Second Chances (14 page)

“
Ja
, he intended to get married this November, but his girl . . . ” Leah's voice
trailed away.

“Oh, mercy!” Anna knew what remained unsaid. Whether it was a farming accident, illness,
or collision on the road, young people were not immune to the tragedies of life.
“How sad.”

Mary stared at Leah in disbelief. “I fail to see what is so joyous about that, Leah!”

“It happened in May,” Leah said, as if that should, somehow, make the situation less
painful for Benjamin. “Anyway, we are going with him!”

Before Anna could make sense of what Leah had just said, Hannah interrupted her sister.
“A van is headed out that way! Apparently, when Freman told
Daed
about this trip,
Maem
suggested to Freman that we should also go along!” Both young women tittered
at this and bounced joyfully on the balls of their bare feet. “
Daed
said we could!”

This time, it was Leah interrupting Hannah. “Isn't that just
wunderbarr
! Lancaster
County! Why, I've always wanted to go there!”

“Why on earth would he permit the two of you to travel to Lancaster?” Mary's off-handed
comment, singed with more spice than sugar, was ignored by the two enthusiastic
young women.

“We're to visit with
Maem
's cousins, the ones that live in Leola.”

“The Blanks?” Mary made a face. “What on earth for? Salome hasn't seen them in .
. . oh, what? . . . twenty-plus years, I suppose!”

Leah frowned at her sister-in-law. “That's not the point!”

“And I seem to recall your
maem
thinking unfavorably about one of the Blanks. The
mother, I reckon.”

Sighing, Leah rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Anna. Once more, she
became joyous again. “We're leaving on Thursday in the morning and will return Tuesday.
It's just for a few nights, but we'll attend worship and fellowship there! And then
they are having a special youth gathering on Sunday! Won't that be fun to visit with
Maem
's cousins, meet new people, and see how they worship? I do wonder if it will
be much different than
our
services.”

Hannah didn't wait for Leah to catch her breath before she added, “You must come,
Anna. It simply wouldn't be complete without you!”

Both the news and their request were completely unexpected and caught Anna off-guard.

All afternoon, she had been sitting at the kitchen counter, peeling apples for making
applesauce, a staple at the table since both little Cris and Walter often ate three
helpings of it, especially when the vegetables weren't to their liking. And, unless
Anna was the one to cook, the boys often wrinkled their nose at the overcooked, limp
vegetables that graced the table.

“I don't know what to say,” she stammered. She had never left Ohio. In fact, she
had never left Holmes County. What was the need? Her family and life were here; she
never had any reason to travel outside of the area. The thought of traveling so far
away unnerved her. “Where would we stay?”

“
Maem
's cousins live in Leola, but we are to stay with the Esh family.”

“Leola?” Anna had never heard of such a place. “And why the Esh family? I'm not familiar
with any of these people.”

“It's nearby. The Esh family are Freman's relatives, and their son is his good friend.
Apparently the Esh family has a large farm there. A farm that the son is to inherit.”
Leah stole another look at Hannah as if to suggest something.

“Oh, please!” Hannah waved away Leah's insinuation. Everyone knew that she courted
Caleb, even if an announcement had still to be announced. Still, under the cloak
of evening shadows and in the privacy of her own home, Mary often wondered out loud
why he hadn't spoken to Raymond and Salome yet, speculating that it wasn't a definite
marriage.

Apparently, Leah felt the same way. “Think about it, Hannah! I hear that Pennsylvania's
winters aren't half as horrid as ours! You'd do quite well living in Pennsylvania
with their cute little heart-shaped prayer
kapp
s!”

Ignoring Leah's teasing, Hannah reached for Anna's hands. “Say you'll join us!”

Before she could answer, Mary stepped forward and interrupted the conversation. “This
is outrageous! I fail to see why Cris and I couldn't join you too!” She looked at
Leah, her mouth pressed into a firm and clearly dissatisfied line. “It's as if we
aren't allowed to experience anything out of the norm, just because we are married!
There
is no reason for omitting us in your invitation. We are family too, ain't that
so?”

At this comment, the joy evaporated from the air. For just a moment, Leah and Hannah
stood there, the former with her mouth hanging open and the latter with a dumbfounded
expression on her face. The silence hung heavy between them. Hadn't the girls learned
anything from their sunset walk a few nights ago? They should know by now that, upon
learning of any social event or adventure, their sister-in-law would insist upon
participating, regardless of her responsibilities with her home and children.

Wishing she was anywhere but there, Anna bent her head over the apple in her hand,
focusing her attention on peeling it in the hopes that she wouldn't be called upon
to respond.

That responsibility fell upon Leah's shoulders.

“Why, Mary,” Leah said. “Little Cris and Walter — ”

“ — Can stay with your
maem
!” Mary quickly added, interrupting Leah. “I've never
been to Lancaster, and with just these two small ones, this might be our last opportunity
to travel alone.”

Leah laughed. “I fail to see your reasons for that statement, Mary! People travel
with their
kinner
all the time.”

Mary looked at Anna, drilling her with her eyes. “If you go, I most certainly need
to go. After all, you are staying here to help me. You know how sick I have been.”

