Lifted Up by Angels (10 page)

By now they were walking through one of the better department stores. Ethan stopped short in front of a rack of swimsuits. His eyes grew large as he looked at an assortment of bikinis.

“Something wrong?” Leah asked.

“Do girls wear such things out in public?”

Leah was trying hard not to giggle at the expression on his face. “Only girls with great bodies,” she said, holding one up. It was red, speckled with white stars. “Kind of patriotic, don’t you think?”

He gulped. His gaze fell on the price tag. “We could feed a dairy cow for months on that much money.”

Leah dangled the suit in front of her. “Well, I certainly don’t want to cheat a poor cow out of her food.”

Ethan’s gaze flew to Leah’s face. “You would not wear such a thing, would you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with wearing a bikini,” she said defensively. “And yes, I’ve worn one. I guess you’ve never lain on a beach and sunbathed, have you?”

“Is that why girls wear them? To get a suntan?”

Leah started to tell him that bikinis were fashion items in today’s world. She also knew that tanning had never been the main reason she and her friends had worn bikinis. Boys noticed them in bikinis. She didn’t want to admit that to Ethan. Feeling irritated, she hung the suit back on the rack. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I was teasing you, and I shouldn’t have.”

He stepped out of the main aisle and the flow of foot traffic. “You do not have to apologize,” he said. “And I did not mean to sound so disapproving. But I believe that a woman’s body should only be shared with her husband. She should not show it off to other men.” He averted his eyes. “And I will also tell you that it bothers me to think that other boys look at your body.”

“You’re jealous?”

He pondered her question before answering. “No. Jealousy is wrong. It serves no good, so I am not jealous. But it
does
hurt my heart to think about sharing you with others. You are beautiful, Leah. I hope you will not wear bikinis, but I would never tell you what to do.”

With his words, Leah felt her irritation dissolve.
“I know we’re coming from different places, Ethan. And I know it’s hard for you to understand this crazy modern world. I guess I don’t give much thought to it myself—maybe I should. Just please remember, I really do respect your values. And I don’t want you to think badly of me just because we don’t see eye to eye on something like clothes.”

Ethan raised his eyes, and a smile softened his face. “Many of my friends tell me I am too old-fashioned. I am trying to ‘lighten up.’ ”

“I’ll cut you some slack then,” she said, taking his hand. “And you needn’t worry about me parading around in a bikini. I won’t do that either. If I’m going to spend this much money, I’d rather buy something that covers a lot more territory!”

Ethan laughed hard. “Oh, Leah, you are very funny.”

It was good to hear him laugh. But Leah felt troubled. No matter how much time they spent together, it still seemed as if they were worlds apart. She had thought that over time, they might grow closer in the way that each of them viewed the world and how to live in it. At the moment, she wasn’t sure if that would or could ever happen.

A
fter grabbing a hamburger in the food court, Leah and Ethan returned to cruising the mall. Ethan stopped in front of a large toy store. “Let’s go in here,” he said.

Leah hadn’t been into a toy store for years, but she found walking through the aisles with Ethan fascinating. His gaze darted everywhere, absorbing the array of toys and playthings like a sponge soaking up water. He stopped by a model train display. He bent down, examining from every angle the perfect replica of an old-fashioned steam engine, tracks, countryside and miniature town.

“Cool, isn’t it?” Leah asked.

“Yes,” he answered.

“It runs on electricity,” she reminded him.

“Why would someone build this?”

“For a hobby, I guess. For fun.”

He shook his head. “This person has too much spare time.”

Leah didn’t want to get into another discussion with him about what was and wasn’t practical. She wandered off and started sorting through a table filled with marked-down items. She picked up a bright pink plastic egg left over from the store’s Easter merchandise. When she pushed a button on the side of the egg, the top half popped open and a small, fuzzy chick popped up and made a peeping noise.

“Ethan, look.” Leah took it over to him for a demonstration. “Isn’t this cute? I’d like to buy this for Rebekah. Do you think she’ll like it?”

“She has real chickens.”

“So what? This is really cute. And girls like cute little things.”

“But what is the purpose of this toy?”

“Purpose! Does everything have to have a purpose for you? Can’t you—” Leah was just warming up when she realized that he was teasing her. “I should slug you,” she said.

He threw up his hands in mock surrender. “I would rather have a kiss.”

She stalked to the counter and bought the plastic egg.

Out in the mall again, Leah paused at a store window and pointed. “Here’s a hair salon. Were you serious about getting a different haircut?”

Ethan craned his neck to peer past posters for hair products. “I see only women in there.”

“The salon is unisex. For both men and women,” she explained. “We could talk to a stylist. Look through some books. Then you could decide.”

He licked his lips nervously. “No one will laugh at me?”

“No way. It’s their business to make people happy with their haircuts.”

“We could talk to one …,” he said hesitantly.

Leah caught his arm. “It might cost some money. I mean, more than you think it’s worth.”

“I have money.”

“Then let’s go talk to them.”

An hour later, Ethan’s thick blond hair had been washed, cut and dried into a sleek new
style. It was still conservative, but it looked modern, not home-done, like his original cut. His expression throughout the process was one of stoic resignation. He never even closed his eyes during the shampoo portion. “Relax,” the stylist told him.

