The Decision (41 page)

Sara had been praying about this ever since Jonah had asked her to marry him, yet she hadn’t received an answer from God. If she went home to live with her folks, she would place a burden on them. But wouldn’t becoming Jonah’s wife be a burden for him, too?

Why can’t life be simple? Why’s it so hard to know what God wants me to do?
she wondered. Ever since Harley’s death, it seemed like she had been faced with one challenge after the next. Some days, when she didn’t think she had the strength to go on, she would turn to the Bible and find comfort in God’s Word.
That’s what I should do right now
.

Sara slipped out from under the quilt, being careful not to disturb Mark, and tiptoed across the room to where she kept her Bible on the end table near the rocking chair. Taking a seat, she opened the Bible to the book of James and read
chapter 1
, verse 5 out loud. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

She bowed her head and closed her eyes.
I’m asking You, Lord, for wisdom in deciding what to do about Jonah’s proposal. If I’m supposed to say yes, then please give me a sign
.

Sara had just finished her prayer when she heard the
clip-clop
of horse hooves coming up her driveway. Figuring it was probably Harley’s parents stopping by to check on her, Sara rose from her chair and went to the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Jonah securing his horse to the hitching rack.

“Hi, Sara. Are you okay?” Jonah asked when he joined her on the porch. “When I realized you weren’t at church, I became worried about you.”

Sara smiled. “It was nice of you to come by, Jonah. I’m more tired than usual today, and Mark’s cold seems to have gotten worse, so I decided it would be best if we stayed home and rested today.”

“That makes good sense.” Jonah moved closer to Sara. “Is there anything I can do for you—maybe spend some time with Mark so you can rest?”

“It’s kind of you to offer, but Mark’s sleeping right now.”

“Oh, I see.”

Sara couldn’t help but notice the look of disappointment in Jonah’s dark eyes. He’d obviously been hoping to enjoy her son’s company for a while, and she couldn’t blame him for that. Mark was such a sweet boy, and Sara relished every moment she had with him.

“Sure is chilly out today,” Jonah said when a harsh wind blew under the porch eaves. “Bet it won’t be long till we see our first snowfall. Could even happen before Thanksgiving.”

Sara nodded as Jonah briskly rubbed his arms. Thinking Jonah might like to get in out of the cold for a bit, she invited him inside for a cup of coffee.

“That sounds real good,” Jonah said, following Sara into the house.

She was about to suggest that they go to the kitchen for coffee, when Mark woke up. Seeing Jonah, he bounded off the sofa and darted into the utility room, where Sara and Jonah stood, shouting, “Onah! Onah!”

Jonah bent down and scooped the boy into his arms. “Hey, little buddy, it’s sure good to see you.”

“Don’t get too close or you might catch his cold,” Sara cautioned, handing Jonah a tissue.

Jonah shook his head as he wiped Mark’s nose. “Aw, I’m not worried about that. I’ve never been one to catch many colds. Even if I did, it’d be worth it just to spend some time with this special boy.”

Sara’s heart nearly melted as she watched the tender way Jonah looked at Mark. And her son looked equally enchanted with Jonah as he clasped his hands around Jonah’s neck and held on tight. Drowsy from just waking up, Mark laid his head on Jonah’s shoulder and closed his eyes, while Jonah gently rubbed Mark’s back. Suddenly, as Sara’s heartbeat thudded in her chest, she felt as if she’d been given her answer.

“Jonah,” she said, pausing to take in a quick breath. “I know we agreed that we’d both take a week to decide, but if you still want to marry me, then my answer is yes.”

Jonah’s face broke into a wide smile, and he reached for Sara’s hand. “I still want to marry you, and the sooner the better.”

I
’m sorry to hear you have MS but glad you finally went to see the doctor,” Leah said as she worked on Sara’s feet. “Most of the symptoms you were having weren’t responding to reflexology, but I think my treatments should at least help you relax.”

Sara nodded. “I always feel calmer after you’ve worked on my feet, and according to the doctor, feeling less stressed can help decrease the symptoms of MS.”

“So where is that cute little boy of yours today?” Leah questioned.

“I left him with my mother-in-law. She’ll be keeping him most of the day so I can get some shopping done after I leave here.”

“It’s nice that Betty and Herschel live close to you and are willing to help out with Mark.” Leah pressed on an area of Sara’s foot that appeared to be inflamed.

Sara flinched.

“Sorry if that hurts.”

“It’s okay. You’re just doing your job.”

As Leah continued to massage and pressure-point Sara’s feet, they talked about the upcoming holidays.

“Will your folks be coming here for Thanksgiving or Christmas?” Leah asked.

“I was planning to go there for both holidays, but since Jonah and I are planning to be married the first week of December, they’ll probably come here for Thanksgiving and then stay on for the wedding.”

Leah’s eyes widened. “You’re getting married?”

“Jah. I thought you might have heard.” Sara gave a nervous laugh. “You know how quick news travels in our community.”

“No, I hadn’t heard, and I’ll admit, I am a bit surprised, since he hasn’t been courting you very long.”

Sara’s cheeks darkened with a pinkish blush. “That’s true, but we’ve known each other for some time—since Jonah moved here and he and Harley became friends.”

Leah wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Sara and Jonah may have known each other for a reasonable amount of time, but most of that had been while Sara was married to Harley and Jonah was courting Elaine. While Jonah and Harley had been friends, it wouldn’t have been possible for Jonah and Sara to establish a close relationship—at least not in a romantic sort of way. The fact that they hadn’t been courting very long concerned Leah. She’d always felt that a long courtship was the best for most couples, in order to know if they were truly compatible. Leah would certainly never marry a man unless they’d been seriously courting for a while.

