Sarasota Dreams (10 page)

“I–I’m sorry,” Mary said.

“You shouldn’t be sorry,” Grandpa said with a forced smile beneath glistening, moist eyes. “You are the joy that came out of the sadness. We love you very much, and we want you to be as content as we are. The Lord has blessed us greatly.”

Mary turned to Grandma for a check on her reaction, and she was surprised to see her also smiling. “Ya, we love you very much, Mary. I know I don’t always show how much—”

“She knows you love her, Sarah.” Grandpa looked at Mary with his head tilted toward her. “We’re concerned about you, though. There is no joy in your life. All you do is go to the restaurant and then come home. We were hoping you and Abe … well, that maybe you two would hit it off.”

“Abe is a fine man,” Grandma added. “He will take care of you, and you will always know you’re safe.”

Mary looked down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever feel safe—no matter where she was or who she was with. Even here with Grandma and Grandpa, in her mind the safest place on earth, there were times she wasn’t sure she was wanted.

Grandpa shifted in his seat, capturing Mary’s attention. “I know you have some painful memories, Granddaughter, and there’s nothing we can do about that except pray. But it’s time you learned to trust other people.”

Mary nodded. “I trust both of you.”

“Ya,” he said, “but you need to trust that the Lord has put Abe into your life for a reason.” He paused before adding, “And you need to trust Abe with your heart.”

Mary knew Grandpa meant well, but it was easier for him to say than for her to take his advice. “I’d like to,” she whispered.

“Let’s pray about this,” Grandpa said as he pulled one of her hands from the other. He reached for Grandma’s hand, and they all bowed their heads.

After the prayer, Grandpa released her hand. Mary kept her eyes squeezed shut and silently added her own thoughts and feelings.
Lord, I want to be the woman You want me to be. Please show me the way, and I’ll try … no, I’ll make it my plan to do Your will
.

When she opened her eyes, both of her grandparents had gotten up. Grandpa had left the room, but Grandma was over by the sink with her back turned toward Mary.

“I’m washing the pot I left to soak after supper,” Grandma said.

“Need help?”

“No, I’m almost done.” Grandma dumped the water from the pot and dried it with the dish towel before putting it back in the cupboard. “I heard you talking to that little boy. Maybe someday you’ll have children of your own.”

“Maybe.”

Grandma sighed. “I would have had a houseful if I could. Your mama was such a cheerful little girl, I thought a dozen more just like her would be perfect.” She sniffled and wiped her cheek with her sleeve. “The Lord obviously didn’t feel I should have more children. When we lost Elizabeth, your grandpa and I felt like our breath had been taken away. Worldly living does that to so many people. I didn’t want her to go up to Cincinnati to stay with those girls. I was afraid she’d never come back. When she did, I was so happy, I sang all the time. Then …” She hung her head. “As each day passed, the light in your mama’s eyes faded a little bit more. I knew something was wrong, but until I realized what she’d done and that she was pregnant, I couldn’t figure it out.”

Mary wanted to hear more about the specifics of what happened on the day Mama left from Grandma’s perspective, but she didn’t want to push for answers. She didn’t want to create tension.

“Mama missed you and Grandpa,” Mary said, her voice catching on emotion.

“Did she tell you that?” The expectant look on Grandma’s face tempted Mary to lie, but she couldn’t.

She shook her head. “No, she never actually came right out and said that, but I could tell. She was lonely.” And she cried when she didn’t think Mary could hear her.

“So was I. Some days, every time I heard a sound outside, I ran to the door, hoping it was my Elizabeth.”

Mary wanted to ask more questions—like what would have happened if she and her mother had shown up. But it seemed that questions caused Grandma to clam up. She was much more open when she spoke of her own volition.

Grandma folded the towel and hung it from the drawer handle, then turned and looked Mary squarely in the eye. “I used to worry that when you turned sixteen, you would do what your Mama did.”

Mary slowly shook her head. “No, I would never have done that. It wasn’t a good life.”

They held gazes for almost a minute before Grandma closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around Mary. At first Mary was so stunned she froze. Then she slowly relaxed, melting into Grandma’s embrace and allowing the older woman’s warmth to provide the comfort she needed. They held on to each other until Grandma finally let go and gently held Mary at arm’s length.

“You are a delightful young woman, with a lot to offer the right man.”

Mary gulped. “I want to do what God calls me to do.” She dropped her gaze to the floor.

“Yes, I know that now.” Grandma lifted Mary’s chin and looked her in the eye. “Do you ever think what it would be like to find a husband and have your own home?”

M
ary lay in bed staring at the ceiling with the light from outside casting a faint glow through the thin curtains. Usually before she fell asleep, she reflected on the day and how far she’d come from her past. Tonight was different. She’d had some sort of emotional connection to Grandma that she never thought possible. Grandma’s question about whether or not she wanted a husband and home of her own played through her mind, and Abe’s image instantly appeared.

She squeezed her eyes shut and asked the Lord to give her the wisdom she needed. Abe had already made his intentions clear, and Grandma seemed to think she should try to have a normal Mennonite life.

Mary wanted a normal life, but it never seemed possible for her to have one. Her rough early years haunted her everywhere she went. When she’d first moved to Sarasota, she doubted everyone’s motives for talking to her, including Grandma and Grandpa’s. It hadn’t taken long to learn to trust Grandpa. Even though Mama had said men always wanted something, Mary sensed a strong relationship between Mama and Grandpa that her mother missed, or at least hadn’t told her about. Mama had complained about Grandpa being cold, but Mary didn’t see that in him. Grandma was a different story. According to Mama, Grandma was a vindictive old woman who didn’t understand what it was like to be young. At first, after coming to live with her grandparents, Mary agreed with Mama, but through the years, she occasionally saw a softening that escaped Grandma’s stern facade for a few minutes or seconds. Until recently.

