The Stranger by Linda Maran

Author:Linda Maran
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian Fiction
ISBN: 9781611169539
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2017-10-16T16:00:00+00:00

16

The following day, Kristen did her breakfast chores as usual. No one mentioned the events of the previous day, and she made it her business to get to the sink first to wash the dishes. Not only did she want to prove her worthiness, but the task made her feel that this was really her home now. But was it? Is this where she wanted to live? As a Plain person? Why had her mom not been able to? She wanted to know the facts. Maybe later she could ask Aunt Elizabeth. She hoped she was receptive to her questions after the worry she’d caused her aunt the night before.

“I have to go to the shed and gather some more supplies to bring to the store tomorrow,” John announced as he stood.

Everyone got up from the table then, and the morning rush out of the house began until it was just Kristen and Aunt Elizabeth left in the kitchen.

“I wonder if I can speak to you about my mother?”

“Jah, sure. We can talk while we wash the peaches for the pies.”

“Peach pie? Oh, I love that. We used to go to a place called Delicious Orchards just for the peach pies.”

“Vell, these peaches are from Sally Troyer who works with Mary. She gives us some from her orchard each summer. Mary placed a basket full at the door this Mariye. Can you please bring them in?”

Kristen got the peaches and placed them on the countertop. Then the two of them proceeded to wash and slice them.

“So, what is it you want to know about your mamm?”

“I want to know why she left the Plain life.”

Aunt Elizabeth put her knife down. “I ’spect it was because she met your vadder. It must have been a big love that took a strong hold of her because she never looked back.”

“What do you mean?”

“She never wrote to us. Not even to Jacob Mast, whom she’d been courting when she left. When Jacob came back from helping at his onkle’s farm in Pennsylvania, she was gone. We didn’t have much information to give him except she left for the Englisch world with an Englisch man.”

“So, my dad wasn’t Amish, then?”

“Nee. I think your Aenti Miriam thought Ross was your vadder. Now we all know that’s not the case. She must have met him in New Jersey.”

“If Mom didn’t leave a note, how do you know she left with Ross?”

“She told your aenti Miriam when she saw your mamm and Ross talking friendly like at the farm stand. Your mamm gave her a note to give to our mamm and daed to break the news to them. I never saw the note, but Miriam knew what it said. Our mamma cried, and then they never spoke of your mamm again. Our sister, Emily, had been shunned.”

“Does that mean she was like a black sheep to the family?”

“Nee, more like a stray sheep. Had she come back repentant for what she’d done, she’d have been velkumed into the church and at home again.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.