by Sarah Price
For starters, as Frederick had told her and the bishop, his mother had insisted that the wedding be held at their house. Sadie suspected that Frederick had made the suggestion, and for that she was grateful. With all the harsh memories still fresh in her mind, it would have been much too difficult to host the wedding at her father’s house, despite the Amish tradition of the bride’s family hosting the ceremony and reception.
When the big day arrived, Sadie was so nervous, she could hardly focus on the sermon. Instead, she kept searching the crowd of men across the room, seeking Frederick out in the sea of hats. Once she spotted him, each time her eyes met his, she found that he, too, was watching her.
It was with a giddy sort of happiness that she finally stood up and walked to the front of the room once the bishop beckoned them forward to exchange their sacred vows.
And then, afterward, Frederick never left her side. Without doubt, he was the most attentive groom she had ever witnessed. And how fortunate that he was all hers!
When they sat at the corner table to enjoy their first meal as husband and wife and greet the many guests who approached them to give their blessings, Frederick reached beneath the table to hold her hand. The touch of his warm fingers laced through hers sent goose bumps up her arms and made her heart flutter. He caressed her hand while remaining considerate of all the people who approached the table to congratulate them.
Oh, how joyously happy Sadie Whitaker Keim was!
For hours their family and friends gathered together, the older people leaving in the midafternoon so that the younger ones could enjoy even more food and desserts before singing well into the evening. For Sadie, time passed far too quickly, although she found herself eager for the nighttime—she hadn’t spent one moment alone with Frederick all day.
By the time the last guest left, it was nearing ten o’clock. Frederick’s parents had already retired for the night and now Sadie stood alone in the center of the large living room, staring at the remains of what had been the happiest, and perhaps the longest, day of her life.
The room was empty of furniture with the exception of several pine benches that needed to be put away. Someone had pushed them to the side of the room near the staircase. But the floor was dirty and the counter was covered with dishes and plates, thankfully mostly already washed.
A door opened and shut. Sadie moved away from the sitting area and peered around the corner into the kitchen. Unlike her father’s small farmhouse, the Keims’ home was a bit more modern, with walls that folded and unfolded to accommodate large gatherings. Frederick had told her it was similar in style to the old houses lived in by the Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. However, because the house was old and had been retrofitted, when the walls were tucked away, the opening was not one large rectangular room. Instead, it was L-shaped.
Now, hidden by the corner of the wall, Sadie watched as Frederick removed his hat and set it on the counter. For a moment, he stood there, his hands on the Formica counter as he stared out the window into the darkness.
She wondered what he was thinking. Was he reflecting on the day as she had been just moments before he entered the house? Or was he thinking about the future and how different their lives would be now that they were married?
Quietly, Sadie slipped into the large kitchen and padded across the floor.
He turned as she neared.
“There’s my Sadie,” he said with a smile.
“And there’s my Frederick,” she teased back.
When she stopped and stood before him, he reached out his hand and brushed his finger along the side of her cheek. She shut her eyes and pressed her face against his touch.
“Tired?”
She nodded. She had awoken at five o’clock in the morning to help prepare for the day, although she wasn’t certain she had slept a wink the night before. She was too focused on the fact that, never again, would she call her father’s house her home. And she also couldn’t stop thinking about her father being alone without Rachel. Who would cook for him? Clean for him?
Of course, the bishop would eventually lift the Meidung from Rachel. What would happen then? Was it possible for her father to welcome Rachel back after what she had tried to do to his daughter? He’d have to do that, for she was his wife and the bishop would most likely counsel them. But could he ever really trust her again?
Her thoughts wandered until Frederick brought her back to the present.
“I imagine you are tired,” Frederick said, his voice barely heard in the quiet of the room. He glanced around. “I reckon the rest of this mess can wait for us until the morning.”
Sadie took a deep breath and surveyed the scene. The benches needed their legs folded and to be carried outside so that they could be put away in the church wagon. And the plates and glasses needed to be stored. Sadie also knew that she would help his mother wash all the floors before Frederick and his father moved the regular furniture back into the rooms and unfolded the walls so the living area was once again separated from the large kitchen.
Still, it wasn’t an overwhelming amount of work. It would free up their time in the afternoon to assess what work they needed to do in order to move into the smaller dawdihaus next door. And that was something Sadie was excited to do.
“It’s not too much of a mess,” Sadie said quietly. “The women were awful kind to stay and wash all of those dishes. I’ve seen kitchens left in a lot worse shape after a wedding celebration.”
Frederick gave a small laugh. “That’s one way to look at it.”
She stared up at him, her adoring eyes meeting his. “Overall, I’d say that it was a perfect day, wouldn’t you?”