“I really do not have to go,” Anna offered, her voice sounding meek against Mary's.

Ignoring her sister, Mary began to think out loud. “And Cris should accompany us
too. I mean, honestly, how much do we really know about this Freman Whittmore?” With
great purpose, she looked at each of the three women,
taking her time to assess their
reactions. “Hmm? And I certainly don't think young women traveling alone with a single
man are going to lead to anything except gossip anyway!” She straightened her apron,
a prim expression on her face. “A chaperone. That's what you need. Someone older
and more . . . responsible, to guide and oversee you.”

Leah lifted her chin and stared at her sister-in-law, the muscles tightening in her
jaw. Anna held her breath, watching and waiting for what she presumed would be an
interesting, if not deliberately hostile, response.

“I highly doubt that the bishop would welcome any such gossip in his
g
'
may
, indeed,”
Leah said in an even tone. “Especially since he is to accompany us on this journey.”

Stifling a laugh, Anna bit her lower lip and returned her attention to the apples.

Mary, however, gasped and put her hand on her hip, staring down at Leah. “
Ach
!” she
said sharply. “You never mentioned that this was a retreat of any type! For shame,
Leah, not telling me that! And with the bishop attending, it's even more dreadful
of you to not include us!”

Hoping to redirect everyone's attention to a more peaceful topic, especially since
Anna was firmly convinced that Mary would now occupy a seat in the van that would
take Leah and Hannah to Lancaster, Anna changed the subject. “It's a lovely time
of year to travel, I'm sure. However, I best stay here with the
kinner
.”

To Mary's chagrin, Hannah immediately went to Anna and grasped her shoulders. “
Nee
,
Anna. Leah and I are most determined that you should go with us! It's only for a
few days and you, of all people, need the change of environment.”

“You've never been there, ain't so?” Leah asked.

With the focus of the discussion on her, Anna knew that Mary's temper would flare
again. To her credit, her sister contained it as best as she could, choosing not
to respond with words but demeanor. With a loud huff, she stomped out of the kitchen
and disappeared through the door, most likely to track down Cris and share the news
of an upcoming trip.

Her absence was barely noticed, such was the excitement from Leah and Hannah. Their
enthusiasm to talk meant that Anna did not have to contribute to the conversation.
For that, she was grateful.

But truth be told, the last thing she wanted was to travel for so many hours in a
van with Freman Whittmore. The close proximity to him would surely cause her more
pain than she felt able to bear. Still, she could scarcely say no to the two young
women who begged and pleaded with her, saying that they too would stay home if Anna
did not accompany them. While Anna tried to make her point that the two young children
would need her, especially considering Mary's determination to travel along, both
Leah and Hannah stood strong, neither one willing to hear an argument against having
Anna's companionship on their journey.

With great reluctance, Anna could do nothing more than acquiesce. Their perseverance
and their reasoning outweighed her objections. As the two young women discussed what
they would bring and wondered what Lancaster would look like, Anna managed to pick
up another apple, eager to push this upcoming journey into the furthest corners of
her mind.

While the thought of traveling in a van for so many hours, Freman seated just mere
feet from her, brought
her dread, she also knew that she had only herself to blame.
Time and distance had not healed that wound. At the time, Anna didn't know how to
argue against the people who guided her through life. Her
own
life.

With a heavy heart Anna realized that, eight years later, she still did not have
the strength to stand up to the decisions made by others on her behalf.

Chapter Eight

T
HE EXPANSIVE FARMS
sat in low valleys between the hills as they drove down the main
street in Leola, Pennsylvania, a scene quite different from the towns in Holmes County,
Ohio. Due to the flat nature of the valley, the fields flowed in a way that Anna
had never seen before. In Ohio the hilly nature of the farms meant that farmers had
to compartmentalize their fields so that crops were often grouped together and separated
by fences. Not so in Lancaster, Anna observed. But in both places the first shade
of autumn—yellow—had colored many of the trees, with the first burst of reds and
oranges not far behind. Leola in early October promised to be as splendid as Sugarcreek
in that regard.

With eyes large and curious, she stared out the window, seeing the white barns with
open planks and large tobacco leaves hanging from the rafters. Such a beautiful vision,
she thought. In one field, a man, his beard long and gray, sat hunched over on a
corn binder, four cream-colored Belgian draft horses pulling the piece of machinery
along the rows of brown corn stalks. As the van passed, the man lifted his hand and
waved to the driver and the occupants.

At the top of the next hill, the driver turned left and drove down a long, straight
road. Anna's eyes searched the fields, taking in the large houses, often expanded
multiple times to accommodate new additions to the family, looking strangely out-of-proportion
to the barns. In many cases, the houses were three times the size of the other outbuildings.
Unlike Holmes County, Ohio, the Amish of Lancaster County seemed to build additions
onto their houses, almost as if the family lived in a small community. With land
being so expensive, and disappearing at an alarming rate, Anna understood the need
to have several generations living under the same roof or on the same property.
However, she much preferred the smaller houses of the Amish in her native Holmes
County in Ohio.