head.
"What about murder?"
"Murder?"
"No one ever kills their spouse when they can't stand it anymore?"
Mary Katherine burst out laughing. "No," she said. "We're peaceful people." Right on the heels of her words she remembered the rumor that had gone around the Amish grapevine about how Lavinia Stoltzfus had chased her husband out of their house and not let him come back for days when she thought her husband looked a little too friendly with the woman who lived next door to them.
"I dunno," Jamie said, leaning over to grab her Raisinets and pop a few in her mouth. "Those Amish men always look so stern," she said around the mouthful of chocolate and raisins.
A key rattled in the lock, and the door opened.
A tall, lanky man walked in, dressed in a chain restaurant uniform. He had shaggy blond hair, and bright blue eyes that were scanning the room. When he spotted Mary Katherine, he gave her a sheepish grin.
Jamie sat up and glared at him. "Thought you had to work late."
"Things got slow. You know how that is."
She gave him a disparaging look. "You asked your boss if you could go home early."
"Well, you know how it is, baby."
"Yeah, I do, baby." She glanced at Mary Katherine. "This is Robert. Robert, Mary Katherine."
"Hi."
Jamie got up. "Admit it. You came over because you thought the guy from the pizza place was here."
"Well, you know how it is."
"Yeah." She turned to Mary Katherine. "Excuse us for a minute."
She grabbed Robert by the shirt, pulled him into her bedroom, and shut the door.
Mary Katherine blushed and started the movie up again.
When the voices that came from the bedroom came loud and angry, she fiddled with the remote until she figured out how to increase the volume button and tried to focus on the movie. Long minutes later, the voices quieted and she glanced at the door, wondering when the two of them would come out.
The movie ended. Mary Katherine had spent the night here several times, so she tried to remember what to do to get the television to show regular stuff. The news came on. Mary Katherine wasn't naïve—she knew that bad things happened out in the world. Sometimes they even happened in her community. But she had no idea of all the bad things that had happened today while she'd enjoyed herself: murders and rapes and robberies and bad car accidents. Oh, most of them outside of Lancaster County. But the television was like a window into a world she didn't know much about, since all she saw of the Englisch world was when she worked at the shop and walked around the town.
After the news, a comedian came on that Mary Katherine didn't think was so funny because he kept bringing up headlines from the news and she didn't know what he was talking about. She changed the channel and found a nature show. When she realized she was drifting off watching it, she made up the sofa with the sheets and blankets Jamie had put on the coffee table for her. Tired from her day, she slept.
Mary Katherine woke before dawn and lay there on the lumpy sofa, remembering the events of the previous night.
Her back hurt, so she shifted and tried to find a more comfortable position. Jamie had shrugged when she first told her that she had a nice apartment and said most of the furniture had come from thrift shops and stuff that friends were getting rid of. Jamie had used her artistic talents with color and fabric and made it a charming space, Mary Katherine thought. She wondered what it was like to have a space of your own that was totally yours, not part of a relative's home . . .
Her back hurt. Jamie had said the sofa was a bargain. Mary Katherine wondered if Jamie had ever slept on it. One night, and Mary Katherine's back was killing her.
Jamie's door was still closed. She didn't know if Robert had stayed, but it wasn't any of her business, anyway. After dressing in her regular clothes, she brushed and did up her hair, then put on her kapp, bonnet, and coat. She headed for the door, only remembering
"What about murder?"
"Murder?"
"No one ever kills their spouse when they can't stand it anymore?"
Mary Katherine burst out laughing. "No," she said. "We're peaceful people." Right on the heels of her words she remembered the rumor that had gone around the Amish grapevine about how Lavinia Stoltzfus had chased her husband out of their house and not let him come back for days when she thought her husband looked a little too friendly with the woman who lived next door to them.
"I dunno," Jamie said, leaning over to grab her Raisinets and pop a few in her mouth. "Those Amish men always look so stern," she said around the mouthful of chocolate and raisins.
A key rattled in the lock, and the door opened.
A tall, lanky man walked in, dressed in a chain restaurant uniform. He had shaggy blond hair, and bright blue eyes that were scanning the room. When he spotted Mary Katherine, he gave her a sheepish grin.
Jamie sat up and glared at him. "Thought you had to work late."
"Things got slow. You know how that is."
She gave him a disparaging look. "You asked your boss if you could go home early."
"Well, you know how it is, baby."
"Yeah, I do, baby." She glanced at Mary Katherine. "This is Robert. Robert, Mary Katherine."
"Hi."
Jamie got up. "Admit it. You came over because you thought the guy from the pizza place was here."
"Well, you know how it is."
"Yeah." She turned to Mary Katherine. "Excuse us for a minute."
She grabbed Robert by the shirt, pulled him into her bedroom, and shut the door.
Mary Katherine blushed and started the movie up again.
When the voices that came from the bedroom came loud and angry, she fiddled with the remote until she figured out how to increase the volume button and tried to focus on the movie. Long minutes later, the voices quieted and she glanced at the door, wondering when the two of them would come out.
The movie ended. Mary Katherine had spent the night here several times, so she tried to remember what to do to get the television to show regular stuff. The news came on. Mary Katherine wasn't naïve—she knew that bad things happened out in the world. Sometimes they even happened in her community. But she had no idea of all the bad things that had happened today while she'd enjoyed herself: murders and rapes and robberies and bad car accidents. Oh, most of them outside of Lancaster County. But the television was like a window into a world she didn't know much about, since all she saw of the Englisch world was when she worked at the shop and walked around the town.
After the news, a comedian came on that Mary Katherine didn't think was so funny because he kept bringing up headlines from the news and she didn't know what he was talking about. She changed the channel and found a nature show. When she realized she was drifting off watching it, she made up the sofa with the sheets and blankets Jamie had put on the coffee table for her. Tired from her day, she slept.
Mary Katherine woke before dawn and lay there on the lumpy sofa, remembering the events of the previous night.
Her back hurt, so she shifted and tried to find a more comfortable position. Jamie had shrugged when she first told her that she had a nice apartment and said most of the furniture had come from thrift shops and stuff that friends were getting rid of. Jamie had used her artistic talents with color and fabric and made it a charming space, Mary Katherine thought. She wondered what it was like to have a space of your own that was totally yours, not part of a relative's home . . .
Her back hurt. Jamie had said the sofa was a bargain. Mary Katherine wondered if Jamie had ever slept on it. One night, and Mary Katherine's back was killing her.
Jamie's door was still closed. She didn't know if Robert had stayed, but it wasn't any of her business, anyway. After dressing in her regular clothes, she brushed and did up her hair, then put on her kapp, bonnet, and coat. She headed for the door, only remembering
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