Amish Lily

by Samantha Price

  Nancy shook her head at her husband. “Don’t listen to him when he’s in a mood like this, Elijah.”

  “He’s a deacon, so I must listen to him.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Well, that’s true, I suppose,” Nancy said before she turned to Lily. “I’m glad you said what you did just now, and I hope you mean it.”

  “I do. I’ve been immature, but the time has come for me to grow up and think of others and be an adult.”

  “I’ll help you do that,” Elijah said. “And you can help me do the same. We’ll mature together.”

  “Okay.” Lily was pleased that he was supporting her in front of her parents. He was the oldest son in the family and was already mature enough.

  “Why not call Daisy now?” Elijah suggested.

  “But we haven’t told your vadder yet.”

  “That won’t matter. He won’t be offended.”

  Lily looked down into her hot tea and watched how the light reflected on the top of it in ripples. “I could call her. I’ve got the number for where she’s staying. She might not be home.”

  “Do it now. I’ll wait here and entertain your parents.”

  Lily looked into his sincere eyes. He gave her the strength to call Daisy. “Okay, I will.” She sat there thinking about what she would say and how she would start the call.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? The phone number of where she’s staying is on top of the notebook in the barn.”

  “Okay.” Lily rose to her feet, placed her tea and saucer on the coffee table, and headed out to the barn.

  She grabbed the piece of paper with the phone number of Bruno’s onkel, who they were staying with, picked up the receiver, and dialed the number. Bruno’s onkel answered the phone and after a few pleasantries were exchanged, she asked if she could speak to Daisy. She was pleased when he said she was home and then with the receiver in her hand she paced back and forward as far as the phone’s cord would allow. Then her heart froze when she heard the small voice on the other end of the line.

  “Lily, is that you?”

  “Daisy, yeah, it’s me.”

  “Did you get my letter?”

  “Jah, I did. Denke for sending it to me.”

  “How’s the new boppli? I was surprised to hear about Tulip. She must be so happy. How are Mamm and Dat? Oh, and I heard about poor Willow and her sore shoulder.”

  Lily giggled and could barely stop.

  “What’s funny, Lily?”

  Gradually Lily stopped laughing enough so that she could speak. “I’ve missed you. Things aren’t the same without you here.”

  “I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry, and then things can go back to normal.”

  Lily didn’t comment. Things would never be normal between them now Daisy had Bruno and now she had Elijah.

  “Lily?”

  “I’m still here. I’m calling to give you news.”

  “Good news I hope.”

  “Jah, it’s about me.”

  “What is it?”

  “Elijah and I are getting married.”

  There was silence and Lily held her breath, hoping Daisy would approve.

  “Are you serious?”

  “I am. We’re in love with each other and we’ve never been so happy. He said he’s never been as happy as this and neither have I. Now I know how you feel about Bruno.” Daisy giggled. Lily had missed the sound of her twin’s laughter. “I hope you come back soon.”

  “We will. We’re coming back in about a week. Bruno wants to start fixing up the house and sorting out his work.”

  “That is a relief. I was scared he would try to make you stay in Ohio.”

  “I told him I didn’t want to live in Ohio before we married.”

  “I know that, but I thought he might talk you into it.”

  “Nee, he didn’t even try. When are you getting married?”

  “I don’t even know. No one else knows. We’ve only just now told Mamm and Dat. We still haven’t even told Elijah’s vadder yet. We’re going to tell him this evening, and then I guess we’ll go to see the bishop and work out a time for the wedding.”

  “Make sure you wait until I’m back.”

  “Jah, I will, but don’t wait too long until you get here.”

  “I said we’re coming back soon.”

  Lily sighed. “You said a week, so is it a week or is it soon?”

  “I said about a week’s time. It’s tomorrow week, to be exact.”

  “Good, I’ll look forward to it.”

  “I can’t wait until I get back and hold my new baby niece.”

