A Simple Vow

by Charlotte Hubbard

  “Denki. You’ll make somebody a fine wife someday,” Asa teased as he took his seat on the couch.

  Drew let out a short laugh and shoved his sandwich into his mouth. The soft store-bought bread and salty-sweet filling didn’t take long to eat. After Drew had gulped half his milk, he eyed Asa. “Seconds? If I say so myself, that tasted mighty fine.”

  “It hit the spot,” Asa agreed. “Sure, I’ll take another one.” He rose to gaze out the front window, savoring the sight of the lamplight in the homes across the road—hoping the comfort food would help both Drew and him sleep better. Tomorrow was the biggest day of his life, and he wanted everything to go perfectly.

  By the time he’d polished off his second sandwich, Asa realized how tired he was from the day’s activities. “Well, tomorrow’s an early day,” he murmured. “You want the bed or the couch?”

  “Take the bed. You’ll sleep better.” Drew smiled at him. “Sweet dreams, brother.”

  Was it his imagination, or was he getting muzzy-headed? Asa felt so exhausted and heavy, he slipped between the sheets in his clothes. When his head hit the pillow he was already asleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Edith felt so fidgety she had to consciously stop shifting as she sat on the front pew bench Friday morning. It was her wedding day! It felt wonderful to be holding church in the house where she would soon live with Asa, with every pew filled. Family members and friends listened to Preacher Ben expound on the scripture her dat had read—the thirteenth chapter of Corinthians, which told of the unconditional Christian love that would make for a blessed marriage. Loretta and Rosalyn sat with her, and the twins’ baskets were positioned between them. Asa faced her from the men’s side, smiling confidently across the small space the preachers occupied. Will was there, too. Both men looked so handsome and solemn in their crisp black trousers and vests, wearing new white shirts.

  But where was Asa’s brother?

  Bishop Tom had delayed the church service that preceded the wedding, holding a whispered conference with Asa—who finally insisted they begin, in hopes that Drew would be able to perform the wedding ceremony. “I thought he was coming to the picnic yesterday, but I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him—and neither has anyone I called in Clifford,” Asa had murmured. “We’d best get started.”

  Although Asa had told her his brother wasn’t as outgoing as he was, or as keen on making the move to a new town, Edith thought it odd that Drew hadn’t come to Willow Ridge to see the new furniture shop or to meet Luke and his other new neighbors. He’d been delivering furniture or seeing to the sale of their building in Clifford—necessary activities, yes, but folks who’d been eager to meet him had become puzzled as time had passed by and he’d made no appearance. Dat, of course, had pointed to Drew’s absence as just one more reason Edith shouldn’t marry into the Detweiler family—at least until she knew what she was getting into and with whom she’d be dealing.

  Asa’s smile, however, brought Edith out of her troublesome thoughts. His raven hair was swept back from his face, brushing his white collar as he gazed raptly at her with his indigo eyes. Even as the congregation stood to sing the final hymn, Asa watched her intently over the top of the hymnal he shared with Will.

  Bishop Tom paused again after the song ended, looking around the crowd as if expecting Drew to come forward for the wedding ceremony. “This really is too bad,” he murmured as he approached the men’s side. “I hope nothing’s happened to your brother, Asa.”

  Asa stood up, his forehead furrowed with concern. “He’d better have a gut reason for missing my wedding,” he said under his breath. “I’ll give him the what-for if he’s just—well, never mind that. We can’t keep the bride waiting on her big day.”

  When Asa gazed at her in invitation, Edith rose from the pew bench to stand beside him, in front of the bishop. She felt shimmery inside, glowing with the excitement of this anticipated moment—the solemn highlight of her life, second only to her baptism into the church. She’d been too excited to sleep last night, yet she didn’t feel a bit tired. Edith focused on Bishop Tom’s kindly, weathered face as he began the age-old Amish wedding ceremony. Through the years, the words and ritual had remained unchanged, binding couples with the same irrevocable vows their parents and grandparents before them had taken.

  A movement to her right made Edith blink. Why was Will hurrying down the side aisle toward the door?

  Asa frowned, and then focused forward again. Bishop Tom followed Will’s exit with a concerned glance.

