by Sarah Price
“What in the world…?” Steve hurried toward the driveway and saw a young man walking his horse up the lane. In the buggy, sitting perfectly straight on the front seat, was Shep, Isaac and Anna’s dog.
Laughing, Jonas followed Steve. “Was out front over yonder and saw the buggy go by. That horse sure did seem to know where she was going! And lo and behold, there was that dog sitting in the front seat, natural as could be!”
“How’d you get the horse?” Steve asked the young man who was holding the horse by the bridle.
He shrugged. “Saw it approaching and realized dogs can’t drive horses. Managed to get her to stop before she passed.”
Mimi caught up with the men and laughed at the sight. The dog was still sitting on the front seat, panting happily at the attention he was receiving.
“I’ve seen everything now,” Mimi said as she approached the side of the buggy. “Where did you come from?” She petted the dog and looked over at Steve questioningly.
He pulled off his straw hat and scratched his head. Clearly, he was as wonderstruck as the rest. “I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it myself!” He ran his hand down the mare’s neck, kicking himself for surely he had forgotten to tie her to the hitching rail. He had been too distracted by his encounter with Mary Ruth. The horse must have wandered off and, when realizing she wasn’t tied down, tried her old trick of heading back home.
“And with the dog?”
Steve laughed. “I had heard that he’s been sleeping in the buggies of late. Isaac’s Anna found him a few times, curled up in the back, sound asleep, when she goes shopping at market. He must’ve been there the entire time I was looking for Mary Ruth!”
Jonas tied the horse to the hitching rail while Steve thanked the neighbor.
Once back inside the house, Jonas sat down at the kitchen table and gestured for Steve to join him. “Well, son, beside having a crazy horse and a lazy dog, I understand there is other more important news you might want to be sharing with me prior to the next church service,” he said, his eyes sparkling at the man who was to become his son-in-law.
Steve was caught off guard by how frank and direct Jonas was. He had never thought that he would need to speak to Jonas about marrying Mimi. It was something that was announced in church and discussed immediately afterward.
“Ja vell,” he began, searching for the words to begin. “I reckon that Mimi told you then?” He glanced at her and she tried to hide her smile. A faint hint of pink covered her cheeks and Steve could see that, clearly, she was as excited and happy as he was. He turned back to Jonas and took a deep breath. “I’d like to marry your dochder, ja.”
“Hear you have yourself a farm over by your daed’s farm.”
Steve nodded. “Just across the road.”
Jonas seemed to mull this over. Clearly something was on Jonas’ mind, something that made him less than happy about the marriage. Steve began to feel panicky, wondering if Mimi’s daed would have some objection to their marriage. Certainly his own reputation was right gut. And he was a good Amish man. Whatever could be troubling her daed?
“You have a concern?” Steve asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.
Leaning back in the chair, Jonas rubbed his chin. “She’s not used to farm life, you know,” he began. “Used to working in the store with me. Farm life…” He paused, his eyes searching the air and avoiding Steve’s. “Farm life is hard, Steve. Hard on the farmer and hard on his fraa.”
That wasn’t what he expected. Steve wondered where her daed was going with this. Certainly he didn’t object to their marriage! After all, it wasn’t up to the parents to grant permission. “It can be, yes,” he admitted slowly.
“Daed,” Mimi said softly, rolling her eyes. “We already had this talk.”
Her daed lifted his hand to gently silence her. “I’m entitled to have my say, Mimi,” he scolded but in a loving tone. “Marriage is forever and I want my dochder taken care of,” he said.
Steve lifted his head, stunned at John’s words. Did Mimi’s daed actually think that he wouldn’t take care of her? “If you have an objection…” Steve started, trying to keep his heart calm and temper calmer. “I’d like to know what it is.”
Jonas shook his head slowly. “Nee,” he said. “I have no objections, Steve. Not to you. Besides, I reckon it’s not my place to say so, if I did. I just want you to be easy on her. It will take her some time to adapt to farm life.”
