October song (3 page)

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corners,” he boasted.

Truth be told, the perty young girl wasn’t impressed at all ‘bout such nonsense. She was hoping for a serious young man to court her, someone who had sense enough to drive carefullyifshe agreed to be seen home by him. And she told him so! Stood right up to Uncle Seth the way no woman ever had, and that was the beginning of a three-year courtship that ended in marriage.

Katie thought back to her ownRumschpringaher “running-around” years and had to smile. Clan had used every excuse in the book to get her attention, long before she ever turned sixteen and started attending singings. Other fellas were interested, too, once she started showing up Sunday nights, and for a time she let several different boys take her home in their courting buggies. Clan spent one whole evening trying his best to line her up to ride home with him. After that, it didn’t take long for them to settle into a somewhat secret courtship, the age-old custom amongst the People.

One frustrating yet funny night stood out in Katie’s mind. Clan had been seem’ her home for some months now, when on an exceptionally moonlit night several boys

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from the singing followed behind the courting buggy, unbeknownst to them. She and Clan had even stood next to the buggy for a while, talking softly to each other, holding hands, too.

When Clan tied up the buggy in the lane to walk Katie to her house, the boys made off with his horse. A gut trick, to be sure!

Just now, lookin’ at her husband, Katie was sure something was bothering him. Clan had been sitting too quietly, drinking his morning cup of coffee and staring out the window. Wasn’t like him to think so awful hard at breakfast.

“Honey?” She reached across the table, touching his arm.

He looked at her thoughtfully. “Remember yesterday’s sermon?” he asked.

She remembered, even recited the verse again, the one that rang in her memory. Looking back, after finding your peace and beginning a work for the Lord, is fruitless. The Bible said so.

“We must stop lookin’ back,” Clan said. “Hard as it may be.”

She nodded, passing a platter of hot scrambled eggs and toast to him without saying a word, keeping her eyes on him.

He took the plate and dished up some breakfast. “I just don’t see how I could

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ever turn my back onmyson or daughter,” he said.

“Tradition’s got its hooks in our families.

They need salvation, full and free.” She knew he agreed wholeheartedly on the subject.

They held hands as Clan prayed a blessing over the breakfast and the day, his voice strong and confident. No doubt there’d be similar moments shared like this in the future. Katie knew they were growing in the Lord and in their love for each other. When one of them was down and hurting, the other was strong, and vice versa. That’s just the way it had been since their courting days. And their love of music helped express their worship to the Creator-God who made them sensitive and compassionate souls that they were. Made Katie wonder what on earth their future children might be like, having such similar parents.

While she was washing up the dishes, the phone rang. “Hullo,” she said.

“Howareya, Katie?” It was Mamma.

“Oh, fine,” she replied, hoping to hear of Eli’s wedding plans.

“Haven’t talked to you in the longest time, it seems.”

“Where are you now?” She had to know

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wantedto pictureMam’s location.

“Remember the pay phone near the Bird-in-Hand Restaurant?”

Katie knew. “Everything all right?” “Well …” Mamma paused for a second. “S’posin’ you oughta hear the news from me, though you may’ve already heard of Eli’s wedding to Grace Stoltzfus.”

“Jah, I did . at church. Some of the women are second cousins to Gracie’s mother, I guess.”

Mamma sighed audibly. “Oh, Katie, I just hate the thought of you not being’ on hand to witness your brother’s wedding vows, but —”

Katie’s heart sank. “It’s not for you to fret so. Clan and I will send over a wedding present in a few days.” Then she added quickly, “We’ll pray they have a long and happy life together.”

“They do seem well matched, and Gracie isn’t afraid of work a’tall. She cooks and bakes right alongside me; cans, too, with the other women in the district. Likes a good laugh jokes, you know just like Eli and Benjamin.”

“They’ll have plenty of time for seriousness, right?” Katie laughed, making small talk, when what she really wanted was to get down to brass tacks. Just for once.

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“Nice to hear your voice again, Katie. Everything all right there?” Mamma saidthereas if they were livin’ clear on the other side of the world. But, in many ways, they surely were.

