The Decision (4 page)

“
Guder mariye
, Grandma.”

“Good morning.”

“Why do you have the good dishes out?” Elaine questioned.

“Have you forgotten that we have a group of tourists coming here on Friday?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Thought I would get a jump on the dishes while I have some time to clean them. That way, they’ll be ready for our guests. Then I’ll take them out to the dining-room table.” Grandma turned and offered Elaine a weak smile. Dark circles rimmed her pale blue eyes, and Elaine was sure she hadn’t slept well, if at all, last night.

“Oh, Grandma, I think it’s too soon for that. I had planned on calling the tour group director this morning and canceling our Friday-night dinner.”

Grandma shook her head determinedly. “We made a commitment, Elaine, and we need to stick to it. Besides, we could sure use the money.”

Elaine couldn’t argue with that, but she wasn’t up to cooking a big meal for fifty people, and she didn’t think Grandma was, either. “Maybe we can reschedule it for another time,” Elaine suggested, moving closer to the sink.

“No, we can’t.” Grandma reached for another glass to wash, carefully immersing it in the soapy water. “The people who’ll be coming are from out of town, not to mention that they’ve paid for their meal in advance.”

Elaine sighed deeply, picking up the dish towel to dry what Grandma had washed. “We can refund their money, Grandma, and I’m sure once I explain the circumstances to the tour director, she’ll understand.”

“We need the money,” Grandma repeated.

“There will be other tour groups, and we’re not going to starve.” Elaine’s frustration mounted. Didn’t Grandma realize that neither of them was up to hosting a big dinner right now? Not only would they have the meal to prepare, but while the tourists were eating, Elaine and Grandma would be expected to say a few words and answer any questions they were asked about the Amish way of life. They’d both be exhausted by the end of the evening.

“I know you’re worried that I’m not up to this,” Grandma said, “but keeping busy will help me not to think so much about missing your grossdaadi. I think it would be good for you, too. Maybe we’ll both get a good night’s sleep after entertaining the group.”

“Okay, we’ll do the dinner,” Elaine finally conceded. “Guess I’d better head over to Rockome Garden Foods and pick up a few things that we still need for the dinner.”

Soon after Elaine left, Edna carried her good dishes out to the room where she and Elaine hosted their dinners. She wouldn’t set the table today, but wanted to have everything here and ready to put in place on Friday morning. As Edna covered the stack of dinnerware with one of the embroidered cloth napkins to keep the dishes free of dust, she thought about what else she could do before Friday’s gathering.

As she glanced around the spacious room, a lump formed in her throat. With the help of several men in their district, Lloyd had built this extra-large dining room to accommodate up to one hundred people. In addition to being used for their sit-down dinners, the add-on had served them whenever it was their turn to host one of their biweekly church services. It was also used on days when Edna would invite a group of women into her home for a quilting party or some other function.

She moved over to the large window, looking out at the field Lloyd had rented to one of their neighbors after he’d retired from farming. It had been planted in alfalfa and was already growing nicely. When Lloyd used to work the fields, Edna enjoyed going out to see how he was doing or bringing him water and a snack to eat. He’d always been appreciative and hadn’t seemed to mind the interruption. Lloyd used to tell Edna he was glad for the break and that it was a good opportunity for them to visit awhile.

Edna’s gaze went to their giant oak tree. A swing Lloyd had put up for Elaine many years ago still hung from a lower branch. It had provided hours of fun for their granddaughter through the years. Even though Elaine was twenty-two years old, she still took time to enjoy that swing and gleefully giggled as she swung back and forth.

Pushing her thoughts aside lest she give in to threatening tears, Edna left the room and headed back to the kitchen. Although difficult to face, she was glad there were so many reminders of Lloyd all around, for each one held a special memory. Memories of him would help keep her going.

Edna was just getting ready to take a stack of napkins and a box of silverware to set by the dishes when she heard a horse and buggy coming up the lane.

Peeking out the kitchen window, she watched as the driver parked his rig near the barn. When the young Amish man got out of the buggy and secured his horse to the hitching rack, Edna realized that it was Jonah Miller. No doubt he had come here to see Elaine. Too bad he’d just missed her.

“If you’re looking for my granddaughter, she’s not here right now,” Edna said after she’d answered Jonah’s knock.

“Came by to check on both of you,” Jonah replied with a grin.

Such a nice-looking, thoughtful young man
, Edna mused.
He reminds me of Lloyd at that age. Not just in looks, but in his kindness for others. I’m so glad Elaine is being courted by him
.

She opened the door wider and asked him to come in. “I’m sorry, Jonah. Where are my manners? Good morning to you, and would you like a cup of coffee? I made it fresh this morning.” Edna’s face heated, for she felt a bit rattled right now.

“Some coffee sounds good.” He removed his straw hat, placing it on the wall peg near the back door. “So where’s Elaine off to this morning?” he asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

“She went over to Rockome Garden Foods,” Edna replied, filling a cup with coffee and handing it to Jonah. “There are a few things we need for the group of tourists who’ll be coming here Friday evening.”

Jonah quirked an eyebrow. “You’re hosting a dinner so soon?”

She gave a brief nod.

“Couldn’t you have rescheduled it for a better time? I’m sure you and Elaine are both emotionally drained.”

“I’ll admit, we’re tired physically and mentally, but we’ll be fine,” she said, pouring herself some coffee. “Like I told my granddaughter, it helps to keep busy, and we don’t want to disappoint the people who have paid in advance to have dinner in an Amish home. For some who live out of town, this might be the only chance they’ll have to visit our Amish community.”

Jonah blew on his coffee and took a sip. “I see what you mean. Keeping busy in stressful situations has worked for me on more than one occasion. When you’re good and tired, it helps you fall asleep quickly, too.”

