A Plain & Fancy Christmas Read online

  Their neighbors had a telephone in a small shack behind their farm, and Rachel used it to call the Lawrences. After assuring them that Ellie was having a good visit and everyone was doing well, she proposed that she take this time to introduce her daughter to them. They were thrilled, and insisted on picking them up at the bus station.

  The next morning, while Katie and Ellie were still out gathering eggs, Rachel informed her parents that she and her child would be going to the Lawrences’ for the next few days. It was to be a surprise for Katie, and she asked them not to say anything about the destination. Her father looked somewhat taken aback, but Leah gave a quick nod of agreement. Rachel packed one suitcase for the two of them, then informed Katie they were taking a bus ride to a mystery destination. Her daughter was beside herself with anticipation. After breakfast, Isaac took them to the bus station.

  “You said good-bye to Ellie?” he asked as Rachel stepped down from the buggy.

  “I didn’t have the chance,” she said, knowing she had made no effort to find such a chance.

  Isaac shook his head. “Something is not good here. Please be careful. We can make this a happy event, or we can make it trouble.”

  Of course, Rachel thought, he knows exactly what I’m feeling. She avoided his gaze by turning to take Katie’s hand. “We’ll see you soon.”

  “I will tell everyone you have gone on this trip.”

  “Okay, thank you.” She turned away.

  “Good-bye,” Katie called out to him, waving.

  He waved back and clicked his tongue twice, signaling the horse. Driver took off at a brisk trot.

  Now that Katie and she were on their way, it was time to tell her daughter where they were going and why.

  “I have a big, big surprise for you,” Rachel began. “We’re going to New York City for a few days.”

  Katie’s eyes opened wide. “What? Why?”

  “We’ll be visiting some nice people who live there. They’re actually the parents of Ellie.”

  “Ellie?” Katie happily echoed. “Is she going to be there, too?”

  “No, she’s staying at the farm. We’re kind of trading. She’ll be with our family, and we’ll be with her family.”

  Puzzlement was evident on the little girl’s face.

  “You see,” Rachel said, choosing her words with care, “we have a very unusual situation here. The most giant surprise you ever heard. Ellie’s family is yours and mine, too.”

  Katie tilted her head in bewilderment. Then she laughed. “That’s so silly. We have our family. We can’t have two.”

  Suddenly, Rachel wished with all her heart that Jacob was alive to help her make sense of things. He would know how to deal with this.

  “I’m going to tell you a strange, funny, weird story,” she said, leaning in as if she were going to share a great treasure with Katie. “But, mind you, this is a true story, it actually happened.”

  Slowly, Rachel relayed the necessary facts. She omitted everything about the cause of the doctor’s error, and the nurse’s horror at discovering the mistake. She also skipped over the implications of going home with the wrong family, trying to depict it as a tale in which everyone was living the life they were supposed to live and they were all reunited as part of a happy ending.

  Katie listened without interrupting until her mother was done, then sat very still without saying a word. At last, she turned her face up to Rachel’s and asked, “Who am I, then? Am I Katie Yoder or Katie Lawrence? Who is my family? Who are we?”

  Rachel froze. It hadn’t taken her daughter more than a minute to unearth the essence of confused identities. To discover that the sense of belonging they had always known, as sturdy as a rock, was perhaps not so sturdy after all.

  “I like to think we’re part of both families,” she said. “As if we’re so lucky, that we can have two. You and I are Amish. That’s who we are. But we can also know this other family and be part of their lives.”

  “What about Papa’s family? Are we still related to them?” Katie’s voice was anxious.

  “Oh, yes, of course. Nothing has changed. They’re still your aunts and uncles and cousins. Papa’s parents are your grandparents, just like Grandma and Grandpa are.”

  Katie took this in, then sat up straighter as something dawned on her. “Wait,” she said, “what about Ellie? Is she Amish, too?”

