Chapter Three
Walking into the carpenter’s shop, Hannah wasn’t sure what she had expected.
Perhaps she had expected to see a showroom of finished furniture ready to be bought and taken to a new home.
However, what she found was sketches showcasing what the carpenter, Jonathon ‘John’ Kauffman, was capable of making.
That was a little disappointing, but she decided to peruse the catalog anyway.
If she found something small, maybe she could take it home to gift to her parents.
She only stopped when she heard footsteps.
She found herself looking up at a man with physical features so much like her father's. He had deep blue eyes, ready to devour anything they saw. His hair was hidden under a hat, but what she could see of his facial hair indicated that it was dirty blond. She suspected that it was either a dark, dirty blond or a light brown under that hat, but she couldn’t have been prepared for the way he spoke.
“Ah, Elias! What brings you to my store today? And with… Englischers?” He raised an eyebrow.
“They’re looking for some familye of hers,” Elias said, pointing toward Hannah.
“Hannah. Hannah Kauffman, sir,” she said, taking that as her cue to introduce herself. “I’ve always heard that I have family in the States, but my father wanted me to see if I could find them myself. He never quite understood the address on the letters that he got.”
“Oh, so you’re little Hannah!” Mr. Kauffman smiled widely.
“Jah, your daed and I communicate through letters. It’s been a while since he wrote to me.
I wonder if he’s busy or if he’s been trying to keep you safe and funded while you’ve been here.
He did mention that you were coming to the States for some schooling in one of his last letters to me. ”
“I couldn’t afford to fly home for the summer,” Hannah revealed. “So, we thought this would be the next best thing.”
“Well, I’m glad to see that you were able to make it,” he said. “Please, call me John. I don’t want to hear any of that formal Englischer Mr. Kauffman stuff around here. We don’t do it here. Sounds so odd.”
Hannah smiled a little.
“Do you happen to know how we’re related? My dad was never quite sure,” she said.
“Cousins once removed,” he said. “I’ve traced my family’s genealogy as extensively as my work allows. Did a lot on my rumspringa, when I had access to a computer and such. That’s how I got in touch with your father, Hannah.” He smiled. “Now, do you have a place to stay?”
“Oh, we’re all in a hotel in town,” Patricia said.
“That’ll never do!” John immediately frowned.
“I’d like all four of you to stay with me for a couple of days.
I can’t imagine that you’ll be here long, but I’d like to host all of you.
It gets rather lonely here sometimes, and there are never enough people coming through who want to stay and see the community. ”
“Oh, we budgeted for the hotel, John,” Jasmine said. “You don’t have to do that.”
“It’ll make seeing this place a lot easier, won’t it, staying here?” Hannah asked, her voice cutting through the brewing tension.
John and Elias both nodded.
“Then I think it’s worth it,” she said. “If we can see more of the community because we’re staying with someone here, then I think that’s the way we’ll get the most out of our trip. After all, we’re only supposed to be here a couple of days. I think that’ll do just fine.”
Her friends looked at each other and nodded.
“We’d love to take you up on that offer if you have a place for all four of us,” Hannah smiled at John.
“Of course.” John smiled. “Well, I don’t finish here for another few hours. Maybe Elias can show you all around the community and help you find my haus? My fraa will be home all day long. She can help you get all settled in.”
“If you all don’t mind, I’m going to drive back to town and get us checked out of the hotel. Can I get keys from everyone?” Jasmine asked. “The sooner we check out, the sooner they can turn the room over for someone else. And I’ll bring the luggage. Promise.”
“Check the bathrooms,” Hannah said. “I know we all unpacked our toiletries last night.”
With that, everyone gave Jasmine their keys to the hotel rooms. Hannah then turned to Elias.
“Well, it seems you’re the tour guide,” she said. “Please, lead on. I’d love to see more of the community.”
“Why don’t you all go back to the hotel, and I’ll give you the tour when you return? There’s plenty of daylight left,” he said. “Besides, I should be checking on my animals if I am to be away from the farm for any length of time. They don’t check themselves, you know.”
This piqued Hannah’s attention. Her studies were preparing her for a career working with animals.
Currently, that appeared to be a life as a veterinary tech.
However, perhaps there was a place for her to work here.
She’d enjoy living closer to her American family, even if that meant she would only see her parents over holidays.
Some years. She didn’t think she’d ever make enough money to justify going home for Christmas every year.
With that all decided, though, they headed back to the car. Hannah didn’t want to leave before seeing everything she could, but it made more sense for them to pack up their belongings together before checking out of the hotel.
In the car, everyone was silent. Hannah wore a wide smile, but behind it lurked a good many unanswered questions.