Rebecca's Choice (The Adams County Trilogy 3)

by Jerry S. Eicher

  The goodbyes were happy ones, hopes high for a soon reunion at Rebecca’s wedding. As a sister of the bride’s mother, Leona would have a favored seat all day. She pronounced herself excited at the prospects of a wedding in which she had no work to do.

  In many ways Leona’s departure triggered the beginnings of the wedding plans. Before that something always seemed to disrupt them. To Rebecca Leona’s visit would always remain the dividing line between uncertainty and the sure knowledge she was to be a bride.

  The wedding dress came out of the closet. That was where she had stored the box of cut material when she had realized what Emma’s actions might mean. She figured there would be plenty of time to work on it but had never found the heart to sew the dress. Now that things were settled, the energy returned with a rush.

  After Matthew left with the other schoolchildren, Rebecca laid the material on the kitchen table. Mattie must have forgotten what she purchased because her mother’s breath caught when she came up from the basement.

  “It’s beautiful, Rebecca. So you really are getting married.”

  “Yes. Bishop said so.”

  “Then I’d better get busy. I still have Leona’s visit on my mind, I guess.”

  “I’m so glad she was here this weekend.”

  “Next time we’ll be ready for her the day before she arrives,” Mattie chuckled. “So let’s see. My… my head’s just spinning, but we should be able to handle everything.”

  “It’s not your first wedding, at least. I’m thankful for that.”

  “The others didn’t have as many bumps in the road,” Mattie said making a face.

  “To a smooth sailing from here on out!” Rebecca made a flourish over the kitchen table, the scissors in her hand. They slipped and flew across the room, the arch high, but missing the kitchen table and wedding dress. The point thudded into the bench Matthew had left pulled out before they clattered onto the floor.

  Mattie raised her eyebrows. “Don’t count the chickens before they hatch. There are always rough spots in the road.”

  Rebecca felt a little pale, as she went to pick up the scissors. “I guess I’d better watch what I say.”

  “Be happy,” Mattie assured her. “This one should be about over soon. Now, let’s see. Why don’t you work on the dress? A week’s time should be enough, don’t you think? Then next week we’ll start on the meal menu and the guest list.”

  Rebecca took a deep breath. “It’s really going to happen.”

  “The more time you spend dreaming, the less time there is for work,” Mattie told her, as she left for the basement. But Rebecca saw the smile on her face.

  Her gaze went back to the cloth spread on the table. Its light blue sheen glowed in the morning light. She ran her hand across the length of a piece and imagined the day she would wear the dress. It would be beautiful, as lovely as the day when she and John would be man and wife.

  Now, though, there was work to do and plenty of it. She lifted the first two pieces and took them into the living room to begin. By lunch-time she had the upper part of the dress done and stopped to prepare sandwiches. Mattie wanted help cleaning the rooms upstairs, where Stephen and Leona had stayed, so that took most of the afternoon. Since she still didn’t want her sisters to see the dress, it all went back into the box before three thirty.

  On Sunday John told her the renters would leave next month. He wanted Rebecca to come over to pick out paint colors. She told him the house was just fine, just as long as he was in it. That brought a smile, but John wouldn’t be persuaded. The whole house would be repainted in whatever colors she wished. He still had the paint samples in his room but didn’t want to work on the project today. They set a time when Rebecca could come over during the week.

  On Wednesday the dress was done, and Rebecca tried it on, alone in her room, and then dared show it to Mattie.

  “John will like that,” Mattie told her.

  “Do you like it?”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Really?”

  Mattie grinned. “Quit preening now. We have lots of work to do.”

  Rebecca laughed in the sheer delight of the moment.

  “I’m glad this is working out for you,” Mattie told her. “Both your dad and I are. You don’t know how much.”

  “I’ll put it up right away,” Rebecca said and raced back upstairs. There she folded the dress carefully, placing it in the box and sliding it back on the top shelf of the closet. To leave it hang would invite her sisters to visit her room for quick glances and soon quick touches, she figured. The dress would stay here, only to be taken out of the box and ironed the night before the wedding.

  Each day followed the other in quick procession. Some longer than others, but all were full of work and plans. John and Rebecca got down to the subject of witnesses a few weeks later. It was on a Sunday night. They had again chosen to stay home from the singing. A habit, John said with a tease, he was used to already.

  They were at John’s place, upstairs in his room. Rebecca suggested they go down and consult with Isaac and Miriam, especially about John’s choice for a witness.

  “You don’t trust me already,” he protested, but his eyes twinkled.

  “I’m just saying it might be better to get your parents’ opinion on this,” Rebecca told him, to which he agreed.

  Downstairs Isaac was on the couch, his Bible open in front of him. Miriam still had the supper dishes to finish in the kitchen but came out when she saw they meant to stay.

  “Rebecca thinks we ought to ask about my choice of witnesses,” John informed his parents.

  “She’s a smart girl,” Isaac said chuckling. “Anyone who wants my opinion is smart.”

  “I thought about that,” Miriam said ignoring Isaac. “You don’t have any near relatives to choose from, and Bethany’s children aren’t old enough yet.”

  “You see the problem,” John said. “So I have come up with a solution I like.”

