A Simple Vow

by Charlotte Hubbard

  “I like the looks of that roaster you’re carryin’, Asa—or maybe it’s Drew,” Bishop Tom added as he waved to everyone. “I take it for a sign we’ve got some serious meat headed for the table.”

  As Edith rose to greet their guests, it felt good to have company coming onto the porch carrying pans and platters—and a roaster that gave off the delicious aroma of well-seasoned ham. “Looks like a feast!” she said as she held the door for everyone.

  Loretta and Rosalyn got the potato salad and slaw from the fridge, while Nora and Nazareth arranged their deviled eggs, salad, and a big pan of apple slab pie on the kitchen counter. “I baked banana bread yesterday with some whole wheat flour from your mill, Luke,” Nazareth said as she took the covering off her other plate. “Made little sandwiches out of it, with apricot jam and goat cheese for the filling.”

  “The ham’s warm and ready for a platter,” Asa said as he set the enamel roaster on the stove. “Hope everybody likes it with barbeque sauce.”

  “That’s why it smells so gut,” Bishop Tom said as he clapped his hands on the brothers’ backs. He glanced around the kitchen and then into the front room. “Cornelius must be upstairs makin’ himself presentable, jah?”

  Edith and her sisters glanced at one another as they placed serving utensils on the plates of food. “He was cranky at breakfast, so he excused himself to the basement,” Rosalyn explained. “Today would’ve been Mamm’s birthday, you see.”

  “Those sorts of anniversaries can affect ya in ways ya don’t anticipate,” Tom replied as he headed for the basement door. “I sure hope he’s not workin’ on a clock or—”

  The door opened, and Dat stepped up into the kitchen. “Gut morning to you, Bishop. Happy to see you Detweilers and Hooleys, too,” he added. His smile looked tight, but he appeared ready to tolerate guests for their noon meal. “I’ve heard English fellows call their getaway places man caves—and with three daughters in the house, I need to slip into my cave every now and again.”

  Luke and the Detweilers chuckled and went over to greet Dat while the bishop shook his hand. Edith was relieved that her father had come upstairs before Tom had gone down to check on him. She suspected Dat secretly did some clock repairs or cleaned his shop on the Sundays when they didn’t attend church—and she and her sisters knew better than to catch him at it. When she lifted the lid of the roaster, however, all distracting thoughts of her father drifted away with the spicy-sweet steam that rose from the ham.

  “Oh, this smells really yummy,” Edith said as she placed some of the thinly sliced meat on a platter.

  “We figured a spiral-sliced ham would be easy to fix—and something everyone would enjoy,” Asa said. He held the sides of the roaster for her so it wouldn’t move as she picked up more slices with her fork. “It was Drew’s idea to separate the slices and add the sauce before we warmed it.”

  “Wow, this reminds me of something the Witmers would serve at the Grill N Skillet,” Nora said. “We’ve got quite a nice meal to enjoy.”

  “Jah, better than Tom and I would’ve been eating at home,” Nazareth said with a laugh.

  While Edith placed the platter of ham with the other food on the counter, her sisters set pitchers of tea, water, and lemonade on the table. “Shall we pray before we fill our plates?” she suggested.

  It felt special to have their closest friends gathered in the kitchen, and Edith couldn’t help smiling as she bowed her head. Be with Will and his family today, she prayed, and we ask Your presence with Drew as he seeks reconciliation. Bless Dat with an open heart—and a happier attitude—as we entertain our friends on Mamm’s birthday. Thank You for surrounding us with Your love.

  Happy chatter filled the kitchen as everyone spooned up their food at the counter and sat down at the table. Edith sensed that having ten people here for dinner made the meal much more pleasant than it would’ve been with just the four of them—even if Dat wouldn’t admit it. He sat at the head of the table with Bishop Tom and Luke on either side of him, and they were asking Asa and Drew about how their furniture business was doing. Edith relished having all the women together so they could hold their own conversation, although it was a special treat to be seated next to Asa. Every now and then he smiled at her as though waiting for the right time to share their special news.

