had a hankering to talk, but he had already said too much to Jackson. The man was just being polite.
The other men who rode with Mr. Carver were loading the van with their tool belts and lunchboxes. Abram told Jackson bye and climbed in the van, tuning out everything as the others got in. Mr. Carver started the van, and once the tires hit the main road, the vehicle seemed to fly.
Abram had decisions to make, and there was only one girl to talk to about it—Cilla Yoder.
An hour after leaving the job site, Mr. Carver dropped off Abram at his house. He needed to eat something so he would feel better, but instead he went into the barn and hitched a horse and buggy. He hoped none of his family had seen him get out of the van, because he wasn’t in the mood to tell them where he was going. Or how work had been.
With the buggy set, he headed out of the barn and soon was going down a gravel road. Seeing the small pond to his left made him feel nostalgic. He and Ariana used to go to the pond, lie on their bellies, and lean into the water with buckets in hand to scoop up minnows. But once they had the minnows, they would let them go. Since Ariana left, everything reminded him of her.
Pulling onto Cilla’s driveway, he realized he’d been hoping she would be outside. But she wasn’t. He parked his buggy and walked to the house. After hesitating a few seconds, he knocked on the door, rapping three times. They probably had their door open earlier, letting in the fall air, but with the sun setting it was getting nippy.
He heard footsteps, and when the door opened, Barbie stood on the other side—the girl he’d finally gained the courage to ask out, who had said yes, and who had then jilted him before their first date. Abram nodded at her, frustrated at feeling nervous in her presence.
“You here for Cilla?” Barbie acted friendly.
“Ya.”
“I’ll tell her. Want to come in?”
That was the last thing he wanted to do. “No, just let her know I’m here.”
Barbie gently shut the door. He moved to a rocking chair and stared out at a wide field, bare except for large, round bales of hay.
Cilla came out of the house, looking chipper and healthy, as if she didn’t deal with cystic fibrosis. “This is a pleasant surprise.” Her smile made his heart warm. She sat in the rocker next to him. “You know you could come inside.”
“This is good.”
They sat in silence for some time, gazing at the field and the pale orange sky. His head felt a little clearer already. “Do you think she’ll like it there?”
“Ariana?” Cilla turned, studying him. “I don’t know. I hope not.”
“Ya, me too.” He wanted assurance, but Cilla was too honest to tell him only what he wanted to hear. A silence stretched out for a few moments as he thought of all the Amish who had turned Englisch. Was the Englisch way of life as appealing as it looked from the Amish side? Appealing enough for people to leave their families forever? “I think I might need to quit roofing.”
“Why? You’re not thinking of searching for Ariana, are you?”
“No. She has to do what Nicholas wants, or it could cause trouble for the midwife.” Abram watched the sky as the clouds moved across it. “It’s so hard to believe Ariana has different parents than me. It always felt as if we were twins. We were so close.”
“You and she
are
close, Abram, not
were.
”
The clouds changed shape, looking so different from a few minutes ago. How much would circumstances change Ariana between now and when she returned? “
Are
close,” he mumbled.
“How’s your Mamm doing?”
“Not great, but she tries to hide it. I overheard her talking to Daed, and she’s carrying unbearable guilt. And now that Skylar is living with us, she seems to blame Mamm too. It’s as if neither of them remembers that Rachel, the midwife and Mamm’s friend, spent twenty years hiding her suspicions from Mamm.”
“I heard at the Sunday meeting that a blanket brought
The other men who rode with Mr. Carver were loading the van with their tool belts and lunchboxes. Abram told Jackson bye and climbed in the van, tuning out everything as the others got in. Mr. Carver started the van, and once the tires hit the main road, the vehicle seemed to fly.
Abram had decisions to make, and there was only one girl to talk to about it—Cilla Yoder.
An hour after leaving the job site, Mr. Carver dropped off Abram at his house. He needed to eat something so he would feel better, but instead he went into the barn and hitched a horse and buggy. He hoped none of his family had seen him get out of the van, because he wasn’t in the mood to tell them where he was going. Or how work had been.
With the buggy set, he headed out of the barn and soon was going down a gravel road. Seeing the small pond to his left made him feel nostalgic. He and Ariana used to go to the pond, lie on their bellies, and lean into the water with buckets in hand to scoop up minnows. But once they had the minnows, they would let them go. Since Ariana left, everything reminded him of her.
Pulling onto Cilla’s driveway, he realized he’d been hoping she would be outside. But she wasn’t. He parked his buggy and walked to the house. After hesitating a few seconds, he knocked on the door, rapping three times. They probably had their door open earlier, letting in the fall air, but with the sun setting it was getting nippy.
He heard footsteps, and when the door opened, Barbie stood on the other side—the girl he’d finally gained the courage to ask out, who had said yes, and who had then jilted him before their first date. Abram nodded at her, frustrated at feeling nervous in her presence.
“You here for Cilla?” Barbie acted friendly.
“Ya.”
“I’ll tell her. Want to come in?”
That was the last thing he wanted to do. “No, just let her know I’m here.”
Barbie gently shut the door. He moved to a rocking chair and stared out at a wide field, bare except for large, round bales of hay.
Cilla came out of the house, looking chipper and healthy, as if she didn’t deal with cystic fibrosis. “This is a pleasant surprise.” Her smile made his heart warm. She sat in the rocker next to him. “You know you could come inside.”
“This is good.”
They sat in silence for some time, gazing at the field and the pale orange sky. His head felt a little clearer already. “Do you think she’ll like it there?”
“Ariana?” Cilla turned, studying him. “I don’t know. I hope not.”
“Ya, me too.” He wanted assurance, but Cilla was too honest to tell him only what he wanted to hear. A silence stretched out for a few moments as he thought of all the Amish who had turned Englisch. Was the Englisch way of life as appealing as it looked from the Amish side? Appealing enough for people to leave their families forever? “I think I might need to quit roofing.”
“Why? You’re not thinking of searching for Ariana, are you?”
“No. She has to do what Nicholas wants, or it could cause trouble for the midwife.” Abram watched the sky as the clouds moved across it. “It’s so hard to believe Ariana has different parents than me. It always felt as if we were twins. We were so close.”
“You and she
are
close, Abram, not
were.
”
The clouds changed shape, looking so different from a few minutes ago. How much would circumstances change Ariana between now and when she returned? “
Are
close,” he mumbled.
“How’s your Mamm doing?”
“Not great, but she tries to hide it. I overheard her talking to Daed, and she’s carrying unbearable guilt. And now that Skylar is living with us, she seems to blame Mamm too. It’s as if neither of them remembers that Rachel, the midwife and Mamm’s friend, spent twenty years hiding her suspicions from Mamm.”
“I heard at the Sunday meeting that a blanket brought
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