Background
Rachelle Allen and Gretchen Hargis are trying to get to the FanStory Convention but get stranded in the heart of Amish Country.
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So far, Rachelle Allen and Gretchen Hargis are headed to the Annual FanStory Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, when Hargis's car breaks down and leaves them stranded in Amish Country. While they try to make the best of it, both learn a lot about their hosts and a lot more about themselves.
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Hannah and Elizabeth play together for the better part of two hours before the older Yoders come to get Elizabeth and start for home. It's so odd to watch children play when they aren't surrounded by electronics or something shiny and plastic. I think about how I used to take my own Barbie dolls and play outside with them. They were adventure-bound Barbies, but they were still store bought. I had different outfits that they could model and later I had a Ken doll who was the steady boyfriend. I'm not sure I could have had such a good time with a faceless doll. I had a good imagination, but I doubt I would have been satisfied.
Hannah hugs her friend, and I give her a no hard feelings wink so she knows I was just playing around with the whole tongue sticking out thing. She smiles almost bashfully at me.
While Helene takes Hannah upstairs to bathe and get ready for bed, I go out to find Rachelle waving goodbye to her new Amish Sorority sisters. "Do you make friends wherever you go, Rachelle?"
"I sure try. You never know when you'll meet up with them in the future. Did you have fun playing with the girls?"
"Let's put it this way. I didn't turn my back on them, the little vipers," I mutter, but smile to let her know I'm joking. "Do you feel up to escorting me to the hot springs. I'm in need of a bath. Using that bowl and pitcher only lets me hit the tourist attractions, if you know what I mean."
Rachelle laughs then hikes up her skirt as she waits for me to go grab my back pack from inside. When I come back outside, she points to the pile of corn cobs. "You want to do your hair?" As rough as today was, and as tired as I am from the manual labor of berry picking, I giggle at the memory of Rachelle waltzing in with the big Amish dress and the corn cobs wound tightly in her hair.
Rachelle knows I'm thinking about it and without missing a beat she nods and says, "You're welcome."
I hear the ding of my phone. "It's her, Tova, she's coming!" I get ready to show her the screen but the phone goes dark. "And, it's dead."
"She never did listen very well," Rachelle says. "I'm sorry."
We walk through the field to the hot springs and I look around. This girl ain't gonna shed so much as her shoes if there is anyone around. "Here goes," I say, tugging my shorts down and then pulling my t-shirt over my head. I turn coyly and let her see my bathing suit.
"Why do you have a bathing suit for this trip?"
"Some hotels have swimming pools. I didn't want to be the only one who didn't get in. You didn't pack one?"
"If I did, the goats had it for lunch."
I timidly step in and gasp as the hot water covers my feet and legs. It's not as bad as I thought so I immediately duck under to get my hair wet. It's the first time I've felt human in a while. The thick cake of soap is like a brick. It smells mildly of lavender and glides across my skin like silk.
"I've died and gone to heaven."
After twenty minutes of basting in the hot the water, I reluctantly get out of the water. "I guess its time to go back." The sun is setting. No idea what time it is since my phone is dead. Part of me is panicking inside but there is a little bit of me who is free of the clock. Free of everything that stresses me out. It actually is starting to feel good.
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Helene is sitting on the porch when I finally part ways with Rachelle. "Did you enjoy the springs?"
"Very much. I take a bath almost every day. Sit and soak, think about the things that went on that day and just relax. Do you get to use it much?"
"Some days. We have a tub that we can fill with water in the winter. Small but nice."
"I've got to ask you. How do you not go insane living like this? I can understand Hannah and Ezra, since this is all they know, but you lived a different life."
Helene tilts her head and studies me for a while before answering. "You said you came from the city and moved to the beach. Did you love it at first?"
"No. Not at all. Despite the beauty of the beach, I was lonely and missed the conveniences of the city"
"Then why did you stay?"
I smile, thinking of my husband. It was his dream to live at the beach. His dream and not mine, but I stayed because I wanted him to be happy. "I stayed because I loved my husband. I guess it didn't matter where we ended up, as long as we ended up together."
"I would have followed Ezra to the ends of the earth. And, this really isn't a terrible place to be, is it?" Helene asks.
"No. I guess I was being narrow minded. Home is where the heart is."
Helene smiles and pats my hand. "It is getting late. Tomorrow I will teach you how to make a corn husk doll, but for now, it is time to go to bed. Sit here as long as you want, but I am going inside."
I sit on the porch for a few more minutes, finger combing my damp hair. The owls hoot softly from the woods near by and the landscape changes from a violet hue to indigo. A few lightning bugs appear and I think about home. I close my eyes and concentrate trying to imagine the sound of the waves as they crash on the beach. Miles away from me, my family is doing the things that they always do. Gosh, I miss them. I miss my husband and my dogs. I miss my children bickering over who needs to clean the bathroom they share. I open my eyes to see the lights dim next door and go inside.
Author Notes
Sorry this took so long to post. Today has been a hectic one. First, I do ask people those kinds of questions. I like to see things from their perspective. I did hate living at the beach when I first left Richmond. It was boring and winters were harsh one day and the next you'd swear you were in the Bahamas. But after the second tourist season, the fall and winter became my favorite times of year. I still love it. Check out Rachelle Allen's post.
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