  Lily had to fight back tears and was feeling emotional. It didn’t seem right that Daisy had been away when Rose’s baby had been born. She should’ve been there. “If I have a boppli, you’ll have to be there.”

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else. And you’ll have to be in the room with me when I’m giving birth.”

  Lily giggled. “Okay, well you better not go back on it.”

  “I won’t.”

  “If Bruno suddenly wants you to go to Ohio with him to visit all his relations again, you just tell him no.”

  “I definitely will. I’ll tell him my twin comes first, especially when she’s having a boppli.”

  “And that’s exactly how it should be, boppli or not,” Lily said.

  “I’ll be back home soon and I must go now and tell Bruno the good news.”

  “Don’t go yet. I want to talk to you some more.”

  “We’re in the middle of a meal.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “Call me back tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be here and we can talk longer.”

  “Okay, I’ll do that, but make sure you answer the phone. I feel awkward talking to Bruno’s onkel. He scares me a little.”

  Daisy giggled. “He’s really nice.”

  “I know.” Lily remembered him from Daisy’s wedding.

  “Bye, Lily, and congratulations. Being married is so good.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. Bye, Daisy.” Lily hung up the receiver and hurried back to her parents and Elijah.

  When she sat down on the couch, her mother said, “That was a very long conversation.”

  “It wasn’t that long, was it?” She looked at her father and Elijah and they both nodded. “Oh, sorry. Once I start talking, I can’t stop.”

  “I’m glad you called her.”

  “Me too. I think things are back to how they used to be between us.” She looked down at everybody’s tea and saw that they had none left. “More tea?”

  Her mother and father shook their heads, but Elijah said he would have another cup.

  “I can scarcely believe that we’re having another wedding so soon,” her mother said. “Don’t have it too soon, Lily. We’ve got a lot to organize and a lot of dresses to make.”

  “Daisy said she’s coming back in a week, a week and a day, or something. She can help us do everything.”

  “I’m glad she’s coming back. I was starting to worry.”

  “Me too.” Lily handed a second cup of tea to Elijah.

  “It’ll be good to have her back.” Hezekiah said. “Then they can make that haus they bought into a proper home.”

  “I was going to make curtains for them, but now I’ve got to sew for Lily’s wedding.”

  “And that must take priority,” Lily said, hoping she wasn’t sounding too selfish. “I’m sure there’ll be time for both.”

  Her father leaned forward. “What you said the first time was right. A wedding takes priority over everything else. This is an important time in your life. And I’m sure you both know the importance of the union.”

  “Jah, we do Mr. Yoder. I believe that we’re both mature enough to accept the responsibility of marriage and everything that goes along with it.”

  Hezekiah nodded and sat upright once more.

  “And where would you live?” Nancy asked.

  “I’ve some money saved. We’ll look around for a haus, or
we might even build one.”

  “You can live here while it’s being built,” Hezekiah offered.

  “Denke, that’s kind of you,” Elijah said.

  Nancy’s face beamed. “It’s a large house. There are plenty of bedrooms.”

  “We’ll see, Mamm, when the time comes closer.”

  “You’ve enough saved then?” Hezekiah asked Elijah.

  Lily was a little embarrassed that her father had asked such a probing question. But then again, he was Elijah’s future father-in-law.

  “Jah, enough for a good deposit.”

  “That’s impressive for a young man of your age.”

  “I’ve been working and saving for a long time. As soon as I finished school I started working for my vadder.”

  “One day he’ll take over the business,” Lily said.

  * * *

  When they had finished talking, Nancy and Hezekiah walked to Elijah’s buggy with the happy young couple.

  “I hope your vadder takes the news well,” Lily said to Elijah as she climbed up into the buggy.

  He chuckled. “Of course he will. He’s very fond of you.”

  “Bye.” Lily waved to her mother and father, and Elijah gave them a small wave before he turned the buggy around.

  Hezekiah and Nancy watched in silence side-by-side as the buggy disappeared.

