A Big Year for Lily (20 page)

I
t was a beautiful summer morning in June. The sky was bright blue and the air had a touch of sweet summer breeze. Not too cold, not too hot. Just right. As soon as breakfast was over, Lily dressed in her dark blue Sunday dress. She still needed help pinning her cape and apron so she ran downstairs to find Mama. Everything had to be perfect, even Lily's pins. Today was Teacher Rhoda's wedding day!

Mama was dressed in her dark blue Sunday dress, too. All the women and girls would wear blue dresses.

It still troubled Lily to think Teacher Rhoda was going to marry a brother of Aaron Yoder. She hoped Teacher Rhoda wouldn't regret that decision. Had she really thought this through? Lily thought not. After all, every family gathering would mean that Teacher Rhoda would have to see Aaron. She could never, ever avoid him. Lily shivered. How dreadful!

From every direction, horses and buggies were streaming
toward the farm where Teacher Rhoda would be married. So many people came from neighboring church districts. Buggy horses walked up every hill and Jim had to slow down and try to walk patiently behind them.

When they reached the farm, Lily felt alarmed. There were so many people! Too many. She would get swallowed up in this sea of people. If she were nine, she would be expected to stay by Mama's side. Now that she was ten, she could be with her friends. But she couldn't find any friends.

Then she spotted Effie Kauffman. Even Effie's face was a welcome sight today. She hurried through the crowd to join Effie; soon Beth, Malinda, and Cousin Hannah found them, but no one had anything to say to each other. They felt shy and awkward, waiting until it was time to go out to the barn. Teacher Rhoda's family had set benches in the neatly swept haymow for all the wedding guests.

When the service began, Lily soon grew bored. Weddings were just like church. The preachers kept talking and talking and talking. Didn't they ever run out of words? She wished they would hurry along and get to the main event: the wedding ceremony of Teacher Rhoda and Samuel Yoder.

Lily glanced up at the clock that someone had hung on one of the rafters at the far side of the barn. It was almost noon. No wonder she was hungry. Bishop Henry started to slow down his windy preaching. That was a good sign. Lily wanted to clap when she heard him say, “Samuel and Rhoda, if you are still willing to be married, you can come stand in front of me.”

Lily watched as Samuel and Teacher Rhoda walked up and stood next to each other in front of Bishop Henry. Their backs were turned to the rest of the room. Teacher Rhoda looked
pretty in her blue dress and crisply starched white cape and apron. She seemed tiny compared to Samuel.

Bishop Henry asked Samuel and Teacher Rhoda some questions. They answered so softly that Lily almost couldn't hear them. Next, the bishop asked everyone to stand while he read a prayer. At the end of the prayer, everyone sat down. Bishop Henry reached for Samuel and Teacher Rhoda's hands and clasped them together. He prayed for a blessing on their married life. And then Samuel and Teacher Rhoda went back to their seats.

Lily felt let down. All of this excitement . . . for
that
? Getting married didn't look like much fun.

As everyone sang the final song, Teacher Rhoda's father signaled to a few men. They left the barn to hitch horses to several buggies. It was time for the cooks and table waiters to get the meal ready for the guests.

Everyone waited patiently until the bridal party drove away. Then, the barn came alive! Jostling and bumping occurred as everyone tried to leave at the same time. Women and children went to the house to get their bonnets. They visited with each other in small clumps in the yard while they waited for buggies to drive up to the house. Lily was glad to see Papa heading toward them in the buggy. Lily and Mama climbed in the buggy and followed other buggies down the road to Teacher Rhoda's home.

Mama handed a wedding gift to Lily for her to carry while Mama followed with Paul. Lily felt important as she carried the gift into the house. Papa had made a beautiful magazine rack and Mama had wrapped it in several towels. Lily was sure Teacher Rhoda and Samuel would like their gift best of all.

“Lily, you can take the gift upstairs,” Mama said. “Place
it on the bed with the rest of the gifts.” Lily walked up the stairs. She wasn't sure which bedroom had all the gifts. She tiptoed down the hallway and peeked in a room where she heard voices. There were Samuel and Teacher Rhoda! They were sitting on the floor, opening gifts. The bed was buried under a mountain of gifts. Teacher Rhoda smiled when she saw Lily at the door. “Come in!”

Lily handed her gift to Teacher Rhoda, feeling shy. She couldn't look at Samuel. Then she wondered what she should do next. She would have liked to have seen what all the gifts were but none of the other little girls were in that room, so she thought she should leave. Seeing all those gifts made her think twice about getting married. It was the first sign that getting married might be fun. Someday.

Lily turned around to leave Teacher Rhoda and Samuel to their gifts. She saw Hannah wave to her down the hallway. In another bedroom, the girls had gathered to sit and chat until it was time to eat. Teacher Rhoda's father was the one who called up the stairs, announcing it was time to eat. He directed each person so he or she would know where to sit. There was a certain way to do everything in Lily's church, especially weddings.

