The moon shone brightly and the stars twinkled as they drove through the
darkness of the autumn night. There were no lights along the sides of the
thin, rough road that led them away from the Longacre farm. Leah watched
the road continue to grow longer and longer as she followed the guiding
glow of her headlights. The women of the Longacre family had prepared a
wonderful dinner, without a surprise since they always do, and the night
was very interesting and she was glad she was able to go with Maxine and
Brian. It was getting late as they saw the first sight of the town of
Nappanee. "So Max, what did you think of tonight?"
Maxine was leaning against the side of the passenger door on the brink of falling into a deep sleep. She yawned and sat up and said, "Err... what did you say Leah? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I'm just tired... but I'm fully awake now."
Leah grinned and repeated her question. Maxine thought carefully, trying to choose the proper words to describe tonight, and eventually said, "It was... interesting."
Great minds think alike, Leah thought. She sarcastically responded, "Interesting... that's to put it the least!" She laughed as she made a turn onto Main Street.
Max laughed and said, "Yeah. Well... most of the Longacre family seems nice. The dad seemed a bit stiff though, not exactly the friendliest person I've met."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. That's what I first thought too when I met him but he sort of grows on you I guess. You learn to adjust to it..." She couldn't help but try to sound positive when she talked about him. She had tried her best to understand Mr. Longacre's ways ever since she had found out about his sensitive health condition. She came to the conclusion that Mr. Longacre was that way he was because he was Amish, obviously, and he had very unfortunate experiences with the English in his past and he has become much more reserved in the presence of English folk.
"Err... maybe. Well, anyways... Jonas seems really nice. He seems to care for Charity a lot, which is a good thing." She turned her head and watched the passing buildings as they drove past a row of stores and houses and continued to speak. "And Martha... I understand what you meant when you said she was 'polite' but seemed oddly content and smitten about something. She's... let's just say if she were in my school now, I wouldn't be friends with her. Come to think of it, I don't think too many people would be. She seems very insecure which causes her to be very possessive and touchy about little things."
She smiled at her friend's accurate perception, as she spoke, "Yeah, but I think I would be too if I had my boyfriend stolen from me once and worrying he might be stolen again, even though I made it clear I'm not going to do anything again. It's understandable... I guess."
"Yeah I know, I know. I just don't like her. She gives off a bad vibe," she said as she turned to look behind her in the passenger seat and saw her little brother fast asleep in the backseat.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. So... how's your German? Do you think you'll be able to pull up your mark with the help of Elizabeth?"
"Definitely! Thanks for setting me up with her! She's so nice and patient, the making of a great teacher! I think I'll improve very quickly. We've agreed to meet every Tuesday and Friday after dinner for my tutoring lessons! I'm excited."
Leah was surprised by her friend's enthusiasm and began to wonder if she had other ideas in her mind, possibly seeing Simeon but she did not mention it to her friend. "That's good to hear."
"So did anything happen with Ethan? How's the whole 'friend' thing going?" For a large portion of the night, she was with Elizabeth and Simeon. She thought Elizabeth was very exciting and fun to be with and hoped she could form a friendship as strong as Leah and Charity's. And, she also enjoyed the company of Simeon who was very funny, not to mention good-looking!
"Well... we talked... still doing the whole catch-up thing. Actually, it's more like him asking me about my life because nothing much has changed here. Anyways... we didn't really talk alone that much because Martha was always there tagging along holding his arm or hugging him or something like that... as if she was marking her territory. It was quite amusing!"
Maxine giggled as they turned on to the driveway of their house just as Brian opened his eyes. He yawned and said, "Wow, home already? Tonight was fun! Let's go again sometime." He shook off his sleepiness as made his way to the front door with Leah and Max following behind him.
Brian was past his bedtime and quickly got ready for bed before his father lectured him. Max also got ready for bed and said goodnight to Leah and went to her bedroom. Leah was taking her time in the bathroom and eventually slid into the comforts of her bed covers. She had difficulty falling asleep and began to replay the events of tonight.
Dinner had just finished and Elizabeth, Maxine, Martha, and
Charity were helping Mrs. Longacre clean up the table and wash
the dishes when Ethan pulled her aside. He led her onto the
back porch where they were given some privacy, away from
everyone else. "I'm sorry about tonight. Martha has been...
acting strangely tonight," he said as they sat beside each other
on the steps of the porch.
