Breakaway Amish by Johnny Mast

Author:Johnny Mast [Mast, Johnny; Smucker, Shawn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-5138-0022-6
Publisher: MennoMedia
Published: 2016-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

11

TAKE IT OUT AND BURN IT

Later that night I sat out in the barn with my brother Edward, my cousin Melvin, and another one of the boys. I can’t remember who that fourth person was. We just hung out, shooting the breeze, talking about work and wishing things could be a little different. Sam came out and joined us around ten o’clock, and the five of us talked about life. It was fun. In those kinds of moments, Sam was a great guy.

Out of nowhere, Eli Miller came out to the barn and started ranting and raving unlike anyone I’d ever heard before. He was screaming at Sam.

“I know my wife and I had problems in our marriage,” he said, “but I honestly trusted that you could help us. We haven’t been together for almost three years, and I trusted you with my wife. I trusted you could help us and help get our marriage back on track.”

My friends and I just sat there, our eyes wide open. It was an awkward situation, being there when someone was giving Sam such a hard time. Every so often we looked at each other with surprised looks on our faces. But that was nothing compared to how we looked when Eli shouted the next sentence. He accused Sam of getting his wife pregnant.

Eli and his wife were both in their early thirties, and Sam was probably in his late sixties. It just seemed unbelievable.

I was stunned. Eli went on and on, probably for thirty minutes at least. Sam didn’t say much. He just sat there and took it.

“You’re a bishop! You’re sixty-seven years old! You’re supposed to be the leader of this community, and this is how you lead? You have got to be kidding me.”

Silence fell on the barn, and we all sat there, waiting to see what would happen next. Eli stared at Sam, anger all over his face. Sam stared at the floor. We boys kept looking back and forth at each other.

Eli left as abruptly as he had entered, leaving us there with Sam. The barn door slammed behind Eli, and the silence he left behind was suffocating.

“Well,” Sam said quietly. “Now I guess you know what his problem is. I guess you know why Eli hasn’t been talking.”

“Yeah, I guess I do,” I said.

Sam looked up at me.

“Are you surprised?” he asked me.

“Kind of,” I said, shrugging. “But it did cross my mind.”

Sam nodded quietly.

“Okay,” he said.

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