Amish and Jewish in the City
Disclaimer: I own nothing except this Storyline and plot. Glee (TV Series), Almost any period film you can think of, Arranged (Movie), Glee Fan Trailers on Youtube, All Music mentioned all belong to their respective labels and what not.
Rating: M
Warning: Scenes of Violence and Language. Do Not Read if you're easily offended.
Plot: Quinn is a young Amish girl about to experience life in the Devil's Playground where she will be challenged on her faith and her life when she meets a young Orthodox Jewish girl named Rachel.
Genre: Drama
Era: AU-WMHS
Notes: I'm a bit in a slumph with regards to my other stories and this one popped up and wouldn't leave me be so I figured I'd write it up and see how it goes. I hope you will enjoy it. I will give a heads up that I'm not overly knowledgeable with regards to the Jewish Orthodox Culture or the Amish Culture so I do apologise in advance if there are discrepancies in the tale with regards to culture and so, I will do my best however to provide a good tale.
Ships: Quinn/Rachel
Again, I hope you will enjoy. Italics indicated flashback scenes.
Chapter 1:
It was a cold day in August as a young girl named Lucy Quinn Fabray was sitting on the bus traveling from her home state of Pennsylvania to Ohio State. Why Ohio she wasn't quite sure, since of course the trip was at least five hours long and that was if there wasn't going to be bathroom breaks; which of course there were so the trip was even longer. But a part of her figured that it'd be a good place to go since she wanted to get away from her family.
See, Lucy was a young Amish girl ready to take her rumspringa, granted later than most but then again sixteen years old wasn't so bad. Rumspringa was time for young Amish folk to see the world around them, take in what was there in what they called The Devil's Playground and consider what it would mean for their future and for their faith, and when it was time for their rumspringa to end they would have to make a choice as to whether or not they'd leave the community or stay in it.
It was also a time of courtship and Lucy had been approached, or at least her father had been, by at least three families who had sons who were asking for her hand.
She of course politely turned them down, much to her father's annoyance and he was hellbent on her finding someone suitable to marry. After all this was the way of the community and it was the will of God.
Her older sister Francine or Francesca as she was commonly known, did her rumspringa at fifteen and came back when she was seventeen as she declared in front of the community that she wanted to be baptised and married to Joshua, who was the young man who did his rumspringa with her.
The couple were soon married and Francine was now living in her own house with one child and another on the way.
Lucy shook her head at that, she wasn't sure why, but she didn't want to be married so young, she wanted to see the greater world and understand it more. Ever since she was little and riding in the buggy with her father from their house into town to sell produce, Lucy had always been interested in the Devil's Playground.
"Devil's Playground Lucy, that place will test your faith, just you wait until it's your time for rumspringa, you will see how these English have allowed depravity and sin to take over their lives, you will see how they turned their backs on God," Russel had said to her as he snapped the reins to make the horses move a bit faster.
"Right, Lima, Ohio," the bus driver said as he stopped the bus.
Lucy was cautious as she stood up from her seat and held her small bag close to her, gripping tightly onto the strap of her bag. In it was a bit of money that her father had given to her, spare clothing, and really not much else, save for her bible.
She cautiously stepped off the bus and looked around as she gazed around at the city she had decided to do her rumspringa in.
"Hey look at that girl over there, whatcha trying to be? A period piece? Oh my god what a lame-o," a girl's voice was heard mocking her as Lucy turned her head to look over to see a Latina wearing what she assumed was a fashion sense of those who lived in the Devil's Playground.
Lucy ignored the girl and held her bag as she turned to walk to the other way but couldn't quite figure out where to go or what to do, and it seemed there was really no one else around save for the bus driver and the three teens who were sitting on their car; and she didn't feel very comfortable approaching any of them to ask for help in finding somewhere to live and then of course to work.
"You know who she reminds me of?" one of the boys said, "That Berry girl, I mean the dress is similar, though this one here, her dress is more simple, plus she has a bonnet,"
"That's because she's Amish," another girl said making Lucy look at her to see a young tanned girl wearing similar modest clothing to her minus the bonnet.
