Read Online Called to Order by Lydia Michaels - Free Book Online Page B

withdrew the manila envelope that held his money. It was a cumbersome stack, and he made a mental note to divide his funds into two sets later that day, one for pocket money and one for the remainder of the money. He placed two hundred-dollar bills on the counter and realized the woman was gawking at the green-filled envelope. She then seemed to take in his appearance for the first time, her gaze pausing on his wide-brimmed hat.
    “You’re not from around here, are you?”
    “I am from Lancaster.” He slid the two hundred closer to her.
    “Well, between you and me, you may want to stop at a bank while you’re here. It ain’t smart walking around with that kind of money. You could get robbed.”
    “I’m sure I will be fine.” He gave her mind a gentle push to complete the transaction and forget his appearance and anything unusual she may have noticed.
    The woman asked for his name and made some more clicks on the computer then slid a plastic card across the counter. Adam tried not to react when he noticed her claws. The woman’s fingernails were so long they curled, and they were decorated like a calico cat. He took the card and his change, thanked the clawed woman for her time then headed to his room.
    Adam’s slumber was restless. Rather than the peaceful dreams he had become accustomed to, he had fleeting visions of ledgers and clocks. There was a sense of imperativeness he could not shake. He saw hands wrapping a black cuff of some sort around a frail arm and more clocks and dials he did not understand. Then the dreams shifted.
    He saw a brick building with dark windows. The perimeter of the structure was littered with trash. There was a glowing sign next to a green door, but he could not make out what it said. The door opened, and he moved into darkness.
    The images were so rapid and inconsistent he did not glean much from any of them. The only consistency among them was a subtle mood of company. He felt as though he was not seeing these images alone. That made no sense.
    The broken dreams continued throughout the day until Adam’s restless mind grew too tense and forced his body to wake. It was not quite dusk, so he spent his afternoon performing his daily ablutions, sorting his money, and reorganizing his bag. He had switched on the television again out of pure curiosity. The machine seemed to make time pass faster than normal, and he was growing impatient.
    Rather than the mustached man who had spoken to him the day before, today he watched an English man and woman interact. The woman was blond and dressed in men’s pants. Her shoes were unnaturally tall with spikes at the heel. The man wore a dress shirt and necktie. They spoke briefly about divorce. Divorce was not permitted among the Amish. It was grounds for excommunication. Among The Order, separations between man and wife only took place when a spouse was called to their destined true mate. Only then and in the rare instance of a spouse dying were members of The Order permitted to remarry.
    Adam studied the plush furniture and noticed technologies his home did not possess. The man, called Nick, made mention of preparing breakfast for the woman whom he referred to as Sharon. Cooking and baking was considered woman’s work to the Amish community. Adam did not know how to do more than heat a basin of water in the kitchen.
    Suddenly the woman began to caress the man’s face and in the next moment she was kissing him. Adam sat entranced as the man called Nick began to untie the woman’s blouse and remove it from her shoulders. In the next instant the man’s shirt was gone and the woman ran her hands over his bare flesh. He pressed her into the upholstered chair and began to kiss the soft flesh of her belly hidden by her undergarment.
    Adam reacted to the images he was seeing. His stomach tightened, and his body hardened. Although the sun was setting around him, the television displayed broad daylight streaming through the windows as the couple fondled