For a moment, Steve didn’t quite know what to say. Farm life was all that he had ever known. He didn’t know any other life and, from that perspective, didn’t understand what Jonas meant. He wished that he had something to say, a way to respond to Jonas. But he didn’t.
“Daed,” Mimi said with confidence. “I’ll be just fine.”
But Jonas’ words echoed in Steve’s head: I want you to be easy on her. Was life on a farm so very different that her daed was worried? True, there were no vacations on a farm. No days off. Still, the routine was more on his shoulders than on hers. From what he knew about Mimi, she was good-natured and hard working. Together, they’d be able to succeed. Of that, he was sure and certain. Many years ago, he had given up hope of finding such a partner. Until the day that he had laid eyes on Mimi and he had not felt her objecting to it.
Steve took a deep breath and leveled his gaze at Jonas. “Jonas, I promise that I will care for your dochder with the most tender love and understanding possible. I’ll help her adjust to life on a farm and to the daily routine. And I’ll do what I can to see that she has a wunderbaar gut life, a godly life. After all, God is our refuge and strength.” He turned to look at Mimi and felt a wave of warmth flow through him. Relief. Love. Awe. He wasn’t certain what he was feeling, perhaps a mixture of it all. But he sensed that she was embracing his words as well. As she met his gaze, he smiled. “Together and with God, we will both be right gut.”
She took a step forward and laid her hand on his shoulder.
Jonas clapped his hands once and stood up from the table. “That’s what I like to hear, son!” He clapped Steve on the back in a friendly gesture of familiarity. “We welcome you to the family, then. Should be a lonely house without Mimi here but I reckon you are close enough that she will stop by frequently.” He paused. “Both of you.”
He walked toward the door, reaching for his hat.
“You speak with the bishop yet?” he asked as he stood at the kitchen door. “Announcements are at next service. You will need to let him know and decide on a date. I’ll have Mimi and her mamm put together the list for inviting folks.”
Steve nodded. This is real, he thought. I’m actually getting married. “I will leave the date up to Mimi,” he said.
Unfortunately, he knew that it didn’t really matter since his tenants were still in the farmhouse. He had spoken with them just the day before and they were going to look to move in the spring or as soon as they could find a new place to rent. Mimi would continue to live with her parents after the wedding and they would go visiting relatives on the weekends. Worse case scenario, he knew that he could fix up the small apartment in the back of the main house until his tenants could find a place. But that would have to wait for warmer weather.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Melvin asked as he hung on the side of the stall door, watching Katie grooming Butterscotch. He knew that she shouldn’t be grooming the pony on a Sunday but it didn’t bother him none. He was just glad that his daed had granted him permission to run over to the Miller’s farm to visit with her.
“A secret?” she asked, her eyes wide and bright.
“Ja!” He reached into his pocket. “I found something that you might want to see.” He took a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and opened it. “Here,” he said ,thrusting it at her.
Katie left the side of the pony and reached for the paper. It was a letter. The handwriting was neat and elegant. It was also familiar. “That’s Mary Ruth’s handwriting!” she exclaimed and looked up. “Where did you find th
is?”
He looked sheepish as if he suddenly regretted showing it to her. He hadn’t thought she’d react like that. “It was by the trash bin. But read what the note says.”
Katie frowned and tried to hand it back to him. “That’s private!”
Melvin pushed her hand away. “Read it!”
Reluctantly, she let her eyes skim over the letter. When she got to the second paragraph, her eyes grew wide and she looked up at Melvin. “Oh,” she whispered.
He smiled. “Ja!” He reached for the note. “Mary Ruth’s going to be my new mamm.”
“That would make us cousins!” Katie said, not certain if she was excited or not. Hadn’t her grossmammi just sent a letter telling Mary Ruth it was time to come home? Who else knew about this? “You feel gut about having a new mamm?”
Melvin shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the ground. “I know she won’t be my Mamm. No one can replace her. But it would sure be nice to see my daed happy again and Mary Ruth is right gut to all of us.”
