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LORI WALL
Katie sighed as she watched her younger sister, Mary, rapped her fingers on the nightstand. In her other hand, she held her worn bible.
“Mary, please don’t tap your nails on the nightstand.”
“Sorry, Katie.” The young girl sighed, and held the bible in both hands now. She lowered it to look at her sister. “I’m bored.”
“I know it’s tough to be bedridden. As soon as your leg heals, you’ll be able to walk again.” The community doctor had told her that as soon as her leg had healed, and she could walk on her own, Mary would be able to take off and go on her rumspringa. She had been looking forward to it for a year; she wanted more education.
The entire community was sure that Mary would be the one who got lost before baptism. Katie had returned from hers the week before Mary’s leg was broken in a freak horse-riding accident. She had found many of the boys creepy and had almost been killed once because she was in what the locals deemed a ‘bad part’ of town.
At any rate, she had cut hers short by two weeks and returned home. She was to be baptized the next day, but with Mary’s leg, she had postponed her baptism.
“Willis comes home today.” Mary spoke up again. “You know, Mark’s Willis.” Katie looked up. “I hear he missed you.”
“Shush, Mary. You’re supposed to be reading.”
“You know I can’t read in bed.” Her sister sighed deeply. “If you’re so worried, read to me.” Katie picked up her own bible as her sister continued to complain. “Hey. I’m in Leviticus.”
“Alright.” She managed a smile. However, as she read her sister Leviticus 2 aloud, she wasn’t sure how she felt. Willis M. Wittmer had always been a bit of a rowdy boy. No one had expected him to return after his rumspringa, but she had always felt there was something different about him. His brown hair grew too fast for his mother to keep up with it, and so he would sometimes get away with wearing his hair longer than he should have.
Either way, everyone had been incredibly excited that he was coming home. He would be getting baptized within the week, and if Mary felt she could get on without her for about an hour, she would go. She hadn’t realized she had stopped reading aloud.
“Katie?” Mary’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Katie?”
“Huh?” She looked up from the pages of the bible. “What?” Her sister laughed a little, and she looked down at the bible again. It fell off her lap, and onto the floor.
“You’re daydreaming, again, aren’t you?” She smiled widely. “You’re thinking about Willis. Aren’t you?”
“Am I that easy to read?” She shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
“Honey, if only I could find love that easily.”
“I’m not in love.” She felt her cheeks becoming even hotter than they usually were. The words came out in a mutter, and she could feel her sister’s eyes on her. She didn’t dare to look up again.
“Katie! You have a visitor.” Their mother’s voice floated up the house.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible, Mary.” She picked the bible up off the floor before setting it on the table. Then, she walked down to the living room as quickly as possible.
“Hello, Katie.” A masculine voice echoed in her ears. Her eyes fell on a buff 18 year old with familiar blue eyes.
“Willis...” She smiled a little. “How have you been?”
“Anxious to come home.” He returned her smile. “And you?”
“I’ve had my fair share of homesickness too.” She stayed on the far side of the room. “I hear you’re to be baptized soon. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. Have I heard correctly that you’re getting baptized soon as well?” He took a couple steps closer, but still had a lot of room to cover.
“Yes.” She smiled a little wider.
“Congratulations, Katie.” His smile widened as well. “I should probably get going. Is Mary still bedridden?”
“Unfortunately. How did you hear?”
“My mother told me shortly after I arrived home. She told me not to bother you much today.” She couldn’t help but laugh a little bit.
“Thanks. I’ll see you around?” He laughed a little now, nodded, and began to walk out the door. She didn’t try to stop him. However, she did notice that he had changed.
Instead of being excited about being out in the world, he had said that he was anxious to come home. Anxious to come home meant that he missed something about their lifestyle. He missed something, or someone, bad enough to forgo everything he had thought he wanted after his rumspringa. Not only that, but he had bulked up while he was away. Even with daily work on the farm, the men in her community weren’t too muscular or strong. More often, they had the bare minimum so that they could do their job without being sore all day, every day.
He’d also grown taller. Willis had been slightly taller than her when she left; now he was about a foot taller. His smile had become a little more radiant, and he was no longer itching to get away from their lifestyle.
