Chapter 34
Shipshewana
FRIDAY EVENING, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS a bit of a chill in the house, Emma broke out in a sweat when she looked at the clock and saw that it was a quarter to seven.
In just fifteen minutes, if he was true to his word, Nathan would most likely show up.
In some ways, Emma hoped he wouldn’t come, but in another way, the idea of being courted again was kind of exciting.
It meant that a good-looking young man was interested in her.
But for what reason? she asked herself. Is this just a social call, or is Nathan looking for the possibility of choosing a wife?
If so, why did he choose me to call upon?
Emma continued to stare at the clock. Maybe David’s cousin has a list of potential prospects, and he plans to make calls on each of those young women until he finds the right one.
Emma didn’t know why she was thinking such thoughts. It was ridiculous to speculate on something she had no knowledge of at all. Wouldn’t it be better to wait and see how things went with Nathan this evening?
“Why are you staring at the clock?”
Emma turned at the sound of her mother’s voice. “I wanted to see what time it was.”
“It’s getting close to seven,” Mom said, slipping an arm around Emma’s waist. “I imagine your suitor will be showing up soon.”
“Nathan’s not really a suitor, Mom. He’s just coming to make a call on me.”
“There must be an interest on his part, or he wouldn’t have asked you if he could come here this evening,” Mom stated.
Emma sighed. “I still don’t understand why he wants to spend time with me. Nathan lives in Pennsylvania, and I’m sure he plans to go back there soon. As far as I know, the only reason he came to Indiana was to be David’s witness.”
“Maybe Nathan is thinking about moving here,” Mom suggested. “Or he might be staying awhile to visit with David or some of his family members.”
“I suppose that’s possible, but …” Emma stopped talking when she heard the clippity-clop of a horse’s hooves coming up the driveway. She clung to her mother’s arm. “Oh no. He’s here.”
“Settle down and try to relax.” Mom patted Emma’s hand. “Would you like to answer the door, or would you prefer that either I or your father does it?”
Emma didn’t think it would be a good idea if Dad answered the door.
He’d probably ply Nathan with all sorts of questions.
On the other hand, if Emma’s mother greeted Nathan at the door, she might be apt to invite him right into the kitchen, where Emma stood, trembling inwardly, like a willow tree during a brisk windstorm.
Emma drew in a quick breath and held her head high. Surely it couldn’t be that difficult to greet the young man that would soon be at their door.
“I’ll greet Nathan at the door,” Emma told her mother. “After all, it’s me he came to see, and I don’t want to disappoint him by hiding out here in the kitchen.”
Mom offered Emma a broad smile. “Good for you, Emma dear. That’s the polite thing to do.”
Emma left the kitchen and waited in the hall until she heard footsteps on the porch stairs. When Nathan’s knock came a few seconds later, she opened the door.
There stood Nathan, wearing a pleasant smile and holding a box of chocolates. “Good evening, Emma.” He held the candy out to her. “These are for you.”
“Danki.” Emma clasped the box tightly and offered him a smile that she hoped looked sincere. “Please come in, Nathan.”
When he stepped inside and closed the door, she offered to take his coat. After hanging it on a wall peg, Emma suggested they go to the living room to visit with her parents, and she led the way.
Mom and Dad were seated in their favorite chairs, which left the sofa for Emma and Nathan. Emma took a seat there while Nathan greeted her parents with a handshake.
“It’s nice to see you both again,” he said. “We didn’t get to visit much at the wedding, so I’m glad for the opportunity to be here this evening and have the chance to get to know you both better.”
Emma felt a sense of relief knowing that Nathan hadn’t come here just to spend time with her but that he wanted to get to know her parents too. Maybe he didn’t have marriage on his mind. Perhaps he’d gotten bored staying at David’s parents’ house this week and wanted to visit with David’s in-laws.
But then at the evening wedding meal, Nathan did say he wanted to pay a call on me, Emma reminded herself.
After Nathan greeted Emma’s parents, he wandered over to the sofa and plunked down next to her. In fact, he was so close, his hand brushed Emma’s arm when he reached up to pull his fingers through the back of his thick hair.
Emma was glad when Nathan directed a fair amount of his conversation to her father. Dad seemed eager to talk to the young man, so Emma mostly sat, fooling with the ties on her head covering. She made an effort to calm herself by affirming that this was just a casual visit and nothing more.
