Kate's Song (7 page)

His mother approached his worktable and touched the block of wood on top. “Walnut. Very expensive. What are you making?”

“A rocking chair.”

“Who is it for?”

Nathaniel hesitated. “I think I will give it to my future wife, if the Lord God sees fit to grant me one.”

“Oh, my son,” Mamm said, coming near and placing her hand on his shoulder, “it is no mystery who you took home from the singing on Sunday. But only
I
know why you haven’t been to one in more than two years.”

“I suppose you do,” Nathaniel said, reluctant to hear what else he knew she would say.

“Kate Weaver has wings on her feet. She will not be here come autumn time.” Mamm cradled his chin in her hand. “Why do you want to break your heart again?”

“She never even knew me before, Mamm. This time is different.”

“Is it?”

“For two years I have waited for the day when she would return. Now that she is here, can you blame me for hoping?”

His mother ran her thumb over his cheek. “I would never blame you. You deserve everything the Almighty blesses you with. I blame her. What happens when she flies off to Milwaukee and never returns?”

“It will be some consolation knowing I wore myself out trying to win her.”

“Will it? When your dreams lie on the floor like a pile of wood shavings, will you be glad you gave your heart to her?”

Nathaniel stood and pulled his mother into an embrace. “I cannot give up chasing after happiness simply because there might be pain down the road. For the joy of having her as my wife, I am willing to do this. I know the risk, Mamm. I want to take it.”

Mamm pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. “And what of her life out of our community? The women are whispering about almost nothing else. How much trouble did she get into there? What kind of a girl is she, really? She is not one of us.”

Nathaniel gave his mamm a sharp look. “Who is talking about almost nothing else? Gossip is a sin, Mamm.”

Mamm lowered her eyes. “You are right. Not everyone is talking. But my sister says—”

“Why do you listen to the tongue-wagging?” Nathaniel said, sitting and ostensibly studying his drawings.

“You know very well you could have your pick of any Amish girl in Wisconsin. And there is not one mother in the district who would not want you as a son-in-law.”

Nathaniel chuckled. “Now you exaggerate.”

Mamm did not give up. “Oh, Nathaniel, are you blind? Kate Weaver has tasted the pleasures of the world and will never be content with a simple life.”

“I have already told you,” Nathaniel said mildly, “I know the risk.” Without looking at her, he caught his mother’s hand and squeezed it lovingly. “Please do not worry, Mamm.”

“For as long as I am your mother and you are my only child, I will worry and hope and pray for you. Do not ask the impossible.”

Nathaniel nodded. “Then I ask you to let me choose my own path.”

Mamm’s expression changed, and she walked slowly around the table and took a closer look at Nathaniel’s wood. “You are a gifted carpenter. It will be a beautiful rocker. I hope the girl you make it for is worthy of such fine work.”

“She is. More than you know.”

“I hope so,” Mamm said. “With all my heart.” After giving him one solemn look, she walked to the door of the workshop. “I’m going to read to Dat for a few minutes. Then will you put him to bed?”

“Jah, I will be right in.” Nathaniel laid his hand on the piece of wood and looked up at his mother. “I love you,
mei mutter
.”

“I love you, too, Nathaniel.”

Mamm closed the door, and nothing but the hissing of the propane lamp interrupted the silence. The stillness amplified Nathaniel’s thoughts. He was fully aware that his heart galloped far ahead. What if Kate had succumbed to the temptations of the outside world? How well did he know her, really? Was she still the girl he fell in love with, or did he only think he loved her?

No, Nathaniel could not bring himself to believe that Kate was anything but the lovely, virtuous girl he had dreamed about for so many months. A simple change of location on her part could not change the person she was. In such a place as Milwaukee, she had experiences Nathaniel probably couldn’t even imagine, but he was certain deep in his soul that Kate had not cheapened herself in any way.

He carried his piece of wood to the saw table and began, carefully, to cut it to the size he needed.

Greater concerns tormented Nathaniel. His chance of failure was great. What if Kate chose another young man? Even though she was considered somewhat of an outsider, her beauty and kindness won over even the most hardened skeptic. The proof was blatantly evident at the gathering, where boys surrounded her all night. With so many eligible young men, Nathaniel was unsure of his ability to win Kate’s heart. But he could only be the person the Lord God intended him to be. If Kate couldn’t love him for the man he was, then he couldn’t see sharing a life with her.