Katie returned upstairs slowly, thinking over his words and turning them around and around in her head. In her long blue dress, she certainly had no attractive features to show off except for the light dusting of freckles across her cheek and nose, and her light brown eyes. Her parents often said that if her commitment to their lifestyle didn’t attract the boys, her eyes would.
“Who was it, Katie?” Mary tried to sit up, but groaned.
“Easy, sister.” She helped her lie down again. “It was Willis.”
“Mark’s Willis?”
“The same.” She smiled a little. “He’s home, and getting baptized, as you said he was going to do.”
“You should trust me more often, shouldn’t you?” Mary laughed once she was lying down again.
“I guess so.” Once her sister was situated, she picked up the bible again.
“Has he changed much?” The topic turned right back to Willis.
“Not so much physically. Mentally, I really think he has.” Katie sat back down on the chair. “He didn’t question why I was going to be baptized once; he used to question it all the time when we were younger.” She smiled a little.
“Katie, are you in love?” The tone she used made her skin crawl. It felt like Mary was upset with her for almost moving on.
“Why would you say that?”
“You’re blushing.” Mary teased her now. “Come on, admit it. You like Willis.”
“Do not.” She felt a blush growing on her cheeks. “Do you want me to keep reading Leviticus or do you want some food?”
“Lunch sounds great, actually, Katie.” Her sister smiled. “Do you know if mom has made any yet?”
“No, but I can go check. I might get roped into helping cook lunch, so I might be a while if she hasn’t made it.”
“I’ll take a nap, then.” She rested her head back on the pillows, letting it roll to the side. Her eyes closed, and Katie brushed some hair out of her face. She set the bible on the nightstand, and then began to walk downstairs.
The stairs creaked and refused to stay quiet. For Mary’s sake, she hoped she was a heavy sleeper.
Once she was at the bottom of the stairs, Katie walked into the large summer kitchen. Her mom sat on a stool, canning a quart or so of ripe peaches.
“Mary’s wondering about lunch, mom.”
“You can make her something, Katie.” Her mother didn’t look up from canning. “Your father is out butchering the pig, and your grandparents are on the porch. See if they’d like any food. Your younger brothers and sister will be coming in with more peaches soon.”
“Of course, mother.” She smiled, and began to walk towards the porch. The large house made it a long walk. As she walked, she admired the well-made furniture. Her dad had made most of it by hand before she was born.
She opened the door to the porch and saw her grandmother and grandfather sitting on the bench.
“Grandma, grandpa, would you like some lunch?”
“That sounds wonderful, Katie.” Her grandfather smiled, and her grandmother nodded. “Is it ready?”
“Not yet. I’ll come get you when it is, though, grandpa.” With that, she smiled. In this area of Pennsylvania, potatoes grew well. She decided to make a potato salad for the family, and began to gather potatoes to boil. Her mother had passed the recipe down to her last year, and the only way she would ever remember it was to make it often.
As she began to fill a pot with water, she thought about what Mary was doing. Her tone had become bitter at the end of the conversation they’d had, and she had felt rather uncomfortable. Why would Mary be so bitter?
Willis was two years older than she was. He’d often brushed her aside, not intentionally, but brushed aside all the same. As far as Katie was aware, Mary didn’t even like Willis.
She sighed softly and turned the faucet off. The community here had gotten running water a few years ago, and it was such a relief. No longer did they have to warm the bath water by the stove or run outside to the pump every time they wanted water. They still used the pump, of course, to get water for the animals, but for them, they used the tap.
She set the pot of potatoes to boil as she heard the door open again. In came the rest of her siblings: Wayne, John, Samuel, and Hannah. Hannah was the youngest; at the tender age of 5, she could carry but only two peaches.
“Come here, Hannah.” She smiled, and held her hands out for the peaches. Katie decided that a peach cobbler could make Mary feel a little better. “Wayne, how many peaches in that bucket?”
“Close to a hundred. How many more do you need?” Wayne was the eldest of the children, and had yet to marry. There were rumors that he was seeing a woman of 22 at the Sunday singings by the name Mary (no relation to his sister).
