Chapter Two

 

 

Pointing at the ground, Emma said, “Do not step on that dandelion.” She paused while Hal bent over to cut under the leaves.

As Hal dropped the plant in the bucket, she gave Emma a tentative look. “Well?”

Emma met that look. “No, that is not it.”

“I have so many questions I need answered. I feel as if I’m being kept in the dark. I don’t understand why John hasn’t discussed what’s going to happen next. I’m worried that he has decided I’ll never fit in. Are you sure he’s not changing his mind?” Hal asked matter of factly.

“Hallie, that is not it. You must never think that,” Emma scolded. “He has not given the wedding much thought, because he knows there is a lot of time yet. Much has to be done before the wedding.”

Hal wasn’t so sure time was John’s reason. How could Emma know for sure how her father felt. No matter what the reasons for delaying the wedding, she didn’t like the sound of Emma’s statement. “A lot of time? How much time?”

“Several months. Most weddings usually take place in November.”

Hal gave Emma a sharp look. “November! Why so far off?”

“Weddings are in November or December on Tuesday or Thursday. That is the choice of days to get married for couples that are marrying for the first time,” Emma explained.

“I want to be a part of this family now. Aren’t there any exceptions to the rule since your father has been married once before?” Hal asked in an exasperated tone.

“Do not get upset. Since my father has been married before, he will be allowed to remarry when he wants to. Everyone realizes a man with children needs a woman in the home. There is no need to wait.” She paused then added, “When the wedding will be depends on how soon you can learn our Deitche language and our customs. You must do that before you talk to our bishop. He will have the final say about you converting to Amish.”

“Okay, I get it, but you don’t have a church. Where will the wedding take place?”

Emma bent to cut a plant. “Usually at the bride’s parents home.”

“I don’t have Amish parents.”

Looking about her feet, Emma said calmly as if placating a child, “We will have the wedding here.”

Forgetting about salad greens, Hal walked in front of the girl to get her attention, intent on finding answers to all her worries. “What about a wedding dress? Shouldn’t I be shopping for that soon?”

“Yes. For the material so you can make it,” Emma said with patience in her voice.

“This is terrible. I have to make the dress! I can’t sew,” Hal said, her frustration mounting. Emma giggled and hugged Hal. “We have a saying. Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but does not get you anywhere. This wedding will be done like all Amish weddings, and it will happen. I can teach you how to sew. We can work on the dress together.”

“But I don’t know where to find white material,” groaned Hal.

“Blue.”

Sighing, Hal looked at the girl sideways as she asked slowly, “Blue what?”

“The wedding dress is always blue.”

“Okay, I don’t know where to find blue material or how much to buy.”

Emma giggled.

Hal rolled her eyes skyward even though she realized the girl couldn’t help it. Seeing Amish ways through Hal’s befuddled eyes amused Emma. At the moment, Hal couldn’t find any humor in this conversation. She had to try to look at life with the glass half full like she thought Amish people did. Maybe that would happen someday after she’d lived a long life with John. Hopefully by then, she would be used to Amish customs and beliefs. She could only hope she’d be able to look back and find this conversation as funny as Emma did now. “We need to go get the material soon. I don’t care if all the formality seems a long way off to John. As slow a seamstress as I’ll be, I need a lot of time. I don’t even know where to start looking for blue material.”

Emma patted Hal’s arm, trying to sooth her ruffled nerves. “Bloomfield has a cloth store that stocks material for Plain customers. That is where I get the material for our clothes. I will be glad to help you pick what you need. Now we better finish picking leaves for the salad. Before you know it, it will be time to fix supper.”

“Your father has asked me to go for a walk with him after supper,” said Hal excitedly.

“Good. Talk to Dad about the wedding,” Emma said. “Mind coming with me to cut winter onions for the salad? The onion patch is by the field fence behind the chicken house.”

“Onions come up on their own?”

“Yes. That is how they get the name winter onion. A green onion that dies down in the fall and comes up in early spring. Wild onions in the timber do in a pinch, but they are never as mild as winter onions. The blades are tiny. Takes time to clean them and more of them to cook with.”

“You are so full of knowledge about such things. If I am to be a good cook, I need to know all that you know,” Hal said sincerely.

“Teaching you to cook is not so important. I can do that task for the family. You have other things that are more important to learn right now. We need to start your Deitche lessons right away.”

While Emma prepared the dandelion salad, Hal helped so she’d know how it was done. The girl placed six slices of bacon in an iron skillet near the front of the wood cookstove. Toward the back, she had a skillet of sliced potatoes and a skillet of pork chops frying. Another small pan held two eggs in boiling water. She popped the lid off a jar of green beans. As soon as she had the beans simmering, the bacon was done. Emma placed the strips on a plate to cool and poured the bacon grease in the green bean pot for seasoning.

She instructed Hal to wash and chop the dandelion leaves into small pieces. After that Hal chopped up the green onions and bacon to add to the bowl.

When Emma put ingredients for the dressing into the skillet she’d fried the bacon in, Hal said, “Tell me what you’re putting in.”

“First cream and butter. While the butter melts, I need to beat an egg in a bowl, add salt, pepper, vinegar, sugar and flour. When I have that all mixed together, I pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir until the dressing thickens.”

