Miriam and the Stranger (24 page)

O
n Thursday of the following week, Miriam’s sister Shirley exchanged vows with Glen Weaver. The Yoders’s neighbor, Mrs. Faulkner and her husband, Charles, had been given front row seats as special guests. Miriam looked over from her position and watched as they nudged each other with big grins on their faces. They had so far taken in the three-hour service with a great show of interest and now were watching intently as with a soft smile Bishop Wagler pronounced, “In the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I now join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. They are one before the eyes of God and man and are to walk together through life until death parts them. And let no man ever separate what God has joined together today before these many witnesses.”

Shirley’s face glowed as she held Glen’s hand and gazed into his eyes. Bishop Wagler loudly cleared his throat, and Shirley let go of Glen’s hand to lower her gaze to the floor. Glen reached out
to give his new bride a quick squeeze on her arm before they both went back to their seats.

Miriam felt a rush of heat creep up her neck. Such a display of affection in public was unusual for an Amish wedding, but Shirley and Glen were an unusual couple. They had been through much and had grown to love each other deeply. Shirley adored Glen’s soft and kind ways, and he was taken with Shirley’s beauty and grace.

Mose gave Glen a tolerant smile after Glen sat down, but Mose’s stern look didn’t retreat too far. If Glen hadn’t been Mose’s
gut
friend, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Mose would have begged off from his duty as best man today. Mose’s ordination on Sunday had changed the man, but he had shown up this morning anyway. He had been a little grumpy, but he was there.

Earlier in the day, Glen’s hearty “
Gut
morning. I’m so glad you have graced us with your presence, Bishop,” had brought a momentary smile to Mose’s face.

Now a song was given out, and Shirley’s face glowed again as the congregation sang.

Miriam let her thoughts drift again. She hadn’t been able to please Mose all morning, especially after Mose noticed her dress. The color was a complementary dark blue that matched Shirley’s lighter blue wedding dress. But the color was not the problem. Shirley had made the dress and had missed the district’s
Ordnung
dress length by an inch or more.
Mamm
had noticed first, and they had all agreed that Shirley had made a mistake. But Shirley was out of material, and
Mamm
had assured them that weddings were special days and no one would mind. If some people said something—which they wouldn’t—
Mamm
would tell the truth. She’d say the family didn’t have the extra money to spend on dress material over a question of an inch or two in length.

Mose hadn’t said anything this morning about the dress, but
she knew what his thoughts were by his frequent stern glances. She was the only one of her family who knew about Mose’s view on the proper length of an Amish dress. No doubt Mose was disappointed that she was dressed today in a shorter dress than any Mose had ever seen her in.

But Mose should be happy on Shirley’s wedding day, Miriam told herself. Or at least act so for Glen’s sake, if not for Shirley’s. Glen was Mose’s
gut
friend. Mose shouldn’t worry about an inch or so of dress length. And why had Mose been so quick to see the discrepancy? The other men in the congregation hadn’t given her a second glance.

Even Bishop Wagler had greeted her with a smile. “Welcome back to Possum Valley, Miriam. I hope you can stay a little longer not so far in the future.”

Bishop Wagler had turned to wink at Mose, and Mose had managed a grin. But the stern look had soon returned. Of course Mose had a right to examine her—she was, after all, his promised one. Not because Mose had asked to marry her, but because he had pronounced a wedding date on his own. Mose must think he had the right to such things now that he was ordained a bishop.

Miriam pulled her concentration back to the present as the song came to an end. Glen and Shirley stood first and were followed by the others. Miriam fell in beside Mose as the wedding party headed for Mrs. Faulkner’s pole barn where the reception would be held.
Englisha
people weren’t usually involved in an Amish wedding, but
Daett
’s buildings were all too small for the reception. Mrs. Faulkner had offered the solution herself, and
Daett
surprisingly had accepted.

Miriam kept pace with Mose’s long strides. They walked a little behind Glen and Shirley, who gave each other constant loving glances and smiles. They also whispered in low tones, which elicited Shirley’s occasional giggle.

