by Jan Drexler
With Mari settled on a stool and all the boys quiet, Daed bowed his head for the silent prayer. Bethany’s mind fought against the quiet, settling calm of prayer. There was so much to do... And then Daed cleared his throat and prayer time was over.
“Well, Bethany, is Andrew’s house ready for his mother-in-law?” Daed asked as he helped himself to a scoop of ham and potatoes.
Bethany glanced at Mari, but she didn’t seem to have noticed what Daed said.
“Ja, for sure. As clean as Martha kept it when she lived there.” Andrew’s mother had been the diligent housekeeper Bethany had in mind while she had been cleaning. “On Monday, I’ll start cleaning our house for the wedding.”
James and John giggled, while Nathaniel frowned. “When Bethany gets married, who is going to take care of us?”
Daed shrugged. “We’ll have to do it ourselves.”
John’s giggles stopped. “Daed, ne, we can’t. Won’t Bethany come over to cook for us? She’ll only be across the road.”
“Bethany will have her own family to take care of. She won’t have time to feed two families. But we’ll be all right. I know how to cook.”
As her brothers exchanged glances, Bethany looked at Aaron. They all knew what Daed’s cooking was like. They wouldn’t go hungry, but the meals wouldn’t be very satisfying, either.
“Perhaps I could cook some meals for you,” Bethany said. “Rose will be staying for a week or two, so she’ll be able to help out.”
Mari’s head snapped up. “Mammi Rose?”
Bethany stiffened. Andrew hadn’t wanted Mari to know Rose was coming until she actually arrived, but her name had just slipped out. “Ja, Mari. Mammi Rose is coming.”
“When?”
“Soon. I don’t know if it will be today, though.”
Mari grinned. “I love Mammi Rose.”
“I know. Now eat your dinner.”
Daed cleared his throat. “Does Rose know about the wedding?”
“Andrew was planning to tell her when he picked her up at the train station.” Bethany’s appetite fled. If Rose had been on today’s train like she planned, Andrew might be breaking the news to her right now.
“Will she be happy about it?”
Bethany shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Aaron nudged her foot under the table. “Don’t worry about it. You know you can’t change anything by worrying.”
“You can say that because you don’t have anything to worry about.”
Aaron shrugged, winking at her as he helped himself to another serving of casserole. “I worry all the time.”
“Ja, you worry about where your next meal is coming from.”
Nathaniel took the serving spoon from Aaron and scooped more of the casserole onto his plate. “And he worries if Katie Miller will let him drive her home from the Singing tomorrow night.”
Daed, his plate empty, sipped his coffee. He put his hand on nine-year-old James’s shoulder. “You’re being quiet. Are you feeling all right?”
Bethany hadn’t noticed that James wasn’t eating. She had been too involved in her own troubles and Aaron’s teasing.
“I don’t want Bethany to get married and move away. And I don’t want Aaron to date Katie Miller.”
“Why not?”
John scooted his chair closer to his younger brother. When James shrugged his answer, John said, “Things are changing too fast. Why can’t everything stay the way it is? Bethany can live here and take care of us. And if Aaron marries Katie, he’ll move away, too.”
Daed sat back in his chair and looked around the table at all of them. His gaze fell on Mari last, and he smiled. “Families grow and change, son. Sometimes we don’t like the changes. It was hard when Mamm passed away. But sometimes the changes are good, like when folks get married and the family grows. On Thursday, we’re going to add a new big brother to our family, and you’ll have a niece. Those are good changes, and before long it will seem like Andrew and Mari have always been part of our family.”
As Nathaniel finished his last bite, Bethany rose to fetch the apple pie she had made for dessert. She set it on the table and cut it, the aroma of cinnamon and apples filling the air.
“But Daed,” Nathaniel said, “you still haven’t solved the problem of who is going to take care of us after Bethany gets married.”