  “Said he was feeling funny,” Asa whispered urgently. “Something he ate at the picnic yesterday. Just keep going.”

  A worm of apprehension squirmed in Edith’s stomach. Not only was it unheard of for a newehocker to slip away during the wedding service, but nobody told the bishop how to conduct a ceremony. Glancing up, Edith noticed how Asa’s jaw was working. A trickle of sweat ran down his cheek. After years of attending weddings, she knew that after the bishop preached a brief sermon on the duties of a steadfast husband and a devoted wife, he would lead them in their formal vows.

  Is Asa getting cold feet? In all the hours she’d spent with him, he’d seemed so confident and sure he wanted to marry her and be a dat to Leroy and Louisa. It occurred to Edith that Bishop Tom was speaking of important matters—issues she needed to know about to be an Amish wife dedicated to the faith—so she gave her full attention to the clergyman’s words again.

  “We come now to the exchange of your vows,” the bishop said in a solemn voice. “The words ya repeat after me will bind ya as man and wife before God forever. This is the moment where all doubts must cease. Any hesitation must be set aside as ya promise to be faithful to one another, believin’ that only death will separate you—even as nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, whom we honor and serve above all else.”

  Bishop Tom gazed at each of them as though peering directly into their hearts. “Understanding the finality, the solemnity, of these vows, are ya ready to proceed?”

  “Jah, let’s do it,” Asa murmured. He clasped and unclasped his hands as though wondering what to do with them.

  “And you, Edith?” asked the bishop.

  Edith glanced over at Louisa and Leroy, who watched her from their baskets. She nodded.

  Bishop Tom began to read the vows of holy matrimony, line by line, which Edith repeated in the strongest voice she could manage. She’d imagined feeling exuberant and sure of herself at this moment, yet the importance of what she was promising suddenly struck her so hard her knees shook. Maybe all brides felt this nervous. Maybe the same sensation had rendered Asa fearful, too, for as he began to repeat his vows, his voice sounded strained and higher-pitched than she’d ever—

  The door flew open so hard it hit the wall. “Edith, stop! You’re marrying the wrong man!” someone cried out.

  Everyone gasped and turned toward the door. Wide-eyed and stunned, Edith watched Will enter the main room with his arm around a taller man who appeared dazed and disheveled, wearing clothes he must have slept in. As she took in the fellow’s midnight hair, broad shoulders, and height, her hand flew to her mouth. He gazed at her as though he knew who she was, but was too disoriented to speak coherently.

  Edith then stared at the man standing beside her, observing identical hair and features to those of the poor fellow who was with Will. “What’s going on here?” she demanded in a shaky voice.

  The man beside her swallowed so hard his throat clicked. He wouldn’t look at her, wouldn’t answer her. Edith suddenly felt ill.

  Preacher Ben rose from the bench, gazing first at the groom and then at the fellow Will was leading down the aisle. “My stars, they’re identical twins,” he said as murmurs filled the big room.

  “Jah, they are,” Will replied, shaking his head in disgust. “The longer I sat by the groom during the service, the more I noticed little things about his voice and attitude that didn’t match up with the Asa Detweiler I’ve come to know. This is
Asa,” he announced, gesturing toward the man he’d guided to the first row of pews. “That fellow’s his brother, Drew. And Drew has a whole lot of explaining to do about why I found Asa dead asleep in the shop apartment.”

  Outbursts of shock and dismay filled the room. As Will’s words sank in, Edith hugged herself hard, grateful when Loretta and Rosalyn came to stand on either side of her. Her sisters gently urged her to sit down on the front pew bench.

  Dat stood up and raked his hand through his hair, glaring at both Detweilers. “This is even worse than I predicted,” he blurted. “Not only have you humiliated my daughter and my family, you’ve made a travesty of the marriage ceremony. What do you have to say for yourself?” he demanded, jabbing Drew’s chest with his finger. “You’re not leaving this room until we hear—”

  “What on God’s gut earth is wrong with Asa?” a short woman called out as she came up the aisle from the women’s side. It was Fern Detweiler, Asa’s mother, and from the opposite end of the room came tall, barrel-chested Ernest Detweiler. Edith had only met these folks yesterday at the picnic, but she could tell they were as upset as she was.