  “I—I really appreciate you Riehls inviting us for dinner today,” Drew said in a voice that prompted the other conversations to stop. “And while we’re all together, I’d like to say again that I’m sincerely sorry for the trouble I’ve caused—the wedding I ruined and the way I betrayed everyone’s trust. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me—especially you, Cornelius. You had a lot invested in Edith’s wedding day, and I made it all go wrong.”

  Stillness settled over the kitchen. Dat sat up straighter as he set down his utensils. “I can’t recall ever feeling more humiliated than at the moment Will Gingerich brought your brother into our wedding gathering,” he said in a low, stern voice. “It hurt me a great deal to see the pain on Edith’s face—and the expressions of disbelief and shock our guests wore—when we realized what you’d done, Detweiler. But it’s the bride and groom who need your apologies.”

  “He’s already talked to us, Dat,” Edith said. “Asa and I have sorted things out with Drew and forgiven him.”

  “Drew and Asa have met with me, too,” Luke said as he smiled at the two brothers. “Far as I’m concerned, we’re squared away with their purchase of the acreage from the farm across the road. They’re paid in full, money-wise and for explanations, as well.”

  “Drew’s come over for a couple of sessions with me, as well,” Bishop Tom chimed in. “Asa’s gonna join us next time so the two of them can understand each other’s feelings better—concernin’ that anger and envy we talked about after the wedding was canceled.”

  Dat cleared his throat loudly. “So you came to me last?” he challenged Drew. “Were you too afraid to show your face around here—”

  “Matter of fact, I’ve been finishing some upholstery work so I could repay you for the wedding dinner at the Grill N Skillet,” Drew interrupted as he reached into his shirt pocket. “This is the amount Josiah Witmer said he charged you, but if it’s not enough, let me know what I owe. Again, I’m sorry I ruined your family’s big day and your special dinner.”

  Dat closed his mouth over the retort he’d been ready to deliver. He glanced at the amount on the check and folded it into his shirt pocket. “I have to admit I wasn’t expecting such a gesture, but I appreciate it,” he murmured. “You’ve at least made restitution for what that day cost me financially, although I suspect it’ll be a while before I can forgive and forget—”

  “You can forgive Drew in the time it takes to say three words,” Bishop Top insisted. He held Dat’s gaze for several seconds to drive home his point. “From what I’ve seen, he’s been sincere in his apology, so the rest is up to you, Cornelius. We’ll let you deal with that in your own way, in your own time, however. Your forgiveness should flow as freely as Drew’s apology and his money.”

  Edith could see Dat wasn’t very happy about receiving a personal sermon from the bishop, in front of all the folks around the table, but she was grateful to Tom for putting this matter in perspective. Asa squeezed her hand under the table.

  “With that in mind, I’ll tell you all that Drew has also offered to pay for dinner at the café on the new wedding day Edith and I have chosen,” Asa said as he smiled at everyone around the table. “We’ve decided on Friday, the twelfth of June, and we hope you’ll all honor us with your presence.”

  “Oh, Edith! That’s fabulous news!” Loretta squealed. She threw her arms around Edith’s shoulders while Rosalyn rose from her place across the table to embrace Edith from behind her chair.

  “I’m so happy for both of you,” Nazareth said as she beamed at Edith and Asa.

  “I—I’m guessing the absence of Leroy and Louisa doesn’t affect Asa’s feelings as much as you thought it might?�
�� Nora asked as she held Edith’s gaze from across the table.

  Edith reached over to clasp Nora’s hands. “I can’t thank you enough for talking me through my feelings,” she murmured. “I didn’t have to ask. Asa told me himself that we’d still be a family if God didn’t bring Leroy and Louisa back into our lives.”

  “And we saw no reason to wait a long time before we set another date,” Asa put in. “I loved Edith the moment I met her, when she stood up for the two babies Will and I were quarreling about. I loved her even more after she talked with Drew over a picnic she brought over to us. And I especially loved the way she was able to pull herself together after he spoiled our original wedding day. She’s a strong woman, Edith is.”