Now everything was different. After Grandma’s talk with her during their walk, her demeanor had gradually softened even more. Mary’s thoughts swirled around all the conversations she’d had with Abe and how her grandparents were encouraging her to be with him. As her swirling thoughts gradually slowed, Mary finally relaxed and allowed sleep to wash over her.

She awakened the next morning with the determination to explore her relationship with Abe. Her feelings couldn’t be denied, and she needed to put a stop to the negative thoughts that crept into her head. Mama’s words had been spoken during the worst of all times. Mary was now much older than Mama had been when she’d left the safety and security of her family’s home. Their lives were totally different.

Grandma stood at the stove stirring something in a small pot. Without turning around, she asked, “Want some oatmeal before you go in to work this morning, or would you rather eat there?”

Mary pulled a bowl from the cupboard and set it down next to the stove. “I’ll eat before I go in.” She leaned against the counter. “I’ve been thinking about our conversation last night.”

Grandma sighed. “Sometimes you think too much. If you keep doing that, you’ll talk yourself out of happiness.”

Mary laughed. “Not this time. I’ve decided to get to know Abe better and see how things go with him.”

“You’ve known that boy for nine years, child. How much longer do you need to know him?”

Abe’s words from when she’d cast out the same argument flittered through her head. “I want to know more about him as a man. If I went on the way he acted when we were kids, I’d run fast in the other direction.”

Grandma cast a dubious look at Mary, then went back to stirring. “He couldn’t have been that bad.”

“He wasn’t, but at the time I didn’t like it. His teasing irritated me.”

“Hand me your bowl.” Grandma took the bowl from Mary’s hands and scooped some oatmeal into it. “So what do you plan to do to get to know Abe better?”

“I’ll start by accepting when he asks me to do things.”

“I thought you already did that.”

“I did, but I didn’t make it easy for him. I’ve been very defensive around Abe. That will change now.”

“Good. Now eat your oatmeal and get out of here so you can help with the breakfast crowd. I’ll be in after I get the kitchen cleaned up.”

Mary gulped down her oatmeal then rinsed her bowl. She got her tote from her room, went outside, and put the bag in the basket of her three-wheeler.

She’d always enjoyed the ride to work in semidarkness, when Sarasota still seemed like a sleepy little town. In just a couple of hours, they’d have bumper-to-bumper traffic and the sounds that went with it.

From the moment she walked into the restaurant, Mary was busy waiting on tables, busing tables, and helping out in the kitchen. Her focus was on giving her customers—mostly tourists—what they needed.

“Mary.”

The soft male voice behind Mary stopped her. She slowly pivoted until she was looking into Abe Glick’s warm brown eyes. Her lips twitched as she smiled at him.

His eyebrows shot up as surprise registered on his face. “You must be having a good morning.”

“Yes.” Mary nodded as she held his gaze. “A very good morning.”

Abe nodded toward a booth in the back. “Mind if I seat myself over there?”

“That would be just fine. I’ll bring you a menu. Want coffee?”

“Don’t worry about the menu. I know what I want. Just bring coffee, and I’ll give you my order.”

“Okay, I’ll have it to you in two shakes of a horse’s tail.”

Abe leaned away and grinned. “You certainly are in a good mood this morning. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you like this before.”

Suddenly it struck Mary. Maybe Abe wouldn’t like her if he didn’t feel like he had to cheer her up. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Neh. I like it.”

“Well, good. Go have a seat, and I’ll be right there.”

Mary didn’t waste any time getting Abe his coffee. She laid the napkin-wrapped fork, knife, and spoon on the table in front of him before lifting her order pad.

“So how would you like your sugar and grease this morning, Mr. Glick?”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he chuckled. “What would you think if I told you I’ll eat whatever you think I should have?”

“Doesn’t matter what I think. The question is, will you really eat it?”

Abe leaned back and studied her. “I think so. Just make sure there’s an egg or two on my plate, and I’ll eat pretty much anything.”

She jotted that down and gave him a clipped nod. “Coming right up. Mystery breakfast with an egg or two.”

Abe had entered Penner’s with the intention of observing Mary then going home for the rest of the day. However, the way she was acting led him to believe things had changed. He thought she might be open to doing something with him later.

He sipped his coffee and watched Mary wait on other customers while the folks in the kitchen prepared his breakfast. He didn’t have to wait long before she brought him a plate laden with fresh fruit, one of her grandmother’s famous bran muffins, and two poached eggs.

“No gruel?” he asked playfully.

“Nope. It’s all good for you, and it tastes good, too.” She took a step back and smiled over her shoulder. “Anything else I can do for you, Abe?”

“Ya.”

Mary stopped and turned completely toward him. “Okay, now what?”

“You can go with me to have some ice cream later. I know you have to work, but maybe after lunch?”

“Um …” She placed her index finger on her chin as a smile spread across her lips. “Sounds very good. I’d love to go have ice cream with you.”

He tried not to show the shock over her lack of resistance. “I have to go home to do a few things on the farm, but I will be back. What time can you go?”

Mary glanced around at the crowd. “We’re busy today, but I think things will slow down around three. I’ll check with Grandpa before you finish your breakfast and make sure it’s okay with him, but I think he’ll be fine with that.”

Abe picked up a muffin and held it up to her. “Sounds good.”

He watched Mary scurry around the restaurant as he ate his breakfast. It wasn’t as filling as what he was used to, but he thought it was sweet that Mary was conscious of his diet. Most people couldn’t eat as much grease and sugar without increasing the size of their girth, but Abe was so busy on the farm, he worked it off. He’d be hungry again in a couple of hours, but he’d ask David to stop somewhere so he could grab a slice of ham and biscuit on the way back to the farm.