Slowly, he walked up the aisle and extended his hand to Simon Wagler. “Today is a special day, Pa, and I am sorry I am late.”
As her eyes began to focus in the dark barn from looking into the light, Rebekah noticed that Peter was filthy.
“May I speak to the church?”
Simon stood beside his son, but didn’t let go of his hand. The older man’s eyes misted and his lower lip trembled as he held onto Peter’s hand. The sight was almost too much for Rebekah.
“Good Amish people, I mean no disrespect in my appearance or my tardiness. Due to circumstances that were beyond my control, my wagon overstayed its welcome at the livery stable in Montgomery during my recent...travel.” He didn’t look at Joseph and he didn’t look at her.
Peter, what in the world are you doing?
“So, in order to make things right, I had to stay on at the livery and work off my debt. I didn’t want to ask for money or help. I needed to work it off on my own, and work things out in my mind.” He brushed his nose with his free hand while Simon held fast to the other. “You people,” he started, “you people are everything good in this world. My recent travels were eye-opening, and I came home, ashamed of my English-born blood. But as some of you may know, Rebekah and I accidentally found another relative and her son. A boy who is mute, and as loving and kind as the day is long.”
Everyone stared at him in the silent barn.
“It was when we were boarding the train back here, back home, that I knew. I knew this was my life, with or without a spouse. So, I ran off to collect Patty and Noah, our English blood kin, and used the money that was supposed to be for any additional expenditures at the livery, to buy them tickets here. Well, not here, but to Montgomery, where we got her a job with the doc who took care of Mr. Stoll.” Finally, he looked at Rebekah. His eyes were filled with moisture and his dirt-streaked face, sincere. “I couldn’t wait to bring what little blood relations I have here. Home, where life makes sense and things are as they should be.” He glanced at Simon. “I came straight from work, Pa. My debt is paid and now I’m ready. Ready to join the Church, if you’ll have me.”
Simon pulled Peter into an embrace. Thomas reached over and patted Rebekah’s hand. “I knew he’d come,” he whispered.
“How’d you know,” she whispered back.
“Because I’ve known Uncle Peter practically my whole life.”
Rebekah shook her head and bit back a smile.
“Of course we’ll have you.” Simon’s normally meek voice boomed. “Right, Church?”
“Amen!”
When their embrace was over, Simon led Peter to a bowl of water at the front of the pews set up in the barn. “Mama?” He extended his hand to Mrs. Wagler, who held her back, but hobbled up to join her husband and her soon-to-be son.
“Kneel down, Peter,” Simon instructed.
Peter did as he was told.
“Now, bow your head. Hide your face in your hands to show that you are humble in this church house and answer my questions truthfully.”
“Yes sir, Pa.” Peter’s voice softened as he bowed his head.
“Do you renounce your worldly ways, and commit to live a plain life, only for Jesus Christ?”
“I do,” Peter boomed.
Rebekah’s lips tilted upward. The loudness of Peter’s voice was remarkably un-Amish.
“Do you commit to the Amish Church, and should you marry, agree to bring your family up in the Anabaptist way?”
“I do,” Peter boomed again.
This time, Rebekah was almost positive she heard her mother snicker.
“Now Peter, do you renounce the evil one? And the ways of the English?”
“Yes, I wholeheartedly do renounce both.”
Simon picked up the bowl of water. “Peter, do you commit to serve in the Gasthof Village church ministry, should the need arise in the future?”
“I do! Humbly, Pa.”
Simon looked out the audience. “I ask my wife, Sarah, Rebekah, and anyone else who would like to do so, to come forward now and extend their hand over Peter’s head for the pouring of the water.”
Rebekah stood up. Carefully, she glanced from side to side, but Katie was nowhere to be seen. She should be here for this...
Thomas caught her hand. His eyes were question marks. Rebekah tugged him along with her. Together, they walked up to where Peter knelt, face in his hands, a picture of humility, and extended their hands next to Sarah Wagler’s.
“I baptize you, Peter Wagler, in the name of Jesus Christ, who defeated death and rose again so that all who love Him might have everlasting life.” He tipped the bowl and the water ran through Sarah, Rebekah, and Thomas’s fingers before cascading over Peter’s head.
Rebekah, all smiles, looked up. There in the tree line, out the far side of the barn, she saw her. Katie. Not so far away that she couldn’t see her tear streaked face.
Chapter Nineteen
December 3, 1889, Gasthof Village, Indiana Territory
Rebekah glanced across the room at Katie and Annie Knepp. “Thank you for helping me bundle celery. I had no idea we would need so much!”
Elnora strode down the stairs, baby Beanie on her hip. She sucked in a deep breath and held it. “Mm, I love the smell of fresh celery. Reminds me of when I married your father, Rebekah.”
The sun wasn’t even up yet, and Rebekah already had bundled a barn’s worth of celery with the help of Katie and Annie Knepp. There were slight differences between the sisters, but people who didn’t know them wouldn’t catch them. Annie, for example, had a chicken pox scar over her left eye and in the middle of her forehead. There was one in her eyebrow too, that used to be deep enough to poke a corn kernel in, but over the years it healed and the scar became less noticeable. Still, when Rebekah came at her with a corn kernel, Annie would shriek and run.
The smell of cream of celery soup hung thick in the house, and Rebekah’s cinnamon cakes—she’d baked ten of them since the night before—punctuated the scent of the Stoll household with a festive flair.
Thomas flounced through the kitchen with his stuffed cat displayed before him. All of his other brothers had accepted the fact that Rebekah would be marrying Joseph and moving away, but not Thomas. He still clung to her side like a woodpecker on a tree, while his other brothers were content to play with each other and leave their big sister alone.
“Thomas,” Rebekah called as he pranced by.
“Meow?”
“Would you like anything special for dinner at the wedding reception?”
Thomas began to purr and rub his face on her leg.
“Oh, I see. You’re a cat today.”
“Purr, purr.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Hisssss!”
