Chapter 1.
“I don’t see why you don’t like Morgan. She’s so sweet,” Kate said as she pushed her foot down on the electric sewing machine. Kate had only ever worked on an electric sewing machine in Rebecca’s tailor’s store. The bishop allowed electricity in Amish places of business but not in the Amish homes.
“It’s nothing to do with whether I like her or not, she’s an Englisher,” Sarah said. “Our bruder would be happier if he met a nice Amish girl.”
“But she has never done anything wrong, even in the eyes of Gott. Just because she doesn’t believe in Gott doesn’t mean that she’s a horrible person,” Kate said to her younger schweschder, Sarah.
“Well, maybe not, but what about her tattoo?” Sarah said the word “tattoo” in a hush, like it was a word to be avoided, and simply saying it could get her into trouble. “How could she defile her skin in such a way? Gott gave her that pure skin, and then she just goes and tears it all up and makes it not even look like skin. I mean, why would she do that?” Sarah shook her head and looked back at her sewing and said under her breath, “She’s not like us. I don’t know why Jacob spends so much time with her. She’ll pull him away from Gott, and he should realize that himself. He’s too distracted by that pretty face of hers.”
Rebecca had listened long enough to her two employees speaking about her niece. Rebecca knew that Kate and Sarah thought she couldn’t hear what they were saying from the lunchroom, but she could hear every single word.
If only I hadn’t said things to the girls about Morgan when she first arrived. It’s all my fault that Sarah thinks badly of her. I told Sarah and Kate about Morgan being arrested back when she was in Canada, and I told them that she has a tattoo. Rebecca shook her head. The only time I ever talk about someone behind their back and it comes back to bite me. I have to set things straight.
With cup of tea in hand, Rebecca left the lunchroom and sat at the other end of the worktable from Sarah and Kate. “I couldn’t help hearing what you two said about Morgan. She’s a gut girl; she’ll come around to our Amish ways. I believe that Gott brought her here for a reason you know. She wasn’t here long before she met your bruder. Have faith that things will work out.”
Sarah ignored Rebecca’s words and continued, “Kate, you know our parents would never approve of her, and that’s why Jacob’s hiding her from them. He knows it won’t work out between them. He’ll eventually have to choose which world he belongs to.”
Rebecca placed her teacup down on the table loudly enough to gain their attention, but she was careful not to spill a drop. “Morgan has asked me questions about becoming Amish. You never know she just might surprise you.” The two girls looked up at her. Rebecca knew that they were surprised by the sharpness of her tone.
Rebecca was pleased she had finally gained their attention. “You know, when I was young, I wasn’t able to even go out unless whoever I was going out with came to the door to pick me up, even if I was going to a singing. That’s how strict my parents were. The first time a boy came over to take me for a buggy ride, my parents invited him in and asked him a lot of questions. I was very embarrassed.”
“Jah, you’ve told us that story before, Rebecca,” Kate said.
“The point I’m trying to make is that Morgan has a lot of adjusting to do. Things were very different for her in Canada. She’s trying to make a life for herself here, with Jeremiah and me. I’m sure she’ll see that the Amish way of life is a gut one, and I’m sure Jacob is giving her the space in which to do that.”
“But Rebecca, don’t you think that Jacob would have at least brought up that he was seeing someone to our parents by now, especially an Englischer? It has been a couple of months, you think he would have mentioned something to them,” Sarah said. “He can’t go on keeping it a secret like this. The bishop would never allow such a thing.”
“Well, he knows that your parents will forbid him to see her because she’s still an Englischer. If they know that Jacob is interested in a girl, they will most likely not stop inquiring about who she is and where he met her,” Rebecca said.
“But she’s even been arrested, Rebecca! How is Jacob going to explain that to our parents?” Sarah stopped sewing, leaned back in the chair and folded her arms.
Rebecca dropped her eyes to her tea. There it was, it was all her fault to gossip of Morgan and the trouble she’d gotten herself into back in Canada. She didn’t know that Morgan was going to fall in love with Sarah and Kate’s bruder, but nevertheless, she should have kept her mouth shut. “Jah, she was arrested, but she was not charged; she was innocent – falsely accused. Anyway, even if she were guilty people make mistakes, and need to be forgiven.” Rebecca said calmly, without any real emotion. She looked up at the two girls and said pointedly, “And each one of us here at this table have made many mistakes.”
Rebecca noticed that what she said silenced the girls and they turned their full attention back to their sewing. Rebecca smiled thinking of how quiet and uneventful her life was before Morgan knocked on her door. Morgan had certainly livened things up. In the beginning Morgan and Jeremiah did not get along, but now Morgan and Jeremiah had an understanding. The understanding was that if Morgan did what Jeremiah said, they got along splendidly.
Jeremiah was much firmer than Rebecca could ever be. Rebecca knew that was because she never had children, so was unaccustomed to having to discipline anyone, whereas Jeremiah had two boys, with his late wife, who were both now grown men.
“I’m just not sure I want her around my children, yet,” Sarah said. “Or yours, Kate. I mean we hardly know her.”
“Nee, she is good with children. Rebecca brought her to my haus once, and she entertained the little ones with stories, Bible stories,” Kate said.
Rebecca added, “Her parents sent her to children’s’ church on a Sunday. Anyway, what if I arrange a nice little get-together if you girls are willing to come by one evening. It would be fun, just us girls! We could make popcorn on the stove like the good old days when I was a girl, and we can play old board games like I did with my daed! Ach, it will be so much fun, and you’ll get to learn a bit more of Morgan.”
“That sounds like fun, Rebecca, but first you’ll have to have Morgan agree to it,” Kate said with a chuckle.
“Yes, of course, she will agree to it. I’ll see to that.” Rebecca said on her way back to the lunchroom.
“Rebecca?” Sarah said. “I think there’s still work to be done. This giant pile of sewing isn’t going to sew itself.”
Sarah and Kate both giggled.
“Ach, jah, of course.” Rebecca said as she put her teacup back in the lunchroom. When she joined the girls once more Rebecca made sure that she changed the subject.
