The next morning, with the wedding quickly approaching in two days, the preparations were fully underway. For her part, Susan was sweeping the cobwebs from the barn beams. Maurice showed up in a white apron and carrying a broom.
“Your mom sent me to help,” she chirped.
“But this is dirty work!” Susan exclaimed. “And you’re a guest.”
Maurice didn’t hesitate. “Nonsense. So how much more do you have to do?”
“I just started. All of this area where the service will be held has to be swept down.”
“This is one thing I know how to do, and I’m helping,” Maurice stated. “Your mom and sisters are baking up a storm, and I’m in the way in the kitchen.”
“There must be something you can do in the house,” Susan insisted. “Anything would be better than sweeping down the barn beams.”
Maurice shook her head, taking in the long beams with a steady glare. “Spiderwebs here I come!” Maurice waved her broom like a weapon.
Susan laughed and resumed her sweeping.
Maurice pawed fiercely at the stubborn webs above her, pausing to say, “So, you really will be having the wedding in here. I’m having a hard time imagining it.”
Susan stopped for a moment. “Well, the men will have the horses outside for the day. And they will either clean the harnesses or move them. The stalls will be all cleaned out and fresh straw put down. Things will look much better by the time James and Teresa walk in together.”
“That’s a nice young man your dad’s got working for him,” Maurice said, sweeping again.
“Steve? Yes, he is.” Susan also resumed her work.
“Is there anything between the two of you? I noticed you invited him to supper the first night I was here.”
Susan jerked to a stop. “He’s more like a friend. I haven’t known Steve that long because he’s from another Amish community.”
“You sure? I would declare he’s sweet on you.”
“Really?” Susan felt her neck growing warm. “Steve’s just a friend. And I’m seeing someone else. Didn’t Teresa tell you?”
Maurice smiled. “Teresa did tell me about a young man, and I guess his name isn’t Steve. Well, it’s none of my business. Tell me more about Teresa and James. She gave me only the bare details. I don’t think she’s telling me everything.”
“So what did she tell you?”
“That James’s father used to have objections about her because of Samuel. That I believe. I mean, you people are living pretty holy lives here. And then Teresa was supposed to marry this Yost fellow, but he dropped her for some reason. She wouldn’t tell me why.”
Susan grimaced. “I guess we’re all a little embarrassed over what happened to Teresa because of Yost. And the reason she’s not telling you is that she’s trying to be nice. Thankfully, someone got everything figured out before it was too late.”
“So was Teresa in love with this Yost? Did he dump her? I have a hard time imagining that. And she’s never had much of a thing for older guys.”
“No,” Susan said. “Yost called off their relationship for…um…‘ personal reasons,’ shall we say.”
“You need to be more specific than that, Susan. Teresa’s my daughter, and I think I have a right to know what happened. And what was Teresa doing with him in the first place?”
“Okay, but please don’t tell Mamm this. I never told anyone else, and neither has Teresa, that I know of. The only reason I know is because I was with Teresa the day we went to clean his house. That’s when Yost told Teresa their age difference was simply too much for him. That he didn’t want her bearing children far into his old age. Now, I’m not sure that was his real reason, but that’s what he told us.”
“That’s funny.” Maurice burst out laughing. “Why was the old fogy dating her in the first place?”
“They never really dated. They talked to each other a few times. You know how badly Teresa wanted to join the community. She was willing to do anything to accomplish that for baby Samuel’s sake.”
“It still makes no sense to me,” Maurice whacked at some spiderwebs spun around a beam.
“I guess I’ll have to tell you our secrets.” Susan sighed. “There was quite an uproar when Teresa first came—about her having a child without a husband.”
“I’m not surprised. I always thought Teresa’s desire was a wild goose chase. But she had her heart set on her dream.”
“The solution one of the ministers came up with was to have Teresa accept Yost’s offer to marry her—once she was baptized, of course.”
“Sort of nip any problems in the bud?”
“I guess,” Susan said. “I’m sure you think this sounds old-fashioned and unfair.”
“And Teresa went along with the plan?” Maurice wasn’t sweeping any longer.
“Much too willingly, I thought. I guess she didn’t think she had any choice if she wanted Samuel to be raised among the Amish. Even after the ministers saw how sincere Teresa was and backed off the marriage requirement, Teresa stuck with the plan. And then James stood up for Teresa, which upset his father. James’s father is a deacon. He objected so strongly to James and Teresa’s budding feelings for each other that Teresa was even more determined to avoid trouble by sticking with her plans to marry Yost.”
“Oh, the ways of mice and men,” Maurice muttered. “But I can’t blame anybody really. I suppose an unwed girl coming in from the outside with a child in tow could seem to threaten your way of life.”
“At least it got worked out satisfactorily,” Susan said. “And Teresa’s faith is awesome! She really trusts God. She’s been a great example to me…and to all of us.”
“You can sure say that! Even to her old mother.” Maurice stopped to wipe cobwebs from her face. “I’m glad to see Teresa happy and living among such sincere people.”
