by Sarah Price
The table was set with plain white linen and her maem’s best china, a gift from her daed when they had just been married. It was something that Emma loved to use when guests came for supper, especially on Sunday evenings. The sitting area was freshly cleaned just the day prior, for it was forbidden to clean on Sunday, regardless of whether or not it was a church Sunday or a visiting Sunday. The blue sofa and two rocking chairs with blue and white quilted cushions looked welcoming for their soon-to-arrive guests.
“Ah, Emma!” a deep voice sounded out from the staircase.
She looked up in time to see her daed shuffling down the stairs, taking each step one at a time as his weathered hand held the railing. With his long white beard and his thinning hair he looked older than his sixty-five years, a fact that worried Emma on a regular basis. “I thought you were resting, Daed,” she said as she hurried to meet him at the bottom of the stairs. Taking his arm, she helped lead him to his favorite chair: a blue recliner that was covered with a pretty crocheted blanket she had made for him last winter.
“Such a quiet house nowadays,” he mumbled as he sat down and raised the foot of the chair so he could rest his legs. “How sad for you that Anna went off to get married!” He clucked his tongue a few times and shut his eyes as he rested his head on the back of the chair. “Poor Anna, indeed! Why ever would she want to do such a thing anyway?”
Emma laughed, the sound light and airy. “Nee, Daed,” she quickly retorted. “We must be happy for Anna! Old Widower Wagler seemed right pleased last Tuesday, and I dare say that Anna was radiant in her blue wedding dress!”
“Radiant indeed!” her daed scoffed. “Left us alone is what she did. Who shall entertain you now, my dear Emma?”
“Now, Daed!” she reprimanded him gently. “I don’t need anyone to entertain me, and you know that. We have quite enough to keep us busy, and I’m happy for Anna to finally have a home of her own.”
Without giving him a chance to retort, Emma turned and hurried back into the main part of the kitchen. Everything was set up for their soon-to-be arriving guests. The bread she had baked just the day before was sliced and on a plate, covered with plastic wrap so that the flies wouldn’t land upon it. The bowls of chow-chow, beets, and pickled cabbage were likewise covered and set upon the counter. Only the cold cuts and fruit spreads remained in the refrigerator.
For a few long, drawn-out moments Emma fussed at the table, wanting everything to be absolutely perfect for their dear soon-to-arrive guests.
“Careful there, Emma,” her daed said, lifting his hand to point in her direction. “That’s a sharp knife there on the edge of the table!”
Laughing, Emma put her hands on her hips and frowned at him, a playful twinkle in her eyes. “Ach, Daed! I’m not a child anymore! I see the knife!” As if to make a point, she picked it up and wiggled it in the air. “No danger here.”
“Emma Weaver!” A disapproving voice came out from behind her. Startled, she dropped the knife and jumped backward as it clanked on the linoleum floor.
“Gideon King!” she cried at the sight of the man standing in the doorframe. “You scared me!” she cried at the sight of the man standing in the doorframe. Annoyed, she quickly bent down to pick up the knife. Wiping it on her apron, she set it back on the table before hurrying over to greet their first guest.
“And you were teasing your daed!” he said, a stern look upon his face. “Good thing I walked in when I did! You could have cut yourself!”
“I almost did cut myself!” she retorted, making a playful face at him. “No thanks to you for scaring me so!” Despite her words, it was clear that the presence of the newcomer pleased her.
“That’s no way to greet our guest, Emma,” her daed chided. “Come, Gideon! Greet this old man!”
The tall Amish man with thick black hair and broad shoulders crossed the room in three easy strides. He shook the older man’s outstretched hand. Emma watched with a smile on her lips, knowing that it had been a long week for her daed without Gideon stopping in to visit him. With no sons of his own, her daed had come to look upon Gideon as a son of sorts. Since Gideon’s younger bruder had married Irene, her older and only sister, Gideon was as good as family. And by the way he constantly reprimanded Emma, his voice more oft full of criticism than pleasure, she often felt as if she had, indeed, acquired an older bruder.
