SummerHill Secrets, Volume 1 (34 page)

I breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. So obvious was it that Mom frowned and glanced at Dad. “Your brother will be involved in many senior activities between now and graduation day,” she said. “He’s excited, and I hope you’re happy for him, too.”

“Sure, Mom, I’m happy.”

I’m happier for me, though.
I headed down the hall to the powder room to wash up. Come next fall, I’d have the run of the house.

“I always knew that boy had it in him,” Dad remarked as I came back into the kitchen. “Skip sure had us fooled in junior high, though.”

Mom said, “High school seemed to make the big difference for him. I guess change is good sometimes.”

Her comment reminded me of Jon Klein. That’s exactly what I’d said to him—
change is good
—the day I worried out loud about going to high school next year. It was also the last day we’d played our alliteration word game together. Thirteen depressing days ago!

Dad refolded the newspaper and slid it into a large wicker basket under Mom’s square antique plant table in the corner of the kitchen.

She had succeeded in coaxing a multitude of African violets to life in that corner; now they were thriving to beat the band.

Dad offered to carry the platter of fried chicken to the table and sat down, waiting as Mom filled our glasses with iced tea. He looked at me from the head of the table. “You’re awfully quiet, Mer. Something on your mind?”

I wondered whether to spring Levi Zook on them now or later. Opting for later, I reached for my napkin and shrugged. “We can talk about it during dessert.”

“Which reminds me,” Mom said, observing me, “I made chocolate chip cookies this morning.”

I sniffed the air. “Can’t wait. Smells great!”

Mom smiled and bowed her head.

Dad said a prayer of thanks for the food, and I ate while the two of them chatted about his day at the hospital. Evidently, a woman in labor had come to the emergency room. “She looked large enough for twins,” Dad said, grinning at me, “but it turned out she gave birth to one very hefty baby boy.”

“I wonder how everything’s going with Aunt Teri,” Mom said. “Haven’t talked to her for over a week.”

“She’s certainly no spring chicken,” Dad said, chuckling. “You have to hand it to her, wanting to start a family at her age.”

I could hardly wait for the chocolate chip cookies. My parents were simply rambling, enjoying their conversation about absolutely nothing while I sat here stewing, thinking through my plan of attack.

Mom started to clear the table, and I hopped up to help. Anything to get things rolling.

At last, the ice cream was dished up and the heaping plate of cookies placed on the table. Dad smiled almost sweetly at me, leaned back in his chair, and waited. Waited silently with his arms folded across his chest.

The silence wiped me out, and I took a deep breath, hoping I could pull this off. “Mom, Dad”—I looked at both of them—“what would you say if I went out with Levi Zook?”

Silence followed. Absolute, complete silence.

Hilarious laughter would’ve been welcomed at this point. Anything.

But Dad’s face was as blank as Mom’s.

“Well?” I ventured, still waiting for some kind of response from them. “Levi is a good friend, and we’ve known each other since childhood.”

Dad took another cookie, held it in midair, and turned it around in his hand as if it were a buggy wheel. “So it
was
you in Levi’s buggy two Sundays ago.”

I gasped. “What?”

His face broke into a broad grin. “Miss Spindler just happened to mention it to me the other day when I was mowing the lawn.”

“I should’ve known,” I muttered.

“Don’t be upset, Mer,” Dad said, surprising me. “You know how the old lady is. She makes mountains out of molehills.”

I nodded. “It’s her livelihood.”

Mom hadn’t commented on the matter yet, and her aloofness made me nervous.

Dad continued. “Where did Levi ask you to go with him?”

“He talked about the Green Dragon.” I shrugged my shoulders.

Mom spoke at last. “I hope you won’t go out on the highway in that buggy of his.” She stared at me, her eyes penetrating. Then she cut loose with her real concern. “Merry…what could you possibly have in common with an Amish boy?”

Now
I
was the one leaning back in my chair. I needed space all of a sudden, and Mom wasn’t helping things by inching her face closer and closer to mine. I slid my chair away from the table.

“Merry, I—”

Dad interrupted her. “Look, I don’t see any harm in Merry’s spending some time with her friend. Levi’s a great kid. Good manners, as far as I can tell.”

