After Rumspringa
Hey, everybody!! Here's the flash-fiction piece I promised, earlier this week. It's a prequel about Susannah's parents and why they had to come home from their "running around". Enjoy!
(Originally published at 12shortstories.com)
Jonah Fisher and Katie Sharick stood hand in hand at the gate cutting their community off from the surrounding town of Ethridge. Their suitcases sat at their feet on the dusty road. The sprawling farmlands, dotted with cows and tourist shops, was a welcome relief from Nashville’s bright lights and frantic pace.
Jonah breathed in the scents of hay and cow manure. The late-summer sunshine warmed the bones that had spent several months in an air-conditioned apartment with several of their friends. Everything was right, again, until Katie broke away and leaned against the gate post.
“I’m not ready to go back,” Katie said. “Couldn’t we have stayed in Nashville a little longer? Maybe even a year?”
Jonah rubbed her back. “We can’t hide forever. The best thing to do, right now, is to go home and get married. God sent us a clear sign that we are to enter the Church and become part of the community.”
Katie picked at a loose splinter in the gate post. Her silence bothered Jonah; she had become withdrawn, over the past few weeks, making the end of their Rumspringa even more stressful. He didn’t understand why. So they made a mistake. All they had to do was confess their sin and get married. God would take care of the rest, surely?
A cow walked up to the fence and nuzzled her nose against Jonah’s hand. He petted the black-and-white beast while waiting for Katie’s response. She leaned against his side, but quickly turned around and vomited.
“Well, at least I’ll be excused from milking duty for a while,” she said, after wiping her mouth with Jonah’s handkerchief. “See, I told you we should’ve stayed in Nashville. Is it not enough that I bear the fruit of our Rumspringa? Now, I’ll be sick for months on end.”
“You could stick to your mother’s candle business,” Jonah offered. “That way, you won’t get sick, and you can stay out of sight until next spring.”
“Are you embarrassed by me? You want your new wife to stay out of sight?”
Jonah took Katie into his arms. She tried to break away but offered little resistance; Katie leaned against him and held him tight. Despite the slightly green tinge coloring her face, Jonah couldn’t help but think of the way they held each other that night: naked, unashamed, heedless of the Ordnung that governed every aspect of Amish life.
When Jonah’s parents reached the gate, the young couple kissed and separated. Father let them back into the community. To Jonah’s surprise, there were no looks of condemnation of their faces. Father looked slightly amused, while Mother frowned with mild disappointment. Katie averted her eyes from her future in-laws.
“Son, the horse goes in front of the cart,” Father said. “The Elders will help you both learn that lesson, and then, we can arrange the wedding.”
“God’s Will be done,” Jonah answered. He helped Katie into the buggy and left the enticements of the Outside behind them.