But when it was over and he saw himself in the mirror, Leah saw a grin creep out around the corners of his mouth. She thought he’d never looked more handsome, but she knew flattery would only embarrass him. Once they were out in the mall, she said, “I like it. Do you?”

“Yes. But back home, I will be teased by my friends.”

“If they don’t have anything better to do than tease you about a haircut, then tell them to get a life.”

Ethan grinned. “I will tell them.”

Leah looked at her watch. “It’s almost nine. I think we’d better start back.”

In the car, Ethan said, “Today was fun, Leah. I liked being with you. I liked the adventure.”

She thought it odd that he’d consider a visit to a hospital and a mall adventurous. Then she reconsidered. He’d probably never spent a whole day doing things that didn’t revolve
around his family or farmwork. The Amish probably thought that shopping without a specific purpose was frivolous. “Anytime you want another adventure, tell me,” Leah said. “I liked being with you today too.”

It was after midnight when they turned onto the Longacre property. “Stop the car here,” Ethan said. “I will walk the rest of the way to the house.”

Leah turned off the engine. “Good thinking. We don’t want to wake anybody up.” She asked, “You won’t get in trouble, will you? With your father, I mean.” She hadn’t forgotten their raised voices the day she’d stopped by to tell Ethan about her doctor’s appointment.

“If you are asking if Papa is angry at me for leaving today, the answer is yes.”

Leah winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make him mad at you.” She played with her fingers in the dark. “I know he doesn’t like me.”

“That is not true. He has not forgotten your kindness to Rebekah when you were in the hospital together.”

“Okay, so he tolerates me. But he doesn’t like your hanging around with me.”

“He has reasons,” Ethan said, not bothering to deny that Leah’s observation was correct.

“Such as?”

Ethan didn’t answer, and the silence stretched into a long, awkward minute. “I cannot say. But it is not
you
as a person, Leah.”

His refusal to tell her was infuriating. Still, she was determined not to nag him. “Look, I know you get up at five-thirty. And I’ve got to go to work in the morning also.”

“Leah, I am not keeping a secret to make you angry, or because I do not care about you,” he said, as though sensing her feelings.

“You don’t owe me any explanations, Ethan. I am English and you are not. I guess in your father’s mind, that’s reason enough.” She started the engine. “I hope you don’t catch too much flak about your hair.”

Ethan opened the car door and stepped out into the weak pool of light cast by the car’s interior lights. “Wait,” he said, before she could pull away. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small package. “This is for you. I told you I was going to buy you a present.”

“When did you buy it? We were together the whole day.”

“That is a secret. Open it.”

She took a small box from the bag. In the box, nestled in cotton, was a porcelain lop-eared rabbit, not more than a few inches long. It glowed alabaster white in the light from the dashboard. “Oh, Ethan. It’s beautiful.”

“It is small. It is cute. You said girls like such things.”

Leah realized that she couldn’t hold a grudge against Ethan. Her annoyance with him evaporated. “You’re a very thoughtful, kind person, Ethan. Thank you—not just for the present, but for going with me today. It meant a lot to me.”

“You are welcome. You make me happy, Leah. Happier than anything else I have ever known.”

Leah watched him walk toward the old farmhouse and back into his Amish world. She drove off, to return to hers.

The next day, Mrs. Stoltz asked Leah to go out to the Longacre farm to buy fresh vegetables for her kitchen. “They have the best in the whole area,” she told Leah, “and I know you’re friends with them.”

Leah figured Kathy must have said something
to Mrs. Stoltz about Leah’s knowing the Longacres. She was happy to have an excuse to see her friends.

“I like Ethan’s haircut,” Charity said as she and Leah walked in the garden, picking ripe vegetables. Colorful flowers, used as natural insect repellants, grew between the orderly rows.

“Everyone noticed it then, I guess.”

“Yes. It was noticed.”

“Did your family approve?”

“Rebekah and I approved.”

“But your parents didn’t?”

“Not Papa. He told Ethan that he looked fancy.”

Knowing her fears had been realized, Leah asked, “What did Ethan say?”

“He told Papa that it was his hair and that he could do with it as he liked.”

“You mean they argued about it.” Leah couldn’t understand what was so bad about Ethan’s getting his hair cut differently. He’d done nothing wrong.

“Not an argument,” Charity said, answering Leah’s question. “Papa does not argue. But you know when he is not pleased.”

“I’ll bet,” Leah muttered. She couldn’t accept Mr. Longacre’s stern ways.

Charity lifted the stalk of a tomato plant, plucked several rosy red ripe ones, and put them in the basket she carried. “Let’s not talk of Ethan’s haircut,” she said. “Let’s talk about the carnival and campout. Ethan says that you will come with us.”

“It sounds like fun.” Leah hoped she sounded sincere.

“I am excited. It is something we all look forward to while we are growing up. This is my first year to be old enough to go.”

“Will you go with Jonah?”

Charity had been pulling green beans from climbing vines. At the mention of Jonah, her hands grew still. “Yes. But no one knows except you.”

“Don’t you think kids will figure it out when they see the two of you together? Why keep it such a big secret?”

“We go as a group, not as couples,” Charity said. “Jonah will be there. I will be there. That is all.”

“But you and Jonah know that the two of you are really together, right?”

“That is right.”

Leah couldn’t fathom this logic, but she knew it was important to Charity to pretend that she
and Jonah were just part of the group, nothing more. “I won’t tell a soul,” she said.