Lifted Up by Angels Read Free Page B

teens at parties and dances. Parents don’t forbid this kind of thing because the Bible teaches that forbidden fruit becomes more appealing. Amish parents hope that if they look the other way, then their boy will eventually grow tired of the pleasures of the world and come back to simple ways. Most of them do.”
    Leah asked, “What about you girls? Do you ‘experiment’ too?”
    “Yes.”
    “Have you?”
    Charity was quiet, and Leah wondered if she’d pushed her friend too far. She’d already heard more than she’d bargained for. Finally Charity said, “I have played with my hairstyle. And put on makeup and worn English clothes. I—I have allowed a boy to kiss me.”
    Leah almost smiled. She’d been doing these things for years. But she could see that for Charity, such actions could be daring. “I’d like to hear about your boyfriend.”
    “You will not tease me?”
    “Why would I tease you?”
    “It is—” Charity stopped, then started again. “Sometimes teasing is done among us. I do like it. Ethan does not like it, but it is the way of our community. Others think it is funny to tease. That is why we keep our feelings inside. That is why we hide the things we do from others’ eyes—even from our family. Especially when it comes to having a boyfriend or girlfriend. When a boy invites a girl to ride home in his buggy from Sunday-night singing, he is careful to conceal it from his friends, because they will tease him.”
    The implications of Ethan’s asking Martha to ride in his buggy took on new meaning to Leah. If he would risk being teased by his friends and family, then he must truly care about Martha. Leah felt jealous of an Amish girl she’d never met or even laid eyes on. “And so, is Ethan starting to experiment? To test? Is that why your father sounded cross with him?”
    “Ethan is testing, yes. But he does not tell me much. He keeps to himself, and none of us knows what he’s doing. Or thinking.” There was hurt in her voice.
    “But Ethan is seventeen, and when we met in the hospital, he didn’t seem to be experimenting.” Leah had trouble accepting whatCharity was telling her because it went against everything she’d come to believe about the Amish.
All-night parties? No church attendance?
    “There were reasons why Ethan chose not to begin at sixteen, but I cannot speak of them.”
    That bothered Leah, but she couldn’t force Charity to tell her. Instead she asked, “What other things do Amish boys do when they’re taking their flings?”
    “Some get fancy buggies. They buy radios and CD players. Some get driver’s licenses and some even own cars. More liberal Amish parents allow the cars to be parked behind their barns.”
    “And these parents just pretend not to see it?” Leah was amazed. “What else?”
    “They wear worldly clothing. Drink alcohol. Smoke,” Charity answered, sounding uncomfortable. “Other worldly vices.”
    Like trying out worldly girls?
The light of understanding turned on in Leah’s head. She could be nothing more than an experiment to Ethan. She could be just a diversion in his fling-taking. She swallowed hard. “How about drugs?” she asked, embarrassed to let Charity know what she was thinking.
    “Never. Well … I’ve never heard of anyonearound here trying drugs. Boys are still expected to work on the farm or to take a respectable job in town or at a factory. They still live at home, and when at home they must be part of the family.”
    “How long do they get to experiment?” Leah kept her tone calm. Inside, she was still reeling.
    “Until they decide to be baptized. Or leave the community.”
    Leah saw that Amish boys were no different than other boys she’d known. She felt disappointed.
    As if sensing her disillusionment, Charity said, “Amish people are not perfect, Leah. We separate ourselves from the world, but what is easier? Giving up something you’ve never done, or choosing to live plainly
after
you have tried the English