Daed held his piece of pie under his nose and took a deep breath, “Like Aaron said, you can’t change anything by worrying. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” He took his first bite of pie. “We are certainly going to miss your cooking, Bethany. You’ll have to make a pie for us once in a while after you’re married.”
“I’ll take care of you, Daed.” Bethany helped Mari cut her pie into bites. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
* * *
As they approached the farm, Andrew broke the silence that Rose had maintained since he had told her of his coming marriage.
“Did you want to get settled in the house first? Or do you want to see Mari?”
“Take me to see my granddaughter.” Rose sat up, suddenly eager. “Are we almost there?”
“This is Bethany’s home.” Andrew turned the buggy horse into the Zook farm lane and pulled up at the hitching rail by the back door.
Jonah opened the door to greet them as Rose climbed out of the buggy. “Bethany said you would be along soon. Have you eaten yet? The boys have gone back to work, but there is still some dinner left if you’d like.”
“Ja, for sure,” Andrew answered, but Jonah wasn’t looking at him. His gaze was directed at Rose, who had leaned over to brush a smudge of dust off her skirt.
Then Mari peered out of the door, past Jonah’s knees.
“Mammi Rose!” She ran to Rose, who kneeled and gathered her in her arms.
After holding her for a long minute, Rose looked into Mari’s face. “I’ve missed you since you went away.”
“We didn’t go away. We came home.”
Rose gave Andrew a look that told him how she felt about that, but Andrew knew he was right in insisting that Mari saw Indiana as her home. Rose turned her attention back to her granddaughter.
“You have a new dress!” Rose smoothed the little skirt as Mari nodded.
“Bethany made it for me. She’s going to be my new mamm.”
Rose threw another look at Andrew. Could he do nothing right?
Jonah stepped forward. “Rose? I’m Jonah Zook, Bethany’s father. Come in and sit down at the table. You haven’t met Bethany yet.”
Rose took Mari’s hand and followed Jonah into the kitchen. When Bethany turned from the sink to greet them, Rose was cordial enough, but Andrew recognized her lifted chin and stiff smile. He had seen it many times. He mentally referred to it as her “top chicken in the henhouse” attitude.
“So, you’re Bethany?” Her voice was as tight as the set of her mouth.
Andrew stepped around Rose and guided her to a chair at the table.
Jonah took the dish towel from Bethany. “We have some of the casserole left, don’t we? And more applesauce?”
“For sure, we do. The applesauce is gone, but James picked some strawberries this morning.” Bethany smiled, but Andrew could see how uncomfortable she was under Rose’s stare. She moved too quickly to get clean plates from the cupboard, and her hands shook.
When Mari ran to the drawer to get forks to set beside the plates, Rose frowned. “Mari must spend a lot of her time here, rather than with you, Andrew.”
“Ja, for sure,” Jonah said as he took his seat at the table with a cup of coffee. “Mari spends her days with Bethany, either here or at Andrew’s place. I enjoy having a little one around the house again.”
He smiled at Rose over the rim of his cup, then set it down as Bethany set a bowl of ham and potatoes on the table and a dish of fresh strawber
ries. Andrew bowed his head for a silent prayer.
As he helped himself to the casserole, Jonah continued. “I’m sure you have missed Mari while she and Andrew have been home.”
Rose blushed. Andrew stared. He had never seen his mother-in-law blush. “You’re right, I have missed her.”
“We’re glad you could come in time for the wedding.”
Rose raised her eyebrows, her attention on Jonah. “You have agreed to this marriage?”
“Andrew and Bethany have known each other for years, and my wife and I always thought they would marry someday.”
Rose pointed her fork toward Jonah. “But he married my Lily. Don’t you think one happy marriage in a lifetime is enough for anyone?”
Jonah leaned back in his chair with a smile on his face. “A happy marriage is a wonderful blessing, but the Good Book says that widows should marry.” He leaned forward again. “Not everyone who has lost a wife—or a husband—has to remain alone.”
