Between Two Worlds Read online

  “Meet the newest Henry resident.” Aiden grinned, his arms raised in an embellished display of showmanship.

  Daniel, cleaning up their lunch wrappers, froze in mid-motion. The balled-up aluminum foil he was about to toss into a receptacle by the desk dropped from his still hand and rolled by his feet. As if completely stupefied, he gaped at the beaming Englishman.

  Chapter 9

  Thursday afternoon at the Schrock farm, Daniel and Samuel helped the horse auction agent unload the buggy shaft and the mare Daniel had won on Tuesday. Hesitant to leave the trailer at first, the glossy black mare named Gertrude seemed happy once she was in her stall, almost spotless from the rigorous scrubbing Aiden, David, and Grace had given it earlier that morning. Fresh hay and water awaited the horse, along with two crisp McIntosh apples handfed by Moriah and Leah to make her feel more welcome.

  Surrounded by her new environs, Gertrude flicked her ears and nuzzled the hay around her as if to make things more customized. The other buggy horses sniffed and snorted at the new arrival from their stalls. Gertrude seemed little interested in whether her new roommates approved of her or not. As usual, the Belgians paid no mind to the diminutive standardbreds. They stood in their nearby stalls, as placid as statues.

  Daniel, gazing at the bright-eyed mare, was certain he had picked a fine one. Her legs were sturdy and tight, her shoulders and quarters rippled with muscles, her ears flexed alert. Her muzzle was dark so Daniel wouldn’t have to worry about her getting sunburned. Dexter often needed sunblock spread over his pink nose before long trips. No doubt Gertrude would make a healthy horse, capable of pulling heavy loads and going long distances without any difficulty. Samuel agreed. Nodding as he circled the mare, he told Daniel he was pleased with his purchase.

  “Da gaul is goot,” he said.

  Yes, Daniel had picked a good horse, a fine replacement for Dexter. Gertrude would make for a nice addition to their small parcel of earth in Frederick County, Illinois.

  But would Aiden Cermak? How would he fit into their tiny rural community?

  As Daniel and his father piled more hay near Gertrude, Daniel worried that Aiden’s moving to Henry was a disaster in search of victims, much like that March tornado that took his wife and son and three others. What had he been thinking when he’d walked into Kevin Hassler’s newspaper office and applied for that job? Did a city boy like him really think he belonged in Henry?

  Aiden was currently at the Blade office to prove himself to Kevin. Daniel was not surprised. Aiden had a fortitude even some Amish lacked. He’d helped David and Grace all morning with getting the stalls cleaned and ready for Gertrude, a not so pleasant job. And while Grace and David had complained as usual about the grimy, stinky work, Aiden had seemed to savor it. He’d even done something that Daniel had never seen an Englishman do before—he had hand-washed the largest of their three family buggies, all without anyone suggesting it. Smiling in that adorable way of his, he’d said a new horse must have a spotless buggy to lead.

  After washing up from his chores, he had let Mark drive him to the Blade in his rental car. In a little over an hour, his rumspringa brother would pick him up. Aiden’s silver Ford Focus rental looked peculiar parked in their gravel driveway, surrounded by their simple Amish farm. Much the same way Aiden would stand out in Henry, Daniel mulled.

  By now he was probably more familiar with how the Blade operated than Kevin. Always giving his best. He was sure he’d make a better reporter than a farmhand, though. It didn’t take much coordination to ask questions and take notes.

  A jostling ride of emotions flustered Daniel. Thrills, then dread, filled his head thinking about Aiden’s moving. Worse, Aiden would be working almost right across the street from the furniture shop, where Daniel would be spending his summer, at least twice a week. Daniel would have to find some way to avoid running into him if he were to have any peace of mind.