His worst fear was that Kate would decide to return to the academy, leave the community, and be lost to him forever. The very thought of such a possibility threatened to drag him down into deep despair. His hopes had skyrocketed on the day of Kate’s return, but, as his mother warned him, he might be as worthless as a pile of wood chips come autumn. In spite of everything, he was determined to pursue a life with Kate Weaver until she chose differently.

But what if God chose differently?

“No one has ever taken me to the dairy on a date before,” Kate said. She sat under an ancient willow tree with Nathaniel, a small bag of cheese curds cradled in her lap. Even in mid-May, it was nice enough to sit outside. The lawn in front of the dairy store was starting to green up from winter dormancy, with plenty of room for tourists or locals to picnic. A footbridge straddled a small stream meandering through the grass, and more than one willow grew along its banks.

Nathaniel stretched out his long legs. “What? None of your Englisch boyfriends were clever enough to plan an outing to the dairy?”

Kate tapped her finger to her temple. “Let’s see. Since I can count the number of Englisch boyfriends I had on zero fingers, the answer is no. Just when did you develop this passion for cheese making?”

“I have always had a fascination for mold.”

Kate laughed then offered him her bag of curds. “These were worth the entire trip. My newly discovered favorite food: jalapeño cheese curds.”

Nathaniel made a face. “No, thanks. I feel like I am chewing rubber.”

Kate plastered him with an indignant eye. “I never would have let you buy these if I had known. I cannot eat the whole bag.”

“You are doing a gute job.” Nathaniel chuckled as Kate cuffed him on the shoulder.

Kate motioned toward the gift shop attached to Eicher’s Dairy. “We are the only Amish folk here,” she said. “The tourists are gute business.”

“Jah, I think the sign attracts them.”

Kate read the large billboard standing above the dairy entrance. “‘Eicher’s Dairy. Monroe County’s only authentic, organic Amish dairy. Always smooth, always creamy.’”

“It is wonderful-gute how many adjectives you can pack into one advertisement,” Nathaniel said.

Kate kept reading. “‘Milk, cheese, curds, cider, venison jerky, and quilts.’ Cider from the Weavers’ apples, I’ll have you know.”

“Jah, of course. I don’t eat anything but Weaver apples.” Nathaniel rolled onto his stomach, propped his chin in his hand, and gazed at Kate until his piercing eyes compelled her to look away. “Can I show you something?” he said.

“Of course,” Kate said, glad to be able to reply with some semblance of composure. What was it about Nathaniel’s stare that knocked her breathless and sent her head spinning into a jumble of random thoughts?

Nathaniel jumped to his feet and jogged in the direction of his buggy. Kate smiled at his boundless enthusiasm.

He returned carrying what looked like a small wooden box. When he came closer, Kate could see it was a miniature house complete with windows and a tiny front door. Without a word but grinning from ear to ear, he laid the house in her lap and sank next to her on the grass.

“Oy, anyhow!” Kate ran her fingers along the individually crafted shingles on the detailed roof and peeked inside the shuttered windows.

“Look at this,” she said, as she swung the door open and shut on its little hinges.

“It’s a birdhouse,” he said. “There is an opening in the back so the birds don’t have to learn how to open the door to get in, and there’s a ledge to keep out the squirrels too.”

Kate stroked the smooth walls and grooved shutters. “I have never seen anything so beautiful,” she whispered.

Nathaniel beamed. “I thought you could hang it on one of the fence posts down your lane. With a good sturdy foundation, you can see it out the kitchen window.”

Kate breathed in sharply. “
Oh, sis yusht!
Nathaniel. I cannot accept this. How many hours it must have taken you to make!”

Nathaniel’s shoulders slumped, and he looked like a farmer whose crops were destroyed by hail. “You do not want it?”

“I like being with you just to be with you. Not because you bring me something.”

His concern melted into a smile. “You like being with me?”

“Jah, certainly.”

He contemplated that notion for a moment. “That is the nicest thing I have ever heard.”

“Ever?”

“Certainly in the last ten years.”

“Gute, then you understand you don’t have to bring me gifts.”

“But the first present I tried to give you went horribly wrong. I am trying to make up for it.”

