The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Author:Suzanne Woods Fisher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042000
ISBN: 9781441207463
Publisher: Revell
Published: 2010-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Ever since Veronica McCall hired Abel to work at Honor Mansion, she stopped by Carrie’s farm on her way to work to give him a ride. Early one Saturday, Veronica McCall burst into the kitchen, brushing past Carrie at the door, looking for Abel.

“He’s down in the barn. I’m sure he heard you honking your car horn and will come up to the house in a minute,” Emma said with a frown, as she put a match to her Coleman gas iron. “Two counties over heard you,” she muttered. Emma didn’t care much for Veronica’s ways.

Oblivious to Emma’s disdain, Veronica poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table, close to the ironing board. “So what’s that you’re ironing?” she asked.

“My churchgoing dress. I’m getting it ready for the singing.” Emma held up an organza prayer cap. “And these too.” She ironed with a vengeance, making sure every little pleat in her cap was crisp and starched. Her white prayer caps sat in a row on the kitchen table, like roosting chickens.

“What’s a singing?” Veronica McCall asked, picking an apple out of a bowl. She examined it, put it down, and picked up another.

“A singing is a wonderful thing,” Yonnie said. “All of the young folk go, saying they want to sing hymns, but they’re really stealing looks at each other when they think nobody’s looking.”

“So it’s dating, Amish style?” Veronica McCall asked, amused. “Figures. Seems like churchgoing is the Amish’s National Sport.”

Emma opened her mouth to correct her for blaspheming when Veronica shocked her silent by saying, “Maybe I’ll tag along. What time should I be here?”

Carrie’s eyes went wide. “Why?”

“I want to learn more about the Amish.”

“But . . . why?” Carrie asked again.

Veronica looked at Carrie as if she were very slow-witted. “I live and work near the Amish and I should know more about them.”

Just then, Abel came through the kitchen door. An awkward silence fell over the room.

“What are you ladies talking about?” he asked as he went to the sink to wash up.

“Veronica McCall wants to come to the singing with us,” Emma said to him, sounding concerned.

He spun around, hands dripping soapsuds on the black part of the floor where the linoleum had rubbed away. “Why?”

“I just thought I’d come! Why is that such a big deal?” Veronica McCall asked, frustration rising.

“It’s not . . . common . . . for Englishers to go,” Carrie tried to explain. “We sing hymns.”

“I like music,” Veronica said, putting down the apple.

“Some of the hymns are from the Ausbund,” Emma said.

“What’s an out band?” Veronica asked.

“Ausbund,” Abel said. “It’s the Amish hymnal; it’s hundreds of years old. There’s no music score. The verses are in high German, and songs can last fifteen to twenty minutes.”

Veronica McCall’s arched eyebrows shot up.

“But some of our hymn singing gets a little lively,” Emma added, eyes narrowing at her. “And downright raucous.”

Veronica McCall lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. “I’ll try anything once.”

Abel looked cornered, like a trapped animal.

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