The Decision (17 page)

“You mean, Milton was killed?” Cindy’s eyes widened.

“Yes, Milton. You remember my son, I’m sure,” Edna added.

Cindy nodded and then she looked at Elaine. “Since Rick and I lived next door to your grandparents, we knew your father when he was a boy. He was a fine young man.”

Edna thought Cindy would simply shake Elaine’s hand. Instead, she gave her a hug. “I wish we’d had the chance to know you, because I’m sure that any granddaughter of Edna’s must be as kind and sweet as she is.”

Elaine’s cheeks colored. “It’s nice to meet you as well.”

“Well, I’d better move aside and let the others in the door,” Cindy said, stepping farther into the room. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hold things up.”

“We’ll talk more later.” Edna bobbed her head. “Maybe when dessert is served.”

Soon everyone was inside and seated at the tables. After the tour guide introduced Edna and Elaine to everyone, the two of them headed for the kitchen to bring in the food.

“I feel so
narrisch
not remembering Cindy,” Edna remarked as she removed the chicken from the oven.

“It’s okay, Grandma. You’re not foolish. As the woman said, it’s been some time since you last saw her.”

“I know, but it’s just another reminder of how my memory seems to be slipping these days. Makes me wonder if I’m losing my
glicker
.”

“You’re not losing your marbles, either.” Elaine patted Edna’s arm. “We all forget things sometimes, and you’ve been under a lot of stress since Grandpa died.”

“Jah, but that’s no excuse. My mind used to be sharp as a sewing needle. Guess maybe it’s just old age catching up with me.” Edna sighed and turned toward the door. “Well, I can’t fret about that now. We have a meal to serve.”

As Edna headed into the other room, a terrible thought hit her.
What if I am losing my glicker? That would be baremlich. Jah, absolutely terrible
.

W
hen Sara stepped into her house with Mark, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to be home again, with the peace and quiet of just her and her son. It wasn’t that Sara didn’t love her husband’s family; she just wasn’t used to so much commotion on a daily basis. And those petty squabbles that had gone on between her two young sisters-in-law had really grated on her nerves. She and Mark could never move into Harley’s parents’ home on a permanent basis. If she chose to remain in Arthur, it would be right here, in her own house.

When my sister, Marijane, and I were children, we never fussed at each other like that
, Sara thought, placing Mark in his high chair before offering him a cheese-and-cracker snack.
But then, our folks would never have tolerated it if we had
.

Nevertheless, Sara couldn’t help but observe that Carolyn and Marla’s disagreements seemed to go unnoticed by Herschel and Betty. Could be that they were just more tolerant than some parents. Or perhaps her in-laws may have been allowing their children to work out their differences. Of course, Herschel wasn’t home that much due to his business, so he probably had no idea how often the girls argued about things. And Betty may not have had the energy to deal with it.

“Well, I’m home now, and taking care of my nieces and nephews is no longer my problem,” Sara said aloud. She leaned over and kissed Mark’s forehead. “All I have to worry about is taking care of you, my sweet little boy.”

Mark looked up at her and grinned; then he popped a piece of cheddar cheese into his mouth and smacked his lips. “Yum…
gut kaes
.”

Sara smiled. “Jah, cheese is always good to eat.” Watching her son, Sara’s love for him swelled to overflowing. According to Betty, Mark was a mirror image of what Harley had looked like when he was that age. Sara had to admit that Mark certainly took after his daddy, with the same deep blue eyes and dark hair. He even had a dimple in the middle of his chin—a feature Sara had thought was so cute about her husband when they’d first met, before he’d started growing his beard.

The love Sara felt for Mark couldn’t be measured, for there was nothing she cherished more on this earth. Even with the bumps along the way that everyone encountered in life, Sara would do all that was humanly possible to make sure Mark grew into a fine man like his father had been.

Taking a seat near Mark’s high chair, Sara let her head rest on the table. She felt so tired this morning that she could almost fall asleep right now. Hopefully after Mark’s snack he would go down for a nap, and then maybe she could rest awhile, too. After spending the last eight weeks at her in-laws’, it felt wonderful to finally be home, where everything was familiar. There were so many things she wanted to do once she caught up on her rest, however.

Earlier, Sara had looked around and seen all the dust she wanted to tackle. It was so thick, she could actually write her name on some pieces of furniture. Sara didn’t know how a house could get so dusty when no one was around, but somehow it had. She didn’t mind, though. She was anxious to start doing her own household chores and get back into a routine of some sort.

Sighing, and unable to keep her eyes open any longer, Sara let them close and soon succumbed to sleep.

“
Mammi!
Mammi!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sara’s head came up and her eyes shot open. Poor little Mark, tears rolling down his flushed cheeks, pounded his fists on the high-chair tray with a look of desperation. How long had she been sleeping, with her poor little guy crying like this? Sara certainly didn’t enjoy upsetting her son and figured from the appearance of his aggravated red face that it must have been long enough to frustrate him.

