Читать книгу Amish Dilemma: A Novel - Sioux Dallas - Страница 9

Chapter One

Charity Startz sat with bowed head with her heart beating so fast it felt as if it were trying to break out of her body. There had been three hours of sermons and songs starting at eight in the morning and going until eleven. There were no musical instruments; they would be considered worldly. A song leader would sing one line and teach it to the congregation.

Everyone memorized the songs and Bible verses.

Charity sat as they all did on a hard bench with no back. They were careful to keep good posture and straight backs. The women sat on one side and the men sat on the other side. Church services were held every other Sunndawk (Sunday) in the home of a member of the congregation. The benches belonged to the group and were taken by wagon to each haus (house) where the service would be held. Women furnished good tasty food to be shared after the long service. Usually people were served lunch and dinner.

Walls could be moved in the homes to make more room, however, in a few homes the members had to sit in various rooms. The preachers would go from room to room teaching and talking loudly enough to be heard by all.

Kinner (children) were taught to be still and quiet. Mothers brought snacks for the very young ones to keep them quiet. Sometimes small children would toddle from mother in one room to daddy in another room. Bad behavior (disturbing the service) was severely disciplined.

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Today Charity was sitting on a bench facing the center with her attendants called newehockers. This was not a Sunndawk (Sunday) service but a special Dunnahshdawk (Thursday) service in Novembar (November). Her newehockers were three girls whom she considered best friends; Nadine Lapp, Rosemary Raber and Bonnie Lehman.

Facing Charity on another bench sat Adam Kime with his newehockers Lawrence Startz, Kyle Snader and Gerry Raber. Charity glanced at him under her lowered lashes and thought he looked as if he had bitten into a very sour lemon. She understood why he was not happy but it didn’t help her feelings at all.

Charity’s father Jacob Startz and Adam’s father Joshua Kime had been friends since they were small children. They had promised each other their first born to be married and join the two families. Charity as the oldest daughter and Adam as the oldest son had always known they were promised. They liked each other but it was not a love match. Many Amish felt one should marry first and then learn to love each other.

Although the majority of the parents did not select a mate for their child they did expect to be consulted. Approval must be given and both of the intended couples must be baptized and members of the church. A deacon would announce plans for the wedding in a worship service. This is called being published which is the same as being engaged. The young man does not give a ring. He gives a set of china or a lovely battery clock. Everyone in the congregation prepares for the wedding.

The bride’s parents plant a big field of celery which is meant to be a blessing and is a spiritual wish for success. Celery is served to eat as well as placed in vases as flowers during the wedding and the dinner following.

The weddings are held between Ocktobar (October) and Dezembar (December) after the fall harvest and are on either a Deenshdawk (Tuesday) or Dennashdawk (Thursday). Communion is taken in the spring and fall.

The bride’s parents prepare for the wedding by making furniture, sewing clothes by hand to be given, baking favorite recipes of the bride and helping the bride to fill her hope chest that her father has made for her. In it she has hand made linens, kitchen items, scrapbooks and other favorites.

The service is usually held in the bride’s home as a worship service. Bible passages are read by the minister to emphasize the relationship that must be between husband and wife. (1 Corinthians 7:1-3 Now it is good for a man not to marry, but since there is so much immorality, each man should have one wife and each woman her own husband. A man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and the two shall become one flesh.)

Ephesians 5:31 There is no divorce in the Amish faith (Corinthians 7: 10-11 But a wife must not separate from her husband. If she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.) They literally mean “till death do us part”.

* * * * *

Bishop Eash called the couple to stand before him after a two and half hour service. Rev. Chupp stepped up and read scriptures; then admonished them as to their duties to each other. They had counseling previously.

The Bishop asked solemnly, “Can you both confess and believe that Gott (God) has ordained marriage to be a union between one man and one woman? Do you also have the confidence you are approaching marriage in accordance with the way you have been taught?”

“Ja,” both Charity and Adam responded.

Turning to Adam he continued, “Do you have confidence brother that Gott has provided this, our sister, as a marriage partner for you?”

