“Okay,” Diana muttered as Esther dressed her and led the way out to the kitchen for breakfast.
“Hi, sleepyhead,” Mamm teased.
Diana managed a smile and perched herself on the back bench. Mamm and Esther seated themselves to bow their heads in prayer for a few minutes of silence. Diana did likewise, her small hands folded on her chest.
When everyone looked up after Mamm’s soft amen, Esther dipped oatmeal into Diana’s bowl and added milk and sugar. She did the same for her own, and they ate eggs, bacon, and toast afterward. A final silent prayer of thanks was offered before they cleaned the table and washed the dishes. Soon the party made their slow way down Fords Bush Road toward the Kings’ residence.
“My, my, everybody is here bright and early,” Dorrine sang out from her front porch. “I’ll be with you in just a minute.”
Esther led the way to the barn, where John and his three boys had begun to pull out the machines and park them under the other shelters. Dorrine appeared with brooms, and John went to find shovels. Jason brought a wheelbarrow, and the cleaning began. A tall ladder was needed to reach the cobwebs in the upper rafters. Esther climbed up halfway and stopped.
“You’d best let me to that,” Jason told her with a grin. “We can’t have you breaking an arm or a leg the week before your wedding.”
“That wouldn’t be very romantic at all,” Esther agreed, retreating down the steps.
In seconds Jason was at the top of the ladder with his arms outstretched, holding the end of the broom. Esther was steadying the ladder with both hands when Isaiah’s chuckle came from behind her. “A little short on one end, I would say.”
“Isaiah!” Esther gasped, but she kept her grip on the ladder. “You’ll have us all on the floor in a moment if you don’t stop scaring people.”
“I just came to help,” he said, pretending to pout. “And all I get is a chewing out.”
“You would get a kiss,” she whispered, “if this place wasn’t so public.”
He laughed and stepped closer to take a firm grip on the ladder. “I think Jason should come down so I can go up. Those spiderwebs must all be banished for our wedding meal. We can’t have you looking at them with worry instead of gazing at me in love.”
“Isaiah!” she hissed. “There are children around!”
He grinned and asked Jason as he came down the ladder, “You didn’t hear that, did you?”
Jason’s wide smile was enough of an answer.
“At least you haven’t brought any flowers this morning,” she pretended to scold.
“I knew there was something I forgot.”
“Isaiah!”
“What? I’m the epitome of innocence and decorum.” He climbed up the ladder and then looked down at her. “There’s nothing wrong with flowers. They are so beautiful.”
“Jason, just ignore all this,” Esther said, but the boy had already moved on. He and John were busy pushing the last wagon out of the barn.
Isaiah was up to something. She had been suspicious for a while. She could tell by the hint of a smile on his face at unexpected times and that twinkle in his eye. Now he had shown up to help clean the barn without telling her. Yah, he was definitely up to something.
“I know how Joseph persuaded Peter and Edna to change their minds,” Isaiah said as he leaned forward to swat at spiderwebs.
“Careful,” she warned, and then she gasped. “Wait. What did you say?”
He winked. “I know his secret.”
Esther glanced around. “Seriously?”
He shrugged and swatted again. “Peter isn’t making much effort to keep the matter quiet.”
“Careful,” she said again, clinging to the ladder. “I don’t want you lame before the wedding next week.”
“You don’t want to marry a man in a cast? We would have to put the wedding off for a few weeks, I suppose.”
“You are so testing your limits this morning,” Esther warned. “Now tell me this great secret.”
“Joseph showed Peter how prosperous his greenhouse is, and he gave him a tidy sum, it seems. Sort of like a dowry.” Isaiah frowned as he spoke. “Anyway, now Peter is quite taken with his new son-in-law. He drops hints all over the place. Peter has even begun to remodel their home on Mentzer Road before the winter sets in.”
“Money!” Esther made a face. “That’s not very romantic.”
Isaiah reached for the last cobweb. “Would you prefer a fat check instead of roses? Maybe I would stay out of trouble that way.” Isaiah retreated down the ladder. “All done, sweetheart!”