“Mamma’s sorry.” Sara rose to her feet, and after lifting her son from his chair, she patted his back, soothing him the best that she could. Glancing at the clock on the far wall, she grimaced, realizing that she’d been asleep for thirty minutes. It was a wonder Mark hadn’t woken her sooner, but either he’d remained quiet for most of that time, or she’d been in such a deep sleep that she hadn’t heard him.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, and then you and Mamma can take a nap,” Sara murmured, holding her son tightly to her chest. Mark squeezed his arms around Sara’s neck, burrowing his face into her shoulder.

Sara’s limbs felt weak, and her hands tingled as she made her way to the bedroom. Hopefully after sufficient rest, she would feel better.

“Where are you going, Grandma?” Elaine asked when Edna put her black outer bonnet on and opened the back door.

“I’m gonna head into town to run a few errands,” Edna replied, turning around.

“Do you have to go right now?” Elaine asked. “I need to get the rest of the clothes washed and hung on the line, but I can go with you after that’s done.”

Edna shook her head. “There’s no need for that. I’m perfectly capable of going to town on my own.”

“But I thought—”

“If you’re worried about me going out alone, please don’t. I’ll be fine.” Edna motioned to their wringer washer. “You go ahead and finish the laundry. When I get back, we can fix lunch and spend the rest of the day working in our vegetable garden.”

Elaine hesitated a moment but finally nodded. “If that’s what you want to do, Grandma, but I’m willing to run errands with you.”

“We’ll go shopping together some other time.” Edna smiled and stepped out the door. She didn’t want to hurt her granddaughter’s feelings, but the truth was, she was eager to spend some time alone. Ever since Lloyd had passed away, and particularly after she’d been diagnosed with diabetes, Elaine had been acting like a mother hen, always reminding Edna to take her medicine, check her blood sugar, eat this and not eat that. Even though it was a bit irritating, Edna realized her granddaughter meant well.

Edna’s thoughts took her back to the past. In all the time she and Lloyd had been raising Elaine, it had been them telling her what to do, but now the tables were turned. It made Edna feel almost like a child again. Well, their roles seemed to be reversing, but for a few hours today she would be free as a bird, and she planned to enjoy this time to herself. She’d been feeling better these past few weeks and hadn’t had any dizzy spells or memory lapses, so she felt perfectly capable of running a few errands by herself.

Elaine hummed as she hung the last batch of clothes on the line. It was such a beautiful June morning, and she was trying not to worry about Grandma but to keep her focus on positive things. The birds chirped joyfully in the trees nearby, and she watched with interest as a robin pulled a worm from the lawn. It was amazing how God provided for the birds with insects and seeds, and how their continual singing made it seem as if they were nearly always at peace.

She glanced at the dying maple and felt sorry for the tree, knowing that next week it would be gone, for their closest neighbor had agreed to cut it down. The birds sure loved that old tree, even without its leaves. Maybe after it was gone, the stump could be left for a birdbath to sit on, or perhaps one of their feeders. Elaine and Grandma could plant some wildflowers around the bottom of the stump and finish it with some pretty-shaped rocks scattered among the flowers. That way, a section of the tree that held so many memories would still be a part of the landscape.

Maybe I’ll even get a bit of painting done, making some of the rocks I’ve found look like different animals
. Elaine sighed. She surely did miss painting. It was so relaxing, not to mention fun. Right now, she could use a good dose of that. It would be better than any medicine she could take.

Elaine thought of the words of Matthew 6:26:
“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”
It was a timely reminder that, despite any hardships she or Grandma might face in the future, God would take care of them.

Elaine’s thoughts switched gears as she reflected on the fact that Jonah hadn’t come around much lately. Was he avoiding her, or had his visits lessened because he was too busy in his shop? “But if he is staying away on purpose, what could be the reason?” she wondered aloud.
I hope because I haven’t given Jonah an answer about marrying him yet, he doesn’t think I’m not interested
. Elaine remembered, not too long ago, when she’d seen Jonah watching her after church one Sunday. But Grandma had been in a hurry to get home, so unfortunately, Elaine hadn’t been able to talk with him.

Elaine loved Jonah and was eager to become his wife, but she couldn’t say yes until she was sure that Grandma would be willing to move to Jonah’s house with her. “If only I could tell him how much I love him,” Elaine grumbled out loud. But the right time never seemed to happen. Elaine knew it was more than that, but it was easier not to admit how the words stuck in her throat every time she tried to tell Jonah the way she truly felt about him.

Anyway, I couldn’t move and leave Grandma here by herself
, she thought.
I’d be worried every minute, wondering if she was taking her medicine and eating the right foods. If only Grandma wasn’t so determined to keep hosting the tourist dinners, I might be more apt to ask her to move. But is it too soon for another major change in Grandma’s life? Or am I justifying things because I’m afraid to make a change?