  “Jah, you’ve got that right, son,” Bishop Tom murmured. “She could’ve handled her disappointment a lot differently. Edith’s a special young woman—an example to us all about movin’ past our regrets and resentment.”

  As Edith’s cheeks got hot, she glanced at Dat in time to catch him shaking his head at the bishop’s comment. He held his tongue, however. Despite her father’s reaction, Edith accepted the congratulations from everyone else in the kitchen and enjoyed the affection in Asa’s eyes as he smiled at her. Her sisters cleared everyone’s dinner plates while she and Nora cut the chocolate cake and Nazareth’s apple slab pie—which filled a large rectangular cookie sheet and looked as big as three regular pies.

  “How about if we put these on the table and everyone can help themselves?” Edith suggested. “I’ll get a couple of metal spatulas—”

  “You can set that pie right down here by me,” Luke teased as she walked past him. “Apple’s my favorite, and it looks like Naz used a lot of cinnamon.”

  “It’s the drizzle of white icing I’m eyeballing,” Drew said when Nora set the pan at the men’s end of the table. “I predict there won’t be much of this pie left by the time we leave.”

  When everyone had a dessert plate and a mug for coffee, Edith and the other women sat down again. She wasn’t surprised that each of the fellows took a large square of the pie, while the women chose the chocolate cake. Noting Asa’s euphoric expression as he chewed his mouthful of pie, she nudged him with her elbow.

  “What’s your favorite kind of pie, Asa?” she asked as she cut into her cake.

  Asa swallowed, grinning at her. “Whatever kind you put in front of me, Edith.”

  Everyone at the table laughed. “You’ve got it right, guy, and you’re not even married yet,” Luke teased. “Whatever the wife fixes, your best response is ‘denki, dear, this is the most wonderful-gut stuff I’ve ever put in my mouth.’”

  Across the table, Nora let out a short laugh. “Jah, that works—even when she’s only warmed up a can of soup. Luke, poor man, often finds himself at the stove anyway, just so there’s food on the table.”

  Luke wiggled his eyebrows. “I didn’t marry you for the way you cook in the kitchen, Nora-girl,” he shot back at her.

  As their banter continued, Edith hoped that she and Asa would share a deep love like the one Nora and Luke showed so openly. Amish folks didn’t display their affection in public, yet she found it endearing when couples defied some of the old traditions in positive ways. Could there ever be such a thing as too much love between a husband and a wife? If such love was a gift from God, surely it wasn’t wrong for married folks to show their feelings when they were with their family and friends.

  Everyone took more pie and cake, lingering over dessert and coffee as they visited, so it was nearly two o’clock before the men went out to the backyard to sit in lawn chairs. Their voices and laughter drifted in through the windows as Edith, her sisters, Nora, and Nazareth made quick work of washing the dishes and putting away the food.

  “Well, Edith, I guess we’ll be washing and pressing our new dresses to wear at your wedding—again,” Rosalyn added with a chuckle. “Not many gals can say that.”

  “Nor do they want to go through what Edith and Asa did on their original wedding day,” Nazareth pointed out. “It’s commendable of Drew that he’s repaid your dat for the first meal at the café, and is also treating us all to another banquet in a few weeks.”

  “Jah, I was wondering what Dat might say about having to pay twice,” Loretta remarked in a low voice. “If he’d made a fuss, though, Rosalyn and I would’ve done it for you, Edith.”

  Gratitude welled up inside Edith as she pulled the drain stopper. “You two are the best sisters and friends I could ever have—”

  “Hullo in there! Anybody want to let me in?” a familiar voice called from the front door. “I’ve got a surprise—well, two surprises!”

  “That’s Will,” Loretta murmured as she tossed down her towel and headed to the front room. A few moments later, her delighted laughter prompted everyone in the kitchen to turn toward the door. “Edith! Edith, come and see who’s home!”

  Edith’s heart hammered as she quickly dried her hands. Can it be? Have my prayers been answered? she thought as she hurried into the front room. The sight of two earnest little faces, two pairs of extended arms and kicking legs, stopped her heart. Edith couldn’t speak for the sheer joy that flooded her soul when Louisa and Leroy began babbling at her.

