Chapter Thirty-Three
Three months later, the Hochstedler house was so filled with people that even upstairs in Miriam’s bedroom the floor shuddered as the crowd moved about below. Joseph sat on his sister’s bed, one arm around her thin shoulders as she cried against his coat.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured against the rough fabric. “I’m so sorry, Joseph.”
“Sell is awreit, Mirry.”
“Nee, it’s not all right.” She straightened and scrubbed her eyes with the back of one hand. “I should be downstairs, helping. Your family should be standing by you today of all days, but instead I’m up here, hiding like a coward, no good to you at all.”
“Never say that.” Joseph tipped up his sister’s chin and looked into her reddened eyes. “You’ve worth to me, Miriam, plenty of it, even if you never step outside this bedroom again.”
Miriam gave a broken sigh. “You shouldn’t be so kind to me. I’ve let you down.”
“You’ve let no one down. Now, stop your crying, ja? Gott has His purposes, and we must trust Him, even when things don’t go as we’d hoped.” The bedroom door creaked open behind him. “Anyhow, cheer up. You can stand up with me at my next wedding, just as well.”
“Ha!” Naomi walked to the bed, carrying a laden tray of food. “You’d best not make promises you won’t be able to keep, Joseph Hochstedler. You’ll not be having another wedding anytime soon, not if I have anything to say about it.”
Joseph looked up into his new wife’s face. Her eyes were sparkling with love and laughter, and a healthy pink drifted over her pretty cheeks. Her deep blue dress was the same shade as Miriam’s, the color of the wedding party. They’d all hoped Miriam would find the strength to stand with them through the service, which was why they’d decided to hold it here, in the cleared-out old dairy. But at the last minute, his sister’s courage had crumpled.
Naomi smiled at him in that way that always made him catch his breath, then set the tray on the bed and turned to Miriam. “I’ve got you a taste of all the best dishes, so you’re not missing out on a thing. And I promise, later tonight, after everyone goes home, we’ll all sit together and talk ourselves silly.”
“For a little while,” Joseph interjected softly. Naomi caught his eye and flushed prettily.
“For a little while,” she agreed.
A short knock on the half-opened door made them turn. Emma, dressed in her own matching blue dress, peeked in, her eyes troubled.
“Joseph and Naomi are wanted downstairs. Let me speak to them a minute, Miriam, and then I’ll come sit with you awhile.”
“Nee.” Miriam shook her head. “I don’t want you missing all the fun because of me, Emma. I will be all right up here by myself.”
“There’s no fun I’d rather have than sitting with my sister after all these long weeks of being away,” Emma retorted. “Although if you eat all that chicken casserole before I get back, I’ll change my mind, maybe.”
Once outside, Emma closed Miriam’s door and beckoned Naomi and Joseph a short distance down the hall.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, “but word of the wedding must have leaked out. There are some reporters outside. The men have lined up across the yard to keep them at a distance. Sam Christner hustled me inside and told me to warn you not to come out.” Emma made a face and rubbed her elbow. “He could do with better manners, Samuel could. He almost threw me back in the house when I stepped onto the front porch. That man’s strong as an ox and not so much smarter.”
Naomi and Joseph exchanged a worried glance.
“Denki, Emma,” Joseph said. “I’ll see to it. Will you stay here with Miriam?”
“Of course,” Emma agreed immediately. “I meant what I said. I’d rather sit in there with my sister than be anyplace else in the world. It’s like a tonic to me after spending all those weeks at Melvin’s. I just wish”—her voice shook—“that Mamm and Daed and Caleb were here. I miss them so, but I’m thankful that the rest of us can be together.” She straightened her shoulders and offered Naomi a tremulous smile. “And I’m grateful that our family’s beginning to grow.”
She slipped back into Miriam’s room and closed the door. Joseph started for the steps, but Naomi closed her fingers around his arm, holding him in place.
