Huckleberry Summer (33 page)

Frieda turned to Mama with wide eyes. “You didn’t know about this wedding either?”

Mama put her hands on her hips. “No, I certainly did not.”

Aden’s mamm propped her hands on her hips as well and glared at her son. “Aden, this is outrageous. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Aden grinned stupidly and shrugged.

“You must be Lily’s mother,” Frieda said.

Mama eyed Frieda suspiciously and nodded.

“I am Frieda Helmuth, and I am shocked,
shocked
by these goings-on. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I am almost glad that you didn’t know about the wedding. I hate being the only one left in the dark.”

Mama frowned. “This is wrong, Lily. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”

“Mama, please try to understand. I love Aden.” She sidled next to him and took his hand in full view of everyone. His warmth spread through her.

“But what about all the relatives?”

Frowning intently at Aden, Frieda hooked her arm around Mama’s elbow and pulled her toward the house. “Cum. We must figure out a way to feed all these people you didn’t expect. Have you got pickles? Everybody likes pickles.”

Aden squeezed Lily’s hand. “They’ll work it out. My mamm has a way of making everything turn around all right.”

“This is a lot of people to feed,” Aden’s dat said.

Lily twisted her mouth into an uncomfortable grimace. “My mama expected a wedding. She didn’t expect Aden.”

Aden’s dat’s forehead sprouted furrows. “Oh, my.”

“There was a different groom,” Aden added.

“Oh, my.”

“Aden did nothing wrong. It’s all my fault,” Lily said.

“It’s never the woman’s fault,” Aden’s dat said.

He and Aden burst into brief laughter, and then Aden’s dat stopped laughing as if someone had put a cork in his mouth. “Your mamm will have strong words for you when she finds out.”

Aden groaned. “Do you think I could avoid her until I’m married? She won’t be quite so mad when she knows she can’t undo what’s been done.”

“Maybe I’ll see if I can soften the blow.” His dat hurried to the house.

Relatives and friends and complete strangers passed them on the way to the house. They waved and smiled and shared their congratulations. Pilot tried to greet everyone and scared more than one small child, until Felty appeared and grabbed him by the collar, tied him to a leash, and hooked the leash to a fence post.

Felty winked at Lily as he walked toward the house. Anna must have already gone inside. “I found Arizona,” he said.

“Was it lost?”

“The license plate. It’s on that rickety yellow bus over there. It wonders me who brought a school bus all the way from Arizona.”

In the midst of the crowd, Aden turned and caressed Lily’s cheek with his fingers. “My dearest, sweetest Lily, are you happy?”

“Happier than I could ever imagine.”

He smiled with his whole face. “Then let’s go make it permanent.”

The Eicher home was packed in every nook and cranny with enough guests for three weddings. A temporary extension had been erected to the side of the house that sheltered two hundred people snugly. Another two hundred crammed into the Eichers’ living room, hallways, and kitchen. Some of the youths sat outside on the porch, even though it was chilly, while others sat on the stairs and peered between the spindles of the banister. Anna found herself crowded to the edge of one of the women’s rows sitting next to Felty who was squished on the end of one of the men’s rows.

“Isn’t this lovely, Felty?” Anna said. “We’ve never sat together in church before.”

“You’ll have to make sure I stay awake, Banannie. With all the goings-on last night, I don’t think I got but four hours of sleep.”

Anna sighed. “Wasn’t it wondrous?”

“Do you think David Eicher will scowl through the entire service?” Felty said, straining to see David’s face.

“Of course, dear. But look at how happy Aden is. Everyone should be that happy. We made a very good match.”

“Praise the Lord. But let’s not match anyone else. I’ve lost too much sleep.”

“Don’t worry, dear. I’ll make sure you stay awake long enough to see your grandson married. Wouldn’t it be wonderful gute if we could make someone else that happy?”

“Nobody needs any help from us, Annie Banannie.”

“Look, Felty. Tyler Yoder’s whole family came. What a nice bunch of people.”

“That or they’re planning on ambushing Aden right after the service.”