“Isaiah!” Esther hissed again as John came toward them.
Isaiah turned to greet John with a big, innocent smile. “What a fine morning to clean out the barn, yah? Rain should be moving in tomorrow from how my cows are acting.”
“Greetings.” John stuck out his hand. “We have everything timed perfectly. Thanks for coming over to help. That way I can get the last of my plowing done before the rains get here.”
Isaiah grinned. “You know weddings. They are always getting in the way of work and responsibilities.”
John laughed. “Be careful,” he said in a stage whisper. “Esther is standing right behind you.”
“Is that right?”
Esther already had the broom lifted high, as if ready to bring it crashing down on Isaiah’s head.
“I thought women used rolling pins.” John choked back a laugh. “But I guess a broom works. It might hurt a little less.”
“Is that said from experience?” Isaiah asked, pretending to scramble out of the way.
Esther couldn’t help herself. She joined in their laughter. “You’re coming up for lunch, John. Joseph, Arlene, and her parents are coming too.”
“Ah,” John said. “From broom to lunch in a heartbeat. Women! I do declare.”
“Yah, they are something,” Isaiah said. As he moved off with John, he winked over his shoulder.
Esther clutched the ladder again and hung on for a few moments.
“We could use some help over here,” Mamm called from across the barn, so Esther headed that way.
They worked until eleven. Esther left to prepare sandwiches and set them out on the table. Joseph, Arlene, and Ben arrived at exactly twelve with Peter and Edna in tow.
Esther glared at Peter behind his back. Meanwhile, Arlene hovered over her daett as if afraid he would do something wrong. Peter might be happy about the prosperous business Joseph had, but his actions were an insult to both Joseph and his daughter.
Joseph must have noticed her disapproval because he stepped close when they had a moment alone in the kitchen. “What’s wrong, Esther?”
“I found out your secret. Isaiah says Peter is blabbing it all over Lancaster County.”
Joseph grinned. “I don’t care. I just didn’t want to be the one who told you.”
“You’re not insulted?”
“No. I got Arlene. What do I care about money?”
She sighed. “It seems so wrong.”
“What’s wrong?” Joseph tilted his beard forward on his chest. “Please don’t worry about it. By the way, I have goot news from Silvia’s daett. The judges in California gave Silvia’s Rose an award. It is now official. Silvia’s Rose is an All-American Rose. I got the notice yesterday.”
“Oh, Joseph! That’s wunderbah news! I’m so glad for you and Arlene.”
“That’s better.” Joseph patted her on the arm. “And thanks for inviting us up for lunch. It means a lot to me that Peter and Edna get to know the community better.”
Arlene must have heard the last line because she rushed into the kitchen to gush. “Yah, this is so wunderbah! Joseph has made me so awfully happy. I’m so…I don’t know how to say it…but with Mamm and Daett here, and now you have us up for lunch with Isaiah…oh, Esther…”
Esther grinned at Joseph. Then she turned to his wife. “Come help me with lunch, Arlene.”
Joseph smiled his thanks and shuffled off toward Peter and Edn
a, who were greeting Isaiah with broad smiles and hearty handshakes in the living room.
“So how’s married life?” Esther asked Arlene.
Arlene’s hands shook as she laid out the sandwiches. “I just can’t say how much I love Joseph. And to think that you and Isaiah are the ones to thank…”
“Arlene, please.” Esther stopped her. “No thanks is necessary if you’ll help me with lunch. I’m just glad you’re happy.”
Arlene glowed like a kerosene lamp with the wick turned up high.
FORTY-TWO
On the evening of their wedding day, Esther took hold of Isaiah’s hand under the table in the Kings’ barn. The first strands of a familiar hymn rose around them: “Blest be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds, is like to that above.”
Esther took a deep breath and gazed into Isaiah’s eyes. This would be the last song, and she wanted the moment to linger. Isaiah’s fingers moved in hers, and he leaned closer to whisper, “This has been a very special day, sweetheart.”
