Amish Circle Letters II: The Second Circle of Letters by Sarah Price Read Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Price
her pulse to quicken. Had that only been just a few short weeks ago? She had truly believed that she had fallen in love with him and he with her. Why had that changed? Why was he so repulsed by her?
Suddenly, she felt her temper begin to flare. No! she thought. He did care for me. I know it! If he chose not to acknowledge the olive branch that she had extended that morning, she was not going to give up. She would continue pursuing him, much in the same manner that God pursued David. She would not accept defeat so easily.
Wiping her hands on her apron to dry them, she stormed back into the kitchen. She yanked out the yellow pad of paper and her Bible once again. She returned to Corinthians and looked for the passage that she had in mind:
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
She held the piece of paper in her hand and stared at it: re-reading the words: faith, hope, and love. Yes, she thought. These are, indeed, what truly remains. Faith that God sanctioned this marriage. Hope that Menno can turn around. Love for this family. Satisfied, she shut the Bible and gently pushed it into the center of the table before she folded the piece of paper and walked into the bedroom. She set it on his pillow, just above where the quilt was tucked underneath. Certainly he would see it there, she told herself.
Mimi stood in the middle of the kitchen of the grossdaadihaus . Steve was watching her expression; too aware that the color drained from Mimi’s face and the life slowly disappeared from her eyes.
During the ride from the Hostetler house to the Fisher farm, Mimi had been a bundle of energy in the buggy, talking about how wonderful it would be when she could make him breakfast in the morning and they could read the Bible and Martyrs Mirror at night. She even looked forward to crocheting in the evenings while he read The Budget, sharing stories from their neighboring communities.
“It will be just perfect!” she had exclaimed, clasping her hands together like a young child receiving a wonderful birthday gift. He had laughed at her, loving the warmth and excitement that exuded from his wife. She made him feel alive, that was for sure and certain.
Now, it was gone.
Looking around the house, Steve admitted that the task at hand appeared daunting. The kitchen was in poor shape. He could see that right away. The windows were old and needed to be replaced. There was rotting paneling by the back wall and, from the looks of it, mold. The cabinets were homemade and needed an upgrade. Even the linoleum floor needed to be replaced.
“ Ja vell ,” Steve said as he plucked his hat from his head and scratched behind his ear. In his mind, he could see the end result of the grossdaadihaus fixed up, but he knew that it didn’t seem very inviting in its present state. “Needs work, I know. But there’s potential.”
“Potential,” she said, repeating the word with a sour tone to her voice.
“It can be our fun project,” he added, trying to lighten her mood. “Hard work is good for everyone!”
“Fun.” Her voice sounded anything but fun.
Steve laughed and walked over to her, pulling her into his arms. “Aw Mimi,” he said, staring down into her face and smiling at her. She didn’t smile back. “Look at it from an adventurous perspective. This is going to be our first home. We will fix it up together. I’ll get Isaac to help me during the week. You’ll be so surprised at how fast it becomes home.”
Yet, he could tell from the look on her face that this grossdaadihaus was a far cry from the home that she had imagined.
Together, they explored the rest of the small house. The downstairs bedroom had a broken window and there was mold on the wall as well as piles of dried leaves on the floor. Plaster cracked from the sagging ceiling. Mimi merely raised an eyebrow and glanced at Steve. His response was a sheepish smile and shrug of the
Suddenly, she felt her temper begin to flare. No! she thought. He did care for me. I know it! If he chose not to acknowledge the olive branch that she had extended that morning, she was not going to give up. She would continue pursuing him, much in the same manner that God pursued David. She would not accept defeat so easily.
Wiping her hands on her apron to dry them, she stormed back into the kitchen. She yanked out the yellow pad of paper and her Bible once again. She returned to Corinthians and looked for the passage that she had in mind:
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
She held the piece of paper in her hand and stared at it: re-reading the words: faith, hope, and love. Yes, she thought. These are, indeed, what truly remains. Faith that God sanctioned this marriage. Hope that Menno can turn around. Love for this family. Satisfied, she shut the Bible and gently pushed it into the center of the table before she folded the piece of paper and walked into the bedroom. She set it on his pillow, just above where the quilt was tucked underneath. Certainly he would see it there, she told herself.
Mimi stood in the middle of the kitchen of the grossdaadihaus . Steve was watching her expression; too aware that the color drained from Mimi’s face and the life slowly disappeared from her eyes.
During the ride from the Hostetler house to the Fisher farm, Mimi had been a bundle of energy in the buggy, talking about how wonderful it would be when she could make him breakfast in the morning and they could read the Bible and Martyrs Mirror at night. She even looked forward to crocheting in the evenings while he read The Budget, sharing stories from their neighboring communities.
“It will be just perfect!” she had exclaimed, clasping her hands together like a young child receiving a wonderful birthday gift. He had laughed at her, loving the warmth and excitement that exuded from his wife. She made him feel alive, that was for sure and certain.
Now, it was gone.
Looking around the house, Steve admitted that the task at hand appeared daunting. The kitchen was in poor shape. He could see that right away. The windows were old and needed to be replaced. There was rotting paneling by the back wall and, from the looks of it, mold. The cabinets were homemade and needed an upgrade. Even the linoleum floor needed to be replaced.
“ Ja vell ,” Steve said as he plucked his hat from his head and scratched behind his ear. In his mind, he could see the end result of the grossdaadihaus fixed up, but he knew that it didn’t seem very inviting in its present state. “Needs work, I know. But there’s potential.”
“Potential,” she said, repeating the word with a sour tone to her voice.
“It can be our fun project,” he added, trying to lighten her mood. “Hard work is good for everyone!”
“Fun.” Her voice sounded anything but fun.
Steve laughed and walked over to her, pulling her into his arms. “Aw Mimi,” he said, staring down into her face and smiling at her. She didn’t smile back. “Look at it from an adventurous perspective. This is going to be our first home. We will fix it up together. I’ll get Isaac to help me during the week. You’ll be so surprised at how fast it becomes home.”
Yet, he could tell from the look on her face that this grossdaadihaus was a far cry from the home that she had imagined.
Together, they explored the rest of the small house. The downstairs bedroom had a broken window and there was mold on the wall as well as piles of dried leaves on the floor. Plaster cracked from the sagging ceiling. Mimi merely raised an eyebrow and glanced at Steve. His response was a sheepish smile and shrug of the
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