The Witnesses
Page 27
He had come to her wedding, and Sarah was glad of it, but seeing him this way tugged at her heart in spite of the pain he had caused in her life. He still loved Rose. He always had, always would.
His love for her had likely been the driving force that caused him to leave the Amish and the sole reason he had ever lowered himself to date Sarah. Everything in his life had revolved around his desire for the lovely Rose, who, it seemed, was happily embarking on another flirtatious fling.
What would happen to Matthew?
Suddenly, Sarah realized that it wasn’t up to Rose to fix Matthew. No one could blame another person for their situation in life. It was up to Matthew to find the resources to learn to give up his own will. Sarah realized Rose was Matthew’s will but not necessarily God’s.
Poor Hannah, having thoroughly spoiled her son, now lived on antacids and anxiety medication. She lay awake at night, praying and worrying about his life.
Sarah looked at Matthew with his puzzled stare. She smiled at him and looked away, but not before he had returned her smile. It was a small, unsure widening of his lips, with a hesitant, almost humble expression in his eyes.
So the world kept spinning, Sarah thought, and only life’s trials would help to mature the charming Matthew. It was simply the way of it.
At nine o’clock that evening, the string of well wishers filed past Lee and Sarah at the corner table. They shook hands and wished them well, giving their congratulations and goodbyes. There were promises to visit as the bride and groom gave away the trinkets with their names and date of the wedding day. Sarah’s head spun with weariness.
Rose and Priscilla had gone off with their guys. Anna Mae and Ruthie sank onto their chairs, their shoes kicked off, and said if they had to walk one single step more, they’d collapse, and someone would have to bring in a skid loader to move them.
Lee said he would; he was pretty good with a skid loader, which sent them into shrieks of glee. Sarah thought they still acted like kids when Lee was around.
Levi came to wish them a goodnight at their table. It was past his bedtime, and he was sleepy. They gave him a large Ziploc bag filled with all sorts of candy, which he hastily stuffed into his vest pocket, his eyes darting back and forth, making sure nobody saw him hide it away.
He said he was glad he had a new brother-in-law and wished them Herr saya (God’s blessing).
He lumbered off, one hand on his vest pocket and a smile on his face, heading to tuck the candy in a bureau drawer and settle himself for a long night of rest. The next day promised to be a good one with all the wedding leftovers to eat.
At last, Lee and Sarah could leave the corner table. They found Mam and her sisters clattering dishes in the work room. Dat was reclining on a folding chair, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand, his hat pushed to the back of his head, smiling contently as he listened to the ramblings of his wife and her sisters. Emma shrieked some nonsense about the amount of roasht they had packed into gallon Ziploc bags and carted off to the freezer.
“Malinda, you do it every time. Way too much food.”
Mam set her mouth determinedly, shook her head, and said she would be happy to have all that roasht and tzellrich for quick meals all winter long.
Emma grumbled about the work she put on everyone, making all that extra food, but Mam threw an apple at her, missing her completely. Barbara giggled like a schoolgirl, and Dat leaned over to pick up the apple. He lobbed it at Emma, and she whirled and said, “Unfashtendich, Davey, doo bisht kindish (nonsense, you are childish).”
Such goings on were completely common. The tension lifted, the pressure released. Everything had gone well, and now it was time for fun.
Mam delicately put a finger through a corner of a half-ruined wedding cake. She thought no one had seen her until Dat called loudly, “Malinda, I’m surprised at you!”
She jumped, caught red handed, then looked up and laughed with the abandonment of a teenager.
The wedding was over.
Lee and Sarah stood together, taking in this whole scene of carefree release. Lee slipped an arm around Sarah’s waist and pulled her close against him, under Dat’s warm gaze.
“Well, Mrs. Glick, how does it feel to be an old married woman?” he asked, smiling at Sarah.
He had barely finished the sentence, allowing Sarah no time to reply, when the door burst open, and six rowdy young men charged through it. They whooped and yelled, grabbing Lee by his arms and legs, in spite of his fervent yells and his flailing and kicking. They carried him out the door, as Sarah clapped a hand to her mouth to keep from crying out.
Dat laughed out loud.
“He may as well give himself up!”
“Over the fence,” Barbara chortled.
“That’s so ignorant,” Emma snorted.
“I hope they don’t hurt Lee,” Sarah said.
“He’ll be alright. The more he resists, the harder it will be for him. If he quiets down, he’ll get dumped over safely,” Dat said.
