Sarasota Dreams (50 page)

“I suppose I am, but I’m still worried about things that I need to let go of.”

“Are you talking about money?”

She nodded. “We still have to pay this crazy huge house payment. I don’t know what we were thinking when we refinanced a couple years ago to make all those expensive updates. I hope we’re able to sell soon and move into a smaller place.”

“We can, but we’ll have to get rid of a bunch of stuff. Giving up TV and some of the other things will be hard—at least for Pop and me.”

“I’m working on your dad, but I think he’ll come around soon. I think Abe’s been talking to him, too. He came home a few nights ago and actually asked if we could have a quiet evening without TV.”

That was a major deal. Until now, Pop had the TV on nonstop, even when he wasn’t watching. He said the sound drowned out his worrisome thoughts.

Charles had heard his parents discuss the different church options, so he didn’t have to ask why they’d chosen the Mennonite church. Pop admired Abe’s simple life, and Mom saw it as a way to prevent them from falling back into their old pattern of acquiring more possessions. He understood that, but he didn’t want them to regret any decisions.

After he finished his sandwich, Charles put his plate in the dishwasher and turned to Mom. “What do you think we’ll do at the Kauffmans’?”

Mom shrugged. “I understand that some of the families want to get to know us better, and I assume they’re one of the first since you are dating Ruthie.”

“Probably.”

“You are okay with that, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” Charles said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You haven’t exactly brought home a parade of girls in the past. I thought maybe you worried about your dad and me embarrassing you.”

“No chance of that, Mom. I’ve always been proud of you. The reason I haven’t brought home girls is I haven’t exactly been a chick magnet.”

Mom laughed. “They don’t know what they’re missing.”

“I better go get cleaned up.”

Mom looked him over and nodded. “Why don’t you change shirts while you’re at it? That one’s pretty rumpled.”

Ruthie kept looking out the window. The afternoon dragged, and she couldn’t wait to see Charles. She was nervous about his family visiting, too, because she had no idea what the two very different sets of people would find to talk about.

“They’ll be here soon.”

Ruthie turned around and saw Mother standing behind her. “I know.”

“He must be a very nice boy to have you acting like this.”

“Charles is nice, but …” Ruthie paused to try to think of the right words. “He isn’t like anyone I’ve ever known before.”

“That can be a good thing, Ruthie.” Mother took Ruthie by the hand and led her to the sofa, where they both sat. “Did you know that my mother wasn’t Mennonite when she met my father?”

“No.” Ruthie remembered Grandma Abigail. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Mother shrugged. “I guess I never saw a reason. My father was born into an Amish family. When his parents came down here, they eventually joined the Mennonite church. Mother was visiting the church with a woman who’d befriended my grandmother, and that’s how they met.”

“Was there ever any problem with that?” Ruthie asked.

“I’m sure there were plenty of problems in the beginning, but eventually people forgot. They were married forty years before Mother passed away.”

Ruthie glanced out the window then back at Mother. “I wonder if Grandfather ever had reservations about her.”

“If he did, he never told us,” Mother said as she stood. “In fact, he said one of the things he loved most about Mother was how she could always see a different side of things. I knew she was different, but she loved the Lord as much as anyone.”

“Yes, I remember.” Grandmother was the person who used to explain confusing passages to Ruthie when she first started reading her Bible.

“So your papa and I are open to you seeing Charles as long as we feel that he is sincere in his faith.”

“Of course.” Ruthie thought for a moment. “How will I know he’s sincere?”

Mother smiled. “Pray about it and be open to the Lord’s guidance. You should always do that anyway. Come on, Ruthie, let’s put some finishing touches on supper. I want everything to be good for the Polk family.”

They added cheese to the broccoli casserole, prepared a platter of fresh-cut vegetables, and set the table for six. Ruthie was thankful for something to do to settle her nerves.

When they heard the knock at the door, Mother nodded toward Ruthie. “Want to get that, or would you prefer I greet them?”

“I’ll go.”

“Good. I’ll be right behind you.”

Ruthie opened the door to three smiling Polks. Mrs. Polk handed her a plate covered in plastic wrap. “Brownies.”

“Thank you.” Ruthie started to carry them to the kitchen, but Mother gestured toward the front room beside the front hallway.

“Why don’t you have a seat in the living room? I’ll go outside and get my husband.”

Ruthie showed them the living room then carried the plate of brownies into the kitchen, where she left them on the counter. When she went back to join the Polks, they were just sitting there looking as awkward as she felt. For some reason, that made her relax.

“How long have you lived here, Ruthie?” Mrs. Polk asked.

“Most of my life. We came to Pinecraft from Pennsylvania.”

Charles opened his mouth, but before he said anything, something behind Ruthie caught his eye. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Papa as he came toward them.

“Welcome, Polk family. We are happy you agreed to join us.” He faced Mr. Polk. “Come on, Jonathan. I’d like to show you my shuffleboard court.” Papa took a few steps before adding, “You can come, too, Charles, if you want to.”

Charles nodded. “I’d love to see it.” He smiled at Ruthie, leaned toward her, and whispered, “My mom is very excited about being here. She says you have one of the nicest families she’s ever met.”

Mother had already led Mrs. Polk to the kitchen, chattering the whole time. Ruthie could tell Mother liked Charles’s mother based on her facial expressions. She felt her shoulders relax as she realized she was nervous for no reason.

