by Sarah Price
At least she finally understood how the reunion between her father and Willis had occurred. With the community being so small, it would have been hard, if not impossible, for the two men not to encounter each other . . . whether at church or at a store or even walking down the street! And, of course, neither her father nor Elizabeth would have wanted anyone to question the reasons behind their dislike for a member of their own family. Reconciliation was the logical answer in order to avoid uncomfortable situations that might result in unwanted speculation.
And, of course, with Willis being a widower without any offspring, he certainly would be keen to remarry. Rekindling the relationship with Elizabeth was, no doubt, an easy progression for him on his journey to find a new wife and rebuild his life. However, Anna wondered how he could rekindle such a relationship if he was standing here, in a store located in Ohio.
A moment of awkward silence fell between them. Despite being related, distantly at that, Anna realized that they were, in fact, complete strangers.
“I suppose you have heard from your father, then?”
His question interrupted her private thoughts. She flushed, too embarrassed to admit that he had not written to her personally. “I hear he’s doing well,” she finally settled upon as a response, figuring it was not a misleading statement. After all, hadn’t Salome received a letter just that week?
“Indeed he is! And your schwester, Elizabeth too.” He chuckled at the memory. “It was quite surprising to run into them.”
Anna could only imagine. After so many years of Daed insisting they have nothing to do with Willis, something must have transpired to change his mind.
As if reading her thoughts, Willis continued. “Her friend, Martha, invited my parents and me to supper after church one day. It was wunderbarr to reconnect with your family. I would like to hope we have moved past our differences, for we parted on friendly terms.”
“So Elizabeth wrote,” Anna admitted. Another awkward silence fell between the two of them. She had never been one to speak for the mere sake of idle conversation. Now, however, she felt the pressure to do so. According to Elizabeth’s letter to Salome, Willis might, after all, become her brother-in-law soon. “I hear you are visiting your aendi and checking on Daed’s property,” she managed to say.
He nodded. “Ja, I am. And I heard you were tending to cousin Mary’s two boys.”
She glanced at the floor, feeling uncomfortable in his steady gaze. While he seemed pleasant enough, she wasn’t used to engaging in casual exchanges with people she didn’t know. And given his history with the family, she wasn’t certain what else to say to him. “Speaking of the boys, I best go find them.” She started to back away, adding, “It was nice to run into you, Willis.”
His response was a simple smile and wave of his hand.
She hesitated and then waved back before turning around to continue walking down the aisle. At the end she glanced back and, to her surprise, saw him still standing there, watching her. The color rose to her cheeks and she hurried away, uncertain whether she was more eager to find Cris Junior and Walter or to simply get away from Willis.
Chapter Fifteen
THE SHOUTS COMING from the direction of the Mussers’ house startled Anna.
After a long weekend, an off-Sunday when they did not have a worship service to attend, then several days of watching the boys, Anna was enjoying her Wednesday morning working in Mary’s garden. Salome and Hannah were entertaining the boys, giving Anna a welcome respite. The chill in the air that morning warned of the upcoming winter quickly approaching, and she wanted to enjoy as much time as she could outdoors, basking in the afternoon sun. Soon the weather would change and the joy of outdoor work would be dampened by the need for heavy coats, mittens, and scarves.
Mary’s garden was smaller than the one at the Charm house. It was also not as well tended. With a heavy rake Anna removed the dead remnants of plants and weeds. Once it was cleaned and raked nicely, she would cover the dirt with a fine layer of straw, a way of protecting the soil for the winter as well as creating fodder for next year’s garden.
Just moments before, she had paused to watch as Hannah raced little Cris to the mailbox, Walter’s smaller legs leaving him too far behind to be in the race. Knowing that he’d lose, he lost interest and disappeared into the barn to climb the rafters and jump on the hay bales, a favorite pastime that he wasn’t allowed to do when his mother was home but that Anna willingly permitted. She too had fond memories of playing in her father’s hayloft when she was a child, although theirs had been much smaller than the Mussers’.
While Anna had watched Hannah and Cris’s race on their way to the end of the driveway, her back had been toward them when they returned to the house with the day’s mail in their hands. A thick vine had caught her attention, and using the rake as leverage, she had bent over to give it a strong tug.
The moment it broke free from the soil was the moment that she heard the shouts coming from the house. With the wind blowing in her direction, the loud noise of the commotion carried on the breeze.
Quickly Anna stood up, leaning against the rake’s handle as she tried to ascertain whether the shouts were from joy or despair. Her heart beat rapidly and she had to take several deep breaths to calm her nerves. It had been over a week since Leah’s accident. While Cris had called a few times, updating the family on her recovery, not one letter had arrived from Mary since Hannah and Anna returned.