“Hannah’s going to give me her two, so probably six or seven.” As she spoke, she took the two peaches from her sister’s hands gently. Wayne nodded and set the peaches on the counter.
“Peach cobbler sounds wonderful, Katie.” He smiled at her before taking the rest of his peaches to the summer kitchen. Samuel and John followed suit, but did not stop to give her peaches. Hannah simply requested to mash the peaches; gladly, she peeled the peaches and put them in a bowl.
Then, she gave the bowl and a thick wooden dowel to Hannah.
“Mash away.” She smiled and let her sister mash the peaches. Then, she checked on the potatoes for the salad. When they were soft, she pulled them out of the pot and began to mash them for the salad.
In all, it took her an hour to make the potato salad and stick the cobbler in the oven. She called everyone else into the kitchen and then put some on a plate for Mary.
“I’ll take some up to Mary. Mom, the cobbler has about half an hour; could you pull it out when it’s done?”
“I got it, Katie.” John spoke up. “You take care of Mary.” John was a year away from his rumspringa, but he had this certain quality of stubbornness. She doubted he’d be gone for long.
“Thank you.” She smiled. “Tell grandma and grandpa I’m upstairs, please.”
“Of course.” With that, she walked two plates of potato salad up to Mary’s room. Well, Mary shared it with her and Hannah. The three beds stretched east to west across the room, with a small closet to the other end of the beds. A nightstand was situated to the left of each bed for braiding strings and bibles. Flowers sometimes made it in, but that was rare.
“Mary?” Katie gently shook her sister awake. “Lunch is ready.” She set one plate on the nightstand by her bed, and then she walked to hers.
“Mmm?” Mary never woke well, but today was a different story. “You made potato salad?”
“Yeah. Our potatoes haven’t been stored right, so they were beginning to go bad.” She began to eat her food. “There’s a peach cobbler in the oven.”
“Fresh peaches?”
“Yes, Mary. With fresh peaches; freshly picked this afternoon, actually.”
“I guess that’s what the others have been doing.”
“Mom’s been canning all morning, but yes. Our brothers and Hannah have been picking peaches all morning, they told me.” She smiled, and watched as Mary ate her lunch in silence. The silence hurt a little bit; they were a tightly-knit community. What could be causing her to stop talking to her own sister? “Mary, did I do something wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve hardly spoken a word to me other than to confirm your thoughts.” She took another bite of her salad. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. I’m very happy for you.” There was a bitter tone. “Cross my heart.”
“Alright...” Katie wasn’t convinced, but let the topic drop. She finished her potato salad, and gathered up her dishes to take downstairs. “Are you done, Mary?”
“Yes.” She almost shoved the plate at her, hardly touched. “I lost my appetite.”
“Do you want some peach cobbler when it finishes?”
“No.” Mary rolled over. “I’m going to finish my nap.”
Katie didn’t have time to object before Mary seemed to completely ignore her. She sighed softly and began to walk back downstairs. Maybe she could can some peaches before her cobbler finished.
She washed the dishes and put them away in silence. Tomorrow was Sunday; would she miss visiting and singing to take care of her sister?
Her mom came in as she was drying the plates, and picked up the utensils to dry.
“Do you want to go to the evening singing tomorrow night, Katie?” Her mom’s question was a little on the nose. She nodded slowly. “Have you talked to Mary about it?”
“Mary won’t talk to me.” She tried not to cry. “She won’t tolerate me for more than a few minutes at a time before she slips back into silence.”
“When did this start?”
“This afternoon, after Willis visited.” A tear trickled down her cheek, and she almost dropped the plates. Her mother took the plates and rag from her, setting them on the counter. Instead of wiping her tears away, she hugged her. Katie couldn’t remember the last time her mother hugged her.
“It’ll be alright, Katie. I think she’s upset she can’t go out into the world yet. She wants to spread her wings as badly as you did.” Her mother rubbed her back as she found herself crying. “I know you haven’t seen her in two years; it’s natural to feel like there’s a gap there.”
She sniffled, eventually calming down.
“Thanks mom.”
“Now, I think you should get the cobbler out. Enjoy a big piece.” Her mother pulled away. “I’ll finish the dishes.”
