hundred miles farther east than we are. Same time zone, though.”
Minnie slid a stack of underwear into the bag. “I’ve … I’ve been thinking. Maybe me and Mamm are wrong, and this is a foolish plan.”
Iva ignored the icy fingers of fear. What could be worse than staying here?
“Piffle.” She looked inside the camera case just to make sure it was all still there—the camera and lenses and all the paraphernalia she’d spent years buying. She zipped it again, double-checking each compartment on the bag.
Minnie blinked, looking curious and a bit hurt. “What?”
Their quiet voices were only for each other as the rest of the household slept.
“You heard me. Would you prefer a different word? How about horseshoes, malarkey, hooey, baloney , or hogwash ?”
“I know what you said, but why?”
“Because you’re saying you’ve changed your mind while you’re packing my bag.” As if it mattered what Minnie or Iva wanted. Mamm had come to Iva privately, shimmying with fear like a pond during a windstorm. She needed Iva to do this. The family was desperate. Iva had been a disappointment in more ways than she could bear to think of but not this time. Not again.
Minnie jerked an armful of clothes out of the bag and threw them onto the bed. They had ironed and folded everything before dinner. But Iva understood her sister’s feelings were every bit as raw and torn as her own.
Iva moved closer and placed a hand on her sister’s protruding belly, talking to the unborn one. “Your Mamm is a bit wishy-washy these days. All plans. No backbone to carry them out. She didn’t used to be like this.” Minnie was as nervous as a long-tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but years ago she would have gone into that room anyway.
Now the changes within the Indiana Amish community had all of them wavering on what to do and clamoring for answers.
Minnie placed her hand over Iva’s. “What if you travel all that way and they don’t want you there?”
“I don’t know.”
It was all too much. The economy. The toll on the men’s self-esteem. The fear that after getting through the worst of the downturn by her siblings selling their homes and moving in together, her family still might lose the house she’d grown up in. The house now shared by four families.
According to her Daed, it was fixable by what he called “a godsend of a man.” His real name was Leon Schwartz, and he was a kind and good widower with young children who needed a Mamm. But Iva couldn’t imagine having to hold hands with him, let alone what her Daed had in mind—marrying him and having his children.
Iva looked into her sister’s eyes. “Mamm’s been putting back a little from the food money for almost two years, the whole time hoping God would show her the best thing to do with it. She thinks this is it, and I’m going.” Iva got the last items out of the drawer and tossed them and the rest of her messy clothes into the suitcase.
“Daed will be furious when he realizes you’re gone, and I doubt Mamm will be able to hide what she’s done.”
“He’ll only be upset because of how it will look to others. Inwardly he’ll be glad to have one less mouth to feed. Your husband will be secretly glad I’ve taken the lead to do what he can’t—go see if the Maine settlement is a good place to take your family.”
“It’s not your responsibility to have to go to another part of the country to look for work.”
“That’s not Mamm’s only reason for getting me out of here, and you know it.”
“You’re sure that going that far and into the unknown by yourself is necessary?”
“Ya.” Iva looked out the window. “My ride’s here.”
A car sat idling at the end of the lane, hazard lights flashing to let her know she needed to scamper down the driveway.
“You’ll call as soon as you’re there and safe, ya?”
“I’ll do my best. But don’t worry.” Iva slid the strap of her camera bag over her shoulder before
Minnie slid a stack of underwear into the bag. “I’ve … I’ve been thinking. Maybe me and Mamm are wrong, and this is a foolish plan.”
Iva ignored the icy fingers of fear. What could be worse than staying here?
“Piffle.” She looked inside the camera case just to make sure it was all still there—the camera and lenses and all the paraphernalia she’d spent years buying. She zipped it again, double-checking each compartment on the bag.
Minnie blinked, looking curious and a bit hurt. “What?”
Their quiet voices were only for each other as the rest of the household slept.
“You heard me. Would you prefer a different word? How about horseshoes, malarkey, hooey, baloney , or hogwash ?”
“I know what you said, but why?”
“Because you’re saying you’ve changed your mind while you’re packing my bag.” As if it mattered what Minnie or Iva wanted. Mamm had come to Iva privately, shimmying with fear like a pond during a windstorm. She needed Iva to do this. The family was desperate. Iva had been a disappointment in more ways than she could bear to think of but not this time. Not again.
Minnie jerked an armful of clothes out of the bag and threw them onto the bed. They had ironed and folded everything before dinner. But Iva understood her sister’s feelings were every bit as raw and torn as her own.
Iva moved closer and placed a hand on her sister’s protruding belly, talking to the unborn one. “Your Mamm is a bit wishy-washy these days. All plans. No backbone to carry them out. She didn’t used to be like this.” Minnie was as nervous as a long-tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but years ago she would have gone into that room anyway.
Now the changes within the Indiana Amish community had all of them wavering on what to do and clamoring for answers.
Minnie placed her hand over Iva’s. “What if you travel all that way and they don’t want you there?”
“I don’t know.”
It was all too much. The economy. The toll on the men’s self-esteem. The fear that after getting through the worst of the downturn by her siblings selling their homes and moving in together, her family still might lose the house she’d grown up in. The house now shared by four families.
According to her Daed, it was fixable by what he called “a godsend of a man.” His real name was Leon Schwartz, and he was a kind and good widower with young children who needed a Mamm. But Iva couldn’t imagine having to hold hands with him, let alone what her Daed had in mind—marrying him and having his children.
Iva looked into her sister’s eyes. “Mamm’s been putting back a little from the food money for almost two years, the whole time hoping God would show her the best thing to do with it. She thinks this is it, and I’m going.” Iva got the last items out of the drawer and tossed them and the rest of her messy clothes into the suitcase.
“Daed will be furious when he realizes you’re gone, and I doubt Mamm will be able to hide what she’s done.”
“He’ll only be upset because of how it will look to others. Inwardly he’ll be glad to have one less mouth to feed. Your husband will be secretly glad I’ve taken the lead to do what he can’t—go see if the Maine settlement is a good place to take your family.”
“It’s not your responsibility to have to go to another part of the country to look for work.”
“That’s not Mamm’s only reason for getting me out of here, and you know it.”
“You’re sure that going that far and into the unknown by yourself is necessary?”
“Ya.” Iva looked out the window. “My ride’s here.”
A car sat idling at the end of the lane, hazard lights flashing to let her know she needed to scamper down the driveway.
“You’ll call as soon as you’re there and safe, ya?”
“I’ll do my best. But don’t worry.” Iva slid the strap of her camera bag over her shoulder before
Similar Books
