Chapter Fourteen
After walking home from John’s haus, Elias checked on his animals.
They were all doing well, so he decided to pay his parents a visit.
He was suddenly glad that his parents had insisted on making sure that the farm was close to their haus.
It gave him a chance to see them without worrying too much about not being on hand on the farm should there be a problem.
His daed met him as he climbed the porch and smiled a little. He’d half-expected his younger bruder to be the first one to greet him, but then again, on a beautiful summer Sunday like this, he was probably busy with boyish activities out in the backyard.
“Elias! What a pleasant surprise. Your mamm and I were sure that you were going to stay with that young woman you sat with today,” he said as he welcomed Elias into the haus.
“What happened to her, anyway? Who is she staying with? I know she’s not staying with you; you don’t have another mann in the haus or a woman in the haus to make it safe for that to happen. ”
“She’s staying with her cousin,” Elias shared. “John Kauffman.”
His daed nodded slowly as they took seats in the living room.
“So, tell me about her. How did you meet her? Why are you so interested in her?”
His daed had always been one to ask questions, so Elias had expected this when he came to visit today.
It was kind of obvious that he was interested in the Englischer woman who had come to visit her cousin.
That wasn’t something he could easily hide, nor did he want to.
If he did, what were the chances she would come back after the semester ended?
After filling in his daed on everything that had been going on with Hannah, Elias sat back against the couch, not sure what to say. There was so much more still going on in his head that he could share, but he wasn’t sure how to share it all.
“Well, it certainly sounds like you’ve done plenty to help her get accustomed to our way of life,” his daed said. “And you met her when they came driving through?”
“Jah. They stopped and asked for directions. She’s the only one who has shown any interest in getting to know the way of life here, but I’m glad that she has friends who will take her in if she isn’t interested enough to move here,” Elias said.
“She looks a little lost sometimes, like she doesn’t know exactly what she thinks of everything she’s learning here. ”
“It’s always a lot of information for whoever is moving into the community,” his daed reminded him. “It’s a lot to have to remember, and they’re learning a whole new language, too. Remember, our dialect isn’t spoken everywhere.”
Elias nodded. He had forgotten that, but there was something to be said about the way it could all be figured out.
It wasn’t like it was gibberish. If Hannah spoke any German or Dutch at all, she would probably pick up on the dialect pretty quickly.
He had seen it happen before. Why couldn’t it happen again?
“What do you suggest I do to help her feel at ease while she thinks about everything, Daed?” He pursed his lips. “I don’t know what else to do or say around her, and she doesn’t seem to know what questions she wants to ask me, either. If any at all, that is.”
“I suggest you let her know that you’re here for her if she has questions.
Her cousin has probably done the same, but it may be awkward to talk to her cousin about what is expected if she is going to start courting someone,” he said.
“Look, it’s going to be a bit of an adjustment for her, no matter how long it takes her to decide that this is where she wants to be.
But I hope that you’ll remember that she has to make the choice and that you cannot influence it as much as you may wish to. ”
“I know that, Daed,” Elias said dejectedly.
“As much as I wish I could forget it, I know that in my heart, I can only start talking about courting if she were to ask. She hasn’t asked.
I wonder if she has someone in the city that she’s been talking to and has been informing them of what we do because they’re worried about what she’s doing. ”
“Don’t you worry about what she’s telling the people outside of our community.
It is just her observations, I’d bet,” his daed said.
“Now, how can I help you alleviate the worries that still sit heavy in your heart? You may not be willing to say anything to me, but I can tell they’re there by the look in your eyes. ”
Elias pursed his lips. He wasn’t sure that there was anything else his father could do to help him alleviate the worries.
He’d already done a lot to alleviate some that had been pressing hard on his heart.
His heart felt lighter, and he wondered what else his father could see in his eyes that he couldn’t feel in his heart.
“I wish I knew, Daed,” Elias finally said. “For now, I think there’s nothing more you can say to make me feel more at ease.”
His daed nodded.
“Then, at least stay for dinner,” he stated. “Maybe a gut home-cooked meal will help your heart more than my words can at this point.”
Elias laughed a little. His daed always knew how to make him feel better, which was why he had come here to begin with.