the dirt road.  Taking pleasure in the little things in life so that she could really appreciate the big things. 

            “Maria,” her father spoke softly.  “You are about to undergo a journey you will never forget.”

            Maria tilted her head towards her father.  He was speaking.  She should listen closely.

            “God has a plan for each of us,” he said as Maria nodded.  It was something she had been told since she was a little girl and something she truly believed.  “The plan for you is something special between you and God.  God will reveal His plan for you in time, but in the meantime, you have to find your way by trying to follow His word.”

            Maria took a breath.  It was the most her father had said to her in one sitting for years.  He normally spoke in short sentences that were well thought out and very wise.  She wanted to remember every word he said in this instance.  It was going to be important to her upcoming adventure.

            “As long as you follow His word, daughter,” her father said, covering her hand with his own as he steered the horse with the other hand, “you will have our blessing.  In this world,” he continued, glancing back to the community that was getting smaller behind them, “or the other.”

            As they pulled onto the highway, staying on the shoulder of the road, Maria could feel the cars brush by them at fast speeds.  It was a wonder the horses didn’t startle.  She knew they only took certain horses into town for that very reason.  The horses had to be used to the highway or they could not be trusted.  The fast pace of the cars was a sign that Maria was in for a change.  The world outside their community was just as fast paced, from what she had heard.  She wondered not only how she would manage it, but how it would manage her.

            Her father fell into silence and Maria allowed the hum of the passing cars to lull her.  She knew that she was going to have to take comfort in the little things in this big world as well.  The sound of the tires on the road buzzing past reminded her of the buzz of conversation in the common dining room they shared in the community.  She smiled.  She was going to keep her connection to the community during her time away no matter what kind of imagination she had to use.

            Buildings began to pop up amongst the Iowa fields of corn and beans.  Maria had seen enough pictures of large cities like New York to understand that where she was headed was nothing in comparison.  There would be no more buildings in the town ahead than there was within her own community.  The difference was what was inside them.

            Her father pulled up on the edge of the downtown area a lot sooner than Maria predicted.  She was disappointed that she was no longer surrounded by the serenity of the fields and the buzzing of the cars.  Now, there was an entire downtown in front of her.

            Her father turned to her.  “Remember what your mother said,” he stated, holding one rein in each hand.

            Maria nodded.  “If I need anything, I should talk to Cooper at the general store halfway down Main Street.”

            Cooper wasn’t Amish, but he was as close as one could get without being a part of the community.  Cooper’s grandparents had grown up in a neighboring Amish community, but his parents departed from the lifestyle.  They lived a simple, easy life, but they did so outside the Amish shelter.  Cooper, because of the way he had grown up, had a soft spot for the Amish people and he understood their way of life.  His store sold materials that were simple and basic and he had been known to help more than one Amish visiting the area, whether they needed supplies or were on Rumspringa.

            “Can I come home in a week?” Maria asked, certain that she would need no longer.

            Her father shrugged one shoulder in a slow, methodical manner.  “Just give it some time.  See what the outside world has to offer.  Once you feel you have seen enough, you can decide what you want to do.”

            Maria lowered her eyes.  She had already made her decision and she hadn’t even gotten out of the buggy yet.  She knew her father was done speaking based on the way he shifted the reins in his hands.  He didn’t need supplies.  The run for goods would come later in the week and it wasn’t his turn to come in to town.  He was ready to drop her and go.

            Maria knew that she was to go straight to the hotel and check in.  They hadn’t called ahead because they had no phones in the community, but the hotel had been warned last week when someone from the community had made a run for supplies.  They knew she was coming and would have a room ready for her.  After that, Maria had no idea what she would do.

            She wrapped her hand around the handle of her suitcase.  Suddenly, it felt much heavier than it had when she left home.  She knew she had packed light, but she was now carrying a heavy heart inside her bundle of personal items.  She didn’t want her father to leave, but there was nothing she could do.  It was her time to branch out.  She prayed that the time would go fast so she could return home where she belonged.

            Maria flung her arm around her father’s shoulder and pressed her cheek against his neck.  He smelled like the outdoors, as he always did.  Since he worked in the fields most of the time, he always had a fresh air scent to his skin.  Maria took a deep breath and reveled in the feel of his strong arm around her waist.  She knew he would let go soon so she took it upon herself to pull back so that he wouldn’t feel like he was tearing her away from her family, which is exactly how she felt about the whole situation.

