The pretender, p.5
The Pretender, page 5
Norman’s stomach tightened. He was stunned by this news but also relieved. After all these months of hearing nothing from his sister, he’d finally accepted the fact that she must be dead and they would never see her again.
“I’m eager to see Rosa and meet her husband.”
“Figured you would be, and I guess your mamm thought so too. She asked me to invite you and Salina to join us for supper this evening. Will you be free to come, or have you made other plans?”
Norman shook his head. “No plans that I know of. I’ll call Salina and let her know right away. What time should we be there, Dad?”
“We’ll probably eat by six thirty, but feel free to come earlier if you like.”
“Okay.”
“I need to get my paperwork done and head back home to study for tomorrow. My driver will be back to pick me up soon.” Dad headed for the back of the store and disappeared into his office.
Susan nudged Norman’s arm. “You’d better be prepared for when you see Rosa tonight.”
“Prepared for what?”
“Rosa doesn’t look like she used to.”
“In what way?”
“She wears English clothes now, and her hair is much shorter.” Susan held her hand against her shoulder. “On top of that, there’s something about the guy Rosa married that Dad doesn’t like.”
“Such as?”
“For one thing, he wears a dark leather jacket and looks like he belongs on the back of a motorcycle, not on the brink of becoming a father.”
Norman’s mouth dropped open. “Rosa’s expecting a baby?”
“That’s right.” Susan’s lips curled. “I think the only reason they showed up at our place is because her husband’s out of a job and they don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Did they say that?”
“Well, no, but—”
The bell above the door jingled and a young English couple entered the store. Norman had to do a double take when the young couple moved toward him, and the woman held her arms outstretched.
“Rosa?”
“Yes, it’s me, in the flesh.”
“Dad told me you had come back, but I could hardly believe it.” Norman gave his sister a hug, and then he stepped back to study her hair and clothing. “Wow, you’ve really changed, Rosa. You definitely don’t look Amish anymore.” Before she could respond, he turned to the young man who stood near Rosa and extended his hand. “I’m Rosa’s brother Norman. And I’m guessing you must be my sister’s husband.”
“Uh, yeah. My name is Anthony Reeves.” He gave Norman’s hand a hearty shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same here.”
Rosa swiped at the moisture on her cheeks. “I’m really sorry for everything I put our family through during my absence.”
“Yeah, some of us thought you were dead, and our poor mom was really a wreck. You shouldn’t have put her through that, Rosa.” Susan got right in their sister’s face, causing Rosa to take a step back.
“I told you all last night that I’d left a note and also some messages on the recorder in our folks’ phone shed.”
Susan gave a huff. “Yeah, so you said.”
“What I said was true. When no one responded to my messages, I finally gave up, thinking I had been disowned for good.”
A mixture of thoughts swirled through Norman’s head. During Rosa’s absence, he remembered that he’d seen Susan in the phone shed several times and she’d acted strangely when he’d questioned her about it. He really wanted to discuss this with Susan right now, but he figured it would be best to wait until they were alone to quiz her on this topic.
That evening when Norman and Salina came for supper, the joy Elsie had felt since Rosa returned to them increased. How wonderful it was to have their whole family together around the dining room table. And the addition of Rosa’s husband made it even more complete. Despite what Mahlon thought, Anthony seemed like a nice man. The only flies in the ointment were that he wasn’t Amish and apparently Rosa still had no desire to join their church. If she did, wouldn’t she be wearing one of the Amish dresses in her bedroom closest instead of a pair of jeans and a T-shirt? Did she enjoy dressing in what Elsie considered to be men’s apparel?
I hope Rosa and Anthony remain here in Belleville and don’t move back to New York, Elsie thought. It would be so hard to see them go, and once their baby comes, we would rarely see the child unless they came back here for a visit. I can’t imagine that Mahlon would ever hire a driver to take us to the big city to see our daughter whom he has still not truly accepted.
Elsie looked at Norman and Salina, sitting on the other side of the table with smiles on their faces as they conversed with Rosa and her husband. After all the time Norman had spent fruitlessly searching for his sister, he could have been bitter about not hearing anything from her during the time she’d been gone. If he was upset with Rosa, he certainly hadn’t let on. Alvin and Tena had seemed happy to have Rosa back too, but not so with Susan, which saddened Elsie.
She glanced to her right, where Susan sat with slumped shoulders and not a hint of a smile on her face. What a shame her daughter didn’t seem the least bit happy to have her sister back. Elsie wondered if it might have something to do with Susan having to give up the room she’d been occupying in Rosa’s absence. Elsie remembered well how Susan had asked numerous times if she could move her things into Rosa’s old room. At first, the answer had been no, but Elsie had finally given in and allowed Susan to do as she wished, but with the understanding that if Rosa ever came back, the room would be hers again.
Susan will just have to get used to it and stop being resentful, Elsie told herself. Life is too short to hold grudges.
CHAPTER 7
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, BEFORE ROSA and Anthony headed downstairs for breakfast, she informed him that they would be expected to attend church with her family today.
Anthony’s dark eyebrows shot up. “Say what?”