“Yah, it has. A day we’ll always remember,” she replied, her face flaming at the words. But they were oh so true. Today she had promised her heart and hand to this man for the rest of her life. Bishop Beiler was now sitting across the room, smiling and singing with all his might. One would think this had been the bishop’s own wedding from how much he had enjoyed the proceedings. But he had known Esther all her life. He had baptized her and officiated when she married Lonnie. He had also presided over Lonnie’s funeral service. And now the bishop had made the trip all the way to the valley to join her hand in holy matrimony to Isaiah.
The third line of the song began: “We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear.” Esther forced herself to focus and at least pretend to sing. She couldn’t get a word out at present, other than a croak perhaps, but her mouth could move. Esther kept her gaze away from Isaiah and moved her lips until the last of the words died away.
Several of the young unmarried boys leaped to their feet and made their way outside to their buggies, but everyone else lingered. Guests began to move about, and Bishop Beiler and his frau, Lois, were the first to come over and shake their hands.
“This occasion was well worth the trip,” the bishop exclaimed. “Many congratulations to the both of you, and thanks so much for the honor and the chance to see this new community in your valley for myself.”
“We thank you,” Isaiah told him. “You’ll be staying and preaching for us on Sunday, won’t you?”
Bishop Beiler grinned. “Will there be any flower bouquets?”
Isaiah reddened considerably and seemed tongue-tied, while everyone roared with laughter. Esther squeezed Isaiah’s hand, and he managed a weak smile.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered in his ear.
“Don’t be,” he whispered back. “This is my fault…and I’m not done yet.”
Esther’s face showed her horror. “You don’t have bouquets hidden away somewhere, do you?”
Isaiah joined in the final notes of laughter and shook his head.
“You are mysterious,” she leaned close to say.
He winked and turned to the next person in line. “Now that you have all had a goot laugh at my expense, maybe I’ll bring along a bouquet of flowers as a thank-you gesture next Sunday.”
This produced another round of laughter, and Isaiah grinned from ear to ear. He wasn’t serious, but he did have plans. She had suspected that for some time. Maybe he had strewn the path leading up to the front door at his place with rose petals. The thought prompted her to lean close and ask, “Have you made a rose-strewn pathway across the living room floor for me?”
Isaiah attempted to laugh, but his face paled.
“Ah! I must be close.”
Isaiah chose to ignore her. Bishop Beiler had long moved on, and Bishop Willis and Beth now stood in front of them, with Deacon Daniel and Sadie behind them in the line.
“I can’t believe you only moved here this spring,” Beth told Esther. “I know we spoke about Isaiah that first evening, but you did not let the grass grow under your feet. In only a few months you snagged a husband. Goot for you.”
“Now you have me blushing,” Esther said, lowering her head.
“And I’m the one who gives out flowers,” Isaiah quipped.
Willis shook his finger at them, his face still wrinkled from his hearty laugh. “I’ll have a confession from both of you at church for bringing Bishop Beiler in to marry you. We can’t have things like that going on in the valley.”
“Maybe a bouquet of roses would console you,” Isaiah teased, and the laughter rolled again.
“There have been more flower jokes today than I’ve ever heard in my life.” Bishop Willis gasped for air. “But I must say I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in a very long time.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Isaiah told him. “Maybe we can tell our grandchildren the whole story someday.”
“Yah, and be sure and mention my role,” Willis added. “Tell them I rose to the occasion.”
Beth groaned at the joke.
“See how well my jokes work? I guess I’d better stay behind the plow rather than venture into the flower world,” Willis said.
Beth consoled her husband with a pat on his arm. “I think we had best be going.”
With nods all around, they moved away to make room for Daniel and Sadie.
Daniel extended his hand in greeting. “Sounds like I’d best brush up on my flower jokes first.”
“Just keep them to yourself, thank you,” Isaiah shot back.
Sadie pressed around the side of her husband to shake Esther’s hand. “Our men are quite taken with the flower stories tonight, it seems.”
“Yah, I’ve noticed,” Esther said, shaking her head.
“I’m having Daniel bring me a bouquet someday just to show him how the fancy people act,” Sadie said.