“We’re fine.” Then, thinking of her father,

Katie asked, “How’s Dat these days?”“‘Bout the same” came the words.

Did he mention seeing me at the store?She dared not ask. Dared not look back after putting her hand to the plough. Yet the place reserved in her heart for her father was tender and bleeding, all the same.

“Write me another letter sometime,” Katie said before their goodbyes. “I love you, Mamma. You and Dat both.” Honestly, she came close to saying “Tell him for me,” but she kept her peace. Best this way.

Clan said he was going for a walk..,beforegoing to the office? Well, it did seem a bit odd, but she said nothing and set about baking bread as she did each weekday morning.

Around eight o’clock Clan returned, comin’ in the back door, his face bright, eyes wide. “I believe I know just what to do,” he announced, “about reaching out to our families.” He looked her square in the

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face. “Katie, it’s time we move forward, past our shunning. If we can’t go back to Hickory Hollow to our people, to witness, then we’ll invite them here . . to us.”

The idea sounded good in theory, but unless God worked a miracle, there was no way either of their fathers would step foot in their house. For sure and for certain.

“What do you think of that?” He was asking for moral support. She saw it in his eyes.

“Have you prayed ‘bout this?”

“I talked it over with the Lord just now, while I was walking.” He smiled, lookin’ ever so convinced. “I tend to think God dropped this into my heart.”

“Then who am I to question?”

They went to prayer, ‘bout inviting each set of parents to dinner, knowing the invitations would most likely be refused. At the outset, anyway. Just maybe over time if they kept askin’, something might give.

“We can trust and pray,” Katie said, feelin’ as determined as the look on her dear husband’s face. Thing was, they weren’t just eager to renew family ties; they wanted to invite their loved ones into thefamily of God.More than anything.

“God sees our hearts,” Clan said, kissing

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her goodbye before heading to work. “Let’s stand back and watch the Lord work.”

Katie had to smile. So full of faith was her darling, after having been deep in thought at the table earlier. ” ‘Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,’ ” she called after him.

Days came and went, and there was no response to the written invitations. Not from Dan’s parents, not from hers. Mamma, who Katie thought might have a chance to get away from the house and phone again to politely refuse “on account of the shunning,” but call just the same . did not.

Eli’s wedding day was fast approaching. Mamma was prob’ly caught up with food preparations. Over two hundred people would likely gather for the ceremony and wedding feast at the Stoltzfus home. Katie planned to gather with some friends that morning -had to keep from thinking too hard ‘bout missing her brother’s special day.

Meanwhile, she made good use of their pumpkins, bakin’ chiffon pies, pumpkin nut cookies, and pumpkin spice cake, taking them round to all her neighbors.

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“Sharing the bounty,” like Mamma always said.

Once married and settled in their new home, Eli and Grace would be among those that Katie wanted to invite for dinner, as well. Whether Eli and his bride followed closely to shunning practices was their choice, of course, but she had a feeling high hopes, really that the younger generation might be more open to fellowship outside the Hickory Hollow church district. She thought of a number of family members to witness to over the next few months, one being Beniamin, her youngest brother and favorite. She and her husband would sow the seed of God’s Word, if given the opportunity, then trust the Lord of the harvest to do as He saw fit.

Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord..

It was the morning of Eli’s wedding, a bright dawn. Katie was expected soon at the house of her dear friend, Darlene Frey, where three other women were gathering to make a big batch of apple butter. Enough to last through the winter.

But at the moment, Katie was sur rounded by music staff paper, scattered all

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round her, some on the floor and more on the kitchen table. She’d gotten engrossed in trying to follow the rules of music notation. Important things that Clan had taught her. She was having a good time of it, creating a hymn of thanksgiving ….. a harvest-time theme and was reluctant to leave her work behind.

Thoughts of Eli and Grace interfered, though, and she began putting away her music, then slipped into a sweater. In the car, Katie found herself looking at the sky, clear and blue. So happy, she was, for her brother and his new bride. God was surely shining down from on high. Mamma was usually the one voicing such comments ‘bout the weather on a wedding day. Dat might nod his head and go along with her remarks, not one for makin’ such statements, though.

