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Authors: Beth Wiseman
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giggling.
Mamm yanked back on the reins and slowed the horse, then came to a complete stop as they neared a stop sign. “Do you think this is funny, Emily?”
Emily shrugged. “ Ya , I guess I do.”
“You are being disrespectful, both of you.” Mamm twisted her body in the seat to face Emily, then looked back and forth between Emily and Betsy in the backseat. “I want this to be a gut day.”
“Why does every day have to be a gut day for you, Mamm ?” Emily threw her hands in the air. “I don’t always have gut days, but Betsy did something I thought was funny, so I giggled.” She paused, raised her brows. “But unless the happiness is on your terms, in your perfect little world, then it’s not al right.”
Emily had never spoken to her mother like that before. Mamm’s eyes rounded, her lips pressed tightly together, and she took a deep breath. “Emily...”
She breathed in again. “Our Lord would not approve of the way you’re behaving, and—”
There was a calmness in her mother’s tone that only caused Emily to react even more harshly. “He wouldn’t approve of the way you act either, Mamm !
How can you always be happy after what happened to...” She glanced at Betsy, whose bottom lip was quivering. Emily let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t always be happy, Mamm .”
“We need to pray, girls.” Her mother bowed her head.
Emily shook her head as she opened the door of the buggy. Like so many other times in the past three months, she didn’t want to talk to God. There were no cars anywhere in sight on the rural road, and she stepped out of the buggy. “I’m not going.”
Mamm raised her head as her eyes grew wide. “Emily, you get back in this buggy!”
“I can’t do it today, tend.” She bent at the waist and held her stomach for a moment, then rose up when she heard her mother’s door slam. Mamm ! I just can’t! I don’t want to go be around Beth Ann and everyone else, to have to smile and pre Mamm rounded the back of the buggy. “Emily, please just get back in the buggy.”
“I can’t.” Emily moved slowly away from her mother. “Not today.”
“How wil I explain your absence at Sister’s Day?” Mamm thrust her hands on her hips, atop her heavy black coat.
Emily’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you, Mamm . You just don’t get it! And al you’re worried about is how to explain why I’m not there?” Emily kept easing backward, then turned and started walking briskly back home, trying to avoid patches of snow stil left on the asphalt.
Her mother cal ed after her, and Emily could hear Betsy screaming again, but she just kept walking, the frigid wind burning her cheeks, tears streaming down her face.
DAVID WAS GLAD to be working outside, feeling the sun on his back. His father and Lil ian had decided to take Anna and Elizabeth with them to town this morning before getting started on the caulking or resuming the unpacking. He lifted his black boot high, then sank it into fresh snow and stopped to put his hand to his forehead. To the west stood the San Juan Mountains, capped in white, with sparse sprigs of greenery on the lower peaks. Though he wasn’t thril ed about his new home, the massive mountain ranges in every direction were awe-inspiring, and he liked the way the sun blazed down from blue skies, making the snow glisten like glitter for as far as he could see.
He pul ed on the barn door, then pul ed again. When it wouldn’t budge, he leaned down and hand-shoveled snow until the door opened enough for him to squeeze through the opening. Benches and tables that they’d brought from Lancaster County were stacked on one side of the barn. He doubted they would need half of the tables and chairs whenever it came their turn to hold worship service. His father had already told him that there weren’t many folks in the area, and only a few families made up the district here. Because of that, David felt a sense of isolation. Despite the beauty of the mountain
Mamm yanked back on the reins and slowed the horse, then came to a complete stop as they neared a stop sign. “Do you think this is funny, Emily?”
Emily shrugged. “ Ya , I guess I do.”
“You are being disrespectful, both of you.” Mamm twisted her body in the seat to face Emily, then looked back and forth between Emily and Betsy in the backseat. “I want this to be a gut day.”
“Why does every day have to be a gut day for you, Mamm ?” Emily threw her hands in the air. “I don’t always have gut days, but Betsy did something I thought was funny, so I giggled.” She paused, raised her brows. “But unless the happiness is on your terms, in your perfect little world, then it’s not al right.”
Emily had never spoken to her mother like that before. Mamm’s eyes rounded, her lips pressed tightly together, and she took a deep breath. “Emily...”
She breathed in again. “Our Lord would not approve of the way you’re behaving, and—”
There was a calmness in her mother’s tone that only caused Emily to react even more harshly. “He wouldn’t approve of the way you act either, Mamm !
How can you always be happy after what happened to...” She glanced at Betsy, whose bottom lip was quivering. Emily let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t always be happy, Mamm .”
“We need to pray, girls.” Her mother bowed her head.
Emily shook her head as she opened the door of the buggy. Like so many other times in the past three months, she didn’t want to talk to God. There were no cars anywhere in sight on the rural road, and she stepped out of the buggy. “I’m not going.”
Mamm raised her head as her eyes grew wide. “Emily, you get back in this buggy!”
“I can’t do it today, tend.” She bent at the waist and held her stomach for a moment, then rose up when she heard her mother’s door slam. Mamm ! I just can’t! I don’t want to go be around Beth Ann and everyone else, to have to smile and pre Mamm rounded the back of the buggy. “Emily, please just get back in the buggy.”
“I can’t.” Emily moved slowly away from her mother. “Not today.”
“How wil I explain your absence at Sister’s Day?” Mamm thrust her hands on her hips, atop her heavy black coat.
Emily’s jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you, Mamm . You just don’t get it! And al you’re worried about is how to explain why I’m not there?” Emily kept easing backward, then turned and started walking briskly back home, trying to avoid patches of snow stil left on the asphalt.
Her mother cal ed after her, and Emily could hear Betsy screaming again, but she just kept walking, the frigid wind burning her cheeks, tears streaming down her face.
DAVID WAS GLAD to be working outside, feeling the sun on his back. His father and Lil ian had decided to take Anna and Elizabeth with them to town this morning before getting started on the caulking or resuming the unpacking. He lifted his black boot high, then sank it into fresh snow and stopped to put his hand to his forehead. To the west stood the San Juan Mountains, capped in white, with sparse sprigs of greenery on the lower peaks. Though he wasn’t thril ed about his new home, the massive mountain ranges in every direction were awe-inspiring, and he liked the way the sun blazed down from blue skies, making the snow glisten like glitter for as far as he could see.
He pul ed on the barn door, then pul ed again. When it wouldn’t budge, he leaned down and hand-shoveled snow until the door opened enough for him to squeeze through the opening. Benches and tables that they’d brought from Lancaster County were stacked on one side of the barn. He doubted they would need half of the tables and chairs whenever it came their turn to hold worship service. His father had already told him that there weren’t many folks in the area, and only a few families made up the district here. Because of that, David felt a sense of isolation. Despite the beauty of the mountain
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