Double Take (22 page)

“I have a lot to tell you still,” Madison said as they emerged from the bathroom. “Let’s get some coffee and talk until it’s time to go.”

“Yes. I am starving.” Anna suddenly remembered the donuts in the bus station.

“It’s on me,” Madison said as they went to order.

As Madison paid with a credit card, Anna remembered the packet of money still zipped inside a pocket of Madison’s purse. Perhaps she should just leave it there, to pay Madison back for the money she’d used.

They carried their coffees and pastries to the same table they’d sat at last Saturday. Anna could not believe it had only been a week. So much could happen in a week.

“What did you think of the simple life?” Anna asked as she broke her cinnamon roll apart. “A little different from Manhattan?”

Madison chuckled as she set down her coffee. “Just a little. At first I went into what I think is called culture shock. I mean how do you get used to living without hot water and—”

“That’s right,” Anna said. “I forgot that Aunt Rachel’s house doesn’t have hot tap water.”

“Does your house?”

Anna nodded. “Oh yes. My father put in a propane-powered water heater.”

“Really? That’s not against the Ordnung?”

“Not where we live. Maybe not all of Aunt Rachel’s settlement either. I think Uncle Daniel is old-fashioned about some things.” Anna was remembering more now. “Like their old wood-burning cookstove—I assume they still use it?”

“Yes.” Madison sighed. “What a pain.”

“My mamm has a propane stove. Much easier.”

“Not all Amish live the same?”

“Every settlement is different.” Anna explained some of the other differences. “Not all English have homes as fancy as yours?”

“That’s true.”

“Lucinda said that your family is very, very rich, Madison.” Anna took a sip of coffee.

Madison just nodded.

“She also told me about how you used to be her best friend.”

Madison frowned. “Did she tell you what ended our friendship?”

“She said it was a boy. Then Vivian stepped in.” Anna remembered something. “Vivian left you a lot of phone messages. Angry messages. I wonder if she is really your friend now.”

Madison shrugged. “Maybe not.”

“Lucinda is a nice person.” Anna smiled.

“How do you know so much about Lucinda anyway?”

Anna told about helping Lucinda sew things for her mother’s fashion show. “Her mother paid me. It’s in the pocket of your purse.”

Madison reached for her purse, removed the envelope, and set it in front of Anna.

“I left it for you,” Anna explained.

“Why?”

“To repay you for—”

“No way.” Madison shook her head. “It’s yours, Anna. You earned it.”

“What about the money I used, the credit cards and—”

“I told you to do that. After all you went through last week, it’s a small price.”

“Yes . . . freedom is not all I thought it would be.”

Madison chuckled. “That’s true enough.”

“Back to Lucinda,” Anna said. “When she still thought I was you, I promised—”

“Speaking of that, what gave you away?”

“Oh, she’s smart. She figured it out.”

“How?” Madison set down her coffee and waited.

Anna started to giggle. “My hairy legs.”

Madison laughed. “Oh yeah, I never even thought about that.”

“Anyway, when Lucinda thought I was you, she asked me to be in her mother’s fashion show—and I said yes.”

“After she figured out you weren’t me, she knew that I hadn’t agreed, right?”

“She had already told her mother. It was when she was fitting me for your dress that she found out the truth.”

Madison frowned. “Didn’t you explain that you couldn’t promise me for the fashion show?”

“I told her she would have to work that out with you.”

“Thanks a lot.”

Anna pointed her finger at Madison. “You know how you keep telling me to be nice to Aunt Rachel, saying how she is a good person?”

“Yes.”

“It’s the same with Lucinda. She is a very good person. You should be nice to her too.”

Madison seemed to be considering this.

“She helped me a lot. She seems a lot nicer than that mean Vivian.”

“Maybe so.”

Anna told Madison about Nadya and how she had gotten a little suspicious. “Especially the time she caught me jumping on your bed.”

“You jumped on my bed?” Madison grinned.

“Yes. It was so big and so bouncy.” Anna shook her head. “I have a question for you. Why do English have so much comfortable things—beds, chairs, pillows, blankets, rugs . . . so luxurious—and then they wear uncomfortable shoes and clothes?”