  “Twins!” she cried as she rushed toward them. “Louisa and Leroy! Oh, but we’ve missed you in this quiet house.”

  Scooping one baby and then the other from the baskets Will was holding, Edith hugged them to her shoulders. It was heaven to feel their little arms clasping her neck, to hear their laughter and gurgling chatter as they wiggled excitedly against her.

  “What’s happened? I’ve been trying to convince myself that it’s God’s will for the Ropps to raise them,” Edith whispered as she gazed at Will. “So why are they back? These two are the reason you went to see your family today, jah?”

  Will smiled fondly at her. “Molly’s dat called me last night and said they couldn’t handle two babies while they were looking after Ruth’s mamm. She’s the one who had the heart attack when Molly died, remember?”

  Edith nodded, amazed at this turn of events. “I hope this doesn’t mean Mrs. Ropp’s mother has taken a turn for the worse.”

  Will shook his head, chuckling. “No, but the babies’ crying upsets her to the point that her doctor’s concerned about her blood pressure and other issues—not to mention that she becomes more demanding,” he explained. “Orva had tried to talk with Ruth about this before they left here with the twins, remember. So now he’s put his foot down.”

  Nazareth, who’d come from the kitchen with Rosalyn and Nora, cooed at the wee ones and stroked their wispy hair. “Were these angels fussy because they had to drink formula again? I’m going home to get a bucket of this morning’s milk from my fridge so these kids can have a meal that agrees with them.”

  “Denki so much,” Edith called after the bishop’s wife. She gazed into Louisa and Leroy’s faces, unable to get enough of their smiles—yet aware that during the week and a half they’d been away, they’d lost some weight. “And denki to you, too, Will, for going to fetch them. See there?” she said to Nora and her sisters. “It’s a gut thing we didn’t return the high chairs and playpen and such things to their owners.”

  “I have a box and a duffel of their stuff in the buggy. I’ll go get it.” Will’s smile widened as he watched Loretta and Rosalyn take the babies from Edith’s arms. “I was so relieved to be bringing them back into this home—knowing they’ll get all the love they’ll ever need with Edith and Asa raising them,” he added. Then he raised an eyebrow. “Or at least I hope you and Asa plan to be together.”

  “The wedding’s June twelfth,” Loretta said excitedly. “Better get your church clothes ready and make plans to celebrate with us—for sure and for certain this time.”

  “Best news I’ve heard all day. Congratulations, Edith.”

  “You missed Asa’s making the announcement—and you missed some mighty fine food, too,” Rosalyn put in.

  “We’ll be getting the high
chairs out, and washing the bottles for Naz’s goat milk,” Loretta said, “so you might as well join us in the kitchen, Will. Feeding you is the least we can do!”

  Will shrugged modestly. “Happy to help the twins. They’re my final connection to Molly, after all.”

  As Edith watched Will head out the front door, she couldn’t stop smiling. “Hasn’t this been a fine day?” she murmured as she watched her sisters fussing over the babies. “Let’s take Louisa and Leroy out back for a moment so the men can see them. It feels so gut to have them home again.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  On Friday the twelfth of June, Edith smiled at Asa, who sat facing her from the men’s side of the room with Will and Drew beside him. It felt a little odd, as though she was having a recurring dream, to see the handsome fellows on the pew bench a second time—but with all three of them present. As her father stood up to read the morning’s scripture passage, she told herself to focus on the message instead of on the man she loved.

  “From the fifty-first Psalm come these familiar words, a petition to remain in God’s gut graces,” Dat said in a resounding voice. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy holy spirit from me,” he read. “Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit.”

  Today’s about joy, Lord, but we remain eternally grateful that You’ve not cast us away because of the mistakes we’ve made, Edith prayed. We’re especially thankful that Drew has made his amends and that You’ve created clean hearts for him, his brother, Will, and me.

  After a prayer and a hymn, Preacher Henry Zook rose to preach the first sermon. He spoke in a low voice, and while his message was sincere, Edith found her attention wandering. She reminded herself to be patient, because they had an entire church service to sit through before the wedding began.