“Ja,” Adam answered nervously.

He asked the same of Charity and she said “Ja” so low she was asked to repeat it.

“Charity, do you vow to be loyal and care for your husband during adversity, affliction, sickness and weakness and to remain together until death?”

With a trembling voice Charity swallowed and bravely said, “Ja.”

She bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. She had worked hard to make her light blue dress, white apron and white prayer kapp (cap). She had pricked her fingers many times with the needle. This clothing would be kept to be worn on special occasions, Sunday service or to be buried in. She was hurt that Adam had not looked at her and it was their wedding day.

“Adam, do you vow to be loyal and care for your wife during adversity, affliction, sickness and weakness and remain together until death?”

Adam gulped and said, “Ja.”

“And do you both promise together that you will live with each other with love, forbearance and patience and not part from each other until Gott separates you in death?”

They answered “Ja” together.

“Let us rise and pray for those about to be married.”

The Bishop then took Charity’s right hand and placed it in Adam’s left hand. He then placed one of his hands under the joined hands and his other hand on top. He prayed a blessing and asked for the mercy of God for them.

He then said, “Go forth in the Lord’s name. You are now man and wife.”

There was no kiss, no special acknowledgement and no rings. Adam went to help the men set up the benches for tables to be used for the dinner and Charity went to help the women in the preparation of food and serving it.

The newly married couple sat at a table, called an ‘eck’, in a corner with their attendants beside them. The meal itself is a feast. The women have lovingly prepared several main dishes in addition to vegetables, fruits and desserts. Six or seven wedding cakes are set aside to be eaten later in the day. Silent prayers are said before each meal and after. The Bishop cleared his throat to alert everyone that he had finished praying silently.

The men, and important people present, are served first, then the women and children. It takes several seatings to serve two hundred or more guests.

Often there will be more than one wedding in a day. Some people travel from one wedding to another and take food with them to share.

Women in the community have helped obtain napkins with the name of the couple and the date on each one. There may be homemade candy placed in small net bags for favors. The main dish, which the women of the church provide, may be hingleflesh (roast chicken) traumata mush (mashed potatoes) gravy, a variety of meats, vegetables, salads and desserts. Water, coffee, cider or lemonade will be served for beverages.

In the afternoon the young people have a singing while the adults visit.

Later there is a dinner and the cakes are served. For the seating of the young people, on the bride’s side are the newly married and the published couples.

On the groom’s side are the dating couples. Hymn singing follows the dinner.

* * * * *

Charity sat silently beside Adam in his buggy. They were spending their first night together in the bride’s home. The following morning Charity got up at five thirty to help her mother with breakfast. Adam went out to help Charity’s father feed the animals and clean the sheiyah (barn). The couple then busy themselves cleaning up after the ceremony. Benches must be taken to a place where they are stored until they will be taken to the next haus (house) for a Sunndawk (Sunday) service.

Adam was a willing worker helping Jacob Startz set the milking machines on the kees (cows) and feeding the sixty dairy kees. The milch (milk) was strained and poured into large metal containers and placed on a sled for a gaul (horse) to pull it to the edge of the bavvrkai (farm) property for a truck to pick up the milk and give Jacob a receipt for it. The large containers had markings on them to show who owned those particular containers so the correct people would be paid. Too, the markings helped to keep records of desirable and undesirable milk.

The following weekend Adam hitched his horse to the buggy to take Charity visiting nearby relatives and close friends. This is a honeymoon.

Each house they visited had a gift for them. The gifts could be a handmade item, a plow, a young cow, homemade furniture, or seeds for spring planting. In January they went to live with the groom’s parents.

Christmas came with a deep snow which prevented people from visiting or going out. The Amish do not have decorated trees or do any celebrating as the town people do. Some do exchange gifts. The women do make Rinderrou-laden, or bake Speingerle cookies, Sugar cookies, Sugar Cream Pie and many other tasty items. Christmas was a time for special worship services, remembering the birth of Christ and reading the story in Luke.