  The others were delighted with news of Aiden’s moving to Henry. Last night during supper, the large oak table had pulsated with vigor and excitement as Aiden told them about his new job. The sturdy bowls of food were passed around as if floating on air. Mark and David had been quick to volunteer to help unload Aiden’s moving truck once he returned from Chicago, although Aiden had assured them he didn’t have much to move. Rachel had offered to let Aiden stay with them until he found a place of his own. Samuel had said he would keep his ears and eyes open for any houses up for rent in town.

  How strange the turn of events.

  God had placed the Englisher in their path Church Sunday, and now, apparently, He wanted him to remain in their lives a great deal longer. But what for? How many more tests from da Hah did Daniel need to pass before proving his worthiness?

  The stench of livestock was thick in the warm barn. Daniel did not mind. The farm was one of the few constants in his life that seemed right. Everything else in his world was nothing but confusion and heartache.

  Samuel looked to his son. Worry lines pinched between his nose. He let go the mare’s back left leg after inspecting her fetlocks and cleats and said, “You okay, Daniel? You seem burdened with something.”

  “Ach.” Daniel shook his head with a slight smile. “I’m goot. Just want to make sure the new horse is to be okay here, that’s all.”

  “Don’t worry about that.” Samuel chuckled, patting Gertrude’s powerful hindquarters. “She has a new home fit for a queen, for sure. She’ll be right happy here, no worries about that.”

  Daniel nodded. Keeping himself busy, he retrieved a curry brush from a bin outside the stall and slipped the strap over his hand. He returned to Gertrude and brushed her fine black hair. No worries? Maybe no worries for Gertrude, but there were plenty of worries jarring Daniel’s life. At the moment he supposed it was all out of his hands. What was there to do?

  For Aiden, there was no question what there was to do. After he telephoned Mark from his new desk at the Blade to tell him he didn’t need a lift home after all (he’d also loaned Mark his Motorola, with Rachel and Samuel’s permission), he went through a mental list of all that he needed to accomplish in the next few weeks. Indeed, the list was long.

  Most importantly, he needed to find a place to live. Henry had no plethora of apartments, and he wasn’t interested in renting a bedroom from a homeowner, as Kevin had suggested. That would not do. He’d prowled around town after Mark had dropped him off, scouting for “for rent” signs in front of houses. He saw two “for sale” signs, but nothing else.

  There was hardly anything suitable on the Internet search engines either. Frustrated, he had perused the latest edition of The Henry Blade’s classifieds section and found two apartments for rent in Unity, a larger town off I-57 about fifteen miles east. The idea of apartment living in a rural community revolted Aiden.

  He wanted to stay as close to work as possible. As close to Daniel? Besides, who needed to deal with a commute in a small rural community? He was leaving Chicago and all that nonsense behind.

  Rachel had been kind to let him stay on. But Aiden worried about keeping Daniel from his own room. He would try his hardest to find a place of his own before returning from Chicago, so he would no longer be a burden on the family. With luck, Samuel or Kevin would come up with something before he returned.

  And he must finish that article for Midwestern Life, the sole purpose for his being in Amish Country. If not for that, all of this newness and excitement would never have happened. He could use the money earned from it, as scant as that was. A couple thousand dollars might mitigate his first several months’ rent for one of those amiable Henry bungalows he’d already fallen in love with, especially now that his salary was nearly cut in half.

  He would be as busy as a nesting bird the next few weeks, but he rode on adrenaline.

  “You ready, young man?” Aiden’s new boss stood on the other side of Aiden’s spiffy desk, cleaned from all the clutter. Keys in hand and a grin on his round face, Kevin Hassler had offered to drive Aiden home—but Aiden knew
Kevin’s motives derived from more than selfless generosity.

  “Mark didn’t sound too happy when I told him you were giving me a lift,” Aiden said, putting on his Amish straw hat outside as Kevin locked up the office. Before heading out to the Blade that afternoon, Aiden had decided to wear Mark’s old Amish clothes to please Rachel. Yesterday he’d gotten the impression, from the way she’d scanned him in his English clothes, that she had disapproved. Kevin had laughed when he saw his new ace reporter saunter into the office looking like one of his Amish neighbors. Aiden did not mind. He liked being mistaken for Amish.

