An Undeniable Secret (Amish Secrets--Book 4) Page 6

  A soft knock on his door prompted an answer.

  “Come in,” he bade.

  Marita opened the door several inches and stood in the doorway. “Mr. Griffith, your uncle requested your presence at the dinner table.”

  “Please tell him I’m not hungry, Marita.” The statement wasn’t entirely true. He could stand to eat a meal, but he’d been avoiding his uncle’s presence as much as possible lately. He’d grab a bite alone, later, when Uncle George retired for the evening.

  “He asked me not to return without you, sir.”

  William sighed. Why did Uncle George have to involve Marita in their tussles? It wasn’t fair to her, and William knew his uncle often used Marita as leverage to get him to do his bidding.

  “Okay, Marita.” William stuck the class notes he’d taken into his textbook and closed it, and then hopped off his chaise. He followed Marita down the hallway and into the dining room.

  Uncle George folded the newspaper he’d been reading and set it beside his plate. He removed his reading glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  Will’s eyes narrowed. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes, William. We don’t see each other all that often. I’d like you to at least have supper with me when you are home.”

  William frowned. “I was studying.” Attempting to study would have been more accurate.

  “You need to eat too. Take a seat.”

  Will nodded and obediently sat at the table, opposite Uncle George. Three chairs separated them on each side of the table, and William had always wondered why his uncle owned such a large table for just the two of them.

  “How are your classes coming along?”

  “Fine.”

  “It’s a wonder you have time to study anymore these days.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Will’s jaw clenched.

  “It seems to me that your attention has shifted to other, less important, things lately.”

  “First of all, Sally is not a thing. Second, you’re crazy if you think school is more important than she is. Third, like I’ve told you before, my relationship with Sally is none of your business.”

  “Indeed. William, I’m trying to protect you from the mistake of a lifetime.”

  “Please don’t. I’m entitled to make my own mistakes, aren’t I? I plan to marry Sally one day. There’s nothing you can say to change my mind.”

  “William,” Uncle George sighed, “the Amish, their family ties are strong. She’ll leave you and go back to them.”

  “No, she won’t. She loves me.”

  “William, trust me on this one. It’s happened time and time again. Love is not a factor.”

  How could his uncle say love was not a factor? Of course, it was! The biggest factor of all. Had his uncle once loved an Amish woman? Did he get his heart broken? Is that why he was so adamant against their union?

  “It won’t happen to us.” He was confident of it.

  “I know you don’t think it will, William. But what if it does? What if she leaves you?”

  William thought for a few seconds. “If she leaves, I’ll have to follow her.”

  “And give up everything you’ve worked so hard for?” Uncle George rubbed his forehead. “Your parents set aside a lot of money for you to go to school.”

  “Is anything more important than love?”

  <><><>

  William smiled as he glanced at the small stuffed bear in the passenger’s seat. He couldn’t wait to see Sally light up when he gave it to her in just a few moments. However, the bear wasn’t the most special part about his gift; it was the promise ring that sat in the box the bear held in its paws. Although it would probably be a while before they actually married, Will wanted to give her something to let her know that she belonged to him exclusively. He knew she wouldn’t be able to wear the ring while she was still Amish, as that was against their rules, but he wanted her to have it just the same.

  When he turned down the road that led to Sally’s driveway, he immediately noticed two of her sisters in the garden. Hopefully they hadn’t found out about his and Sally’s intimate relationship. Sally could explain that to everyone when she was good and ready. For now, they would just take their relationship in stride as far as her family was concerned.

  He saw one of Sally’s sisters run into the house at the sight of his Jeep. Was she going to get Sally or alert her to his presence? One of Sally’s sisters met Will at the Jeep.

  “Is Sally here?” He smiled at the timid girls.

  One of them shook her head silently. The other one handed him an envelope. Both girls turned and hurried back to the house.

  William frowned and looked toward the house. Did this mean Sally wasn’t able to come to work today? Why hadn’t she called him from the phone shanty?

  He studied the envelope in his hands. Perhaps his answer lied within. He opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. His eyes scanned the words at first, then he realized the letter’s intention. He now carefully read each word.

  Dear Will,

  You will probably find this letter as difficult to read as I find it difficult to write.

  Please know that I am sorry. I know this letter will hurt you. You can be certain sure that I love you, but we cannot be together. I will miss you.

  I’ve gone to Kentucky to take a teaching position in an Amish school. Please do not try to come find me. I feel this is the best for both of us.

  I can’t explain everything because I don’t have a lot of time, but I didn’t want to leave without telling you goodbye.

  I pray that you will find a nice Englisch woman to love and that the two of you will have a family that you can raise to know Gott.

  This is not easy for me to do, but it is necessary. I hope you have a happy life without me.

  Always,

  Your Sally

  P.S. There is some good news that I wanted to tell you too. My family will be able to keep the farm after all! Isn’t that wonderful gut?

