go?”
Erma’s eyes narrowed. She plopped back on the swing.
“Sadie Miller, you are crazy for hanging out with that guy. If anyone is shooting horses around here, it’s him. He’s not really right, is he? Good-looking, yes, but he scares me.
“ Upp , here’s my driver coming. Hey, thanks for the popcorn. I had fun. Come see me sometime. I live behind my Dad’s house now. In a trailer.”
“Do you really? We’ll come see it,” Leah assured her as Erma was off in a cloud of dust.
The supper and singing proved uneventful. Mark Peight was absent again. He never came to the suppers and singings anymore, which irked Sadie more than she cared to admit.
What did he do on Sunday? Why didn’t he ask for an ordinary date like normal people? He probably had some deep, dark secret of his own, like Erma Keim thought.
Sadie played volleyball. At supper with her friends, she sat at the singing table and sang with everyone else, her thoughts far away.
Was she crazy, the way Erma Keim said?
She watched Yoni’s Crist Weaver. He was tall, wide in his shoulders, dressed nice enough, with a receding hairline. Actually, his hair, what there was of it, was thin and brown. His eyes were pleasant, not too close to his nose, which was large and took up a lot of room on his face. He seemed shy, quiet, not very comfortable in the girls’ presence. Sadie thought he’d make a wonderful companion for the boisterous, colorful Erma. She would fill his days with her never ending viewpoints, and her unique take on life would completely change him. Wasn’t there an old saying about opposites attracting?
Later that evening, Sadie sat at the kitchen table with Rebekah, drinking a Diet Pepsi, munching on “old maids,” the leftover unpopped kernels of popcorn that remained in the bottom of the bowl.
“You should somehow get her fixed up a little. How would you go about telling her those limp coverings are simply a disaster?” Leah giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Her hair is worse. Hasn’t she ever heard of hair spray?”
“She has a nice figure, she’s thin, at least, but her feet are so scarily big. I bet she wears a size 11 or 12.”
“That’s okay. Crist is bald almost, and 40.”
“They’d be so cute together.”
“I don’t believe her one bit about men.”
“I don’t either.”
Sadie looked at the clock.
“Shoot. Midnight,” she said, yawning.
“Where’s Leah?”
“I have no idea. She was talking to a group when we left.”
They drained their Pepsis, wiped the table, and were just ready to go upstairs to bed when headlights came slowly up the drive.
“Hmm, Leah,” Rebekah said, watching as the buggy approached.
Then, “Oh, my goodness! The… They’re going to the barn. I bet you anything Kevin… Oh, my!”
Catching Sadie’s sleeve, she tugged, and said, “Come on, Sadie! He’s coming in! Quick!”
Together they dashed up the stairs, flung open the door of Sadie’s room, and collapsed on the bed, giggling like school girls. They heard Kevin’s deep voice and Leah’s nervous laughter.
The girls whispered about the lack of cookies or bars in the house, anything Leah could serve to him on that first, much-anticipated date.
“There are chocolate whoopie pies in the freezer,” Sadie said.
“He doesn’t want a frozen whoopie pie.”
“They’re best that way.”
“Well, go down and set one on the table for him.”
They dissolved into giggles imagining Leah’s anger if they did something so completely senseless on her very first date.
They were both sound asleep when Leah finally came upstairs. She had managed well on her own, asking him politely if he wanted a snack, which he declined, saying he ate a big helping of cheese and pretzels at the singing. Really, he was far too nervous to eat anything after working up the nerve to ask Leah if he could take her home.
Sadie arrived at work the following morning in a state of melancholy. Not only had her younger sister been
Erma’s eyes narrowed. She plopped back on the swing.
“Sadie Miller, you are crazy for hanging out with that guy. If anyone is shooting horses around here, it’s him. He’s not really right, is he? Good-looking, yes, but he scares me.
“ Upp , here’s my driver coming. Hey, thanks for the popcorn. I had fun. Come see me sometime. I live behind my Dad’s house now. In a trailer.”
“Do you really? We’ll come see it,” Leah assured her as Erma was off in a cloud of dust.
The supper and singing proved uneventful. Mark Peight was absent again. He never came to the suppers and singings anymore, which irked Sadie more than she cared to admit.
What did he do on Sunday? Why didn’t he ask for an ordinary date like normal people? He probably had some deep, dark secret of his own, like Erma Keim thought.
Sadie played volleyball. At supper with her friends, she sat at the singing table and sang with everyone else, her thoughts far away.
Was she crazy, the way Erma Keim said?
She watched Yoni’s Crist Weaver. He was tall, wide in his shoulders, dressed nice enough, with a receding hairline. Actually, his hair, what there was of it, was thin and brown. His eyes were pleasant, not too close to his nose, which was large and took up a lot of room on his face. He seemed shy, quiet, not very comfortable in the girls’ presence. Sadie thought he’d make a wonderful companion for the boisterous, colorful Erma. She would fill his days with her never ending viewpoints, and her unique take on life would completely change him. Wasn’t there an old saying about opposites attracting?
Later that evening, Sadie sat at the kitchen table with Rebekah, drinking a Diet Pepsi, munching on “old maids,” the leftover unpopped kernels of popcorn that remained in the bottom of the bowl.
“You should somehow get her fixed up a little. How would you go about telling her those limp coverings are simply a disaster?” Leah giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Her hair is worse. Hasn’t she ever heard of hair spray?”
“She has a nice figure, she’s thin, at least, but her feet are so scarily big. I bet she wears a size 11 or 12.”
“That’s okay. Crist is bald almost, and 40.”
“They’d be so cute together.”
“I don’t believe her one bit about men.”
“I don’t either.”
Sadie looked at the clock.
“Shoot. Midnight,” she said, yawning.
“Where’s Leah?”
“I have no idea. She was talking to a group when we left.”
They drained their Pepsis, wiped the table, and were just ready to go upstairs to bed when headlights came slowly up the drive.
“Hmm, Leah,” Rebekah said, watching as the buggy approached.
Then, “Oh, my goodness! The… They’re going to the barn. I bet you anything Kevin… Oh, my!”
Catching Sadie’s sleeve, she tugged, and said, “Come on, Sadie! He’s coming in! Quick!”
Together they dashed up the stairs, flung open the door of Sadie’s room, and collapsed on the bed, giggling like school girls. They heard Kevin’s deep voice and Leah’s nervous laughter.
The girls whispered about the lack of cookies or bars in the house, anything Leah could serve to him on that first, much-anticipated date.
“There are chocolate whoopie pies in the freezer,” Sadie said.
“He doesn’t want a frozen whoopie pie.”
“They’re best that way.”
“Well, go down and set one on the table for him.”
They dissolved into giggles imagining Leah’s anger if they did something so completely senseless on her very first date.
They were both sound asleep when Leah finally came upstairs. She had managed well on her own, asking him politely if he wanted a snack, which he declined, saying he ate a big helping of cheese and pretzels at the singing. Really, he was far too nervous to eat anything after working up the nerve to ask Leah if he could take her home.
Sadie arrived at work the following morning in a state of melancholy. Not only had her younger sister been
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