Read Online The Miting by Dee Yoder - Free Book Online

thinking of coming?”
    Leah nodded, looking behind her to the parking lot where Ada was watching her every move, pacing to and fro behind the buggy.
    Leah swallowed a lump born of anxiety over this bold move. “I’ll need to get a ride, but if I can, I plan to be there.”
    Naomi took out a small notebook and scribbled something on it. “Here’s the address. Let me know if you need a ride. Maybe we can arrange something.”
    “Thanks. I’d better get going.” She waved a hand toward her impatient sister. “Ada’s ready to go on home.”
    “Okay. Hope you can make it. Bye.”
    As Leah sprinted back to the buggy, her mind reeled with what she had just done. She wiped sweat off her forehead and tried to relax her tense jaw. Having untied Sparky, she hopped in the buggy as her sister jumped into the other side. Leah tried to disregard Ada’s bemused stare.
    Once they reached the outskirts of town, Sparky settled down and trotted along easily. Leah glanced at Ada, who was grinning like Cheshire cat.
    “Are you going to go?”
    Leah frowned at her sister. “What?”
    “Come on. I know why you talked with Naomi Schrock.”
    Leah shook her head. Trying to get something over on Ada was hopeless. “Didn’t take you long to get to the point, did it?” she groused.
    “Well? Don’t change the subject—are you?” Ada persisted.
    “I don’t know. I’d really like to learn more about Scripture, and Maem says I should read our Bible, but it’s in German and I just can’t understand it like I want to. It can’t be bad to learn about God. Can it?”
    Ada shrugged. The Bible was a book to her. Leah could tell she thought there were far more interesting books to read.
    They chatted back and forth most of the way home, with Ada cooking up ways they could sneak out of the house and places to meet or hitch a ride. Leah was uncomfortable playing this game, but as the conversation went on, she recognized she was storing away ideas for later. Maybe she could use one of these plans to get to a Bible study.
    Guilt flooded her heart. Her palms sweat as she considered sneaking off.
    As they turned down the road leading to the lane, Sparky sped up, intent on reaching the barn. Leah kept him tightly reined because she didn’t want to get home too quickly.
    “It must be really hard to be under the meidning ,” said Ada unexpectedly. “Even though they left many years ago, do you think the Schrocks still miss their families?”
    She remembered the stories she’d read in the brochure the Schrocks had given her. “I think so. Naomi Schrock said she passed her maem on the street once, but her maem wouldn’t speak to her—just smiled.”
    “That would be sad.”
    Leah’s mouth trembled when she thought of being shunned. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like not to be near family anymore, not to have Maem or Daet to talk with—or Ada, for that matter. Since the meidning extended to all family members, she’d have to sit at a different table away from her family.
    But what if she never joined the church before leaving home, would they still shun her?
    Once the buggy reached the lane, she let Sparky have his head, and the sisters leaned back on the seat, lost in their own worlds.
    Leah was thinking about the Bible study, reading whatever verses she wanted and discussing with others just like her what it all meant. She took a quick look at her sister and wondered if Ada was thinking of going on to high school, maybe even college.
    Ada spoke first, “Do you ever think about leaving, Leah?”
    Leah hesitated, searching her sister’s face to judge what she should share. She didn’t want to be a bad influence, but she also didn’t want to lie. She swallowed. “Sometimes. I want more freedom—I want to get out from under the rules, but maybe every teen feels that way. Do you?”
    “I do. Ja , it does annoy me the way we’re told exactly what to think and exactly what to do. And I’d love to go to school, maybe study