“You’re not going outside, are you, Joseph?”
“Ja, I am.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Whatever needs doing,” he replied, looking down into her earnest face. She was the prettiest thing, his Naomi, with her light, pretty hair and her delicate little chin. Even better, since her operation two months ago, she’d been gaining strength so rapidly that he’d had a hard time keeping her from overdoing.
He had a feeling that would be a lifelong problem.
“Joseph, what good can come of you getting involved? Sam will keep them down at the road. I know it’s wrong of them to come here today, but remember how kind they’ve been to us, the Englischers. So many folks around here have been blessed by that money they gave.”
“It wasn’t those reporters outside who gave it,” he pointed out.
“It was one of the reporters out there who started it,” she retorted, jutting out her chin.
Joseph swallowed a laugh. His new fraw looked like an aggravated bantam hen. He had a feeling this would be another lifelong problem of his—trying to argue with Naomi without laughing at how cute she was when her feathers were ruffled.
“I’ll mind my tongue,” he promised. “But I’ll not hide inside, either. Not anymore.”
“Joseph—”
“Do you trust me, Naomi?”
She broke off, her eyes searching his face. Then she nodded.
“Ja,” she answered softly. “I do trust you, Joseph.”
“Gut.”
“But if you’re going outside, I’m coming with you.”
This time he didn’t even try not to laugh. The sound rang against the walls and beams of the hallway and was echoed by laughter from the friends and relatives milling around the house, waiting for dinner to be served.
They walked together down the steps, through the kitchen full of scurrying women who’d volunteered to oversee the wedding dinner on Naomi’s behalf. The smells of chicken and stuffing hung richly in the air, and the room was so crowded that they had to thread their way carefully to the door.
“Where are you two going?” Katie Lapp looked up from the table, where she was uncovering a steaming roaster pan full of mashed potatoes. “We’re almost ready to serve the first seating. You’ll need to take your places soon.”
“We will be back in a minute,” Joseph assured her.
“All right, but if you’re not back in time, I’ll give that bell by the door a ring, and you’d best come running. We can’t have the bride and groom late for their own wedding supper.” Katie turned her attention back to the potatoes, dabbing at her sweaty cheek with her sleeve.
“We’ll be back,” Joseph repeated. He opened the door and ushered Naomi outside into the fresh air. Then he halted, stopped short by the scene in front of him.
It was disturbingly familiar. Several Plain men were fanned out along the brink of the yard, facing a dozen or so reporters, who were angling cameras in the direction of the house, doing their best to capture photos of the guests.
Joseph’s mind flashed back to the day of his parents’ funeral, and the happy warmth in his heart chilled. He felt a quick squeeze on his arm and glanced over to find Naomi looking up at him, her gray-green eyes sympathetic.
“It’s all right,” she whispered. “They will soon be gone again, once this day is done. It is their job to get pictures to sell. They mean no harm, not really. This is nothing to trouble ourselves over, ja?”
“They may go away after today, but they’ll be back. Ever since news of the movie leaked out, they’ve been swarming
Johns Mill like ants on a cake. This is something we must deal with straight out, Naomi, best we can.” He studied the crowd and came to a decision. “I’m going to speak to them. Wait here.”
“But, Joseph—”
“Please, Naomi. Just wait here.”
He strode across the yard. Samuel Christner was standing in front of the knot of reporters, using his blocky body as a barrier. Sam glanced over his shoulder when Joseph approached. He lifted an eyebrow, nodding toward the man standing off to his right.
“We’ve had a volunteer,” Samuel muttered in Deutsch. “Do you want me to send him back to the house?”
Joseph looked, expecting to see one of Naomi’s brothers—and then looked again. In his Englisch suit, Eric stood out like a sore thumb in the line of Plain men, but he held his place with the same quiet resolution as the others, hands clasped behind him. Eric caught Joseph’s eye and nodded a greeting before turning back to face the news crews milling along the roadside.
