Hopeful by Shelley Shepard Gray Page B

thing, Miriam?”
    Finally, she could reply to a question with complete honesty. “ Jah . Very exciting.” All in the worst way possible.
    As her parents exchanged knowing looks, Miriam’s spirits plummeted. How in the world was she going to tell them the truth? They would be so disappointed.
    But if she didn’t tell them, things were only bound to get worse.
    Oh, how did everything turn into such a muddled-up mess?

chapter eleven
    Mary Kate swiped at her eyes yet again in irritation. When were things going to become easier?
    She sure wished she knew.
    For the last six months, she’d been merely reacting to everything that had been happening. She had been running from Will. She had been trying to learn to be a decent teacher even though she had no gift for working with children.
    And now, she was literally trying to guard her heart. Leaving her family and friends in Millersburg had hurt. There, she’d been part of a big group of friends. And her family, too, of course.
    Her social life had been busy and fun.
    Leaving all of them without a word about where she was going had been hard. Now she missed them all terribly but was too afraid to reach out for their support.
    And as it was becoming more and more apparent that she wasn’t going to be happy in Sugarcreek, she was just as reluctant to make friends. All that would become of that was another painful transition.
    Of course, she’d had a moment of weakness where Miriam was concerned, but Mary Kate didn’t think it could be helped. Miriam was truly one of the nicest people ever. One had to actively try not to be her friend.
    And Mary Kate just wasn’t strong enough to live completely by herself.
    Just keep living hour by hour, she coaxed herself. That’s all you have to do. Stop worrying about the future. Just try to get through the day.
    But instead of making herself feel better, her words only made her feel even more alone and in limbo. She swiped away a new crop of tears. Lifted her chin a bit.
    And then noticed that Mrs. Graber was walking almost by her side. “Oh, hello, Mrs. Graber. I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
    Mrs. Graber looked her over. “That is not a problem. I fear I snuck up on you.” She smiled. “So, did you enjoy the church service today?”
    “I did. Did you?”
    “Of course.” She smiled. “I always enjoy church. Especially when I am not hosting it!”
    Mary Kate chuckled in spite of her blue mood. “My mother always says the same thing. Hosting church is a lot of work.” She looked behind them but didn’t see anyone nearby. “Did the rest of your family not attend church?” She could have sworn she’d seen them, but maybe she had been mistaken.
    “Oh, they were there. All of them except for Judith and Ben. Judith still isn’t feeling well.”
    “I am sorry.”
    “Me, too.” She shrugged, as if there was nothing she could say about it at the moment. “Anyway, sometimes I like to walk home by myself. It gives me time to think, you know. And it’s a beautiful fall day.”
    With a bit of surprise, Mary Kate looked around and noticed that fall had come to the area without her noticing. Some of the trees had started to turn and the air was now cooler. “It is beautiful out.”
    Mrs. Graber looked her over more closely. “Now perhaps you could tell me why you are walking alone?”
    “I just needed some time to think, too. But I am glad for your company.”
    Mrs. Graber chuckled. “I feel the same way. Sometimes it’s nice to simply walk next to another person without feeling the need to say anything.”
    “Yes, you’re right about that.” With a bit of a surprise, she realized that there had been very few times in the past three years that she’d ever felt like she could be at ease.
    For too long she’d been afraid of Will forcing his company on her. Then she had to fend off her mother’s questions about why she was avoiding Will.
    “Mrs. Graber, walking like this is nice, for sure. Thank you for joining