  Drew turned, as though to bolt from the house, but his father brusquely grabbed his arm. “While we’re all in church, it’s a gut opportunity to confess, Andrew,” Ernest stated in a no-nonsense voice. “From what I can tell, you intended to marry Edith and pass yourself off as Asa. How long did you think you’d get away with that?”

  “This is the most despicable thing I’ve ever witnessed!” Will put in. “When I followed my hunch and looked in the shop apartment, I found Asa sleeping so hard I almost couldn’t wake him. What’d you do to him?” he demanded. “Had I returned just a few minutes later, you and Edith would’ve been man and wife—a knot that couldn’t have been untied, even though it was absolutely wrong.”

  As she heard what these men were saying, Edith’s thoughts whirled so fast she felt dizzy. She couldn’t believe anyone would attempt such a brazen trick—much less do it to his identical twin brother. When it occurred to her that she’d almost married a man she’d never even met, she got lightheaded and queasy.

  “Take deep breaths,” Loretta urged. “You’re white as a sheet, Edith.”

  “Put your head between your knees so you don’t pass out,” Rosalyn suggested, pressing down on Edith’s shoulders.

  Inhaling desperately, Edith remained upright on the pew to watch Will help Asa sit down on the pew bench across from her. Asa appeared totally confused, as though he couldn’t quite grasp what was going on but he sensed it was gravely serious. He rubbed his face, gazing from her to his brother.

  Oh, Asa, what’s happened to you? Why on earth would your brother—your twin—do this to you?

  “Andrew, we’re going to sit down and wait for your explanation of all this,” Ernest Detweiler insisted. “You owe every one of us in this room a confession and an apology.”

  Edith heard a quiet sob as Asa’s mother sat down beside him, lightly smacking his face to keep him focused. Bishop Tom, Preacher Ben, and Dat stood a few feet in front of her, conferring in hushed whispers about the correct procedure for a wedding situation no one had ever encountered. The babies began to kick and squirm as Loretta and Rosalyn tried to soothe them and keep watch over Edith at the same time.

  Then Nora appeared, kneeling in front of her. “Edith, do you want to leave?” she whispered. “If this were happening to me, I’d be running down the road screaming like a crazy woman.”

  Edith focused gratefully on Nora’s freckled face. “Jah, get me out of here,” she rasped. “I—I can’t face these people—”

  “That settles it.” Nora stood up, turning toward Bishop Tom. “You men decide what you need to do, but it seems to me the two people who most need to hear an explanation are in no shape to listen to it right now. I’m taking Edith home.”

  “Asa, we’re going with them,” said Fern Detweiler as she stood up. “Are you able to walk with me, or do we need—”

  “I’ll help you, Mrs. Detweiler. I’m a registered nurse,” Andy Leitner explained as he came up beside Asa to help him stand. “This is the last place Asa needs to be right now, and I need to look him over.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Luke Hooley said as he came down the aisle. “I can support him from the other side.”

  “I’m staying here so I won’t miss a word of this,” Will said. “Catch you later, Asa.”

  “I’ll watch the twins, Edith,” Rosalyn insisted. “Go on home, sweetie. I’m so sorry.”

  Relieved that Asa and the babies were in competent hands, Edith rose to go. With Nora in front and Loretta behind her, she made her way down the narrow aisle between the pew benches. She kept her head down, unable to bear the sight of so many women watching her, clucking over this unthinkable situation. Once outside on the porch, she released the sob that had risen from the depths of her soul, thankful that her sister and her friend embraced her to keep her from keeling over.

  “No, no!” Edith cried out. “I can’t believe—”

  “Neither can we, honey,” Nora murmured as she led them away from the doorway. “Let it all out.”

  “—that Asa’s twin brother would pull such a nasty—”

  “Despicable,” Loretta put in, wiping her own tears. “Will had it right.”

  “—and that I didn’t realize it wasn’t Asa standing beside me,” Edith blurted. “I feel so—so stupid and cheated and betrayed—”

  “Jah, there’s the right word for it. Betrayed,” Fern Detweiler muttered as she came out onto the porch. “Never in my life would I have seen this coming. And my own flesh and blood to blame for it, no less.”