“Do you sisters know?”
He nodded. “Suzanna does. I didn’t tell the little ones,” he admitted. “They’d talk.”
Katie pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. It hadn’t been that long since Mary Ruth was taking care of Melvin, Suzanna, Ruth Ann, and Emma. How long had Menno been courting her? Hadn’t his wife just died four or so months ago? “Are they in love?” Katie asked, staring at Melvin as if he had the answer.
He blushed and looked away. “I don’t know nothing about that!”
“I wonder what it feels like to be in love,” she said absentmindedly, gazing out the barn door. “I imagine it must be how I feel when I’m around Butterscotch.”
At that, Melvin looked at her. Butterscotch? The pony?
If only he could tell her that he knew exactly how it felt to be in love. It was a wonderful feeling, a feeling of warmth and joy from the moment he was standing close to her until the moment they had to part. Love overcame everything…every thought, every breath. He was happy when he was with her and, when they were apart, he could find happiness thinking about her. He lived in the memories of her teaching him to ride Butterscotch or showing him how she had taught the pony to jump over small logs. When she laughed, her face lit up and his heart would sing.
How could she compare love to what she felt for an animal?
“I reckon,” he mumbled. “I best get going. My daed will wonder where I am.” He didn’t wait for her reply before he hurried out the door.
She watched him leave and wondered what she had said. With a heavy heart, she put the grooming brush away and wandered outside to sit on a hay bale and wait for Steve to pick her up. Without Melvin to keep her company, it just wasn’t the same. After all, it was Melvin who made being around Butterscotch so special.
Chapter 10: Miriam’s Package
She sat on the church bench, her heart pounding inside of her chest and a lump forming in her throat. Several people were looking at her discreetly and whispering to each other. She didn’t blame them. It was all that she could do to keep staring straight ahead and not seek out Elias from where he sat across the room. She knew that if she had looked at him, Miriam would burst out in tears.
They had known about John David and Ella. That was a given. They had suspected about Steve and Mimi Hostetler, although Steve had been very private about his courtship and only informed them earlier that week that the deacon would be announcing their upcoming wedding.
But Mary Ruth?
When she had heard the deacon announce that her daughter was getting married, it took her a minute to comprehend his words. Mary Ruth? And then she heard the name Menno Yoder and she felt as if the bottom of her world had collapsed. How could this have happened?
The date had been set already. Ten days. One week from Tuesday. It was unheard of. At least, this was what Miriam thought. As far as her memory served her well, it was unheard of for a couple to announce the wedding and the date without talking to their parents first. However, since Menno was a widower, maybe the rules were different. She just didn’t know.
What she did know was that she had a headache and pain in her jaw from clenching her teeth so tightly.
Miriam tried to act natural, not wanting anyone to know that she had just been completely shocked at the news. In fact, from the expressions on other people’s faces, they were as shocked as she was. Still, she didn’t want them to think that she hadn’t known a thing. Nor did she want them to think that she didn’t approve. After all, the deacon had announced it and it was now official
“Well,” Lizzie Petersheim said after the service, “Three weddings in one season!” She was holding her three-month-old baby, smiling at Miriam. “Sure took me by surprise, though. It’s only been what? Four? Five months?”
Miriam caught her breath and, rather than answer, changed the conversation by cooing over the baby. “You sure must be pleased with this darling one,” she said. “How many is that now? Four?”
Lizzie smiled, pleased with the praise for her baby. “Five.”
“And one day, you too shall have weddings in your home for them, ja?” Miriam hoped that she sounded genuinely excited, that she was masking the piercing pain in her heart from her youngest daughter’s decision without any discussion with or consideration of, her parents. Ten days, she thought. Did Mary Ruth expect to marry in Miriam’s home? Or was she doing something else unconventional?
“Congratulations, Miriam,” someone else said at her elbow. “You let me know what I can do to help.”