Esther giggled. “It was quite fun getting flowers. I think you’d like it.”
“Oh, I know I would. Not every day, of course, but a few times a year.”
“Maybe Isaiah has started quite the trend, I’m thinking,” Esther told Sadie.
“Well, I’m wishing you and Isaiah the very best,” Sadie said, sober faced now. “May the Lord give you many long years together and kinner as He sees fit. You have already been such a blessing to the community, so I know this will continue. Thank you, Esther, for moving here. I can never say that enough.”
“Oh, hush.”
“Every word is true and spoken from the bottom of my heart.”
“Thank you,” Esther whispered. “You’re all so kind.”
Sadie moved off, followed by Daniel, and next in line were Peter and Edna.
“Many blessings from the Lord,” Peter said, extending his hand. “I’m glad I could be here today.”
“And I’m glad you both could come,” Esther told him.
Peter regarded Isaiah for a moment. “I wouldn’t have predicted it, but it seems you have turned your flower fiasco into quite the charming community story. Congratulations on your skills, Isaiah. I seem to lack them myself.”
“Oh, Esther’s beauty did that. I only went along for the ride, but now you see why I trotted around the neighborhood with flowers in hand.”
“Yah, I do see,” Peter said with a grin. “She is a worthy woman.”
Esther stood there silently, her face beet red.
“You must not mind them.” Edna leaned close to shake Esther’s hand. “That’s men for you.”
“Maybe even Peter will be bringing flowers home soon,” Isaiah teased.
Edna grinned and said, “I’m thinking not, but with all the roses our son-in-law is raising, anything is possible.”
Peter’s face lit up. “Yah, it’s true. Not that I approve of such nonsense, but I must say the Englisha people are paying outlandish prices for those roses. That sets my daughter up quite well, to say nothing for us in our old age.” Peter grinned from ear to
ear. “This valley seems to have a knack for turning the strangest things into proper, respectable ones. I must say I wouldn’t have believed it without seeing it with my own eyes.”
“Maybe you’ll be moving here soon,” Isaiah suggested with a smile.
Peter put his head back and laughed. “I’m thinking not. Lancaster County is the right place for two old people like us.”
“Speak for yourself,” Edna shot back.
“See what this valley does to people?” Peter said, faking a glare at Edna. “Even my lovely frau opens her mouth and expresses her opinion.”
“Then you must be coming back more often,” Esther told them with a smile.
Peter grunted and looked at her as if she had said something awful. “Maybe, but we should be going now. Joseph and Arlene left right after the singing ended.”
“Old people hang around until late,” Edna reminded Peter, and he gave her another fake glare.
“Look what you have started,” Isaiah muttered once the two were out of earshot. “You stirred up marital disharmony.”
“I think your flowers started it,” Esther retorted, giving Isaiah a wicked smile.
The line soon thinned and their witnesses slipped out. Only Mamm and Daett remained with Diana half asleep on her mammi’s shoulder. Esther stood up, and Isaiah followed her with a long stretch of his legs.
“Goot to be moving again,” he said. “I’m glad I don’t get married every day.”
“You’d better be.”
Isaiah chuckled, and she joined in. Mamm looked up when Esther approached, and Diana sleepily opened her eyes.
“You’re going home with Mammi now, sweetheart. Remember? I’ll see you on Sunday, and then you’ll move in with Isaiah and me at Isaiah’s house.”
Diana nodded and closed her eyes again.
“She’ll be okay,” Mamm assured Esther. She gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You have done well, daughter, and the Lord has blessed you.”
When Esther turned around, Isaiah was nowhere to be seen.
“He’s gone to get his horse,” Mamm told her. “Go now. We have everything under control.”
As if to make the point, Daett came over for a quick hug before Esther picked up her wrap and slipped out of the barn. A chill was in the air, and Esther pulled her shawl tight around her shoulders. Isaiah had Echo out of the barn, so she helped him hitch the horse to the buggy. He still hadn’t said anything when they climbed in and drove out to Highway 5. Isaiah jiggled the reins and headed east at a steady trot.
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