Madison laughed. “I don’t know. That’s a good question.”

Anna nodded vigorously. “I thought about it a lot.”

“I thought about the opposite question,” Madison said. “Why do the Amish dress comfortably, but all their beds and furnishings are uncomfortable?”

“It’s not like that everywhere. Uncle Daniel is very, very conservative,” Anna explained. “He does things the old ways.”

“No wonder Rachel is so worn out.” Madison sighed. “Will she keep having children until she’s too old? She told me they don’t believe in birth control.”

“My mamm is worried about this too. She told Aunt Rachel there are some kinds of birth control acceptable to their Ordnung.”

“So not everything is what it seemed,” Madison said.

“Both in my world and in yours.” Anna ate the last piece of cinnamon roll.

Madison looked at her watch. “I have a few more things to tell you before it’s too late.” She explained about the Lapp family, the sisters Rebekah and Lydia, and how they were all interested in helping and befriending Rachel. “I hope you’ll encourage them. Rachel needs some good friends to watch her back.”

“Watch her back?”

“You know. To be there for her.” Madison told Anna about how she’d spoken to Berta.

“Not really?” Anna giggled.

Madison nodded. “I did. Everyone was happy when she and her friend left.”

“Now Berta will be after me,” Anna exclaimed. “Who will watch my back?”

Madison held up a finger. “That reminds me. I have something really important to tell you.”

Anna leaned forward with interest.

“His name is Malachi, and he’s a great guy.” Speaking quickly since their time was limited, Madison explained how she’d stumbled onto this young man, Uncle Daniel’s nephew, and how she had unwittingly flirted with him. Though they had spent very little time together, this young man had gotten it into his head that he was in love with her.

“How is that possible?” Anna demanded. “You are at my aunt’s house for a few days and you make a man fall in love with you? It is not fair.” She was thinking of Jacob, how it took years for him to fall in love . . . and then he had fallen out.

Madison chuckled. “Here’s the deal, Anna. He fell in love with who he
thought
I was.” She pointed to Anna. “He thought I was you.”

“Now what?” Anna frowned. “I will have to tell him the truth and—”

“He knows the truth.”

“You told both my aunt and this guy?”

“Malachi. His name is Malachi, Anna.”

“
Ja
,
ja
.” Anna shook her head. “How many others did you tell? Soon my mamm and daed will be hearing about it too.”

“Malachi won’t tell anyone. Neither will Rachel. Don’t worry.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You won’t get in trouble for this.”

“You won’t either, Anna.” Madison reached across the table, took Anna’s hand, and squeezed it. “You are so lucky.”

“I am lucky?”

“Yes. I know you probably won’t believe me, but I envy you, Anna.”

Anna studied Madison.

“There are so many things I love about your simple life. You’re so lucky to be born into it.”

“You can become Amish if you want,” Anna said. “You just have to accept our ways and be baptized. It happens sometimes.”

“I plan to take some Amish with me,” Madison told her. “I’m not sure how. But I plan to change some things in my life. I want to make it simpler.”

Anna nodded. “You have so much stuff, Madison. It made my head dizzy. Your closet is as big as my room at home. There are things, things, things—everywhere. Why do you need so much?”

“I don’t.”

“Oh.” Anna wondered at this.

Suddenly Madison pointed outside. “Look there, Anna.”

Anna looked out the window to see a tall Amish man crossing the street toward them. His posture was straight, his strides were long and confident, and beneath his straw hat she saw blond hair.

“He is very handsome,” she told Madison.

“He is Malachi.”

Anna blinked, then looked again as the man came into the coffee shop. “The same Malachi? Uncle Daniel’s nephew?”

“One and the same.” Madison grinned.

“He does not look like Uncle Daniel.”

“No. He definitely does not.” Madison waved to him, and he approached with a truly bewildered expression.

“Hello?” he said cautiously.

“Malachi, I want you to meet the real Anna,” Madison told him.

“Hello . . . Anna?” He looked back and forth from one girl to the other.

“Hello, Malachi.” Anna smiled nervously. “You want to sit?”

“Yes.” He nodded as he sat, still looking from one girl to the other.