“That’s it? You pour that over the salad.”

Emma stirred the pot. “I like to let the dressing cool for a few moments so it does not wilt the dandelions too much. The last thing we do before we place the salad on the table is chop up the two boiled eggs into it. After that, we can add the dressing.”

“I can’t wait to try it.”

After supper, John rose from the table. He looked directly at Hal. “Emma, think you can do the dishes alone? I want to go for a walk with Hal.”

“Can we come?” Daniel shouted. His wide brown eyes filled with excitement.

Serious-faced Noah, his dark eyes shining, slid out of his chair, ready to sprint for the door.

“Noah and you have homework to do,” Emma reminded Daniel. “You should get at it.”

The boys slumped back into their chairs. John ruffled Daniel’s brown bowl cut hair, still concentrating on Hal. “Not this time, boys. I want to talk to Hal alone.”

When they stepped off the porch, Hal shivered as the night air hit her. She paused long enough to pull her denim jacket closed and zip it. Gazing up at the maze of glittering stars, she thought about pinching herself to see if she was awake. She was that happy. She’d never imagine a time she’d feel like this. Not before she met John anyway. Now if only, she knew what was ahead of her so she could stop worrying about this new life she was about to start. Her concerns weren’t newlywed worries about money, housing and getting along with the in-laws. She had to learn to speak Pennsylvania Dutch, figure out what was the best way to act around Plain people, what to expect from them and how to pass a bishop’s test.

The large barn loomed out of the darkness, casting a moonlit shadow over them as they walked across the yard. Hal breathed in the fresh night air. “This is a lovely night.”

John agreed, “Yes, it is that. We got plenty of light from that half moon.”

“My father would say this is a night to track rabbits in the snow or hunt coon when it is this light out.”

Sauntering along beside her, John looked off in the distance. “Is your dad a hunter?”

Hal hesitated. Should she answer truthfully about her father owning a gun and killing animals? “I’m afraid so.”

“You need not worry about what I will think of your family. Parents that raised you have to be good people,” John complimented. “Besides I am sure your dad uses the animals he kills for food.”

Hal smiled in relief. “Yes, he does.” At least, John had it half right. They ate the rabbits. Now the coons were another story, but she wasn’t going to mention that unless John did first.

John held his hand out. “Give me your hand, Hal.”

“I’m doing fine. This ground is so familiar to me I could walk this farm blindfolded,” Hal assured him.

He stopped. “Hal, I just wanted to hold your hand.”

With a girlish giggle, Hal said, “In that case, here it is.”

As they walked along close together, John replied, “So you know my farm well enough you could walk it blindfolded.” Hal heard humor in his voice.

She closed her eyes. “Of course, I can. Listen. Hear the sows grunting softly in their sleep.” She leaned her head toward the pig pen. “On the other side and just behind us is the barn. I know because the horses are nickering. They hear our voices.”

“Wonderful good,” John said, squeezing her hand.

“Listen to the peepers? That’s a good sign that spring is here.”

John paused to listen. “This is true if this is the third time.”

Hal opened her eyes to look at him. “Third time?”

“When you hear the peepers twice and each time they are frozen back, the third time spring will be here to stay,” John explained.

Hal studied John’s profile in the moonlight. “I sure hope this is the third time. Where are we going?”

“Just over that rise in the hayfield so the three pair of eyes peeking out the window cannot see us in the dark,” John said, chuckling.

“They wouldn’t do that, would they?”

“Yes. They would,” he assured her sincerely.

Once they made it to the end of the lane between the field and pasture, John turned loose of her hand. “We can sit down now.”

Hal plopped down. She caught a whiff of the clover and alfalfa plants she crushed under her. John eased down beside her.

“Listen now,” he said softly.

“To what?”

“Silence. We are alone. No children after our attention,” he whispered.

“Oh, but I like having your kids want my attention,” Hal declared, scooting close to him so she could lay her head on his shoulder.

John put his arm around her. “So do I, but do you realize we never get to spend any time by ourselves?”

Hal looked up at him. “We should try to make time, shouldn’t we?”

John put his hands on her face and kissed her gently. “Yes,” he said in a husky voice. “I have been thinking. Finding time alone would be easier to come by if you move into my house.”

“I couldn’t do that,” Hal stated tersely.

Taken back by her adamant reply, John asked, “Why not?”

“It’s going to be hard enough to get the Amish community to accept me once we are married. It would be twice as hard and maybe not at all if I break a rule like living with you in sin. On top of that, my parents would see it the same way and be mad at us.” Hal hoped she could make John understand. She was determined. She had waited this long to marry, and she wanted to do everything the right way.

“Looks like we would both have a problem. I do not want your parents upset with me and you any more than you want to be disliked by Plain people. We could say you are living in the spare bedroom so you will be close to the clinic,” John suggested.

