Plain Proposal (26 page)

R
EBECCA PULLED A RHUBARB PIE FROM THE OVEN
and placed it on top of the stove to cool. She was alone in the house, so she sat down at the kitchen table and picked up a copy of
The Budget
. Before she started reading, she glanced around the room. It seemed almost sinful to just sit and do nothing. But Aaron and the boys were working outdoors, and Miriam and Shelby finished their chores in record time this morning, so Rebecca said they could take the buggy to town. Every day they charged through their chores so they could go to town at lunchtime. Those girls were up to something, but she wasn’t sure what it was.

She opened the newspaper and began to scan the happenings in Amish and Mennonite communities in the United States. A warm breeze blew through the opened windows in the kitchen, and the smell of freshly baked rhubarb wafted through the air. As she began to relax and not feel guilty for allowing herself idle time, she heard a buggy coming up the driveway. She closed the newspaper and walked to the front door where she saw Marie King and her daughter, Leah, step down from their buggy.

“Marie, Leah. How nice to see you.” She kept the door open while the women made their way up the porch steps. “I just pulled a rhubarb pie from the oven, and I was looking for an excuse to have a piece. Can I get you both some pie?”

“No.
Danki
, Rebecca.” Marie didn’t seem her usual bubbly self, and Leah kept her head hung low and avoided looking at Rebecca.

“Marie, is everything all right?” Rebecca motioned with her hand for both women to take a seat at the kitchen table. “Here, sit. No one is at home, and this is the perfect time to talk. Can I get either of you some
kaffi
?”

Marie shook her head, a solemn look on her face, and Leah still wouldn’t look up.

“Rebecca. . .” Marie took a deep breath. “Leah told her father and me some—some upsetting news.” She paused as a frown set into her features. “News that I don’t think you are aware of, and I have much concern about it.”

Rebecca’s pulse picked up. “Marie, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

“It’s about Miriam.” Marie reached across the table and put her hand on Rebecca’s. “Leah tells us that Miriam is leaving the community, and maybe she’s already told you, but—”

Rebecca pulled her hand away and brought it to her chest. “What?”

“Oh dear.” Marie sighed. “I was afraid she hadn’t told you, and maybe it’s not our place, but it worries me so, this situation.”

Rebecca stared hard at Leah as she tried to calm her beating heart. “Leah, what did Miriam tell you?”
Oh dear Lord, don’t let it be true
. Leah blinked back tears. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I should have waited to tell
Mamm
until I was sure that Miriam told you.”

“No, Leah. You did the right thing,” Rebecca said as she fought her own tears. “What exactly did Miriam tell you?”

“She—she said that. . .” Leah turned to her mother. “Miriam is never going to forgive me for this.”

“Leah, please,” Rebecca prodded. “If I need to get Bishop Ebersol involved in whatever is going on, I need to know.”

“She’s going to marry Saul Fisher, and they are leaving the community.” A tear rolled down Leah’s cheek.

Rebecca stood from the table, turned, and faced the window, then covered her mouth with her hand.
This can’t be happening
. She spun around and faced Marie and Leah. “Miriam told you this? When?”

“Saturday at the creek.”

Marie stood up and walked to Rebecca. She put her hand on her shoulder. “I just thought you should know, that maybe there might be time to talk Miriam out of this.”

Oh, I will talk her out of it
. “
Danki,
Marie.” She glanced at Leah. “And you did the right thing, Leah. We will surely have a talk with Miriam.” She shook her head as she spoke. “Miriam has always been committed to live her life here.”
I’m sure Saul has been pushing her to do this
.

Marie folded her arms across her chest. “They are evidently planning to get married and leave here the end of August.”

“What?” Rebecca shrieked. “That’s barely a month away.”

Marie pulled Rebecca into a hug. “I know, dear. I’m so sorry. I can imagine how I would feel if it was Leah doing this. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

“
Ya
, I will.” Rebecca eased away from Marie. “Please don’t tell anyone about this just yet. I want to have time to talk to Bishop Ebersol, and of course, I need to talk to Aaron. And Miriam.”

“Hannah knows too,” Leah said softly.

Rebecca drew in a deep breath. Hannah’s mother, Eve, couldn’t be quieted when it came to gossip. “All right.
Danki
for stopping by.”

After they were gone, Rebecca sat back down at the kitchen table, covered her face with her hands, and cried.

Miriam dropped off Shelby at the City Dump at noon, then went to meet Saul at his place. When she pulled up in her buggy, Saul was leading two horses to the barn. She waved at his father and two brothers as she passed them on her right working in the fields.

“I brought turkey sandwiches.” She stepped out of the buggy. “I would have brought enough for your
daed
and brothers too, but you said not to.”

“Plenty of leftover meat loaf for them inside.” He took the picnic basket from her. “I know it’s hot, but do you care if we eat outside, by ourselves? I have some stuff to show you.”

“Okay.”

Saul led her to a picnic table nestled beneath a grove of oak trees. Miriam started laying out the food.

“You look so pretty,” he said when she looked up and saw him staring at her.

“
Danki
. I’m happy.”

“Me too.” He glanced around to see if anyone was watching, then leaned over and kissed her. “Wait ’til you see what I have to show you. I went to the library yesterday, and the lady who works there helped me print some stuff.”