Charity and Adam were busy working and making items for their own home.

Januar (January) and Februar (February) passed slowly because there were so many animals to feed even in the cold and snow. There was lots of outside work to be done and plenty indoors. Women did get together as often as possible for quilting sessions and to make clothes for an expected baby.

Marz (March) came roaring in like a lion which meant they would have an early spring. (The old saying was “In like a lion, out like a lamb”)

Jacob Startz and Joshua Kime announced in a worship service that they would be building a house and a barn for Charity and Adam. The Amish all pitch in to help each other and do not consider it an imposition. It is fun.

At six in the morning about six dozen men and boys came to help.

Gauls were turned into a pasture with water so they could rest and graze.

Buggies were lined up as if they were posing for a picture. They were building on land between the two farms to join the two families.

Joshua laughing said he was going to build lots of bedrooms for many kinskinner (grandchildren) he was expecting. Charity blushed but said nothing because she knew she was expecting a boppli (baby) either the last of Septembar (September) or the first of Oktobar (October). She was so happy to be a mother but her heart would have been lighter if Adam had exhibited any signs of being happy to be a father.

Jacob and Joshua had given Adam two Percherons for farm work. His uncle, Noah Kime, had given him a buggy gaul which could also be ridden under saddle. Adam loved that gaul and named her Bonnie Kate.

Moving into their new home was a time for rejoicing and much happiness.

Charity was thrilled to be on their own at last. Adam showed little interest except to thank the people for their help. As they moved into the house on March 20th, Charity had her nineteenth birthday. There was no special gift from her husband. Friends came by with canned foods, flower rootings and handmade items. Her mother had made her three new aprons and two dish towels for the kitchen. Her best aldi (girlfriend), Nadine, gave her a tiny kitten which she named Snowflake because it was all white, fluffy and cuddly. The Zook twins, Christine and Ruth Ann brought a basket of candy they had made and two loaves of Friendship bread.

Adam started plowing and planting his fields while Charity put in a big vegetable garden, an herb garden and lots of flowers. She brought all the bedding out to beat it and hang it in the fresh air for awhile. She took all the curtains down to stretch them on the curtain stretcher and hang them clean and fresh smelling. Two of her friends came to help her wash windows and clean the entire house. It was a Freidawk (Friday) and she and Adam would host the worship service on Sunndawk.

On Samshdawk (Saturday) men brought in the benches and more women came to help Charity prepare the house. She knew everyone would bring food to share but she had been baking and planning food for several days.

This was exciting for Charity because it was the first time she and Adam had entertained. Inside and out everything must be clean.

Charity was so pleased that a huge crowd came to their house. She felt they were accepting Adam and her as a mature couple. She was astonished at the amount of food brought. Her mother whispered that everyone knew she was expecting her first baby and knew how tired she would get. They furnished enough food to leave some for her and Adam.

Adam hired two teenage neighbor boys to help him in the field and to help build whatever was needed for use on the farm. He wanted a separate building for the food stored as feed for the animals and one to park the buggies and work wagons. In the fall they would harvest the crops and put up necessary supplies or sell what had been raised to sell. Charity would can foods and prepare for winter.

Adam and Charity had a stand beside the road in front of their property where they sold vegetables, fruit and honey. Charity included eggs and few baked goods. A few times she sold pots of flowers.

The summer was hot and hard for them. Adam was kind to Charity and was quick to see that she had what was need inside and out, but he was not affectionate. Charity wished with her whole heart that he would once hold her and say “I love you”. He was a gentleman and a good husband but didn’t think it was necessary to show affection. He felt he was working to provide a good home, plenty of food and that was all that was necessary.

Charity worked hard to be a good wife and a good housekeeper. She was an excellent cook and a very good seamstress. She kept the house neat and tidy, fed some of the animals and took care of the garden. She also helped Adam when he needed her outside.

Charity was pleased to view the many jars of vegetables and fruits she had canned and made ready for winter. These were kept down in a basement.

She would can meats later.