“She really is Anna,” Madison assured him. “We changed clothes in the restroom.”

“You are Uncle Daniel’s nephew?” Anna asked him.

“Yes. And you are Aunt Rachel’s niece?”

“
Ja
. She and my mamm are sisters.”

Malachi looked back at Madison. “You look different.”

“I am different.” She smiled. “It was what I was trying to tell you.” She pointed to Anna again. “I was trying to be her. But she is the real thing.”

Anna felt her cheeks grow warm. “I was trying to be Madison, but I was not good at it. I am glad to be home.”

Malachi looked relieved. “You are ready to go home now?”

“Yes. Please.”

Malachi frowned at Madison. “How do you get home?”

She reached into the bright orange bag, pulling out a set of keys. “I have a car to drive.”

He looked surprised. “Yes, of course.”

“We should go,” Anna told Madison. “I would hug you, but we already have people looking at us.”

“I understand.” Madison smiled but remained seated. “You two have a nice ride back home.” She actually winked at Malachi, causing his cheeks to get rosy. “It will probably be much more pleasant than your ride into town.”

Anna glanced nervously at Malachi, but he just smiled. Such a handsome smile too! She reached for Madison’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “Thank you for everything, Madison.”

“Thank you too.”

“You have a blessed good life.” Anna let go of her hand.

“You too.”

Anna knew she saw tears in Madison’s eyes as she and Malachi left the coffee shop. For that matter, Anna had tears in her own eyes. It felt as if Madison was one of her best friends, yet they had only spent a total of a few hours together. And now it was over.

Still, Anna was glad to be home. Or almost home.

“You are the real Anna?” Malachi asked as he helped her into the buggy.

“I am the real Anna,” she assured him. “Although the truth is I don’t feel much like the Anna I was when I sneaked out of here last week.” She watched as he walked around—he really was a handsome man—and waited as he got into the driver’s seat. “I am very happy to be Anna again.”

“I am very happy you are Anna again too.” He released the brake and shook the reins, smiling as the horse began to move. “I look forward to getting to know the real Anna this time.”

“So do I,” she said. That was true enough. She did want to know the real Anna again. She wanted to reacquaint herself with the girl who had once loved doing her daily chores, the girl who got true pleasure from baking raisin bread and making a window shine—and sewing. She couldn’t wait to hem up little Elizabeth’s dress!

As Malachi drove the wagon home, slow and easy, a familiar song began to hum through Anna’s head. It was an old song Grandmamm used to sing in the garden. A song about peace and home and family. A song Anna hoped to sing to the end of her days.

With the morning sun shining brightly, Madison decided to put the top down on her Mini Cooper. She was surprised at how exhilarating it felt, the wind whipping through her hair as she sped down the country road. Okay, she was only going the speed limit, but after living in the slow lane for a week, this felt really fast.

After an hour, she realized her car was on empty, so she pulled into the next town. As she was filling up, the sound of something ringing in her purse made her jump, and then she realized it was her Blackberry. To her dismay, it was Garret. Instead of ignoring the call, she decided to just deal with it.

“Hello, Garret,” she said pleasantly.

“Hey, Maddie.” He sounded happy. “Great to hear your voice again. We’re still talking?”

“Sure. We’re talking now, aren’t we?”

“Where are you?”

“Just out for a drive.”

“Your car’s fixed?”

She considered this. “Uh, yeah, it’s running great.”

“So what happened with Jacob? Did he and that Anna chick get back together?”

“No.” She had almost forgotten that Garret had been helping Anna. “It didn’t turn out like she’d hoped.”

“Too bad. Was she okay?”

Madison smiled. “Actually, I think she was better than okay. They weren’t really meant for each other.”

There was a brief pause.

“Do you want to do something?” he asked hopefully. “Now that your relentless search for Anna’s missing man has been resolved, we could still go to Nantucket and—”

“No.” She started her car, moved it away from the pump, and parked. “I think I want to take a break.”

“Take a break?” He sounded mad. “Or break up?”

“I guess it could go either way.”

Garret let out a foul word, which, after she’d lived in an Amish community for a week, felt harsh on her ears.

