Almost Amish Part 17

Julie knew that it wasn't her place to say anything, and that she was here to help Susan, so she shouldn't say anything. So she shuffled forward and tried to forget what had just happened. As they walked the length of the cereal aisle, her mind tumbled over and over with thoughts, and regrets, and memories of what Thomas had said just last night. "You truly see people. You notice when someone is sad, or uncomfortable, when most people would not give them a second glance." If that truly was a gift she possessed, wasn't this the time to use it? She turned and leaned against a shelf of Toasted O's. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"What? Shopping? I think you'll get used to it." Susan's voice was light, but her eyes widened in a warning to Julie.

"That's not what I was talking about."

"Hey there. What are you all talking about, so serious over here?" Lisa bounded up the aisle, all smiles. "Did I miss something?" She moved to join the group, which had all gone stone silent.

"Julie was just saying she didn't like this." Thomas put his arms around her shoulders. "She was just about to tell us what it is she doesn't like."

Julie could have throttled Thomas at that moment. He should have known she would not want to have this conversation in front of Lisa. That would make it all the more likely to come back and hurt Susan.

"What don't you like, Julie?" Lisa's voice was full of interest. "I really want to know all concerns that any of you might have."

"Amish clothes." The words barely croaked out of her closed throat.

"You knew when you came here that this would happen at some point during your stay. We were very upfront about that." Kendra looked toward Lisa and rolled her eyes. "Let's head to the produce. We need to keep on schedule."

Lisa squeezed Julie's arm. "It's only for a week. It'll be over sooner than you think."

Susan shot her a warning glance, and then the group started down the aisle. Everyone except Julie, whose feet wouldn't move.

"Here's the thing . . ." She said the words so late, and so quietly, it stunned her when everyone stopped and turned around. She didn't dare look in Susan's direction for fear of losing her nerve, but the right words evaded her. She rubbed the back of her neck, praying for help.

"You know, it really doesn't matter what the thing is; this is a crucial part to the show."

Julie looked up at Kendra and felt her resolve starting to slip. Maybe she shouldn't have spoken up. But what if this really was her gift, the loaves and fish she was supposed to use, and she was too much a coward to use it at a time like this?

"Yes, we did make an agreement, but at the time I didn't understand how wrong it would be." As she said it, Thomas reached over and took her hand. She wasn't certain if it was meant as an offer of support or a warning.

"What is it that bothers you?" Lisa moved closer, squinting her eyes in concentration.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Susan offered. Julie could see the panic in her eyes. Julie had backed down throughout filming for her sister-in-law, but this seemed bigger than even Susan's dreams. This was about something larger.

The word came to her.

"Respect." Julie looked Kendra in the eye with every bit of conviction in her body flowing through her. "It's one thing for us to try this experiment so the rest of the world can get an idea of what it would be like for a modern family to try to live a more Amish lifestyle. The clothes we normally wear do that just fine. But to dress exactly like them . . . it only matters when we're here, in public. And, well, you saw how that Amish couple looked at us. That was a slap in the face. Especially with all these cameras following us around, something that flies against everything they believe in."

"We're simply taking on one more aspect of their lifestyle," Kendra said dismissively.

Julie shook her head. "No. No, it most definitely is not. From what I've seen, they are a quiet people full of dignity. And this . . . well, it goes too far."

"If you're going to break our contract, then we'll be forced to-"

Lisa's upheld hand stopped Kendra from saying the rest of whatever the threat would have been. "You know, she may have a point. This whole experiment was about a modern family living simply. It's not supposed to be demeaning or disrespectful of another group of people. That's the last thing I would want to do."

"But we've already got next week's schedule planned around that."

Lisa tilted her head to the left side. "Then we'll just have to think of something else. We've got a group full of bright minds here. Let's think this through." She looked at her watch. "But we're going to have to think about it on our way through the parking lot, because I've got a plane to catch."

Thomas squeezed Julie's hand. He leaned closer and whispered, "Well done."

The realization of what she'd just done flowed through Julie's veins in a warm tide of happiness. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this good about anything. It didn't even bother her when Susan refused to meet her eye.

A few minutes later, they were walking through the parking lot when Lisa called the group over. "Everyone come over here. I think I've got our answer." The group a.s.sembled around her, Kendra looking as if she'd taken a bite of something sour and needed to spit it out.

"How about rumspringa? Why don't we give the kids a week to ease up a little bit, out of their parents' control?"

Whitney, Angie, and Brian immediately shouted their approval, and Lisa smiled at them.

"They could go into town, maybe see a movie, eat at McDonald's. I don't know, what else do Amish kids do during their running around?"