  “And?” Isaac said.

  “Luke Byler,” John said.

  “Luke?” Miriam sat up straight. “Don’t you think that’s pushing it? Rachel will be sore enough the way it is—probably thinks she’ll never get the money now.”

  “It would be a good way to show her that we mean to do what’s right,” John said.

  “You like him, don’t you?” Isaac asked.

  “Yes, from what I know of him,” John said.

  “Then ask him,” Miriam told him. “He’s got a girlfriend, doesn’t he?”

  “I think so.”

  “Bishop’s wife said he did,” Miriam offered. “She told me after they came home from the funeral—Susie’s her name. I don’t know her.”

  “Then that’s it,” John pronounced with a smile. “We’ll ask him.”

  “What about your side?” Miriam asked with a smile. “Do you have something of the same problem?”

  “I do,” Rebecca agreed. “Both Lloyd and Margaret’s children are too young.”

  John waited beside her but didn’t look too interested, Rebecca thought, so whatever she decided would likely be okay.

  “What about Wilma?” Rebecca suggested. “That’s done sometimes. Ask your friends, if you don’t have relatives.”

  “Is she dating?” John asked.

  “Just started,” Rebecca told him. “A boy from Holmes County, James Wengerd.”

  “She should be thrilled.” Miriam smiled in agreement, and so it was decided.

  John took Rebecca home around ten. He went inside but soon left. She watched his buggy leave. The lights seemed to linger along the road even after the sound of his horse’s hooves could no longer be heard. She went upstairs to her room and, for the joy of it, peeked into the box. The blue color of the wedding dress danced in the light of the kerosene lamp.

  They made plans to paint the rental home, after Rebecca picked the colors. Miriam and Esther offered to help, and Mattie said she could come for a day. John planned to clean the house on his own, now that
the occupants were gone, but the task quickly became more than he bargained for. He man cleaned he said. Rebecca told him it was good enough until she could get to it, which would be before the women began the paint job.

  She then spent a whole day cleaning the walls and ceilings, before she asked for help from her mother. Mattie and Rebecca spent a better part of another day before they were satisfied. The next time John saw Rebecca, he protested the extra work this caused, but Rebecca told him that what needed to be done needed to be done. John smiled and said he figured he might as well get used to her ways. She assured him he was a wise man.

  The paint work began in earnest the next week. This time it was the women who needed help. John convinced Aden the need was serious and came down for the rest of the week. With drop cloths spread thoughout the house, the hardwood floors well protected, paint rollers and brushes moved all day long. Rebecca was thrilled when they completed the work by Friday after lunch.

  She had painted most of the home a gentle gray. The bedroom, though, was painted a light blue, as close as she could get to her wedding dress, but John didn’t know that yet. He had asked twice already, and she had told him he would have to wait. The morning before the big day would be soon enough.

  John turned off the electric power. He said he didn’t even want them to get used to such conveniences. Rebecca had no objections, even when John had to pull the water pump and change over to an air pump. She figured it needed to be done sometime anyway. Early was fine with her. In the back of her mind, she also hoped to make the best impression on Bishop that was possible. Only a small way to repay him perhaps, but this was something that would mean a lot to him.

  Time seemed to slow down the closer the date came. There were invitations to prepare and mail. Rebecca drove into West Union to have them printed. She spent another Sunday afternoon with John to prepare the out-of-town wedding guest list. Rebecca made sure Rachel got one, not just because Luke had agreed to be a witness but because she hoped Rachel would come. Perhaps on the day of the wedding, she could assure her that the money would be returned.

  Then the baking began—a mighty rush the week before. Cherry, apple, and pecan pies and date pudding would have to be prepared right at the end. The chickens were thawed, and the potatoes peeled and mashed. Vegetables were obtained, most of them fresh because the local markets still carried them. The official cooks arrived the day before, a duty considered a privilege even with the heavy workload.

  Rebecca went to John’s house to drop off food items and make final preparations to move in. She arrived and left during the middle of the day to avoid John. It seemed more fitting, now that the time was so close. They would stay the night of the wedding at their own house instead of staying at the bride’s home, as was the custom. Mattie had suggested this, and Rebecca quickly accepted.

  Leona and Stephen arrived in the afternoon, and Lester gathered the whole family around the kitchen table that evening, his face joyful.

  “It’s our last night here with Rebecca,” he told them all. “She’ll be married tomorrow. She has been a good daughter. We wish John and her the rich blessing of the Lord.”

  Rebecca had expected something of the sort but still choked up. “You don’t have to, Dad,” she told him.

  “She’ll be back soon,” Mattie said with a smile.

  “Girl stuff,” Matthew muttered under his breath, but Rebecca was certain he would miss her too.

  Lester led in a prayer of thanks for the food and for a blessing on the new home about to be established. After supper and dishes, they gathered in the living room and sang songs for thirty minutes. Rebecca hadn’t planned to cry but couldn’t keep back the tears when she saw the shine of wetness on her mother’s cheek.

  They had prayer again, then settled into silence. The girls headed to bed twenty minutes later with their cousins. Rebecca left too, as she wasn’t needed downstairs. The kitchen work had been done quickly with all the ready hands.