“And what present was that?”

“The kiss, of course. I liked you, so I naturally thought you must like me and were hoping for a kiss. But instead, you slugged me.”

Kate nodded her head in satisfaction. “You deserved it. That was the worst moment of my life. At least in my eleven-year-old life.”

Nathaniel grimaced. “The worst moment of your life. I have to live with that on my conscience.” He picked up a pebble from the ground and rolled it around in his palm, his eyes glued to his hand. “Especially since it was the best moment of mine.”

Kate giggled. “The best? Poor boy. You have led a very boring life.”

He grinned. “Unfortunate but true. And, ach, how I have regretted it since.”

“Of course you regret it. I hit you very hard.”

He sat up and studied her face. “I regret that my actions hurt and embarrassed you. I would do anything to change that.”

“I was eleven, Nathaniel. Exactly half my lifetime ago. I think I can move past it now, don’t you?”

“You did allow me to bring you to Eicher’s Dairy today. This is progress. Perhaps next week I will try taking you to Burger King.” Nathaniel’s eyes flickered with mischief, and he scattered grass on Kate’s shoulder. “There has been a gross misunderstanding, though. I made this birdhouse for your mamm. You would not refuse a gift for your mamm, would you?”

Kate couldn’t suppress a smile. “You are a rascal, Nathaniel King, and jah, my mamm would love a birdhouse.” She put a hand up to halt his rejoicings. “But don’t give her any more gifts, either, unless you are ready for a stern scolding.”

Kate ambled down the road, her basket hanging casually over her arm as she hummed “O Mio Babbino.” Dat couldn’t spare the buggy, so she was forced to walk the five miles to the Millers’ house. Not that she minded. The crisp spring afternoon provided perfect weather for a stroll, and the long walk gave her plenty of time to be alone with her jumbled thoughts.

After “O Mio” she favored the fence posts with the “Queen of the Night” aria. The energetic tune inspired her to skip along the pavement. With every stanza, the sound got bigger and the dancing became livelier. “The Doll Song” was accompanied by hand waving and toe tapping that put Kate completely out of breath.

That must have been why she didn’t hear the buggy come up behind her.

“Kate Weaver, what do you think you are about?”

Kate turned to see a buggy stopped in the middle of the road with two women staring curiously from the front seat.

Grinning, Edna Miller held tightly to the reins of her horse and leaned out of the buggy like a tree bent in the wind. “You better climb in here before someone sees you wildly flailing about, liebe. Someone besides me and my sister. We don’t count, do we, Naomi?”

Naomi and her legendary sour disposition sat next to her sister with her arms folded and a prominent frown plastered on her face. “I think we count for plenty,” she said.

“Denki,” Kate said as she began to climb into the buggy.

“
Nae
, nae, sit in front,” Edna said. “The back is loaded with Luke’s stuff. That man is the worst pack rat I ever knew.”

Kate squeezed into the front seat next to Naomi, who didn’t seem to want to scoot over one bit for an unwelcome guest. Good thing all three of them were on the skinny side. Edna urged the horse forward.

“You are very kind to offer me a ride,” Kate said. “I was actually coming to your house.”

“My house? I am honored,” Edna said. “But it is such a long walk—especially if you dance all the way.”

“Acting awfully wild, if you ask me,” Naomi said, sniffing the air as if expecting to pick up the scent of sin.

“Don’t be rude, Naomi.” Edna eyed Kate and smiled. “We’re coming from my daughter Lizzie’s house. The new baby isn’t taking well to the nursing, and you should see Lizzie’s timid husband. As helpless as a kitten in a canal.”

“Oh, that is too bad,” Kate said, trying to ignore the hostility oozing from Naomi as she stared unabashedly at Kate.

Edna glanced at her sister and sighed. “Lizzie will get the hang of it. That first little buplie is always so hard to nurse. ”

Kate swallowed hard. “How is Lizzie feeling after the new baby?”

“Ach, poorly to be sure. The midwife said it was a hard delivery. Lizzie probably should have been in a hospital, but she’s a little afraid of them. And she wanted to have her first baby at home. But with Naomi taking care of her, she’ll be fit as a fiddle in no time. Naomi has a healer’s touch. If she would show a cheery disposition once in a while, she wouldn’t scare off so many patients.”