Mose hadn’t spoken to her since they left the ceremony, but she was to blame, Miriam told herself. What wicked thoughts she had entertained earlier about an ordained bishop. No wonder Mose was displeased with her, and he didn’t even know the half. She ought to apologize for the dress. The lack of funds in the Yoder household was no excuse. If she had asked Mrs. Faulkner for help, the woman would have driven her to Sugarcreek for more material. Mrs. Faulkner might even have taken the trip at no charge, and she could have paid for the dress material. Weren’t there matters in life more important than money? Things like your husband’s opinion? She should have connected Mose’s lecture to her on Sunday with this dress and done something about it. She still had much to learn about how to please the man and practice proper submission. An apology would be a start.

“I’m sorry about the dress,” Miriam whispered.

Mose didn’t look around. “So you knew about it then.”

There was no use to fudge. The truth was better. “
Yah
,” Miriam admitted. “
Mamm
saw it first, but Shirley was out of material, and we didn’t…”

“You don’t have to make excuses,” Mose cut her off. “There are always ways to do the right thing if a person wants to. I would have paid for the material myself rather than see you in…” Mose dropped his gaze down toward Miriam’s shoes for a moment “… that.”

A deep blush spread over Miriam’s face.

“I’m glad to see this thing shames you deeply,” Mose said. He appeared pleased for the first time today.

Relief flooded Miriam. She could do the right thing after all. She could apologize. Silence fell between them as the cooks came out of Mrs. Faulkner’s pole barn to see the wedding party arrive. Most of them wore aprons over their Sunday dresses and had huge
smiles on their faces. Shirley gave everyone little waves of her hand as they walked past.

Glen went further and hollered out, “Thanks for all the hard work. I know we haven’t eaten yet, so if I die from food poisoning I want to make sure you are properly thanked.”

The cooks laughed heartily. One of them called back, “I’ve got a special mixture of hemlock stirred up for you.”

Hilarity ensued, and even Mose joined in with a short laugh and said, “Spare me—that’s all I ask.”

That joke was a little self-centered, Miriam thought, but everyone chuckled.

“Thanks again,” Glen concluded, and led the way toward the corner where the wedding party would be seated.

Shirley had decorated the
eck
, as the Amish called it, the corner laid out with fruit arrangements and a hand-drawn picture of a sunrise over the words, “Where you go, I will go. Your God shall be my God, and Your people shall be my people.”

Mose read the words and grunted his approval. “That’s a
gut
verse. That’s the way the Lord has ordained things.
Yah!
We are meant to marry within the faith.”

“I agree,” Miriam said, but Mose didn’t answer. Instead he stared at Shirley’s fruit arrangements.

Noticing his gaze, Shirley asked, “Aren’t they lovely?”

Mose hesitated. “They’re okay, I guess. But worldliness often comes in through weddings first. So we cannot be too careful about the matter. Any display of the flesh is not pleasing to God.”

Shirley appeared stunned by the rebuke, but Glen didn’t seem bothered.

“Come on now, Mose,” Glen said, “surely you have some
gut
thing to say for us.”

Mose managed to smile. “I do give you both my blessing. You
are my
gut
friend, Glen, and you have found a
frau
in the Lord. I pray you will bring up many
kinner
in the fear of God and teach them to walk in His ways. May your paths be always blessed. And you, Shirley, may you be clothed with the glory of the Lord, and may you always remember that you are first a woman of the most high God and seek to walk humbly in His ways.”

Shirley turned all sorts of colors at the generous blessing, which neither she nor Glen had expected. Glen though, wasn’t at a loss for words.

“Thank you, Mose,” Glen said with a twinkle in his eye. “Or should say I ‘Bishop’? Those were words I will always treasure. And thanks for being my best man.”

“You’re welcome,” Mose responded. “I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity unless I was home in bed deathly ill. And thanks to you for the high recommendation on this woman.” Mose gave Miriam a quick glance. “Every word you uttered in her honor has been proved true and then some. She is blessed greatly by the Lord and will bring comfort and health to my old bones.”

