Faith and Love Found (3 page)

Rebecca was a quiet woman who went about her chores with no complaints. She never demanded anything of anyone and if there were any issues she had always left it up to Abe to speak out about them. She knew that Racheal would have to learn to hold her tongue in her marriage and allow Elijah to take control but that was something they could discuss later.

Rebecca nodded at her daughter as Racheal got up from the table and cleared her plate. She looked at Elijah, who was staring at his future wife wondering where she had gotten the nerve to be so demanding. He picked up his plate and took it to the sink, then the two of them headed out into the field.

“What was that?” Elijah asked as soon as they were outside of the house.

“What?” Racheal asked with a sly smile on her face.

“That,” Elijah continued, “that bossy, demanding woman who took over your body and told everyone how it was going to be.” Elijah was smiling and Racheal knew that he was not worried about her behavior.

“It had to be done. Did it not?” she said, taking his hand, “I had to make sure that you were not under the pressure of taking care of two families forever. I know that no matter how much you want to do it that it will take a toll on you and probably on our marriage as well.”

“This does not mean that she will marry him,” Elijah said, looking at Racheal with concern.

“Maybe not immediately,” she replied, “but I am sure that he will. They have already discussed him coming to join the community. Mamm was just afraid of how the girls would react to him. I want us to have a fair start and I want my mother and sisters to be taken care of. Is that too much to ask?”

“No, it is not,” Elijah said sadly. He had not thought about how worried Racheal was about him and their marriage. He knew that it would be hard to take care of her family while trying to build a life of their own, but he was willing to do whatever it took. It made him feel better knowing that for the first time in his life someone was actually looking out for what was best for him.

His family had never been like Racheal’s. Of course, his mother loved him, but he had learned quickly that the one thing that mattered in his family was making sure that his father’s business was successful. He had looked at other families in the community, those like Racheal’s that loved each other more than anything except for God and he had wanted that so badly. He knew now that he would have exactly what he always wanted growing up and that he would be able to give his future children the life that he had only dreamed of.

He hugged Racheal and the two of them headed off to the fields. It had been such a long time since they had worked the fields together that it hardly seemed like work. The two of them talked, and shared their feelings and just enjoyed the time together. Racheal realized how much she missed working in the field with Elijah. Even though the work was hard, it was worth it to spend time alone with the man that she loved.

“Promise me something,” she said, looking at Elijah.

“Anything,” he said, looking up from his work.

“Promise me that if we ever fight or are not getting along that you will drag me out to the fields and make me work with you,” she said smiling at him.

Elijah understood what she meant. They had gotten to know each other while working the fields. It was a place where they could open up to each other and not have to worry about upsetting the other. It was also the place where they had fallen in love and being in the fields together only made that feeling stronger.

That evening William joined them for dinner. The girls laughed at his jokes and enjoyed spending time with his children. Rebecca was ecstatic that everyone seemed to like William and his children. She was thankful to her daughter that she had brought everyone together.

After William and his children had left Rebecca’s house her younger daughters expressed how much they liked William and his children. Rebecca went to bed that night feeling as if the weight of the world off of her shoulders. Racheal felt the same way in that she knew that if her mother did fall in love with William he would be accepted by her sisters and Elijah would not have to care for her mother and sisters.

Spring passed quickly and Racheal spent most of her days out in the field with Elijah. Levi announced his marriage and Elijah began helping him as well as the rest of the community build their house. Each Saturday the men would gather and work on Levi’s house, spending their entire day, ensuring that every detail was perfect. His fiancé Sarah had been spending a lot of time with Rebecca creating her own quilt for her wedding night and had become close with Racheal and Rebecca.

Each weekend after Elijah came back to Racheal’s house he would bring her a small trinket that he had carved out of left over pieces of wood. Sometimes it was a beautiful flower and sometimes it would be a small animal. He told Racheal that it was for her to put in their own house once it was built.

As time went on, Racheal began to feel jealous that Elijah was spending so much time on Sarah’s house. She wanted him to be working on her house, but knew that he had made a commitment to help Levi. She also knew that it was part of being part of the community, but she hated that all of his handy work had been put into Sarah’s house.

Racheal prayed every night that she would be able to overcome the jealousy that was inside of her and that it would not come between her and Sarah. Then the day came when the house was finished and everyone was gathering to view it.

The day was filled with excitement. The women played games and spent time working on their various sewing projects while the men worked on the barn raising. That evening there was a potluck dinner, followed by more games and then a tour of the house.

As Racheal walked through the house, she noticed the little things. In the bedroom there was a table beside the bed that had intricate carvings on the top. There were small flowers just like the ones that he had made for her. Racheal tried to fight back the jealousy that she felt when she saw it knowing that the table should have been in her bedroom.

In the kitchen, she noticed that there were small flowers carved in the corners of the cabinets as well as on the back of the kitchen chairs. A tear fell from her eye when she saw how much work he had put into the house. She wished more than anything that it was their own.

Sarah walked up to her with a smile of approval on her face, “Isn’t it beautiful,” she asked Racheal.

“It is,” Racheal said, forcing a smile, “I am sure that the two of you will have many happy years in this house.”

Sarah giggled a little and handed Racheal a small box. Racheal opened the box and inside she found a key. “I am sure you and Elijah will have an amazing life here,” she said giving Racheal a hug.

