The Plain Visitor
"That was the last box, Charlie," MacGyver informed his now-former landlord as he slammed the metal door of the U-Haul trailer shut. "Sure that's all you wanna take with you?"
"Aw, an ol' coot like me doesn't need much, Mac. Got my own pillow and my favorite easy chair...ya know, the important stuff! Besides, I don't wanna be clutterin' up my daughter's new home with my old stuff. I hope ya don't mind that I'm leavin' so much behind."
"Naw," Mac waved off the comment with a smile. "This way I can advertise the apartment as 'furnished' and charge twice as much."
Charlie Rainey chuckled, "Nice try, but you're too honest a man to do somethin' like that." He paused before continuing in a more somber tone. "Have you really decided to rent it out?"
MacGyver sighed, "No. At least not yet. I was thinkin' of keeping it available for when Sam comes to visit." And Jack, and Penny, and any other wayward friends he added mentally.
"So, you're not ready to remodel then?" the older man asked, a glint in his eyes.
"Not yet," Mac grinned knowingly.
"Speaking of which, I expect an invite to your wedding unless I'm six feet under by then!"
"You can count on it," MacGyver assured him. "Joanna's sorry she couldn't be here to help, but with summer break about a month away she didn't want to take any time off."
"No worries, just be sure to give that little gal of yours an extra squeeze from me."
Mac grinned and shook his head as he watched Charlie climb into his old sedan.
"Are you sure I can't drive you?" he asked.
"You've done more than enough already. You take care now, hear?"
"Yes sir," MacGyver agreed, offering a mock salute as the car slowly rolled down the driveway before turning into the street.
With Charlie on his way, Mac locked up the townhouse before getting into his Jeep. Glancing at the gas gauge, he decided to stop and fill up before heading to Challengers.
He pulled into the nearest gas station and made quick work of refueling before going inside the small store to pay. At the counter, he found himself standing behind a girl who couldn't be more than seventeen years old. Her shiny black hair was scraped into a tight bun at the base of her neck and she wore a rather shapeless navy dress and sensible black shoes. A tattered suitcase made from a material akin to cardboard sat at her feet and MacGyver immediately recognized her as a member of one of the Amish communities in the central or western part of the state.
"But that is all the money I have," she said.
"I don't care, it's not enough," the surly attendant growled.
Mac looked at the counter to find a map of the city, a pre-packaged sandwich, and a bottle of root beer. He pulled out a few bills from his pocket and offered them to the man. "Here, this should cover it."
The girl immediately turned toward him and frowned. "I do not need your charity," she informed him.
A bit taken aback he replied with a smile, "Consider it my good deed for the day."
"Danki. I mean, 'thank you'," the girl replied, much meeker now as she gathered her purchases.
"No problem!" Mac called as she headed out the door. He then tossed more money on the counter to cover what he owed for gas before heading out as well.
Sliding behind the wheel of his Jeep, MacGyver noticed the girl sitting on the curb, the warm May breeze threatening to tug the open map from her hands. He knew he should just drive away. He had done what he could to help her. But leaving a penniless young woman in a strange town to fend for herself just wasn't something he could do.
"Need a hand?" he asked, bending to sit next to her.
"I thought you already did your good deed for the day," she observed.
Biting back a smile at her spunk he replied, "I guess I'm gettin' a head start on tomorrow. Where you headed?"
"I was planning on staying with my cousin here in the city."
Mac's eyebrows shot up and she giggled. "My cousin left the Amish before she was baptized. 'Jumped the fence' so to speak and is no longer Plain."
"Ah," MacGyver nodded in understanding. "So you're on Rumspringa?"
"My 'running around time'? Ja, I suppose you could say that," she replied.
But Mac didn't believe her. He had once spent some time with an Amish family in Pennsylvania and became acquainted with many of their customs. Teens on Rumspringa did their best to quickly shed their modest lifestyle and dress and act like their non-Amish, or English, peers while discerning whether or not they would return to their family and community to be baptized into their faith. Given this girl's dress and style of speech, she didn't fit that mold.
