The Way I was Raised

Chapter 2:Journey to a New World

(Elijah)

I rise at the expected time to begin my chores. I am use to rising with the sun so rising up early was never an issue with me. The issue was I was leaving today.

While I was picking our vegetables and cleaning the stables I let my wonder about what city I was going to and what it was going to be like. What kind of things were there to do? What were the people like? Will it all be okay?

"Hey Elijah." a small voice said behind me.

"Hello Mary." I turn and say to her. I lay down my shovel againist the stall and walk up to her.

Mary was to be my wife when I returned back from my trip. We have been best friends since we were little and get along fine enough. She was small and a sweet girl and I guess I was excited to marry her. Sometimes I feel trapped into it though. She was best friend and I wasn't attracted to her in a loving affectionate way but I didn't have a choice and neither did she. We've spoken about it and while she was excited on the concept of marriage she just wishes it was with someone she was over the moon about. I told her I wasn't sure if I was ready for marriage. That I am not sure if I was attracted to anyone. But we were eighteen and sixteen and it was the Preacher's wishes that we be married when I returned from my trip. If I chose too stay.

"So you're leaving in an hour." she said.

"I am." I say.

"Be careful." she says.

"Mary are you okay?" I ask her. She blushes and looks away.

"It's just. You have never left before and I will miss you." she said. I smile at her.

"Mary. It's only for a month and then I'll be back." I tell her.

"What if you don't want too. What if you like the city." she says. I shake my head at her and sigh.

"I doubt it Mary. My life is here. I have my family to think about. I can't just abandon them." I tell her.

"What about me?" she asks.

"Your my best friend. I can't leave my best friend behind." I laugh at her. All she does is grin.

"And your future wife." she whispers.

I look away and stare at the wall.

"Yeah. My future wife." I mumble.

"Yeah." she said.

"Well I really need to get cleaned up and ready to leave Mary. I'll see you around." I say and give her a hug. I walk back to my home and heat up some water for a bath. I grab our bar of soap and I grab the water from our stove and begin to bathe myself.

After my bath I go upstairs and grab my suitcase. I take one last look at my small room and then go back down stairs to my family.

"Son. The carriage is here." I hear my father say.

"Yes sir." I tell him. The two other kids who are coming as well are already waiting in the carriage. I turn back to my family and give my sister and Noah one last hug and kiss goodbye. I shake my fathers hand and then go to the carriage. All of us wave to our families as we are leaving to go into town to the car taking us to the city.

"So is everyone excited!" a girl named Pearl asked. Pearl was known for getting into trouble in our community. Sneaking off with boys from town to do God knows what. It is also one of the reason none of the other men wanted to court her.

"A little. I am more nervous to be honest." Nathaniel says. Nathaniel was very small for his age and only spoke in small crowds. He was quiet and akward and mainly kept to himself. He was one of friends and we spent time together often at the creek or in a tree just talking.

"I am too Nathaniel. It will be very different than our community." I say.

"When I get there the first thing I am doing in shopping. I have seen so many girls in town with beautiful clothes and I am stuck with these plain dresses and bonnets." she complains.

"At least they are modest." I say and look up at the sky. We were permitted to ride with top down on our carriage because Pearl was with us and the weather was beautiful. We rode in silence the rest of the trip into town, each of us in our own thoughts.

When we arrived into town of course we received strange glances on our appearance and then we were ignored. Our transportation was waiting on us. A farely large van with dark windows and a heavy set man driving it wearing all black clothing and round hat. He was one of four men hired to transport every teenager who turned eighteen into the citites and pick them up when the month ended. Our community was small so not many were needed and they were carefully chosen by some of the older men living in our community.

"Are you the only three traveling?" the man asked staring us down.

"Yes." we all said at once. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. He handed us each a gold plastic square and a piece of paper.

"What is this?" I asked him.

"A credit card. The code to use it is on the paper. It's for your trip. Use it however you want." he says and gets into the driver seat. We all gather into the back clutching our suitcases to our chest.

"Do you know where we are going?" I ask him. Without looking back at us he says.

"New York."