The little girls were seated last, so Lily spent time looking over all the tables. They were set with beautiful chinaware. Every family had loaned their best china for the wedding. She tried to see which table held Mama's china. Samuel and Teacher Rhoda had come to their house just this week to borrow it. Beth nudged her. She pointed to the table where the girls were supposed to sit. “That's our china,” she whispered.

Lily admired the pattern. It all looked so beautiful.

After everyone had been seated, Bishop Henry spoke over
the noisy hum of visiting. “Now that everyone has gathered to eat, let's have a moment of silence as we thank the Lord.”

The room grew quiet until Bishop Henry lifted his head and cleared his throat. Then the visiting began again—quietly at first, then louder and louder. From where Lily sat, she could watch the bridal party. Teacher Rhoda looked very happy as she sat next to Samuel.

Soon, the table waiters carried big platters and bowls to the table: golden fried chicken and bowls of steaming mashed potatoes, followed by sweet corn and a seven-layer salad. Everything looked so delicious! But Lily took only small portions. She was waiting for the best part. Dessert. Weddings always had plenty of desserts.

First, the table waiters brought out fruit and several cakes.
They looked good, but Lily ate fruit and cake at home. She passed on those. Next came pies. Every variety Lily could think of: cherry, apple, peach, blueberry, mixed fruit, lemon, vanilla, banana cream, pecan, shoo-fly, and several other kinds that she didn't even recognize. The only one she wanted was cherry pie. That was Grandpa Miller's favorite and that was her favorite.

But she was still waiting for something even better. Pudding! There were three kinds: tapioca, chocolate, and vanilla layered, and Lily's favorite: traditional Sweetheart Pudding. It was layered with sugared, toasted nuts and had a graham cracker–streusel topping. As she spooned it into her mouth, it tasted even better than it looked. Sweetheart Pudding was the second reason she might consider getting married someday. Gifts first—then pudding.

After everyone was done eating, the table waiters cleared off the dishes. They left the water glasses. Teacher Rhoda's father handed everyone a songbook. Visiting quieted as someone announced a song and everyone started singing. Lily liked singing. All afternoon they sat there and sang one song after another. Waiters kept fresh, cold water in everyone's glasses. Now and then, bowls of candy were passed around the tables. Lily always took a piece and put it in her pocket. Soon her pockets were filling up. She was still full from the delicious meal. The candy would taste even better if she saved it to eat later.

Too soon, the singing was over and it was time to go home. The wedding celebration would last until late at night, but Lily wouldn't be old enough to stay with the youth until she was sixteen.

After such a day, how could she sleep a wink?

L
ily looked up from the book she had been reading in the shade of the big maple tree. Joseph and Dannie stood in front of her, fishing poles in one hand and an old tin can filled with wiggling earthworms in the other. “Will you go fishing with us?” Joseph said. “We'll bait your hook if you come with us.”

Fishing was the only thing Joseph and Dannie wanted to do, ever since Papa had taught them how to fish. Lily liked to sit beside the creek, but she didn't like fishing. She didn't like to touch slimy earthworms or scaly fish.

Dannie peered at her, an eager look on his round four-year-old face. “Mama said you can go with us if you want to.”

Lily closed her book. “I'll go if you bait the hook
and
take care of any fish I happen to catch.” She took her book inside and went down to the basement to get her fishing pole.

They walked down the driveway and across the road to reach a little path that skirted the edge of Papa's hayfield. The path
veered off into the shady woods. During the long summer days, Lily liked to walk in the cool woods. Feathery ferns and wildflowers covered the ground. Splashes of sunlight filtered through the leafy branches of the towering trees. They tramped a mile, easy. Lily could smell the creek before they got near it. It had its own smell: sweet slow-moving water, fish, warm pine trees.

As soon as they reached the creek, they found their favorite spots to sit. Joseph baited Lily's hook first, and she tossed it into the water. She allowed it to drift for a little while, then slowly reeled it in and tossed it back into the water again. She hoped she wouldn't catch anything. Reeling and tossing were fun as long as she didn't catch a fish.

Dannie caught the first fish. Joseph helped him remove it and attach it to a line until they were ready to go back to the house.

Lily reeled her line in, then tossed it back out. It created a little splash in the water. She waited, then reeled it back in, but the hook had snagged on something. She jiggled the fishing pole, but the hook wouldn't come loose. “My line is stuck.”

“I'll get it for you,” Joseph said, reeling his line in. He placed the fishing pole on the ground, then cuffed his pant legs up above his knees before he waded into the creek.

Lily watched as he ran his hand along the line. Joseph took a few more steps and suddenly—
kersplash!
—he disappeared. His head popped up, but his neck was just barely above the water. “Stand up!” Lily yelled.