And sure enough, as Sarah later found out, the youth had also placed a broom across the doorway to the upstairs. Sarah tripped on it, catching Lee’s arm to stay upright, as they headed to her bedroom.
Well, they’d gotten her good and proper, too, so now she and Lee were traditionally fit to be husband and wife. They’d thrown Lee over the fence (Sarah detected the smell of manure on his shoes when they left them in the kesslehaus), and now she had “stepped across the broom,” enabling her to be a true wife. Old wives’ tales, traditions, myths—whatever one called them—they were all done in the spirit of fun. They were endearing pranks that tied them all together as one culture, the way English people threw bouquets and removed garters.
Sarah’s bedroom was strewn with red rose petals and a sea of white balloons, decorative and romantic. It had all been done by her sisters and best friends, bringing a lump of appreciation to her throat. The room was lit by soft candlelight, making it ethereal, almost heavenly in appearance.
They would spend their first night together here in Sarah’s room on the home farm, following tradition. And they would live with Sarah’s family until they had visited most of their wedding guests. Then they would move to their farm, making a life of their own. That would be soon, Sarah knew, with the chores to do and the whole farm to look after.
Now she looked around the room, taking it all in. But what was that in the corner?
Softly, the magnificent grandfather clock bonged eleven times. The sound was rich, muted, and elegant, the golden glow of the oak finish luminescent in the candlelight.
Shyly, her eyes wide, she turned to her husband, questioning him with her gaze, speechless.
“Your clock,” he said.
She could only shake her head in disbelief, as she went across the room to touch the smooth oak wood and listen to the great pendulum swinging slowly back and forth.
“You never did give me a clock,” she said softly.
His answer was his strong arms around her, as the white balloons bobbed and floated, and the candle flames sputtered. Sarah did not know this much happiness was possible.
It was so much like Lee to keep this clock hidden from the guests at the wedding. He had chosen, instead, to have it delivered late in the day as a secret, a surprise for her alone. It somehow made it seem almost sacred, this wonderful gift.
“Sarah, you’ll be a farmer’s wife, and who knows if we’ll be poor someday, but at least we’ll have a beautiful clock, won’t we?” Lee said, as they watched the pendulum’s movement together.
Sarah nodded.
Yes, time moved on, the great clock ticking it off with every movement of its second hand. Life would be measured in seconds, minutes, and hours, with days turning into weeks. The weeks would turn to months, and the months to years. Through time, they would live together, evolve together. Their love would grow into a sturdy tree, swayed by winds of adversity, storms, and trials, but the foundation of their deep roots would hold.
Hadn’t they experi
enced firsthand the fires of life? One after another, the arsonist had set fire to men’s hard labor, their very livelihoods, and one by one, they had overcome, growing stronger in faith, understanding forgiveness as never before.
Lee placed the palm of his hand on Sarah’s scarred face, then bent his head to the dearest sign of God’s will for their lives, to be together always.
EPILOGUE
THE STURDY GRANDFATHER CLOCK STOOD IN ITS corner of their home for many years, faithfully recording the time. It was wound by Lee at the end of every week on Saturday evening.
Sarah polished the oak wood, wiped the glass clean. When housecleaning time arrived every spring and every fall, she would take down the great gold weights and the intricately engraved pendulum. She polished them with great care, lovingly rubbing them with a soft cotton cloth.
The clock bonged out the hour when their first child was born one stormy winter night, when the local midwife had to use her four-wheel drive and every skill she possessed to maneuver through the cold and the wind and the drifts. It chimed joyously when Lee carried his newborn son across their living room to show Malinda. They named him David Lee, for Sarah’s father and for Lee.
When Levi died and was buried in the cemetery at Gordonville, both Sarah and Lee neglected the usual winding of the clock. It stopped, the motionless pendulum paying tribute to Levi, the great and beloved man who had brought joy and simplicity to the whole family. He was 38 and had lived a happy and blessed life, his memory living on in their hearts.
The ticking of the great clock witnessed the sight of Lee with his head bent, his elbows on his knees, his shoulders heaving with the weight of having been ordained into the ministry the day before. Far into the night, he wrestled with fear and doubt and his own insignificance, for he was a humble young man and could not imagine why the lot had fallen on him. Sarah was his loving helpmeet, his staunch, unfailing supporter, having been raised in a home where they always expected their father to expound God’s word.
The sun shone again for Lee. It glinted off the gold pendulum as it swung steadily back and forth one bright summer morning when he realized his joy had returned as he learned to again give himself up to God’s will.
