Chapter Four
Ben stretches as he wakes up. He looks around and realizes yesterday wasn’t a dream. No he’s still sitting in the shabby little Amish farmhouse. The bed had been quite comfortable and he at least had slept well. Now his mind was whirling again, he was trying to figure out how he was going to finish the two weeks here.
As he is walking down the stairs he smells bacon and eggs. His stomach growls like he’s been starving for weeks. Ben knows better than though, he had ate the equivalent of a horse last night, he swore.
“Hey Cousin Ben when you’re done eating, you want to come and help me in the field?” Sally looked at him.
“You know you can just call me Ben! Sure let me just eat really quick and I’ll be right there.” Ben smiled at her.
He noticed that she turned red as she ran off.
Sara laughed a bit, “You embarrassed her a little, don’t worry, she’s shy!”
“This is delicious.” Ben said. “I’m really sorry about my comments last night. You know they say that people often think of things as dumb, just because they don’t understand them. Really I want to know everything, and I promise to listen.”
“Apology accepted. Now finish eating and go help Sally plow.” Sara motioned for him to finish up and go.
Ben gulped down the rest of his meal and finished it off with a huge cup of coffee. He ran out the door to go to the field. He found Sally there struggling to control the horses as they moved the plowing instrument through the dirt.
I don’t know how to do this, how in the world am I even going to help her. He studied her closely, trying to pick up her movements so that he could duplicate them. “I’m not sure to help you, what would you like me to do?” He asks her.
She shakes her head as to say right now she doesn’t need him. He stands watching her, just in case she calls on him for help. He’s studying her so much that he doesn’t notice the old man who comes up behind him.
“Hello young man. What are you doing here?” The old man’s voice is loud, and Ben jumps.
“Oh I didn’t notice you coming up, I’m sorry. My name’s Ben, I’m here to visit my Cousin’s.” He holds out his hand to shake the man’s hand.
“Hmm, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of you. Which cousin are you?” He asks Ben.
Ben is wondering who this old man is, when Sally spots him and runs up. “Grandpa, how are you today?” She asks.
Now it makes sense to him, he must improvise though. “I’m her fourth cousin on her Uncle Burt’s side. We live up near the St. Lawrence River area in New York.”
“Oh welcome to our community. I had heard we had a few relatives in that area. So Sara was kind enough to take you in? That’s nice of her, but I don’t know if it will help her out in the community or not.” The old man stated.
“Well she should be considered as a very generous young lady. I think my cousin Sara might have given the wrong impression somehow.” Ben stated he felt as if he was defending her honor. He had wanted to say much more, but didn’t dare. It would have given up the story, and Sara would be kicked out of the community.
“It’s that generous nature that made her the outcast. She should never have stuck up for Elizabeth. Not like she did anyway. If she really did know the truth, though some of us still wonder if she was fooled by the young girl’s story too.” The old man said.
“I don’t think I’ve heard this story.”
“Elizabeth went out for rumspringa and when she came back she was pregnant. Not only that but she tried to accuse one of the young men of the community, saying he had raped her. The truth came out though, and she was shipped off. Sara had fought for the girl, though she had never said anything about the boy. That’s what makes me think she knew the truth all along. Surely if she was sticking up for her friend, she would have wanted him to be in trouble. But instead she always avoiding condemning him. Some fell for the story that she didn’t know the truth, not me though. One more mistake from her, and she will be kicked out for sure.” He stated.
Ben studied the man, he was quite serious, and Ben could see it in his eyes. “That would be a shame. I don’t know about this story though, and what she knew and didn’t know. I can only tell you the little bit I’ve seen and she’s a good girl, who will be a fine woman for some man one day.” Ben stated.
“Oh she will never be a bride. No man in our community would touch her. She’s been marked by her choices of friends. She most likely had sex during rumspringa too. After all her and Elizabeth were like sisters.”
Ben wanted to say, just because one of them was wild, it didn’t mean both of them were. He had never seen a sign from Sara that she even thought about such things, let alone had sex already. No she seemed pure as the day was white. “That’s a shame I think those men will be missing out a great bride.”
The old man studied him a bit longer, and then wished him a good day. Ben studied the old man as he walked away. The weight of how bad it was for Sara in this community hit him like a brick.