Saul waited until after they ate to go into his house. When he came back, he was carrying a stack of papers. “These are places that we can rent, and they’re close to my new job. I have enough saved for a year’s rent.”

Miriam looked through the pictures of small apartments not much bigger than their basement. She looked up at the man she was going to marry. “Saul, what will I do while you’re at work?”

“I’ve thought about that, Miriam. What do you want to do? Do you want to try to go to school, or get a job, or stay at home and take care of our house?” He smiled. “And someday, our
kinner
.”

Miriam felt her cheeks reddening. “I think that I should probably get a job and work, don’t you? We’ll need to save our money so we can buy our own home someday. What do you think?”

The flow of Saul’s smile warmed her. “I just want you to be happy. I’ll make a
gut
life for you, Miriam.” He paused, as if far away for a moment. “I can picture me as a chef in a fancy restaurant. And just think how
gut
we’ll eat at home.”

Miriam smiled as she thought about Saul cooking for her in their own home. She couldn’t imagine her father or brothers ever cooking a meal. “Here comes your
daed
,” she said when she saw Zeb Fisher walking toward them. She stood up to greet him.

“Keep your seat, Miriam. Nice to see you.” Zeb smiled as he walked past them and toward the house.

“Have you told your
daed
yet?”

Saul shifted his weight on the bench. “No. What about you? You tell your folks?” He shook his head. “Your parents are gonna be real upset. Do you want me to be with you when you tell them?”

“You’d do that?” Miriam’s insides warmed as she sat back down across from him.

“Of course I would.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ll do anything for you.”

Maybe it was the way he was looking at her, so solemn and serious, or maybe it was his soft, raspy, level tone of voice, but no matter what. . . she believed him. Saul was the kind of man she wanted to live the rest of her life with.

“I love you, Saul.”

“I love you too, Miriam.”

Miriam and Shelby talked and laughed all the way home. Miriam was still worried about what was happening between Shelby and Jesse, but it was good to see her cousin so happy. Turns out, Shelby used to be a big reader, and Jesse read a lot too. They’d read some of the same Christian books, and Shelby said they’d spent their entire lunch hour talking about books.

When Miriam pulled to a stop at home, she saw her parents sitting on the front porch in the rocking chairs, and they didn’t look happy at all.
Mamm’s
arms were folded across her chest, her legs were crossed, and she was kicking that rocker so hard it looked like it might lift off the ground at any moment.
Daed
was scowling in a way that made Miriam want to turn the buggy around and leave.

“Uh-oh,” Shelby whispered. “Something’s up.”

They walked cautiously toward the porch. “Miriam, we need to speak with you,” her father said in a voice that sounded frightfully unfamiliar.

“Ya, Daed.”
Miriam didn’t look at her parents as she padded up the steps to the porch. Shelby followed but passed by Miriam and went inside.

Daed
stood up and started to pace. “Sit down, Miriam.”

Miriam did as she was told. She glanced at her mother, and Miriam could tell she’d been crying. She was pretty sure she knew what this was about.
I should have never told Hannah and Leah about me and Saul
. Miriam was hoping that her mother would take over the conversation, like she usually did. She wasn’t sure that anything her mother could say would be nearly as scary as the way her father was looking at her, his mouth pinched together in a frown and his eyes squinted.

Daed
took a few deep breaths, then stroked his beard several times before he glared at Miriam. “Do you have any idea how upsetting it was for your
mamm
today when Marie and Leah King came over to tell her about your plans? Did you not think that your parents should be the first to know that you are planning to marry Saul Fisher?” He walked closer and bent at the waist. “And that you are planning to leave the community? Do you not think us worthy of this news before it is spread around the community like sinful gossip? So tell me, Miriam, that this news is not true.”

“I—I. . .” She sought help from her mother with her eyes, but
Mamm
just looked down at her feet and kicked the rocker even harder with her bare feet. “I love him,
Daed
. I love Saul.” Her voice cracked as she spoke, but a tear rolled down her cheek when her father grunted. “I’ve always loved him,” she added as she put her face to her hands.

“Look at me,
maedel
.”

It wasn’t a plea, it was a demand, and Miriam did as she was told. She met eyes with her father and waited.

“I’ve always known you liked Saul. But this rushed courtship so that you can move with him is disgraceful.” Her father pulled his eyes from Miriam, and he stared out into the pasture. “Are you—are you in a family way?”

Miriam started to cry harder. “No,
Daed
. No. Never.” She looked to her mother, but
Mamm
refused to look at her.

Her father turned around, then moved toward her.
Daed
had never laid a hand on her except as a young child who needed a spanking, but he was shaking so much that Miriam feared he might. But he squatted down beside her, and when he did, Miriam saw tears in his eyes.

“Then why,
mei maedel
, do you need to marry so quickly and leave us? Why not bring this boy around, let us get to know him better? And why do you both choose to leave your families?”

Miriam tried to breathe, to control her sobs. “Saul has a job in Pittsburgh working as a chef in a new restaurant. It starts in September.”

Daed
stood up and rubbed his eyes. “And he can support you doing this
job
?”

Miriam had thought of this too, despite the fact that Saul said he had some money saved. “I will work too, if I need to.”

“A woman’s place is in the home.”
Mamm
finally spoke up. “Taking care of her husband, their
haus
, and their
kinner
. Working in the
Englisch
world in Pittsburgh is no place for you, Miriam.”