A Simple Vow (19 page)

“
Gut
afternoon, Asa and Edith!” Nora called from the upstairs loft. “If you have questions, just holler. I’ll be down in a bit.”

Asa waved at her, grateful that Edith could shop uninterrupted. The expression on her dear face made him glad he’d spoken for her before some other man had caught her fancy. Edith was so easy to please—and so eager to please
him
. He could search the Plain world forever and not find another woman who made him feel so happy. So complete.

When Edith wandered over to a maple sleigh bed with a mirrored dresser and chest of drawers, Asa continued watching her. If this was the set she wanted, he might ask Seth to fashion them a matching bed in a larger size. Maybe the crowded shop was affecting his perception, but he suspected his feet would bump the tall, curved footboard.

Edith looked up at him. “This seems
short,
ain’t so? It’s a beautiful piece, but an open-ended bed might work better for you, Asa.”

When her cheeks turned a modest pink, Asa chuckled. “You’ve been reading my thoughts again. When I was at the Brennemans’ shop, I saw lots of other beds in progress, so—”

“I want
you
to find our bedroom set,” she said earnestly. “It would be really special to know you’d refinished the wood and chosen the pieces especially for our room.”

“I’ll be happy to do that,” he replied. “Next time we’re at the house, we’ll choose which room will be ours, and I’ll get its dimensions.”

“Oh, it’s the one in the back corner, overlooking the pastureland.” Edith grinned at him. “I painted that room myself—a clear blue that’s a few shades lighter than your eyes.”

Asa was too awestruck to think. She could have asked him for every piece of furniture in the store, and he would’ve bought it, just to keep the dazzling smile on her face.

“May I have this oak table and chairs, along with the hutch?” Edith asked after a few more moments of contemplation. “To my way of thinking, the kitchen table’s the soul of a home. It’s where folks gather each and every day to be nourished and to share their lives. It’s where individual people become a
family
.”

Asa felt such a welling up of emotion, he wasn’t aware of Nora’s coming over to join them.

“What a wonderful sentiment,” the storekeeper murmured. “If you want this table set—or anything else in my store—for your new home, I’ll deduct my consignment fees. As your wedding gift.”

“But on a table and fourteen chairs—and the hutch,” Asa protested, “you’d be cutting yourself out of hundreds of dollars, Nora. I wouldn’t feel right if you did that for us.”

“I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t.” Nora glanced toward the customers at the cash register. “I can have Seth deliver it whenever you’re ready—no charge for that, either. I’m happy you’ll be making your home with us in Willow Ridge, Asa.”

Half an hour later, Asa left Simple Gifts feeling jubilant. The furniture Edith had chosen had cost more than he’d figured on paying for her wedding gift, but what more worthy person could he spend his money on? Edith was grinning, clasping her hands like a delighted little girl as she sat beside him in the buggy. It was a moment he knew he’d always recall—and in his excitement, he couldn’t hold back.

“What if we set our wedding date for a week from this Thursday?” he blurted. “It’s not as though my family will be coming from far away—”

“Nor mine. The ones who don’t live in Roseville aren’t able to travel anymore,” Edith said in a tight, excited voice. Then she frowned. “But if that’s the fourteenth of May, I’m pretty sure it’s Ascension Day. I’m not sure how they celebrate here in Willow Ridge, but ordinarily folks are holding big family reunion picnics, playing games together, and—”

“So the day after that will be
perfect,
” he insisted. “We can invite our family and friends to be here for Ascension Day and to stay for our wedding—we don’t have to marry on a Thursday, after all,” Asa pointed out. “And why not ask the Witmers to do our wedding meal at the Grill N Skillet? You and your sisters wouldn’t have to worry about all that cooking, or serving the meal in your house.”

“Oh, my. Hosting a dinner at our place would take more redding up and cooking than we could possibly do on such a short notice,” Edith mused aloud. A giggle escaped her. “I like it! Let’s do it! We’ve already got the house, and your shop, and my wedding dress, and—”

“And we’ll be able to adopt the twins sooner that way, as well,” Asa said as he stroked her cheek. “Will believes that, at this point, their father will never step forward. He’s told me he wants us to raise Louisa and Leroy, with his blessings. He’ll sign the papers once we start the adoption process.”

