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Authors: Beth Shriver
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surroundings as much as possible. Her clothes would draw enough attention, let alone her word choices.
“It’s nice of your family to take me in.”
“Do you even remember us?” He faced her now with a serious expression.
“Nee, I’m sorry.” Annie didn’t know whether he was disgusted with the distant relationship between their families or if it was about their banishment, but she definitely didn’t want the excommunication to come up. Whatever had happened was between him and his family.
“It was a long time ago.” He stopped at his car and pulled out the keys. “I suppose we were quickly forgotten.” He glanced over at her with a smug look.
Annie didn’t know what to say. She had heard about families who’d left, but she had no intent to speak about what she didn’t remember. Annie opened the car door. She was used to John holding her hand as she stepped up to the buggy and stuck her right hand out, then turned crimson once again and retracted her hand.
Rudy frowned.
“Sorry, it’s a habit.”
His facial features softened. “No problem.”
She pulled at the hem of her dress and studied the inside of his car. She’d never sat in the front of such a vehicle before. Only twice had she been driven anywhere. Once it had been a trip to the town store. The other trip had been to the hospital with mamm when her dawdi passed away.
Rudy walked around to his side and slipped down into the seat. He started the engine and navigated his way onto the busy freeway. “So, why are you here?”
“Your parents didn’t tell you?” If it were her people she wouldn’t be surprised, but then his parents had been once been Amish, and maybe they still respected their ways of privacy.
“No, they said not to ask.” He held the wheel with both hands and switched lanes quickly.
“Maybe that’s for the best.” In truth, she didn’t know anything about this person. He seemed to be fulfilling an obligation, no more. She needed be careful with whom she placed her trust while she was here. “Not to be rude,” she added.
“No offense taken.” He stared straight ahead.
The city was bustling with people—a few elderly and some younger, but most looked to be about her age or Rudy’s. “It looks to me as if the college students are the only people who live here.”
“That’s fairly accurate. Over half of the population are single college students.”
“Do you go to college?”
“I just started my second year at Eastern. I’m enrolled in the engineering program.”
Annie was relieved and surprised a moment later. She felt better that he attended the Mennonite school but was confused at his major. “The Mennonites become engineers?”
“Sure. Doctors, lawyers, all different professions. We manage to live in the world but not of it.”
His words stung a bit, but she didn’t know exactly why. She knew their differences, and so did he. Maybe this was just to establish things up front. “Are you implying the Amish are wrong to live separately?”
“That’s one reason we left. How can you evangelize when you’re not around nonbelievers?” He seemed oblivious to his cutting words.
Annie was used to the English opinion of them, but this was a former member of her people. “We may not have the opportunities you do to talk about our beliefs, but we live them.” Annie glanced out the window, realizing her words were no better than his. She wasn’t used to defending her faith and didn’t know how far to go with telling him her convictions.
“In a world all your own, how hard is that?” he questioned.
“Depending on others is not a weakness, as the rest of the world might believe.” Annie realized she needed to learn to watch and listen and yield to Gott’s timing in sharing her views.
“So how does banishing or shunning factor in with the depending on others part?”
“I think of the unity in my community as the nine-patch quilt. The individual pieces cannot create disorder. They all need
“It’s nice of your family to take me in.”
“Do you even remember us?” He faced her now with a serious expression.
“Nee, I’m sorry.” Annie didn’t know whether he was disgusted with the distant relationship between their families or if it was about their banishment, but she definitely didn’t want the excommunication to come up. Whatever had happened was between him and his family.
“It was a long time ago.” He stopped at his car and pulled out the keys. “I suppose we were quickly forgotten.” He glanced over at her with a smug look.
Annie didn’t know what to say. She had heard about families who’d left, but she had no intent to speak about what she didn’t remember. Annie opened the car door. She was used to John holding her hand as she stepped up to the buggy and stuck her right hand out, then turned crimson once again and retracted her hand.
Rudy frowned.
“Sorry, it’s a habit.”
His facial features softened. “No problem.”
She pulled at the hem of her dress and studied the inside of his car. She’d never sat in the front of such a vehicle before. Only twice had she been driven anywhere. Once it had been a trip to the town store. The other trip had been to the hospital with mamm when her dawdi passed away.
Rudy walked around to his side and slipped down into the seat. He started the engine and navigated his way onto the busy freeway. “So, why are you here?”
“Your parents didn’t tell you?” If it were her people she wouldn’t be surprised, but then his parents had been once been Amish, and maybe they still respected their ways of privacy.
“No, they said not to ask.” He held the wheel with both hands and switched lanes quickly.
“Maybe that’s for the best.” In truth, she didn’t know anything about this person. He seemed to be fulfilling an obligation, no more. She needed be careful with whom she placed her trust while she was here. “Not to be rude,” she added.
“No offense taken.” He stared straight ahead.
The city was bustling with people—a few elderly and some younger, but most looked to be about her age or Rudy’s. “It looks to me as if the college students are the only people who live here.”
“That’s fairly accurate. Over half of the population are single college students.”
“Do you go to college?”
“I just started my second year at Eastern. I’m enrolled in the engineering program.”
Annie was relieved and surprised a moment later. She felt better that he attended the Mennonite school but was confused at his major. “The Mennonites become engineers?”
“Sure. Doctors, lawyers, all different professions. We manage to live in the world but not of it.”
His words stung a bit, but she didn’t know exactly why. She knew their differences, and so did he. Maybe this was just to establish things up front. “Are you implying the Amish are wrong to live separately?”
“That’s one reason we left. How can you evangelize when you’re not around nonbelievers?” He seemed oblivious to his cutting words.
Annie was used to the English opinion of them, but this was a former member of her people. “We may not have the opportunities you do to talk about our beliefs, but we live them.” Annie glanced out the window, realizing her words were no better than his. She wasn’t used to defending her faith and didn’t know how far to go with telling him her convictions.
“In a world all your own, how hard is that?” he questioned.
“Depending on others is not a weakness, as the rest of the world might believe.” Annie realized she needed to learn to watch and listen and yield to Gott’s timing in sharing her views.
“So how does banishing or shunning factor in with the depending on others part?”
“I think of the unity in my community as the nine-patch quilt. The individual pieces cannot create disorder. They all need
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