"It's okay, I don't mind that much. I can understand why she
might be acting differently in my presence... it's quite
understandable. You know... with everything that's happened. She
must feel a bit insecure about me being here and all..." The
layers of dark blues, indigos, and dark purples weaved over and
under each other to form the blanket of the cool night sky. The
stars were out dancing over the darkness of the night as a cool
breeze gently blew with the rustling of the autumn's leaves.
"Yeah but she should still try to be nice and all. I've made it
clear to her already..." he trailed on but they both knew he was
about to say that he made it clear to Martha that nothing would
happen between him and Leah again.
"Yeah... Well girls can be very insecure sometimes so just give
her some time I guess. She'll ease up when she adjusts to me
being around here."
This pleased Ethan. Not the easing up part but the way Leah
talked about being here, which meant she would not leave him
behind. Maybe this friends thing might just work, he thought to
himself as he intently listened to Leah. "I hope you're right
Leah. She has changed a lot after everything has happened..."
"Oh really? How? She seems more or less the same... sort of." I
hope her change didn't have to do with me, she thought to
herself with worry.
"Well... she's changed in little ways. A normal person probably
would not notice but I am with her very often and you pick up on
a few times here and there."
"Oh... Well... maybe I'll understand what you mean soon... if I start
to see her more often, which I probably will since she's also at
the farm quite often." This continued to please Ethan even more
by her words. "So how are things on the farm? The harvest is
almost over, right?"
"Yeah. We're quite on the way. Just a few things to finish up
and we'll be done this year's harvest. This year had a slow
start because the winter ended later than usual but once the
warmth and the sun of the summer season came, everything grew
with haste, so the year ended quite well. So how's school?"
"Well I'm taking a break from it. Not too sure when I'll go
back... Maybe start in the spring semester or wait until next
year or the year after. Depends on how things play out I
guess..."
"Oh alright. I'm glad that you're still in school. You're very
smart and you have a lot of potential. It's good you aspire to
be a nurse; I know you'll make a wonderful one once you're done
all the necessary schooling. Maybe even better than Molly!" He
smiled as they both stood up and walked towards the barn.
"Yeah... I'll just be glad to be half the nurse Molly was," she
said as they both laughed. The night was a colourful glow as
the moon radiated the night sky. They both stared dreamily
towards the stars and became caught in a trance by the gentle
elegance of the evening. Eventually Leah was the first to snap
back to reality and said, "So what exactly happened with Leah
and Jonas? Before I came back Charity seemed pretty angry with
Jonas and he seemed pretty adjusted to the English lifestyle. I
was so surprised to see them together, let alone engaged, that I
didn't say anything. Your sister seemed so happy... I didn't want
to ruin it by asking her about a difficult time..."
He looked at her and contemplated for a moment before speaking.
"He did not return to the Amish ways for quite awhile... some of
us even wondered if he would ever return at all. And when I
come to think of it, I don't think he would have if it didn't
happen..."
"What do you mean? What happened? What was so big that led him
back here?" she asked curiously.
"Well, you know how Jonas drinks a lot and he never really
understood, let alone cared about the dangers of drinking
excessively..." She nodded, signaling she understood what he was
talking about. "One night he was drinking with his English
friends at his house and everything was fine... but then he began
drink much more than he ever did. He soon became very ill and
passed out but his English friends thought he was just sleeping
so they just left him alone. Charity and I went to visit him.
She missed him a lot and hoped she could convince him to return
back to the Amish world. When we knocked, no one answered but
the door was open so we went inside and found him alone on the
floor unconscious with a lot of empty bottles around him. We
tried to wake him up but he just wouldn't come to so Charity and
I brought him to the hospital. The doctors took the alcohol out
and stabilized him and eventually he woke up. He scared
everyone, especially Charity, but most importantly, himself. He
realized that he had crossed the borderline and he had gone far
enough. After that night, he has become much more cautious with
his life... that is why he cares for Charity so much... She means
everything to him and he almost lost her and he does not want to
risk that again... ever..."
Leah found this shocking and it took her awhile to process the
whole story. "Wow! I never expected that! I guess sometimes
you just have to hit rock bottom to know how much you've thrown
away... So did Charity just... got back together with him... right
after?"