"How did you get here?" he asked.
"I have been saving the money I earn from selling the quilts I make and bought a bus ticket."
"It was more expensive than you thought, right?"
"Ja! How did you know?"
"Well, you seem like an independent, intelligent young woman. The kind that would plan her expenses and not run out of money so quickly. How do you plan to get to your cousin's place?"
She shrugged, "I do not know, but I will think of something."
"I can give you a lift if you want," he offered.
"Nee!" she replied, shaking her head vigorously. "I do not think that would be a good idea. I do not know you."
"Name's MacGyver," he told her. "People call me 'Mac'. And you are…?"
"Esther. Esther Zook."
"Nice to meet you, Esther," Mac smiled, relieved when she smiled back. "I realize you have no reason to trust me, but…"
"I do trust you," she replied quietly, cutting him off.
"You do?"
"Ja, you have been very kind and you have knowledge of my people. My heart tells me you are a good and honorable man. If you still want to give me a ride, could you take me to this address?" she asked hesitantly, handing him a slip of paper. "It is where my cousin lives."
MacGyver studied the address and frowned. It was on the other side of town and not the best neighborhood, especially for an innocent Amish girl. However, Mac had a feeling that Esther would try to get there no matter what, and at least he could offer her some protection if necessary.
"Sure. C'mon." They stood and he guided her to the Jeep.
Several minutes later, Mac parked the vehicle in front of a rundown apartment building with unsavory characters hovering nearby.
"You sure this is where she lives?" he asked
"Ja, it is the address she sent me."
Together they got out of the car and headed to the main entrance. Esther walked with purpose, easily ignoring the curious looks shot her way. Mac, on the other hand, kept a lookout for any sign of trouble. At the front door, Esther studied the panel of buzzers looking for the one assigned to her cousin.
"I do not see her name here," she told MacGyver.
"Maybe the manager knows something," he suggested, pushing the button to the corresponding apartment.
In a matter of moments, they could hear locks being open and security chains being withdrawn from the door.
"What do ya want?" a short but fierce woman who had seen better days asked.
"Are you the manager?" Mac asked.
"Unfortunately," the woman replied, bracing one arm against the door jam to block their entrance. "Who's askin'?"
"I am looking for my cousin. She lives in apartment number four."
The manager took her time studying Esther. Her expression a mixture of amusement and disgust. "Oh, that one. Had to evict her a week ago. Always had money for drugs but not for rent."
"Do you know where she went?"
"Don't know, don't care."
The Amish girl sent MacGyver a desperate look. Clearly her plan was not going as expected. Mac reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out one of the business cards Cynthia had insisted they have made up to hand out to people in need. He offered it to the manager.
"If you see or hear from her, could you please let her know she can contact her cousin here?"
The manager snatched the small white card from his hand, grunted, and slammed the door shut, throwing the bolts and chains back into place.
"What am I supposed to do now?" Esther asked, her eyes welling with tears, her spunkiness now replaced with despair.
"We move on to Plan B," Mac told her.
"What is Plan B?"
"You'll see," he said with a reassuring grin.
Driving back to the other side of the city, MacGyver pulled into his usual parking place at Challengers.
"What is this place?" Esther asked.
"It's kinda whatever someone needs it to be. In your case, it's a safe place to stay until we can get things figured out."
Esther relaxed in her seat but made no move to exit the Jeep.
"You didn't know your cousin was doing drugs, did ya?" Mac asked somberly.
Esther shook her head. "Nee. I know some young people in our community experiment a bit while on Rumspringa, but never like that. I cannot believe she is using her rent money to buy drugs! Are they more important to her than a home?"
Mac sighed, "Unfortunately, yes."
"I do not understand."
"Neither do I, Esther. Neither do I," MacGyver replied as they climbed from the Jeep.