"The Amish in this part of the country do not partic.i.p.ate in rumspringa." Kendra's voice was firm. "That's their more liberal counterparts up north." She folded her arms across her chest, unwilling to concede.

Lisa shrugged. "We didn't name this series, Almost Swartzentruber Amish. We named it Almost Amish. I think we have quite a bit of lat.i.tude in which to work here. Don't you?"

Kendra shrugged. "If that's what you want us to do." Her face was red with anger. Julie suspected they would feel the brunt of that over the course of the next few days.

"That's what I want you to do. In fact, I'm declaring tomorrow a day off for everyone. Thomas has to go to the airport, right?"

"Yes," Thomas said.

"Well, why don't you all ride in the Suburban with him, give him a proper farewell at the airport? I think it would be good for everyone to take a little break. Don't you agree, Kendra?"

It was obvious from Kendra's face that she did not agree. "If that's what you want us to do."

"It is." Lisa nodded. "I only wish I didn't have to go back tonight or I'd hang around a little longer and see how it all works out." She hugged each of them. "Good-bye. I look forward to seeing you all again soon." She climbed into a Suburban, which pulled away.

"I guess I'll see you all day after tomorrow." Kendra climbed into the other Suburban without saying another word.

Chapter 28.

Susan swished the water back and forth in their washing machine. The lever to churn water and laundry required a fair amount of back and arm muscles, and even though it was barely 8:00 A.M., it was already hot. She leaned as far as possible from the steam rising from around the lid. The kids had gotten especially dirty this week, and the whites were refusing to give up their spots without a fight.

"You want to switch places for a while? You've got to be roasting over there." Julie was scrubbing the back porch steps, which were currently in the shade. The water wasn't hot either, making for a much cooler job.

"These clothes are pretty dirty. May require a few times through the cycle to finish them."

"All the more reason for us to switch off." Julie left her post and walked over, prepared to take Susan's place.

Susan looked at the not yet quite clean clothes. She was tired, but they still showed their stains. She just couldn't imagine Julie truly working until they were clean. *Why bother to get them perfectly clean when they're just going to get dirty again?' She shook her head. "That's all right. I'm good for now."

"Susan, your face is bright red, you've been pumping that lever for half an hour, and I know you're burning up. Now trade places so you can cool off, at least a little."

Susan did not release the handle. "It's very important that we get these clothes super clean." Kendra had been in a huff ever since Lisa Lee sided with Julie and overruled Amish clothing week. Susan couldn't afford to do anything wrong at this point, because Kendra was looking for mistakes to highlight.

"Yes, I know that, and I promise I'll do my very best. Now get over there and take a breather."

Susan didn't want to go, but she did, simply because she couldn't think of a way to continue the argument without getting particularly rude. "Okay, I'll switch for just a few minutes."

As if on cue, the door to the shack squeaked open. "Susan, can I speak with you a minute?" Kendra, as usual, looked crisp and clean and cool.

"Sure." Susan followed her, the shack's cool air hitting her like a wave of relief. She took in a few deep breaths, savoring the feel of cool air in her lungs.

Kendra closed the door behind her and then leaned against it. "I need to speak with you about a situation that has come to our attention." The downward curve of her mouth mirrored the irritation in her voice.

"What situation?"

"I'm more than confident that when you first came here we explained the rules to you. In particular, there was to be no fraternizing with the staff."

Susan held her breath and fought to think through her response. It had never occurred to her that there would be a problem when she and Gary went for a walk down to the creek yesterday. "My understanding was that we were not to talk to the crew, but that the locals involved with the show were okay for us to talk to." And that's all they had done was talk.

"That is true."

"So what's the problem, then?" Maybe there were rumors flying around about them. Something Susan had never considered. But why should she care what the crew thought about Gary and her spending time together?

"The problem is your daughter."

"Excuse me?"

"This is the problem." Kendra held up a remote and pointed it at a small video screen. A dark image sprang to life, showing a car parked out in the driveway in front of the house. It was the same car that had been parked in the driveway from 10:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. every night since they'd arrived. Susan knew it always held a low-level production a.s.sistant who was charged with "security" overnight. Since the car was always parked closer to the production equipment than the family's house, Susan had a pretty good idea what it was they were trying to protect.

She had been looking at the same screen for about ten seconds or so when she saw movement coming from the right side of the screen-the farmhouse side. A shadowy figure approached the car. At first, the shadow approached the driver's side, leaned forward at the window and seemed to carry on a conversation with the person inside the car. "Are you telling me that this is my daughter we're watching?"

"Yes, I am."

"I don't see how that could possibly be true. The security car doesn't move into place until ten o'clock. With the early-to-bed and early-to-rise schedule we've been keeping since we've been here, the girls are in bed at that time."

