Amish Tulip Page 6

  “You haven’t told your folks we were planning on going on a buggy ride?”

  She looked down at the dirt underneath her black lace-up boots. “Nee, I haven’t.”

  “I see. They wouldn’t like me taking you home because I’m Jacob’s bruder?”

  She shook her head, not wanting him to think her parents would judge him by what his brother had done. Her mother did, but her father probably wouldn’t if he knew about Nathanial and him asking her out.

  “That’s all right; you don’t need to say anything further.”

  She frowned. “You’ve got it all wrong. It’s nothing like that.”

  “It looks like I’ll have to prove myself to them. I’ll introduce myself to your vadder at the Sunday meeting.”

  “What will you say?” Tulip hadn’t figured on that.

  “I’ll just say, Hi, I’m Jacob’s brother, Nathanial.” He laughed. “Don’t look so worried.”

  “It’s always a worry. You don’t know what my parents are like.”

  “From the look on your face, I’ve got a pretty good idea.”

  Tulip laughed. It seemed he was making an effort to impress her family so that meant that he was taking her seriously. But where did that leave Wilhem? She’d gotten herself into a right mess. She liked Nathanial but she preferred Wilhem and what’s more, Wilhem was moving to the community and she had no idea what Nathanial’s plans were.

  “I was really looking forward to our buggy ride,” he said.

  She remembered back to months ago when he’d first mentioned going on a buggy ride, and hadn’t followed through.

  He continued, “Like I said, I’ll get your vadder on my side and then everything will be a whole lot easier.”

  “I don’t know about that. There’s still my mudder.” Tulip wished she’d kept quiet. If he talked to her mother, he might get an earful. Then, both her mother and father would think there was something happening between her and Nathanial.

  When the game was underway, she looked over at the opposite side to a group of seats. There she saw Jonathon talking with Chelsea. They were sitting side-by-side and looking like they were good friends. Tulip smiled and hoped that she’d been instrumental in them speaking with one another like that.

  Chelsea hadn’t mentioned she was going to the softball game, but then neither had Tulip mentioned her plans to stay home, until she’d been asked to drive for her sisters. It wouldn’t be a good idea for Chelsea to see her with Nathanial, as Chelsea knew about her dinner date with Wilhem.

  “Who are you looking at?” Nathanial’s eyes had followed her gaze.

  “Just my friend over there. Her name is Chelsea. I work with her at the bakery.”

  “Is that her talking to that large man?”

  “Jah. His name is Jonathan and he’s also a good friend of mine.”

  “Tulip, are you sure that there isn’t something standing in between us?”

  “What do you mean? Like what?”

  “Like what happened when my bruder was here in this community? And what he did before I got here? I wouldn’t like to be judged by my bruder. I’m nothing like him and never have been. You’re not that type of girl, are you?”

  “What type of girl do you mean?”

  “A judgmental kind of girl who won’t give a man a chance.”

  “Nee, of course not. It’s nothing like that. You’ve got everything all wrong. It’s not about you. It’s just that Dat recently got a new horse and buggy so us girls could use it, but he still doesn’t trust the twins completely after what happened.”

  He crossed one leg over the other. “Why, what happened? Why doesn’t he trust the twins?”

  “A neighbor moved away and gave us their buggies and horses. One of the twins galloped one of the poor horses too hard and he was in a lather of sweat when he got home. It’ll be a long time before she can drive the buggy again. I’ve never seen my vadder lose his temper, but that day he was close to it. I can tell you that much.”

  Nathanial laughed.

  “It wasn’t funny. You should’ve been there to see it.”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. Isn’t that what horses are meant to do? It won’t hurt the horse to have a good run.”

  “It wasn’t that so much. It was because the horse was too young, or something, to race so hard like that. Anyway, Dat had already told them to take it easy with the horse and only walk him.”

  “Is your vadder a control freak or something?”

  “Nee, not at all. He knows a lot about horses and cares for them well, and he gave the girls instructions and they didn’t follow them. He is the head of the household, so they should’ve listened to him.”

  “Do you listen to your vadder all the time?”

  “Jah, I try to.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question, Tulip. You mean to tell me you always do what your parents say like a good little girl?”

  “Mostly.”

  Nathanial threw his head back and laughed. “That’s what I thought. What fun would we have if we obeyed our stuffy parents all the time?”

  Tulip wasn’t quite sure what he was getting at, or the point he was trying to make.

  “So only one twin rode the horse too hard?”

  “Jah.”

  “Do you realize you’ve just blamed both of them for that? You didn’t name the twin, just said ‘they.’”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s why I’m concerned that you’ve already done the same thing with me and my bruder. We’re individuals you know.”

  “I know.” Tulip realized he was right. Whenever one twin did anything wrong, she saw it as both of them. As though they came as a package. Anyway, Tulip had a sneaking suspicion that the twins never did anything without the other goading them on.

  “Come on, stop pulling that face. The wind will change direction and your face will stay that way,” he said as he leaned forward toward her, grinning.

  The way he said it made Tulip laugh. Now she was certain he was a little devious as well as unreliable, but he was also a lot of fun to be around. And fun was probably what she was missing out on in life.