“Jonah’s a wonderful man, and my son adores him,” Sara went on to say.

Leah slowly nodded. “I hope you and Jonah will be happy, and I wish you all of God’s best.” She reached for the bottle of massage lotion and poured some into her hand.
I wonder if Elaine knows about this. If so, what does she think?

“It’s nice to see you,” Elaine said when Priscilla pedaled her bike into the yard on Wednesday of the following week.

Priscilla smiled. “It’s good to see you, too. I was out checking some of the stores that sell our jams to see if they’re running low and decided to come by here before I went home.” Priscilla parked her bike and moved toward the line where Elaine was hanging clothes. “Um…there’s something I think you need to know.”

Holding a clothespin in her mouth, Elaine tipped her head. “What’s that?”

“I was talking with Leah the other day, and she said Jonah’s asked Sara to be his wife and they’re planning to get married the first week of December.

Elaine’s whole body trembled, and she let the clothespin fall to the ground. She’d suspected this could happen but hadn’t thought it would be so soon. Had Jonah gotten over her so quickly?

Priscilla slipped her arm around Elaine. “Are you okay?”

“It just took me by surprise.” Elaine picked up the clothespin, reached into the basket, and clipped a towel on the line. She hoped Priscilla wouldn’t notice how badly her hands were shaking.

“You love him, don’t you?”

“It doesn’t matter how I feel about Jonah. He’s made his choice, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Priscilla stepped in front of Elaine, looking directly into her eyes. “Jah, there is, Elaine. You can go to Jonah right now and tell him you love him. If you did that, I’m sure he would break things off with Sara.”

Elaine shook her head vigorously. “I can’t, and I won’t say anything to Jonah about this. My responsibility to Grandma hasn’t changed, and if Jonah’s asked Sara to marry him, then he must be in love with her now.” She shrugged. “Jonah deserves to be happy, and I would never think of coming between them. Besides, even if Jonah wasn’t with Sara, with everything going on in my life, where would we find time for each other?”

Priscilla looked like she might say more on the subject, but she reached into the basket and picked up a towel instead. “You look tired, Elaine. Think I’ll stay here awhile and help out.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’m fine.”
But you’re not fine
, Elaine’s conscience told her. She wished she could just go to her room, have a good cry, and sleep the rest of the day. But she couldn’t do that. Chores still waited, and in a little while, it would be time to test Grandma’s blood sugar and fix them both some lunch.

“I’m sure you have plenty to do today, so I am staying to help,” Priscilla insisted. “If I was in your situation, I’m sure you’d do the same thing for me.”

Elaine couldn’t argue with that. If either of her best friends had a need, she would do whatever she could to help out. “Okay,” she said, appreciating Priscilla’s offer. “You can help me finish the laundry, and after that, we’ll have lunch.”

Priscilla smiled. “That sounds good to me, and if you have the ingredients, I’ll make some chicken noodle soup for our noon meal.”

“Leah’s mamm came by yesterday to sit with Grandma, and I was able to do some shopping,” Elaine replied. “The cupboards and refrigerator are full, so I’m sure I have everything you’ll need to make soup.”

“This soup is sure good,” Elaine said after taking her first bite. “Don’t you think so, Grandma?”

Grandma sat across the table from Elaine and Priscilla, her lips compressed as she stared at her bowl.

“Grandma, did you hear what I said?” Elaine asked, speaking a little louder.

As though coming out of a daze, Grandma looked over at Elaine and blinked. “Did you say something to me?”

“I said the soup is good and asked if you like it, too.”

Grandma spooned some into her mouth and smacked her lips. “It tastes pretty good, but I think it needs more salse.” She picked up the saltshaker and sprinkled some into her soup. Then she pointed at Priscilla.
“Sie is en gudi Koch.”

Elaine nodded. “You’re right, Grandma, she is a good cook.”

Elaine glanced at Priscilla to see her reaction, but Priscilla just smiled and handed her the basket of crackers.

They ate in silence for a while. Then Priscilla asked Elaine if she’d made any special plans for Thanksgiving.

Elaine shook her head. “Not really. I’ll probably fix a small turkey, along with some potatoes and a vegetable for Grandma and me. Then we’ll have some no-sugar apple pie for dessert.”

“You two are welcome to join my family for Thanksgiving,” Priscilla offered.

“That’s nice of you, but I think it would be better if we stay here and have a quiet day by ourselves.” Elaine would have enjoyed spending the holiday with Priscilla’s family, but it would be too stressful taking Grandma there and not knowing what she might say or do that could be embarrassing.

“Hot eier nei haus viel geld gekoscht?”
Grandma asked, looking at Priscilla again.

Elaine grimaced. She had no idea why Grandma had just asked Priscilla if her new house cost a great deal of money.

“No, Edna,” Priscilla said, shaking her head. “I don’t have a new house. I’m still living at home with my parents.”

Grandma’s brows furrowed as she pursed her lips. “Really? I thought I’d come to visit you there.”

“You’ve been to the home of Priscilla’s parents many times,” Elaine said, handing the crackers to Grandma.

Grandma nodded and set the basket down. “I know, and I…” She stopped talking and looked absently across the room.

“What were you going to say, Edna?” Priscilla prompted.