“It’s gut to see you, Henry,” Gideon said. “Looking well, as always.”
Henry gestured toward the sofa, indicating that Gideon should sit down. “Have you just returned, then?” He didn’t wait for the man to answer before he continued. “Tell us about your trip.”
Without waiting for an invitation, Emma joined the two men, plopping herself on the sofa next to the new visitor. “Ja, Gideon. Do tell us about Ohio. We missed you at Anna’s wedding last week!”
Stretching out his legs, Gideon smiled at the young woman next to him. “I wouldn’t have missed it if I hadn’t needed to attend to some business in the Dutch Valley,” he said. “And I rode out with a couple who were going to visit their dochder who recently married a widowed bishop out there. They were traveling with a young woman from around here.”
“From around here?” Emma’s mouth fell open. “Do I know her, then?”
“Elizabeth Blank,” was the simple response.
“Why! I wonder that she must be related to Widow Blank and Hetty!” She looked from Gideon to her daed. “Have we met this woman, Daed?”
Henry seemed to ponder the name for a moment, his brows knitted together and his eyes squinting as he did so. “I’m not so sure of our being acquainted with an Elizabeth Blank,” came the answer.
Emma, observing Gideon brushing some dirt from his pants, smiled to herself at how fastidious he always was about his appearance, especially on Sundays. He glanced up at her and sighed, the hint of a smile on his face. “You can’t know everyone, Emma. I know how hard you try, but it would be quite impossible, it seems.”
“Gideon! You tease me so!”
He laughed. “I am all but a bruder to you, Emma. Isn’t that what bruders are supposed to do?” He changed the subject back to his trip. “It was a nice visit, and she is a lovely young woman. A shame you didn’t know her, Emma. Her wit would have amused you immensely!” With a pause, he turned his gaze to her daed. “Ohio was sure nice, especially at this time of the year. The rolling hills and winding roads make for a lovely backdrop for the long drive there!”
“Such a romantic!” Emma teased, which prompted Gideon to frown at her. Still, the fierce look on his face could not hide his pleasure at being reunited with his good friends after being away for so long.
“Speaking of romantics,” he replied, a mischievous gleam in his dark brown eyes, “who shed the most tears at Anna’s wedding, I wonder?”
Henry laughed and pointed at Emma. “You know her so well, Gideon. Surely you are aware that Emma wept through the entire service and the singing afterward.”
“Oh, Daed!”
But it was true, indeed. She had wept, mostly out of elation for dear sweet Anna, who, after so many years living with them, had finally found happiness and married good ole Widower Wagler.
Only two months prior, Emma knew very little about Samuel Wagler except that he had recently moved into a ranch house within their g’may. Prior to that, he had lived with his older bruder and family in a neighboring church district, residing in the grossdawdihaus until it was needed by his bruder for his oldest son, now married and with an infant on the way. That was when Samuel had moved into their g’may.
Emma had noticed the way his dark eyes seemed drawn to Anna during his first church service in his new district. It had only taken Emma a few minutes to formulate a plan and invite Samuel to share supper with them. And from that moment on she had been delighted to watch the commencement of Samuel’s courtship of Anna. Delighted, that is, until she realized that by marrying Samuel, Anna would be moving away to live in that ranch house with her new husband.
That realization had saddened Emma and had been the other cause for tears during the wedding day.
After all, Anna had been like a mother to Emma and Irene. After their maem passed away when Emma was not even in school yet, their daed had vowed to raise his two dochders on his own. He had married later in life and his fraa, while younger than he, had great difficulty in carrying her pregnancies to full term, making the two children who did survive all the more precious. Henry doted on his two dochders, a fact that contributed to his decision to remain single. So, while other widowers tended to marry within a year or two, Henry Weaver refused to consider that option. Instead, he had readily agreed when his older bruder volunteered Anna, his eldest and still unmarried dochder, to move to the Weaver residence and care for the children. What had been offered as a temporary solution soon became permanent for Anna. She had enjoyed tending to the needs of her two young cousins, and with the full appreciation and support of her onkel Henry Weaver, she found that she had no reason to leave.