  “That’s better. You look so much more beautiful when you laugh, Tulip.”

  She looked down, embarrassment now heating her cheeks.

  He leaned closer. “Hasn’t anyone told you how beautiful you are?”

  “I’m not used to people talking about such things as beauty.”

  “Well that’s just nonsense in my opinion. If people can admire green fields, a beautiful sunset, a field of yellow corn, what’s wrong with admiring a beautiful woman? Gott designed them all. They’re all His handiwork.”

  “It’s just that if people mention other people’s looks in a positive manner, that person might get prideful if they think that they look beautiful. Anyway, that’s just how I was raised. We don’t give too many compliments in our household to guard against pride.”

  “I see your point. I won’t tell you how much I like the color of your skin, or the way your eyes dance when you laugh, or how well your dark hair complements your eyes.”

  Tulip felt good about herself. It felt nice to hear all those things. “You know, saying that out loud is as good as telling me.”

  “Gut, because I wanted to let you know. You should know how beautiful you are, Tulip.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  He laughed again. “Okay, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way.”

  “Denke.”

  He shook his head. “Now if someone were to tell me I was the best looking man they’d ever seen, I’d be quite pleased with that.”

  Tulip giggled. “Are you fishing for compliments?”

  “Jah.”

  “And you think that’s okay?” she asked.

  He grinned and gave her a sharp nod.

  “You certainly are very different from the men around here, Nathanial.”

  “Well, denke. That was your first compliment. See how easy that was?”


  “Do you think it was, or was it an un-compliment? Something that was uncomplimentary is what I mean to say. You can’t know what I think about the men around here. I could think the men around here are wunderbaar and since I just said that you’re not like the men around here, perhaps I’ve just said something very awful to you.”

  “You’re so smart, Tulip. I wouldn’t have thought of any of that. Did you do well in skul?”

  She shook her head. “There you go again.”

  He grinned cheekily. “Sorry, I just can’t help myself, but that was genuine. I wasn’t deliberately saying anything nice.”

  “So, the other things you were saying to me weren’t genuine?”

  “Tulip, you’re tying me up in knots, and not in a good way. I mean everything I’ve ever said to you. You’re smart and beautiful and that is a rare combination in a woman, and I don’t care what you say. Someone needs to tell you the truth.”

  She looked down at her hands on her lap, not knowing what to say.

  He chuckled again. “Aw, I’ve gone and embarrassed you now.”

  Tulip looked up at him. “I’m not embarrassed. I’m just not used to hearing such things.”

  “If I was your boyfriend, I would tell you that all the time. I hope you give me that chance. Cancelling our buggy ride is not a good start to our relationship.”

  “I told you why I have to do that.”

  “Still, it’s not a good sign for me. Men have feelings too. Some women are so worried about getting hurt that they hurt all the men around them.”

  She exhaled deeply. This wasn’t as easy as she thought it was going to be. “I’m sorry.”

  His face lit up. “Will you make it up to me?”

  Tulip didn’t want to make a promise that she couldn’t keep.

  When she hesitated, he said, “You’re not the only beautiful woman around here, Tulip.”

  Now Tulip felt like he was threatening her. If she didn’t jump to his commands and do things when he wanted, he’d find someone else. It made her feel dreadful inside. She stood. “I’ll talk to you later. I’ve got something I need to tell Chelsea that I forgot to tell her earlier.”

  “Wait! We haven’t finished talking yet.”

  Tulip swung around to face him. “Our conversation has become uncomfortable. I’ll talk to you later when you’re in a better mood.”

  He called after her, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s you who’s in the bad mood. You’re the one walking away.”

  Acting like his words didn’t bother her, Tulip kept walking. Even though he had said nice things, there was a definite sting to his words. Now Tulip was sure that he was saying things to her in order to gain control—the upper hand. Well, it wouldn’t work with her.

  * * *

  When Tulip brought the twins home that night, her mother pulled her into the kitchen. “Tulip, there is a man in this community called Wilhem Byler.”

  “I know, Mamm. I went to dinner with him on Monday night.”

  Her mother looked at her openmouthed and it took a few seconds before she could speak again. “Was that who you went with? I thought you said you went with girlfriends. You didn’t tell me you went with a man. Were you deliberately keeping things from me? Was it a date?”

  “Many couples keep their relationship a secret. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I don’t have to tell you everything when I’m this age, do I? I’m old enough to be married and have my own family and my own home by now.”

  “Quite right. So it was a date, a proper date?”

  After Tulip nodded, her mother took a few steps and glanced out at Tulip’s father, who was still reading his newspaper on the couch in the living room.

  “I didn’t realize. That’s wunderbaar!” her mother said, grinning from ear-to-ear.

  “I’m glad you’re happy about it, but why do you look so pleased? What do you know about him?” She had thought her mother would be annoyed with her for keeping things from her.

  “One of my friends wrote me a letter about him. Wilhem’s thinking of moving here and taking a haus with his cousin. He comes with the highest recommendations. Your vadder and I give our approval of him. Well, I mean, your vadder would if you knew about the whole thing.”