“My folks expect the whole family to go, and since they believe we are married …”
He rolled his eyes. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve entered a church building?”
“Well, no, but …”
“I was around eight when my grandma dressed me up one Sunday while I was staying with her. Then she took me to church, and I hated it, so she never got me to go there with her again. Furthermore, I don’t have a suit or tie to wear, and I don’t think I’d be able to sit for a whole hour and listen to some dry preacher go on and on about things I couldn’t care less about.”
Rosa wondered if she should prepare Anthony by telling him that their worship services were often held in a barn or someone’s shop, and it would be for three hours, not one, but she decided against saying anything for now. She also didn’t mention the seating arrangement or the type of benches they would sit upon. If her pretend husband knew those things, Rosa was sure he would refuse to go, so it was best to wait until they arrived and let him find out all the details for himself. Their lengthy songs found in the Ausbund hymnal would most likely be another thing Anthony wouldn’t care for, in addition to listening to the sermons preached in German.
Rosa moved across the room, opened her closet door, and took out one of her Plain Amish dresses—a black dress, with no frills whatsoever, not even any buttons or snaps. The bodice was held together by enough straight pins to keep it modestly closed.
Anthony’s eyes widened. “What are you gonna do with that?”
“I’m going to wear it, along with a white cape, apron, and head covering. Oh, and I’ll also be wearing black shoes and stockings.”
“To church?”
“Yes. My folks—especially my dad, will expect me to be dressed in the appropriate attire.”
He looked down at the pair of jeans he’d put on soon after getting up this morning. “What about me? Do I have to borrow some of your father’s clothes, which I’m sure would be too big for me, in order to attend church with you?”
She shook her head. “Of course not. You’re English and will be seen as a visitor, so you can just wear a pair of dressy slacks and a nice button-down shirt.”
“What about my leather jacket? Can I wear that too?”
“Umm … sure, I guess so. It’s a chilly fall day, so you’ll probably need it—at least while you’re outside.”
“What will you wear to keep warm?” he questioned.
Rosa reached into the closet again and pulled out a black woolen shawl, which she wrapped around her shoulders. “Lovely, isn’t it?”
Anthony gave her a crooked grin. “Yeah, straight from Paris.”
“Absolutely!” Rosa twirled like a dancer she’d seen on the TV at the home where her baby had been conceived. A sudden pang of nausea swirled through her belly, and she took a few deep breaths, hoping she wouldn’t throw up.
Anthony stepped forward and clasped her arms. “Are you okay? Your face looks kind of pale all of a sudden.”
“I–I’ll be fine. Just feeling a little nausea right now.”
“Can you take something for it?”
Rosa heard the concern in his voice, and she appreciated it. No doubt he would make some woman a good husband someday. He’d never really said, but maybe Anthony had a serious girlfriend waiting in New York for him, and for all Rosa knew, they might even be engaged. “If the sick feeling doesn’t go away soon, I’ll drink a cup of mint tea or nibble on a few saltine crackers,” she responded. “In fact, I’ll take some to church and keep them in my purse, just in case.”
“If you’re not feeling well, maybe you should stay home today,” Anthony suggested. “I’m sure your parents would understand. And I’ll remain here with you,” he quickly added.
Rosa shook her head. “Not my father. A family member would have to be really sick before he would look favorably at them missing church.” She placed one hand against her stomach. “Besides, if I’m going to have the privilege of remaining here with my family and expecting them to help me raise this baby, then I need to gain my father’s approval.”
“Guess that makes sense, but shouldn’t it be more about your welfare and that of the unborn child than trying to please your dad?”
“Of course I am concerned for my baby, which is why I must keep the peace around here. If you were actually a part of my family, you’d understand.” Rosa pointed to the closet. “Now please choose some clothes to wear and go change in the bathroom while I put on my Amish clothes and try to put my hair in a bun so I can slip my head covering on. We’ll be leaving for church soon, and I don’t want to be late.”
“Okay, whatever you say,” Anthony called over his shoulder as he pulled out some clothes before going out the door.
“This day can’t be over soon enough,” Rosa muttered as she sank onto the end of her bed. Although her nausea had subsided a bit, which should have lessened her nerves, Rosa feared that after attending their church service this morning, Anthony might hop in his car and head straight back to New York.
Anthony’s back muscles tightened as he struggled to find a comfortable position on the backless wooden bench he’d been directed to sit on over an hour ago inside this quaint-looking barn where the odor of straw and horseflesh permeated the air. Was this really the biggest or best building the group of Amish people could find to hold their service today? And for goodness’ sake, why did the men sit on the opposite side of the room from the women? Apparently they believed in segregating the congregation, but with the women sitting directly across from the men, Anthony could see Rosa sitting between her two sisters. Her blank expression and continued yawning indicated that she was either tired or bored. He figured it was probably the latter, since that was certainly the case for him.
On top of that, Anthony felt like a sore thumb, sitting here among these strangers, all dressed pretty much alike. He figured every eye must be on him, since his appearance didn’t fit in with the rest of them here. Coming into the building, he’d noticed lots of folks staring at him. No doubt they all wondered about the stranger who had invaded their space. Perhaps some in the congregation had already heard that Rosa Petersheim had returned home—and with a husband who wasn’t one of them.
