giraffe!”
Reuben swallowed, attempting to keep his face a mask of indifference. Slowly he closed the drawing pad, put his pencil and eraser in the coiled springs on the side, and got to his feet.
Dat was still chuckling as Sadie rose, pulled Reuben close with one arm, and together, went up the stairs to bed.
Chapter 8
S ADIE WINCED AS SHE dragged the brush through her thick, heavy mass of brown hair. Her thoughts were tumbling through her head, so the uncomfortable chore of brushing her hair was a welcome diversion.
Why had she promised Ezra she’d go? She seriously did not know. Maybe life was like that. You didn’t know why you said or did certain things, but it was all a part of God’s great and wonderful plan for your life. Maybe God’s will just happened no matter what.
Dat and Mam thought Ezra was truly a special young man who would make a terrific husband for her. But why do parents think they know better than you do? They just didn’t understand. There was not one other person in this community of Amish families for whom she could even try and summon some kind of love.
She often wished she could express her true feelings to Mam. And she wanted to ask questions, too, especially, how deep should the feelings of love be before you know you are fully committed and ready to marry? How could you know if you were ready to spend the rest of your days here on earth with this one other person?
The Amish were expected to date for a few years before getting married. They were also expected to not touch each other while dating. Not hold hands, not hug, not kiss, not have any other physical contact. The couple would be blessed by God if they entered into a sacred union in purity.
Sadie always thought that this was all well and good. But if she was really, really honest, she wondered how you could tell if you wanted to marry someone if you never touched him. What if you were pronounced man and wife and then discovered that his touch repulsed you? Wouldn’t that be a fine kettle of fish, as Daddy Keim used to say. She didn’t believe every couple stuck to that hands-off policy anyway.
Sadie clasped her hair into a barrette and firmly gathered the heavy mass on the back of her head, fastening it securely with hair pins. Her new covering followed, and she turned her head first one way and then the other, adjusting the covering more securely as she did so.
Some girls spent close to an hour arranging and rearranging their hair and coverings, which always drove Sadie to distraction. If you didn’t get it right that first or second time, you sure weren’t going to get it any better the seventh or eighth round, that was one thing sure.
She was glad she had a new dress and that it was a soft shade of light pink. She supposed it was a bit daring, but Mam had allowed it, though grudgingly. Grudgingly or gladly, it was pretty. The fabric hung in soft folds, the sleeves falling delicately to her wrists. It made her feel very feminine and, if she admitted it to herself, more attractive than usual.
She wondered vaguely how the person who was driving the buggy to take her away to the hymn-singing would feel about the dress. When she thought about it, she was glad she would wear the black coat, as Ezra would never approve of the soft, pink shade she was wearing.
Why did she wear it? She wanted to, that was why—and not for Ezra either. Maybe that was the whole reason after all. She wanted to be who she was—not who Ezra wanted her to be.
Nothing like real old-fashioned honesty with oneself, she thought wryly.
Sadie parted the white curtains in her room. Darkness had already enveloped the Montana mountainside. But the night sky was so brilliant, it seemed only a dimmer version of daylight. The starlight blended with the moon and snow to create a stark, contrasting portrait of the landscape, as if painted black, white, and gray.
Sadie watched for the lights she knew would come slowly up the driveway. Ezra was very kind to
Reuben swallowed, attempting to keep his face a mask of indifference. Slowly he closed the drawing pad, put his pencil and eraser in the coiled springs on the side, and got to his feet.
Dat was still chuckling as Sadie rose, pulled Reuben close with one arm, and together, went up the stairs to bed.
Chapter 8
S ADIE WINCED AS SHE dragged the brush through her thick, heavy mass of brown hair. Her thoughts were tumbling through her head, so the uncomfortable chore of brushing her hair was a welcome diversion.
Why had she promised Ezra she’d go? She seriously did not know. Maybe life was like that. You didn’t know why you said or did certain things, but it was all a part of God’s great and wonderful plan for your life. Maybe God’s will just happened no matter what.
Dat and Mam thought Ezra was truly a special young man who would make a terrific husband for her. But why do parents think they know better than you do? They just didn’t understand. There was not one other person in this community of Amish families for whom she could even try and summon some kind of love.
She often wished she could express her true feelings to Mam. And she wanted to ask questions, too, especially, how deep should the feelings of love be before you know you are fully committed and ready to marry? How could you know if you were ready to spend the rest of your days here on earth with this one other person?
The Amish were expected to date for a few years before getting married. They were also expected to not touch each other while dating. Not hold hands, not hug, not kiss, not have any other physical contact. The couple would be blessed by God if they entered into a sacred union in purity.
Sadie always thought that this was all well and good. But if she was really, really honest, she wondered how you could tell if you wanted to marry someone if you never touched him. What if you were pronounced man and wife and then discovered that his touch repulsed you? Wouldn’t that be a fine kettle of fish, as Daddy Keim used to say. She didn’t believe every couple stuck to that hands-off policy anyway.
Sadie clasped her hair into a barrette and firmly gathered the heavy mass on the back of her head, fastening it securely with hair pins. Her new covering followed, and she turned her head first one way and then the other, adjusting the covering more securely as she did so.
Some girls spent close to an hour arranging and rearranging their hair and coverings, which always drove Sadie to distraction. If you didn’t get it right that first or second time, you sure weren’t going to get it any better the seventh or eighth round, that was one thing sure.
She was glad she had a new dress and that it was a soft shade of light pink. She supposed it was a bit daring, but Mam had allowed it, though grudgingly. Grudgingly or gladly, it was pretty. The fabric hung in soft folds, the sleeves falling delicately to her wrists. It made her feel very feminine and, if she admitted it to herself, more attractive than usual.
She wondered vaguely how the person who was driving the buggy to take her away to the hymn-singing would feel about the dress. When she thought about it, she was glad she would wear the black coat, as Ezra would never approve of the soft, pink shade she was wearing.
Why did she wear it? She wanted to, that was why—and not for Ezra either. Maybe that was the whole reason after all. She wanted to be who she was—not who Ezra wanted her to be.
Nothing like real old-fashioned honesty with oneself, she thought wryly.
Sadie parted the white curtains in her room. Darkness had already enveloped the Montana mountainside. But the night sky was so brilliant, it seemed only a dimmer version of daylight. The starlight blended with the moon and snow to create a stark, contrasting portrait of the landscape, as if painted black, white, and gray.
Sadie watched for the lights she knew would come slowly up the driveway. Ezra was very kind to
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