“And then they’ll be ours. We’ll be a family,” Edith murmured prayerfully. “That’s the best reason of all for marrying sooner rather than later, don’t you think? It sets their future. Folks will stop speculating about Molly—and Will can put the past behind him.”

As the magnitude of this decision struck him, Asa’s heart filled to overflowing. “I love you so much, Edith,” he murmured. “You always put others first, and you put your whole heart into everything you do. You’re such a blessing.”

Edith sighed contentedly. “It’s settled, then. I promised to watch the kids while you found their father, and now I’ve promised to be your wife,” she said. “Simple vows, but they’ve set us on a path together forever. Nobody can change that.”

“I’m yours, you’re mine, and the twins will be ours,” Asa murmured with a decisive nod. “I believe God’s been blessing us every step along the way.”

Chapter Sixteen

The next morning at church, Edith could hardly sit still. All during Preacher Ben’s sermon about Jesus’s ascending to heaven forty days after His resurrection, she peered between the heads of the older women seated in front of her, hoping for a glimpse of Asa. Did he feel as fidgety as she did? He’d asked Bishop Tom to announce their wedding date along with their official intent to marry, but otherwise they hadn’t told a soul. Not even Loretta and Rosalyn, seated on either side of her, knew the secret that had kept Edith awake most of the night. She’d been too excited to sleep as she made mental lists of the many things they needed to do before the fifteenth of May.

After a hymn and a prayer, her father stood to read the passage Bishop Tom would preach on during the second, longer sermon. Dat looked appropriately solemn as he held the big Bible, facing the congregation gathered in Ben and Miriam Hooley’s home. “Hear the word of God as found in Ecclesiastes, the third chapter,” he began in his sonorous voice. “
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted
.”

Edith listened to the familiar verses, smiling at the twins as they dozed in their baskets between her and her sisters.
A time to marry and become a family,
she added as her father kept reading.

“
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak
,” Dat continued. “
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
”

As he closed the Bible, her father paused to find her in the crowd. The expression on his face said it all: during his upstairs meeting with the church leaders, while the congregation was singing the first hymn, Bishop Tom had revealed the news of their wedding date. Dat was
not
pleased, but he sat down without comment.

When Bishop Tom stood up to preach, Edith’s heart pounded so loudly she could hardly hear him. “As I’ve thought about the age-old list of times in our lives, just read for us by Deacon Cornelius,” he began, “I’d like to add another one or two. Seems to me we need a time for patience—a time to allow God’s plans to unfold the way He intends. And we often need a time for correctin’ mistakes we’ve made on account of doin’ things our own way instead of His way.”

Edith felt the blood drain from her head.
Is the bishop going to spend the next hour expounding upon the way Asa and I decided to marry so soon after we met? Is he predicting we’ll someday regret our decision—and spend the rest of our lives dealing with a monumental mistake?

As Tom continued to speak, Edith noticed that many
kapps
in front of her bobbed in agreement as the sermon touched upon the perils of rushing ahead with projects that please us, oblivious to the consequences for our families. Everyone seemed to think Bishop Tom was speaking directly to him or her, for his thought-provoking message was inspiring pensive expressions on the men’s faces, as well. Edith had come to realize that the bishop of Willow Ridge had a real talent for applying the truths of the Bible and the principles of their faith to their everyday lives. This morning, he was in fine form.

“I’ll conclude by remindin’ us that Jesus loves us even when we disregard His will for our lives,” Bishop Tom said as he gazed out over the faces in the crowded room. “It’s our job to seek His counsel, and to tell our neighbors when we believe they’ve strayed from the path—and it’s our Christian obligation to forgive them when their words and actions hurt us. Patience and humility will lead us to the peace God intends for us.”

After a prayer and the final hymn, the bishop pronounced his benediction. Then, as always, came the time for making announcements that concerned individual members and the church district. Edith held her breath. She wrapped her arms around the twins’ baskets, gazing into their precious faces as she awaited what Tom would say next. Her pulse was still pounding, but she felt strong now—confident that she and Asa had made the right decisions for the right reasons.

“It’s my pleasure to publish the intention of Asa Detweiler from Clifford to marry our own Edith Riehl,” the bishop announced. “You’re all invited to their wedding on Friday, May fifteenth—a sort of extension of our Ascension Day festivities.”

