The Decision (14 page)

When they arrived home that afternoon, after stopping for lunch, Grandma went into the house while Elaine tended to Daisy, rubbing the mare down and giving her fresh water. Following that, she took a few minutes to play with the cats. Patches, as usual, demanded the most attention, purring and rubbing against Elaine’s ankles. This was the second cat she’d named Patches, and like the first one, whom her grandparents had given to her shortly after her parents died, Patches had always been a good mouser, even when she was a kitten.

“Oh, I know what you want.” Elaine knelt on the barn floor and smiled when Patches rolled over on her back with all four paws in the air. “Does that feel good?” Elaine rubbed the cat’s belly and laughed when Boots, one of their other cats, got into the act, batting at Patches’ tail. Patches jumped up, and the two felines ran off. “That’s okay,” she murmured. “I need to quit lollygagging and go into the house.”

As Elaine rose to her feet, she realized how nice it had been to take a bit of time and enjoy something as simple as petting the cat. As busy as she was, she needed to take time once in a while to do little things like that.

When Elaine entered the kitchen, she was surprised to see several things cooking on the stove, and from the wonderful aroma, something was baking in the oven. Grandma was busily setting out the good dinnerware they used when hosting tourist guests.

“Oh, I’m glad you came in.” Grandma turned to smile at Elaine. “I didn’t realize it was so late, and there’s so much to do before the tour group arrives.”

“Oh no, Grandma, I think you’re confused about—”

“Elaine, could you please check on the potatoes?” Grandma gestured to the stove. “I don’t want anything to boil over while I’m in the other room, setting the table. Oh, and the cake I have in the oven needs to be tested to see how close it is to being done.”

Elaine couldn’t believe Grandma thought they were hosting a dinner.
Could she have booked it without telling me?
She hurried over to the desk in the kitchen to check the reservation book, but nothing was scheduled.

“We aren’t hosting a dinner tonight, Grandma,” Elaine explained. “The tour director said she would give us at least a month before she called to schedule another one.”

Grandma’s face blanched. “What?”

Elaine repeated herself and added with emphasis, “There are no tourists coming here this evening.”

Grandma blinked rapidly. “Oh, how silly of me. Don’t know why I thought that.” She motioned to the food on the stove. “Looks like we’ll have plenty to eat for our supper tonight, with lots of leftovers for tomorrow. And oh, won’t it be nice to have a piece of that chocolate cake for dessert?”

“Sorry, Grandma,” Elaine said, slowly shaking her head, “but that cake in the oven will have to go to someone else, because it’s not going to stay here to tempt you.”

J
onah had just finished a tuna sandwich when a knock on the door startled him. Setting his empty plate on the kitchen counter, he went to answer it. Jonah hadn’t heard a horse and buggy pull into the yard, or he would have looked out the window to see who it was.

When Jonah opened the door, he was surprised to see his twin sister, Jean, standing on the porch.

“From the look of shock on your face, I’m guessing you’re surprised to see me,” Jean said, smiling up at him.

He nodded. “It’s suppertime. Figured you’d be home fixing your family’s meal.”

“We’ve already had our supper, and my thoughtful husband not only offered to watch the kinner while I went for a bike ride, but he also volunteered to do the dishes.”

“Well, that was sure nice of him.” Jonah opened the door wider. “Come in. I’ll fix you a cup of tea.”

“I’d like that.”

Once Jean was seated at the kitchen table, Jonah poured them both tea and took the chair across from her.

“What’s new with you?” she asked.

“I finished upholstering the seat on a new buggy for our bishop today.”

“That’s interesting, but I was thinking more along the lines of what’s new with you and Elaine.”

He folded his arms. “Oh, that.”

“Jah, that.” She winked at him. “Have you gotten up the nerve to ask her to marry you yet?”

Jonah’s face heated. After hearing about Edna’s diagnosis, he’d made a decision. Did his sister know what he was planning to do this evening when he went to see Elaine? Well, he wouldn’t tell her now—not until he’d proposed and Elaine had said yes. Then Jean would be the first to know.

“Carolyn and Marla, you two need to help Sara with the dishes,” Sara’s father-in-law, Herschel, said after the family had finished eating supper on Thursday evening.

“That’s okay; I can manage,” Sara was quick to say. Truth was, she’d been dealing with the energetic children all afternoon and needed some time by herself. She’d never met two little girls who got on her nerves as much as her two young sisters-in-law, and it seemed that she had so little patience these days. Caring for Mark didn’t bother her so much, because he had no siblings and wasn’t looking to pick on a little brother or sister. But since coming here to take care of Betty and oversee the children, Sara’s ability to cope seemed to diminish a little more each day.

“All right then,” Herschel said, “Carolyn and Marla can keep little Mark occupied in the living room while you’re in here getting the dishes done.” He smiled at his wife. “Isn’t it nice to have Sara here to manage things for us?”

