by Sarah Price
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’ house. 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.
“I stopped by your daed’s farm today,” he said as a way to break into conversation with her. “What a charming property!”
She glanced at him, wondering how she should respond. Again, she chose to not say anything, since her first thought was wondering why he would stop there at all. Obviously he knew that her father was in Pinecraft, Florida, and the house had been let out to another. However, since she had always been taught inquisitiveness was a sign of not minding one’s business, she remained silent.
“Such a shame that it’s not larger,” he added, more to himself than to her. “Another twenty acres and a man could make a right gut living there.”
“I imagine my daed did all right,” she finally said, feeling slightly defensive for her father. Despite his flaws, she knew that he was a good man who had worked hard to provide for his daughters. While his erratic spending habits raised eyebrows, that didn’t take away the good qualities that he had demonstrated.
“Ja vell, he supplemented with selling those minerals, ain’t so?” He held the horse’s reins with one hand and leaned back against the green velvet seat.
Anna nodded. She had never taken much interest in her daed’s mineral business. She knew that he had regular customers and that paid the bulk of the bills. Of course, he mostly saved money, but only because his wife was much more frugal than he. Since the house was paid for and there were few expenses, the bank account had grown until she became ill. After paying medical bills, what was left began to dwindle away under William’s management, or lack thereof.
Anna knew that Willis was more than aware of the circumstances. She wondered why he would bring up such an unpleasant memory. After all, it was after their mother died that William began suggesting that Elizabeth would marry Willis. When the opportunity came for a family reunion, he was most insistent in insuring that Elizabeth spent time with Willis, hoping that such a match would salvage his financial situation. After all, Willis’s family owned a larger farm only five miles away. Since he had nu
merous brothers, Willis would need to acquire his own home when he married.
And so, at first, it had seemed as if William’s scheme would work. Several nights after the reunion, Elizabeth disappeared after supper. Anna suspected that she went riding with Willis, a theory that was proven true when Elizabeth confided in her that she would soon wed Willis Eicher.
Anna hadn’t paid much attention to Willis at the reunion, choosing to spend her time with a group of younger women who sat on folding chairs near the older ones, just in case their help was needed. With over two hundred people at the gathering, it had been easy to miss meeting her distant cousin. But she had certainly heard enough spoken about him, especially when he married another woman without any regard for Elizabeth’s feelings or the family’s expectations.
Now, as Anna rode next to him, she wondered about why he had misled Elizabeth in the first place. Even more concerning was why, after seven years, he suddenly reappeared and seemed intent on making amends with the family. Had years of remorse and guilt finally gotten to his conscience? Or had he simply matured and realized the mistake that he had made?
“Do you farm, then?” she finally asked, feeling compelled to break the silence.
He nodded. “I did, ja, with my daed.”
She tilted her head. “But you were . . . ”
When she didn’t complete the sentence, he finished it for her, “Married. Ja, I was. At the time, we lived at her daed’s for a few years. When she went home to Jesus, I stayed with her parents for a short while then went to visit my parents in Pinecraft.” He paused. “Now I’m pondering my future. Even the best laid plans can change so quickly, I reckon.”
“I’m terribly sorry for your loss,” Anna said in response. “How very tragic!”
Willis nodded, remaining silent for a long moment. While Anna didn’t know the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death, she felt certain that he had suffered at the loss. If they had invested heavily in trying natural cures, traveling to Mexico as Salome had heard, they must have fought hard to win the battle of her illness. Like most Amish people, however, he did not speak about the emotions regarding his loss. And Anna knew only too well the pain of death to someone far too young. Still, she also knew that losing a parent must feel different than losing a fiancée or a wife. It was expected for a parent to precede their children to heaven, even if that parent died at a young age. God called His people home when He wanted them to come, not necessarily when they wanted to go. It dawned on her that both Benjamin and Willis had suffered very similar losses, yet the former still visibly grieved while the latter seemed ready to move on.
Willis directed the horse and buggy to trot down another side road that Anna knew looped back toward the Mussers’ home. As they approached the farm, he seemed to deliberately slow down the horse and glanced at her as he spoke. “Sunday worship is at the Troyers, ja?”
Slowly, she nodded her head. “Ja, it is.”
It just so happened that the worship service was to be held at the bishop’s home this week. It was the last worship service before new members of the church would accept their baptism, an event that triggered a busy season for the g’may. First there would be the autumn communion, a members-only service, and then the weddings would begin. Most of the weddings would be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the homes of the brides. Some wedding seasons, Anna would attend five or six weddings, most of them in her own church district or a neighboring one. While always happy for the newlyweds, Anna couldn’t help but feel a touch of bittersweet regret for having given up her own chance at happiness.
“Will you be attending the fellowship meal afterward, then?”
His question surprised her and Anna couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course! Surely you remember that I am watching my schwester’s kinner. It will do them good to see their friends and have time to play outside while the adults eat.”
“The kinner must keep you busy all day!” He shook his head as he regarded her situation. “Certainly you are too young to be so burdened with their care!”
