Chapter Twenty-Seven
While every bride cherishes her wedding day, Sadie was struck by how different her wedding was from Belle’s, the last wedding she had attended.
For starters, as Frederick had told her and the bishop, his mother had insisted that the wedding be held at their house. Sadie suspected that Frederick had made the suggestion, and for that she was grateful. With all the harsh memories still fresh in her mind, it would have been much too difficult to host the wedding at her father’s house, despite the Amish tradition of the bride’s family hosting the ceremony and reception.
When the big day arrived, Sadie was so nervous, she could hardly focus on the sermon. Instead, she kept searching the crowd of men across the room, seeking Frederick out in the sea of hats. Once she spotted him, each time her eyes met his, she found that he, too, was watching her.
It was with a giddy sort of happiness that she finally stood up and walked to the front of the room once the bishop beckoned them forward to exchange their sacred vows.
And then, afterward, Frederick never left her side. Without doubt, he was the most attentive groom she had ever witnessed. And how fortunate that he was all hers!
When they sat at the corner table to enjoy their first meal as husband and wife and greet the many guests who approached them to give their blessings, Frederick reached beneath the table to hold her hand. The touch of his warm fingers laced through hers sent goose bumps up her arms and made her heart flutter. He caressed her hand while remaining considerate of all the people who approached the table to congratulate them.
Oh, how joyously happy Sadie Whitaker Keim was!
For hours their family and friends gathered together, the older people leaving in the midafternoon so that the younger ones could enjoy even more food and desserts before singing well into the evening. For Sadie, time passed far too quickly, although she found herself eager for the nighttime—she hadn’t spent one moment alone with Frederick all day.
By the time the last guest left, it was nearing ten o’clock. Frederick’s parents had already retired for the night and now Sadie stood alone in the center of the large living room, staring at the remains of what had been the happiest, and perhaps the longest, day of her life.
The room was empty of furniture with the exception of several pine benches that needed to be put away. Someone had pushed them to the side of the room near the staircase. But the floor was dirty and the counter was covered with dishes and plates, thankfully mostly already washed.
A door opened and shut. Sadie moved away from the sitting area and peered around the corner into the kitchen. Unlike her father’s small farmhouse, the Keims’ home was a bit more modern, with walls that folded and unfolded to accommodate large gatherings. Frederick had told her it was similar in style to the old houses lived in by the Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. However, because the house was old and had been retrofitted, when the walls were tucked away, the opening was not one large rectangular room. Instead, it was L-shaped.
Now, hidden by the corner of the wall, Sadie watched as Frederick removed his hat and set it on the counter. For a moment, he stood there, his hands on the Formica counter as he stared out the window into the darkness.
She wondered what he was thinking. Was he reflecting on the day as she had been just moments before he entered the house? Or was he thinking about the future and how different their lives would be now that they were married?
Quietly, Sadie slipped into the large kitchen and padded across the floor.
He turned as she neared.
“There’s my Sadie,” he said with a smile.
“And there’s my Frederick,” she teased back.
When she stopped and stood before him, he reached out his hand and brushed his finger along the side of her cheek. She shut her eyes and pressed her face against his touch.
“Tired?”
She nodded. She had awoken at five o’clock in the morning to help prepare for the day, although she wasn’t certain she had slept a wink the night before. She was too focused on the fact that, never again, would she call her father’s house her home. And she also couldn’t stop thinking about her father being alone without Rachel. Who would cook for him? Clean for him?
Of course, the bishop would eventually lift the Meidung from Rachel. What would happen then? Was it possible for her father to welcome Rachel back after what she had tried to do to his daughter? He’d have to do that, for she was his wife and the bishop would most likely counsel them. But could he ever really trust her again?
Her thoughts wandered until Frederick brought her back to the present.
“I imagine you are tired,” Frederick said, his voice barely heard in the quiet of the room. He glanced around. “I reckon the rest of this mess can wait for us until the morning.”
Sadie took a deep breath and surveyed the scene. The benches needed their legs folded and to be carried outside so that they could be put away in the church wagon. And the plates and glasses needed to be stored. Sadie also knew that she would help his mother wash all the floors before Frederick and his father moved the regular furniture back into the rooms and unfolded the walls so the living area was once again separated from the large kitchen.
Still, it wasn’t an overwhelming amount of work. It would free up their time in the afternoon to assess what work they needed to do in order to move into the smaller dawdihaus next door. And that was something Sadie was excited to do.
“It’s not too much of a mess,” Sadie said quietly. “The women were awful kind to stay and wash all of those dishes. I’ve seen kitchens left in a lot worse shape after a wedding celebration.”
Frederick gave a small laugh. “That’s one way to look at it.”
She stared up at him, her adoring eyes meeting his. “Overall, I’d say that it was a perfect day, wouldn’t you?”
“Indeed I would.”
“And your cousins came.” She had almost expected the Grimm brothers to back out of attending the celebration. She knew how uncomfortable they were with being watched by strangers. However, true to their promise, they had come to both the worship service and the celebration afterward. And true to her promise, Sadie sent them home with boxes filled with all of their favorite sweets.
At the mention of his cousins, Frederick snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot something.” He motioned for her to stay put and then he hurried over to his mother’s pantry. When he returned, he held a plain brown box. “I asked them to make this. A small wedding gift from me to you.”
Embarrassed, Sadie hesitated before reaching out to take the package from his hand. It was wrapped in plain brown paper but had a piece of red string around it that was tied in a bow on top.
“It’s heavy,” she commented as she took it from him.
“Open it.”
Carefully, she carried the box over to one of the long pine benches near the staircase and sat down. Placing the box on her lap, she carefully removed the string and unwrapped the paper, then lifted the top of the box and set it on the bench beside her. When she looked into the box, there was a piece of cloth covering something.
“What is it?” she asked.
Frederick chuckled, then took a seat beside her. He carefully removed the cloth and reached inside. For a moment, he struggled before lifting out a round piece of wood. It was easy to see that it was a cross section of a tree trunk, no more than two inches thick. On the one side it was unfinished and dry to the touch. But when Frederick turned it around, Sadie gasped.
Carved into the front was a beautiful scene. Trees lined the edge of a pond, their branches dipping toward the water. A rock jutted out along the water’s edge, and upon that rock sat a little bird, its beak lifted just enough so that it was clear the bird was singing. Just behind the bird, higher on the bank, was a beautiful deer, a six-point buck, which appeared to be standing guard over the little songbird.
She hadn’t expected a wedding gift from him.
“I . . . I have nothing to give in return.”
He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head, so that he was peering down into her face. “Oh, Sadie, don’t you know? You’ve given me the best gift.”
She blinked. “I have?”
He gave a soft, gentle laugh. “Ja, you have, Sadie. You’ve given me you.”
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks.
“And I vow to you that I will be the very best of husbands, loving my fraa as God loves us.” He leaned down and gently brushed his lips against her forehead. “I will forever be your loving and loyal husband, Sadie Keim.”
She shut her eyes, enjoying the feel of his soft lips as he kissed her. When she pressed her cheek against his shoulder, his arms tightened as he held her in a warm embrace. With a satisfied sigh, Sadie whispered, “And I will be your obedient and loving fraa, Frederick Keim.”
For a long moment, they stood like that, holding each other in the middle of the kitchen. She inhaled the strong, musky scent of her husband and knew that she would never forget this beautiful moment. God had guided her through some difficult and challenging times. But she had never lost faith in his love for her. Time had quickly proven that he rewarded the faithful with goodness and joy.