Betty gave an agreeable nod. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, Sara, but I’ll be glad when my leg is healed. Then I’ll be able to resume my household duties and take care of my kinner again. It’s hard to sit around all the time and watch you do most of the work, Sara.”

“I don’t mind, really,” Sara responded, filling the sink with soapy water. “Now why don’t you go into the other room and rest your leg? When I’m finished with the dishes, I’ll bring in some coffee for the adults and milk for the kinner, along with some peanut butter cookies I made earlier today.”

“Kichlin! Yum!” Marla exclaimed.

Sara couldn’t help but smile. She remembered how much she had enjoyed the treat of cookies and milk when she was girl. For that matter, she still enjoyed eating them.

As Betty rose from her chair, Herschel handed the crutches to her. Then he removed his and Betty’s dishes from the table and took them to the sink. “Now I want all of you kinner to clear away your
schissele
and then scoot on outa here and let Sara have some peace and quiet. Ya hear?”

All heads bobbed, and the children quickly did as their father said.

An hour later, after Sara had cleaned up the kitchen and finished doing the dishes, she set out the coffee, milk, and cookies. Then she took a seat at the table to rest a minute, because a sense of exhaustion had settled over her like a heavy blanket of fog. Of course, feeling this way was nothing new; she’d felt weary ever since her husband died. The tiredness Sara felt now was different, though; it was the kind of fatigue that stayed with her no matter how many hours of sleep she got every night. It often came on in the afternoon, and sometimes her muscles felt weak. The other day, when she was dealing with a senseless squabble between Carolyn and Marla about who would get to feed the cats, Sara’s lips had felt sort of tingly, and her limbs became weak and shaky. Figuring it was caused from the stress of it all, Sara had shooed the children outside, fixed herself a cup of chamomile tea, and gone to the room where little Mark was napping. There, she’d taken a seat on the bed and tried to relax.
“Too much stress can make your body react in strange ways,”
she remembered her mother saying.

I wonder how much longer I can continue taking care of Betty and her family, feeling the way that I do
. Truth was, Sara felt like she needed someone to take care of her right now.

Sara drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Heavenly Father, please give me the strength I need for each new day, and help me to be a blessing to Betty, Herschel, and their children
.

Elaine had just turned out the gas lamp that hung over the kitchen table when she heard the whinny of a horse. Going to the window, she glanced out and saw Jonah getting down from his buggy. She hurried to the back door, anxious as always to see him. She didn’t have to wait long, for Jonah was already sprinting across the lawn toward the house. Elaine smiled, watching Patches get out of his way. By the time Jonah stepped onto the porch, Elaine had opened the door.

“Good evening, Jonah,” she said, smiling up at him. “It’s nice to see you.”

“Same here.” Jonah shifted from one foot to the other and raked his fingers through the ends of his thick, curly hair. “I ran into Priscilla today at Yoder’s Lamp Shop. She told me about Edna having diabetes.”

Elaine nodded. “It was a surprise to both me and Grandma—especially when the doctor said her diabetes is so bad that she needs to be on insulin. Now, in addition to her taking the medicine, we’ll have to start cooking differently, since her intake of sweets will need to be limited. By the way, I have a cake here that Grandma baked today, and I don’t want it to tempt her. Would you like to take it home?”

“That’d be great, but I’m sure sorry to hear about her diagnosis. If she does everything the doctor says, hopefully her diabetes won’t get any worse.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for, too.” Elaine was on the verge of telling Jonah about Grandma cooking a big meal for tourists who weren’t coming but changed her mind. If Grandma’s forgetfulness was a symptom of her diabetes, then Elaine needed to inform the doctor about it rather than telling Jonah. Besides, she was embarrassed for Grandma.

“It’s a nice evening. Would you like to sit out here and talk, or would you rather go inside?” she asked, motioning to the wicker chairs on the porch.

“Out here’s fine with me,” Jonah replied. “That way we can talk in private.”

Elaine couldn’t imagine what he might have to say that couldn’t be said in front of Grandma, but she nodded and took a seat.

After Jonah seated himself in the chair beside Elaine, he looked over at her and smiled. “I was going to wait awhile longer to ask you this question, but I’ve decided not to wait any longer.”

“Wait for what, Jonah?” she questioned.

“I’m in love with you, Elaine, and if you’ll have me, I’d like you to be my wife.”

Elaine’s heart hammered so hard, she wondered if Jonah could hear it pounding in her chest. She had been hoping for this day and would have answered yes immediately if things had been different. But not now. It just wasn’t possible for them to get married anytime soon.

As Jonah watched her with an anxious expression, Elaine turned her head toward the setting sun. As she gazed at the sky, it took on a beauty of its own. Various shades of orange and pink blended with the fading blue. Farther back, the sky looked almost purple, which added to what should have been the most romantic and memorable evening of Elaine’s life. Jonah’s proposal was supposed to be her dream come true, but now, even on this ideal evening with nature flawlessly cooperating, things were different. Her heart screamed,
“I love you, too, and nothing would make me happier than to be your wife!”
If only she felt free to say those words.