A moment of stunned silence filled the house. Then her sisters gasped, grabbing her arms.

“Edith! We’ll hardly have time to breathe, much less clean,” Rosalyn whispered.

Loretta gazed intently at her. “I knew you two were serious, but why so soon? Why—”

“Edith and I invite you all to join us for our wedding feast at the Grill N Skillet, as well,” Asa said above the crowd’s chatter. “And because our house is not yet furnished, it seems the perfect place for our wedding service. We hope you’ll bless us—and our new home—with your presence a week from this Friday.”

Edith’s heart stilled. Asa stood confidently, smiling at the crowd and then focusing on her. Although he hadn’t discussed holding the wedding at the new house, it seemed the perfect solution to the problems her sisters were protesting about.

“See there?” she whispered to Rosalyn. “The rooms are empty and freshly painted, so we’ll have no cleaning to do at home—and no cooking, or dishes and table linens to wash the next day. Our dresses are made, so once we call our friends and family in Roseville, we’re ready for the wedding, ain’t so?”

Her sisters gaped at her. Edith suspected they had questions and doubts, but they gripped the twins’ baskets so they could head toward Miriam’s kitchen to help set out the common meal. Edith moved between the pew benches with them. The large front room quickly filled with the men’s chatter as they began to set up tables. The kitchen became a beehive of activity, as well—abuzz with the women’s comments.

“My word, this wedding’s coming on like a stampede!” Lydia Zook exclaimed.

“Do you want a bunch of us to make pies, dearie?” Naomi Brenneman asked as she grasped Edith’s hand.

“Oh, that would be wonderful-
gut,
” Edith replied gratefully.

“And how about a wedding cake?” Miriam Hooley held little Bethlehem against her hip, gazing intently at Edith. “I’ve made a
gut
many of those—”

“And Miriam’s cakes are much tastier and prettier than any I could make.” Savilla Witmer joined in with a bright smile. “I could hardly keep it to myself when Josiah whispered to me before the service that you and Asa wanted us to cook for you. Congratulations, Edith!”

Millie Hooley slung her arm around Edith’s shoulders. “Seems Ira and I started a whole new tradition, holding our wedding dinner at the café!” she said with a laugh. “Some of the older folks shook their heads about us doing things so differently from how they’d always done them, but I didn’t hear one complaint about putting all the plates, glasses, and silverware in the café’s dishwasher.”

“
Jah
, there’s that,” Nazareth Hostetler agreed as she gripped Edith’s hand. “I wish you and Asa all the best as you make a home for the twins.”

The congratulations continued during the meal preparation and while everyone ate. Edith noticed the pensive expression on Will’s face as he sat beside Asa at a table filled with men. She couldn’t miss her father’s somber mood, either, as the fellows around him carried on animated conversations. She’d had no illusions about how her father would react to today’s announcement, so she refused to cower as he approached her when folks stood up to clear the tables.

Dat grasped her shoulder, leaning close as he spoke. “Your mother’s rolling in her grave,” he muttered. “Folks here are speculating about why you and Asa have to marry so quickly, too. But you’ve made your bed, and you’ll lie in it. I hope you’re happy, Edith.”

As he walked toward the door, Edith clenched her jaw to keep from crying. Just this once, couldn’t Dat share her excitement? Even Bishop Tom and Preacher Ben had expressed their congratulations, saying they were pleased that Asa had asked them to perform the wedding ceremony.

Loretta, standing beside her, sighed. “I’m sorry Dat was so gruff with you,” she murmured. “Seems he’s not happy about anything these days.”

“We think Asa’s a fine man,” Rosalyn chimed in. “Even if your wedding’s blowing in faster than we’d imagined, we’re excited for you, Edith—and tickled to be your side-sitters, too.”

Edith grasped their hands gratefully. “Asa says his brother Drew and Will are going to stand up with him. “It’ll be a wonderful day, no matter what Dat thinks. And everything’s fallen into place for our marrying so we can adopt the twins. That’s what matters, really.”

Edith gazed into the sweet faces of the two little babies who were wiggling in their baskets, eager to play. If she remained focused on Louisa and Leroy’s future—their welfare—surely God would bless her and Asa as they became man and wife.

* * *

Thursday evening, Asa gazed around the large front room of the house, which was filled with pew benches for the wedding, and let out a satisfied sigh. Everything was ready for the wedding tomorrow.