Now Miriam was blushing.

Glen laughed. “You’re not that old, Mose. Come on. Today’s my wedding day. Let us be merry.”

“We must always walk in the fear of the Lord,” Mose replied.

But he did smile, Miriam noticed. Glen had a
gut
effect on his friend, but then maybe Mose had a kind heart down inside all that gruffness. Wasn’t that what she had told
Mamm
the other night? Now if she could only keep that truth in mind.

The wedding party quieted down as people began to pour into the barn. Most of them came past the corner table to congratulate Glen and Shirley and to give their marriage the traditional Amish blessing, “May you have a good beginning, a steadfast middle, and a blessed end.”

Mose leaned toward Miriam to whisper. “I think our wedding
date should be about this time next year. I like the weather for one thing, and the autumn breeze is still in the air.”

“Whatever you want,” Miriam whispered back. “I’ll tell
Mamm
before I leave for Oklahoma, and she can begin to plan.”

Mose appeared quite pleased. “Tell her not to make a large wedding. It wouldn’t be appropriate for a…” Mose didn’t finish. He meant to say bishop, Miriam was sure.

“We can plan the details once I’m back from schoolteaching,” Miriam said.

Mose continued, as if Miriam hadn’t said anything. “I don’t want all of these decorations that your sister has placed up. We can’t be too careful about the example we set for the community.”

Miriam drew in a sharp breath and voiced her concern. “Mose, my family seems to miss your high standards by a wide margin. Are you sure I’m the
frau
for you?”

Mose didn’t hesitate. “It’s a settled matter, Miriam. The Lord wills our union, and you need to walk with me in the way of righteousness.”

She might as well go for broke, Miriam figured, now that she had begun. “Shouldn’t we be wed in the early summer? Once I’m back from Oklahoma?”

Surprisingly, Mose looked pleased. “I appreciate your eagerness, Miriam, but this must be done in the Lord, and
yah
, I do need a
frau
around the house, but I also never had any
kinner
with Rachel. So that gives me more flexibility. I have a chance to set an example for others. In our case we must not give way to the desires of the flesh. We must wait, and there will still be a whole life ahead of us… if the Lord wills it.”

Miriam kept her head down, but still she protested. “I would feel better if I took up my duties as your
frau
once I returned from Oklahoma. People will wonder why we are waiting.”

“They will understand.” Mose didn’t back down an inch. “And
I won’t be bringing you home every Sunday evening once you’re back from Oklahoma. We’ve both dated before, and we’re past that stage. Things will appear more appropriate if we don’t hang around each other like love-struck teenagers.”

Miriam didn’t answer. What she thought apparently didn’t matter. If Mose didn’t want to act like a love-struck teenager, that was fine, but she didn’t want to wait around all next year when there was a task in front of her just to impress people who wouldn’t be impressed anyway. Widowers always married quickly. Did Mose expect to change that?

When Miriam didn’t say anything, Mose added, “And I will not be visiting again in Oklahoma. Letter writing is the Lord’s way of conducting a relationship under our circumstances. And it will be best if we are not around each other all the time.” Mose gave Miriam a quick glance. “When are you going back to Oklahoma?”

“Tomorrow morning, early. Mrs. Faulkner is taking me to the bus station.”

Mose nodded. “You’ll be back then in time for schoolteaching on Monday.”

“
Yah
, that’s the plan.” This was the first Mose had asked about her, but she wouldn’t allow bitterness to fill her heart.

“Then we have today yet.” Mose appeared pleased at that at least. “You are a woman of the Lord, Miriam,” he said.

“Thank you,” Miriam whispered. A cold chill tingled up her spine. She knew by now that Mose’s kind words didn’t lead anywhere. But she would have to learn patience. Maybe this was what the Lord wished to teach her by this experience. Her heart had much to learn—of that, she was certain.