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Joanna trudged up the steps to Challengers late that afternoon. She would be so glad when school was out for the summer. Between temporarily teaching full time and still trying to help Mac with the club, she felt as if she wasn't giving one hundred percent to either, and that just wasn't her way.
"Hi, what's up?" she asked as she greeted Rosie and Cynthia at the reception desk.
"The usual," the elder woman replied. "MacGyver brought in another stray."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. A young Amish girl, about seventeen. He met her at the gas station earlier. He told me she had planned to stay with her cousin but it fell through so he brought her here."
Just then Raul hurried up to Jo and his mother with Esther in tow.
"Ma, can I be Amish?" he asked, his tone and countenance completely serious.
"Why would you want to do that?" Rosie asked.
"Esther says Amish kids only go to school through the eighth grade. If I was Amish, I wouldn't have to go to school!"
Esther giggled, "You did not listen to the rest of what I told you, Raul. Once we finish school we have to go to work. Girls help their Maemms with household chores and boys help their Daedds in the fields or their shops."
"Then why are you here running around?" the teen boy asked.
"I already explained to you about Rumspringa," Esther reminded him.
"So when are ya gonna go back to being Amish?"
A shadow fell across the girl's face and she lowered her eyes. "I do not know. I may never return."
For once, Raul was rendered speechless, allowing Esther to turn her attention to Joanna.
"Are you another friend of Mac's?" she asked.
"I should hope so," Jo replied with a warm smile, "I'm his fiance."
"And my absolute best friend," MacGyver added, walking up behind Esther. "Can I see you in my office, Jo?"
"What's up?" she asked once the couple was alone.
"Esther needs a place to stay and since Charlie moved out this morning and left a furnished apartment I thought she could stay there. What do you think?"
"That's a great idea," Joanna confirmed. "She'll be a lot more comfortable there than here in the dorm."
"I was also thinking we could have dinner together. You can take her over, get her settled, maybe have a woman-to-woman chat while I pick up a pizza."
Jo took a step back, planted her hands on her hips, and eyed him suspiciously. "You've been doin' an awful lot of thinkin' today," she observed. "What's goin' on in that mind of yours?"
Mac blew out a breath. "There's something about her. Something just feels 'off'. I'm not sure she's here for the reason she says."
Joanna was about to make a pithy comment about being recruited as a field operative, but the concern and confusion in MacGyver's eyes stopped her. "Sounds like a plan," she confirmed.
"By the time we get you unpacked and freshen up, Mac should be here with supper," Jo told Esther as she unlocked the front door to what just yesterday had been Charlie's side of the townhouse.
"Oh my goodness!" Esther exclaimed as she followed Joanna into the apartment which was the mirror opposite of MacGyver's. "It is so fancy!"
Jo glanced around at the clutter, trying to see it through Amish eyes, before leading the way up the spiral staircase to the bedroom.
"You can put your things in here," she instructed, indicating the closet, and then took a seat on the bed as Esther carefully hung up three plain homemade dresses.
"After I get off work tomorrow we can go clothes shopping," Joanna offered. "I imagine you'd like to wear what English girls your age are wearing."
Esther shook her head vigorously. "Nee, that will not be necessary. I think I would feel quite uncomfortable in English clothes."
This response surprised Jo. From what she had read, Amish kids on Rumspringa could hardly wait to ditch their 'Plain' clothes for blue jeans.
"How long are you planning on staying in the city?" she asked, herself now curious about the younger woman's intentions.
"I do not know," Esther shrugged.
"Well, what would you like to do while you're here?"
"I was planning on taking care of my cousin's place and cooking and baking for us, but now I do not know what I am going to do. Perhaps Mac will let me help at the Challengers Club?"
"I'm sure he'd appreciate your assistance," Joanna replied with what she hoped was an encouraging smile.