            “I’ll see you soon,” she spoke in a whisper.  It was all she could muster for fear of getting overly emotional about their parting.

            Her father nodded and tipped his wide-brimmed hat.  Maria stepped out of the buggy and watched as her father directed the horses to begin their walk.  They would go down the street and turn around so they could head back to the community.  He could work the rest of the day in the fields where he belonged.  Maria only wished that she were where she belonged as well.  She would be again soon.

            Instead of standing in place and watching her father ride down the street, turn, and head home, Maria put one foot in front of the other.  She was on her own.  She needed to get her Rumspringa started so that she could end it as quickly as possible.

            Maria walked slowly down the sidewalk, taking it all in.  She was going to check into the hotel, but she had nowhere she really needed to be.  Her directions for the next few days or a week were to go out and see the world.  She still felt like she knew enough about the outside world to judge that it was not the place for her, but she respected her elders and would do as they asked.

            Maria glanced in the store windows as she walked.  One had mannequins in the window staring back at her.  Their clothing was bright, colorful, loud and completely opposite of what she wore.  She glanced down at her dress.  It was light blue and had a small print on it, much like her other dresses, which were brown, gray, and black.  The blue dress was her favorite because it was closest to the color of the sky and she felt the sky was closer to God than the earth. 

            She looked back up at the window.  These dresses were half the length of hers and they were red, yellow, green, and every other color all mixed together.  Maria rubbed her eyes with her free hand.  It almost hurt to look at them.  She wondered why outsiders needed to dress so boldly.  What was it they were trying to say through their clothing?

            As she continued down the street, she was confronted with one store after another.  The next store seemed to be filled with ice cream and pastries.  Maria wondered if they baked and churned the items themselves as she would have to at home.  Treats were rare in the community because they took a lot of work.  Those who worked in the kitchen spent most of their time making nutritious meals.  If there was time left over, they might bake a pie or two or even get the homemade ice cream going. 

            The next storefront featured a few lawyer names and the following looked to be an insurance company.  After that, Maria saw something that looked much more like home.  A furniture company.  She could tell simply by glancing at the dining set that was featured in the front window that the pieces had been homemade.  They looked much like her own dining table back in the community, though it was hardly used.  Dining was done communally in the common hall.  Families had their individual homes and they might occasionally have a snack or meal alone, but for the most part, everyone in the community ate as a group.

            Maria leaned towards the window, taking in the craftsmanship of the table.  If she wasn’t mistaken, the table could have passed as something from the community.  She wondered if someone out here was making these tables and trying to pass them off as Amish.  If so, whoever he was, he was doing a good job of it.

            Since the farms had struggled in the last few years due to a drought, some of the men who normally worked in the fields had been pulled into the shops instead.  They built tables, chairs and other items and sold them to neighboring towns.  Maria wasn’t sure what the draw was, but handmade Amish furniture was a big deal.  She was certain this particular table was not one of theirs because she knew she would recognize any piece made from the community. Plus, they branded each item in a recognizable spot and this table set had no markings.

            Maria made a mental note to look into the matter further during her time away from the community.  She would have plenty of hours to spare and she needed some things to do.  She could visit the store, ask about the table, and look at the other items they had for sale.  It would satisfy her curiosity and allow her to pass some of the overabundance of time she would have in the outside world.

            At home, Maria was never bored.  There were always chores to be done around the community.  Since she was often in the kitchen, she had to rise early to start the process of preparing the day’s meals for the entire community.  It was not an easy task and she was never alone, but it was still a large job.  When she wasn’t in the kitchen, she helped mind her siblings, teach at the school, mend, sew or any number of other things.  Sometimes she even helped in the garden some of the women had set up behind the communal building.

            When she wasn’t working, she was in church.  The daily services helped Maria keep her eyes on what was most important in her life…her faith.  She felt peace when she was in the chapel and she knew that God was present during each and every service.  Maria felt God in other places as well, but nowhere more so than when she was at church.

            Their little chapel was different than what she imagined other churches would be.  She had heard stories about the churches in the outside world with their vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows.  While they sounded beautiful, Maria often wondered why.  Their chapel had benches and a slightly raised area in front where the pastor stood to conduct the services.  There were small windows in the back, but the glass was normal.  There were no pictures, no crosses and no decorations of any kind.