She managed a smile and pulled the cobbler out. It was a little burnt on the edges, but her mother had saved it from burning too much by turning the oven off. Now, she set it on the cool counter on top of a small washcloth. Then, she began to cut the pieces. She cut it so that everyone could have a piece, though she cut Hannah’s a little smaller so hers could be a little bigger.
Her mother laughed, but knew that’s how they all did it. Whoever made the cobbler got the largest piece since Hannah was too young to have a normal sized piece yet. She managed a smile, and scooped a piece up for Mary. She carried it up the stairs, and then set it on Mary’s nightstand. Even if she didn’t want it now, she would have a piece available for her.
Then, she walked back downstairs to enjoy her piece. The rest of the family was coming in, and they all took a piece. They left the largest piece for her, an unspoken rule in the house.
“Thanks, Katie.” Her grandmother smiled. “You’re wonderful.”
They ate the cobbler in silence. Her mind reeled, but she couldn’t turn off the thoughts that her sister was bitter over Willis’ attention to her.
***
Katie smiled as she put on her best clothes for the singing. It was almost six PM on Sunday evening, and her mother was going to help Mary for the night. Wayne and John were old enough to go to the singing events as well. Their grandparents would entertain Hannah and Samuel for the night.
“Are you ready, Katie?” Wayne called from the room across the hall.
“Almost, Wayne! I’ll meet you at the door.”
“Okay.” Her brother left her alone and let her get ready in piece. She pulled her hair into a braid and quickly tied it off. She’d had enough of her hair being in her face, the stringy ends particularly.
Then, she walked downstairs. In her blue dress with long sleeves, slightly lower neckline but still appropriate, she felt as if she were going to catch Willis’ attention again. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, to have Willis paying attention to her. She did like him quite a bit, but wasn’t sure she would like to marry him.
Based on their interactions earlier, however, she knew that it’d be a good choice to marry him. He’d blossomed into a young Amish man that no woman would be able to say no to.
With that thought tucked away in her head, she arrived at the door. Wayne and John were already there, both dressed in their best clothes. Their mother waited to see them off.
“I’ll take good care of Mary tonight, Katie. Enjoy your night.” Her words made Katie smile. “If she wants you here, I’ll come get you, but I hope you get to enjoy the night.” With that, she sent them off towards the barn where Sunday evening singing was held every week.
It was a silent, ten minute walk. The silence was not like those that Mary forced upon her. Instead, the silence filled her with hope and joy; this would be quite an exciting night. She would have a chance to see other members of the community that she hadn’t seen, and possibly find someone who struck her fancy.
When they arrived at the barn, the singing was up and running already. She separated from her brothers, promising to find them at the end of the event. They smiled, nodded, and agreed to it. Then, they proceeded to join in on the festivities. A long table with food sat to one side of the barn.
She migrated over to see if someone had brought cherry cobbler. While her family didn’t grow cherries, plenty of other families did. The table had plenty of finger foods, and two cherry cobblers sat to one side. One had already been half eaten, and the other was untouched. She cut herself a small slice of cherry cobbler and began to eat it.
“Katie?” A voice behind her made her jump; she almost lost her cherry cobbler. She turned around, and laid eyes on Willis.
“Willis.” She smiled after swallowing. “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“I could say the same thing about you.” He smiled back. “Is Mary doing better?”
“Mom’s watching her tonight so I could come here. If I’m needed at home, someone else will come to get me.” She smiled a little more. “Your baptism was a lovely service.”
“Thank you.” He couldn’t help but grin at her with his goofy, toothy smile. “I hope your baptism service is as lovely.” She felt her cheeks heating up a little.
“Is there a reason you wanted to talk to me, Willis?” She took another bite of her cherry cobbler. Cherry juices ran down her chin, and she managed to catch them with a napkin.
“Would you like to meet up next week at the evening singing?” He handed her another napkin as he asked. She almost choked on her cobbler.
“M-Me?” She couldn’t believe his words. “You want to meet up with me next week?”
“Yes.” His smile turned into a slight frown. “Do you not want to?”