“Danke, Ruth,” Miriam replied, glancing around the room for Elias. Her head was throbbing and she had to get out of the room. Despite the post-service fellowship hour, she knew that she couldn’t stay there for one more minute. “Have you seen Elias yet? I’m feeling a bit poorly. Want to leave,” she said.
Fifteen minutes later, she was seated in the buggy next to her husband. Alone and away from prying eyes, she let the tears fall down her cheeks. Elias stared straight ahead, the reins taunt in his hands. He let his wife pour out her emotions without consoling her. He knew better. She needed time to collect her thoughts and decide a course of action.
“We need to go to her,” Miriam finally said. “Now. Right now, Elias.”
Without saying a word, he nodded his head and steered the horse and buggy past the turn for their farm and headed across town toward Rachel and Leah’s.
Mary Ruth had left the building just after the deacon had announced the upcoming weddings. She avoided her sisters’ glares but could certainly feel the tension in the room. She had known that the reactions from people would be mixed. After all, Martha Yoder had been part of their community for many years. Now, Menno was taking a new bride. It was understandable that people would raise an eyebrow, especially since Mary Ruth had been helping with the kinner since Martha’s accident. Who knew what thoughts were crossing their minds!
“Mary Ruth!”
Mary Ruth stopped walking and turned around, surprised to see Menno jogging to catch up with her.
“You aren’t staying for the fellowship meal then?” he asked as he approached her. When he stood before her, he reached out and touched her arm. “People will want to wish you well, ja?”
“Nee,” she said, shaking her head. The other couples that had been announced hadn’t attended at all that day. At that moment, she wished that she hadn’t attended, either, but being that she was marrying a widower, the rules were different. “I feel most uncomfortable in there. I can hear their tongues wagging already.”
He laughed, his hand still resting on her arm. “No tongues are wagging.”
Mary Ruth made a face. “Rachel and Leah seemed none too pleased.”
“Come back,” he said gently. There was an understanding look in his eye, a sense of compassion that immediately put her at ease. “It will look odd if you disappear. Mayhaps that you are none too pleased yourself.”
At this, she smiled and felt the color creeping onto her cheeks. Menno sure
had a way of making her blush.
The past two weeks had flown by. Each morning, it was all that she could do to not race through her chores at Leah’s in order to hurry to the Yoder farm. Since their conversation at the last church service, Mary Ruth had seen a remarkable difference in Menno. He spent more time in the house when she was there, even taking breaks with the barn chores to visit with her in the kitchen.
Once, he had even reached across the table and, after the slightest of hesitations, he had touched her hand. She had never had a man make such a gesture and the feel of his thumb gently caressing her skin sent a thrill through her veins. She had to pull her hand back and avert her eyes, but not before she saw the look of amusement on his face. That, too, had caused her to blush.
She could scarcely believe that this man, this wonderful man, was the same shell of a person she had met not so long ago. Gone were the fierce stares and harsh words. Instead, he was soft spoken and gentle, kind and attentive. With the commitment made for their union, he had slipped into a mode of pleased acceptance and pure contentment that she would never have thought possible. And with this, she knew that he loved her.
Of course, she also knew that his love for her was at the infancy stage. It wasn’t as deep as what he had felt for Martha. But she was hopeful that, given some more time, it would grow. If only, she thought, she could feel confident that he would never compare her to Martha, his first true love. She prayed that he would have enough room in his heart to love her just as much, even if in a different way.
“I’m pleased,” she finally said, aware that he was watching her intensely and with pleading eyes. “But I’m not ready for the questions from my sisters.”
He reached for her hand and held it tightly. “Then let me take you to them. We can face them together.”
She looked up in surprise. Together? Where had this man been for the past few months? His gentleness and soft tone stunned her. She had never heard another Amish man speak this way to his wife, although she knew that she had never heard private conversations between married couples. Is this what it will be like? For a moment, her knees felt weak. “Oh Menno,” she whispered, feeling her reluctance dissolve