“I’m sorry to hurt you, Garret. But, like Anna and Jacob, I think it’s for the best.”

“You strung me along for all of spring break just to dump me like this?”

“You knew more than a week ago that we had some major problems, Garret. Seriously, the writing was all over the wall.”

He let out another crass word.

“I have to go, Garret. Sorry to end it like this, but—” She didn’t get to finish because he had hung up. While she felt a tiny bit sad, she was mostly just relieved.

She decided to listen to her other messages—a mix from her mom, her dad, and Vivian. All three of them sounded similar in that they (1) wanted to know what was wrong with her, (2) wanted to know why she wasn’t returning their calls, and (3) were irked. She called her dad first, but only because he sounded genuinely worried about her health.

“Hey, Dad,” she said lightly. “I’m feeling a lot better now. I just wanted you to know.”

“You sound better.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I got busy and the end of the week just got away from me.”

“It’s okay. I got pretty busy too.”

“Anyway, I was thinking, if you wanted I could drive up to Boston for the night, maybe hang with you tomorrow.”

“Oh, Maddie, I wish I’d known sooner. I was so used to being blown off by you that I made other plans. I could cancel—”

“No,” she said quickly. “It’s okay. We can do it another weekend.”

“Do you want to look into Harvard after all?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that, Dad. I know you want me to go to Harvard. Mom wants me to go to Yale. I’ve decided that I want to do something totally different.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I don’t want to offend you guys, but I feel strongly about this. I’m just not an Ivy Leaguer, not at heart.”

“Hey, that’s okay, Maddie. I want you to go somewhere you want to go. I didn’t mean to pressure you. It is your life.”

“So you’ll support me in choosing a different college—I mean if I have to stand up to Mom?”

“You know I’ll support you.”

“I don’t want it to turn into a power struggle either.”

“Yeah, I hear you. You’re only a junior, you have time to figure this out. Especially if you’re not going the Ivy League route.”

“That’s what I’m thinking too.”

They talked a bit longer, and by the time she hung up, Madison felt like she and her dad had made good progress. Unfortunately, her phone call with her mom was not quite as satisfying. After Madison apologized for not going to Tuscany with them, her mom launched into a lecture about how Madison would’ve enjoyed it, how disappointed her grandmother had been, and that maybe she’d think twice next time.

“I’m sure I will,” Madison said. “If it’s any consolation, I think I might’ve grown up some this week.”

“Well, it’s about time.”

“Yeah.” Madison sighed. “Tell Grandmother I’m sorry I let her down and maybe we can plan something this summer.”

“Okay, dear, I’ll tell her. It’s cocktail hour now, so I’ll have to let you go. Thanks for calling. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Madison told herself she couldn’t expect too much from her mom, but she still felt slightly disappointed as she hung up. Next she called Vivian. Her messages had gotten increasingly grumpy, and Madison was hoping to simply leave a message. Unfortunately, Vivian picked up.

“Madison,” she snapped, “where are you?”

Of course, it didn’t improve Vivian’s mood when Madison told her.

“I have had the worst week of my life,” she said. “And I have you to thank for it.”

“Why is it my fault?”

“Because I only agreed to come down here with my parents after you promised you’d come too.”

Madison didn’t remember any such promise, but she knew it probably didn’t matter much at this point. “Sorry, Vivian.”

“Sorry? That’s the best you can come up with? Sorry?”

“It’s all I have at the moment. In case you wondered, I had an interesting week and I—”

“Right! Now you’re going to rub it in that you stayed in the city and had a fabulous time. Thanks a lot, but I really don’t care.”

“All right then.” Madison was struggling to keep her voice calm and even. “I guess I’ll see you next week.”

“Whatever!” Vivian hung up.

Madison couldn’t believe she was actually missing Rachel right now. And Anna too. Who would’ve guessed? Then she remembered what Anna had said about Lucinda and her mom’s fashion show, so she called Lucinda’s number.

“Hey, Lucinda,” she said, “this is Madison.”

“The real Madison?”

“Yeah. Anna and I switched back.”

“Really? How did it go?”

Madison filled her in a little and they talked back and forth congenially almost like they were still friends. But eventually the conversation wore down.