“Indeed I would.”
“And your cousins came.” She had almost expected the Grimm brothers to back out of attending the celebration. She knew how uncomfortable they were with being watched by strangers. However, true to their promise, they had come to both the worship service and the celebration afterward. And true to her promise, Sadie sent them home with boxes filled with all of their favorite sweets.
At the mention of his cousins, Frederick snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot something.” He motioned for her to stay put and then he hurried over to his mother’s pantry. When he returned, he held a plain brown box. “I asked them to make this. A small wedding gift from me to you.”
Embarrassed, Sadie hesitated before reaching out to take the package from his hand. It was wrapped in plain brown paper but had a piece of red string around it that was tied in a bow on top.
“It’s heavy,” she commented as she took it from him.
“Open it.”
Carefully, she carried the box over to one of the long pine benches near the staircase and sat down. Placing the box on her lap, she carefully removed the string and unwrapped the paper, then lifted the top of the box and set it on the bench beside her. When she looked into the box, there was a piece of cloth covering something.
“What is it?” she asked.
Frederick chuckled, then took a seat beside her. He carefully removed the cloth and reached inside. For a moment, he struggled before lifting out a round piece of wood. It was easy to see that it was a cross section of a tree trunk, no more than two inches thick. On the one side it was unfinished and dry to the touch. But when Frederick turned it around, Sadie gasped.
Carved into the front was a beautiful scene. Trees lined the edge of a pond, their branches dipping toward the water. A rock jutted out along the water’s edge, and upon that rock sat a little bird, its beak lifted just enough so that it was clear the bird was singing. Just behind the bird, higher on the bank, was a beautiful deer, a six-point buck, which appeared to be standing guard over the little songbird.
She hadn’t expected a wedding gift from him.
“I . . . I have nothing to give in return.”
He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head, so that he was peering down into her face. “Oh, Sadie, don’t you know? You’ve given me the best gift.”
/> She blinked. “I have?”
He gave a soft, gentle laugh. “Ja, you have, Sadie. You’ve given me you.”
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks.
“And I vow to you that I will be the very best of husbands, loving my fraa as God loves us.” He leaned down and gently brushed his lips against her forehead. “I will forever be your loving and loyal husband, Sadie Keim.”
She shut her eyes, enjoying the feel of his soft lips as he kissed her. When she pressed her cheek against his shoulder, his arms tightened as he held her in a warm embrace. With a satisfied sigh, Sadie whispered, “And I will be your obedient and loving fraa, Frederick Keim.”
For a long moment, they stood like that, holding each other in the middle of the kitchen. She inhaled the strong, musky scent of her husband and knew that she would never forget this beautiful moment. God had guided her through some difficult and challenging times. But she had never lost faith in his love for her. Time had quickly proven that he rewarded the faithful with goodness and joy.
Epilogue
Standing on the edge of the field, Sadie leaned against the fence and stared at the herd of cows as they grazed on the green grass. In the distance, she could make out the team of four Belgian mules pulling the cutter through the hay that grew in the back fields.
She squinted and lifted her hand to her brow to shield the sun, trying to see whether the man driving the team was Frederick or if it was one of the younger men who worked the farm alongside him.
So many things had happened since their wedding last autumn.
Right after the holidays, Frederick’s father had agreed to allocate 100 acres for Frederick to begin his educational farming program. Within thirty days, word had spread, and more men applied to work the farm than Frederick could possibly accept.
Together, they had mulled over the applications and prayed. They were both saddened by the realization that they needed to turn some of the men away. But they were pleased that Frederick’s idea had proven valuable to the young people and the community.
Four men had been selected from the many applicants to help with growing corn, cutting and baling hay, and tending to the small herd of dairy cows that Frederick bought from Sadie’s father. Already he was making money and so were the young men who worked alongside him.
Sadie turned away from the cows and began to walk back to the small house where she lived with Frederick. It was only a dawdihaus, a two-bedroom structure right next to the main farmhouse, where Frederick’s parents still lived with their two teenaged daughters.
Years before, Frederick’s grandparents had lived in the dawdihaus. And, in two or three years, Frederick and Sadie would move into the larger house and his parents would live in the dawdihaus. One day, many years down the road, Sadie and Frederick would do the same: relinquish the larger house to one of their children and return to the smaller house. It seemed this was the circle of life on an Amish farm, and Sadie was grateful to be part of it.
But, for now, Sadie didn’t mind living in the smaller house. It was warm and cozy, and it was where they’d welcome their first child this autumn.
As she passed the dairy barn, she heard her husband call for her.
Smiling, she stopped walking and waited for him to catch up. “I thought you’d be supervising the hay cutting.”
