Free Summer Promise by Marianne Ellis

thought.
She says
you
, not
we.
Not anymore.
    â€œTake the clothing, for example,” Sarah went on. “All the women here wear similar dresses—different colors maybe, but very similar. And all the women and girls wear
kapps.
But the
Englischers
, most of them anyhow, don’t want that at all. They want to be unique individuals, not part of a crowd. You’ve seen the fashions on the tourists. The women might wear skirts or dresses or jeans or shorts. They use their clothing to distinguish themselves, to make themselves different and attractive.”
    â€œBut—” Miriam said, then stopped.
    â€œNo, go on,” Sarah said.
    â€œHow can anyone live like that? How do you know who you are?”
    â€œThose are good questions,” Sarah admitted. “And they’re ones a lot of people struggle with. Not just people like me. Lots of
Englischers
struggle with them as well. But do you want to know something funny?” Sarah went on with a smile. “The things I struggled with the most, at first anyhow, weren’t anything so profound. There were just so many things to
do
, Miriam! Wonderful things like museums and libraries, even just walking around. Some days, I got dizzy just thinking about them. Others, I ended up doing nothing at all because I couldn’t decide what to do first! And then there was the noise.”
    Sarah shook her head. “I’m still not used to that, to tell you the truth. It still catches me off guard sometimes. Cars honking and buses roaring up and down the streets, radios blaring, people walking down the street talking on their cell phones. It’s like you can almost
see
the sound. When I first started school, I used to lie in bed in my dorm room at night, trying to re-create in my mind the silence of my old room at home.”
    â€œAnd could you?” Miriam asked, fascinated in spite of herself.
    â€œI could,” Sarah said. “Right up until the moment my roommate started snoring.”
    â€œOh, no!”
    â€œOh, yes,” Sarah said with a grin. “The first night it happened, I almost cried. But I’d promised myself I would never do that, so . . .”
    A sharp trilling sound, like the ring of an old-fashioned phone, cut through the air of the farm stand. Both sisters jumped.
    â€œWhat on earth?” Miriam exclaimed.
    But Sarah was busy digging her fingers into the back pocket of her jeans and pulling out a slim, brightly colored phone. She glanced at the front.
    â€œIt’s work; I have to take this,” she said, as she checked the number. She set the pen and notebook on the counter beside the cash register. “I’ll be right back. Sorry.”
    She put an index finger to the front of the phone, then swiftly moved the phone to her ear.
    â€œHello, this is Sarah Lapp,” she said as she stepped outside.
    Miriam shook her head with an inward smile. There was Sarah complaining about the city’s noise, and her own cell phone went off, as if she were importing the din to Lancaster. Miriam found herself grateful that she and Daniel didn’t have cell phones and the only nearby pay phone was in Daniel’s father’s barn.
    She picked up the pen and notebook Sarah had abandoned, determined to finish the job herself. Abruptly a wave of weariness swept over her.
    It can wait until tomorrow,
she thought. Taking stock would be a good task for Leah, a good way to introduce her to some of the inner workings of the farm stand.
    Miriam leaned her arms on the counter, gazing out the front doors.
Why am I so tired?
she wondered. The day was only just half done, and she had hardly done anything, not by her usual standards.
    I guess I’m still getting used to life without Daed,
she thought.
    She straightened up.
I’ll spend some time in the garden,
she decided. Tending the kitchen garden had always been one of her favorite activities. She didn’t even mind pulling the weeds, not that