"You and Mac love each other very much, ja?" Esther's face lit up with enthusiasm and Jo chuckled.
"Yeah, we do," she replied.
"What does it feel like to be in love?"
Joanna took a deep breath as she considered her answer. "I suppose it's different for everybody and it's kinda hard to explain. All I know is that I can't picture my life without MacGyver in it. Is there a boy back home that you're sweet on?"
The light in Esther's eyes dimmed. "No. There is no one," she answered.
"Is that the reason you came here? To find an English boy to date?"
"Oh, I could never do that!"
Joanna was now more confused than ever, but before she could pose another question, she heard the front door to the neighboring apartment slam shut. "Sounds like Mac is home," she said, pasting on a cheerful grin. "Let's go get some pizza."
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MacGyver had stalled as long as he could to give Joanna time to hopefully discover some things about Esther...like her reason for coming to Milwaukee. He had taken a circuitous route to their favorite pizza parlor and had purposely changed his order twice, much to the staff's chagrin, but upon leaving he left an overly generous tip to compensate for their time and trouble. He was taking plates out of the cupboard when the two women came through the front door.
"Oh! That smells gut!" Esther exclaimed, heading straight for the large square box situated in the middle of the small kitchen table. Mac immediately felt guilty realizing that she hadn't had anything to eat since the pre-made sandwich and root beer at the gas station earlier that day.
The three of them ate in companionable silence, and when the last slice of pizza was consumed, Esther excused herself saying she was tired from the long day and insisted she could show herself out. As soon as the door closed behind her, MacGyver turned to Joanna.
"So? What did ya find out about our visitor?"
"There's something definitely 'off' about this whole situation," she remarked without preamble. "She came here planning to keep house for her cousin. She insists on wearing her Amish clothes and has absolutely no desire to go out on dates with non-Amish boys. It's like she wants to be exactly who she is except live here in the city."
"Did she talk about her family or her life back home?"
Jo shook her head. "She only assured me she didn't leave a boyfriend behind."
"I wish she would just open up and tell us what's really goin' on," Mac said, scrubbing his face with his hands. "Until then we just have to work on earning her trust."
XXXXX
"Hey, Cynthia!" MacGyver called as he and Esther entered Challengers early the next morning.
"Goodness, you don't have to yell, I'm right here," she scolded as she approached them. "Now, what do you need?"
"Miss Zook has decided to spend the day with us. Do you think you could find something to keep her busy?"
Cynthia smiled and put her arm around Esther. "There's always something that needs doin'," she smiled. "Speaking of which, there are some things on your desk that need to be taken care of, MacGyver. In case you've forgotten, the river clean-up project is this Saturday."
Mac felt like he had taken a punch to the gut. He had forgotten. And if he didn't get with it, both Cynthia and Jo would have his head. "Yes, ma'am," he replied before heading into his office.
After lunch, MacGyver and Cynthia stood by the reception desk looking over some forms when a bear of a man strode through the front door. He wore black pants, a dark blue shirt, suspenders, and light brown hair poked out from underneath his straw hat.
"Can I help you?" Cynthia asked.
"I am here for my sister," he announced.
"Caleb!" Esther cried from where she was mopping the floor. "What are you doing here?!"
The large Amish man approached his sister. "I have come to take you home, Estie."
"How did you find me?" she demanded.
"Maemm found the letters from our cousin. I went to the address and the manager gave me this card saying I could find you here." Caleb produced the small rectangular business card Mac had given their cousin's landlady the previous day and winced as Esther pinned him with an accusatory glare as if he had done something wrong. "Now come, if we hurry we can be home before nightfall."
"I am not going home with you," Esther declared, defiantly tilting her chin. "I am on Rumspringa and have every right to do as I please."
Caleb scoffed, "You are not 'running around', you are running away from your responsibility to your family, the Yoders, and our church community!"
"What about my responsibility to myself?!" she countered loudly.