That was until, fifteen years later, Emma had introduced the now forty-five-year-old Anna to Old Widower Wagler.
“Ja vell,” she said dismissively, trying to downplay the memory of her emotions at the wedding service. “Anna sure did look right gut standing next to Samuel, and any emotion I felt was from sheer joy at her marriage! A strong marriage is a wunderbaar gut thing, ain’t so?”
Both men cleared their throats and shifted in their seats in response to her statement. After all, with neither being married, how did she expect them to respond?
She looked pleased with their silence.
“And you may have forgotten that it was I who helped arrange the match between the two,” she added, her pride of having a hand in the match more than apparent. “And this, after so many had speculated that Old Widower Wagler would never marry again.”
The two men looked at each other, a brief glance that said more than words could communicate. While Gideon merely shook his head, it was her daed who commented. “Emma, it’s not for you to play matchmaker. Promise me you will do no such thing.”
“Nee, Daed,” she retorted. “Not for myself, of course. But it gives me such joy to see others happy! Just think…after so many years Samuel has a new wife and, as such, a new life! Perhaps now his son shall return and live with him once again. Why! We haven’t seen him since his maem passed away. When was that, Daed? Almost fifteen years ago?”
“Just before your own maem passed, I believe,” Henry added, a solemn look upon his face.
“Think of how happy that would make Samuel!” She practically hugged herself in delight, the thought of Samuel being reunited with his son bringing her a great deal of joy. “I must acknowledge my success in having made such a match for both Samuel and Anna. And, with that in mind, how could I possibly not strive to do the same for others?”
At her words Gideon leaned forward and stared at her. “Success? If you noticed the interest that Samuel had in Anna, you merely accommodated it with an invitation to supper. Nothing more, Emma. I wouldn’t call that a ‘success’ as if you had a hand in making a ‘match.’ It was bound to happen with or without your interference, something that is more likely to do more harm to yourself than good should you persist in trying to arrange such matches.”
Clearly his words did not suit Emma, and she scowled. Still, despite Gideon’s reprimand, she refused to let her mood be altered. “I have one more match to make,” she announced. “Why, our very own bishop’s son seemed to hang on every word of their wedding service. I’m certain he is longing to settle down himself.” She looked at her daed. “And rightfully so! He’s almost an old bachelor like someone else we know so dearly!”
“Emma!” Henry coughed at her statement and glanced apologetically at Gideon. Being sixteen years Emma’s senior, Gideon more closely shared Henry’s concerns and mind-set than Emma’s. “Marriage is not for everyone.”
The members in the g’may had stopped speculating long ago about when Gideon King, a well-established and prosperous Amish businessman in his own right, would settle down and start his own family. He seemed more than happy to relish in simple things such as weekly visits with friends. Still, Emma’s statement had caused a degree of discomfort in the room, at least for Henry.
“I so agree!” Clapping her hands together, she quickly changed the direction of the conversation. “I understand that Gladys is bringing a young woman with her today to visit and share the supper meal.”
Last Sunday after worship service Emma had invited Maedel Blank and her maem as well as Gladys Getz to join them for supper the following week. While the Blanks were regular guests at the Weaver’s Sunday gatherings, this was only the second time that Emma had extended the invitation to Gladys, who had never married but had taught school for years.
When Anna had lived with the Weavers, both she and Emma had always enjoyed inviting people to their home for Sunday meals, selecting those who might not have other family in the area with which to share fellowship. Henry certainly never seemed to mind, enjoying the time spent with new and interesting people. Emma’s eclectic mixture of guests always seemed to bring a lively energy to the haus.
Today, however, promised to be especially entertaining, for Gladys had mentioned that she would be bringing a guest with her, a young woman from New York who had recently moved in with her. She had referred to the woman, Hannah Souder, as her niece, but last Thursday during her weekly visit to the Blanks Emma had learned from Hetty that the only relation between the two was of the heart, not the physical body.