  “Probably not such a good idea to let him drive a rental car without you being with him,” Kevin said, leading the way to his Buick, parked along Ivy Street. “Besides, giving you a ride home gives me a good excuse to get out to the Schrock farm and get some interviews for the Blade.”

  Aiden had conceded that the community would appreciate reading more about “the Jonesboro incident;” he just wished he was not part of it. But to refuse his boss, even before he officially started his job, had seemed unwise. While talking with Mark on the phone earlier, he’d made sure to get Samuel’s permission to bring Kevin home.

  Even before Aiden had stepped foot inside his office yesterday afternoon inquiring about the reporter’s job, Kevin said he had planned all along to interview the Schrocks and Aiden. Kevin Hassler, the town’s sole newspaper editor, had known all about Sunday’s crash. It took him a mere few minutes to figure out who Aiden was. He declared it a true Divine providence, Aiden’s walking into his office. A lot coming from a non-churchgoer like him, he joked during their impromptu interview.

  Aiden liked his new boss. They hit it off like a reunited father and son. His receding hairline, thick glasses, and short stature made Kevin seem more like an amiable middle-aged man, rather than the hardened newshound that he was. When Aiden strolled into the cluttered two-desk office yesterday, grinning so confidently, there was little doubt the job was his. Aiden hadn’t even needed to highlight his experience as a freelancer and reporter for his college newspaper; going “undercover” as an Amish man impressed Kevin enough. He said it showed “true journalistic spirit.” His knowledge of German in a largely German-speaking community further made Aiden ideal.

  Still, the tough-minded newspaperman was skeptical that a young man like Aiden would seek to give up life in the glamorous city for a small town. Aiden had to do some persuading. Being something of a square, Aiden could live without glittery nightclubs and theaters that showed foreign films. Besides, Henry wasn’t such a Spartan town. There was a bookstore and a few cafes, diners, and bakeries, about half of them run by the Amish, which added to their charm. Driving through town yesterday, he remembered spotting a small art gallery and a community theater. Per capita, there were probably more places to patronize in Henry, Illinois than in Chicago. If Kevin still doubted his sincerity, he kept it to himself. He seemed happy to have Aiden on board.

  On their way to the Schrock’s, Aiden stared at the vast farmland. Henry was far from his dreams of life in a cabin nestled in the mountains of Montana, but it would make a good concession until his dreams could be realized. The area was quaint, a bit rustic even, a perfect fit for a “square” like him.

  He was not fibbing when he’d told Kevin during their interview that he really did like the idea of moving to a rural community. Who would make up such a story for a mere thirty-two thousand dollars a year with no benefits? Aiden was used to no employer-provided benefits, and he earned roughly twice as much as a freelancer, but he figured in a small town like Henry, such a paltry paycheck would go far, much farther than his went in Chicago. While working at the paper, he figured he would continue to accept freelance assignments now and then to supplement his income.

  The crunch of gravel under the wheels of Kevin’s sturdy Buick grabbed everyone’s attention when he pulled into the Schrock’s driveway. Samuel, who was on the other side of the barn, popped around the corner. Grace peered out the kitchen window. The other children poured out from all parts of the property to greet Aiden as if he’d been gone for weeks, surrounding the Buick the same way they had when Mark pulled the Focus into the driveway with Aiden yesterday. They never seemed to tire of all the excitement. Mark, hands in pants pockets, strolled from the woodshop.

  Out front there was a cauldron of commotion. Two English vehicles parked side by side, barefoot children running about, giggling and shouting.

  Daniel was out front too. He was hitching Gertrude to the buggy Aiden had washed and polished.

  “Going somewhere?” Aiden asked after he straightened out of Kevin’s car. He tickled little Leah, held snug by Moriah, under her soft chin.