Frederick shook his head. “Nee, Sadie. Those young men know what they’re doing by now. What is this? Our third cutting of the season? Why, if we don’t get our first frost early, we’re bound to have at least two more cuttings this year!”
“Can you imagine?” Five hay cuttings would be a true blessing. They’d have more than enough hay to feed the cows and horses for the winter, plus some to sell to other farmers who needed extra for their own livestock.
Frederick gave her a warm smile. “There’s a lot of things I never could’ve imagined, Sadie Keim. Why, last year at this time, we hadn’t even met yet! And now, ten months later, just look at us.” He opened his arms and gestured around them. “We’ve our own little haus, our own little farm, and soon, our own little family.”
Sadie let her hands caress her round belly. As if on cue, the baby rolled, its foot pressing against her hand. “If this boppli doesn’t stop growing, I’m not so certain about the little part.”
He laughed and leaned over to press his lips against her forehead.
“Speaking of little”—his mouth twitched as if trying to suppress his mirth—“you do remember that my cousins are coming to supper tonight, ja?”
“Frederick Keim!”
“Aw, you know I mean it with love.”
Still, she gave him a teasing look of chastisement. “Of course, I remember. And I have a big”—she emphasized the word “big,” which made him laugh once more—“meal for them. Plus, I invited your parents and schwesters. The more the merrier, don’t you think?”
“The more the merrier, indeed,” he agreed. “But remember that my favorite part of the day is spending time alone with you.”
She blushed at his compliment.
“Now,” he said, his tone changing from one of adoration to seriousness, “before the workday is finished, we have some business things to discuss.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
Frederick put his arm around her expanding waist and guided her toward the house. “Seems to me that your idea is taking off, Sadie Keim.”
Startled, she looked at him. “What idea is that?”
“The one about raising the milk prices and marketing our dairy products as healthier for people. Why, even your daed stopped by earlier to tell me that he’s on board, too.”
Sadie gasped. “My daed?”
“Ja, the one and only.”
Sadie could hardly believe that her father had agreed. She wondered what Rachel thought of it.
Sadie still remembered hearing about how Rachel had knelt before the members of her former church district, sharing her confession. Ella had shared the details of the moment when Rachel, always so prideful of her appearance, burst into tears before every baptized member of Echo Creek.
While Sadie had been thankful that she had not witnessed that event, she did believe that Rachel was truly sorry for her actions, and she had forgiven her stepmother. It seemed that God, too, forgave her as, less than three months later, Sadie had learned that Rachel was, at last, pregnant.
Surely facing her flaws had redeemed Rachel, not just in the eyes of God and the community, but in her own heart and soul.
For that, Sadie was truly happy.
“And there’s more!” Frederick gave Sadie a broad smile.
Sadie could hardly wait to hear. “Do tell me!”
“Your dear friend Belle’s husband is on board, too, and Ella’s husband has agreed to not only carry the products in Troyers’ General Store but his daed agreed to help with distribution to other stores.” Frederick laughed and gave her a gentle squeeze. “It seems that the Little Songbird Dairy Products Company is off to a good start.”
As they ascended the steps to their small house, a cow called out from the nearby pasture. Sadie glanced over her shoulder at it, not surprised to see the cow standing near the fence as it chewed its cud. Behind the pasture, birds flew across the growing hay toward the numerous birdhouses that lined the back field. And far in the distance she caught sight of a buck with a large rack upon its head as it stood atop the hill, gazing into the distance at a small herd of does that grazed nearby on the edge of the wooded area that they had designated a “No Hunting” zone.
A good start indeed, she thought as she followed Frederick into the house.
Recipes
Sadie’s Bread
Ingredients
¼ ounce active dry yeast
2¼ cups warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Dissolve yeast in warm water.
In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, salt, oil, and half of the flour. Add the dissolved yeast mixture and mix. Slowly, stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8–10 minutes. Place in a bowl greased with oil, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch dough down.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each into a loaf. Place in two greased 9x5 loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30–45 minutes.
Bake for 30–35 minutes or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove both pans from oven and place on wire racks to cool.
Yield: 8–10 slices per loaf.
Root Vegetable and Apple Soup
Ingredients
1 acorn squash
2 butternut squash
3 apples
4 yellow onions
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups apple juice
Instructions
Separately peel and chop the acorn squash, butternut squash, apples, and onions.
Melt the butter in a large stock pan and add the onions. Cook uncovered over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and water to the pot. Cook over low heat for 30–40 minutes, until the squash and apples soften.
Mash the vegetables until it becomes a soft puree. Add the apple juice. Add more water, salt, and pepper as needed.
Yield: 6–8 servings.