Now, Emma turned her head to look at Gideon. “Have you met her yet, then?”
Gideon shook his head, his dark curls falling over his forehead. “Nee,” he responded. “I have not.” Leaning forward, he stared directly at Emma. “She arrived at Gladys’s just the other day, I heard. Apparently she was staying with another family south of Strasburg beforehand, but I do believe that she is originally from a community in New York. She lived with Gladys’s schwester if I recall properly.”
“New York?” Emma said, lifting her eyebrows. She had forgotten that Gladys had family in New York. “Whatever is she doing here, then?”
“Visiting.” The answer was direct and simple as if it explained everything. But it was clear that Emma’s curiosity was piqued. “Knowing Gladys, this Hannah Souder is a lovely, God-fearing woman, even if so little is known of her family.”
It was the sorrowful way he said those words that caused Emma to gasp. “Gideon! Pray tell!”
He took a deep breath and sighed as he sat back in his seat. “I should have said nothing. I’d prefer not to spread idle gossip, Emma. It’s not fair to say.” He hesitated, leveling his eyes at Emma. “Or to judge. After all, the Bible tells us ‘to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.’ Mayhaps you might want to reflect on that. Gossip is surely the work of evil.”
She looked visibly put out and made a face at him. “I should say so,” she responded, although her expression hinted at some disappointment that Gideon was not going to explain his comment about this Hannah Souder’s background. There was no time to further the discussion as they were interrupted by the sound of a buggy pulling into the driveway. Glancing over her shoulder, she sought the view out the window. “It appears our guests have arrived!”
Her daed quickly put the recliner into an upright position and looked around the room. “I hope it’s not too warm in here for them.” A look of worry crossed his face. He looked first at Emma and then at Gideon. “Mayhaps we should visit outside in the breezeway. You know that when the air is so still it’s not good for the lungs.”
Emma shook her head as if dismissing his concern, even though she hurried over to a closed window and lifted its lower pane. “Is that better, then?” She didn’t wait for an answer as she hurried to the door to greet the Widow Blank and her dochder, Hetty.
“Our dear Emma,” Hetty gushed as she led her aging mother by the hand through the door. Both wome
n were rather petite, although the elder Blank walked with great difficulty, hunched over and shuffling her feet. Hetty, however, was bright and alert, with round glasses that often slipped down to the edge of her nose. “How right gut of you to invite us to supper! I was just talking to my maem about how kind and thoughtful you are!” She turned and peered at her mother. “Didn’t I say that, Maem? About Emma being so kind and thoughtful?” She didn’t wait for an answer as she turned back to Emma. “And such a lovely home it is! I don’t think we’ve been here before when it hasn’t always looked just perfectly maintained!”
Emma smiled but did not respond.
Hetty hurried by Emma and greeted the two men that were in the sitting room. “Henry! Gideon! So nice to spend some time indoors with you both! You have a most thoughtful and kind dochder, Henry. Reminds me so much of my niece, Jane!” She glanced over her shoulder at Emma. “I received a letter from her just yesterday! Shall I read it? She always has such wunderbaar gut stories!” She started to reach into the simple black cloth bag that hung from her wrist.
“Nee, Hetty,” Emma was a little too quick to reply, but she kept a pleasant smile on her face. The last thing Emma wanted was to encourage the dreaded reading of Jane’s weekly letters to her aendi and grossmammi, especially with other company on the way. While the reading was inevitable, trying to limit it to a single iteration was most likely the best that Emma could hope for. Besides, she didn’t want to remind Hetty that she had already been subjected to the reading of Jane’s letter just three days ago. “I hear another buggy pulling into the driveway, and it would be most disagreeable to have to stop in the midst of the letter when they walk inside. You’d only have to start all over again, and I would think that would be rather tiring on such a warm day, ja?” Emma didn’t wait for her guest to answer but politely excused herself as she started back to the door, more to escape the constant chatter of Hetty Blank than out of curiosity as to who had just arrived.