"That's what we'd like to think, isn't it?"

The shadow straightened, walked around to the pa.s.senger side of the car, and opened the door. As the door opened, the interior light came on. Angie never turned her face in the direction of the camera, but her smooth brown hair and favorite pink sleeveless shirt left no doubt about who it was.

Every ounce of Susan's energy seemed to drain from her body, starting with her head and working its way slowly out her toes. Sheer willpower kept her standing in place. Her daughter had deceived her. And she'd done it blatantly. And it was going to cost them everything.

She leaned forward, trying to see who was in the driver's side of the car. Just that quick, the door shut and the light went out. She waited, thinking surely now the car would start and they would be off into the world of the great unknown. It didn't. It simply sat there, unmoving, and too dark for the camera to see inside.

Kendra pressed the remote and set it on the table. "I don't see any argument that this is anything other than against the rules. Do you?"

Susan shook her head, too numb to think of an answer. "When did this take place?"

"Last night."

"I see." Susan was more than certain she did not want to know the answer to the next question, just as she was more than certain she must ask it. "Who was in the car?"

"Chris Baugh. He's one of the production a.s.sistants."

"The one with the black hair." Susan closed her eyes and tried to stay focused. "How long was she out there?"

"Not that long, actually. About half an hour or so."

"Half an hour." The implications of what might have happened during that time began to flip through Susan's mind, bringing with them a gut-deep, quickly building fury. Susan started for the door. "I'm going to the schoolhouse and talking to Angie. Right now."

"There's no need for that. She's on the way and should be here any moment."

She had no sooner spoken the words than the sound of an approaching Suburban broke the silence. Susan opened the door and watched as her daughter climbed from the backseat, looking totally bewildered. She looked toward Susan. "Mom, what's going on?"

"Angie, could you come in here, please?" Kendra motioned toward the production shed. "We need to talk."

Angie looked from Kendra to Susan, then nodded and walked inside. She plopped down in a chair, and crossed her arms. "What's up?"

"What's up? Are you seriously going to sit there and-"

Kendra put a restraining arm on Susan's shoulder. "Why don't you let me start. You can go outside with any unfinished mother-daughter business when I'm done."

Absolutely not. Angie needed to answer to her mother right now, and her mother was not going to wait to become part of unfinished business. "No. I need to-"

"When I'm finished." Kendra's voice was calm and in control. "You've got a lifetime to work out your differences regarding this issue. I, however, have to decide within the next half hour what kind of action to take, including whether or not this show will even go on."

Those words sent enough chill through Susan to at least tamp her anger marginally. She glared at Angie, who was watching the scene as her face got whiter and whiter.

"Angie"-Kendra took a backward step and then sat on the desktop behind her-"it has come to my attention that there may have been some contact between you and one of our crew. Can you tell me what's going on?"

Angie looked toward Kendra, but her focus was on her knees rather than her face. She shrugged. "I . . . don't know what you're talking about."

"Angie, don't you dare sit there and lie-"

Kendra extended her arm in the direction of Susan. "Please, I need you to use some restraint so that we can get to the truth at the bottom of this." She looked back toward Angie, her expression so carefully neutral that no one who saw her right now would have any idea this was anything more than a casual conversation. "Now, Angie, I will tell you that we do know better than this. In fact, we have a fair amount of evidence to the contrary, so why don't you just tell us the truth?"

Tears welled up in Angie's eyes and spilled down her face. She used the heel of her hand to wipe both cheeks before she looked back up. First at Susan, then at Kendra. "So what if we've talked? It's not like we're sabotaging the show or anything."

"When have you talked?" Kendra leaned forward, resting her hands on the edge of the desk and swinging her legs beneath her. She looked as though she might lunge forward and pounce at any moment.

Angie shrugged and looked down. "It's just me, really. I mean, Chris drives us to youth group every Wednesday. To me it feels rude just to sit there and pretend like the guy is not even in the wagon with us."

"I see. And have there been any other times that the two of you have had time together to talk, or have interaction of any kind?"

Once again Angie cast a glance toward Susan. Susan guessed that she was trying to gauge from her expression just how much they knew. Unfortunately, Susan did not have Kendra's uncanny ability to put on a neutral face, so it had to be more than apparent they knew there was more to the story.

Angie looked at her feet. "I've gone outside and talked to him at night, when he's acting as our night watchman."

"Has this happened more than once?" Kendra's feet began to swing faster.

"Just twice. I had trouble falling asleep a few nights ago, so I looked out the window. The car was out there, and I knew he was probably bored to tears. He's supposed to be staying awake all night to protect us, so I thought it might help him stay awake for a while, and maybe I could come back in and fall asleep."