Mom argued. “But Merry’s only fifteen.”

Dad reached for her hand. “Darling, our daughter will be sixteen soon. It’s not like she’d be going out with some stranger. The two of them have literally grown up together. Besides, Levi’s only a year older, and he’s family, in a very distant way.”

That wasn’t good enough for Mom. “But he’s Amish. Next thing, he’ll be looking for a wife.”

Dad nodded, sneaking a wink at me. “You’re absolutely right. You’ve gotta watch those Amish boys. They ride around in those noisy courting buggies all hours of the night, snatching up pretty young things, going off to the bishop, and getting married.”

I stood up. “Marriage is the last thing on my mind!”

Mom smiled sympathetically. “You have many more years ahead of you to decide such important things.”

“So…you don’t mind, then?” I asked, looking first at Dad, then at Mom.

With true reluctance, Mom managed to utter, “I guess one time won’t hurt.”

“Promise not to tell Skip?” I said. “That is
if
I decide to go.”

Dad put his fingers together like a boy scout. “I promise.” He was such a tease sometimes.

I loaded the dishwasher for Mom, insisting that she relax with Dad in the living room. The Levi discussion was behind me!

Now there was only one thing left to do.

Suddenly unsure of myself, I pictured Levi working the cornfield with his mule team and cultivator, loosening the soil. Waiting for my answer.

When the kitchen was spotless, I headed outside to the gazebo. I sat on the railing, dangling my legs over the edge, facing the willow grove. I stared at the graceful trees that blocked my view of Zooks’ farm. The willows were like a barrier between the Amish world and my own.

I closed my eyes and imagined what life would’ve been like if Faithie, my twin, were still alive. She would be sitting here on the railing beside me, encouraging me not to shut Mom out the way I had…to hang on to my feelings for Jon Klein even though he’d hurt me. She would tell me to pray about going out with Levi. And she would hug me and tell me I was her best friend.

Best friend.
How I missed her!

A half hour later, the back door opened and Dad called to me, “Merry, someone’s on the phone for you.”

I leaped off the gazebo and ran into the house to the kitchen. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mer. It’s Chelsea.”

“What’s up?”

“Just thought I’d check something out.” She paused. “Look, I can’t believe this could be true, knowing you, Mer, but my mom ran into your nosy neighbor at the post office today.”

Gulp!

“Old Hawk Eyes said you and Levi were out riding in his courting buggy.”

I laughed. “That lady gets around.” Then I explained about the rain. “It was just a neighborly gesture. Really.”

“C’mon, Merry,” she persisted. “You were always so…so, uh… attracted to the guy.”

“Attracted?”

“You know how you always watch him when we ride past his house on the school bus.”

“But it’s not what you think—I mean, I’m not ready to join the Amish or anything.”

“You’re sure?”

I took a deep breath. To tell the truth, I
had
been toying with the thought. “Look, Chelsea,” I said. “If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell a single soul?”

“
Now
what?”

“Levi asked me to be his girlfriend.”

She gasped—and kept doing it. Finally, when she caught her breath, she said, “Are you kidding?”

I felt an overwhelming sense of confidence. Even more so than when I’d shared the news with my parents.

“What did you tell him?” She sounded dramatically serious. The way I usually sounded under similar circumstances.

“I haven’t told him anything yet,” I replied. “I was just on my way over there.”

“Oh, Merry, please don’t do anything stupid.”

“Stupid?”

“Merry, don’t be weird about this. Please.” She sounded desperate.

“You’ve never met Levi Zook, have you?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Absolutely everything! You have no idea what you’re saying, so if you don’t mind, I think we better end this conversation now before—”

“Merry, listen to me!”

I clammed up. She was making me mad.

Her voice grew softer. “Don’t do anything, Mer. Okay? I’ll be right over.”

“Don’t you dare!” Now I was furious. “And don’t treat me like a kid,” I blurted. “I’m old enough to decide things like this. Besides, you said I could do better than Jon, remember?”

She exhaled into the phone. “Why do you take everything so literally? I didn’t mean you should go off and
marry
some Amish guy.”

“Excuse me? Who said anything about that?”

“But have you thought this through? Have you considered the consequences?” she asked.

