Missing Your Smile (21 page)

“I will,” Edna said. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Susan closed the phone and handed it back to Robby.

“I take it that didn't go too well,” he said.

“Jonas is doing okay. That's the important thing,” she said.

“I suppose so.” He accelerated as another light turned green and nearly ran into the car in front of him.

“That was close!” he muttered, slowing down, allowing ample distance between the two vehicles.

“So enough of my troubles,” Susan said. “Tell me about this girl you were talking about earlier.”

“Why should I tell you? And if I do, will you tell me your secrets?”

“No,” Susan said. “But I want to know your girl troubles anyway. Tell me about her. Please.”

“Well, I met her at a bar last week…”

“You go to bars?” She gasped. “But you're Laura's boy!”

“So what? A lot of guys with nice moms go to bars,” he said with a laugh. “Look, Susan, I'm not interested in Mom's religion anymore, not with church and all. And besides, what has my going to a bar have to do with Mom?”

“It's not right, Robby. That's what it has to do with.”

“Oh, so you don't want to hear the story after all?”

Susan met his look. “Of course I do. But you shouldn't be in bars. So go ahead. I'm listening.”

Robby sighed. “It's not like I'm a bad person just because I go to bars for a quick drink. I don't get drunk or do drugs or sleep around, if that's what you're thinking.”

“I should hope not!” she exclaimed. “Amish boys aren't saints either. Well,
some
of them aren't. Thomas was never wild, but some of the others are. But they straighten up eventually. I suppose that can happen to you too.”

“Well, that's a novel way of looking at it,” he said with a shrug. “But, hey, I'm not wild just because I go to bars occasionally. Look at me! Do I look wild to you?”

Did she dare say the truth? “To be honest, you do look a
little
wild.”

He laughed out loud. “I suppose it's my long hair. Okay, so I may look a little wild to an Amish girl. But I don't
act
wild.”

“No, I've never seen you act wild,” she agreed.

“Well, that settles it then.”

“
Yah
. So we agree
. You go to bars, which you shouldn't. But you don't act wild.”

Robby laughed. “Back to the story. I had never met this girl before. Well, maybe once in passing a few weeks before, but she was with someone else. That night she was alone, so I walked up and talked to her.”

“Just like that?”

“Of course. How else would I do it?”

“Perhaps a woman wants to know who you are. I mean, you could be anyone.”

“That's why I told her, first thing. ‘I'm Robby and I grew up around here,' I said.”

“How does she know that? You could be lying. You're in a bar, which is not exactly the best place to be.”

“I know,” he said. “Sin, degradation, evil, wickedness, and all that.”

“
Yah
. And especially in a place like that, a girl wants to know who you are before she becomes friends with you.”

“Do you want to hear the story or not?”

“
Yah
, go on.”

“I asked her if she wanted to go across the street for a burger, and she said yes. We had a nice chat over our meal, and I thought everything was going great.”

“So what's the problem?”

“The problem is that when we parted, I asked her if I could see her again next week. She said no! I don't get it. Why did she accept my invitation for a burger when she obviously wasn't as interested in me as I was in her? I don't get women!”

“You shouldn't take it personally, Robby. There could be any number of reasons. Maybe she's seeing someone else.”

“Of course I take it personally! That's what it's all about.”

“Have you thought about meeting the right kind of girl in…say… church?”

Robby let out a long sigh. “I'll take your advice under consideration.” He wrinkled his face into a fake smile as he turned left and pulled into a triple-story parking garage. Squeezing the car into a parking slot he said, “This is the closest parking to the college—our first stop of the day. Does the princess need an escort inside?”

“You might as well come,” she said. “That way I won't feel pressured about hurrying—worrying about you being bored in the car all alone. You might even find a self-help book in their library on how to win girlfriends.”

“Cute, really cute.”

Robby led the way to the college administration building, pausing to point out the tall pillars in front that reached all the way to the second-story roof.

“That's nice,” she said. “It's certainly nothing like the little buildings they have in Salem, Indiana.”

“They built the pillars to impress country girls who come to visit,” he said with a grin.

As they stepped inside, Robby said, “Over there is the information desk, the place to start your journey. As for me, I think I'll go see about a girlfriend book.”

“What do I ask for?” she whispered.

“Just explain what you need,” he said, not pausing. “They'll be helpful.”

Susan watched Robby walk away and then took a deep breath. The place was huge, even larger than it had appeared from the outside. She never felt more like a little Amish girl far away from home.

S
usan approached the desk and glanced around, hoping the well-dressed lady would look up and notice her.

“Excuse me,” Susan finally said softly.

“Yes, may I help you?” the lady asked.

At least she seemed friendly. She was much younger than she had appeared from a distance. Susan relaxed, managing a smile. “I need help finding materials on how to prepare for your GED exam,” Susan said.

