Mother For His Children, A (15 page)

 

Chapter Fifteen

S
am bounced from one foot to the other on the train platform in Shipshewana, jumping in and out of the shadow cast by the overhanging roof in a game to beat the dripping water from the roof.

“It would be warmer inside, Ruth. Do you want to wait there?”

Ruthy shivered as she pulled her cape more closely around her, but shook her head. “I'm too anxious to see them. Out here I'll be able to hear the train even before we can see it.”

Levi laughed. “
Ja,
for sure you're anxious to see your
mam
and
dat.
You've been away for nearly three months.”

“And they're anxious to meet you and the children, too.” Ruthy turned to look at Levi. Ever since they had agreed to marry, he had changed. He was more relaxed, his eyes sparkled more. In the evenings he told the children stories so funny he would set them all to laughing so hard the little ones would end up sitting helpless on the floor.

But other times she would catch him looking at her with an unfathomable, sad look in his eyes. Was he haunted by his wife's memory as they prepared for their wedding? Or was he sorry he didn't withdraw his proposal before it was too late?

He had that look in his eyes now as he watched her. The early spring sunshine turned his beard to reddish gold, framing his sad smile. “Do you think they'll like me, Ruth? They won't think the less of me for keeping you here so far from them?”

“
Ja,
for sure they'll like you, Levi Zook. Who wouldn't?”

“Do you like me, Ruth Mummert?” His voice was soft, the words meant only for her.

She smiled at him and laid her hand on his arm. “I wouldn't be marrying you if I didn't, now, would I?”

Levi laid his hand over hers, the wistful look on his face disappearing. “I hope you'll always like me.”

“There's the train!” Sam's shrill voice was drowned out by people from the waiting room crowding onto the platform.

The steam engine rolled past the station, hissing loud bursts of steam, the wheels squealing as brakes took hold. The mail car went by, and then the passenger cars rolled to a stop. Ruthy searched the windows for
Mam,
knowing
Daed
would keep her sitting until the train came to a complete halt.

Sam grabbed Ruthy's hand. “Do you see them? Where are they?”

“Be patient, Sam.” Finally, she saw
Mam
in the last car. Ruthy waved to her and rushed to the door where the conductor was lowering the steps for the passengers. She kept Sam's hand in hers as Levi followed.

Mam's
face beneath her bonnet hadn't changed at all, and
Daed
loomed over her tiny frame as always, carrying their bag in one hand. Ruthy melted into
Mam's
arms.

“It's so good to see you.”

Mam
patted her back as she held her. “It's hard to believe it's only been three months since you left.” She pushed back to look up at Ruthy. “You look good, daughter. They must be treating you well here.”

“
Ja,
they are.” Sam tugged at Ruthy's shawl and she put her arm around his shoulders. “This is Levi Zook and his son, Sam.”

Daed
shook Levi's hand, measuring him with his look. “It's good to meet you. We were surprised to get Ruthy's letter telling us about the wedding.”

“It's good to meet you, Ezekiel.” Levi looked toward Ruthy, still holding
Mam's
arm. “I'm glad you were both able to come.”

Daed's
eyebrows raised above his glasses. “I hope you aren't rushing into all this too quickly.”

Levi glanced at Ruthy, and she rushed to head off
Daed's
questions. “We can talk about that later
.
Let's get home. Waneta will have dinner all ready for us.”

While
Daed
sat in the front of the buggy with Levi, Sam wiggled in between Ruthy and
Mam
.

“When Ruthy marries
Dat,
you'll be my
grossmutti
,
ja?
” He grinned at
Mam,
waiting for her answer.

Mam
glanced at Ruthy over the boy's head, and then put her arm around his shoulders. “
Ja,
I'll be your
grossmutti.
”

“I've never had a
grossmutti
before.”

Mam
laughed. “I hope I'll be a good one for you.”

“
Ja,
Johnny Lapp says they make the best cookies.”

When they reached the farm, Ruthy took
Mam
and
Daed
inside the house while Levi and Sam took care of Champ and the buggy. As Ruthy hung her bonnet from the hook on the back porch,
Mam
took her by the shoulders and spun her around.

“Ruth Mummert, what have you done to your
kapp?
”

Ruthy reached her hand up to make sure the pins were in place. “It's the kind they wear here,
Mam
. Waneta helped me make new ones.”

Mam
shook her head at the difference, but Ruthy had become so used to the Indiana style, she didn't notice it anymore. Still, she thought as she followed
Mam
into the kitchen, the Lancaster County
kapps
looked so soft and homey. Just the sight of the heart-shaped
kapp
covering
Mam's
gray hair brought back the pangs of homesickness she thought she had conquered.

The kitchen met
Mam's
approval, Ruthy saw. Waneta had a late dinner well in hand, with the table already set and a ham coming out of the oven. After introducing them, Ruthy led the way through the front room to the spare bedroom at the front of the house.

“I hope this room will be good for you.”

Daed
put the satchel on the floor and walked over to the window.
“Ach, ja,”
he said. “I'm surprised Levi had an extra room for us, as large as his family is.”

“This room has always been for guests.” Ruthy smoothed the quilt she had stretched out on the bed that morning, remembering Jack, their last guest. “But you could have Levi's bedroom if you think this one might be too chilly. He's made himself a place in the barn until after the wedding. Bishop thought it would be best.”

Daed
gave her one of his measured looks while
Mam
sat on the bed and took Ruthy's hand. “Before any more time passes, we need to know why you and Levi have hurried this wedding so much. You can hardly know each other.” She pulled Ruthy down to sit on the bed next to her. “Elam broke your heart, I know that. Is that why you're marrying Levi? To run from Elam? Or is there another reason?”