“Were you referring to situations in your work as a buggy maker or to more personal matters?” Edna asked.

“Both.” Jonah went on to tell Edna how stressful it had been for him when he’d first moved to Arthur and didn’t know anyone but his sister. “Then I made friends with Harley Stutzman and, of course, Elaine, and everything changed.” He smiled. “Just being with her makes me feel calm and relaxed.”

“I understand. My granddaughter has a sweet spirit and a special way about her that is calming.” Edna handed Jonah a plate of brownies someone had brought by when offering condolences. “Whenever I was with Lloyd, I felt a sense of peace.” She sighed deeply. “I’m grateful for all the wonderful years we had together.”

Jonah nodded and took one of the brownies. “I look forward to having a relationship like yours and Lloyd’s with my future wife someday. And I hope to be blessed with many good memories, like I’m sure you have, and my parents do, too.”

Edna was tempted to ask if Jonah planned to ask Elaine to marry him, but thought better of it. If they were meant to be together, it would happen at the right time without her interference. Of course, she was hoping Jonah would eventually pop the question, and was almost certain that Elaine would say yes. She’d noticed the way they looked at each other whenever they thought no one was watching.

“Is there anything you’d like me to do for you before I go?” Jonah asked after he’d eaten a brownie and finished his coffee.

Edna shook her head. “I can’t think of anything at the moment, but danki for asking.”

Jonah rose from his chair. “Think I’ll stop by Rockome Garden Foods and see if I can catch Elaine there before I head back to the buggy shop.”

“You’re welcome to wait for her here if you want, but I’m not sure how long she will be.”

“That’s okay. Think I’ll just drop by the store. There are a few things I could pick up there anyway, and then I’ll need to head back to my shop and get some work done, or else I’ll end up getting behind on my orders.”

“All right then. It was nice seeing you, Jonah.”

“Same here. And don’t forget, Edna, if you ever need anything, just let me know. Even though I’m busy at work, I’ll always make time for you and Elaine.”

Arcola, Illinois

Elaine had only been browsing the shelves at Rockome Garden Foods a few minutes when she spotted her friend Priscilla talking to one of the clerks. Elaine waited until they were finished, then walked over and asked, “
Wie geht’s?
”

Priscilla, looking quite surprised, replied, “I’m fine. How are you?”

Elaine shrugged. “Doing okay, I guess. What brings you here today?”

“I’m delivering some of our homemade strawberry jam,” Priscilla replied. “We have more canned goods than we need for our small store, and the owner here said they could use some jam. Why are you here?”

“Grandma and I have a group of tourists coming to our house Friday evening, and I’m picking up a few things we’re out of. Maybe I should get some of that jam, too, because I think we’re nearly out.”

Priscilla’s brows furrowed as she put her hand on Elaine’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re up to that? I mean, with your grandpa dying, I figured you would put all dinners on hold for a while.”

“I wanted to.” Elaine sighed heavily. “But Grandma insisted on hosting this meal. I think she wants to keep busy so she won’t have time to think about how much she misses Grandpa. She reminded me, too, that we need the money.”

“If you’re struggling financially, others in the community will help out,” Priscilla said.

“I’m sure they would, but Grandma’s an independent woman, and she won’t accept money from others as long as we can provide for ourselves.”

“I understand.” Priscilla spoke in an encouraging tone while giving Elaine’s arm a tender squeeze. “If you and Edna need help preparing for the dinner, or even cooking and serving the meal, let me know. I’m not doing anything Friday afternoon or evening, so it wouldn’t be a problem at all.”

“Danki for the kind offer, but I think we can manage.” Elaine’s throat tightened. Like Grandma, she wanted to be independent, although she still wasn’t sure either of them was up to hosting another dinner so soon. All it took was one sympathetic look from her friend and she felt like she could break down in tears.
I wonder what Grandma would say if Priscilla did come to help. She’d probably tell her that we can do the dinner on our own. Maybe it’s best if I don’t press the issue and just see how the meal goes
.

“Well, guess I’d better get what I came here for and head back home.” Elaine moved over to the cooler to select some cheese. “I don’t want to leave Grandma alone for too long. She’s likely to do more than she should while I’m gone.”

The sounds of screeching tires and a shrill horn interrupted their conversation.

Elaine and Priscilla rushed to the window to see what had happened. “Oh no,” Elaine gasped. “It looks like a car hit someone’s buggy! I hope no one is seriously hurt.”

J
onah whistled as he headed toward Rockome Gardens with his horse, Sassy, pulling his buggy. The Amish museum and other facilities, including their restaurant, would open next week, but Rockome Garden Foods, where they sold baked goods, bulk foods, various kinds of cheese, candy, and several other items, was open to the public all year.

Jonah was fascinated by Rockome Gardens and its history. He had visited the museum not long after he’d moved to Illinois and learned that the 208 acres of land had once been used for farming. It had been purchased by Arthur and Elizabeth Martin, who had a dream of creating the largest flower garden in Douglas County. They used seven acres of the farm to plant flowers, create rock formations, and build their summer cottage. Work began in 1937, but it was slowed by the Great Depression and the start of World War II. The Martins continued to expand, planting more flowers and creating additional rock formations. In 1952, they gave Rockome Gardens to the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities of Elkhart, Indiana, and it was used as a retirement village for missionaries. A few years later, it was sold to Elvan and Irene Yoder, who opened it to the public, adding buggy rides, tours of an Amish home, and a small gift shop. Other attractions, such as a tree house, lookout tower, antique museum, and ice-cream shop were added. Whenever the Yoders traveled, they returned to Rockome with new ideas for rock formations and other attractions. In 2005, the Yoders sold the property to a group of investors. It was sold two more times, and then in 2011, Steve and Bev Maher took over. The couple had visited the gardens many times and realized it was in need of restoration.