A Wedding for Julia (14 page)

T
hough she was somewhat overwhelmed by the attention, Julia appreciated everyone’s kindness.

Bishop Atlee had announced her and Caleb’s intentions to marry at the end of the church service that morning. It seemed a fairy tale that their wedding was to take place in a few weeks. Only twelve days had passed since they had spoken on her front porch and she’d agreed to marry this man standing a few feet from her.

Caleb was still being congratulated by the men in their district.

The women had been every bit as excited and had reluctantly left Julia to go and help with placing out the food. It was the last Sunday of September, and though the weather was warm and pleasant—easily reaching into the seventies—there was a hint of fall in the air. Soon they would be eating indoors instead of out under the trees. It seemed fitting that this Sunday the service was at Bishop Atlee’s home, the same place she had come to seek answers when she’d first learned of her parents’ decree.

“Why aren’t you helping?” A young girl, not yet in her teens, with somber brown eyes and brown hair peeking out from her
kapp
stood in front of her. In the crook of her arm she held two objects—her Bible and what looked to be a drawing tablet.

“You must be Grace.”

“
Ya
. We live on the east side, but we came to Bishop Atlee’s church today because of my cousin. He’s my
mamm
’s nephew so I suppose Seth is my cousin.” She scrunched her nose at the last word. “Seems as though lots of folks are getting married.”

“You don’t approve?”

“I guess so, for someone like you.” Grace popped her hand over her mouth.

“Someone older.”

“That came out wrong.”

“It’s all right.” Julia glanced over at Seth, who stood beside Caleb. There was more than twenty years difference in their ages. Bishop Atlee had made a comment about Seth not having yet turned twenty. Caleb had turned forty a month earlier. Atlee had reminded the congregation to pray for both men, for both couples, as they entered this new phase in their lives. He had chuckled and said there was no guessing when the Lord would steer your path in a different direction.

Looking at both Caleb and Seth, she didn’t envy Seth his youth. For Julia that had been a time of heartache and indecision. No, she much preferred the age she was and the man standing beside Seth. She was learning that Caleb was steady and dependable. Both were things she longed for in her life. His age, though? That had surprised her a little. She would have guessed him to be in his mid-thirties, not forty. In the last week, she’d replayed the scene in her mind several times—the moment when they had presented their documents at the county clerk’s office in Sparta.

“Is forty old?” The look on Caleb’s face said he hadn’t given it too much thought
.

“I hope not. I’m thirty-seven, which is only three years younger. I certainly don’t feel old.”

“But you were surprised at my age.” His smile proved he wasn’t offended
.

“Maybe a little.”

Caleb reached for her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. They were walking out of the courthouse. Ada was sitting on a bench in the sun, waiting for them. He didn’t speak again until they were alone on the sidewalk, and then he stepped closer to her
.

“I think you are much more beautiful than the younger women, Julia.”

Her eyes had widened at the compliment, and she’d felt heat rushing to her cheeks
.

He’d reached out and touched her face. “The age we are? It’s the age we are supposed to be. The age
Gotte
knew we would find each other.”

She was certain he would kiss her, there in broad daylight standing outside the courthouse building. He’d wanted to. There was no doubt about it
.

But instead he looped her arm through his, patted her hand, and guided her toward the bench where Ada was sitting and watching some children play on the grass across the lawn. While they’d eaten at the restaurant in Sparta and even on the drive home, she’d caught him glancing her way, looking at her differently. She wasn’t sure how to react to his expression, one wavering between playfulness and desire
.

It still confused her, still sent goose bumps dancing down her arms, when she thought about that day.

Turning to Grace, she aimed for a reassuring smile. “Seth is rather young, but sometimes young is all right. Occasionally people know what they want at an early age.”

“That’s what my
dat
said. He said
Gotte
has different plans for different people.”

Julia had been walking toward a large red maple tree that stood apart from the tables where they would eat. She’d hoped for some time alone and a moment or two of quiet, but she found she didn’t mind Grace’s company.

“I know your
mamm
and
dat
. At least, I’ve met them before when they’ve visited our side of the district, but you’ve grown since then.”

“
Ya
. My
grossdaddi
says I’m growing faster than a fawn in springtime.”

“Indeed.”

They walked in silence until they reached the shade of the tree. All of its leaves had changed to a vibrant red, but they hadn’t fallen yet. Their portion of the state would be awash with tourists in the next few weeks, coming to see the beauty of a Wisconsin fall.

“So how did you get out of serving?” Grace held up her pad. “Not that I mind helping when it’s my turn, but I’d rather be drawing if I have the chance.”

“Oh. I see.” Julia didn’t answer immediately. When the other women had first pushed her away from the serving line, she hadn’t known what to do. Now she realized they probably understood she needed a moment to catch her breath. “It seems when you’re about to be married, you’re given the week off from helping.”

“So everyone can talk to you and tell you how happy they are about your marriage?”

“Correct.”

The girl was observant, maybe because she watched what others were doing before she took out her drawing pencils.

“I suppose that’s okay, but too much attention makes me squirmy.”