  Nancy tried to blink back her tears, but then she couldn’t stop them. They streamed down her face.

  “What’s wrong?” Hezekiah put his arm around her shoulders.

  “They’ve all grown up. I don’t want them to grow up.” She turned and buried her head into his comforting shoulder.

  “Isn’t this what you wanted? You wanted them all to get married, and now you’ve achieved that. You were the one who thought Elijah and she would make a good pair. You did a little bit of matchmaking and whatever you did worked. There’s nothing to cry about.”

  His deep voice soothed her. “I know, but we had six and now we have none. I just remember back to how they were and I want to turn back the clock.”

  “Nancy, we’ve talked about this before.” He turned her to face him. “We can’t stop time, we can’t turn back time, and we can’t slow it down. That’s why we need to appreciate every moment and thank Gott for every good thing that comes our way. Don’t be sad that our kinner have grown up. Think of it this way, we were blessed with six kinner. Six! That’s one more than five, and two more than four. It’s even five more than one.”

  She couldn’t help but giggle at him.

  “How wunderbaar is Gott to bless us so greatly? And each of our six are so special and so different. And the six of those will all give us grosskinner. Soon, we’ll have a house full of them.”

  “I know.” She nodded and dabbed at her eyes. Then Hezekiah wiped away her tears with his fingers.

  It was a weird thing she felt, and she’d tried to explain it to Hezekiah before and he didn’t understand. Now that all her children were adults, she missed the people they were when they were children. Their funny little ways, their funny words for things, their giggles. When they were young, she longed for the time when she could sit down and have a conversation with them as adults, and now they were adults, she wanted to turn back time and spend time with them as children. It was a funny thing. She should’ve enjoyed the time with her children more when they were younger. Then again, isn’t that what grandchildren were for?

  “Better now?” Hezekiah asked.

  “A little.”

  “Didn’t you say you wanted to have time with me alone when all our kinner finally leave home?” he asked.

  “Jah, but I never really thought that day would come.”

  “That day will soon be upon us,” he said. “They’ve all made good marriages. They’re all happy and that’s even more of a blessing.”

  Nancy nodded.

  * * *

  On the day Daisy and Bruno arrived home, Lily and Elijah were waiting for them outside their house.

  Bruno and Daisy had taken a taxi from the bus stop. Daisy stepped out of the car and Lily and Daisy rushed at one another. Their bodies slapped together and they hugged tightly amidst giggles.

  While they were occupied doing that, Elijah helped Bruno get the luggage out of the taxi.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I used the spare key and I’ve got dinner in the oven for you,” Lily said.

  “You have?”

  Lily nodded. “And I did some shopping for you, so you’ve got enough food for days without having to go out. I thought you’d be tired after your long trip.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you,” Daisy said.

  Lily was pleased with herself. She was trying to make a big effort to be more caring for people and be more like her mother.

  The four of them went inside the house. The girls had their arms linked together while the men carried the bags.

  After they had a bite to eat, Daisy insisted on taking Lily around the property. The house was only small, but it was on a large lot.

  The men stayed inside talking.

  “I really missed you while you were away,” Lily told Daisy. “Did you miss me?”

  “Of course I did. That’s a silly thing to ask.”

  “I know, but we had that big fight.”

  “Don’t talk about it,” Daisy said.

  “So, you missed me even though you’re married and Bruno is taking up all your time?”

  “It’s not the same thing. No one can replace you.”

  Lily was pleased to hear her say that. “Did he try to make you stay in Ohio?”

  Daisy frowned. “Nee, not at all. I don’t know why you keep talking about that. We bought this house and we wouldn’t have done that if we were going to move to Ohio.”

  “Places can be sold or leased.”

  “Lily, you’re so suspicious.”

  Lily pulled a face.

  “I can’t believe you’re marrying Elijah.”

  “Why not?”

  “It happened quickly. We didn’t really even talk about it.”