Hal was ready to change the subject. Since John brought up marriage, she decided this was the moment she had been waiting for to clear up a few things. “You have taken the time to give this a lot of thought I see. Have you given as much thought to our wedding? Because I’ve been wondering about it.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Why we haven’t talked about it? I’ve been afraid maybe you’re having second thoughts about marrying me. Perhaps, you think the Amish people won’t accept me, or that I’d never fit in. Maybe you want everything to stay as it is right now. In that case, there would be no need for a wedding,” rushed out of Hal’s mouth.

“Never think that. That is not so. You will fit in. You already do with my family,” John said, giving her a light kiss. “You worry too much to yourself. Instead of keeping your thoughts in, you should talk to me about the things that worry you.”

Hal tried to look into John’s chocolate brown eyes but with his back to the moon, they were as dark as the night. “That’s what Emma told me, but why do we have to wait? Emma tells me we can’t get married for several months yet.”

“That is so. You must use the time to let us teach you about the Amish ways. Bishop has to talk to you before he makes his decision. You need to be prepared if you are to convince him you are serious about being a part of my family and converting to our church community. I do not want to wait any longer than you do so move in with us now,” he insisted softly.

“Do you know how hard that would be for the both of us with me sleeping in the spare room by myself and you in your bedroom?” Hal declared.

“I did not plan on you sleeping there,” John whispered.

“Oh,” she uttered. Hal gave that a moment’s thought. “Oh, no, we can’t do that, John.”

“Why not?” Exasperation was clearly in his voice.

“For one thing, think of the children. What kind of an example does that set for them? They would be bound to catch on,” she said firmly.

John ran his fingers through his shock of brown hair. “I guess you are right.”

“We have sayings in my family, too,” Hal said.

John asked dryly, “What is it?”

“Do you want to hear this one or not?”

“Yes.”

“My father said when I started dating that I should tell the boys that there couldn’t be any sampling of the milk before they bought the cow,” Hal warned him.

John took a deep breath and conceded, “Your father was right to instruct his daughter that way. I will be sure to say the same thing to Emma one of these days.”

“I took my father’s advice to heart.” She tried to look into John’s soulful dark eyes. Hearing the woeful sound in his voice, she hoped that she was taking the right stance. “Believe me. For the first time in my life, I wish I wasn’t still listening to my father’s advice. I want so badly to be with you.”

John tried to convince her again. “Move into the spare bedroom anyway and sleep there. At least, you would not have to make the trip into town every night. We can go from there. A step at a time.”

“There is one other matter. What if we took one step too many, and I became pregnant? How would that look to the bishop?”

“What you are saying is true.” John ran his fingers through his shock of hair. He was running out of arguments.

Hal shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I could get a prescription for birth control pills.”

John’s jaws dropped.

Hal said softly, “Not exactly the Amish way, is it?”

“No.” He said quickly. Trying to be honest with her, he admitted, “I want to have children with you. Plain people have never disagreed with English taking birth control. We do not practice it, because we like large families.”

“I want children too but only after we are married,” Hal chided.

“That means we will just have to make do with waiting until after we marry whether we like it or not.” He surveyed her with an intensity she wasn’t sure she wanted to read.

“I guess so. When will I meet the bishop?” Hal asked.

“You already have.”

“I – I have?” She sputtered.

“Yes, Eldon Bontrager is our bishop.”

Hal’s eyes widened. “Oh, my. That’s one of the men that’s helping build the clinic, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“But I like him. He seems like such a nice man.”

John chuckled. “Yes. How did you expect our bishop to be?”

“I thought a bishop would be strict and serious. He’d be hard to convince that I want to be your wife and part of your way of life,” Hal answered truthfully.

“Just because he is a good friend, does not mean he does not take his duties as bishop serious even where I am concerned. He will be all of that you said and more when he talks to you about converting. He has to be sure you will fit in and mean to stay Amish. If he does not do his job the way he sees fit, he will have many Plain people unhappy with his decision to let you join. You have to prove yourself to the bishop and again to Plain people,” John said seriously.

“I hoped my efforts to run the clinic would go a long way toward proving that I want to share this way of life with you and the Amish community,” Hal fretted.

“Yes. That will help.”

Hal put her hand over John’s. “Don’t you know I’d marry you tomorrow if you could arrange it?” Then she amended, “Well, maybe not quite that quick. We have to wait for my mom and dad to get here from Titonka in northern Iowa. Takes most of a day to drive here.”

John withdrew his hand and shifted nervously on the ground.

“What is it, John Lapp? I can’t ask my parents to my wedding?” Hal snapped.

“It just is not done. They are English. We never have English at weddings,” he croaked, patting his beard.

“John, have you ever been to a wedding where an English woman married an Amish man?” Hal asked pointedly.

He had to admit, “Never have. It so rarely happens. Plain people marry an English person after they leave the community.”

“So if the bride is English and wants to be Amish, it stands to reason she could have a few English relatives and a few friends at her wedding. Don’t you think?” Hal reasoned. “The groom has family and friends present, doesn’t he?”

John groaned. “Yes, my two brothers and two sisters and their families and everyone from the community will be invited to ours.” He gave a resigned sigh. “If this is what you want I will bring it up to the bishop.” Hal perked up. John held up a hand to stop her from speaking. “Once he has agreed to your confirmation. It might be best not to bring this matter up right away. We must get through one thing at a time and take things as they come.”