Called to Order (38 page)

They slowly walked across the meadow toward the new house. It was magnificent, white siding with black shutters and a large wraparound porch. It was everything Adam had said it would be. The gift of such a home was so humbling, Anna no longer had to fight her giggles. She now had to do battle against the tears prickling her eyes.

She declared herself hopeless as they climbed the front porch and saw all the guests awaiting them from the inside. It was not the guests who broke her resolve, it was the moment the singing voices stopped and Gracie stepped forward and began to sing “In
My Life”
by The Beatles. The tune was one that Anna had never heard the song sung to, but the lyrics were still the same.

Adam held her arm as tears blurred the faces of others looking upon them. Gracie’s angelic voice echoed through the house, pulling Adam and Annalise closer to their future. Women cried while men frowned at the unfamiliar lyrics. Anna gave a watery chuckle imagining what Gracie would sing after discovering Anna’s radio. When they reached the simple table set up as an altar, Gracie finished on a note that went right to Anna’s soul. What a priceless wedding gift.

As Grace took her seat, a tall man with a darker complexion stood and gave her a severe look. “Thank you, Grace,” he said in a heavily accented baritone that did not sound the least bit appreciative. Gracie smiled proudly as if undeterred by this man’s displeasure. This must be the infamous Bishop Eleazar King. He turned and faced Anna.

“What is your full name child?”

She swallowed and cleared the tears from her throat. “Annalise Erin Snow.”

“And are you here of your own free will, Annalise Erin Snow?”

“I am.”

“You have agreed to bond with Adam Hartzler as God has charged you?”

The word
charged
made Anna stiffen. “I have agreed to bond with Adam because I love him.”

The bishop gave a sardonic nod and stated, “Today we shall celebrate the union of Annalise Erin Snow and Adam Hartzler.” He then went into a sermon and a reading from the Bible.

“
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in the manner of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience bearing with one another in love eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit—just as you were called to the one that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gifts. Therefore it says: ‘When he ascends on high he led a host of captives and he gave gifts to men.’”

It had not occurred to Anna until that very moment how much she was truly entrusting Adam with as her husband. According to these people, he would own her mind, body, and soul. He had told her that the politics of husband and wife were vague and differed from couple to couple among the farm. Anna had been appalled by what she learned of Larissa’s marriage, yet Jonas and Abilene seemed so incredibly loving and gentle with one and other. She mentally pinched herself and reminded herself that Adam was as kind and gentle as his father, and he would never abuse Anna’s trust.

She focused back on what Bishop Eleazar was reading from the Bible. Maybe it was time for someone to update the old book. She didn’t think the old, crotchety bishop would agree. As if hearing her thoughts, the bishop paused in his reading and gave her a sharp condemning look.
Oh shit…shoot!
He probably was.

He turned and gave Adam a withering look as well, then said, “As I was saying, ‘
It is a wife’s duty to submit to her husband, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church, his body is itself the savior.’”

Turning back to Anna, Bishop Eleazar asked sternly, “Annalise Erin, do you promise to honor and obey Adam as your husband?”

“I do.”

“Adam, do you promise to selflessly and sacrificially love Anna as your wife?”

“I do.”

Anna looked back at the bishop and waited for him to ask some equivocal promise of Adam that he had demanded of her, but none came. She was to honor her husband and obey him in everything while he was simply asked to make the
sacrifice
of loving her. What. Ever.

There were a few more prayers and readings, each one a little more medieval sounding than the last, and then the ceremony was over. Anna waited for a ring to be placed on her finger or at least for the bishop to instruct Adam to kiss his bride, but no such thing happened. At some point during the long droning of Bishop El’hardy’har’har the crowd just seemed to accept she and Adam as a married couple. When the lengthy readings and prayers came to an end, the women cried, and the men cheered and Anna was Mrs. Adam Hartzler for the rest of eternity.

After that, things only became weirder. Benches were moved and tables carried in. Anna was told by Adam who had finally kissed her and called her wife that they were to host a game referred to as “Going to the Table.” Apparently it was an Amish tradition involving the younger members of The Order.

The house cleared out as the married women began to serve food. The stench of celery was so potent, Anna was grateful the house was not yet furnished. It would have taken a hundred years to remove the smell from the upholstery. There was chicken stuffed with celery, pork and celery stew, celery with cream appetizers, creamed celery soup! Anna was more than relieved when Adam pulled her out to the barn to explain the rules of the table game to her.

“How can you stand the smell of the celery in there?” she asked as soon as they were somewhat alone.

He sniffed. “I suppose it is a bit strong. You are probably just a bit sensitive to it because of my blood.”

“What?”

“My blood will heighten the senses in a human. I’m surprised your ears are not bothering you as well.”

Now that he mentioned it, everything did seem a bit noisy. “Is this what it will be like when I change?”