  With the kerosene lamp lit, she stood by the window. Just over the horizon, the new moon seemed ready to slip down for the night.

  “To us,” she said. The words hung softly on the night air. “To our life together. May it be more than even I can imagine.”

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Rebecca awoke before the alarm and went out to chore one last time. Matthew knew she didn’t have to. He was certainly able to handle things by himself but grinned when she walked in. She handled the milkers for one round of cows and knew she would miss even this when she was gone.

  Leona was up when she returned to the house. She and Mattie were deep in conversation in the kitchen.

  “Don’t even think about helping with breakfast,” Leona informed Rebecca. “Sit right down here. This is your day.”

  “I still want to help,” Rebecca said.

  “There’s plenty of time for that later. Some other day.” Leona was firm.

  “I would say so,” Mattie joined in. “Breakfast will be ready soon. You can eat early. It’s going to be a little scattered anyway.”

  “Who’s driving you?” Leona asked.

  “Matthew. He insisted,” Rebecca said grinning. “And I want to get there before too long.”

  “Eat. Then you can go change,” Mattie told her. “I have enough eggs done so you can start. The oatmeal is almost cooked.”

  “I’ll toast the bread.” Leona got up and expertly ran two pieces of bread over the open flame of the gas stove.

  Rebecca ate, took deep breaths, and smiled, as the butterflies began to turn in her stomach. Leona saw her face and insisted she finish what she had taken. That done, they shooed Rebecca upstairs. She took the dress out of the closet and put it on. Freshly ironed, it fit even better than she remembered.

  By seven thirty, Matthew had eaten and hitched the horse to the buggy. Leona and Mattie came out to watch her walk through the living room, big smiles on their faces. Stephen and Lester were still in the kitchen, finishing their breakfasts, and could wait to see her until church time. Matthew let out a low whistle when she stepped outside.

  Matthew dropped her off at the front sidewalk. He handled his horse as if he were already with the young folks and knew his way around girls. The wedding was to be held at Aden’s house, with the meal served in his large pole barn out back. Already buggies were parked in a long line out by the barn. Cooks were hard at work preparing the noon meal.

  With a glance around to see if anyone would come out of the house, she waited until Matthew drove forward, then walked to where the cooks worked. A few of the table waiters, paired or dating couples, were around too. They seemed surprised to see her but had little time to pause in their work other than to say “Hi” as she passed.

  Rebecca knew it was time to go upstairs before too many people saw her. John would join her there, along with the two witness couples, until it was time to walk downstairs to their assigned seats in the front row.

  Aden met her with a smile at the front door and motioned for her to come inside. Esther came from the kitchen and told Rebecca, “Second bedroom on the right.” Around them the living room was filled with church benches—the overflow went well into the kitchen and main bedroom. “I’ll send the others up when they arrive,” Esther added.

  Rebecca nodded and climbed the stairs. The bedroom Esther directed her to was furnished with six chairs for the three couples to use until they were to go downstairs. John arrived ten minutes later. From the look on his face, she was glad he came before anyone else was there.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said and took her face in his hands and kissed her.

  Rebecca knew she blushed bright red and that more people could arrive any minute. “Quit it,” she told him and pushed him away.

  He grinned and took a chair. She sat down beside him, her knees weak.

  Luke and Susie came up next. Rebecca knew Susie from her time in Milroy and greeted her warmly. She found Luke grave, though—troubled almost. At first she thought it was the money but decided against tha
t conclusion. It was unlike the Luke she knew.

  “I’m so sorry about your father,” she said and knew from his reaction this was the cause of his sorrow.

  “It was hard,” he said. “Dad’s in a better place now.”

  “It must be rough,” John told him. “My dad just went through a rough spot.”

  “That’s what I heard. Is he okay now?” Luke asked.

  “Almost normal,” John told him. “We are blessed.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed this,” Luke said, with his first smile. He sat down beside Susie, and Rebecca could see how comfortable he was with her.

  Wilma arrived with a blast of good cheer and changed the whole atmosphere of the room. Her boyfriend in tow, a stranger to the community, Wilma introduced him all around. It looked as if Wilma had everything under control.

  At five till nine, it was time to go downstairs. Silently Luke and Susie led the way because the bridegroom’s party was to go first. John and Rebecca followed. Wilma and James came at the end. Rebecca’s heart pounded as they walked in front of the packed house and took their seats in front of the ministers’ bench. Six chairs had been set out, three lined up facing the other three, boys on one side, and girls on the other.

  The song leader announced the song, and the service began. As they all sang the second verse, Bishop Martin got up and, followed by his fellow ministers, walked up the stairs. Rebecca watched John’s feet, and when they moved, she slowly stood too. They followed the ministers up the steps.

  Bishop Martin cleared his throat when they all had settled down in the bedroom. Isaac was seated beside the bishop. Two visiting ministers and their home minister sat to Isaac’s left, the deacon to the right of the bishop. John and Rebecca sat directly across from Isaac and Bishop Martin.

  “It’s good this day has come. I’m glad for it,” Bishop said smiling. “I will let the others express themselves first.”