If Katie hadn’t been deep in thought, she would’ve turned right at the junction to head to Darlene’s house. Instead, she made aleft-handturn and found herself on the narrow two-lane stretch of road leading to Hickory Hollow.

Once on the dirt road, there was no turnin’ back. ‘Least not without stopping smack-dab in the middle and making a sharp turn, followed by repeated attempts

44to back up without driving into the ditch on either side. ‘Course, she’d never made such a turnaround with a car, not here, but she could easily visualize what it might take to do such a thing. The road, if she stayed on it, would eventually take her past a familiar sandstone farmhouse, the house her father’s ancestors had built over a hun dred fifty years ago.

Not wanting to be seen in the area, she decided to pull off at a slightly wider shoulder in the road. It would be a mistake to run into any of the wedding party or have word spread that shunned Katie was snoopin’ about the landscape. No, she couldn’t let that happen. Not after the ruckus she’d caused at another wedding back when.

She was making an attempt at a sharp turn, when, in the rearview mirror, she spotted a bench wagon rumblin’ down the lane behind her.

How strange,she thought, backing up. The horse-drawn cart always arrived the daybeforethe wedding, bringing enough foldable wooden benches to accommo date a hundred people, give or take. Had so many folk promised to come that Eli had to call on another church district to help with more seating? She assumed

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that was the case.

Waiting for the horse and wagon to pass, she sat with her hands on the steering wheel. But just as the wagon came alongside her car, the horse stopped unexpectedly and reared up as if he was spooked. That’s when she noticed the driver and passenger -Dat and Benjamin[ Well, she hardly knew what to think.

Dat began pulling hard on the reins. And Ben jumped down, runnin’ to the horse and grabbing the bridle, trying to calm him. By now a good many benches had already slid out the back of the wagon, falling down onto the dirt road.

Hurrying to alert Dat of the pickle he was in with the benches scattered behind, she didn’t realize he hadn’t seen her before, hadn’t noticed that his daughter was the driver of the parked car, the car that prob’ly gave the horse such a fright. Dat was wide-eyed when he spied her waving at him.

Ben hollered at her from where he stood with the horse. “Katie, what’reyoudoing here?”

Thinking how awkward it would be to try ‘n’ explain that she’d made a wrong turn and wanted to make the U-turn in the road — but prob’ly couldn’t — she ignored

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Ben’s remark and looked at her father. “Some of the benches fell out the back of the wagon.” She pointed toward them.

With a grunt, Dat climbed down, going round to see for himself.

Oh, it was ever so uncomfortable, her standing there while they worked, lifting the long, heavy benches back into the wagon. She didn’t know whether to get in the car and drive off— and risk spooking the horse again or just stay put. So she remained, wishing she could be of some help, yet knowing such a thing was out of the question. After all, the mishap was prob’ly her fault in the first place. If she’d gone theotherway, toward Darlene’s house, none of this would’ve happened. Today of all days.

She could just hear it now: “You’ll never guess who we ran into this mornin’,” Ben might say to one boy cousin or another. Jah, the news would spread like wildfire.

Humiliated, that’s what she’d be. On top of being’ excommunicated and shunned, they would heap more shame on her.

Katie waited till all the benches were put back, till Benjamin and Dat got into the wagon yet again. Stood like a stiff statue, really, near holding her breath. Such an

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unbearable reunion this was.

Still, she waited for the wagon to move forward. But it seemed to be parked there,

lingering . for what reason she didn’t

know.

Suddenly, here came Dat down out of the wagon, walking toward the car. Towardher.He stopped ‘bout an arm’s length away, planted his feet just so in the dirt, head down for a second, then up came his eyes, catchin’ hers. “God be with ya,

daughter,” he said, eyes glistening.Daughter.

Katie hardly knew what to say. Then she did. “And with you,” she replied.

Their eyes locked, but her father said no more. He turned to go, glancing back over his shoulder. He paused, then reached up and pulled himself into the wagon.

“‘Tis better to forgive than to hold a grudge.“Dat’s words, spoken long ago, came back to her again. And she felt nearly as light as the mockingbird flappin’ short, rounded wings high overhead, its long-tailed shadow dipping here and there, through the reds and golds of autumn.