“At first, but you will adjust, and then it will not bother you. Are you ready to see the men?”

“Yeah. Tell me how the game works.”

“The younger members are split. The males are sent to the barn and the females to the bedrooms upstairs. It is our job to select men to visit the girls. If they like the girl they visit, they ask her to the table for supper.”

“Wait, is there going to be any funny business going on in our house?”

“Funny business?”

“Yeah, you know…” Anna made a gesture with her hands, poking one finger in and out of a circle made of her other fingers. “Fooling around?”

Adam laughed. “I suppose it depends on the couple.”

“Adam! How old are these kids?”

“Between the ages of sixteen and thirty. I assure you,
ainsicht,
it is a game played on every Amish farm at every wedding.”

“Aren’t you guys supposed to believe in chastity or something?”

He chuckled. “Is that what you thought I was doing all those times we made love, being chaste?”

“No, but…you were called. You had…needs.”

“Every breathing creature has needs, Anna. The English assume because we are old fashioned that we are Puritans. I assure you, we are not. We work long and hard, but with no televisions and telephones, what else is there to do on a farm? We are quite liberal with matters of the flesh.”

“Matters of the flesh, eh? Yup, sounds like you’re light-years ahead of the world.” She began walking toward the barn.

“Did you just make fun of me?”

“Yup.” She smiled and quickly ducked into the barn and froze. At least seventy beautiful, ageless vampire males stared back at her then broke out in cheers as Adam entered the barn.

* * * *

Eleazar made his excuses to Abilene and Jonas and wished the family luck in the evening to come. He sympathized with the young Adam. He had no doubt the male would have his work cut out for him with his new wife. The woman, although attractive, was not going to be a malleable bride.

He cut through the long line of parked carriages and found his own purposely parked at the far end of the field. He was three hundred and twenty six years old and had no desire to watch another called mate take his wife through the change. He had long ago resigned the weddings of males and females to the other elders on the council. It was only the marriages of the
called
mates that he officiated anymore, a rarity that only took place every few decades. Sometimes a calling never happened in a lifetime. He was proof of that. Besides, he had the business of the other Hartzler male to tend to.

He told himself that speaking to Cain was his purpose for taking an early leave, but there was a small part of his mind that declared him a liar. It was another Hartzler that had him fleeing. Aside from Ezekiel, he had never had much business with the Hartzler clan, but one celebration on their section of the land and he was ready to arrest them all.

As he drove to the safe house to see how Cain was adjusting, he thought not of the male but of Larissa. Her name was not of the Bible. He had never seen her before, yet she seemed so incredibly familiar to him. It was as if he knew exactly how soft her skin felt and how sweet her hair smelled. It was as if he had heard her voice before, but he could not recall where.

He had been so tired of late, as if he was not getting enough sleep. His bones ached, and he suffered bouts of headaches during the day. His equilibrium seemed off, and his stomach seemed to protest every thing he put into his belly. He was truly aging, if not on the outside, then on the inside. The bride was right. He was turning into a crotchety, old man.

* * * *

Larissa delivered a plate to Silus then headed back to the kitchen with the other married women. She saw Gracie mulling about. “What are you doing in here, Grace?”

“Shh, I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.”

“Well, you’re not doing a very good job at hiding. Come on. Get out of the pantry. You are supposed to be upstairs so you can get asked to join the table.”

“I do not want to play that
kintish
game.”

“You have to.”

“Why?”

“Because you are an eligible female. Now go before I tell the others you’re in here.”

Gracie left, and Larissa watched to make sure she did not return. After a few minutes of busying herself with spooning soup into bowls, she grabbed a dishtowel and headed out the back door.

There were women everywhere, each responsible for some matter of preparation while the men sat and ate their fill. No one would stop her from heading into her childhood home to change her apron at her brother’s wedding, so as she walked, she pretended to swipe her dishtowel over a stain that was not there. The more frustrated she appeared, the less likely anyone was of stopping her.

Her parents’ home was as silent as a graveyard. She moved quickly up the stairs and toward the middle bedroom. Baskets were set along the floor. She sorted through one filled with aprons, but did not find what she was looking for. It wasn’t until the last basket that she found what she needed, a white half dress and a petite sleeveless top in the color of lemons. She folded the items tightly and stuffed them under her apron then went out the back door of the house.

She moved through the shadows and clung close to the trees. She took a less direct route but did not want to chance being spotted. The sound of the festivities at this distance was a mere hum across the field beyond the stone wall. She was almost certain she was alone, but could not be completely sure. So she continued to slip through the shadows as silently as possible.

When she reached the far barn, she took a moment to catch her breath before sliding the great door open. The wooden planks rumbled loudly as they slid across the pulley. She moved a heavy boulder in front of the door to keep it from sliding closed like it always had when she was a girl.