“Anyway . . .” Madison decided to take care of one last thing. “Anna told me about your mom’s fashion show and how she signed me up, and I want—”

“To tell me to forget it, right?”

Madison considered this—that had been her initial response, but not now. “No, I wanted to tell you that if you still want me, I’d be honored.”

“You’d be
honored
?” Lucinda sounded skeptical. “Seriously, is this really Madison Van Buren?”

She laughed. “Yes, it’s me.”

“Okay, if this is really Madison, tell me about your thirteenth birthday.”

“You mean the time we went skinny-dipping at the Ritz after the pool was closed?”

Lucinda laughed. “Yeah. And that was my idea.”

“We used to have fun.”

“Used to.” Lucinda sounded a little bitter.

“Did you have any fun during spring break?”

Lucinda groaned. “All I did was work.”

Madison was getting an idea. “So . . . what are you doing this weekend?”

“Not much.”

“Well, I’m thinking about going to the Hamptons. Are you interested?”

“Really?”

“Totally.”

“Who else is going to be there?” Lucinda sounded suspicious.

“Just you and me,” Madison assured her. “Like old times—well, except no parents.”

“Really? No Vivian? No Garret? None of your other snooty friends?”

“Just me . . . and you if you come.”

“I’m in.”

Suddenly they were making plans. Lucinda would gather up some food, Madison would be in Manhattan before eleven, and they would easily make it to the Hamptons by two.

“You’re traveling light,” Lucinda observed when she saw the overnight bag that Madison had quickly packed after she’d told Nadya to take the weekend off.

“I’ve been living light this past week,” Madison confessed as she tossed her bag into the backseat. “It’s kind of nice.”

Lucinda stared at Madison as she started her car. “You really have changed.”

Madison chuckled. “Are you making fun of my hair? Because I haven’t washed it in days and then it was blowing in the wind with the top down. I know it’s pretty bad.”

“I’m not talking about your hair,” Lucinda clarified. “You just seem really different.”

“I actually feel really different,” she admitted.

“You were really living with Amish people? On a farm?”

“That’s right.” As Madison drove, she told Lucinda all about her strange week. Not only was Lucinda sincerely interested, she seemed to actually understand how Madison was now longing for simplicity in her life.

“I want that too,” Lucinda told her.

They talked about that all the way to the Hamptons. They both agreed that rather than stopping at any of the regular spots, they would go straight to the beach house, open it up, fix a late lunch, and enjoy a simple afternoon of beach and sunshine. And that’s exactly what they did. Madison knew that her other friends would probably have spoiled a time like this—either by wanting to party hardy, pair off, or, as Lucinda put it, act “snooty.”

In the evening, Madison told Lucinda that she planned to go out to the beach and just look at the stars. “Do you think that sounds dumb?” she asked as she gathered up a quilt.

“Not at all,” Lucinda said. “Do you care if I join you?”

“Only if you promise not to talk too much,” Madison said. “I mean once we’re out there.” As they walked outside, Madison confessed to Lucinda that, for the first time in her life, she was beginning to experience God in a real way.

“Seriously?” Lucinda sounded truly shocked. “Wow, you really have changed.”

“I think I’m still changing,” she admitted. “There’s something about being in nature, being quiet, calm, still. When the noise and distractions are cleared away, I feel more aware, more spiritually awake. Like I can almost hear his voice . . . like I’m starting to understand what God is about.”

“Cool,” Lucinda whispered.

They were out on the beach now, and Madison threw the quilt open and spread it out on the sand, where they both stretched out. Thankfully, Lucinda kept her promise of silence. The only sounds were the repetitive swish-swash of the ocean’s waves and an occasional seabird settling in for the night. Overhead, the stars came out, and before long a nearly full moon crested over the ocean. Lucinda let out a little gasp, and Madison couldn’t fault her for it. Truly, it was beautiful.

Maybe it was the aftermath of living with the Amish, or just her personal preference, or the influence of the Creator’s amazing creation—or perhaps it was all three. But Madison felt certain that God appreciated simplicity. Because that was where she had found him. And that was where she was determined to remain.