Ellen’s lips twitched. Her mother was a good cook but for some strange reason pies weren’t her strong point. Ellen’s grandmother had been good at pie making and she’d taught Ellen.
Why did her mother choose to bring pies when they were clearly a chore for her? Ellen asked her.
“Alta Hershberger asked me to,” she said simply, and Ellen understood. Her mother wouldn’t challenge a request from the village busybody. To do so would give Alta fodder to natter about.
As she followed her mother into the kitchen, she immediately saw the mess Mam had made. She grinned. “How many piecrusts did you attempt to make?”
Mam looked sheepish. “One.”
“Then we’d better get busy if we’re going to bake three pies.”
As she mixed the ingredients, then rolled out the crust dough, Ellen thought of her morning and Isaac’s part in it. She frowned as she carefully lifted a rolled circle of dough and set it into a pie plate. The fact that Isaac had helped her didn’t mean anything. It didn’t mean he wanted them to be friends again.
Maybe it was time to go out and have some fun. She’d talk with her parents about going on rumspringa. Then while out and about, she could locate Dr. Westmore’s medical clinic for genetic diseases. She needed to learn as much as she could to convince her parents to allow her to volunteer her time there.
Sunday arrived, and Ellen climbed into the family buggy with her parents and younger brothers. The pies she’d made with her mother had come out nicely. The scent of baked apples, cherry and custard filled the vehicle, making her stomach grumble. Ellen was particularly pleased with the snitz and custard pies. Those were her favorite flavors, and she looked forward to enjoying a tiny sliver of each after the midday meal.
They were headed to Cousin Sarah’s house. Sarah was married to Jedidiah Lapp, Isaac’s oldest brother. Ellen knew that she’d probably see Isaac there, but she wasn’t going to let it concern her. She’d had a couple of days to put things in perspective. She realized that it had felt odd to spend time alone with him again, the first time since before he and Nancy had begun seeing each other. He’s acted as if we’ve never had words over his English girlfriend.
Now that she was on the mend, things would get back to the way they’d been before her buggy mishap. Isaac wouldn’t notice her, and he’d leave her alone. Ellen looked forward to her first outing during her rumspringa, the running-around time during which teenagers within the Amish community were allowed the freedom to enjoy the English world. It was their parents’ and the community’s hope that given the choice, their young people would make the decision to join the church and stay in the community. If they chose to leave, they were free to go and return to visit as long as they hadn’t joined the church first. If they joined the church and then left for the English world, they’d be shunned by their families and friends and wouldn’t be allowed to return.
Ellen had every intention of joining the church, but she wanted to enjoy rumspringa. She’d use the opportunity to check out the Westmore Clinic for Special Children, bring home information so that she could convince her father to allow her to volunteer there. She decided that she’d talk with her friend Elizabeth to plan a trip into the city of Lancaster. They could go next Saturday. The thought of getting away for the day excited her. She hadn’t spoken to her parents about it yet, but she couldn’t see why it would be a problem.
They arrived at the Jedidiah Lapp farm, where Dat steered Blackie onto the driveway and parked in the yard on one end of a long line of familiar gray buggies.
Sarah came out of the house, carrying her son, Gideon, as Ellen climbed out of the buggy with two pies.
“Sarah!” She always enjoyed spending time with her cousin. She and Sarah had shared a room when Sarah had first come for a visit, and Ellen had loved having her stay. She’d been pleased when Sarah, originally from Kent County, Delaware, had moved permanently to their village of Happiness after she’d fallen in love and married Jedidiah Lapp.
“Ellen.” Sarah beamed at her, then greeted her aunt, Ellen’s mother. “Josie, ’tis gut to see you. We haven’t had time to spend together lately.”
Her mother held a pie and made to grab one from Ellen, who smiled as she shook her head. “You’re looking well, Sarah,” Mam said. “Your little one is certainly getting to be a big boy.”
“Ja, he is. I don’t know where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday that he was a newborn and now he’s three years old.”
Holding two pies, Ellen asked her cousin where she wanted her to put them.
“Jedidiah is getting a table. Would you like to set them inside until the table’s ready?”
“Nay, I’m fine,” Ellen said, studying Sarah’s little son, who gazed at her with a big sloppy grin. “I’ll wait.”
As soon as Sarah set her son down, Gideon immediately ran to Ellen for attention. Her cousin quickly grabbed Ellen’s pies so that Ellen could reach for him. “Want to go for a little walk, Gid?”
“Mam, can I?” Gideon asked his mother in Pennsylvania Deitsch.
“Ja, you may walk with Cousin Ellen, but you must be a gut boy.”
The child nodded to his mother, then to Ellen who scooped him up for a hug.
“Be careful, Ellen,” Sarah warned. “My soohn is no lightweight.”
“Ja, he isn’t.” Ellen smiled at the dark-haired child as she set him on his feet. “We’ll walk side by side—ja, Gideon?” She extended her hand and the child grabbed it and held firm as they headed toward the back farm field.
“Where shall we go?” she asked him.
“Goats,” he said.
“You want to see the goats?” When he nodded, she grinned at him. “Let’s visit your goats, then.”
* * *
Isaac left the house with Jedidiah, carrying the table Sarah wanted outside. He looked across the yard as they negotiated the last of the porch steps to discover his sister-in-law Sarah with Josie Mast. He glanced about but didn’t see Ellen anywhere. He was strangely disappointed. He was wondering how she’d fared since the accident, whether or not the bump on her forehead had changed color like the bruise on her cheek. Then he heard a giggle and spied Gideon running from Ellen, who chuckled as she ran across the yard after him.
“Come back here, Gideon!” she called laughingly.
“Set it down a minute, Isaac,” Jed said. “I need to speak with Sarah.”
Isaac silently set down the table. He watched as Jed approached his wife to say a few words with her. He saw Sarah gesture toward the back lawn.
It was visiting Sunday. Community folks were milling about the yard and inside the house, family and friends of Jed and Sarah. He heard voices from near the barn, where two men whom he recognized as church elders were joined by a newcomer he didn’t recognize.
The sound of a squeal made him smile and turn back to watch Ellen and his nephew as Gideon ran from Ellen, the child’s shriek of laughter evidence of his enjoyment of her chase. By her expression, he could tell that Ellen was having as much fun as Gideon. She laughed as she caught up to him and snatched him into her arms. When she began to tickle the boy’s ribs, Gideon burst out into childish giggles. Isaac stared, fascinated by their play, and found his lips curving in response.
Jedidiah returned and picked up the end of the table. “My son is enjoying himself. Ellen will make a gut mudder one day.”
A mudder? She was too young to be a mother. Without saying a word, Isaac shot her one last quick