Rebekah and Jenna led Sarah around the small but bustling part of Nappanee where Jenna's grandmother lived, pointing out novelties and landmarks with the ease and excitement that came with being closely acquainted with the territory one is introducing to a newcomer. As they familiarized Sarah with her surroundings, Jenna or Rebekah would add a few short facts or anecdotes about this and that building, the customs of the Amish, or Nappanee's lengthy but fascinating history.
Sarah soaked it all in with a great sense of wonder, constantly asking her companions for more information about everything they passed. Laughing at her inquisitiveness, either Jenna or Rebekah would supply the knowledge Sarah wanted, then add some supplemental facts or tips to make their narrative more interesting.
They meandered about the streets slowly, allowing Sarah to take it all in without getting too overwhelmed. Everywhere, the old resided next to the new. Horse-drawn buggies parked next to shiny BMWs. Small wooden stores scrunched between brightly lit supermarkets. Tall, bearded men wearing earth-toned clothing passed by long-haired women wearing sweatshirts and jeans.
"So, what do you think?" Rebekah asked Sarah, who had been gaping in awe at the activity that characterized the place.
Sarah blinked and snapped her jaw shut. "It's awesome!" she replied. "Look at all those horses! And that little store over there with the painted wooden sign!" She breathed a sigh of contentment. "It's absolutely lovely."
"Yup. But there's something over there that I think is even more 'absolutely lovely.'" Jenna pointed across the street at an old-fashioned candy shop.
Sarah looked where Jenna's finger directed. A sign read: Caleb's Confectionaries.
Grinning, Sarah turned back Jenna, who was practically drooling at the sight of the multi-colored toffees and mints displayed in the shops' large windows.
"Let's go get some candy. Please?" Jenna begged.
Rebekah laughed. "Jenna, you just finished two bowls of chocolate ice cream two minutes ago! You want to buy more sweets now? Don't you think you had better wait first?"
Jenna pretended to pout. "Well, you Amish people might preach temperance and denying one's sweet tooth and all that, but there is something you have yet to learn: Jenna Merkle has an insatiable love of candy. And it never goes away. No matter what I've eaten two minutes ago." With that, Jenna strode purposefully off toward the candy shop, leaving the other two to shrug helplessly at one other before following their determined friend.
As the girls entered the shop, a bell rang above the door. A man at the counter looked up and smiled at the newcomers.
"Good afternoon, girls. How may I help you?"
Jenna got directly to the point. "Um, could you please show me where you keep the taffies?"
"Of course. Right this way." The man led her to a corner of the shop, and Sarah and Rebekah wandered down the aisles, gazing at the prettily decorated sweets and sugars that filled every shelf and wall.
Sarah walked slowly between two shelves entirely dedicated to chocolate. As she passed by, a small brown box caught her eye. Pausing, she picked it off the shelf and looked through it. Inside, little animal-shaped chocolates were arranged neatly in pairs. There were twenty chocolates in all. Sarah turned the box over and looked at the price. $2.99.
Not bad, she thought. I wonder if I should get a box or two for Grandma and Grandpa.
She held the chocolates in her hand for a few moments; then made her decision. Grabbing another box, she headed for the checkout counter, where Jenna was in line with a bag of rainbow-colored taffies.
"Hey, you're buying candy too?" Jenna asked Sarah, surprised. Rebekah joined them as Sarah answered.
"Yes, but not for me. I'm going to bring these home to Grandma and Grandpa."
"Sarah Logan, you're too selfless," Jenna teased, "always thinking about other people, and never about yourself. Tsk, tsk."
"Ha. I don't need to think about myself. I'm an only child, remember? My folks pamper me all the time." Sarah joked back.
"True," Jenna mused. Then it was her turn to pay for her candy, and when Sarah finished, the three walked out the door into the blazing afternoon sun.
"Now what?" Jenna asked. "We've pretty much seen everything there is to see around here." Jenna tapped her chin in concentration.
Rebekah spoke up. "I think it is about time I headed back home. My mother will be missing me. What if you came with me? I'm sure it will be all right if you visit for a while. Ma is looking forward to seeing you, Jenna, and I'm sure she'll love to meet Sarah."
"That's a great idea!" Jenna exclaimed happily. "I can't wait to see your little sibs again! What do you think, Sarah?"
Sarah's eyes were wide. "I'd love…I mean…I never…I've always wanted to meet an Amish family."
Rebekah laughed at Sarah's flustered words. "That's wonderful. You can meet mine."
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The green sedan pulled up to an Amish homestead, surrounded by large acres of plowed fields. It came to a pause, and Jenna hopped out from the drivers' side. She took the key from the ignition and slammed the door.
"C'mon!" she called to the others happily. Rebekah and Sarah emerged from within the car and slammed the doors shut. Sarah was still carrying the plastic bag that contained the two boxes of chocolates.
As Sarah and Rebekah walked to join their friend, two little heads bobbed around the house. Gabriella froze when she saw Jenna, causing her brother to crash into her. Both fell to the ground with a thud.
"Whoa, there!" Jenna called good-naturedly. "What are you two little devils doing?"