Ruthy looked from
Mam's
worried face to
Daed's
frown. She had always been able to share everything with them, but would they understand the reasons she couldn't fathom?

“I know you're worried that something inappropriate has happened, but it hasn't.”
Mam
squeezed her hand, but let her continue. “After Elam, I didn't think I'd ever marry. Sometimes God calls women to be single, doesn't He?”
Mam
nodded and
Daed
turned to look out the window as he listened. “The church—the deacons and Bishop Yoder—thought it was unsuitable for me to live here with Levi without being married, even though I live in the
Dawdi Haus.
”

Daed
turned to her. “You must have given them some reason to think there might be a problem with it.”

Ruthy felt her face heat as she remembered the day Deacon Beachey had found them embracing in the barn. “
Ne,
not really. It was more because we are both the right age to marry, and because, well, we like each other.” She glanced at her parents' unsettled faces. “Like brother and sister, not in any way that could be wrong...”

“And there are impressionable children to consider,”
Mam
said.

Daed
clasped his hands behind his back and rocked from his heels to his toes. “So, I think I see what's happened. You're living in the
Dawdi Haus
and Levi is living in the barn. Meanwhile, he has ten children who need a mother and he wants to live in his house again, so he asked you to marry him.”

Ruthy nodded. “
Ja,
that's part of it.”

“You've been counseled on this by the bishop?”

“
Ja, Daed.
Both Levi and I have talked with him.”

Mam
squeezed her hand again. “Do you love him, daughter?”

Ruthy hesitated. She thought she did, but was it right to love a man who would never love her back? “
Ja, Mam,
I do. It isn't the same as with Elam. Levi is a good, honorable man who loves his children and would do anything for them. I know we'll have a good marriage.”

Daed
smiled as he patted her shoulder. “That's good enough for me, then. Some marriages have started out with less than what you have. We're just glad he hasn't taken advantage of you in some way.”

“You never have to worry about that with Levi.”

“And the children?”
Mam's
worried look hadn't left her face yet. “Are you ready to be a mother to ten children who aren't your own?”

This question Ruthy could answer without hesitating. “I already love them so much.” She looked down at
Mam's
hand holding hers.
Mam
had lost so many babies before Ruthy was born, but always said she was content with the four God had spared to them. “You know every child is a blessing from the Lord.”
Mam
nodded, her eyes moist. “God has given me ten
wonderful-gut
children to raise. See how He has blessed me already?”

Mam
leaned over to gather Ruthy into a hug. “We had better get out to the kitchen and help Waneta with dinner.”

* * *

With only five days before the wedding, and one of those a Sunday, Ruthy,
Mam
and Waneta worked hard to prepare all the food needed for the celebration.

“We're only expecting about two hundred guests, since it's winter. Levi's sister from Iowa won't be able to come, but his sisters from Shipshewana and Middlebury won't have any trouble making the trip.” Ruthy put the last cookie sheet full of snickerdoodles in the oven.

“It's the same with your brothers. They couldn't leave the dairy farm to make the trip.”
Mam
packed cooled cookies in boxes to store in the cellar until Tuesday.

“How many brothers do you have, Ruthy?” asked Waneta.

“I have three, and all of them are older than me. They're all married and have families.
Mam
has fifteen grandchildren back in Bird-in-Hand.”

Mam
smiled at Waneta. “And by next Tuesday, I'll have ten more.”

Waneta smiled back. “And tomorrow the women are coming to help clean the house. That will be fun.”

“Are you sure you aren't just looking forward to the young men who are coming to help get the barn ready to shelter the extra horses?” Levi had told Ruthy that Reuben was planning to help out on Saturday.

Waneta blushed. “I don't know what you mean.”

Mam
and Ruthy both laughed.

“Waneta, if you can finish up the cookies, I have something I want to show Ruthy.”

“For sure, I can.”

“What is it?” Ruthy asked as she followed
Mam
to the front bedroom.

“Shhh...”
Mam
closed the door behind them and lifted a large box with rope handles onto the bed. Ruthy had been curious about that box ever since they picked up
Mam
and
Daed
at the train station yesterday.

“When you and Elam started courting,”
Mam
said as she worked at the knots in the rope, “I made a wedding quilt for you.” She opened the box to reveal a beautiful red-and-white mariner's compass quilt.

“Ach, Mam...”
Ruthy's eyes filled with tears. Such a beautiful quilt for her and Elam? What would she ever do with it now?

Mam
lifted the quilt out of the box and set it on the bed. In the bottom of the box was another quilt, the same pattern, worked in blue and white.

“After Elam and Laurette...well, I just couldn't give you that quilt, so I started another one.” She lifted the blue-and-white quilt out of the box and unfolded it on the bed.

Ruthy stepped forward to finger the beautiful quilt. Every stitch done with loving care by
Mam
and the ladies of her church in Bird-in-Hand. Her eyes filled with tears.

“This one is for you and Levi, although when I started it I had no idea what your husband's name might be.” She folded the edge back and picked up the red quilt again. “When you said in your letter that Waneta had someone special, I thought you might want this quilt to put aside for her wedding someday.”

“That's a
wonderful-gut
idea. Waneta will love it.”

“And when I get home I'll start on quilts for all those other grandchildren you're giving me.”

“
Ja,
I'm sure Elias won't wait too long before he's married, too.”

Ruthy helped
Mam
fold the quilts again, putting the red one in the bottom of the box. She could imagine Waneta's face when she surprised her with it someday.

“I wanted to talk to you about something else while we were alone.”

“Ja?”

“It's Laurette.”

Ruthy retied the rope on the box and pulled the knot tight. “What about Laurette?”