“N-No, I want to.” She managed another smile. “I didn’t think you’d ask so soon.”
“Wonderful!” He smiled, a little too excited. “I hope you don’t mind that it was so soon.”
“No, not at all.” Her voice quivered a little. “I’m worried about how Mary will react, though.” Willis’ brows furrowed. “Mary’s been giving me the silent treatment.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” She sighed, and picked a plate up to set her cobbler on. “I think it has to do with your visit yesterday. It didn’t start until after you visited.”
“I only visited to say hello.” His brows stayed furrowed. “I didn’t mean to make her think I was interested in anyone unwillingly...”
“She teased me about it before we went on rumspringa. Now, she teases with a bitter tone and a scornful eye.” She sighed, dabbing at her cherry stained lips. “She won’t even hold a conversation with me beyond making sure she knows what’s going on.”
“Do you think she wanted me?”
“I think it’s because her rumspringa was delayed. She’s a lot like you were before you left, Willis.” She took another bite of her cobbler as the rest of the group started another song. “She wants to leave the community for good.”
“I don’t think she’ll want to after she spends some time out in the real world.” He cut himself a piece of cobbler as he spoke. “I thought I wanted to, and then I realized that it was nothing without the community. Without you.” He flashed her a smile before he took a bite of his cobbler.
“Without me?” She found herself blushing again. The heat in her cheeks told her so.
He nodded slowly as he swallowed.
“Without you, I found that the women wanted to be with me. Apparently, I’m a good looker. Until they realize I won’t be able to pay for everything they want, at least.” He laughed. “All the girls I met wanted money.”
“A lot of guys I met simply wanted me on their arm for a pretty face.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “I hated it. Eventually, I gave up and started saying no to them. One of them had ties to a gang, and...and they almost killed me. That’s why I came home.” In the middle of her story, her tone changed. She felt tears welling in her eyes, but she refused to cry.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Katie.” Willis put a hand on her shoulder softly. “I think it was smart to come back home after that.”
“Mary broke her leg the next week, and we had to postpone my baptism.” She pushed tears out of her eyes softly, trying not to make it obvious that she wanted to cry.
“Katie?” A voice interrupted the conversation. “Mary’s asking for you at home.” Looking around, she found Samuel standing in front of her. “Mom sent me.”
“Thanks, Samuel. I’ll walk you home.” She cut another piece of cherry cobbler before she turned to Willis. “I’ll see you around, Willis.”
“See you around, Katie.” He smiled at her, and gave her a small wink before she led her younger brother out of the room. “I’ll tell your brothers that you had to go early.” She smiled.
“Thanks.” With that, they left the singing and began to walk back to their home.
“Can I have a bite, Katie?”
“That’s why I cut another piece, Sam.” She smiled, and used a fork to cut a small bite off for her brother. “Here you go.”
“Thanks!” Her brother’s face lit up, and she couldn’t help but smile as he took a bite of the cobbler. “Cherry?”
“Yes. I don’t know who made it, but it’s good, isn’t it?” She took another bite after she finished speaking.
“Yes.” Her brother smiled. “Are you okay?”
“Willis and I were having a conversation about our time outside the community.”
“Oh. Is it hard for you to talk about?”
“At times.” She smiled a little. “Tonight was one of those times, but it had nothing to do with you or Willis.”
“Did you enjoy the time with Willis?”
“Yes.” She smiled, brushing a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “I did.”
“Should we expect a wedding soon?” Samuel began to tease her. “Willis and Katie getting married?”
“Samuel!” She half-scolded him, but the laugh in her voice gave her away. “I don’t know.” She sighed. “I honestly don’t know. You know relationships are never public until a wedding date is for sure.”
“I know.” He sighed now. “Can I have another piece?”
“Fork?” She held her hand out for his fork as they neared the porch of their house. He happily handed her the fork, and she gave him another piece. “Thank you, Katie.”
“You’re welcome. Share the rest of that piece with mom and Hannah, okay?”
“Okay!” He took the plate and forks before heading towards their parents’ bedroom.
“And with dad if he’s home.” She called after him, and only got a thumbs-up in the air. She laughed, and then headed upstairs to her room. Mary was fast asleep in her bed. As quietly as she could, she changed into something she could sleep in. Hannah was not asleep yet.