“Now, Felty.” Anna patted Felty’s arm. “Tyler is such a fine young man. It pains me to see him so unhappy.” Anna lowered her voice, in case the three hundred people sitting within earshot took interest in her conversation. “He would do very well for our great-granddaughter Beth.”

“Beth? Don’t even think about it, Annie. She told me herself she doesn’t want to marry again. That first husband of hers was a pill.”

“It’s not Christian to speak ill of the dead, Felty. Besides, all the more reason to match her with a gute boy who will fill her life with love instead of bitterness.”

Felty might have thrown his hands in the air in surrender if not that they were pinned by Enos Kanagy on one side and Anna on the other. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’ll get nowhere with Beth.”

“Hush, Felty. I’m already set on bringing Beth and Tyler together. Wild horses couldn’t convince me otherwise.”

“Believe me, Annie. I already know.”

 

 

Lily fidgeted on the bench through three songs, two sermons, and two prayers. Even though her dat’s glare bored a hole through her head, she felt like a bird about to take flight. Aden had never looked so handsome, and church had never seemed so long.

Estee alternated between mooning at Floyd and studying Lily with concern. Lily squeezed Estee’s hand reassuringly. Even with Dat’s displeasure, it was the best day of her life.

Almost envious of her sister’s good fortune to go first, Lily watched as Estee and Floyd stood facing each other before the bishop and took their vows. Floyd shook so violently that he seemed to be tapping his foot to a silent rhythm.

The bishop hadn’t seen fit to enlighten the congregation about the change in grooms. News spread like influenza in an Amish community, even without cell phones and email, but there were still a few gasps and puzzled expressions when Aden Helmuth stood to receive Tyler Yoder’s bride.

Lily couldn’t take her eyes off Aden. How could she even begin to contain the overflowing love in her heart? She felt like a cherry tree bent to the ground, laden with plump, red fruit. The windows of heaven had truly opened, and there was not room enough to receive her blessings.

The bishop had nearly finished when Pilot, using someone’s shoulders as a springboard, leaped over the boys sitting on the porch and through the open front door. Some of the women squealed, and more than one man stood to see if he could shoo Pilot out of the house. Lily even heard a little laughter mixed in. Pilot created quite a kerfuffle as he planted his paws on Aden’s nice blue shirt and licked Aden’s face.

Lily used her sternest tone. “Pilot, get down.”

Pilot sank to all fours, whined pathetically at Lily, and planted himself by her side. He watched with silent curiosity and excellent manners as the bishop, without missing a word, finished the wedding vows and announced that Lily and Aden were now married.

You don’t know what you’re getting into
, her mama had warned.

But Lily
did
know.

Lord willing, she would live a long life with the man she adored, the man she had risked everything for, the man with the slobbery, aggravating, adorable dog.

A life full of love, rejoicing, and gallons of hand sanitizer.

 

 

 

 

Crouched on her hands and knees, Anna Helmuth shined her flashlight into the darkest corner of the cellar where old storage boxes and ancient furniture gathered dust.

“Felty, dear,” she called, hoping her voice carried up the stairs, through the cellar door, and into the kitchen where her husband washed up the dishes.

He might not be able to hear her, but she could hear him singing at the top of his lungs.
“Each day I’ll do a golden deed, by helping those who are in need.”

It was no use. Felty was in one of his singing moods, and Anna wouldn’t be able to make him hear her. She grunted as she tried to get to her feet. Her left leg had fallen asleep, and she couldn’t budge an inch. Not a single inch. She turned off the flashlight, stowed it in her apron pocket, and slowly pushed herself backward with her hands. Her knees creaked like a pair of rusty hinges as she shifted to a sitting position. Propping her hand on a sturdy cardboard box, she attempted to pull herself up. No use. Her hinter parts would not cooperate.

How had she gotten herself into this predicament? She was only eighty-two years old, for goodness sake, hardly an old lady. It must have been that extra biscuit with strawberry jam she’d eaten for breakfast.

She could still hear Felty singing.
“I’ll help the sick and poor and weak, and words of kindness to them speak.”
Oh, how he loved that song!

