Close to Home by Emma Miller

Chapter 11

Mary had run out of the Kings' house so quickly that she hadn't thought about needing a flashlight to find her way back to her aunt and uncle's. Why had Caleb let her embarrass herself in front of everyone? It wasn't like him to be cruel...but then, she didn't really know him, did she? 

She gritted her teeth, thrust her chin forward and kept walking down the dirt lane.

Had she ever really known Caleb? The boy she'd loved was sweet and thoughtful and honest. He'd always sensed when she was feeling low, and he'd understood how to make her laugh. Yet, Caleb obviously hadn't been the person she'd thought he was. He'd turned out to be a cheat and a liar.

How could she still feel the pain of his betrayal after so many years? The Bible taught that you should forgive others so that God could forgive your errors. She liked to think that she had forgiven Caleb. What she hadn't done—what she couldn't even pretend to have done—was forget....

The end-of-term spelling bee had signaled the conclusion of the eighth graders' formal education and a momentous occasion in their lives. As Old Order Amish, graduating students left school to begin the work of adults. Boys would work on the farm or be apprenticed in a craft such as carpentry. Girls would remain at home to help in the kitchen or take paid positions as a mother's helper in other Amish households.

For her, graduation had brought both joy and sadness. She was excited to enter the adult world, but she loved reading and learning. There was so much about the world that books alone could teach her, books that wouldn't be available to her after graduation. She'd begged her father to allow her to repeat the eighth grade. He believed it was foolish, but he'd agreed that if she won the senior spelling bee, she could stay another year.

For weeks, she'd studied long into the night after everyone in the house had gone to sleep. And on the day of the spelling bee, she'd gotten every word right until every student had sat down except for her and Caleb. She was so sure that she would beat him. Especially when she heard that last word... 

Only Caleb had beat her, and she'd realized he'd done it by cheating. He'd refused to admit it, even privately later. But she had known the truth. And the fact that he had lied—especially to her—still cut deep.

Was that why he'd appeared in her life again? Was it because she hadn't been able to get past what had happened in the eighth grade? What kind of person was she if she'd hold on to a wrong for so many years? She would need to pray on the problem, concentrating on her own weakness, not Caleb's.

Mary heard the sound of a horse and buggy coming behind her, interrupting her thoughts. She kept walking.

"Mary," Caleb called. "Let me drive you home."

She ignored him.

"Mary, please get in the buggy."

"Leave me alone."

"Please. I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Jump in the creek, Caleb Stutzman."