  “I promised to take the kinner for a ride with the new horse before supper,” Daniel said in his typical flat tone, strapping the trace to Gertrude’s collar.

  “Great, they delivered her.” Aiden ambled up to the mare and stroked her long, black, shiny muzzle. “She’s prettier than I remember.”

  “She’s a good horse.” Daniel tightened the straps. “I can see she’ll be a hard worker for us.”

  “Do you mind if I come along with you? I’ve never been in an actual buggy before, only your wagon.”

  Daniel shook his head, his mouth taut. “Nay, you can come.”

  While the children buzzed about a drive with the new buggy horse, Mark wanted only to give Aiden’s rental car another spin. Aiden promised to let him drive him around when the after-supper chores were done. The younger children also wanted to come. They wanted to check just how good an English driver their older bruder made.

  Mark handed Aiden his cell phone. “You got a text message. I didn’t read it, thought it might be personal.”

  Aiden glanced at the message. It was from Conrad. He had not heard from his ex-boyfriend in two years. The message was short. This you Aiden? Call me. Conrad.

  His name no longer appeared after “sent from.” Aiden had deleted his number from his address list a year ago. He’d heard through the gay community’s gossip channels that Conrad had been living back home in Michigan with his new boyfriend. What could he want now, after all this time?

  Kevin stayed behind with Samuel to interview him about Sunday’s incident. Rachel and Elisabeth were out, but everyone had assured Kevin they’d be home shortly. The rest climbed into the family buggy. Grace, Moriah, Mark, and David ran their hands over the smooth wooden interior and leather seats, impressed that Aiden had had the initiative to clean even the inside.

  “It’s real nice,” Grace whispered. The strings from her white kapp brushed against her cape bib as she gazed around.

  “Smells nice too,” David said.

  Daniel also thought it was all very nice, but refrained from saying so.

  Rather than go to the pond like Moriah and Leah wanted, Daniel decided to drive Gertrude along the roads, to familiarize her with the routes she would be taking on a regular basis. She was smart, he could tell, and he sensed that in no time she would be able to find her way along the usual tracks with little prompting from her drivers. Dexter had been good at that. Daniel recalled one autumn when he was twenty, coming home after working long hours at the sawmill, when he had awakened, startled, to find himself stretched out on the front seat of the buggy, parked in his family’s driveway. Dexter, still hitched to the buggy, had stood like a sculpture, waiting to be led to the barn. The shrewd gelding had found his way home all on his own while Daniel had slept.

  Dexter had proved to be a faithful friend in a horse, the one he’d always gone to when he needed to drive anywhere. Gertrude would prove just as loyal. There weren’t that many good friends he had anymore, horse or human, not since his marrying Esther. Two of his childhood friends had moved with their wives to Amish districts in Missouri, where land was cheaper. Another had left for rumspringa to New York City and never returned. He had found glitz more enticing than manure. Last Daniel had heard he was dating a fashion model.

  And Aiden? He glanced at him, sitt
ing on the other end of the seat with Leah on his lap, David between them. Both were smiling at the passing corn and soybean fields bronzed by a late afternoon sun. Aiden pointed out two white-tailed deer trotting through a soybean field and little Leah, once spotting them, slapped her hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles. Was Aiden a friend Daniel could count on? So far he proved to be a good person. It was sweet of him to have bought him that baseball magazine, even if he already did have the same issue, and his siblings those other gifts from the IGA… and to have washed the buggy so finely. The way he coddled little Leah also nuzzled his heart.

  But what did it matter? What good could come of a friendship between them? One being Amish and the other English was enough of an obstacle, but that was a mere trifling compared with the other issues. Nothing but trouble could come from Daniel and him getting any closer.

  Best he avoid the Englishman as much as possible once he moved to town. If Aiden stopped by the shop or the farm, he would be polite, but nothing more. Daniel had no problem being firm when he needed to be. He did not have to be too cold to emphasize his points. In this case, that he and Aiden were strictly acquaintances, nothing more.