If only he knew how badly his wife needed her load lifted at this very minute. “Felty, dear,” she called again.

She might be forced to crawl up the stairs. Either that or she could take a lovely nap on the cellar floor, and Felty would notice her absence when supper didn’t appear on the table.

Anna waited until he took a breath, then yelled as loudly as she could without straining her throat. “Felty, do you have Rhode Island?”

The refrain halted abruptly. Felty always attuned his ear to talk of license plates. Smiling at her cleverness, Anna heard him shuffle to the top of the stairs and open the cellar door. “Are you down there, Annie?”

“
Jah
, and I’m stuck. It wonders me if you could lend a hand.”

Felty clomped down the steps and peered at her by the dim light from the small window.

“My knees gave out,” Anna said.

Felty reached out both hands and, nearly toppling over himself, pulled Anna to her feet. Anna limped around the cellar, testing her legs for signs of arthritis. “Fit as a fiddle,” she finally declared.

“Why was you sitting on the floor?” Felty asked.

“I was looking for the baby crib.”

“That old crib? I chopped it up for firewood twenty years ago yet.”

“Firewood?” Anna propped her hands on her hips. “Felty, that crib cradled our thirteen babies.”

“And got mighty gute use. It was like to collapse with the next baby. So I burned it.” Felty’s eyes twinkled. “We ain’t had a baby in this house for forty years, and unless you’re thinking of bringing another one into the world, it was better as firewood.”

“Now, Felty. We need the crib for our great-great-grandson Toby.”

“Is he coming for a visit?”

“He and his mother are going to live with us. They’ll be here tomorrow.”

Felty massaged his forehead just above his right eyebrow. “Annie, what are you up to?”

“Amos has been gone over a year now, and it’s time we found Beth a new husband.”

“Beth told her mother she doesn’t want a new husband.”

“Well, that’s silly. I’m sure her mother didn’t believe that. Every girl wants a husband, and Beth has a son to consider.”

Felty wrapped his arm around his wife of sixty-three years. “I lost a lot of sleep over your last match, Annie Banannie. The doctor says I need a nap every day.”

Anna kissed Felty on the cheek. “I can’t see how a budding romance will interrupt your daily nap.”

Felty sighed in resignation. “Who is the lucky fellow destined for our great-granddaughter?”

“Do you remember Tyler Yoder?”

“Of course I remember him. Our grandson Aden stole his fiancée.”

“Lily and Tyler were never right for each other. But Tyler and Beth are a match made in heaven.”

“Made in heaven or in an Amish mammi’s daydreams?”

“Now, Felty, every match we’ve ever made has been a success.”

Felty grunted. “In spite of us, not because of us.”

“Beth needs our help. She’s obviously not very gute at picking her own husband.”

Felty shook his finger. “Don’t speak ill of the dead.”

Anna turned around and started climbing the stairs. “I didn’t say a word against Amos. It was more a criticism of Beth.”

“Where are you going? I still haven’t agreed to this.”

“Seeing as Tyler hasn’t set foot here since church five months ago, I’ve got to pay Aden a visit. I need an excuse to get Tyler to Huckleberry Hill. Aden still feels guilty about marrying Tyler’s fiancée, and when I tell him I’ve found Tyler’s match, he’ll be eager to help.”

“Annie, I don’t think I can stand any more lovebirds disturbing my peace.”

Anna stopped halfway up the stairs. “So, you admit they’ll fall in love.” She grinned. “We should buy a crib so the baby doesn’t have to sleep in a box.”

Felty chuckled softly and followed Anna up the stairs. “I slept in a bureau drawer until I turned three.”

“What a lovely thought, Felty. I can imagine that you were an adorable baby, like Beth’s son, Toby. Cute, lively, and in need of a father.”

“Every child should have a father. Especially our only great-great-grandchild.”

“I knew you’d come to see it my way.”

Felty shook his head in resignation as he paused at the top of the stairs to catch his breath. “Did I hear you say something about Rhode Island?”