Chapter 7

Abraham Hershberger was glad his adoptive son found a friend in the bishop's youngest boy. Kurt had been lonely for most of his short life, never truly embraced by the community as one of their own, so having Blaine around him so much seemed like a huge step forward. It was easy to notice how much happier Kurt looked, how much more often he could be found smiling for no apparent reason.

Only Abraham was convinced Kurt's good mood had something to do with that new-found friendship. Seeing how his wife and children assumed that Kurt must have fallen in love with some girl, initially he kept his mouth shut, waiting for the situation to develop.

Joe, on the other hand, was nagging at Kurt to tell him who was the girl he had a crush on, so that, as the good brother that he thought himself to be, he could ask her out for her.

'There's no girl,' Kurt would consistently answer through clenched teeth.

The oldest of the Hershbergers' children, Joan, whenever she dropped in by her family home with her baby daughter in her arms, would pick up on the subject. She was enjoying her state of being a young wife and mother too much for Kurt's liking. Courting and gossip from the whole township became her favourite topics of conversation, which made her adoptive brother want to puke.

The dinner on Saturday night, though, was when Kurt's life truly turned into a nightmare. It didn't take longer than halfway through the meal for Blaine to be brought up. Kurt froze, cursing internally that he couldn't excuse himself yet. Nobody left the table at the Hershbergers' until everyone was done eating.

'The bishop's son's a nice boy, isn't he?,' Abraham said conversationally to no one in particular.

'He is the bishop's son, after all. He's supposed to be nice,' Ruth reasoned in her sugary voice.

Kurt couldn't help but roll his eyes without speaking a word. Those hypocrites would throw the first stone if they only knew what was really between Blaine and him.

'You don't agree, Kurt?,' Joe cut in.

'Of course I agree, Blaine's a nice guy.' The corners of Kurt's lips curled up unconsciously at the mention of the other boy. 'Who wouldn't agree? He's the bishop's son, after all,' he added with a tone of mockery in his voice.

'You don't have to remind us you don't like the bishop,' Abraham said calmly.

'It's not my fault he has a problem practicing what he preaches.'

Miriam shot him a murderous glare. That was her trademark whenever somebody dared insult a minister.

'Like what?'

'He's a judgemental prick. "You shall do no unrighteousness in judgement"?'

Silence pervaded for a moment, filling the air with tension until Abraham cleared his throat meaningfully.

'Anyway,' he said. 'I used to hope that Joan would set her sights on Cooper or Christian, instead of the Yodel boy, but the heart wants what it wants.'

He glanced lovingly at his wife, before turning to Kurt. There was something in the man's eyes that was impossible to identify.

'Well, they're all married now, so you can forget it.' Kurt shrugged his shoulders.

Abraham smiled at him indulgently.

'But the Andersons, just like us, still have some unwed kids to find proper spouses for.'

Kurt's eyes widened.

'You don't want to get Joe to break up Shannon's engagement? Or-' His breath hitched at the sole thought. 'You don't want Miriam to marry Blaine?!'

His voice echoed around the room. He thought he'd already known what the worst case scenario was: having to say goodbye to Blaine in two months time. What he hadn't considered, was leaving Blaine behind in Berlin with the awareness that his pain in the ass sister would get to marry his boyfriend. His heart thumped loudly with rage, but he bit his tongue for fear of letting something slip.

'What are you so upset about?,' Joe asked indifferently. 'It's not like you could marry either of them.'

He let out a silly chuckle. Kurt couldn't force himself to join him in his amusement. To Kurt, that was not a topic to laugh about.

'Maybe I just wish someone better for my b- friend,' he said bitterly.

'Don't be mean to your sister,' Ruth said firmly, her sweetness disappearing for a split second. No matter what she ever said, Miriam was her favourite – devout and narrow-minded, following the crowd like a lost lamb.

'I'm just being honest.' Kurt leant back in his chair, still fuming. 'Thought you didn't like lies.'

'And we don't,' Abraham agreed. 'And we also don't like some words you used.'

Kurt gave him another roll of the eyes, making sure Abraham noticed it.

'Fine, I shouldn't have called the bishop a prick. Even though he is one.'

'That is just your opinion,' Ruth reminded him.

'One to which I am perfectly entitled, because we live in America.'

Miriam shook her head violently, her hair almost breaking out of her tight bun in the motion.

'We live in the Berlin Township, we're Amish, this is not really America.'

'Did you miss one too many Geography lessons, sis?,' Kurt asked her sarcastically. 'No matter how much all of you would wish to live on a deserted island, this is as much America as anywhere else in this country.'

'Kids, stop this,' Abraham intervened without raising his voice higher than was absolutely necessary. 'What I was driving at is that the Andersons are a respected, pious family and having them as one of you's in-laws wouldn't hurt.'

Joe cast a timid glance around the table before his muttering broke the silence.

'I was kinda hoping I could ask Rebecca to come to the sing with me tomorrow.'

His father's face lit up.

'That's what I'm talking about. Rebecca's the curly-haired small one, right? I can never tell her apart from Shannon.'

Joseph nodded vigorously, a dreamy look entering his face.

'It seems not only Kurt's been in love lately,' Ruth crooned at the sight.

And for a split second he wished he could laugh in her face, telling her how deeply he'd been falling for Blaine. But he held his tongue, making a grimace at his adoptive mother.

'I'm not in love with anyone,' he lied.