Andrew glanced at Bethany and she met his gaze. Jonah and Rose were talking as if they were the only people in the room.
Rose sniffed. “I’ve gotten along just fine since my Lemuel passed away, and I see no reason why Andrew needs to marry again. Especially so soon after—” A small hiccup escaped and they all waited for Rose to compose herself. “So soon after Lily’s passing.”
Jonah’s smile faded. “There’s the child.”
“Ja, the child.” Rose took Mari onto her lap, hugging her until Mari squirmed to get down. Rose looked after her as the little girl went into the next room, where her toys were waiting. “I know I can be the best mother for her. There is no need for Andrew to marry again so soon.” She turned back to Jonah, her “top chicken” attitude back. “Perhaps if he wants to get married in a few years, then Mari can come back to Indiana and live with him again.”
“A few years?” The words came out more forcefully than Andrew intended. He rose halfway out of his chair before Bethany’s hand on his arm stopped him. He knew better than to let Rose rile him up. His mother-in-law went back to eating her dinner as if he hadn’t said anything.
Andrew cleared his throat and began again. “I’m not going to let you take Mari away for a few years. Not even a few weeks. I’m her father, and I don’t intend to be a stranger.”
A glance from Jonah kept him from saying any more.
“Now, Rose,” Jonah said in the voice he used when talking to a spooked horse. “Don’t be unreasonable. Andrew is Mari’s father, and she needs him. If you take her back to Iowa with you, then she will have lost both her mother and her father, and that is a terrible thing to put a child through.” He turned his coffee cup in his hands, watching Rose from under his eyebrows. “I don’t see why you couldn’t stay here in Indiana, though. Stay for the wedding and as long as you need. You’ll soon find that this new family that Andrew and Bethany are making is the perfect place for Mari to be.”
“Well...” Rose drew out the word as she laid her fork on her empty plate. “I suppose I could do that. I’ll live with Andrew and Bethany, at least until I’m sure that their home will be the right place for Mari.”
Jonah cleared his throat. “Perhaps it would be better if you stayed somewhere else while the newlyweds are settling in. We have a Dawdi Haus that no one is using.”
“I’ll stay with Andrew and Bethany, or I’ll take Mari home to Iowa on Monday. There are no other options.”
Rose’s voice held the no-nonsense tone Andrew knew too well. She had made up her mind and there was no arguing with her. He met Bethany’s eyes. She shook her head slightly, and Andrew stood.
“Bethany, come outside with me.” He took her hand and led her into the shady yard away from the kitchen window.
Once he stopped, she pulled her hand from his. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for Rose to live with us.”
“You heard what she said.” Andrew lowered his voice. “There isn’t any arguing with her when she’s like this. She has made up her mind. If she doesn’t stay with us, then she’ll take Mari back to Iowa on Monday.”
“But Mari is your daughter. She can’t do that if you don’t want her to.”
Andrew watched an ant crawl over his left shoe. For almost four years, Rose had said what he was going to do, and he did it. That was the way Lily had wanted it, and he had gone along with her to keep peace in the family. He didn’t want to cause strife now, either, so the best thing would be to go along with what Rose wanted. The news of the wedding had been enough for her to take in for one day.
“You don’t know Rose. Whenever I try to go against her plans, she always seems to get her own way in the end. I don’t want her to take Mari away, so we’ll just have to let her live with us.” He shrugged. “What difference will it make?”
“Andrew, we’re just starting out. I don’t know what kind of marriage we’ll have, but we need time with only us—you, me, and Mari. We need to become a family on our own, and we won’t be able to do that if Rose is living with us.”
His dinner churning in his stomach, Andrew faced Bethany. “It will be all right. I know Rose and how she thinks. Before long, she’ll remember something important she needs to be involved in at home, and then she’ll be gone.”
She frowned, watching her feet. He lifted her chin, smiling at her until a corner of her mouth rose. “We have our whole lives to figure out what our family will be like, and Mari loves her grandmother. We can put up with her for a few weeks, can’t we?”