Racheal looked at her mother stunned and not knowing what to say. Her house was supposed to be built on her mother’s property so that she would not have to worry about doing all of the chores herself.

“William has asked me to marry him,” Rebecca explained, “You and Elijah can have a normal life and not have to worry about me or your sisters. Everything is working out the way that it is supposed to be.”

Racheal threw her arms around her mother’s neck and congratulated her. Then she saw Elijah standing at the entryway. She let go of her mother and ran to her soon to be husband.

“You knew about this the entire time,” she asked him.

Elijah smiled and told her that it had been difficult to keep the secret from her knowing how badly she wanted a normal life with him. He explained that each of the trinkets he had given her had a special spot in the house where it could be placed.

She was amazed at how much thought he had put into the house and she knew that for the rest of her life when she looked around she would know how much he loved her. She promised to take care of the house and that she would be the best wife that she could possibly be.

She looked over at Sarah, who was smiling at her friend and felt guiltier than she had ever felt in her life. She wanted to know when Sarah would get her house and what she could do to help her. Elijah explained that Sarah’s house would be built in the following weeks and that she had known the entire time what was going on. It was in fact Sarah’s idea to say that the house was hers and to surprise Racheal. She had told Elijah and Rebecca that it would cause too much stress on Racheal if she had to handle all of the details of the house. For that reason Sarah had asked Racheal questions about what she wanted in her future home, then relayed those answers to Levi who told Elijah. They made sure that the house was everything that they ever dreamed it could be.

Racheal knew that it would be at least a few weeks before they could move into the house, but she knew that it would be ready for them as soon as they were married. The men had even helped take care of the fields throughout the spring months to ensure that she and Elijah would have a great crop come fall.

Soon the two of them were married and they moved into their house. Only a week after the Racheal married Elijah, Rebecca married William and he moved into her home with his children. Racheal could not imagine life being any better except for if her father was still there, but she knew that was not an option.

Racheal wanted the happiness that was in her family to last forever and she knew that even though William had a lot to learn he made her mother and sisters happy and really that was all that mattered to her. Elijah was still going to Rebecca’s farm in the evenings to help William with tending to the fields and helping him learn about the ways of the community.

Both of them looked amazingly handsome as their beards began to grow in. It was the custom for married men to grow beards since no one in the community wore jewelry.

Within the first year of marriage Racheal was expecting her first child and her sisters visited often during the last months of her pregnancy to help her with all of the chores. Racheal loved being a wife and loved taking care of her home that Elijah had made for her. She loved doing laundry, cooking the meals and more than anything she loved when she could sneak away and spend time with Elijah in the fields.

At night when she was able to cuddle up next to her husband in their own bed in their own house and he would place his hand on her stomach was the happiest part of her day. She wondered what type of father he would be and what their child would look like.

The midwife said that everything was going great with the pregnancy and that the two of them could expect a healthy child. When Racheal was only 7 months pregnant, she received a surprise visit from her mother.

Rebecca came to Racheal’s house often, but she usually let Racheal know she would be coming ahead of time. This time she did not and it concerned Racheal. Rebecca walked into Racheal’s house looking as if all of the color had drained from her body.

Racheal immediately went to her thinking something horrible had happened.

“Are the girls okay,” Racheal asked in a panic. Rebecca only nodded her head as Racheal lead her to the couch in the living room. “What about William,” Racheal continued, “has something happened to William? Mamm, what is going on?”

Rebecca sat in silence for a moment before looking at her daughter with tears in her eyes. “I am not sure what I can do,” she whispered.

“What do you mean,” Rebecca asked her gently.

“When you married, I married. I feel like I am taking the joys of your life away from you and we are far too old to be doing this,” she murmured.

“Too old to be married?” Racheal asked, confused, “I’m sorry, ma’am that does not make any sense to me. You are married, you love William why are you acting like this.”

Rebecca shook her head as if she were trying to shake away a fog. “It’s not that we are too old to be married,” she gave a slight giggle. Rebecca sighed before she continued, “Racheal, I’m pregnant.”

Racheal looked at her mother and sat back in her seat. She had not considered what would happen if her mother and William had gotten pregnant.

“Mamm, that is great,” Racheal said, smiling at her mother. She was not sure if it was great or if in fact, her mother was too old. The two of them already had seven children, six of which still lived at home.

“You know what Mamm?” Racheal asked, looking at her mother, “Remember what Dat used to say, the things that are meant to happen always happen just when they are supposed to.”

Rebecca smiled at her daughter knowing that she was right. “I have not told William,” she said to her daughter, “I am afraid that he will not be happy.”

“Not be happy?” Racheal replied, “Of course he is going to be happy.”

“And you are not mad at me?” Rebecca asked.

“Mad at you?” Racheal looked at her mother confused, “I have no reason to be mad at you. Our children are going to be best friends, growing up together they will be as close as siblings. They will always have someone their age to play with and share their secrets with. Of course I am not mad. Maybe I will finally get a brother.” Racheal smiled as she teased her mother. She knew it had been a dream of her mother’s to have a son, but it was also a dream that her mother thought had died a long time ago.

Three months later Racheal had a healthy baby girl that she named Grace and six months after that Rebecca gave birth to twin boys. She named them Adam and Zachariah. Racheal and Elijah were thrilled at the birth of their daughter and the two of them could not imagine life getting any better.