“Katie, is that you?” Mary softly spoke.
“Yes. Did I wake you?”
“No.” She rolled away from her. “You can go back to the singing.”
“But Sam said...” She was unsure of what to do; now half changed into something to sleep in, she couldn’t go back.
“Mom had to go do something; I’m fine.” The bitter tone returned. “Go away.”
“Mary, we have to talk about this.” She pulled her sleeping clothes on the rest of the way and sat down at the head of Mary’s bed. “Why are you being so bitter?”
“Did Willis ask you to meet him next week?”
“What?”
“Did Willis ask you to meet him next week?” Her sister repeated the question, but didn’t look at her.
“Yes.” She softly answered. “But he didn’t mean to upset you yesterday.”
“I thought you were going to wait until I was out to do that!” Mary almost exploded at her.
“What?”
“I thought you were going to wait until I was in the world to do that.” She sniffled. “No one ever seems to care what I think!”
“Mary, that’s not true, and you know it.” She touched her sister’s shoulder. “What do you think?”
“I want to go out.” Her sister’s voice quivered. “I want to be independent.” At this, Katie crossed the room to face her sister. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was sobbing too hard to say anything.
Katie simply hugged her tightly, unsure of how to take the new development. However, the hug didn’t last long. Mary pushed her away hard, sending her to the floor. She sat up slowly, her head spinning lightly.
“What was that for?” She tried not to sound upset with her sister, but failed.
“Hugging me!” Mary now yelled at her. “I don’t like being touched.”
“I’m sorry. I thought you could use a hug.” She sincerely apologized. “Are you okay?”
“What?”
“Are you okay, Mary?” She sat on her knees, closer to the bed. “Emotionally, are you okay?”
Her sister sniffled, confused by the question. She let her sister take her time, hoping that their parents hadn’t heard Mary yelling.
“I-I...I’m okay now.” She sniffled again, wiping her eyes. “Do you think you’ll marry him, Katie?”
“I don’t know.” She smiled a little. “Please, don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t.” Her sister sniffled again. She handed her a napkin, and waited as Mary blew her nose. “I think you two make a good couple.”
“Are you done ignoring me?”
“Ignoring you?”
“You weren’t doing it on purpose?”
“No. I wasn’t sure why you were the one watching me so often.” Her sister propped herself up on her elbow, careful of putting extra weight on her broken leg.
“Because I love you, Mary.” She smiled softly. “Everyone else has been helping can.”
“You don’t really like to can, I remember now.”
“Yup.” She laughed a little as she remembered the incident that had turned her off of canning. Her finger had gotten stuck in a jar or a lid – she couldn’t ever quite remember which – and had been covered by scalding fruit. Her finger was still scarred from it.
“I’m sorry, Katie.” She spoke in a soft voice. “I didn’t mean to tear you away from the singing.”
“It’s alright, Mary.” She squeezed her sister’s hand lightly before pulling away. “Why don’t you get some rest?”
“The peach cobbler was delicious, by the way.” Her sister smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled. Maybe this would end well after all.
***
A month and a half later, Katie stood in her room, wearing a simple blue dress with a big bunch of flowers in her hands. The weekend after Willis had asked to see her the next week, he drove her home. Wayne and John left them alone to talk, having left earlier in the evening.
Willis had made the journey to his house at two in the morning, and their friendship acted as a catalyst. It was the quickest courtship they had seen in the community in decades, her grandmother said.
“Katie?” Hannah’s voice filtered up the stairs. She turned around, and saw her youngest sibling sitting on the top stair. “You wove Willis?”
“Yes. I love Willis.” She smiled, and picked up her younger sister. “One day, you too will be in love. It won’t be for years, but it will be soon.”
“Ew.” She made a face. “Me no wove boys!” Katie laughed.
“Do you like my dress?” She quickly distracted her sister.
“I do!” She smiled widely. “Katie wook pretwy!” She laughed again.
“Do you want to wear a blue dress too, Hannah?” When her sister nodded excitedly, she set her down on the bed and looked for Hannah’s blue dress. She found it under the bed, and helped her younger sister change.