“Nee.” Joseph cleared his throat carefully. “He’s a friend, that one, and an invited guest. Let him stand among you if he wants.”
“A gut friend, to stand against his own like that,” Samuel muttered. “Trying to earn his wedding supper, I reckon. You’d best get back to the house, Joseph. You’ll only stir ’em up if you stay out here. Take Naomi with you and tell that stubborn sister of yours to keep out of sight, too.”
Joseph stared at Sam for a minute, thinking hard. Then he clapped his friend on the shoulder and grinned. “You know, Samuel, you’re a sight smarter than my sister gives you credit for.”
The man’s broad face creased with confusion. “Vass?”
Joseph crossed the guarding line of men and walked toward the crowd. The reporters shuffled excitedly, swaying together as they tried to get the clearest picture. They reminded Joseph of birds flocking when the weather turned cold, dipping and moving mindlessly together as one body.
Joseph halted before them and held up his hand. He waited patiently as cameras clicked and whirred, as the men and women called out questions.
How was the wedding, Mr. Hochstedler?
Is Emma here?
Have you spoken to your brother? Was he invited?
Can we get a photo of you and your bride?
Joseph stood silently, hand upraised, waiting them out. While the reporters were still shouting questions, Sheriff Townsend, who’d been standing beside his patrol car, walked over and leaned in close.
“Joseph,” he said, “there’s nothing I can do about this, long as they stay on the right-of-way. If they ain’t on your property and don’t cause trouble, they can take all the pictures they want.”
“What if they are on my property?” Joseph pitched his voice loud enough to be heard.
The sheriff frowned. “They’re not, though.”
“They could be.” Joseph turned his gaze to the gaggle of reporters, who’d finally gone silent and were listening intently to this exchange. “I would like to invite you—all of you—to come, take a seat at our table and enjoy our wedding meal with us. But—” he added as an excited murmur of disbelief rippled through the crowd. “As you all know, we don’t like photographs. So if you accept my invitation, you will have to leave your cameras and cell phones in your vehicles.”
“Are you serious?” A tall reporter lowered his camera when Joseph nodded.
“I am serious, ja. You are very welcome here, and we are happy to have you as our guests. Just no cameras, please.”
“I’m in.” The reporter turned and jogged back to his van, and the other reporters quickly followed suit.
“Brilliant,” Eric muttered. The Englischer had come beside him and was shaking his head as they watched the crowd hurriedly stowing their equipment in vans and cars. “You just took control of the narrative.”
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“It means you’re giving them an exclusive that’s going to be all over the news tonight, but you’re doing it on your turf and on your terms. All just by inviting them to supper. That was a freaking brilliant move, man.”
“Not so brilliant,” Joseph admitted. “You and Sam gave me the idea. Anyhow, it’s only what I should have done from the first. But never mind. Better late than never, and today’s not a day for regrets anyhow. Now, come on. It is almost time to eat.”
He led the way across the yard to where Naomi waited by the corner of the house. She smiled up at him.
“I saw. You did gut,” she whispered as he drew close.
Strange, he thought, how much better he felt whenever Naomi was beside him. Warm and right. Complete. As he looked down into her eyes, he could feel his expression change, shifting into the way he looked at Naomi and Naomi alone. The way, he realized, that he would always look at her.
So this is what marriage is, he thought. Looking at one woman like this for the rest of your life and having her look back at you the same way.
Isaac was right. What man wouldn’t want such a blessing?
“Hey!” Angry voices erupted from behind him, and he turned, tucking Naomi behind him. A stocky reporter had his phone angled toward them, snapping pictures.
“Sorry.” He flushed defiantly when he caught Joseph’s eye. “But the look on your faces right then . . . that was a million-dollar shot.”
“I’ll ask you to delete that photograph.” Joseph spoke quietly. “Please.”
“Aw, come on. I’m telling you, it was a sweet shot. Folks are going to love it. I promise I won’t take any more, okay?”