"Oh no! It took a whole month... Jonas came over every day for an
entire month asking for her forgiveness. It took him two weeks
just to convince her to speak to him..."
Leah laughed as she imagined Jonas begging on his knees,
pleading to Charity. "Yeah... that seems more like Charity."
"But I knew she cared about him greatly because every time Jonas
left our farm, she would come running to me and ask him what he
said and to see if he was okay. And eventually, she forgave him
and slowly he regained her trust and soon her love. And now...
here we are I guess..."
"That's a very sweet story! A nice ending..." She smiled and
turned to look around the quiet, peaceful farm.
"Yeah, they are perfect for each other. Since we're on the
topic of filling in the gaps... how are you? After Neil's...
passing? Has your mother gotten married again?" He asked
inquisitively as he stood up and stretched.
"I coped with it well. I know he tried his best to fight the
cancer but some battles aren't meant to be won. Plus, I know
he's not longer suffering but with God, in a better place. But
I do miss him but I try to think about the good times I had with
him and what made his presence in my life worthwhile. He was
the only person that was ever a real dad to me... That meant a lot
to me. And my mom took it pretty hard though..." She sighed and
continued, "It took her about two years before she even
considered dating again... She wasn't sure if she wanted a sixth
husband because it was near impossible to beat Neil but she
eventually found another man. They're honeymooning now... What a
surprise! But if it makes her happy then I can't really say
anything about it. But I know deep down, Neil was my dad and
that's all I need to keep in my heart."
Ethan nodded as he listened intently, absorbing all of her
words. "Life is full of obstacles and you've surpassed so
many."
She smiled and appreciated his encouraging comments. "Yeah but
I worry sometimes..."
"About the cancer...? Worried it'll come back?"
"Sometimes you know me too well Ethan... But yes... I worry that one
day when I go to my check-up my doctor will tell me there is a
dark patch in my body that has cancerous cells... It happened to
Neil so it can happen to me too!" She sighed and looked up to
be comforted by Ethan's sincere, gentle smile.
"You should know by now that God wouldn't let you go through
anything unless He knew you could endure it. And with Neil... It
was just his time to join God but it doesn't mean your time is
going to end... Everyone will eventually be reunited with God but
you're going to become a nurse... You have too much good and
potential to leave this world now..." He smiled and stroked her
back, trying to comfort her worry and anxiety and it worked.
Leah's apprehension soon eased as she leaned into the safe
comforts of Ethan's chest as he wrapped her arms around her.
Right. That's how she would describe it, she thought. As she
was enclosed in the strong, safe hold of Ethan's arm, she became
covered in a layer of warmth and safety, something she hasn't
felt for years – four to be exact when she was last with Ethan.
Ethan caressed the soft, silky layers of her dark brown hair as
he held Leah in his arms. He became at a lost with words and
was left speechless by this profound feeling... as if everything
was right in the world.
This tender moment between them was soon cut short when they
both realized simultaneously that what they were doing shouldn't
have happened. She slowly backed away to a safe distance and
smiled awkwardly. "Well thanks for this talk. It helped to
know we can still talk about anything and I'm glad we've decided
to be friends." She wasn't sure but in her mind the words
'friends' seemed to be emphasized quite strongly...
Caught off guard, Ethan quickly nodded and stuttered, "Oh... err...
right! Yeah... Great... Always be friends..." He smiled awkwardly and
looked to the ground.
"Yeah... Well I better go back inside. I'm sure they wouldn't
mind two extra hands to help out with the dishes. I'll see you
around... next time I come to the farm." She smiled and turned
towards the door and soon disappeared into the depths of the
Longacre household.
Leah thought about her talk with Ethan and was content with the thought of being friends... Just friends... But she couldn't shake off the feeling she had when they were hugging. It just felt right. Does that even make any sense? We're friends – that's all! The hug was innocent... He was just comforting me because that's what friends do! Yeah... that's got to be it! She continued to run all her ideas through her mind and eventually dove into a deep sleep.