  This was harder for Rachel to answer. “She hasn’t been baptized, so that’s one thing. Right now, no, she’s not Amish. I don’t know what the future holds. She is spending time with us, learning about us and our ways.”

  “I like Ellie.”

  “I know you do. She’s very nice.” She was, in fact, very nice, Rachel thought. It wasn’t Ellie’s fault that she was so jealous of her. That was Rachel’s own failing.

  “What do you think these people in New York will be like?”

  “I’ve met them once before.”

  “What?” Katie was stunned.

  “I was at their apartment in New York City last month. For a couple of hours. They were very kind. And they are very excited about meeting you.”

  “They know about me?”

  “Oh, yes! They can’t wait to see you.”

  Katie face showed traces of both excitement and anxiety. Then, suddenly, she burrowed into her mother’s side and said nothing else. Rachel put an arm around her, guessing that her child had absorbed all she could bear to at the moment about such an overwhelming situation. They rode that way in silence until Katie’s regular breathing told Rachel that her daughter had fallen asleep.

  By the time the bus pulled into Manhattan, Katie was wide awake once more, ready to begin their adventure. Rachel had to admire her child’s resilience; she wasn’t going to ask any more questions, but would be enthusiastic about greeting whatever might come next. It was clear to Rachel that meeting Nina and Gil Lawrence in the station was, for now, less significant to Katie than seeing the throngs of people. She greeted her new grandparents politely as they exclaimed over her, but her eyes were drawn to the crowds around them. When they got outside, it was as if Katie didn’t know where to look, at the faces or the tall buildings or the endless stream of traffic. The Lawrences ushered them into a taxi, where Katie sat, one hand tightly gripping her mother’s, with her face glued to the window while the adults talked.

  Riding in an elevator was another new thrill for Katie. Once they got into the apartment, Nina took the two of them on a brief tour to explain where to find whatever they might need.

  “You have your choice of bedrooms,” she said to Katie. “If you want, you can stay with your mother in here.” She opened the door to a room with twin beds. “Or, you can have your own room.” She moved down the hallway to another bedroom, this one with a double bed.

  “Thank you.”

  Katie was taking in the expensively furnished surroundings. Rachel watched, forcing herself to stay quiet. She had been overwhelmed when she first visited; she could only imagine what Katie was thinking. Neither of them had ever been in a home like this one.

  “These were my children’s bedrooms while they were growing up,” Nina explained.

  “They don’t look like children’s rooms.” Katie touched the duvet cover on Nick’s former bed, stark white linen with a thin navy blue rectangle outlined within its borders.

  Nina smiled. “It’s been a long time since a child lived here. They all live in different places now, so we’ve made the rooms more like guest rooms. Anybody can stay here.” She rested a hand on Katie’s shoulder. “It’s a big treat to have a child here again. If there’s anything you can think of that would make you feel more like you’re in your own room, please tell me.”

  Katie looked at her in surprise. Rachel knew she was thinking that the only way this would feel like her own room would be if they moved nearly everything out.

  “Help yourself to towels, extra pillows, whatever you like.” Nina took them back into the hall and opened a closet door to reveal shelves of neatly stacke
d linens. “Of course, any time you’re hungry, you should go into the kitchen and take whatever you want. We stocked up on things we hope you’ll like, but you have to tell me what I missed.”

  Katie gave her a reassuring smile. “Oh, no, we won’t need anything else. I’m sure it will be just right.”

  Rachel nodded, pleased by her daughter’s appropriate manners. “You have been too kind to us already.”

  Gil, coming to join them, interjected. “Come now, we haven’t been kind at all. We have yet to do a thing for you. But we hope to.”

  “I thought you might like some time to unpack and relax, maybe lie down. If it’s all right with you, we arranged to go out to dinner with my son, Nick. That won’t be until seven.” Nina looked at Rachel. “Will that be okay?”