Mrs. Polk quickly fell into conversation with Mother, discussing her lack of cooking during the past few years and how she’d gotten caught up in insignificant things. She said she was happy to focus on what was really important.

“I can see how that might happen,” Mother said. “I have to admit I’ve been curious about some of the things we don’t have, so it’s probably best not to indulge.”

“You are so right.” Mrs. Polk sniffed the air. “Something smells absolutely delicious.”

Mother chuckled. “I hope it tastes as good as it smells. I really wanted to feed your family a good meal.”

Mrs. Polk laughed along with Mother. “One thing I noticed at the potluck is how the women in the church like to feed everyone. I hope I can measure up.”

“Trust me, Lori. No one is measuring how well you cook. We love to eat anything we don’t have to cook.”

A half hour later, the two families were seated around the table. Papa bowed his head and everyone else followed. After he said the blessing, he looked all three members of the Polk family in the eye as he spoke. “We are honored to have you at our table, and we hope you enjoy your time in our home. Now let’s eat.”

Everyone laughed and started passing serving bowls. Ruthie kept stealing glances at Charles, who seemed as enamored of her family as she was his. Mr. and Mrs. Polk were interesting and fun, and they seemed to have an excellent rapport with Mother and Papa.

“Do you have other children?” Mother asked Mrs. Polk.

The instant she said that, Ruthie saw the distressed look Mr. and Mrs. Polk shared. Her stomach lurched.

Mr. Polk cleared his throat. “We had a daughter who was four years older than Charles. She was killed in a car accident when she was in high school.”

“I am so sorry to hear that,” Mother said. “We experienced the loss of a child, only he was much younger.” Then she told about how the brother Ruthie never knew had drowned in a lake when the family was visiting some friends. “He was three years old and one of the most delightful children I’d ever seen. Our older daughter Amalie took it pretty hard. I never thought we’d be able to enjoy life again, but then Ruthie came along and showed us a whole new spectrum of light.”

As the parents discussed their commonalities, Ruthie thought about how much sorrow both families had experienced, yet they still managed to go through each day, walking in faith.

She noticed that Charles was very quiet, so she lifted the basket of rolls. “Would you like some bread?”

He nodded and took the basket, but he didn’t say a word as he broke open a roll and buttered it. Ruthie worried that something had changed between them.

Charles had been able to shove aside memories of his big sister Jennifer until times like this when his parents talked about her. He’d loved and adored her, and she never failed to be there for him. She was always such fun to be around, and she brought a steady stream of friends home. He’d developed crushes on more than one of them, although he never let any of them know.

He noticed Ruthie giving him concerned glances, but he didn’t feel like talking now. She’d lost a brother, but that happened before she was born, so she’d never know or fully understand the pain he felt. The memory of losing Jennifer had removed all the joy of this visit.

Mom and Pop continued chatting with the Kauffmans, and they’d already moved on, although the conversation had become much more solemn. But still, Charles didn’t understand how they could continue after bringing up Jennifer.

“Would you like to see the flower garden Mother and I planted in the spring?” Ruthie asked. “We can go out there after dinner if you want.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Ruthie put her fork down, sat back in her chair, and stared at her food. He knew he’d snapped at her, but he couldn’t help it. All Charles wanted to do was go home and be alone in his room.

Every now and then he noticed Pop giving him a stern glance, so Charles looked away. This continued throughout the remainder of dinner.

Finally, Mrs. Kauffman stood. “Ruthie and I can clean up. Why don’t the rest of you go on into the living room? We can have dessert after our dinner settles.”

Pop carried his plate to the sink. “I need to have a talk with my son anyway. We’ll go outside for a few minutes.” He darted a glance toward Mom. “Maybe you can help Esther and Ruthie in the kitchen.”

She didn’t hesitate to agree, but before she lifted a dish from the table, she shot Charles a warning glance. He knew he was about to get the riot act about his sullenness.

“C’mon, Son.” Pop started toward the door with Charles right behind him.

The instant Charles pulled the front door closed, Pop turned around, placed his hands on his hips, and shook his head. “What are you trying to do? Sabotage our new friendship?”

“No,” Charles said as he looked down at the ground. “It’s just that when Jennifer came up—”

“Jennifer is gone, Son. I miss her as much as you do … maybe even more. She was our firstborn child, and from the moment I first saw her, she brightened every day. When she was killed, I felt as though the light had gone out and might never come back.” He paused and looked Charles in the eye.

“That’s how I felt, too. Still do.”

“I know, and it’s okay to still be sad over our loss.” Pop raked his fingers through his hair and let out a shaky breath. “If I could bring her back, I would. You know that. But I can’t. She’s in heaven now, and we’re still here.”

Charles let Pop’s words work in his mind, but his heart still ached. “I just wish you hadn’t brought her up.”

“It happens, Son. And it will for the rest of our lives. When people ask us about our children, it’s natural to bring her up. In this case, we learned that the Kauffmans also lost a child, so they understand what we’ve been through.”

Charles couldn’t deny that. “That must have been tough for them, too.”

“No doubt it was, but they’re still here, and they’re living their lives.” Pop took a deep breath and slowly let it out before looking back at Charles. “Do you realize that Jennifer told your mom that she loved the Lord and she wanted our whole family to start attending the church she went to with her friends?”