With Leah on the mend, a letter was certainly expected, if for no other reason than to provide details about when they would all be arriving home. For that reason, Anna doubted that a letter had arrived with bad news. Certainly, if something had happened, Cris would have called.
Ruling out bad news, there was only one conclusion that came to mind: the contents of the letter surely must contain news that would be happily received by everyone . . . everyone, that is, except for Anna. And that surely meant that a wedding had been announced.
Regaining her composure, she set down the rake on the side of the garden and dusted off her hands on her dirty apron. She took one last breath as she prepared herself to hear the unimaginable. Over the past eight years, she had wondered about his life and where he had settled. In the quiet of her room, she had shed many tears when she thought of him happily settled with a wife and children. Upon his return to Holmes County, when she had learned that he never married, the gratification she felt could never be described.
Now she wondered at the irony of those feelings. Would it not be better if Freman had married a woman who was not so entwined with her own family?
Heading toward the house, she tried to steady her nerves for what she imagined was the inevitable announcement that Leah had written a letter announcing her betrothal to Freman. Anna’s emotions ranged from happiness for Leah, a young woman who deserved a fine husband, to despair over the realization that, at last and without doubt, he loved another.
Stepping into the house, she let her eyes adjust to the dim light and looked toward the sitting area. Salome sat on the sofa, tears streaming down her face as she held the open letter in her hands. Hannah sat beside her, gently rubbing her mother’s back as she consoled her.
“Wie gehts?”
Salome sobbed and waved the letter in the air.
&nbs
p; A wave of relief washed over Anna, quickly followed by guilt. Clearly something awful had happened, something that had nothing to do with a wedding. How could she be so selfish as to secretly hope that the news would not be about Leah and Freman? For shame, she scolded herself as she hurried to Salome’s side.
“Oh, mercy,” she whispered. “What awful thing has happened?”
However, Hannah’s next words proved her suspicions wrong.
“Leah is to wed and will be moving away,” she said to Anna, tears in her eyes.
“I knew this would happen,” Salome wept, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “How will I survive with her living so far away? And among strangers! What do we know of this man? Of his family?” Another sob escaped her throat. “I never should have permitted that trip to Lancaster!”
The color drained from Anna’s face as she sat beside the distraught mother, fighting her own urge to cry.
It is done, she told herself. The decision from eight years ago, the one that she regretted on a daily basis, was now complete. While there had been room for speculation as to where Freman lived or whether he had married, she realized that she had still held out a whisper of hope that, mayhaps, circumstances would change and she would have a second chance.
Now, with the announcement of Leah’s wedding, that second chance had instantly vanished . . . both in reality and fantasy.
“Maem,” Hannah soothed, despite her own tears. She sat on the arm of the sofa and rubbed her mother’s back. “You should be happy for Leah.”
Salome clutched the letter to her chest. “Oh, I am,” she said through tears. “She’s a deserving girl. I just wish she didn’t have to move.”
Ignoring the bad feelings in the pit of her stomach, Anna tried to focus on Salome’s words as she rambled on. Apparently Mary and Cris would return without Leah, a surprising but welcomed change of plans. Anna didn’t ask what the reasons were for Leah to remain in Lancaster; she could only imagine that Freman wanted to spend some more time with his fiancée before they returned to Sugarcreek. Under the supervision of Jonas and Rebecca, they could make their future plans without facing any gossip from the g’may. Once they returned to Leola, they would only get to see each other during brief visits and on private buggy rides until they married.
Fiancée. The word made Anna stop breathing, just for a moment. How was this possible, she wondered? How had life played such an ironic trick on her? She lifted her hand and pressed it against her chest, feeling her heart beating rapidly against her palm. It beat for Freman and would never beat for another. What she had been to Freman, regardless of how briefly, was now reserved for Leah.
From outside Anna heard a shriek which was followed by the sound of a child crying.
“Oh, help!” She stood up and excused herself, not waiting for a response as she ran from the house in order to check on Walter. Thankfully she could tell that his cries were not those of pain or injury. Nonetheless, she hurried anyway, grateful for the excuse to remove herself from the inevitable discussion that would ensue between Salome and Hannah about planning for the wedding. The announcement would certainly take place at church after Communion Sunday, and within two weeks, on a Tuesday or Thursday, the wedding would come to pass, most likely at the Mussers’ house.