  Rachel smiled. “I look forward to seeing Nick again and introducing him to Katie. But we don’t need to lie down. We have done nothing at all today except sit on a bus. So I’ll unpack, and then we’ll be ready to do whatever you like.”

  “But why do you have dinner at seven?” Katie asked in confusion. “Don’t you get hungry if you don’t eat all day? What time do you have supper?”

  Gil was the first to understand. “We call them different names, that’s all. We call our midday meal lunch, and our evening meal dinner. But we can do it the way you’re used to. Breakfast, dinner, supper. Easy.”

  “No, no, please don’t change anything. I see now.” As she spoke, Katie went over to the window in Nick’s room to look at the view below. She gasped. “It’s like we’re in the clouds. The people are so small! The cars!”

  “At home, we have no reason to be so high up,” Rachel said.

  “Oh, Katie,” Nina said, going to stand beside her, “we have so many things to show you. We want you to have a wonderful time, and New York is a wonderful place.”

  “We hope you’ll come to love it as we do,” Gil added.

  Rachel felt a twinge of nervousness at the words. “Why don’t Katie and I put our things away now?”

  “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be in the living room.” Nina went over to her husband and hustled him away.

  Katie sat down on the bed and bounced up and down, gingerly at first, then with more energy. “So thick and soft,” she marveled. “I want to sleep here if it’s okay.” Her eyes darkened. “Did you bring the rubber sheet?” she whispered.

  Rachel nodded. “Of course. Don’t worry.”

  Katie stood up and moved around the room. “This is how the people in New York live, in places like this?” she asked in amazement.

  “No, no, not all in places like this,” Rachel hastened to correct her. “From what I know, most people live in smaller places, and they don’t have so many things.”

  “Do they want so many things?”

  “I guess some do and some don’t.”

  “I wouldn’t know what to do with so much. It’s a lot to dust.”

  Rachel smiled. “I like our house, don’t you? Simple, clean. It leaves us free to spend time on what’s important.”

  Katie came over and reached up to hug her mother. “I like our life. This is so strange.”

  Rachel stroked her hair, relieved. She hadn’t realized until now how worried she was about Katie’s reaction to the opulence of the Lawrences’ world. Instilling the seeds of acquisitiveness in her child would have been unforgivable. “I like our life, too.”

  Still, she thought, they had only been there an hour or so. They would have to see what happened by the end of the trip.

  By late afternoon, Katie had regaled her new grandparents with tales of the farm, her favorite calves, their cat and two dogs, and what they grew in the garden. She told them that her grandmother at home could do everything, and how they preserved fruits together. After the Lawrences showed Katie the pillow Rachel brought them on her last visit, they heard more about her quilting skills—until Rachel stopped her daughter, reminding her that boasting, even on someone else’s behalf, was not to be done. Nina served lunch, an assortment of breads, meats, and salads. Katie happily munched on a tuna fish sandwich with carrots and strawberries on the side, while talking about how much she liked Ellie.

  Afterward, they all went out for a walk to get ice cream. If Katie noticed the stares from people on the street, she didn’t comment; having tourists in Lancaster County whisper and point at her family’s clothes had prepared her. In fact, it was Katie who was busily whispering about people they passed. She was intrigued by the women in business suits with briefcases, and the teenagers in leather jackets and miniskirts. Rachel was amused to see that, by the time they strolled back toward the apartment, everyone trying to enjoy their cones before the August sun melted them, Katie looked as at home on the New York streets as a little girl in a white kapp and long gray dress could look. Obviously, she liked the Lawrences and was happy to learn about this city, as foreign to her as another world would have been. When Katie missed her step coming off a curb and nearly fell, she grabbed Nina’s hand to steady herself. Rachel saw the look of joy that crossed the older woman’s face when the girl continued to hold her hand as they resumed their walk.

  This was either a wonderful, miraculous reunion or the worst idea she’d ever had.

