A Rose Revealed by Gayle Roper Page A

is contagious.” But I knew that wasn’t the issue.
    Esther and Mary suddenly looked uncomfortable, but Becky merely smiled sadly.
    “It isn’t Trevor they have a problem with,” she said, fiddling with the ribbon hanging loose from her kapp . “It’s me.”
    “They are very strict,” Esther said neutrally. “They have always taken the Ordnung and applied it strictly.”
    “Not because they are mean,” Mary hastened to tell me. “They do not want to hurt Becky. They want to obey Herr Gott.”
    “I’m here because my mother begged them to take me in,” Becky said. “They feed me and keep a warm roof over our heads. I’m not complaining. They know I confessed my sin before the church as is right, but I am an embarrassment.”
    “Here,” said Mary. “Let me get us all some warm tea. If your cup is like mine, it is lukewarm. We don’t want lukewarm. The Lord will spew us out of his mouth.”
    And that quickly, the topic was changed. Shortly afterward Becky wrapped Trevor again and they walked down the road to her grandfather’s farm. Mary and Esther began preparing supper and refused to let me help. I went to my rooms and pondered the anomaly of Amish great-grandparents not touching their great-grandson. I thought about the wealth of forgiveness the Amish had shown the world after the murders at the Nickel Mines school and the lack of forgiveness I saw toward Becky.
    At the evening meal Jake made it a point to sit next to me. We both made believe we didn’t see Esther and Mary exchange a meaningful glance as they took their places, Mary next to John who sat at the head, Esther between Mary and Elam who sat at the foot. We all bowed our heads.
    I waited for John or maybe Elam to say grace, but no one said anything. Head still bowed, I glanced around. I watched as one by one, heads came up, and the food was passed. I found out that sometimes the meal was almost as silent as the grace. John and Elam talked briefly about the harness repair work they were doing in their little smithy in the shed by the barn. Mary said that all the food was prepared for the big meal tomorrow after church at Old Nate Stoltzfus’s.
    “That’s Becky’s grandfather?” I asked.
    Everyone nodded.
    “He pulled out of his lane just as I walked past earlier this afternoon,” I said. “I’d never seen him before. When I was there for home care, he was always out in the fields working.”
    “Did he speak to you?” asked Elam, gray eyes sparkling.
    “No.” I pictured the frosty old man with the white beard down his chest. “He ignored me.”
    “He didn’t glare or snarl?” Elam grinned at his brother.
    “Or shake his fist?” Jake said, grinning back.
    “Elam. Chake.” John spoke quietly, and both young men immediately wiped their faces clear of emotion. Their eyes, however, continued to dance. I was taken with John’s “ch” sound when he said Jake. So Dutch! I had to stifle a grin of my own.
    “Becky and the baby walked up this afternoon,” Esther said.
    “Poor thing,” Mary said, and I didn’t know if she meant Becky or Trevor.
    “Ah, yes, the baby,” Jake said, his voice suddenly sarcastic, though I couldn’t understand why. “Conceived in sin and born out of wedlock.”
    “She repented before the congregation, Jake,” Mary said quickly.
    Jake nodded, his face closed and dark. “But she’s still being punished, isn’t she?”
    No one said anything for several minutes. Then Esther spoke rather hesitantly and to me. “Will Trevor be all right? He’s so small.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m worried about him too.”
    “What’s wrong with him?” Again it was Esther, her face full of sorrow.
    “He was born with a bad heart,” I said.
    “Undoubtedly because of her sin,” Jake said.
    I glared at him. He was baiting his family, and I thought it rude and unkind. He refused to look at me.
    “She’s not from our district,” Mary said. “Her parents moved to Ohio shortly after they