Not wanting to point out that most women her age already had two, three, or even four of their own kinner, Anna shrugged off his comment. “They are no trouble. Well, at least not when they are with Salome or . . . sleeping!”
This time Willis laughed with her.
It was almost quarter to eight when he dropped her off at the house. She thanked him for the ride, although she still wondered why he had taken the long way back to the farm. With a wave of her hand, she watched him leave, the blinking lights on the back of the buggy slowly fading as he drove down the road. Despite her unasked questions it had been pleasant to spend some time with Willis, especially since she suspected that he might, after all, have intentions of becoming her brother-in-law.
Chapter Sixteen
THE FOLLOWING DAY Anna avoided Salome and Hannah, claiming she wanted to thoroughly clean the house before Cris and Mary returned home. She kept the two boys busy by challenging them to see which one could help scrub a section of the floor first. Their reward was a batch of freshly baked sugar cookies. During the early evening, she let the boys play outside while she cleaned out the flower beds, making certain to look up each time Cris Junior or Walter cried out for her to “look at me” as they climbed a tree branch or threw a rock into the fields. By the time that the sun began to set, she hustled the boys inside to bathe and dress for bed. Having been a long day, one that gave her enough distractions that she had little time to reflect on her own concerns, she was thankful to hear the boys’ evening prayers and tuck them into their beds. An hour or two of quiet and solitude might be just enough to restore her strength for her sister’s upcoming return and the ultimate announcement that she would eagerly share without regard to Anna’s feelings. After all, Mary observed little of Anna’s emotions and certainly never gave one inkling that such an announcement would all but break her sister’s spirit.
At eight o’clock Anna was surprised when not one but two buggies pulled into the driveway. Sitting in the rocking chair by the side window, she peered outside and saw that one of the buggies pulled into the small gravel spot behind Cris and Mary’s house while the second buggy, likely Caleb’s, continued down the lane to the other house.
Shutting her devotional, Anna set it beside her on a small table and quickly stood up. She could hear the sound of footsteps on the gravel and a low voice speaking to the horse. A man, she realized. After straightening the bottom of her dress, she hurried to the door, wondering if someone had come with news. She knew it couldn’t have been a message from Lydia, for she had visited earlier that morning and stayed for the noon meal. And she could not think of anyone else who might come visiting, especially at such an hour.
She stood on the porch, rubbing her arms to keep warm. The night air was cool at this time of the year, and she almost retreated into the house to grab a sweater from the mudroom. Her curiosity, however, kept her poised on the porch, waiting to see who had arrived.
“Anna,” a voice called out.
Still standing in the open doorway, she frowned. Willis? Why on earth was he stopping at the house so late in the evening? It was very late for visiting with the Mussers. Besides, didn’t he know that Cris and Mary had yet to return? Then it dawned on her that Willis hadn’t come to see the Mussers. Instead, he had come calling on her!
Before she could comprehend that thought, Willis walked up the steps to the porch and stood before her. “You must be freezing!” he said.
Her teeth almost chattered. “I am!” She gave a soft laugh. “I didn’t know who was here. I must not have been thinking when I opened the door.”
In the darkness she could sense a smile on his face. “I won’t stay long, but mayhaps you should get a shawl?”
Without being asked twice, Anna left him on the porch and hurried back into the house. Alone, she stood there for a moment and tried to make sense of this unexpected visit. Nevertheless, he was a relative, so she owed him the courtesy of her attention. Quickly s
he put on a black sweater and grabbed a shawl as an extra measure of precaution. On the way back outside, she paused and reached into the cabinet for a battery-operated lantern. No sense in sitting in the cold and the dark, she reasoned.
“Better?” he asked when she emerged from the house, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it. He kept a respectful distance from her, just in case anyone drove by and saw them.
In the soft glow from the lantern she nodded, feeling shy in his presence. The idea of being called on by her sister’s former suitor made her feel self-conscious. She didn’t want to read too much into his visit, yet the idea of getting to know him better was not entirely dissatisfying to her. After all, the only man she had ever considered marrying would soon wed another, and that lingering fear of being a burden seemed far too real. It is time to be more open-minded, she told herself.
“I wanted to check on you,” he said, breaking the silence. “I hear tell that your sister and her husband shall return by the weekend.”
Again, Anna nodded, wondering where he would have heard that news but knowing that it was not her business
to ask, even if she was curious. “That’s what I’m told.” A letter had arrived that morning, and Raymond had told her the news when she saw him earlier in the day.
He leaned against the porch railing, fiddling with his hat in his hands. He seemed a bit nervous, and that made Anna even more curious, for he had always seemed overly confident in the stories that her father told. Of course, her father hadn’t been particularly fond of Willis, either . . . at least back then. “They’ve been gone for almost two weeks, ain’t so? A long time for others to care for your kinner and work.”
When he said it that way, she realized how long it truly had been. Not only had Anna been burdened with tending to the children for the last week, Jonas been left to tend to all of the farm chores without Cris’s help since their trip to Lancaster. The decision for both Mary and Cris to stay in Pennsylvania had impacted more people than Anna originally realized. “Ja, it has been nearly two weeks,” she said. “It’ll be good to have them back.”