  That evening, before they left to meet Nick, Rachel went to check on Katie. Her daughter had settled into Nick’s old room, putting away her clothes in his closet, remaking the bed to put her rubber sheet on it. Rachel opened the door to find her in front of a television set on a stand in the corner, mesmerized by a cartoon. Rachel hadn’t noticed the television was there earlier.

  “Katie!” She couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice.

  The little girl whirled around. She quickly pressed the power button and the screen went dark.

  Rachel went over to her, and put a firm hand on her arm. “We don’t do this. We are visitors, and, yes, they have offered us to help ourselves to everything here. But we are Amish, and you know this is not for us.”

  “I’m, I’m sorry. It was just, it …” Katie was stammering in guilt and fear.

  Rachel stopped herself, taking a deep breath. She had put her child in this situation, and then expected her to know what was allowed and what wasn’t. It wasn’t fair. She brought Katie over to the bed, and they sat down on it, facing each other.

  “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. This is confusing for you, I know. It was just a bad surprise when I saw you like that. We will have to figure out how to do these things we don’t usually do, and when we have to say no. So … how about we agree that we stay away from television, computers, and telephones unless we have no choice. Okay?”

  Katie, her head down, nodded.

  “If I think of other things I’ll tell you, but I promise not to yell at you if you accidentally do something you’re not supposed to. Okay? And will you promise not to yell at me if I do?”

  Katie looked up, a small smile on her lips at the notion that she would yell at her mother. Rachel gave her a long hug.

  “You are doing very well here.”

  Katie hugged back even more tightly.

  “Now let’s go out to, as they say, dinner. Or will they be calling it supper from now on? Maybe we’ll start calling it dinner and they’ll call it supper.”

  “That would be funny.” Katie laughed.

  “Either way, wash your face and hands.”

  The four of them walked to the restaurant, which was only a few blocks from the apartment. They arrived before Nick, and sat down at a round table. Katie was quiet once more, taking in the well-dressed patrons and waiters dressed in black. Her mouth opened slightly in astonishment when she saw the menu’s prices.

  Gil must have noticed and understood her concern, because he spoke at that very moment. “I hope you know, Katie, that you and your mother are our guests for this entire visit. That means we take you and pay for it and celebrate this very special occasion of having you here. It’s the way we can show you all the special places we like.”

 
Nina caught on at once. “You order whatever sounds tasty to you, Katie. The food is good here, but you’ll have to tell us if it’s really as good as what you grow and eat at home. Fresh food is the best.”

  “Hello, again.”

  All eyes turned at the words to see Nick approaching Rachel, a broad smile on his face. He put out his hand to shake hers. “This is a great surprise, getting together again—but now I get to meet your daughter.” He moved to stand next to her. “Hello. You must be the Katie about whom I’ve heard such wonderful things.”

  Suddenly shy, she nodded.

  “This is our son, Nick.” Nina jumped in to spare Katie from having to say anything.

  He knelt down so he was no longer towering above her. “I’m very glad to meet you.”

  Katie considered him. “You’re Ellie’s brother, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Which means you’re my mother’s brother, too. So you would be my Uncle Nick, wouldn’t you?”

  The adults were caught off guard by her comment. Startled, Nick thought about what she had said. “Well, yes, of course, you’re absolutely right. I’m your Uncle Nick. And you’re my niece.” He grinned. “Wow. I have a niece!”

  “Okay.” Satisfied, Katie smoothed her napkin in her lap and reached for her glass of water. The adults exchanged looks with one another, not sure what to make of how quickly and calmly she had assessed the part she played in this puzzle.

  Nick took the empty seat between his mother and Katie. “What do you think of New York City so far?” he asked her.

  Her face lit up. “I love it!”

  Again, Rachel felt uneasy, wondering what she had opened up by bringing her child here. The Lawrences, however, grinned with pleasure.

  “And we haven’t even gotten started,” Gil said to Katie. “Tomorrow, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Empire State Building, and a ride on the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.”