Bethany sighed. “If you think so. But if anything goes wrong—”
He tapped her nose with his finger. “Nothing will go wrong. Trust me.”
Chapter Four
“You’re doing what?”
Bethany faced her friend Lovina Schrock, who was holding her one-year-old daughter, Rachel, on her hip. The Schrocks had come by to visit on this nonchurch Sunday afternoon, and Bethany was glad for an opportunity to confide in her friend as they stood in the shade of the house.
“You think I’m doing the wrong thing?”
“I don’t think it’s wrong for you to get married, I’m just wondering why it’s so sudden. I know you and Andrew have known each other as long as we have, but aren’t you jumping into this too quickly?”
“There’s a good reason. Andrew’s mother-in-law came yesterday, and she wants to take Andrew’s daughter back to Iowa with her.”
Lovina frowned. “Andrew has a daughter?”
Bethany told her friend the details of the story.
“Where are they today?”
“Daed invited them over, but Rose didn’t seem very interested. I would imagine she’s tired from traveling so far.”
“The biggest question is whether you and Andrew love each other or not.”
Shaking her head, Bethany prepared herself for Lovina’s reaction. “Not all marriages are based on love.”
“Maybe not at first—”
“Andrew and I like each other. Neither of us have any plans to marry anyone else, so it is a convenient arrangement. A good arrangement.”
Lovina swung her body slightly as Rachel laid her head on her shoulder. “Maybe you think it is now, but why settle for a good arrangement when you can have the best?”
“Let’s go inside and you can lay Rachel down on my bed.” Bethany led the way into the kitchen and poured two glasses of water while Lovina put her daughter down for her nap.
Sitting at the table, Lovina took a drink of the cold water, then set down her glass in front of her. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Bethany ran her thumb through the condensation beading on her glass. “You know how we used to dream of getting married and having families.”
“Ja, for sure I remember.” Lovina smiled.
“This is my only chance. I’m twenty-four years old, and the only man who has even looked at me in the last year is Hiram Plank.”
Lovina giggled. “I assume he isn’t your first choice?”
Bethany laughed with her. “For sure, not. But there’s more.” She made another line through the beaded water with her thumb. “I long to be a mother, and Andrew is offering me that chance.”
“You must like his daughter.”
“I fell in love with her the first time I saw her. Already I feel like she’s my responsibility, and my joy. Isn’t that how mothers feel?”
Lovina nodded.
“Andrew and I...” Bethany chewed on her lower lip. “We won’t have any more children. Mari is my only opportunity to be a mother.”
Propping her chin with her hand, Lovina gave Bethany a thoughtful look. “Tell me about her.”
“She’s smart and funny, and full of energy. A lot like Andrew was when he was a boy. She isn’t afraid of anything and keeps me running to keep up with her.”
“How old is she?”
“Almost three, just about a year older than Rachel.”
Lovina smiled. “Maybe they’ll be good friends, just like we are.”
Bethany smiled back. “That would be wonderful. I cherish your friendship, Lovina.” She took her friend’s hand. “Will you be able to come to the wedding on Thursday?”
“Ach, I can’t. I’m so sorry, but I promised I would take Noah’s aunt and uncle to visit some of their family on the other side of Middlebury.”
“That’s too bad, but I understand. You and Noah were my first choice of a couple to stand up with us, but Dave and Dorcas Zimmer are Andrew’s first choice. I’m sure they’ll be happy to do it.”
Lovina turned her glass in her hands. “I hope this is the right decision, but I can’t help remembering how much Andrew hurt you.”
Shifting in her seat, Bethany took a drink of water. “That was a long time ago.”
“It was after Noah and I were married, and that was only five years ago.”
“A lot has changed since then.”
Lovina grasped her hand. “But has he changed? What if you find that you are falling in love with him?”
“I’m not about to make that mistake again.” Bethany took her glass to the sink and refilled it.