“You didn't finish high school?” the lady asked.

“I…no…I didn't finish,” Susan said.

Should she explain that she was Amish? Better not. An Amish girl living in Asbury Park who only completed the eighth grade? That was an unlikely story.

“Well, you've come to the right place! We are more than glad to help,” the lady said.

Robby's head appeared from behind a nearby aisle of books behind a wall of glass. He waved and smiled.

“There are two ways to study that I recommend,” the lady continued. “Either you can take our night classes or you can study online. Here is the web address and the hours the college gives the classes.”

Susan glanced at the papers the lady handed to her.

“May I take this home with me and decide what I want to do?” she asked.

“Of course,” the lady said with a smile. “Whatever way works for you is fine.”

“Where is the exam taken?” Susan asked.

“Here at the college. But you should study first. Each exam has a fee attached, and you will have to repeat the entire exam if you fail any section. I advise a full complement of studies before you attempt the test.”

“Okay,” Susan said, turning to go.

She found Robby in the library across the hall, his nose stuck in a book. She got his attention by whispering, “I'm ready to go.”

“Oh!” he jumped and slammed the book shut.

She looked at the title as he slid the book back on the shelf. “
The Five Love Languages
,” Susan read aloud. “Hmm.”

Robby's face turned a bit red.

“You don't have to be embarrassed about the book,” Susan said, leading the way outside and down the steps. “It sounds pretty good. Maybe I need to read it too.”

“Yeah, I think maybe we both do,” Robby agreed.

“Now, where do I get my driver's license?” Susan asked.

“Wow! You're really moving ahead quickly, aren't you?” Robbie asked.

“Do you think I'm moving too quickly, Robby? I'm just trying to make a new life here in the
Englisha
world.”

“No, you're fine.” He didn't hesitate. “You've never struck me as lacking in the intelligence department. I was just kidding. And what did the college tell you?”

“I can either come here for night classes or study online,” she told him. “Which one do you think I should do?”

He shrugged. “Mom has a computer at the bakery. Do you think you could learn to use a computer?”

“I don't know,” she said. “Is it hard?”

“Nah, a piece of cake.” He laughed.

“Robby, did you finish high school?” she asked, as they climbed into the car.

“Yes,” he said, starting the engine.

“Isn't college the place where most
Englisha
young people go after high school?”

“Yes, I guess.”

“Did you go to college?” she asked after he paid the parking fee.

He was busy looking up and down the street, but he turned to answer her with a quick, “Yes.”

“I feel so stupid,” Susan said. “You must really think so too. Everyone here has a high school diploma and most likely some college. With just an eighth-grade education, I feel so…so
dumb
.”

“Quit beating yourself up,” he said. “You're doing just fine. And most people admire you for trying to catch up, whatever your reasons were for not completing high school.”

“I wonder if Mr. Moran thinks so. He's a good example of what I mean. He's so smart. I have no business being with him. At least I don't have cow manure still stuck on my shoes.”

Robby laughed. “Hey, it's a free world. Anyone can go out with anyone. And he must like you. Don't worry about it—just enjoy it. I think if anyone is stupid or dumb, it's that Amish boyfriend of yours.”

Susan was hardly listening. “Mr. Moran probably has college learning coming out his ears.”

“He probably does,” Robby agreed. “But I wouldn't worry. There's more to life then college. You'll do okay.”

“You're just saying so to make me feel better.”

“Hey, I've got a college education, so I should know. Now isn't that true, Miss Hostetler?”

“It is true,” she said, grateful for the compliment. Robby did have cute logic. “But it doesn't feel true inside. I still feel like a duck out of water.”

“A nice-looking duck out of water,” Robbie corrected. “Here we are at the DMV. Time for your first test.”

They got out and walked to the building. Robby held the door for her and motioned her toward a cubicle that didn't have a line. She walked up, uncertain what to do.

“You give them your information, and they give you a number and the test material,” Robby whispered in her ear.

“May I help you, ma'am?” a woman at the window asked.

“I…uh, I need to apply for my learner's permit.”
Is that the correct wording? Hadn't Laura used those words?

The woman nodded. “I'll need your birth certificate.”

Susan dug the paper out of her purse and handed it over the counter.

There was a clicking of keys. The woman pointed to a bank of computers. You take the test there. Your number is 305. When you're done, wait until your number is called. If you pass you'll take a quick eye exam and we'll give you your permits.

Susan stood there, frozen.

“Is there anything else?” the woman asked.

“I don't know how to use a computer,” Susan finally got out.

“Oh, then you'll want to take the test manually.” She brought out a sheaf of papers, selected one and handed it to Susan, along with a pencil. “You can take the test at one of those desks over there,” she said, pointing to several desks in the corner. “When you're done, bring the test back to this window.”