  Edith sniffled loudly, straining to regain some control over her emotions. Luke and Andy were guiding Asa toward the porch swing, and once he was seated, the nurse began looking into his eyes. When Andy took hold of Asa’s wrist to check his pulse, Asa peered over at her. He looked so befuddled, so helpless....

  “Asa, how many fingers do you see?” Andy asked.

  Asa blinked, trying to focus. “Two.”

  “Gut. And who are these people sitting with you?” the nurse continued.

  Asa glanced to his left and then to his right. “It’s . . . Luke and—and my mamm,” he replied. “I don’t understand what’s . . . happening.”

  “We’ll figure it out, Asa. You’re doing fine—take some deep breaths, okay?” Andy said reassuringly. “Luke, if you’ll sit with these folks, I’m going inside to quiz Drew. We need to know immediately if Asa’s recent concussion is causing his confusion—or what his brother gave him to put him out.”

  Edith’s mouth dropped open. If Drew had given something to Asa so he’d sleep through the wedding . . . What if that substance had affected Asa’s brain permanently, so soon after his concussion? What if the man she’d intended to marry wouldn’t recover? Asa was still gazing desperately at her, as though trying to figure out who she was. And if that’s the case, how can I watch Asa struggle against this—this demon inside him, for who knows how long? What does this mean for Louisa and Leroy? How will I make it from one day to the next without Asa to love me as his wife?

  Suddenly overcome by unthinkable possibilities, Edith turned. “Take me home,” she pleaded as she gripped Loretta’s and Nora’s hands. “I can’t handle any more of this.”

  * * *

  Luke shook his head, watching his wife and Loretta escort Edith down the lane toward the Riehl place. Troublesome ideas twisted around in his mind as he considered what this incredible turn of events meant for the young man who’d just built a new shop with the twin brother who’d tried to steal his wife. Luke wasn’t sure he could ever trust Drew Detweiler. What if Asa remained so impaired that he could no longer work?

  What’s the connection between this ruined wedding and the way Asa’s brother never showed up to look at the house or the new shop? Has Drew been planning this all along? How did he figure to get away with it?

  A loud sniffle made Luke glance at the pudg
y middle-aged woman who sat beside Asa, mopping her face with a handkerchief. “I’m really sorry this has happened, Mrs. Detweiler,” he said gently. “We’ve all been glad that Asa’s come to Willow Ridge with his furniture business, and that he and Edith have fallen for each other.”

  “Please call me Fern. After meeting everybody at the Ascension Day picnic, I feel right at home here,” she replied before blowing her nose loudly. “Ernest and I were so tickled that Asa had found a nice girl—even though it blew up so sudden-like, and he’s moved farther from home. But who could’ve foreseen this ordeal?” Fern shook her head dolefully. “Drew has always lived in his brother’s shadow, but I never guessed he’d stoop so low as to . . . I suspect there’s more to this story than we want to hear.”

  Drew has always lived in his brother’s shadow. Luke considered that statement in light of how he and Ira had always been close. As the older brother, he’d done his share of teasing and starting trouble that he’d left Ira to get himself out of, but he would never have horned in on Ira’s bride. He’d always understood identical twins to be like two halves of a whole—emotionally closer from the moment of conception than other siblings—so he couldn’t imagine what had driven Drew to pretend he was Asa on the most important day of his brother’s life.

  Was Drew truly heartless? Or was he incredibly desperate and shortsighted?

  They all looked up as Andy Leitner came back out to the porch. His expression remained somber, but he seemed relieved by what he’d learned. “Asa, do you ever take sleeping tablets when you have trouble falling asleep?”

  Asa blinked and shook his head. “Sleep’s never a problem for me.”

  “That’s what I was hoping you’d say,” Leitner remarked. “Drew’s refusing to give a full confession in front of a roomful of people he doesn’t know, but when I told him your life depended on it, he admitted he’d crushed some over-the-counter sleeping tablets and put them in a peanut butter sandwich. Does that ring any bells?”