  William refused to cry as he reread the words in disbelief. Sally was gone? How? Why? None of this made any sense! This wasn’t true, was it? It was a joke. A very bad joke. It had to be. Sally wouldn’t write this letter. She loved him. She wouldn’t just leave him for no reason.

  He stared out at the house. Did Sally’s mother or sisters hold the answers? Will blew out a breath and killed the engine. He wasn’t just going to leave without inquiring why Sally had left. He couldn’t.

  He marched to the house and knocked on the door. A woman, who William recognized as Sally’s mother, opened the door.

  “Is Sally, uh, Saloma, here?”

  Her mother shook her head. She looked out toward William’s vehicle. “She said to give you the letter, and that it would explain everything.”

  Explain everything? “Why did she leave?” Will made his best attempt to keep his composure.

  “She is going to be a teacher.” Her mother’s tone hinted at pride.

  “But she had a job here.”

  “She won’t be going to that job anymore.”

  William felt like shaking the woman. How could she be so nonchalant about her daughter’s leaving? Didn’t she realize that he’d just lost the love of his life? The one he’d been making plans with for a bright future together? The woman he’d hoped would take his hand in marriage and bear him children? The love of his life who he’d longed to grow old with?

  “When will she be coming back?” he asked in desperation. He could wait a year or two, couldn’t he? Patience certainly wasn’t his strongest virtue, but he could possess it if need be.

  “She’s not coming back. She will stay in Kentucky.”

  Will wanted to protest. There were a hundred questions he needed the answers to, but doing so would have cast suspicion on his and Sally’s relationship. If he let on that they’d been involved romantically, there was no way on earth she’d ever be able to come back. He had to keep his head about him.

  “I’d li
ke to correspond with her. May I have her address? Uh, her employer will want to send her a thank you note.”

  “Nee.”

  “No?” Will’s jaw dropped.

  “She said not to give the address to anyone.”

  “If I give you a letter, would you be able to send it to her for me?” Did he sound as desperate as he felt?

  Saloma’s mother shook her head. “I’m sorry.” She moved to close the door. “Goodbye.”

  Will stared at the closed door just inches from his face. So that was it? No chance of communication with Sally? William’s chin hung to his chest and he ambled back to his Jeep.

  How was it that one day could be the best day of your life and the next day the worst? How was it that a person could feel such joy one day and the next day he could feel such pain? And how was it that Sally could profess her love one day and leave him alone and brokenhearted the next?

  Uncle George had been right all along.

  Chapter 11

  Saloma knew she should be thrilled about her new teaching job; it was all she’d ever wanted to do since she was a little girl, but, somewhere along the way, the position had lost its glittering appeal. As she read through the latest edition of Blackboard Bulletin she found herself longing for Will.

  But a life with him could never be.

  Sally brushed away the tears that relentlessly cascaded down her cheeks. Leaving Will had certainly been the most difficult thing she’d ever had to do, but she couldn’t see any viable alternative.

  Every time she imagined Will reading her letter, it felt as though someone had thrust a sword through her heart. She knew he loved her, and she hated the fact that she was hurting him. Did he know her heart was breaking too? Did he notice the tear stains on the letter she’d left for him?

  If only there was a way.

  Someday, in the distant future, this would all make sense, but, for now, Sally couldn’t fathom why their reality had to be so brutally heartbreaking.

  Lord, please heal our broken hearts. Mend them with Your perfect peace and love. I don’t understand what it is, God, but You have a plan in all this. Help me to trust You. Help us both to trust You.

  Saloma took a cleansing breath and placed her kapp over the tight bun at the nape of her neck. She didn’t know if she could get through her first day of teaching without breaking down in tears, but she would try.

  She thought of Will. He had his college classes to attend. Would either of them be able to focus on their tasks at hand? Saloma doubted it.

  No, she was quite certain life would never be the same for either of them again.

  <><><>

  “William, is everything all right?” Uncle George walked into the library where William had been studying.

  He pressed his palms to his eyes, attempting to dispel his tears of frustration, and regarded Uncle George. “No. Everything is not all right.”

  Uncle George walked to William and squeezed his shoulder lightly. “Want to talk about it?”

  Will was taken aback by his uncle’s gentle voice. His normal tone was usually more strained.

  William lifted his hands. “I don’t understand what happened. Sally and I were getting along great. I even bought her a ring! How could she just leave me?”

  “I’m truly sorry, William.”

  “You were right all along. How did you know?”

  “I’ve seen it before. I’ve talked to those on both sides. It just seems that the Amish are too different from us.” Uncle George rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Think about it. Can you imagine living your entire life without electricity? Without reliable transportation, having to depend on others to take you into just the next city? Their whole thought process is different. Most of them don’t even vote.”

  Will shrugged and realized it was true, although he didn’t want to. He had been blind to their differences, believing that somehow they could overcome them. They could’ve compromised on the things they disagreed on, couldn’t they? Life together wasn’t completely impossible, was it?