---------------------------------------
Ethan laid in his bed as stared at the ceiling, also replaying the events of that night. What was I thinking when I hugged and held her... If Martha walked in... He shook off his worries and promised himself not to slip up like that again! For the rest of the summer, he will be Leah's friend and nothing else because that is what she asked to be and I want her to remain in my life so it's settled! Friends, period! But as he thought to himself and debated over his actions more and more, he soon began to wonder... At that very moment... it just felt... right! I haven't felt that for years... Four to be exact... With Leah...
Maxine was leaning against the side of the passenger door on the brink of falling into a deep sleep. She yawned and sat up and said, "Err... what did you say Leah? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I'm just tired... but I'm fully awake now."
Leah grinned and repeated her question. Maxine thought carefully, trying to choose the proper words to describe tonight, and eventually said, "It was... interesting."
Great minds think alike, Leah thought. She sarcastically responded, "Interesting... that's to put it the least!" She laughed as she made a turn onto Main Street.
Max laughed and said, "Yeah. Well... most of the Longacre family seems nice. The dad seemed a bit stiff though, not exactly the friendliest person I've met."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. That's what I first thought too when I met him but he sort of grows on you I guess. You learn to adjust to it..." She couldn't help but try to sound positive when she talked about him. She had tried her best to understand Mr. Longacre's ways ever since she had found out about his sensitive health condition. She came to the conclusion that Mr. Longacre was that way he was because he was Amish, obviously, and he had very unfortunate experiences with the English in his past and he has become much more reserved in the presence of English folk.
"Err... maybe. Well, anyways... Jonas seems really nice. He seems to care for Charity a lot, which is a good thing." She turned her head and watched the passing buildings as they drove past a row of stores and houses and continued to speak. "And Martha... I understand what you meant when you said she was 'polite' but seemed oddly content and smitten about something. She's... let's just say if she were in my school now, I wouldn't be friends with her. Come to think of it, I don't think too many people would be. She seems very insecure which causes her to be very possessive and touchy about little things."
She smiled at her friend's accurate perception, as she spoke, "Yeah, but I think I would be too if I had my boyfriend stolen from me once and worrying he might be stolen again, even though I made it clear I'm not going to do anything again. It's understandable... I guess."
"Yeah I know, I know. I just don't like her. She gives off a bad vibe," she said as she turned to look behind her in the passenger seat and saw her little brother fast asleep in the backseat.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. So... how's your German? Do you think you'll be able to pull up your mark with the help of Elizabeth?"
"Definitely! Thanks for setting me up with her! She's so nice and patient, the making of a great teacher! I think I'll improve very quickly. We've agreed to meet every Tuesday and Friday after dinner for my tutoring lessons! I'm excited."
Leah was surprised by her friend's enthusiasm and began to wonder if she had other ideas in her mind, possibly seeing Simeon but she did not mention it to her friend. "That's good to hear."
"So did anything happen with Ethan? How's the whole 'friend' thing going?" For a large portion of the night, she was with Elizabeth and Simeon. She thought Elizabeth was very exciting and fun to be with and hoped she could form a friendship as strong as Leah and Charity's. And, she also enjoyed the company of Simeon who was very funny, not to mention good-looking!
"Well... we talked... still doing the whole catch-up thing. Actually, it's more like him asking me about my life because nothing much has changed here. Anyways... we didn't really talk alone that much because Martha was always there tagging along holding his arm or hugging him or something like that... as if she was marking her territory. It was quite amusing!"
Maxine giggled as they turned on to the driveway of their house just as Brian opened his eyes. He yawned and said, "Wow, home already? Tonight was fun! Let's go again sometime." He shook off his sleepiness as made his way to the front door with Leah and Max following behind him.
Brian was past his bedtime and quickly got ready for bed before his father lectured him. Max also got ready for bed and said goodnight to Leah and went to her bedroom. Leah was taking her time in the bathroom and eventually slid into the comforts of her bed covers. She had difficulty falling asleep and began to replay the events of tonight.
Dinner had just finished and Elizabeth, Maxine, Martha, and
Charity were helping Mrs. Longacre clean up the table and wash
the dishes when Ethan pulled her aside. He led her onto the
back porch where they were given some privacy, away from
everyone else. "I'm sorry about tonight. Martha has been...
acting strangely tonight," he said as they sat beside each other
on the steps of the porch.