  Tulip put her fingertips to her mouth and giggled. “That’s gut!”

  “Is that all you have to say?”

  “Jah.” Tulip shrugged her shoulders. “What should I say?”

  “Sit down,” Mamm ordered. When they were both seated, her mother continued, “What’s going on?”

  “With Wilhem?”

  “Jah.”

  “I really like him. He’s so nice and gentle, and he seems sweet and kind.”

  “Gut! I’m happy about that.”

  “Can I go to bed now? It’s been a long day and I had to stay there longer because the twins wanted to wait until everyone went home.”

  “Jah, of course.”

  Tulip hurried off to bed, wondering what developments might happen on Sunday, at the next community gathering. Nathanial had said he was going to introduce himself to her parents. What if he mentioned that she’d agreed to go on a date with him, or worse, told them they’d already been out together? And what if Wilhem found out? She had gotten herself into a complicated mess and she hoped and prayed that things would work out smoothly and no one would get hurt.

  Chapter 14

  When Tulip got to work the next day, Chelsea was waiting for her. As they readied things for their customers, Chelsea asked, “Why were you speaking to Nathanial so much last night? I thought you liked Wilhem.”

  “Jah, I do.”

  “You were talking and laughing with him. He looked like he was flirting with you.”

  “It was weird. It was a strange conversation.” Tulip shook her head. “I can’t even begin to tell you about it. The more time I spend with Nathanial the more odd I think he is. Don’t tell anybody. I don’t want people to think I’m gossiping.”

  “I won’t. It’s a shame. He’s so handsome.”

  “He might be okay. I could be wrong about him. He might just be trying too hard or something like that.”

  “It’s possible,” Chelsea agreed.

  “It can’t be easy to come here, following his bruder being here.”

  “That’s right.”

  Tulip took the chairs off the tables where they’d been stacked from the previous night’s floor washing. Then she refilled the table shakers of their salt, pepper, and sugar, while Chelsea started up the coffee machine ready for their early morning breakfast crowd.

  Not wanting to have her mind on Nathanial, when she had her next opportunity to talk with Chelsea, she asked her about Jonathan.

  “Jonathan is great. I really like him.”

  “I’m glad. He’s such a nice person. I’m glad you can see past his size. Oh, I don’t mean anything rude by that.”

  “It’s okay, I know what you mean. I’ve never been concerned with people’s looks. It’s the heart of the person that counts,” Chelsea said.

  When their boss walked in the back door, the two girls were quiet. Their boss didn’t like them talking too much.

  “Time to open the doors,” Tulip said when she saw a regular customer by the door, waiting to get his regular take-out coffee. It was a few minutes before their official start time, but their boss was happy when the girls were ready early to open the doors for their customers.

  Chapter 15

  When Hezekiah Yoder stopped his buggy in the row with the other buggies on the Sunday morning, the twins were the first ones out.

  Tulip got out next, and looked around. She had to avoid both Wilhem and Nathanial until things cooled down. Nathanial had been acting weird at the softball game and she hadn’t seen him or heard from him since.

  Tulip’s parents were convinced she liked Wilhem, but what would they say about Nathanial? She sure hoped Nathanial would keep quiet.

  She stuck close to her mother as she walked into the
house where the Sunday morning meeting was being held.

  As always, they were early. There were only two families who’d taken their seats in the house. Tulip’s mother always sat at the front, while Tulip preferred to sit closer to the back. When her mother slid into the front row, Tulip headed to the back of the room where she’d soon be joined by Rose. She hadn’t seen Rose for days and she wanted to tell her about the mess she’d gotten herself into. She hoped her big sister might be able to offer her a solution.

  Ten minutes later, Rose and Mark came into the house. Tulip waved to Rose, and while Mark sat down with the men on one side of the room, Rose joined Tulip on the women’s side. As was traditional at their Sunday meetings, men and women didn’t sit together.

  “Rose, I’ve got myself into a bit of a—well, it’s a huge mess.” Tulip managed to tell Rose the whole thing before the meeting began.

  “You’re worried about nothing, Tulip.”

  “Really?”

  “Jah.”

  “I’m not sure who I like best, but I think that Wilhem’s the best man for me.”

  “How are you judging that so early on?”

  “Because Nathanial talked about a buggy ride and then I didn’t see him for weeks. He was too casual about the whole thing. He seems to be the kind of man who doesn’t follow through with things. Then at the baseball game he was acting weird and I thought he might be controlling. He was telling me I was beautiful and smart and giving me compliments. It just made me feel weird. I didn’t like hearing it. I told him so and he wouldn’t stop. Then I think he got a bit mean, unless I was judging what he said wrongly.”

  “I see your point. And you’re worried that Wilhem might find out that you went out for coffee, or wherever you went, with Nathanial?”

  Tulip nodded.

  “You’re worried about nothing. You’re quite entitled to do that. You don’t necessarily marry the first man you go on a buggy ride with—or on a date. Don’t forget the same kind of thing happened with me. Mark was there the whole time watching me go out with Jacob. It couldn’t have been easy for him, but he understood in the end.”