Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [67]
An image of Tyler’s science project popped into Katy’s mind.
“I can picture you there,” Lil said. “Let’s fill our plates at the counter so Katy doesn’t have such a mess to clean up.”
“Hey, thanks,” Katy said, giving her friend a little hip-to-hip bump, then forking a serving of tender meat onto her plate. “We can’t wait for you to join us here, green bean, but you need to go for your dreams. Maybe God’s destined you to be a missionary.”
“You think?”
The wistfulness in Megan’s voice touched Katy.
“I think you should try a mission trip. See how it goes.”
“Even if it keeps me from job hunting? From moving into the doddy house right after graduation?”
“We’re doing fine here,” Lil replied, shooting a meaningful glance Katy’s way. “Committing to a job is a tough thing. Especially a dead-end job. Maybe you’re not ready for that yet.”
It amazed Katy that Lil would release Megan from their vow so easily, and she wondered if Lil would have been able to do that if they hadn’t just had their big argument. They were changing, all of them. It blessed her. And she hoped it would continue for their betterment.
But she could only take a little change at a time. And the one happening at church was too dramatic. As they settled in at the kitchen table, where she and Lil had bared their souls with each other earlier in the week, Katy glanced at Megan. Striving to keep her voice sounding nonchalant, Katy ventured, “What’s the deal about the head covering? You guys know anything about that?”
“Not me,” Lil quickly replied.
“My dad says we’re losing some members to higher churches”—the girls all understood the Mennonite lingo for more liberal churches—“and that although it’s up to a husband to be a spiritual leader, the women usually have the most influence behind the scenes. Giving them a chance to express themselves on this matter might appease more of our members in the long run.”
“So it’s just an offensive tactic? There’s not really a group of dissenters?”
“I think there is, but Dad didn’t name any names.”
“Wow,” Lil muttered.
Katy said, “I’m glad Brother Troyer’s going to teach on the subject. Like he said, maybe it will help everyone see its relevance.”
“Or irrelevance,” Lil countered gently.
“Well it’s relevant to me,” Katy said in a softer tone than she normally would have used.
Megan eyed them carefully. “My dad says it could save the church, but it could also split the church. But if it does, then it probably would have happened some time, anyway. So it’s worth a try.”
Katy set down her fork. “This is awful.”
“Some churches require bonnets at services but allow the people to decide whether they’re worn at other times,” Megan offered.
Feeling the color drain from her face, Katy strained to keep her poise. “Is that what you think should happen, green bean? Is that what your dad thinks?”
Megan nodded. “Yes. It would be good if everyone agreed to disagree.”
Naturally. That had always been Megan’s goal. She and her family lived and breathed peace, the fiber that kept the Mennonite church grounded in its nonresistant stand. But Katy didn’t get it. “How can it be both ways when it clearly states in the Bible that women should cover their heads?”
“In church and in prayer,” Lil clarified.
“Maybe we need to hear all the teaching before we discuss this,” Megan suggested. Then she asked, “Is there dessert?”
“Devil’s food cake,” Lil said, seeming happy to change the subject, too.
But Katy thought keeping the peace came at too great a price. She didn’t want the elders to mess with her bonnet. Why, it was almost as sacred to her as her Bible.
CHAPTER 18
In her closet, Katy sighed and scraped hangers across clothes rods, searching through her wardrobe for something appropriate to wear to the ballet. When Addison had shown her the pink confection Tammy had bought her daughter for the performance,