After the wedding was announced, it would be a busy two weeks, indeed. The house would need a thorough cleaning with all furniture removed, walls scrubbed, and windows washed. Food would need to be planned and prepared, all of the women in the g’may contributing to help feed the guests, who most likely would number at three hundred or more. The daylong event would start with a worship service, just like a Sunday. Toward the end of the service, the bishop would stand before the members and beckon for both Leah and Freman to join him.
The vows would be exchanged and they would be wed. No rings. No kisses. Not even handholding. It would be a simple affair, but a binding one. Till death do us part was one of the strongest commitments an Amish person could make, second only to committing to a plain life according to the Ordnung of their religion.
Just thinking about what would need to be done exhausted Anna. At least, she thought as she entered the barn, the housecleaning chores would keep her mind preoccupied until the day when she would have to watch Freman wed another.
“Walter? Cris? Where are you two hiding?”
She climbed the ladder to the hayloft and scanned the stacks of hay bales, immediately seeing a few that had toppled over, most likely upon the boys. She hurried over and lifted the bales, restocking them neatly on the side. When she saw Walter and Cris sprawled on the hay underneath, she smiled and pulled Walter into her arms while Cris stood and brushed himself off.
“Are you hurt, then?”
Walter shook his head and wiped at his tears. “Nee, aendi.”
“Just scared?” She tried not to laugh as she plucked hay from his hair and shirt. “You look like a scarecrow!”
That made him giggle and she hugged him once again.
“Come, boys,” she said, standing up and reaching for their hands. “Let’s go make some cookies. I reckon that will make us feel better, ja?”
Walter stared at her, an apprehensive look in eyes that were still wet from crying. “Chocolate chip?”
This time, she laughed out loud. “Ja, ja! Chocolate chip it is.”
They climbed down the ladder and, hand in hand, walked through the rest of the barn to head toward the house.
Overhead, a flock of geese flew in a perfect V, heading south for the winter. They honked as they passed over the Mussers’ farm, and Anna stopped the boys to watch them. Then, silently, they continued toward the house, a new sense of peace and acceptance falling over Anna. God had plans for her, and mayhaps these plans neither included marriage nor having her own bopplies. But, rather than feeling disappointed, she said a silent prayer thanking Him for all of the blessings that He gave her. She felt a sense of relief that immediately made her feel better about Leah and Freman.
Later that evening, she managed to take a walk down the lane and onto the road. Salome and Hannah had stopped in, offering to watch the two boys and ready them for bed. Thankful for the break, Anna accepted their invitation. She escaped outside for some fresh air and time to reflect. While she walked, she prayed to God, thanking Him for lifting the veil from her eyes and allowing her to feel better. If nothing else, Leah’s announcement gave her the closure that she so desperately needed: the emotional roller coaster that she had been riding since Freman’s reappearance in Sugarcreek was over, at last.
The sound of an approaching horse and buggy interrupted her thoughts and she stepped off the road so that it could safely pass. Instead, she heard the beat of the hooves and gentle hum of the wheels slow down until, eventually, the buggy stopped by her side.
“What a pleasant surprise!”
Anna smiled at Willis, a slight flush covering her cheeks at his overly cheerful greeting.
“Out for a walk then?” he asked, although the answer was obvious.
She nodded. “A few moments of peace after watching my nephews all day.”
“I heard,” he said. When he saw her puzzled expression, he quickly explained. “I had promised to stop into the Mussers’ h
ouse. I saw Salome and her daughter. They told me you were walking.”
Anna wondered why he stopped at the Mussers’ house and, even more curious, why he would inquire after her at all. They had just met the other day at the store, and being cousins of a more distant nature, there was little reason to develop a friendship. She didn’t voice this question, however, not wanting to be construed as prying.
“Here! Let me give you a ride, Anna,” he said, dropping the reins and jumping down from the open buggy door. Before she could decline, he reached for her hand and led her to the buggy step. Unless she made a scene, one that would certainly embarrass him as well as her, she had no choice but to lift her foot and climb into the buggy.
The buggy jiggled as the horse began trotting again, carrying them farther away from the Mussers’ farm. She knew that she had to return soon in order to relieve Salome and Hannah. After all, once it was nightfall, Hannah would most likely meet up with Caleb. Almost every night at eight o’clock, Anna heard a buggy roll down the lane toward the other house. Moments later, it would leave again. Because Anna sat by the window, reading her daily devotional or the Bible, she couldn’t help but notice Caleb driving with a passenger to his left as he departed the Mussers’ farm. Anna had no doubt that he had come calling on Hannah. With Leah’s impending marriage and Caleb’s intentions more than clear, Anna did not doubt that a double wedding might be in the plans.