“Give me that, Carl.” The taller reporter wrenched the phone out of the other man’s hand. He scrolled through, muttering, “What’s the matter with you? Man invites you into his house on his wedding day, all he asks is for you not to take pictures. You don’t take pictures. Didn’t your mama teach you any manners?” He glared at the rest of the group. “Anybody else need an etiquette lesson?” He waited until they shook their heads, and then he turned back to Joseph.
“Here.” He held out the other man’s phone. “I deleted the pictures. Go ahead and throw this thing in that horse trough over there if you want to. He deserves it.”
“Hey!” the shorter reporter protested.
“Shut up, Carl.”
Joseph could feel Naomi watching him, holding her breath as she waited to see what he would do. He offered the phone to its owner. “Go put this in your car, ja? You’d best hurry, or you’ll miss the first seating for dinner and have to wait for the second.”
The shorter man accepted his phone, looking uncomfortable. “So you’re . . . uh . . . still okay with me coming inside then?”
“The invitation has not changed. If you don’t take pictures, you are welcome here.”
“Okay. Thanks,” the reporter mumbled, turning toward the row of parked vehicles.
“I’d better go with him.” A slender blond woman spoke up with a grim determination in her voice. “Just to make absolutely sure that phone ends up where it’s supposed to.”
“Sorry, man.” The tall reporter held out his hand for Joseph to shake. “It’s no excuse for that kind of behavior, but a photo of the two of you, looking at each other like that on your wedding day? It won’t really bring a million dollars, but it’ll come close enough. The temptation’s too much for some folks, I guess.”
“I understand.” Joseph nodded to Samuel Christner, who’d been watching this interchange with an impassive expression. “Sam, take these folks in and help them find some seats at the table, will you?”
“I will, ja. Come on with me, the lot of you.”
As the group followed the massive Amish man up the porch steps like a trail of obedient ducklings, Naomi squeezed Joseph’s arm.
“You handled that real well,” she whispered. She shook her head. “It’s hard to imagine, ain’t so? That anybody would pay a lot of money for a photogra
ph of two ordinary Plain folks like us. It makes no sense at all.”
Joseph looked down into his wife’s sweet face and realized he didn’t agree. He understood exactly why people might pay for a photograph of this slim, fair-haired woman in her crisp blue dress, with the pink back in her cheeks and hope and love shining in her eyes.
It wasn’t just the beauty in her face, although it was there, for certain sure. But beauty was easy enough to find. Nee, it was the gentle strength and the faithful kindness of this small woman that the rest of the darkened world really lacked and hungered for.
He understood that. He ought to. He’d lacked and hungered in his own darkness until Naomi had come to him, bringing a gift he could never begin to deserve.
Herself.
“Vass denksht?” she asked him softly.
What was he thinking? Joseph smiled at her, but he didn’t answer out loud.
I think that when I am an old man and my mind stumbles, I’ll likely forget many things. But never will I forget this, the way you looked on the day you became my wife. I think that no matter what changes come for us, for the rest of my life, whenever I look at you, I will see you just as you are this minute, today.
He didn’t know how to explain that to her. As always, the pretty words, the right words, twinkled maddeningly just beyond his reach. So instead, forgetting the people who might be watching, he leaned down to fit his mouth to hers. As her lips yielded sweetly to his own, Joseph’s heart swelled until it crowded his chest and made his breath come short.
“I’ll show you.” He broke the kiss to whisper the clumsy promise against her lips. “Maybe I can’t tell you, but I’ll show you, Naomi. Every single day.”
She couldn’t have known what he meant, but to his surprise, she asked him no questions. She only beamed up at him, her small face flushed and a loving wonder in her eyes. Behind them the kitchen dinner bell began to clang, its raucous song echoing against the spring green hills like a thousand happy bells, calling them in.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Shelter in the Storm Page 30