When the conversation lulled, Mom rose from her chair and asked Emma if she would join her in the kitchen to prepare some refreshments. Emma didn’t have to be asked twice, and she was immediately on her feet and heading down the hall to the kitchen.
“Nathan seems like a nice young man,” Mom said quietly. “I’m glad he came over tonight so we could get to know him.”
Emma’s only reply was a brief nod as she opened the box of chocolates and placed some on the platter beside the pumpkin cookies she and her mother had made earlier today.
“You were pretty quiet in the living room, Emma.”
“I couldn’t think of much to contribute to the conversation,” Emma replied. “Besides, the things Dad and Nathan talked about didn’t really interest me.”
“Maybe we will eat our refreshments and play a game. Nathan might have more to say to you then.”
Emma shrugged. “We’ll see how it goes.”
“It sounded like Nathan enjoys his job at the shoe store his father owns.”
Once more, Emma only nodded in response to her mother’s statement.
While Nathan seemed nice enough, Emma wasn’t sure she could ever have deep feelings for him—at least not the way she felt about Ivan.
But Emma decided that it would only be right to give Nathan a chance.
After all, Emma wasn’t too sure about Ivan either when they’d first met.
Arthur
When Ivan entered the kitchen Saturday morning, he was surprised to see his mother making breakfast by herself. Normally, Maggie would be here with her, either holding the fussy baby or, if Stephen was still asleep, helping his mother with breakfast.
“Where’s Maggie?” Ivan asked, approaching the stove, where Mama stood stirring a pot of oatmeal.
“She’s in bed with a koppweh, and the baby’s still asleep.” Mama offered Ivan a weary-looking smile. “If Maggie’s headache doesn’t improve, someone will need to care for Stephen.”
“Would you like me to ask Papa if I can have the day off so I can stay here and help out?” Ivan offered.
She shook her head. “You’re needed at the harness shop. Maybe Maggie will feel better soon and be out of bed. If not, I’ll see if one of your sisters might be free to take care of the baby, since I’m supposed to work at the fabric store today. If neither of them is available, then I’ll stay home.”
Ivan put his hand on his mother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for bringing all this extra work on you, Mama. Between your work at the fabric store and everything you do around here, you’re busy enough, but now, with Maggie and the baby living here, there are even more things taking up your time.”
“It’s all right, Son. You’re dealing with a lot right now, and I want to help however I can.”
Ivan gave her a hug. “Danki, Mama. I’m pretty stressed out right now, and it helps to know that I have your support.”
Ivan let his mind wander as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
He pulled his fingers down the side of his face as the anxiety about the upcoming wedding took over yet again.
Despite Ivan’s best efforts to remain optimistic, he couldn’t get rid of the weight he felt in his chest, always questioning whether he was doing the right thing going through with the plan to marry Maggie.
“Is there something more you would like to say?” his mother asked.
“I was just thinking about the wedding, is all, and hoping everything goes okay for me and Maggie.”
“You mean the day of the ceremony, or afterward?”
“I’m not too concerned about the wedding itself, since it will be a smaller gathering than most.” Ivan swished a sip of coffee around in his mouth before swallowing it.
“That’s true,” Mama acknowledged. “Maggie doesn’t know many people from our church district, and her parents and other family members aren’t likely to come, so it will only be those you have invited from among your friends and people you know well who will stay for the wedding ceremony after the main church service.
And don’t forget,” she added, “there will only be one meal after the wedding service, which will make things a little less stressful for everyone involved.”
For everyone but me. Ivan kept his thoughts to himself.
There was no point discussing his lack of love for a woman he barely knew.
Mama already knew, but that didn’t change a thing.
The fact was, and Ivan had come to grips with it, there was a price to pay for everything a person did that was wrong in God’s eyes.
Ivan was prepared to make the best of the hand he’d dealt for himself that night at Toby’s party.
“Say, Ivan, I have a favor to ask of you,” Papa said when Ivan entered the harness shop that morning.
“What do you need?”
“Could you please hire a driver and take a harness to one of my customers in Arcola, since he hasn’t been by yet to pick it up? Oh, and while you’re there, feel free to go someplace for your noon meal before heading back to the shop.”
“Okay, sure. I can do that. I’ll go over to the non-Amish family down the road a piece and ask if I can borrow their phone to make the call.”