Gabriella and Matthew got up and dusted themselves off.
"Jenna!" Gabriella ran to the older girl and hugged her around her waist. Matthew followed suit. Laughing, Jenna ruffled their hair and grinned. "It's good to see you again, too."
Rebekah emerged from behind Jenna, and her siblings ran to give her a hug, too. Then they saw Sarah. For the second time that afternoon, both children froze, not sure what to make of this newcomer.
"Oh. I forgot to introduce you. Clumsy me." Jenna noted woefully, before taking Gabriella's hand and leading her to Sarah. "This is my friend Sarah. I don't know if Rebekah told you she'd be visiting, but Sarah is staying with Granny and me for the next few weeks." She let go of the little girl's hand, and stepped back, allowing Sarah and Gabriella room to get to know each other.
Gabriella looked at the ground shyly, not sure what to say. But Sarah smiled gently at the little dark-haired girl, and knelt on the ground before her.
"Hello, I'm Sarah. But I know Jenna just told you that. What's your name?"
"Gabriella." The little girl glanced up quickly at Sarah, then turned back to the ground bashfully.
"Gabriella," Sarah repeated the name, and her soft voice made it sound especially beautiful. "What a lovely name. You're very lucky to be named after an angel. That's what 'Gabriella' means, you know."
"I know," The girl was gaining confidence in the presence of this now-not-so-strange stranger, "Pa told me so."
Sarah smiled encouragingly at the younger girl. "And I suppose that's your brother, Matthew?" she indicated the boy who was standing a few feet behind Gabriella, clinging to his sister's hand. Gabriella nodded at Sarah's question, then waved Matthew over. Slowly, he came.
Sarah reached into her plastic bag and pulled out the two boxes of chocolates. "Is it okay if I give these to you two?" she asked the children. "It's not really good for me to eat so much candy. I'd like you to have it. Do you like chocolate?"
Matthew and Gabby's eyes widened at the sight of the treats. When they did not reach for the boxes, Sarah took their hands and placed the candies in them.
"But…" Rebekah started above their heads. Sarah turned to look at her. "I thought you were going to give the candy to your grandparents. I'd hate to have you…" Matthew and Gabby, realizing what their sister was saying, started to return the candy.
Sarah cut Rebekah off gently. "No, I can always get Grandma and Grandpa more chocolates. But I've only just met these two. I want them to have it." She smiled again at the children, encouraging them to keep the treats.
"If you insist…" Rebekah stated uncertainly. Then she turned to her siblings and prompted them: "What do you tell Sarah?"
"Thank you," the children chorused happily, still a bit filled with wonder at this gift from an almost-stranger.
"You're very welcome," Sarah replied, then stood up and dusted off her jeans.
Rebekah held out a hand to Sarah, and waved Jenna over. "Come. Let us go inside. My mother is anxious to see you." The three girls headed to the front porch, followed by the Matthew and Gabriella. Gabby trailed Sarah closely, chattering about her chickens while Sarah laughed at the little girl's antics.
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Ethan Longacre was heading in from the fields when he spotted, in the distance, a small group of people heading toward his front door. As he got closer, he recognized three of them as his own children. The other two he could not distinguish at first. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued to approach the group, his footsteps making soft squishing sounds in the rich soil.
Matthew spotted him first.
"Papa!" he cried, waving furiously at his father. One by one, the others turned. The girl standing to the right of Rebekah smiled at him and waved as well, calling out as she did: "Good afternoon, Mr. Longacre!"
He recognized her as Jenna Merkle, the granddaughter of that nice retired lady who lived in the center of Nappanee's town. Matthew ran to him and hugged him tightly, and Rebekah smiled at him. "Hello, Pa."
"Hello, Rebekah, Jenna," he nodded to his daughter and her friend. Then he realized that Gabby hadn't yet noticed him. That was strange. Looking up, he noticed his youngest daughter clutching a small, decorated box and speaking excitedly to another girl, whose long dark hair covered her face as she bent to listen.
"Gabby, would you like to introduce me to your new friend, here?" Ethan asked his daughter, amused. Gabby spun around, right into her father.
"Papa!" she cried delightedly and held out her arms to be hugged. Ethan bent to pick her up, then stood to get a glimpse of the newcomer. She was now standing straight, and as she unconsciously pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, Ethan finally caught a glimpse of her face.
The girl had almond eyes, shoulder length ebony hair, a thin, graceful frame, and a small smile playing across rose-coloured lips.
No! It couldn't be…there's no way…The world dissolved and seemed to swirl around Ethan in a swath of colors. His eyes widened, and his jaw nearly dropped. Gabby frowned as his arms relaxed and she slipped to the ground.
"Papa?" she asked, a bit worried. He didn't seem to hear her. Instead, he kept staring at the seventeen-year old standing before him, memories from a distant past flashing like firecrackers in his mind.
A hospital…an angel…a teenage Englischer girl with almond eyes, shoulder-length ebony-coloured hair, a gracefully thin frame, and warm, rosy lips.
"Leah," he breathed.