As the contours of the land were filled with crops, the cycle of life moved on. Corn and alfalfa were planted, grew, and were harvested. There were seasons of plenty, of rain and of sunshine, of storms, and always the beauty of sunrises and sunsets.
Changes came, as they are bound to do. More children were born to Lee and Sarah, filling the table in the kitchen.
The glass on the grandfather clock was smudged by sticky little fingers, the sides beat upon by sturdy little fists, and yet it continued chiming out the hour, day after day.
The clock could not speak; it only ticked away the minutes. Every evening after the gebet (prayer) was said, Lee bent to the rhythm of the ticking clock. He kissed his wife goodnight and touched her still scarred face. Time had not completely removed those reminders of the hard times they had been through and God’s continuing presence with them.
THE GLOSSARY
aus grufa—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “being published.”
aylent—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “slow one.”
babeyly—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “paper,” particularly a paper with a list of duties to be done the day before a wedding.
bann—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “ban” or “shunning.”
base—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “angry.”
beer—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “pears.”
begrabnis—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “burial.”
bekimma—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “bother.”
bisht alright—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “are you alright?”
blooney—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “bologna.”
bree—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “juice.”
buze fertich—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “repentant.”
dale—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “share” or “portion.”
Dat—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word used to address or refer to one’s father.
de alte—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “the old ones” or “ancestors.”
denke—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “thank you.”
dichly—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “headscarf.”
Die Botshaft—A weekly periodical in which volunteer “scribes” report on the events of their communities. Its name is a Pennsylvania Dutch term meaning “The Message.”
do net—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “don’t.”
Doddy—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word used to address or refer to one’s grandfather.
eck leit—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “corner people.” They are the ones who serve the bride and groom’s table at a wedding.
fer-fearish—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “deceiving.”
fit—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “capable.”
fore-gayer—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “managers,” usually for a wedding or funeral.
freundshaft—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “family.”
gebet—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “prayer.”
gel—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “right.”
gix—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “needle.”
goot zeit mach—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “making good time.”
gute schtup—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “formal living room.”
halsduch—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “cape.” It is part of the traditional attire worn by Amish women, covering the upper part of the body.
helf mich—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “help me.”
Herr saya—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “God’s blessing.”
hesslich goot—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “awfully good.”
kalte sup—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “cold soup.”
koch-shissla—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “serving dishes.”
komm—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “come.”
laud—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “casket.”
Mam—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word used to address or refer to one’s mother.
mein Got—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “my God.”
mutza—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “Sunday coat.”
nava sitza—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “beside sitters,” the members of a wedding party who sit beside the bride and groom.
ordnung—The Amish community’s agreed-upon rules for living based on their understanding of the Bible, particularly the New Testament. The ordnung varies from community to community, often reflecting leaders’ preferences, local customs, and traditional practices.
piffich—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “meticulous.”
risht dag—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “day to prepare before a wedding.”
roasht—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “chicken filling.”
roasht leit—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “people who make chicken filling.”
s’ana ent—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “other end.”
sark—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “care.”
saya—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “blessing.”
schlakes—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “punishes.”
schloppich aufangs—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “sloppy now.”
schtrofe—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “punishment.�
�
shaut—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “a shame.”
shoff leit—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “work people.”
smear—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “cheese spread.”
snitz—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “dried apple.”
tzellrich—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “celery.”
unfashtendich—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “nonsense.”
unleidlich—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “mischievous.”
unna such—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “search.”
vesh bengli—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “washbowl.”
vissa tae—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect phrase meaning “meadow tea.”
voss—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “what.”
Wohlauf—A traditional German hymn sung after the meal at Amish weddings. It is about the church being Christ’s bride.
ya—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “yes.”
zeit-lang—A Pennsylvania Dutch dialect word meaning “missing/longing.”
More Books by Linda Byler
Available from your favorite bookstore or online retailer.
THE LITTLE AMISH MATCHMAKER
A Christmas Romance
THE CHRISTMAS VISITOR
An Amish Romance
LIZZIE SEARCHES FOR LOVE SERIES
BOOK ONE
BOOK TWO
BOOK THREE
TRILOGY
COOKBOOK
___________________________
SADIE’S MONTANA SERIES
BOOK ONE
BOOK TWO
BOOK THREE
TRILOGY
___________________________
LANCASTER BURNING SERIES
BOOK ONE