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CHAPTER 7

In the fall of nineteen-eighty, we moved to Houston, Texas, hoping we could be just like anyone else and that no one would know we came from the Amish. We met another English couple that wanted to leave Ohio, too. Pete and Lisa were living on a farm out in the country, and had a big family. Since we didn't know what we were getting into, we decided it would be better if we left our belongings behind for the time being. Since Pete and Lisa had a large family, they decided to do the same.

Pete and Lisa had a couple of married children living in the area, and a few relatives. A couple of their children were still going to school. They decided it was best if the children stayed and finished school, at least until Pete and Lisa got settled in. Pete and Lisa told us we could leave our belongings in one of their buildings, except for what we could haul in our new Bronco. Once we got settled in, we could come back up and pick up our stuff. This was a big step for us. Of course we couldn't load the Bronco too heavily, since we had a one-year-old daughter named Debra.

All the arrangements had been made, and we were all packed up and ready to go. We left early around four in the morning and traveled together with two vehicles. Fran and I wanted to drive straight through, but as Pete and Lisa were in their later forties, they thought it would be too much for them. Everyone agreed to pull off at a couple of rest areas to sleep, whenever one of us got tired. In addition, anytime we got hungry we stopped at roadside parks and had a cook out.

We arrived in Deer Park, Texas, thirty hours later. We stopped at a filling station, and Pete called his brother Jim and got directions to Jim's place. This was the late Fall of nineteen-eighty, and the weather was nice and warm. We all went to Jim's trailer, and spent the night there. We had a cook out and drank a few beers with Jim and his family that night.

The next day, Fran and I began looking for a place to live. About a mile down the road from Jim's place, the highway turned into Spencer Highway, and went into Pasadena, Texas. Right inside the Pasadena city limits there was a sign that read: Spencer Motel and Apartments. It was a run down looking place, and a little bit on the wild side.

As Fran and I drove up to this place, we saw the sign, and it read vacancy. Deciding we couldn't be choosy we pulled in, and went inside and filled out an application. After we finished filling out the application, we asked them, if they had a one bedroom-furnished apartment, that we could rent weekly. They did, and rented it to us on the spot. Ecstatic, we went back to Jim's place and told Pete and Lisa the good news. Everybody was happy for us.

We loaded our belongings in the Bronco, went to our new home. The first night in our new home, we didn't sleep well. There were parties going late into the night. We also heard a couple of fights during the night. Early Sunday morning, Jim brought his family, and Pete and Lisa to our home. We were ready to go sight seeing. We took two vehicles and went up to Battleground road, across to the Lynsburg Ferry. We pulled on the ferryboat, which took twelve cars across the Houston ship channel.

When we pulled on the ferryboat, I was so fascinated by the boat that I decided it would be a good place to go to work. I got out of my Bronco and asked one of the deck hands where the man in charge was. "Go talk to the Captain up stairs in the wheel house," he said. I went upstairs and asked the Captain, if they are doing any hiring. The Captain, said, "As a matter of fact, we are." "Great. I'll come back first thing Monday morning, to fill out an application."

On Monday morning I was at the Lynsburg Ferry's office before they opened, waiting for the Supervisor to get there. When he arrived, I introduced myself and told him I was looking for a job. He gave me an application to fill out and I quickly filled it out and handed it back to him.

He looked it over very carefully, and then said, "I like the interest you've shown, and I'd like to give you a shot at the job. However, it's not totally up to me. The Lynsburg Ferry is operated by Harris County Precinct Two, and we'll have to go through all the proper procedures ." I took my physical right away. Three days later, I was working for the Lynsburg Ferry, directing vehicles on and off the Ferryboat. I liked it.

In the mean time, Fran filled out an application at Spencer Motel and Apartment Complex to be a maid. This would pay for our rent and a small paycheck besides. She also got hired. Things were looking up for us. A couple days later we found out that Pete and Lisa had a bad argument. Lisa left for Ohio again, and Pete stayed with his brother Jim. Pete and Jim worked as bricklayers, and I guess they didn't get paid for the last job they did. This caused Pete and Lisa to have an argument. Fran and I were busy trying to make a living and getting a new start.

A couple of weeks went by, and then I filled out an application for Security Guard at Spencer Motel. I also got that job. The other Security Guard had quit, because the place was too wild. I didn't let that bother me. I had a few close calls, but I always came out on top. A couple weeks went by, and we found out that Pete had also gone back to Ohio, but Pete told his brother Jim to tell us that our belongings would be all right at their place until spring.

The first Christmas we spent in Texas, we went swimming. The time went by so fast we could hardly keep track of the days. We even turned the air conditioner on a couple times in January. This definitely was different from what we were used to in Ohio.

In February, I asked my supervisor at Lynsburg Ferry if I could have a week off from work to go and get our belongings from Ohio. He gave me the okay. We were getting worried, because we couldn't get a hold of Pete and Lisa by telephone, and they hadn't answered any of our letters.

When we arrived in Ohio, we found that Pete and Lisa were no longer living there. What little bit of information we could gather told us that they'd gotten a divorce, and sold all their belongings, and ours too, and then moved away. We were in total shock, but we had no choice other than to go back to Texas.

Late that Spring one evening our neighbor invited me to go with him to one of his friend's house, to play cards. I accepted. At his friend's house, my neighbor introduced me to everyone. A couple of the guys we were playing cards with, just happened to be supervisors for construction companies. In their conversation I learned that they were hiring, and that some of the jobs paid up to thirteen dollars and eighty cents an hour, and more. This was five dollars an hour more than I was making.

The one Supervisor especially took a liking to me. He told me, to be in their office first thing the next morning. I showed up at their office the next morning, filled out an application, and got hired. I told Lynsburg Ferry what I'd done, and they understood. Now I was working sixty hours a week, and part time as a Security Guard.

I worked in the refineries till the late summer of 1982. Work was getting slow, and a lot of employees were getting laid off. Finally, one day I got my lay off slip. It had been nice while it lasted, and money was no problem, since we had put some away for a rainy day.

Oddly, Fran and I were starting to miss the Amish our parents, brothers and sisters. So we moved back up to Ohio. I worked odd jobs, but in order to see our families, there was only one way we could do that, go back to the Amish. While we were gone my sister Amanda got married, but we didn't get invited, since we weren't Amish at the time. We decided one day we would go and talk to Amanda and her husband Jake. They were glad to see us.

We talked to Amanda and Jake about coming back to the Amish to try it again. They thought that was great. "Do you think we'll be welcome?" I said.

"Sure," Amanda said. So we had made arrangements to go back to the "Amish." This meant we had to get rid of all our possessions, including our personal photo album.

A week later we had one of our friends take us to sister Amanda's place. When he dropped us off our friend said, "Are you guys sure you want to go back to the Amish?"

"Not really," I said. "But do you know what it's like to live without any family."

"No," he said sadly. "I guess I don't." You never realize how much your past has a hold on you mentally and emotionally. You miss your parents, sisters, brothers and your cousins, and everything you've known and loved all your life. Both Fran and I had an empty spot in our hearts. Now, we were going to try to fill it.