"Excuse me!" MacGyver cut in, raising his voice just enough to be heard. "How about we all have a seat and calm down?"
Mac led the way to a corner where he perched on the edge of a worn chair while the siblings sat side by side on a threadbare couch.
"Esther, Joanna and I already figured out you're not here on Rumspringa so would you mind telling me why you are here?"
The young woman lowered her gaze and MacGyver feared she might not answer.
"It is as my bruder said. I have run away from home."
"But why?"
Esther looked up at him, her eyes full of sorrow. "My parents have promised me to Isaac Yoder. It has all been planned. I will turn eighteen and be baptized in September and we will wed in November."
"An arranged marriage? I didn't think the Amish believed in those."
"Nee, as a general rule we do not, but there are always exceptions," Caleb explained. "Isaac is our closest neighbor and a gut friend. His wife died in childbirth nearly a year ago and left him with several young kinder to raise. It is time he find a suitable helpmate and get remarried for the sake of his family."
"So your parents offered him Esther?"
"Ja. The two of them have always gotten along well and the kinder enjoy spending time with her. Even the elders see it as a most sensible agreement."
"But I do not love him!" Esther cried as she shot to her feet, her hands balled into fists at her side.
"You will grow to love him!" her brother insisted, rising to his feet to stand beside her.
"Would you two just knock it off?!" MacGyver demanded, standing as well.
With peace once more established, Mac turned his attention to Esther. "Look, I know you don't wanna hear this, but I think your brother is right. You need to go home and work this out with your family."
The young woman's initial glare of contempt quickly turned to acquiescence. "I suppose you are right," she capitulated. "I cannot keep running forever. Could you please take me back to your house so I can pack?"
"No problem," Mac replied with a sympathetic smile.
"Estie, if you give me the rest of your travel money, I will go buy you a bus ticket. I already have mine," Caleb offered.
Esther lowered her head. "I used all my money getting here. It was more expensive than I thought," she muttered.
Caleb looked as if he were about to scold her again, but MacGyver sent him a quelling glance. "Then how do you plan on getting home?" he asked, his voice only slightly tinged with censure.
"I could drive you," Mac offered.
"Nee," Caleb objected. "It is over a three hour drive to Chilton. It would not be right for Estie to spend that much time alone in a car with a man."
"I could drive you both and you could cash in your bus ticket and get your money back."
For the first time that day the large Amish man smiled. "That sounds like a gut idea."
XXXXX
MacGyver took his foot off the gas and allowed the Nomad to slowly roll through the small town that comprised the Amish community located west of the state capitol. The main street housed several businesses, mostly Amish-owned, including a feed-and-seed store, a small grocery store, a buggy shop and a cabinet maker. Following Esther's directions, he turned onto a long, tree-lined road that led to a large but plain two-story white clapboard house with several outbuildings including a spacious barn.
"What does your family do for a living?" he asked, gazing at the unspoiled landscape before him.
"My father owns the largest dairy farm in the community," Esther answered proudly. "Come, Maemm and Daedd will want to meet you!"
Once introductions were made and friendly greetings exchanged, Mrs. Zook insisted MacGyver stay for dinner. Not wanting to be rude and finding himself hungrier than he first thought he gladly accepted the invitation. After a delicious and hearty meal, Caleb and his father excused themselves to tend to the evening milking and invited Mac along. A large number of cows already stood side by side in the barn which had been converted to a somewhat modern milking parlour while the rest of the herd waited patiently in a nearby pasture. Caleb hurried to join a group of other young men who were preparing the equipment as Mr. Zook and Mac followed at a slower pace.
"Due to the size of my herd, I hire other young Amish men to help out. I have also received permission from our bishop to use a modern milking machine run by a gasoline generator," Mr. Zook explained, answering MacGyver's unasked questions. Suddenly the older man stopped and turned to his guest. "Thank you for bringing our Esther home."
"No problem," Mac replied flatly.