If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought she’d been playing Jon’s alliteration game!

“Trust me, Chelsea. Levi’s just a good friend. I like spending time with him,” I said.

“Well, you can bet on this, I’m going to do whatever it takes to bring you to your senses!”

And with that, she hung up. Before I could even say good-bye.

Levi was long gone from the cornfield when I finally wandered over to the Zook farm. From his side of the willow grove, I could see the gas lamp burning in the kitchen and assumed they were having supper. Amish farmers worked outdoors as long as there was light, then ate a hearty meal as dusk approached.

Lily White’s soft little head and paws hung out of the pocket of my light jacket. She purred loudly as she rode there—next to my heart.

I strolled past the new white barn and out to the pond and the spacious meadow where the willow grove ended. Wide and very deep, the pond stretched across a large area, embracing both the Zooks’ property and ours.

Sitting down on the cool grass, I freed Lily White, letting her roam as she pleased. It was almost nighttime, but it wasn’t dark. The sky was filled with tiny lights, as if someone had flicked a paintbrush across the universe. And the longer I sat there, the brighter the dots of lights became.

I found the broad, luminous band of the Milky Way and the moon—a fat sliver. Its light cast a splendid ribbon across the pond.

Relaxing there in the grass just yards from the placid water, I began to pray as I faced the sky. “Lord, you know how things are with Levi and me. I don’t have to tell you that he’s my friend… and I like him. But honestly, I don’t know whether to say yes or no.” I sighed. “I’ve never gone out with anyone before. This is all so new to me.”

I breathed in the fragrance of lilacs and continued. “Dad didn’t give me such a horrible time about Levi. I really thought he would. And Mom? Well, you know how moms are.”

I stopped. Someone was walking toward me.

Squinting into the dim light of dusk, I recognized the long strides and the tall, lean silhouette as Levi. My heart sank. Not because I didn’t want to see him, but because he’d probably ask for my answer. Again.

Quickly, I prayed some more, having a difficult time finishing. Levi could
not
be in on what I was saying about him to God. Not that it was bad or anything. Actually, it was just the opposite.

“Hi, Levi,” I said as he came swishing barefoot through the grassy meadow.

“Merry.” He said it softly. “I thoughtcha weren’t gonna come.”

“Something came up.” I didn’t mention Chelsea’s phone call. What she’d said didn’t matter anyway.

“Well, you’re here now.” He sat beside me, a long piece of straw hanging out of his mouth.

Lily White came over and sniffed his bare feet. I laughed and reached for her. I cradled her furry body in my arms. “You remember Lily, don’t you?”

“How can I forget?” Levi grinned at me.

Side by side, we listened to the sounds of night. Loud, chirping crickets, and the flutter of wings as purple martins flew home to roost in the Zooks’ multileveled birdhouse.

“Remember the day you saved my life?” Levi asked unexpectedly.

“As clear as yesterday.”

He laughed softly. “I was nine and you were only eight.” He took the straw out of his mouth and tossed it on the ground. “I knew it then, Merry.”

My heart pounded.
What
had he known?

Levi turned his face to the sky. “Have you ever seen a more beautiful sky?” He seemed to like asking questions that didn’t require answers. I smiled, appreciating his love for God’s creation. Wishing the question about being his girl could go unanswered, too.

We sat very still, gazing at the twinkling lights overhead. I don’t know how long we sat there, but it was long enough for the moon to climb halfway up the silo.

Suddenly, Levi stood up. “Look there!”

I saw it, too. A dazzling stream of light falling across the sky.

“Quick! Make a wish,” he said, and our eyes followed the star’s journey as it topped the barn and fell over the horizon.

“Come, let’s walk,” he said, and I settled Lily White inside my pocket once again. Levi laughed as I got Lily situated. “Aren’tcha supposed to catch a falling star and put
that
in your pocket?”

I looked at him and smiled. “She’s as white as any star up there.” Then I turned my gaze to the sky. “What a truly beautiful sight,” I said, referring to the falling star. “I don’t know when I’ve seen such a thing.”

“It means something, jah?”

I knew some Amish were a little superstitious. For instance, a bride and groom wouldn’t think of singing on their wedding day because they believed that singing today meant weeping tomorrow.