Amish Circle Letters II: The Second Circle of Letters by Sarah Price

start.
    For the next hour, Melvin mucked the dairy, loading the manure into a wagon to drag to the outside holding area. In the winter, his daed would spread that manure on the fields, the nutrients seeping into the ground and helping to produce good crops in the spring and summer. Melvin wondered if his daed would let him help drive the team this year.
    “Daed,” he asked cautiously. “ Katie told me at Steve’s wedding that they’ll be moving Butterscotch over to her daed’s farm this weekend.”
    His father barely even glanced up from where he was milking the last cow in the barn.
    “I…I was wondering if I might ride along with them,” Melvin stuttered. “If you don’t be needing me for chores and such.”
    Menno looked up. “How would you get back here?”
    Melvin shrugged. “Mayhaps Mamm could pick me up? That way she’d be able to visit with her family.” He paused. “Mayhaps she’s a bit homesick, ja ?”
    The boy ’s question caused Menno to pause. For a moment, he looked deep in thought, a furrow creasing his brow. Melvin worried that his daed would argue that Melvin had no business going over to the Fisher farm. But he was surprised for his father finally nodded his head.
    “ Ja vell ,” Menno said slowly. “I reckon I could take you both over there in the afternoon.”
    Melvin wondered why his daed would take time to drive them to Mary Ruth’s house when Mary Ruth was certainly capable of doing that herself. However, Melvin wasn’t about to ask. He had the answer that he wanted. He would be able to see Katie that weekend and, hopefully, gauge her reaction to the letter he had just sent. That thought alone warmed his heart.
     
    Back inside the house, Menno glanced at Mary Ruth before he approached the sink to wash his hands. He noticed how she stepped aside to give him room. He didn’t look at her as he turned on the faucet and reached for the soap. The kinner were sitting at the table, waiting for him to finish in order to say the prayer and start the evening meal.
    “Melvin wants to go see Katie and that pony tomorrow,” Menno said stiffly. “Reckon you might want to ride along then? See your family?”
    “Oh,” she gasped quietly. “I would like that, Menno.”
    She handed him a hand towel and smiled at him. He paused as he reached for it, his eyes narrowed as he studied her face. The change in her demeanor surprised him. Gone were the sad, downcast eyes. Instead, there was now a look of happiness on her face, one that he hadn ’t seen since before their marriage.
    Perhaps that is it after all, Menno thought. She’s homesick.
    Menno looked away, his mind quickly trying to go over the events from the past few days. Could that be the root of the problem, he wondered. Was his new wife merely homesick? Missing her family so much that it was negatively impacting the beginning of their marriage? The courtship had been rather fast and she hadn ’t had much time to adapt to the idea of being his wife. Perhaps a visit home would make everything right as rain once again.
    “We can head over after dinner tomorrow, then,” he said. Without another word, he sat down at the head of the table, waited for Mary Ruth to take her place, and then bowed his head, silently thanking the good Lord for the food that was before them and adding a special prayer that the visit to her parents ’ home would bring him back the young woman he had started falling in love with.

Chapter 3: Leah ’s Letter
    Dear Family,
    …
    Blessings,
    Leah
     
     

 
    Leah stared at the letter, tapping her index finger nervously on the edge of the table, as if she were listening to a rhythmic tune; but there was no such tune to be listened to, even in her mind, for this was not the way of the Amish The blank page stared back at her, practically asking for Leah ’s slightly slant and elegant handwriting to jot down something on it. Yet she had no idea what to write to her family. Not for the lack of wanting to, but they