“I can't!” Joseph yelped. “I think my foot broke!” Lily tossed her fishing pole to the ground and waded into the water to see if she could help Joseph. She grabbed hold of Joseph's arm and started to pull. He made a horrible sound, like a cat having its tail stepped on. “Go get Papa!”

“I'll stay right here, Joseph,” Dannie said. “Hurry, Lily!”

Lily waded to the edge of the creek and ran as fast as she could, the image of Joseph stuck in the creek firmly on her mind. What if the water started rising? What if a tidal wave came along? She had read about those in a book. He wasn't a very good swimmer. What if he drowned? Oh, that would be awful. She ran faster.

She stumbled through the tall grass, her skirt wet and heavy and clumsy as it slapped against her legs. Her breath came in gasps but still she ran on. She had to get to Mama and Papa and get help for Joseph.

It was hard to run up a hill. Lily's side pinched and she wanted to stop, to lay down and rest, to catch her breath. But fear of Joseph drowning in the creek kept her running. And what about Dannie? She could just imagine him drowning, too. He did everything Joseph did. Her legs felt numb and wooden as her feet kept pounding against the ground. She could see the house behind the cornstalks. Only a little farther now.

She burst into Papa's woodworking shop. He was putting a chair seat through the planer and couldn't hear her over the noise. Lily ducked through the spray of wood shavings to stand in front of him. Papa took one look at Lily's worried face and her dripping wet dress—now coated with shavings. He quickly pulled the lever to stop the hydraulic motor and the planer whined to a stop. “What's wrong?”

“Joseph is stuck in the creek,” Lily said. “He thinks his foot is broken and I'm afraid he's drowning. Dannie, too.”

Papa ran out of the shop and Lily trotted behind him as fast as she could, but her side still pinched. It took half the time, with Papa setting the pace. When they reached the creek, Lily was relieved to see that Joseph's head was still safely above the water. The tidal wave hadn't come.

Joseph and Dannie were both wailing at the top of their lungs. “Don't cry,” Papa said. “Don't cry, boys. I'll get you out in a hurry.” He removed his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and waded into the creek. When he reached Joseph, he tried to lift him out of the water but stopped as Joseph let out a sharp cry.

“It's stuck!” Joseph said. “My foot is stuck on something.”

Papa reached into the water and removed a rock that had trapped Joseph's foot. He gathered Joseph into his arms and waded back out of the creek. Gently, Papa set Joseph under a tree while he slipped back into his shoes. Then he picked him up again and carried him all the way back to the house. Lily held Dannie's hand and followed behind Papa. They had reached the house before Lily realized she had forgotten to bring the fishing poles. They were still on the creek bank. The hook of her pole was still snagged on something at the bottom of the creek. Probably that very same rock that had snagged Joseph.

Papa set Joseph on the kitchen table. Mama checked his foot.

“I think it's only a sprain,” Mama said.

“It would be best to go have it x-rayed, just to make sure,” Papa said. “I'll go call Mr. Tanner to come take us to the doctor.”

Mama helped Joseph change into clean, dry clothes while Lily took Dannie and Paul out to the sandbox to play.

Soon, Mr. Tanner arrived in his big car. Lily pressed her nose against the kitchen window as she watched Papa and Joseph ride away with him.

“We left our fishing poles by the creek,” Lily said to Mama. “Mine is stuck.”

“Let's go get them,” Mama said. “It'll get our minds off worrying about Joseph's foot.”

Back to the creek for the third time today! Lily and Mama
took turns carrying Paul when he got tired of walking or running, which was often.

When they arrived, Mama tried to reel in the line on Lily's fishing pole, but she couldn't get it in, either. “I don't want to wade in the creek,” Mama said. “We have plenty of fishing line and fish hooks back at the house. There's no need to have two family members spraining ankles in the creek today.” She reached into her pocket and drew out small sewing scissors to snip the line. It always amazed Lily that Mama had just the right tools for the job in her pocket. Just in time!

Mama picked up the fish that Dannie had caught and handed it to him to carry back to the house. He held it up high, as if it were a giant shark rather than a tiny fish. Mama gathered up the rest of the fishing poles.

Later that afternoon, Lily heard a car pull into the driveway. She ran to the kitchen window and watched Papa get out of Mr. Tanner's car. He reached into the backseat and removed a small pair of crutches. Joseph scooted to the edge of the seat and then balanced himself on the crutches. He hopped to the house on the crutches, looking like a kangaroo. Crutches looked like fun to Lily.

“It's not broken,” Papa said. “Joseph has a bad sprain. The doctor wants him to use crutches for a few weeks until his ankle feels better.”

Lily was glad to hear that Joseph had not broken his ankle. She couldn't wait, though, to try out his crutches and hop around the house. Dannie was eyeing them, too, with the very same plan to borrow those crutches each time Joseph sat down. This, she decided right then and there, would be called the summer of kangaroos.