“We’re not perfect,” Susan assured her.
“You try to be,” Maurice said. “That goes a long way with me. So what is this old man like? He must not be too bad for Teresa to tolerate him.”
“She’s a saint, remember?”
“I’ll still be looking forward to meeting the old fogy. He must be something.”
Susan laughed. “His house took about as much cleaning as these beams are taking. His place was a major mess, and he desperately wanted a wife to cook and clean for him. That was about the list of requirements. Trouble is, no Amish women wanted him. Sometimes that happens with certain people. They develop a reputation—justified or otherwise—and never quite succeed in shaking it. At least Yost finally has found someone, from what it sounds like anyway.”
Just then Teresa jerked open the barn door and paused for her eyes to adjust before exclaiming, “I can’t believe you’re out here, Mom, cleaning barn beams for my wedding.”
“It’s good exercise,” Maurice said. “And I had to get away from all those women with their Betty Crocker cooking skills. I was ready to burst into tears from shame.”
“Mom, you don’t have to impress anyone,” Teresa said.
“Well, I have to do something. I didn’t come here to just sit around while others work hard on your wedding preparations.”
Teresa stared across the barn before taking a few steps forward. “Come over here, Mom. I want you to see where James and I will be getting married.”
Maurice followed Teresa with a puzzled look on her face.
“We’re going to stand right here,” Teresa said, stopping to motion with her hand. “The barn doors will be open, the sunlight will be flooding in on people’s backs. There will be women seated over on this side, and men seated over there. The little boys on the front rows there and little girls on the front rows here. Everyone will be looking at us! The bishop will take our hands, asking us the sacred vows. Then we will be man and wife forever, as long as both of us shall live. These people believe in what we’ll be promising. Only death will ever separate us in this world, Mom.”
“That’s very wonderful,” Maurice agreed. “I’m glad I’m here to experience your dream with you. You inspire me, Teresa.”
Teresa blushed, answering only after a long moment. “It’s God who worked it all out, Mom. I don’t take any of the credit. Even I never dreamed of this. Just having Samuel grow up with an Amish father would have been enough for me.”
“Sweetheart,” Maurice said, taking Teresa’s hand, “only the best is good enough for you. God knows I could never give it to you. Come, give your old mom a hug.”
Teresa’s face beamed as she wrapped her arms around her mother. “You’re not that old, Mom.”
“Soon you’ll have me believing that,” Maurice said over Teresa’s shoulder. “I tell you, there’s something about this life that makes a person feel younger.”
“It’s their wholesome living, Mom,” Teresa said, holding her mother at arm’s length. “It’s their honest, open-faced lives that makes them the way they are. They speak the truth even when it hurts.”
“You’re going to make me blush pretty soon,” Susan interrupted. “We’re not nearly as wonderful as you think. Any good thing we have or do comes from Da Hah alone.”
“I don’t think anyone disagrees with that,” Maurice said. “Now, let’s get some work done or those women in the house will think I can’t work at all.”
“You have been working!” Teresa protested.
“So what’s next?” Maurice asked, ignoring Teresa’s remark. “Lead us to our next duty, Susan.”
“You’re already sounding like one of us,” Teresa said with a laugh. “I really think you should sit on the front porch swing for the rest of the day.”
“I will not,” Maurice said. “These old bones will toil until the sun goes down.”
Susan joined in the laughter. “The garden is next on the list of things to do. It needs weeding.”
“So even the garden gets dressed for the wedding day!” Maurice exclaimed. “I do like this more and more.”
“I told you, Mom,” Teresa said as they followed Susan across the yard. Arriving at the garden, they began at the side near the house, moving along on their hands and knees, making sure to pull even the smallest weeds. The three women worked away until Ada appeared with glasses of freshly pressed lemonade.
“Time for a break!” Ada hollered, her face beaming.
The three women got up and made their way to the edge of the garden. Ada handed them all ice-cold glasses.
Maurice took a sip. “This is heavenly! How do you folks do this?”
“Thanks,” Ada said. “Fresh-squeezed lemons. One of the young girls made it. I’ll tell her you liked it.”
“Please do,” Maurice said.
Teresa and Susan drank from their glasses and smiled their appreciation.
Ada asked Susan, “Do you need help out here? We could spare another person right now. We’re almost done with the pies.”
“No,” Susan said, “we only have a few more feet to go.”
“Okay then.” Ada turned to leave. “I’m going home in a few minutes. My family will be crying for supper if I don’t get back soon.”
After Ada disappeared around the corner of the house, Susan walked back to the end of the garden row where she’d been working. She resumed her weeding. Teresa and her mother stayed behind, their voices rising and falling out of hearing distance. Susan smiled. They were lost in their own world, and they surely had much to speak of. Not only because of their long separation, but also because of the many changes that had occurred.
Maurice could have easily rejected her daughter for abandoning their life in the city, pushing her away because of the choices she’d made. Yet, instead, the two were reaching out to each other in a way they never had before.