they seemed to think it looked fine. She rummaged around, looking for Eliza’s old white organdy church apron that was saved for emergencies. Laura went to her side of the closet and pulled out one of her church dresses for Samantha. It was a nice teal color and seemed like it would fit Samantha quite well. Amish dresses are made with long belts and a lot of material in the front that you just pin under, so that if you gain weight you can simply unpin some extra folds of the material rather than spending money on making a whole new dress and aprons.
As we made our way downstairs, I heard chattering and small children laughing in the kitchen. Dishes were clanging as two small girls who could barely reach the table slammed metal plates and spoons on the table. There was no Mamma or Brian beating anyone; these children looked comfortable as they raced around the kitchen. They were obviously not deathly afraid of their mother who playfully swatted their behinds, hurrying them to get the dinner on the table.
We sat at the table in order of our ages. There were so many customs to learn, I thought, but one thing I did know was that Samantha and me would pass any behavior test with flying colors. We were both quite rigid and used to doing what we were told immediately. I had noticed that the mother had to yell several times for everyone else to get to the table, whereas Samantha and I sat down as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Oddly, she did not seem at all put out as the children sat down, one by one. The girls sat on the right of the table next to their mother, and the boys on the left with their father. The line tapered down until the oldest boy and oldest girl were sitting at the end opposite each other, and then there was Brian.
“Let us bow our heads for a moment of silent prayer,” Uriah said and we all bowed our heads. I opened my eyes and peeked around the room. The kerosene lamp in the middle of the table was casting a soft glow as it flickered in the late spring air. I could hear the horses nickering to each other in the barn, and as I looked around I saw one of the little boys staring at me. I smiled and he grinned back. He was cute, his grin missing a few teeth. I can do this. These are nice people. And this is the only way to avoid going to hell.
After dinner, Samantha and I helped clean the kitchen while the men and boys sat on the long benches at the table. The boys played a game of checkers while Brian and Uriah talked and stroked their long beards. Brian was copying Uriah’s movements. He was actually a pretty good actor and could appear kind and sincere on a whim. But if you knew him and could look into his dark and evil eyes, you could tell it was all an act and he was laughing inside at the person who was dumb enough to believe it.
After the dishes were finished, Uriah clapped his hands. “All off to bed; tomorrow is church Sunday and we must get up early.” By church Sunday, he meant the church services the Amish held every other week.
We all hurried off to our beds. The parents slept downstairs while the children slept upstairs. Brian slept in eighteen-year-old Edward’s room while Edward bunked with his younger brothers
“I don’t know what time you stand up at home,” Matty said in her Amish-accented English, “but we stand up at 4:30 a.m. here.”
I looked at the alarm clock that was ticking on the dresser. It read 9:30 p.m.
“That’s about what time we get up too,” I nodded, “but we usually go to bed much later.”
“Oh, really?” Matty cocked her brow. “Well, when it gets high summer, we do too, but not now; it is not necessary.”
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