  “Don’t you like him?”

  “I do. And I remember that you liked him, but I thought you liked Matthew as well.”

  Lily giggled. “I like him, but not like that. I think that Rose wanted me to like him. She kept telling me how she had overlooked Mark and she thought that was the same thing with me and Matthew, but it was nothing alike.”

  “I can’t wait to see Rose’s boppli.”

  “You’ll love her.”

  “I’m going there first thing tomorrow. Now, I’ve got something very important I want to say to you.”

  Lily gasped. “You’re not pregnant already, are you?” Lily reached out a hand and touched Daisy on her stomach, and Daisy hit her hand away.

  “Stop it! Nee, I’m not pregnant. Not that I know of, anyway. While we were coming back on the Greyhound, Bruno and I had an idea. I really hope you like it.”

  “What is it?”

  “We were thinking that, if you want to, you and Elijah could build a house right next to us, right on this land. It’s plenty big enough. It’s large enough for us each to have horses, chickens, goats, pigs, and whatever we want.”

  “Really?”

  “Jah.”

  “You mean it?”

  Daisy giggled. “Do you like the idea?”

  “I love it!”

  “It’ll be just like we always said—well, nearly. We wanted to live in one big haus.”

  “Correction. We wanted to marry twins and live in one big house.”

  Daisy nodded. “We didn’t marry twins, but we can still live really close and see each other every day.”

  “I love that idea. Are you sure that Bruno doesn’t mind?”

  “He was the one who suggested it.”

  Lily giggled and wrapped her arms around Daisy. “I don’t mind that you married him now.”

  “Everything will be good for both of us. We’ll have bopplis at the same time—”

 
“Twins,” Lily corrected her.

  “Ach jah, that’s what I meant. We’ll each have three sets of twins and we’ll live side-by-side.”

  “Oh, I hope that Elijah agrees with the idea.”

  “If he doesn’t, you’ll simply have to talk him into it.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Bruno will be talking to him about it right now. I told him I’d take you for a walk and show you around and while I was doing that I’d tell you his idea. He said he’d talk to Elijah.”

  Lily took a deep breath and prayed to God and asked Him to find the right home for them, and she hoped that it would be right there next to Daisy and Bruno.

  “And what do you think about Tulip having a boppli?”

  “She’s so happy. It took a long time. She didn’t tell anybody because she didn’t want to take the attention away from your wedding, but as soon as Rose’s boppli was born she had to tell everybody.”

  “Mamm must be really excited.”

  “She is. And now she’s looking forward to my wedding. You know what she’s like, she loves organizing these things. She said that after my wedding she’ll have no more kinner to plan weddings for.”

  “There’s always Violet and Willow,” Daisy said.

  “Jah, she’d push Aunt Nerida out of the way and take over.” Lily giggled. “Anyway, that’ll be a few years away.”

  Daisy nodded. “I guess so.”

  “Let’s go back to the haus and see if Bruno has said anything to Elijah yet. Elijah won’t make up his mind right away. He takes a long time to think about things.”

  “He didn’t take a long time to think about you.”

  “Nee, because at the end of the day, he’s very sensible and he could see what a wunderbaar fraa I’d make him.” Lily giggled while Daisy wrapped her arms around Lily once again.

  “I’ve missed you, Lily.”

  “Me too.”

  They hurried back to the house. Lily was pleased to have a man who cared about her and loved her deeply, and she had her twin back.

  * * *

  Weeks later, there was another wedding at the Yoders’ haus.

  Nancy hadn’t expected things to happen so soon for Lily. Elijah was a decent hardworking man from a good family. Months ago, she’d secretly started hoping Lily might fall in love with him.

  Nancy sat down, having a little rest from the cooking. Nerida had taken the reins for Lily’s wedding and had done most of the organizing of the food, whereas in the past that had always been Nancy’s job. Sitting next to Hezekiah, Nancy looked at her whole family and her grandchildren.