A Song for Nettie Johnson by Gloria Sawai

know,” Jonathan says. “Rehearsals have already started.”
    “You don’t think I’m getting married just for that, do you?” Eli says.
    On Saturday morning, under a yellow sun, Eli and Nettie stand in front of the trailer, facing the quarry. Beside Nettie is Christine Lund. Next to Eli is Peter. Halfway between the trailer and the pit, Jonathan in a dark suit stands facing them. He holds a black altar book in his hand. A small wind ruffles his sandy hair. The rocking chair has been moved to face the trailer, and Andrew and Elizabeth sit in the chair together.
    “When is she going to put on her wedding dress?” Elizabeth whispers into Andrew’s ear.
    Andrew leans as far away from her as he can, but her voice still reaches him.
    “There aren’t any streamers,” she says. “How can there be a wedding without streamers?”
    Andrew stretches his neck and looks up. The sky is clear blue, like lakes he’s seen in pictures, like his mother’s eyes.
    Christine does not want to be here. She does not approve of this wedding. “How can you go along with this?” she’d demanded of Jonathan. “You know very well what his motives are.” Jonathan did not answer her. “And how could you possibly agree to having it out at the gravel pit, knowing what’s gone on there?” To which Jonathan replied, “Nettie won’t leave the quarry.”
    And now, here she is, a witness, wearing a green wool dress and standing beside Nettie, who wears a skirt and faded sweater, clothing donated by the Sunshine Circle at St. John’s years ago.
    Jonathan begins reading, holding his book high in front of him. His voice is small and thin in the vast air.
    “In the second chapter of the Book of Genesis it is written thus: ‘And the Lord said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an helpmeet for him....’”
    Nettie glances at Eli, Eli looks at Jonathan, Peter stares down at his shoes.
    There was some confusion at first as to where the wedding party would stand. The bride and groom on the step? Christine and Peter on the ground? All four on the step? All on the ground? It was Nettie who made the final decision: “We will all stand on the ground in a straight line. Nobody’s foot will stick out any farther than anyone else’s.” Peter has found this directive to his liking and shifts his feet forward and back, testing the measurements.
    “‘And the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh thereof; and of the rib which the Lord had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her to the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; and shall be called Woman because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.’”
    “Cleave?” Nettie says. “I wonder how you’d spell that.”
    A gopher peeks out of its hole beside a rock; a crow lands on the top branch of the willow tree.
    “Christ saith also in the nineteenth chapter according to St. Matthew: ‘What God hath joined together let no man put asunder.’” Jonathan pauses.
    “It’s over then,” Nettie says.
    “Not quite,” Jonathan says.
    Nettie mumbles under her breath, “Is he going to read the whole book?”
    Jonathan reads from Corinthians, from Genesis, from Luke. Finally, he comes to the wedding vows.
    “I ask thee, therefore, Eli Olaf Nelson, in the presence of God and this Christian assembly: In thy marriage with Nettie Orpha Johnson, wilt thou live with her according to God’s holy Word, love and honour her, and alike in good and evil days keep thee only unto her so long as ye both shall live?”
    “I will,” Eli says.
    Jonathan looks at Nettie. “In like manner, I ask thee, Nettie Orpha Johnson, in the presence of God and this Christian assembly: In thy marriage with Eli Olaf Nelson, wilt thou live with him according to God’s holy Word, love and honour him,