Mary had left to explore the outside world the week before, but was returning to see her sister get married. She would be wearing something from the outside world – a dress, she believed it was, in a greenish color.
She shook her head lightly and began to braid Hannah’s hair as she hummed a hymn. They still had about an hour before the wedding was to begin. They would make visits next weekend, since they had church tomorrow. Due to the timing of the year, they were able to get married quickly.
“Is Hannah up there with you, Katie?” Her mother’s voice came up the stair case.
“Yes, mother.” She smiled. “She’s with me.”
“Katie wook pwetty!” Her sister again complimented her, pronouncing the word ‘pretty’ differently than she had before. It was all part of a five year old’s charm, though.
“Okay; I wanted to make sure she hadn’t run off. Willis will be here soon; are you ready?”
“I’m ready. I didn’t think he’d be here for another hour...”
“He’s going to be early.” Her mother did not hesitate to say it. “He told me last night that he wanted to see you before the wedding, but I asked him not to come so early.”
“It’s alright, mom. Is everyone else here?”
“Everyone’s early, oddly enough. When he gets here, we can start.” When she said that, her nerves began to jump. She was really doing this; she was really getting married.
The door downstairs opened, and she heard her to-be husband’s voice in the hallway. She sent Hannah down ahead of her, her braid wildly flinging against the air as she ran. Katie took in a deep breath, and then began to walk downstairs.
The ceremony was all that she had hoped it would be. Mary had brought a friend with her – a guy who thought he was falling in love with her. They spent an entire afternoon singing, dancing, and enjoying the community’s company. For the moment, they were to stay with her family until their new house was finished. The community was going to help them work on it tomorrow, so it shouldn’t take long at all.
At the end of the festivities, Katie essentially collapsed in Willis’ arms. Mary and her friend had driven home. Everyone else was getting ready to go; they had a long buggy ride ahead of them to get back to her place. Willis placed a soft kiss on her forehead before helping her up and out to the buggy.
“I love you.” He spoke the words first. They had yet to say them to each other, but in the quiet of the night in the buggy, he broke the silence with them.
“I love you too, Willis.” She couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming smile on her face. A sense of belonging took over her, and she rested her head on his chest as they began the ride home. It was difficult to find a comfortable position in the bouncing buggy. Sleeping would have to wait until they arrived home.
“Are you looking forward to having a family?” He again spoke up.
“Yes.” She couldn’t stop her smile from widening. “I want to have a large family. Five kids, at least.”
“Five kids, at least, it is.” He smiled and laughed. “It sounds wonderful. And on our farm, what shall we grow?”
“Cherries, peaches, potatoes, and anything else you can think of.” She smiled. “I can farm, and you can put your carpenter skills to good use.”
“Good thing I have my own tools.” Another chuckle came from his mouth. It shook his chest under her, and she smiled. The silence set in again, but it was a good, comfortable type. She bit her lip softly, and pressed her head against his shoulder. He put an arm around her, drawing her closer to him on the seat.
Before she could object, he had a blanket out from under the seat and laid it across the both of them.
“Better?” He smiled down at her.
“Much, thank you.” She couldn’t hide her smile, even if she wanted to. “Can I fall asleep now?”
“We’re almost there, Katie.” He brushed some of the loose hair out of her face. “But I will carry you in if you fall asleep.”
“I love you so much.” Her words echoed softly in the dark night, and she closed her eyes. His arms held her closer, and she could feel the buggy bounce up and down under them.
As she was falling asleep, the buggy came to a sudden, jerky stop. Willis stopped her from falling off the bench, and picked her up.
“But I’m not asleep...”
“I want to carry you in.” He smiled down at her. “Sleep. We can always talk tomorrow. You’re exhausted.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, speaking softly. He opened the door and walked her inside. She closed her eyes again, and found herself quickly drifting off to sleep. She felt him carry her up the stairs. He set her on the bed, and she heard him shuffling about the room for a few moments.
He got in bed beside her, and she felt a different kind of material touch her skin. He’d changed clothes before he got in with her. She smiled, and drifted off into a wonderful sleep.