"Speak of the devil," the first girl said, "The hell do you want Schnoz?"
"I just feel that you shouldn't be rude to someone who is obviously not from around here,"
"Oh piss off,"
"I will,"
"The hell are you doing here anyway?"
"Picking my father up, he's due here soon, what about you? Were you at cheerleading practice before this since you're still in your uniform?"
"None of your bees wax,"
"Rachel," a man's voice was heard calling out as he got off the bus, the voice made Lucy turn to look at a tall man walk out wearing simple clothing that actually reminded her of the men from her community, although his beard as different as it was a full beard and not the usual Amish beard she was used to. He also wore a weird little cap on his head that confused her a bit.
"Father," Rachel said happily as she walked up to greet him, "How was your trip?"
"Splendid, shall I tell you more at home?" Rachel's father asked.
"Would be a great idea since Mama has missed you and has been cooking a great meal for you,"
The man clasped his hands together happily at the prospect of a good dinner as he looked at his daughter before he placed a hand lovingly on her head. Lucy felt a little jealous of that, her father never treated her that way.
She looked over at them as she noticed the three other teens had run off the moment Rachel's father had stepped off the bus.
"Abba, Noah was asking about marriage again, I think his Mama is making him," Rachel said as she and her father walked in Lucy's direction.
"Oh is he now? I'm surprised, boy doesn't seem the type to settle down, he seems more the type to leave the community," her father said.
"Be that as it may..."
"Are you interested?"
"Abba no, not him, he's not, well, I can't imagine life with him, he's too,"
"Weird?"
"No, out there, I don't know, he's just not fitting,"
Her father laughed at her, "Well one day Rachel, one day you will meet that one for you and it will feel like magic, like it works,"
"Like how you met Mama right?"
"Yes, happiest day of my life,"
Rachel smiled as the she waited for her father to hail a cab. Lucy decided to take this opportunity to approach them and ask about where she could go to live that was cheap enough for her.
"Um, excuse me," she called making the two turn to look at her, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could help me?"
"Of course," the man said, "How can we help?"
Lucy took a moment, as it seemed Rachel did too, as the two passed a look at each other for just a moment and felt a small spark that neither were quite sure of before Lucy asked, "I'm new to this city and I'm looking for a cheap place to stay, do you know where I can go?"
The man thought for a moment, "Hmmm, well, if you go as cheap as possible it might be bad because those places do not take kindly to others who are different, believe me, I know, I used to live in such places,"
"Abba, maybe she can stay with us, after all we are called to welcome visitors," Rachel said as she looked up at her father.
"I suppose so, but we'll have to ask your mother too,"
"I, I, um, I'm just looking for a safe enough place, I'm here for my rumspringa and I just, I don't know what to do and where to go," Lucy said as she gripped onto her bag sling.
"Ah, you're Amish, I was thinking right," the man said, "Well, perhaps for tonight you can stay at our house, and then tomorrow we shall see,"
"I can pay you, my father told me it's good to pay for things,"
The man laughed jovially at her, "You save your money young one, you will need it in this world, besides my daughter invited you so I think it right that we let you come for free,"
"I can help clean, I'm good at that," Lucy offered.
"That's Rachel's job, perhaps you can help her,"
Lucy just nodded her head at that.
-page break-
"Mama, we're home," Rachel called out as she entered the house.
"Rachel?" Shelby said as she came to the door and hugged her, "My little star, are you good?"
"Of course Mama, look, I brought someone home for you,"
"Hello," the man said as he entered the house and put his bag down and opened his arms out wide.
"Oh Hiram, you're home," Shelby said as she went to hug him tight and peck his lips.
"Ew," Rachel teased as she held her hands over her eyes.
"Oh shush, one day you will be like this when you meet that one," Shelby said as she looked over and saw Lucy standing there, still nervous, "Oh, and who is this?"
"I, I, I'm Lucy Quinn Fabray, and I'm, I'm here for my rumspringa, your husband and your daughter kindly invited me along, and I, if I'm an imposition I'm happy to leave, I just need to know where to go and how to get a job here," Lucy said in a rush.
"Oh, I see, is this your first day of rumspringa?"
