Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: TOURIST ATTRACTION(S) (natural or man-made) (08/06/15)
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TITLE: Blessing From Heaven | Previous Challenge Entry
By Hannah Gaudette
08/12/15 -
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The car sputtered, then squeaked, then burped, then died . . . in the middle of nowhere. The kids groaned in the back seat and my husband tried to get the cantankerous heap of metal moving again, but the engine was fried. This was definitely not Florida, this was not Disney World, this was not the plan!
“The cell phones aren't working back here!” Sue hollered.
“Where are we, anyway?” Jason hissed.
I took a calming breath, but my nerves were smoldering and about to explode, and there was likely smoke coming out my ears. “Blessing, Pennsylvania,” I answered.
“Blessing!” Jack scoffed.
I'd heard of this little Amish community in the midst of . . . uh, nowhere . . . and apparently, it was a pretty popular tourist net. But we were city slickers, and this was not our bowl of soup. Where was Geico Roadside Assistance?! For that matter, where was a phone?
“Jeffery,” I said firmly to my husband. “We need a phone.”
He glanced at me. “Sasha, there are no phones out here. Sue, is that cell phone working yet?”
Our eldest answered with a frustrated moan. “Noooooooo . . . .” Her fingers banged against the buttons and numbers to no avail.
To our left was a corn field, to our right was a pasture with a bunch of stinky cows. Yep, definitely no phones around here. Someone knocked on the drivers' window, making us all jump.
I half-expected an angel from Geico to be knocking, but instead, a simple man, probably in his late sixties, with a neatly trimmed beard and straw hat stood there, looking at each of us like he'd stumbled upon buried treasure.
“Mom!” Sue screeched. “It's a robber!”
I frowned at his ridiculous costume. What was he, some sort of quirky actor? Standing quietly behind him, a sturdy looking horse in front of a black buggy that could have belonged to a museum.
“You folks okay?” the old man asked in a thick accent.
“Our car broke down,” Jeffery replied. “Can we use your cell phone?”
The man hesitated, then broke out in annoying laughter. I shook my head and leaned against the seat. What was his problem?
Finally he got a grip on himself. “Why don't you let me give you a ride to my place? You are welcome to stay until your . . . whatsit here . . . is fixed.” He cast an awkward glance at our fancy car.
I was about to flat-out-refuse, but Jeffery silenced me. “We'd appreciate it.”
My eyes widened. The guy could have been a lunatic, for all we knew! I'd walk to the nearest city before taking him up on his offer. But my husband was already getting out of our 'whatsit' and opening the back door for the kids. I followed begrudgingly.
“This is barbaric,” Sue muttered.
“This is ridiculous,” Jason groaned.
Jack just rolled his eyes.
We piled into the back seat of the buggy and Jeffery sat up front with the old Amish farmer who introduced himself as Johnathan Troyer. We rode in the agonizingly slow buggy another three miles before pulling up to a big, white farmhouse. Johnathan's cheerful wife, Sarah, met us at the door and we were thrust into our vacation in a very different world.
Wanting to pay them back for their hospitality, we offered to help out with the farm work. We hadn't expected the back-breaking, day-to-day, slave labor. Yet the family seemed to find such peace and even pleasure in it.
Chores began a daily part of our lives. Harvesting spent every drop of energy, and the new hay practically made Jeffery sick. But two weeks and one rebuilt engine later, saying goodbye broke our hearts. Even our 'lights, camera, action' kids didn't want to leave.
“You're welcome any time,” Sarah said with a smile.
We'd become part of the Amish community in a way. But most of all, we'd become part of such a wonderful family.
During that time in Pennsylvania, we were given a beautiful blessing from heaven. There are some things that money can't buy, that cell phones can't satisfy, and most of all, there are some things that our modern lifestyle has left behind. Our next vacation wouldn't be planned for the latest and greatest tourist trap, but rather the quiet community of Blessing, Pennsylvania.
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Great work.