Because Ascension Day was a holiday, the Witmers had closed the café Wednesday evening to prepare for the wedding meal. They had set up more tables in the Grill N Skillet and cooked up a feast of grilled meats and side dishes, along with the traditional creamed celery and chicken and stuffing “roast” served at most Amish weddings. The neighbor ladies had baked an incredible number of pies, and Miriam Hooley’s wedding cake stood proudly on the wedding party’s
eck
table, lightly covered with cheesecloth to keep it fresh.

When Asa and Edith had gone in to give the Witmers their final approval this morning, Edith had looked thrilled about the white tablecloths and nicely arranged tables in the café. During the day she’d met his parents and a few other relatives who’d come to the Ascension Day picnic Bishop Tom and Nazareth had hosted, and they’d gotten along fine . . . even if his folks had remarked at how
quickly
the relationship had bloomed. Although they’d been too polite to ask, Asa had assured them that this was by no means a shotgun wedding.

Will’s
mamm,
Marian Gingerich, had come to Willow Ridge with his two older brothers, Homer and Harvey, and they seemed pleased that Will was farming here and getting a fresh start. Molly’s parents, Orva and Ruth Ropp, had shown up, as well—which had startled Will, because he hadn’t invited them. Bishop Vernon Gingerich had graciously asked the Ropps to sit with him and Jerusalem at the picnic. They had exclaimed over how plump and perky the twins were, so Asa sensed a spirit of goodwill had been maintained despite the situation’s initial awkwardness. Once again Asa had witnessed Willow Ridge’s generosity at work, because all of these out-of-town guests were staying with the Hostetlers, Preacher Ben, the Brennemans, or Luke and Nora.

“So where are
you,
Drew?” Asa murmured as he glanced out the front window of the quiet house. Dusk was falling, and the picnic crowd across the road was breaking up. He had assumed his brother would escort their parents to town, but Drew still hadn’t made an appearance.

Climbing the stairs, Asa reminded himself that his brother had never been one to follow other people’s schedules—or to mix and mingle in a crowd of strangers. Drew would introduce himself to Willow Ridge on his own terms, and he was looking forward to being a side-sitter, so Asa stopped wondering about him.

He gazed at the antique bedroom set he’d moved into the large back bedroom Edith had chosen to be theirs. He’d bought the set at an estate sale a while back because the curved lines of the tall headboard, and the way it came around both sides of the bed to form small night tables, had intrigued him. The auctioneer had raved over the Art Nouveau style—not that Asa had cared what era the furniture dated back to.

As he studied the bed, the low dresser with its round mirror, and the matching armoire, he knew every hour he’d poured into refinishing the set this past week had been worth his effort. Rosalyn had made up the bed with a set of sheets she’d embroidered. A quilt from Edith’s hope chest topped the bed, and two of Loretta’s colorful rugs graced the floor on either side of it. As his wedding gift, Drew had replaced the caned seat of a bentwood rocker that fit nicely into the room. Asa could imagine Edith’s contented smile as she rocked Leroy and Louisa. . . .

He planned to provide furniture for the twins soon, so Edith could return all the items the neighbors had loaned her. And then there was an empty front room to furnish, and a couple of spare bedrooms—

To everything there is a season,
Asa reminded himself as he went back downstairs. Adam Wagler had removed the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, creating a space that now showcased the oak hutch and allowed the table to be extended to its full size. Asa ran his finger along the flawless tabletop, smiling. He’d centered the table in the kitchen with six chairs around it, but he dreamed of the family dinners that would fill this clean, airy room with laughter and happy voices.

Edith was so right: the kitchen table was the soul of a home, where individual members became a family. And tomorrow morning at the wedding, that dream would come true.

Whistling a tune, Asa left the house and strolled toward the shop. He’d slept in the apartment above it the previous evening and had decided to spend his final night as a bachelor there, as well. Velvety darkness was settling over the countryside. The folks at Bishop Tom’s picnic had gone home, and the long tables in his yard had been put away. A peaceful hush surrounded Asa as he continued down the long lane. As he approached the other end of the shop building, he noticed the glow of a lamp in one of the windows in the apartment.

He closed the entrance door behind him and started up the stairs. “That you, Drew?” he called out.