He glanced at his watch, which also set him apart, since none of the Amish people he’d seen wore any kind of jewelry. The songs the people had been singing during this hour were slow and drawn out. There was, however, a distinct blending of voices in rich tones that he found to be quite interesting. Anthony wished he could understand the words. One thing he did understand, however, was that he could never be Amish. Besides the language barrier, horse-and-buggy transportation, and Plain clothing worn by both the men and women, it would be hard to give up the use of electricity along with the modern conveniences such as television, air-conditioning, and computer games—although Anthony rarely watched TV or played games. His world involved trying out new recipes to offer the customers who ate at his parents’
restaurant and riding his motorcycle on days when he wasn’t working.
A sense of relief flooded Anthony when the singing finally ended, but the building had become too warm from all the body heat, and he felt a need to take off his jacket. The problem was, in order to do so, he would need to stand up, because two young Amish men were sitting so close to Anthony that their shoulders pressed against his.
I can’t stand up, he told himself. Everyone would be watching me, and I’d feel like a bug under a microscope. Guess I’ll just have to sweat it out till this church service is finally over and I can go outside.
When everyone stood for the reading of scripture, Rosa chanced a peek at Anthony. She felt sorry for him as he rubbed his hands down the sides of his trousers while turning his head from side to side. The poor guy was probably bored and stiff from sitting for over an hour on the unyielding bench. She certainly couldn’t blame him for that. In the two years Rosa had been gone, she’d nearly forgotten how tired she used to get during the three-hour services that took place every other Sunday in a different church member’s home or outbuilding. She had always looked forward to the noon meal afterward, though, when she could sit with and visit other girls her age.
Rosa thought about her friend Ada and wondered if she might be here today. Perhaps Ada could be sitting a row or two behind her, or maybe she was visiting Ephraim’s church. Rosa was tempted to turn around, but she squelched the desire and kept her focus straight ahead. There was no point in drawing attention to herself. A good many people had already looked at her strangely when she’d walked toward the barn with Anthony beside her. Although no one had said anything to her, there’d been lots of quizzical stares, and a few folks had made eye contact and then quickly looked away.
What does it matter what they think of me anyway? Rosa placed both hands against her still-flat belly and swallowed down the bile rising in her throat. Wait till they find out I’m pregnant and my pretend husband walks out on me and ends our fake marriage. Rosa knew that even if she never joined the Amish church, at least she and her baby would have the support of her family. Maybe not Dad’s, though, Rosa thought bitterly. He may always be disappointed in me.
Susan was about to head for her parents’ buggy when a firm hand took ahold of her shoulder. Startled, she whirled around. “Norman! You scared me.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to. I just wanted to talk to you before our folks head home.” His forehead wrinkled.
“You look so serious. What’s up?”
“It’s about that note Rosa said she left in her room before heading out to the young people’s gathering with Ephraim the night of her disappearance.”
“That was over two years ago, and there’s no telling what happened to the note—if she left one at all.”
“I’m well aware of how long it’s been.”
“Then why are you bringing it up now?”
“Because you’re the one who took over Rosa’s room, and if anyone had the opportunity to discover her note, it would have most likely been you.”
Susan’s fingers curled into her palms. “I didn’t, though.”
“What about the messages Rosa said she’d left on our recorder so we would know where she was?”
“She could be lying about that too.”
“What reason would she have to lie?”
Susan shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe she made the whole thing up to get back in Mom and Dad’s good graces. I’m sure she doesn’t want them to think she left home and deliberately didn’t try to contact them.”
Norman looked like he was about to say something more, but she cut him off.
“Listen, I’ve gotta go. Dad went to get his horse, and Mom, Tena, and Alvin are probably waiting for me in the buggy by now. Enjoy the rest of your day, and tell Salina I said hello.” Susan hurried off at a fast pace.
Norman’s questions had irritated Susan. It felt like he’d been accusing her of something, but without coming right out and saying it.
She lifted the hem of her dress a bit and ran for the carriage. Well, Norman is not my keeper, and I don’t have to answer any more of his questions.
Anthony opened his car door and collapsed onto the front seat, then leaned forward, grasping the steering wheel with both hands. He didn’t know how he’d made it through the three-hour service or the noon meal that had followed. Strange Amish men looked at him with obvious curiosity, and a few of the younger ones had actually introduced themselves and made some small talk. One guy, who’d introduced himself as Noah Esh, had asked where Anthony was from and what had brought him to their Amish church service. Noah had seemed surprised when Anthony mentioned that he was here with the Petersheims and that he was married to Mahlon and Elsie’s daughter Rosa. The young man’s mouth had dropped open, and then he’d said, “I—I didn’t know Rosa had returned to Belleville. She’s been gone a long time, and I thought she must be dead.”
Anthony had given the man a brief update and quickly excused himself to go find his “wife.” He didn’t know how much data Rosa wanted him to share about where she’d been all this time and did not wish to be accused of spreading information about anything regarding her personal life. So after thinking it through a few seconds, he’d played it safe.
