K&T, LLC Ch. 06

She said, "Evaine, look at it this way. You are a missionary to the silent half of the Amish community. Don't study them for your dissertation. Become part of their community for three days. We want you so far inside, that Sean needs to deal with marriage proposals next week." My sister always had a way with words.

Evaine was too shocked to say anything, but I knew her look. I had seen it before on young officers and executives. The ones that looked scared would always need supervision. The ones that looked scared, but determined, would learn to handle independent authority. Evaine Schaeffelker was from the second group. I nodded approval to Siobhan.

On the way to the train station, Evaine removed all her makeup. Then, she worked her hair back. I was able to help with that. There was a toiletry kit in the car, in case Sheila ever needed it. I pulled it out and provided some hair pins and a comb. There was no scarf, but that was a two minute stop at the dollar store.

When she came out, Evaine looked almost plain enough to be taken as Amish. Plain is a compliment in this context. I told her that she should remember her place. She was there to report and inform, not go native. Evaine pulled out a sketch pad and some pencils. She would do.

When we emerged from the car, I waited for a moment to let Evaine put on her game face. I said nothing, but Evaine seemed to understand. She was an Ivy League graduate student, so she had to be intelligent. What I needed was at least the appearance of humble, which she gave me. I nodded and turned to go to the terminal. Evaine stayed a pace behind and to my right.

We did not have long to wait. Elder Neufeld greeted me as we neared the office. I was not sure of the proper greeting, but he extended a hand. It is always nice to deal with professionals. He indicated that the train had arrived, but that the extra cars would need to be uncoupled. I asked if I could accept a coffee or tea. He accepted, then his eyes flicked to Evaine.

We found some vending machines and I fed them money. In addition to our choices, I purchased tea and peanut butter crackers for Evaine. I set these on a table beside the one I had indicated for Elder Neufeld. This earned me a crinkling of the eyes. I had chosen the right music for the dance.

We discussed several things while we drank our coffee and ate our honey buns. Evaine quietly spread a napkin on the table and ate her snack in silence. As we rose to leave, I mentioned that it might be wise to have the Amish senior wives come forward. Again, Elder Neufeld's eyes flicked to Evaine.

Suddenly, his face almost cracked into a grin. "For an English, you are not so stupid." I know a profound compliment when I hear one. I replied, "You have not met my sister. She will be seeing to the preparations. Imposing, she is." Elder Neufeld laughed harder at that. I gave Evaine a thumbs up behind his back. Evaine looked down demurely, but seemed quite pleased.

As we walked to the Freight office, I told Elder Neufeld of the unused rooms in the old house. I had asked George to tell him that some rooms were available, but had not been cleaned in many years. Nor were they air conditioned, though the Amish would be used to that. On the plus side, there was some fine old furniture that they could use.

Elder Neufeld was quite amused. He promised that they would be inspected for suitability. It made me wonder who would have the last laugh. Great-Grandmother Sparks was famous for her taste. She had furnished the main bedrooms. The servants quarters had even older furnishings. Many of them would have predated the Civil War. There were probably pieces that predated the Declaration of Independence.

In any event, he was waving to a blocky man with a square cut beard. This was his cousin, Elder Josiah Neufeld. They greeted each other very warmly. My Elder Neufeld was about the same age and named Isaiah. I had a sneaking suspicion the two of them had played many practical jokes based on the similarity of names. I asked, "If I call 'Siah Neufeld, which of you will answer? Both, or neither?"

Josiah Neufeld eyed me suspiciously, while Isaiah did a poker face. I pressed my luck. "Did your Grossmutter Neufeld ever take away your peach cobbler, because the tree had run out of switch branches?" Isaiah was turning beet red, trying to keep a straight face. Josiah Neufeld stared at me with an open mouth. When he started to laugh, it was like a donkey braying. The entire Amish contingent stopped to stare. Isaiah said, "For an English, he is not so stupid." I remembered my embarrassment with the railroad's Howard Fitzpatrick, which made it easy to be humble.

Now that the ice was broken, things went smoothly. I was greeted by several other Neufelds, a couple of Lapps and several Yoders. The Yoders were the woodworkers in the group. They were eager to see the yacht. Once that was done, I caught Isaiah's eye, then flicked a look at Evaine, who was off to one side, drawing on her sketch pad. He nodded understanding. Shortly two mismatched women came forward.

These were Mother Neufeld, the Elder's wife, and Mother Lapp. I nodded to them then turned to Evaine. However, I addressed Elder Josiah. "I present Evaine Schaeffelker. Meine Schwagerin, Sheila Schwartz, and my sister, Siobhan, are not plain. Miss Schaeffelker will act as their voice. If this is acceptable, she will accompany you now."

I may have been addressing Elder Neufeld, but I watched his wife. It took only a heartbeat for me to breath easier. Mother Neufeld looked to Mother Lapp, who shrugged. Mother Neufeld gestured impatiently to Evaine, who scuttled over. That was that. I gestured to the two elders and we all followed the ladies. Two hours later the buggies started to arrive at the house.

Ninety minutes after that, Gerald informed me that we were on NBC.

Chapter 18--It Only Takes a Spark

Interlude: 25^th Anniversary

Cindy:

Mom says she gets her distaste for press from that week. Dad says she was born that way. I lean more to Dad's point of view. Mom is unfailingly polite—to a fault sometimes. The press rarely is. I suppose it was a blessing to have Aunt Francine out of the picture for a day. God knows she made up for it later

Wednesday 6:27 PM—NBC Nightly News

This is a scene very familiar to certain parts of Pennsylvania. A dozen horse drawn buggies going down the road. However, this is not Pennsylvania. It's central New Jersey. These Amish people have been hired to shuttle guests to a wedding. A parking area has been reserved, so that the guests can leave their cars and proceed in a horse drawn buggy.

This is one of the invitations. Local businessman C. Sean Richards is marrying fitness trainer Sheila Schwartz. As you can see, there will be a Reception Ball. Dress for the Ball is circa 1910. Rumors around town hint at preparations similar to a circus.

It sounds like quite an event, even if the cabby is carrying a horse whip.