  “Why would she leave?” Will couldn’t help his pleading tone.

  “Give me a man who can understand women and I’ll give you a million dollars.”

  Was his uncle attempting to lift his spirits? Will did appreciate it. He’d been desperate for a father figure since his father passed away, and, although he knew that Uncle George could never truly fill that void, he appreciated his attempts.

  William locked eyes with his uncle. “Thank you, Uncle George.”

  “Please come to me any time. I’m willing to listen and offer the best advice I can give.”

  “I’m grateful for it.” Will nodded, and then watched his uncle slip out of the library and into his office.

  Chapter 12

  “Saloma Troyer?”

  Saloma glanced up from her desk. Deep in thought, she’d forgotten she was waiting on a ride.

  “I’m Elam Zook. Bishop Hershberger sent me to give you a ride.”

  Saloma smiled at the handsome young Amish man. “Gut to meet you. Elam was my vatter’s name. I’ll just be a minute.” She turned to gather the papers that she’d been scoring.

  “I can help with that.” Elam moved to the desk and handed her one of the papers that had fallen onto the floor.

  “Denki.”

  Elam held her bag while she entered the buggy, then handed it to her. He quickly moved around the front, being sure to pet his driving mare, then slid into the seat beside her.

  “So, you come from Pennsylvania?” Elam slightly adjusted his straw hat then made a kissing sound to signal the horse forward.

  “Jah.”

  “My folks are from Ohio. Moved down here a few years back ’cause the price of land is cheaper in these parts. I’ve heard it’s pretty expensive in Pennsylvania too.”

  “That’s what I’ve heard. I don’t know much about real estate prices.”

  “When’d you get here?”

  “Just a couple of days ago.”

  “Jah. We didn’t have meeting last Sunday. It’ll be this week at the Lengachers’ place.”

  It would be a while before Saloma had a chance to meet everyone, but so far the folks she’d met seemed nice. Even so, she still missed home.

  “We’ll be having a singin’ after the service too. I could drive ya home then if you’d like.”

  “That’s a kind offer, Elam. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing yet.”

  “You got a beau back home?”

  The thought of Will tormented her soul. “[iNee.” Not anymore.

  “Gut. I mean, uh, there’s quite a few single young men here. I don’t know if you’re interested.”

  “I’m not really looking,” she said quietly.

  “Ah, so you did have a beau back home. I see. That’s okay. I still think you should come to the singin’, though.” He playfully nudged her shoulder with his. “I think you’d have fun.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Just don’t wait too long. We lonesome fellas can’t wait around forever.” He winked.

  Saloma laughed out loud for the first time in days, and it felt good. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

  <><><>

  William had never realized how vulnerable love made a person, until Sally’s departure. How on earth did she expect him to just forget about her, and move on with his life? He didn’t want to forget her; he wanted to marry her.

  What could be more important to her than their relationship? Was she really that eager to secure a teaching position? She said she loved him, so why would she leave? Had her mother or the bishop discovered their relationship and sent her away? Was that why she left? None of this situation made a lick of sense.

  Desperation for answers sparked an idea. What if he traveled to Kentucky and visited all of the Amish schoolhouses? Finding them wouldn’t be too difficult, would it? It certainly wouldn’t be impossible. He could search the Internet for Amish communities there, and then ask around. Would the Amish folks tel
l an Englischer where their schoolhouses were located? It would be a task, for sure, but nothing was too difficult if it meant finding Sally.

  He’d set out tomorrow as soon as the morning service ended.

  Chapter 13

  Saloma closed her eyes as her hands deftly moved to wash the large serving dish. The church meeting here in her aunt’s Kentucky Amish district had been a little different than what she was used to back in Lancaster County. The sermons seemed a bit shorter, and the ministers used more English than Bishop Mast or the ministers in her home community typically did.

  It seemed there were many other differences in this community as well. Aside from the difference in dress and head coverings, the folks here were allowed to use bicycles for transportation, and their buggies were black and shaped differently, along with many other nuances she would have to get used to. How long would it be before the leaders here required her to change her dress and kapp?

  She glanced out the kitchen window at the same time Elam turned. He spotted her quickly, smiled, and waved hello. Elam was indisputably attractive; she noticed a few girls look his way during the service, but her heart would always belong to Will. If only circumstances were different. Saloma sighed and quickly grabbed another dish and began washing it.

  Aunt Fannie sidled up to her. “I’ll wash up the rest of these dishes. You go ahead and go meet some of the young folk. Find Rebecca; she’ll introduce you to some of her friends.”

  “Denki, Aunt Fannie.” Saloma nodded and searched the room for her cousin. “I don’t see her.”

  “Ach, I think she may be out yonder.” Aunt Fannie tiptoed and peered out the window. She pointed to a quilt under one of the trees in the yard.