"The tone of your voice indicates you do not approve of our plans for our daughter, but we must consider our church community and not our own desires."
"I get that, but doesn't Esther have anything to say about this? After all, it is her life you're talkin' about."
"The decision has been made," Mr. Zook said firmly.
"Couldn't you at least hear her out?"
"The matter is settled and no concern of yours, Mr. MacGyver."
"Daedd!" Caleb called, running from the far end of the barn. "The milking machine is not working and there is no way we can milk the entire herd by hand!"
"Mind if I have a look at it?" Mac asked, his gaze bouncing between father and son.
They both shrugged. "I will show you where it is," Caleb offered, "But I doubt you can fix it."
"We'll see about that," MacGyver murmured as he followed the younger man to the back of the barn. He turned on the machine and examined it. "You don't have any suction. The vacuum pump is shot," Mac declared.
"I thought I told you to get that pump replaced last week," Mr. Zook, who had made his way over, scolded his son.
"I bought one on Thursday but the man who installs them it is not available for several days. I was hoping this one would last until he could get here," Caleb explained.
"Do you have the new pump?" Mac asked.
"Ja, I put it in the store room."
"I'm pretty good with my hands. I could probably get it up and running," MacGyver said.
Within minutes, Caleb produced the new vacuum pump and some rudimentary tools. MacGyver dug in his pants pocket and retrieved his Swiss Army knife and set to work carefully dismantling the old unit and then installing the new. After finally connecting the pulsator to the vacuum pump, he sat back on his heels and wiped his brow.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Caleb asked in awe.
Mac shrugged. "Nowhere, really. I kinda have a knack for this sorta stuff. I also just paid attention while I was taking it apart and then did the reverse to put it back together. I bet you could do it next time."
"You saved us from many hours of hard work. How can we repay you, Mr. MacGyver?" Mr. Zook asked.
Mac rose and clasped the man's shoulder. "Go talk to your daughter. And when you're done talking, let her talk while you listen. Deal?"
Mr. Zook hesitated a long moment before taking in a deep breath. "Deal," he agreed, shaking MacGyver's hand.
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It was nearly midnight when MacGyver pulled up to his townhouse. His heart did a funny little flip when he saw Joanna's Chevy parked in his driveway and the warm glow of artificial light spilling from his windows. He entered to find her curled up in the corner of his couch with Frog spread out on the cushion beside her snoring contentedly. Not wanting to startle her, he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, causing her eyes to flutter open.
"You didn't have to wait up for me."
"I thought you'd be home earlier," she replied, trying to stretch out her muscles without disturbing the sleeping canine.
"Yeah, well, something came up."
"It always does," she acknowledged with a heartwarming grin as opposed to the disappointed scowl he was used to receiving at times like these. "Cynthia told me all about Esther and her brother. What happened after you took them home?"
MacGyver settled back in his arm chair and proceeded to tell Jo about meeting the Zooks, staying for supper, and fixing the milking machine, as well as the conversation Esther had with her parents.
"She promised them she'd go through with her baptism as planned, but that she wanted to marry for love, like they had. In the meantime, she agreed to work as a nanny and housekeeper for Isaac Yoder."
"And her father was okay with that?"
"Yeah, he was. I think her running off like that really shook him up."
Joanna agreed as she glanced at her watch and yawned. "I didn't realize what time was. I need to get going."
"Look, it's late and we're both tired, why don't you just spend the night."
"You've had a longer day than me and spent the last three hours on the road, I don't wanna kick you out of your own bed."
"You won't," he smirked.
"You're relegating me to the couch?! What happened to my chivalrous fiancé?"
"Now that I own this whole place, your chivalrous fiancé is going to suggest you sleep next door."
"At Charlie's?"
"It isn't Charlie's anymore."
"Have you decided what you're gonna do with the extra space yet?"
"I'm workin' on it," he assured her before giving her a long, slow, toe-curling kiss goodnight.