"Yes,"
"Well, you can find no better safety than our house, come, rest, eat,"
"Thank you very much,"
"You will have to share a room with Rachel though,"
"That will not be a problem, I used to share a room with my sister before she got married,"
Shelby just smiled at her.
-page break-
Around the dinner table the family got into their prayers as Lucy just observed before saying her prayers silently to herself.
"So Lucy, what do you plan to do? And why did you choose Lima, Ohio?" Shelby asked as she passed the bread to the young blonde first.
"Oh, I just wanted to go somewhere where my family couldn't get easy access to me, more because I want to experience this world on my own without them breathing down my neck about it, as for what to do, I don't know, I think perhaps a job," Lucy answered.
"I see, what about school?"
"I think it'd be fascinating to see an English school,"
"We're American sweetie,"
"Mama, English is their word for Outsider, so theoretically we're all English even though we're an Orthodox Jewish family," Rachel said.
"Oh I see," Shelby laughed, "Forgive my ignorance, I do not know much about Amish culture save for this rumspringa that I know your community lets your young take,"
"How do you know about our word for outsiders?" Lucy asked Rachel.
"I read about it in class, we were asked to read something that interests us and write about it, I saw something about the Amish and was intrigued so I read, you have a fascinating culture not too different from us,"
"Oh,"
"However, I will add that our family is a bit more on the progressive end than most Orthodox Jewish families," Hiram said, "I am not above learning more about the world around me, nor do I like to hold on to racial stereotypes that some of the others seem to hold,"
"Hmmm, like Miriam Puckerman, oy, that woman," Shelby said as she brought a palm to her face.
"Shelby, we should not gossip,"
"I know Hiram, I know, but she has been going at me about Rachel and how we're raising her wrong, and how her boy Noah is good for her,"
"Rachel told me as much,"
"I think it is ridiculous, now if Rachel were twenty-five and still unmarried I'd be a bit worried but I would not let her marry that Puckerman boy, he isn't right for her,"
"I know he is not right for her, but that is a decision she can make on her own when the time is right,"
"I know, but she is still sixteen, she doesn't need a prospective husband yet no matter how much my mother, or Miriam, or any other woman in the community thinks, like I said, she's not twenty-five yet, if she's still a spinster at twenty-five, then I'll step in,"
"Mama," Rachel started.
"It's true Rachel, I hope you find someone by the time you're twenty-five so that you can settle down and get married, give me grandchildren since I could only give my family one grandchild,"
"Mama,"
Shelby just smiled as she placed her hand softly on her daughter's face, "I want you to be happy,"
"I know Mama, but I'm sixteen, I have time to find someone,"
"Yes you do,"
"So none of you get married so young?" Lucy asked them.
"Not if we don't want to," Rachel said, "But then again, as my Abba said, we're a bit more on the progressive side, my friend Ruth for example is arranged to be married soon as she met the right man during her shidduch and she's eighteen,"
"Shidduch?"
"It's our way of dating with the prospect of getting married to said person, I haven't had one yet but like I said, my family is a bit more on the lenient side and my parents feel that I should consider doing a shidduch when I'm good and ready to do it,"
"Yes we are, I have always said to Rachel, 'you must question things, not just the wider world but the Torah too, and our faith, you must question it properly and seek answers or you will always be wondering for lack of asking,'" Hiram said as he took a sip of his water.
"Or too blind is what you told me Abba," Rachel said.
"That too,"
"Abba is a Rabbi,"
"Oh, you mean like Jesus was?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, something like that," Rachel said with a smile as Shelby coughed a bit at that.
"Well, perhaps we shall eat, now Lucy, how about you go to school with Rachel, perhaps you'll find it nice to be in a public school," Shelby said to Lucy, "Besides, I do not think you should have to work, not right now, experience life as a child first, get a small job later,"
"I have been to public school before, but I stopped when I was in eighth grade, my father thought it was good enough, so I'd love to see what High School is like, I'm sure it'll be fun," Lucy said with a smile.
Oh the joy of those famous last words.
AN 2: Alrighty team, I think I'll end the chapter there. Will work on this story and see how it will pan out.