“That may be why I decided to take a walk.”

Grace’s eyes rounded. “Am I interrupting your alone time?”

“
Nein
.”

“My
mamm
needs alone time every once in a while, especially now that Rachel is walking and into everything. Would you like to see a drawing of her?”

“I would.”

They sat down together under the tree, and Grace opened up her tablet and began turning pages, searching for a drawing of Rachel. She paused when she reached one of her mother. “I did this one last week.”

The rendering was from the back as her mother hung laundry on the line. What was surprising was the detail in the drawing—right down to a rip in the cuff of a pair of men’s work pants drying in the sunshine.

“May I?” she asked.

“Sure.” Grace shrugged and handed over the tablet.

Julia wasn’t sure what she expected to see. A child’s drawings, perhaps stick figures, with some shading if she were sophisticated. She certainly didn’t anticipate the type of artwork one might see in an
Englischer
’s book sold at Amish Anthem. Had someone mentioned little Grace’s drawing ability? If so, Julia hadn’t paid any attention. She’d been caught up in her own life.

She flipped through the pages rather quickly, and then she went back to the beginning and moved slowly from one drawing to the next. Julia finally stopped at a page which showed Aaron’s cabins. “This is beautiful.”

“
Danki
. I like catching the river in different lights. It seems…to me it seems like a living thing. Do you know what I mean? It’s like Rachel.”

Grace reached over and turned the pages back to a drawing of her sister. It caught the back of the toddler as she attempted to climb up on a chair. “She looks different to me from one week to the next, though I know she’s the same. Parts of her are changed, though. When she was born I could hold her in my lap, and now she’s scrambling all over the place.”

“You love your
schweschder
.”

“I do, and I love Pebble Creek too. My
dat
and I lived in Indiana before, and that was nice. This is home, though, and Pebble Creek is one of the best parts. In some ways it stays the same throughout the year. Then again, when I look at it, I have the feeling it has changed from one moment to the next.”

Julia glanced toward the tables. She saw Caleb shielding his eyes and looking for her. They were about to say the blessing, and she would need to sit with him today. It was, after all, the church service when they had announced their wedding plans. Her heart skipped, literally jumped over one beat to the other, at the thought.

“We should go back.” After she stood, she checked the back of Grace’s dress to make sure there wasn’t grass and twigs on it. “You’re
gut
.”

“And so are you, except for those beetles.” Grace laughed and pointed to the small red and black critters.

Julia swiped herself clean, and then they walked back toward the group of church members, which was larger than usual—due to the wedding announcements, both hers and Seth’s.

“Grace, if I asked you to draw something for me, would you do it?”

“I could try.”

“Caleb and I are going to open a café, and we could use some artwork on the menus. Also, I might like some flyers to post around town.”

“Sure. I did something like that for Lydia and Aaron.”

“
Wunderbaar
. I’ll talk with your
mamm
to see if we can set up a time.”

Grace stopped and tilted her head. “Is your place near Pebble Creek?”

“It is. Our back pasture goes right down to it.”

“And I could draw that too?”

“Certainly.”

Grace’s smile widened. “Then I can’t wait.”

Julia thought she would feel awkward during the meal, sitting with Caleb on one side and her
mamm
on the other. She didn’t, though. There was so much talking and good-natured teasing taking place that she didn’t have much time to focus on her emotions.

How long had it been since she sat in the middle of a group rather than on the fringe? And was it because of the group, or because she had pulled herself out of everyone’s circle for so long? Regardless, the faces around her were all friendly now. No one seemed surprised at their announcement, but then why should they be?

The Amish grapevine worked well.

Plus, Caleb had taken off from work twice, and certainly people had noticed that. Once so he could go to Sparta for the license, and another time to pick up a load of supplies he brought to her house to begin work there. His buggy had been filled with paint, lumber, nails, and other items Julia couldn’t have named.

When Julia and Ada had gone to Irene Gingerich’s home to see if she had wedding dress material for sale, the woman had met them at the door and congratulated Julia before they had spoken a word. Yes, it seemed everyone had already heard about their plans to marry, and everyone approved.

Ada was the happiest of all. She sat in the fall sunshine, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders and her eyes nearly squeezed shut, she was smiling so. Julia and Caleb might still be finding their way, still answering the big questions, but Ada was convinced God had satisfied every need.

With all the excitement, Julia was surprised to glance down at her plate to find she’d eaten nearly everything she’d placed on it. The way her emotions were hopscotching, she’d been certain she wouldn’t be able to swallow a bite.

“We need to borrow Julia,” Lydia said, rising from the table by pushing both hands down on the seat. Her stomach protruded to such an extent that they’d had to place the bench back a little so she’d fit.

“Borrow me?”

“
Ya
. Wedding details.” Miriam patted Gabe’s arm as she dumped Rachel in his lap. “Watch this one, would you? She’s faster than that new mare you bought.”

“My
dochder
? Fast?” Rachel reached up for a handful of his beard and laughed when Gabe kissed her on the cheek. “You can count on us,
fraa
. Three men can watch one
boppli
.”