"It's okay, I don't mind that much. I can understand why she
might be acting differently in my presence... it's quite
understandable. You know... with everything that's happened. She
must feel a bit insecure about me being here and all..." The
layers of dark blues, indigos, and dark purples weaved over and
under each other to form the blanket of the cool night sky. The
stars were out dancing over the darkness of the night as a cool
breeze gently blew with the rustling of the autumn's leaves.
"Yeah but she should still try to be nice and all. I've made it
clear to her already..." he trailed on but they both knew he was
about to say that he made it clear to Martha that nothing would
happen between him and Leah again.
"Yeah... Well girls can be very insecure sometimes so just give
her some time I guess. She'll ease up when she adjusts to me
being around here."
This pleased Ethan. Not the easing up part but the way Leah
talked about being here, which meant she would not leave him
behind. Maybe this friends thing might just work, he thought to
himself as he intently listened to Leah. "I hope you're right
Leah. She has changed a lot after everything has happened..."
"Oh really? How? She seems more or less the same... sort of." I
hope her change didn't have to do with me, she thought to
herself with worry.
"Well... she's changed in little ways. A normal person probably
would not notice but I am with her very often and you pick up on
a few times here and there."
"Oh... Well... maybe I'll understand what you mean soon... if I start
to see her more often, which I probably will since she's also at
the farm quite often." This continued to please Ethan even more
by her words. "So how are things on the farm? The harvest is
almost over, right?"
"Yeah. We're quite on the way. Just a few things to finish up
and we'll be done this year's harvest. This year had a slow
start because the winter ended later than usual but once the
warmth and the sun of the summer season came, everything grew
with haste, so the year ended quite well. So how's school?"
"Well I'm taking a break from it. Not too sure when I'll go
back... Maybe start in the spring semester or wait until next
year or the year after. Depends on how things play out I
guess..."
"Oh alright. I'm glad that you're still in school. You're very
smart and you have a lot of potential. It's good you aspire to
be a nurse; I know you'll make a wonderful one once you're done
all the necessary schooling. Maybe even better than Molly!" He
smiled as they both stood up and walked towards the barn.
"Yeah... I'll just be glad to be half the nurse Molly was," she
said as they both laughed. The night was a colourful glow as
the moon radiated the night sky. They both stared dreamily
towards the stars and became caught in a trance by the gentle
elegance of the evening. Eventually Leah was the first to snap
back to reality and said, "So what exactly happened with Leah
and Jonas? Before I came back Charity seemed pretty angry with
Jonas and he seemed pretty adjusted to the English lifestyle. I
was so surprised to see them together, let alone engaged, that I
didn't say anything. Your sister seemed so happy... I didn't want
to ruin it by asking her about a difficult time..."
He looked at her and contemplated for a moment before speaking.
"He did not return to the Amish ways for quite awhile... some of
us even wondered if he would ever return at all. And when I
come to think of it, I don't think he would have if it didn't
happen..."
"What do you mean? What happened? What was so big that led him
back here?" she asked curiously.
"Well, you know how Jonas drinks a lot and he never really
understood, let alone cared about the dangers of drinking
excessively..." She nodded, signaling she understood what he was
talking about. "One night he was drinking with his English
friends at his house and everything was fine... but then he began
drink much more than he ever did. He soon became very ill and
passed out but his English friends thought he was just sleeping
so they just left him alone. Charity and I went to visit him.
She missed him a lot and hoped she could convince him to return
back to the Amish world. When we knocked, no one answered but
the door was open so we went inside and found him alone on the
floor unconscious with a lot of empty bottles around him. We
tried to wake him up but he just wouldn't come to so Charity and
I brought him to the hospital. The doctors took the alcohol out
and stabilized him and eventually he woke up. He scared
everyone, especially Charity, but most importantly, himself. He
realized that he had crossed the borderline and he had gone far
enough. After that night, he has become much more cautious with
his life... that is why he cares for Charity so much... She means
everything to him and he almost lost her and he does not want to
risk that again... ever..."
Leah found this shocking and it took her awhile to process the
whole story. "Wow! I never expected that! I guess sometimes
you just have to hit rock bottom to know how much you've thrown
away... So did Charity just... got back together with him... right
after?"
"Oh no! It took a whole month... Jonas came over every day for an
entire month asking for her forgiveness. It took him two weeks
just to convince her to speak to him..."
Leah laughed as she imagined Jonas begging on his knees,
pleading to Charity. "Yeah... that seems more like Charity."
"But I knew she cared about him greatly because every time Jonas
left our farm, she would come running to me and ask him what he
said and to see if he was okay. And eventually, she forgave him
and slowly he regained her trust and soon her love. And now...
here we are I guess..."
"That's a very sweet story! A nice ending..." She smiled and
turned to look around the quiet, peaceful farm.
"Yeah, they are perfect for each other. Since we're on the
topic of filling in the gaps... how are you? After Neil's...
passing? Has your mother gotten married again?" He asked
inquisitively as he stood up and stretched.
"I coped with it well. I know he tried his best to fight the
cancer but some battles aren't meant to be won. Plus, I know
he's not longer suffering but with God, in a better place. But
I do miss him but I try to think about the good times I had with
him and what made his presence in my life worthwhile. He was
the only person that was ever a real dad to me... That meant a lot
to me. And my mom took it pretty hard though..." She sighed and
continued, "It took her about two years before she even
considered dating again... She wasn't sure if she wanted a sixth
husband because it was near impossible to beat Neil but she
eventually found another man. They're honeymooning now... What a
surprise! But if it makes her happy then I can't really say
anything about it. But I know deep down, Neil was my dad and
that's all I need to keep in my heart."
Ethan nodded as he listened intently, absorbing all of her
words. "Life is full of obstacles and you've surpassed so
many."
She smiled and appreciated his encouraging comments. "Yeah but
I worry sometimes..."
"About the cancer...? Worried it'll come back?"
"Sometimes you know me too well Ethan... But yes... I worry that one
day when I go to my check-up my doctor will tell me there is a
dark patch in my body that has cancerous cells... It happened to
Neil so it can happen to me too!" She sighed and looked up to
be comforted by Ethan's sincere, gentle smile.
"You should know by now that God wouldn't let you go through
anything unless He knew you could endure it. And with Neil... It
was just his time to join God but it doesn't mean your time is
going to end... Everyone will eventually be reunited with God but
you're going to become a nurse... You have too much good and
potential to leave this world now..." He smiled and stroked her
back, trying to comfort her worry and anxiety and it worked.
Leah's apprehension soon eased as she leaned into the safe
comforts of Ethan's chest as he wrapped her arms around her.
Right. That's how she would describe it, she thought. As she
was enclosed in the strong, safe hold of Ethan's arm, she became
covered in a layer of warmth and safety, something she hasn't
felt for years – four to be exact when she was last with Ethan.
Ethan caressed the soft, silky layers of her dark brown hair as
he held Leah in his arms. He became at a lost with words and
was left speechless by this profound feeling... as if everything
was right in the world.
This tender moment between them was soon cut short when they
both realized simultaneously that what they were doing shouldn't
have happened. She slowly backed away to a safe distance and
smiled awkwardly. "Well thanks for this talk. It helped to
know we can still talk about anything and I'm glad we've decided
to be friends." She wasn't sure but in her mind the words
'friends' seemed to be emphasized quite strongly...
Caught off guard, Ethan quickly nodded and stuttered, "Oh... err...
right! Yeah... Great... Always be friends..." He smiled awkwardly and
looked to the ground.
"Yeah... Well I better go back inside. I'm sure they wouldn't
mind two extra hands to help out with the dishes. I'll see you
around... next time I come to the farm." She smiled and turned
towards the door and soon disappeared into the depths of the
Longacre household.
Leah thought about her talk with Ethan and was content with the thought of being friends... Just friends... But she couldn't shake off the feeling she had when they were hugging. It just felt right. Does that even make any sense? We're friends – that's all! The hug was innocent... He was just comforting me because that's what friends do! Yeah... that's got to be it! She continued to run all her ideas through her mind and eventually dove into a deep sleep.
---------------------------------------
Ethan laid in his bed as stared at the ceiling, also replaying the events of that night. What was I thinking when I hugged and held her... If Martha walked in... He shook off his worries and promised himself not to slip up like that again! For the rest of the summer, he will be Leah's friend and nothing else because that is what she asked to be and I want her to remain in my life so it's settled! Friends, period! But as he thought to himself and debated over his actions more and more, he soon began to wonder... At that very moment... it just felt... right! I haven't felt that for years... Four to be exact... With Leah...