The Decision

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “I don’t see why you felt it necessary to come with me today,” Grandma said to Elaine as they headed to Leah’s on Monday morning. “I’ve been to her house for foot treatments many times, and you never went along unless you were getting one, too.”

  Elaine gripped her horse’s reins a little tighter. How could she explain her concerns without Grandma getting upset? She couldn’t admit that she’d talked to Leah yesterday and planned the whole thing. Nor did she intend to mention that she didn’t want Grandma taking the horse and buggy out alone until her physical issues had been resolved. Were these spells due to stress because Grandma missed Grandpa so much, or were they caused by some illness or other medical condition? If anything happened to Grandma, Elaine didn’t know what she would do. More than anything, she longed for things to be as they were before, but that was just wishful thinking.

  In an effort to relieve some of her own stress, Elaine tried to focus on the fruit trees growing in a nearby orchard, with some of their colorful blossoms opening while other blossoms were drifting away. The white blossoms looked like snow as they flew off the trees and floated in tiny swirls across the road in front of them.

  “Did you hear what I said?” Grandma asked, lightly bumping Elaine’s arm.

  “Jah, I heard. Just thinking about how to respond, is all.”

  “It seems rather simple to me.” Grandma’s brows furrowed. “I just want to know why you felt it necessary to accompany me today.”

  “Well,” Elaine began hesitantly, “I know how tired you’ve been, and I thought you might not feel up to driving the horse by yourself.”

  Grandma folded her arms and huffed. “I may be old and tired, but I’m not too feeble to handle a horse and buggy.”

  “Okay.” Elaine paused, searching for the right words. “I also thought it would be nice for me to visit with Leah’s mamm while you have your foot treatment. Dianna and I haven’t had a chance to talk since Grandpa’s funeral, and I wanted to personally thank her for helping out during the funeral dinner.”

  “She was very helpful,” Grandma agreed, “just as so many others from our community were that day. I’m thankful for the kindness of our Amish friends and neighbors.”

  Elaine nodded as she clicked her tongue and gave her horse, Daisy, the freedom to trot. The mare seemed eager to go, and Elaine was equally anxious to get to Leah’s. She hoped and prayed that everything would go well once they got there.

  “It’s good to see you,” Leah said when Edna and Elaine entered her parents’ house. “How are you today?”

  “We’re both fine, but I’ll probably be better once I’ve had a foot bath—I mean massage,” Edna quickly corrected. Her cheeks colored and she fanned her face with both hands. “My, my, it’s sure a warm day. Soon it’ll be hot and humid.”

  Leah glanced at Elaine and gave her a brief smile. Then, taking Edna’s arm, she said, “Why don’t we head down to the basement now? Or if you’d rather not have to deal with the stairs, we can do the treatment up here in the living room.”

  “I’ve never had a problem going up and down stairs, and I’m sure I’ll be just fine with them now,” Edna huffed.

  “Okay.” Leah looked at Elaine again. “My mamm’s outside in her garden. You may have seen her there when you pulled in.”

  Elaine shook her head. “Actually, I didn’t, but I was focused on the front door. I’ll go out and see if I can find Dianna now.”

  “Elaine wouldn’t let me drive over here by myself this morning,” Edna complained as Leah led the way to the basement. “She was afraid I might get woozy again, but I feel fine today.” She moved across the room where the recliner sat and grunted as she lowered herself into it. “Elaine said she wanted to visit with your mamm, but I think she only came along because she’s being overprotective.”

  “I know that Elaine is concerned, but then, shouldn’t we appreciate it when someone we love cares about us?” Leah asked.

  “Um…what was that?”

  “I said, Elaine’s concerned, and shouldn’t we appreciate it when someone we love cares about us?” Leah repeated.

  “You’re right.” Edna removed her shoes and stockings and reclined the chair, giving Leah better access to her feet.

  As Leah started pressure-pointing the balls of Edna’s feet, she found several sore spots that caused her patient to flinch. One area in particular, on the inside of the foot, signaled that there was a problem with Edna’s pancreas. “That’s really tender there, isn’t it?”

  Edna nodded. “I’ll say. It feels like I’ve been walking barefoot and stepped on a sharp rock.”

  “I believe it’s sore because there’s a problem with your pancreas,” Leah explained.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well, I’m not a doctor, so I can’t give you a diagnosis, but if you want my opinion, I think you should see your doctor so he can run some tests.” Leah pulled her hands away from Edna’s feet. “It’s possible that you might have either diabetes or low blood sugar.”

  “Isn’t there something you can do about that?” Edna asked with a hopeful expression.

  “I might be able to help some, but not until you’ve had blood work done and know exactly what you’re dealing with. If it is your blood sugar, the doctor will have special instructions for you and perhaps prescribe medicine to take.”

  Edna sighed. “Oh, all right; I’ll see if I can get in to see the doctor sometime this week.”

  “Good. I’m glad you’re willing to go.” Leah handed Edna her socks and shoes. She hoped Edna kept her word, because she was truly worried about her. Not just because there might be a problem with her pancreas, but because of her lack of concentration and failing memory.

  CHAPTER 9

  When Edna returned home after her doctor’s appointment on Thursday, she was so tired she could barely put one foot in front of the other. Elaine had hired a driver to take them since her horse had thrown a shoe. After a long wait, they were finally taken into the examining room, and then more waiting, until the doctor came in. Edna had never liked waiting, not even when she was a girl. After Dr. Larkens had examined Edna, he’d asked her so many questions it made her head hurt. Then he’d given her the paperwork needed to get some blood work. Since the lab work could only be done following an overnight fast, Edna would have to wait until tomorrow morning to go to the lab. That meant hiring their driver again.

  Edna looked at the calendar on the kitchen wall and frowned. They had no more dinners scheduled for the rest of April, and just one so far for May. Now that the weather was warming up, she hoped more tourists would come to the area and book a dinner in her home. With today’s doctor’s appointment, and now lab work to get done, she could use some extra money to pay the bills. “The Lord will provide,” she murmured.

  “What was that, Grandma?” Elaine asked, entering the kitchen.

  Edna turned and smiled at Elaine. “What was what?”

  “What were you saying when I came into the room?”

  “Just that… Oh, never mind, it wasn’t important.” No way was Edna going to admit that she’d forgotten what she’d said. It had bothered her today when Elaine told the doctor that she was concerned because Edna seemed forgetful lately.

  I don’t know why she even mentioned that, Edna thought. What’s forgetting a few little things got to do with the wooziness I’ve felt a few times?

  “Are you hungry, Grandma?” Elaine asked, moving toward the refrigerator. “It’s almost noon and I can make some ham-and-cheese sandwiches, if that appeals.”

  “That’ll be fine,” Edna replied. “No moschdept for me, though. It makes my teeth burn.”

  “You mean mustard burns your tongue?”

  Edna’s cheeks warmed. “Jah, that’s right.” She was relieved when Elaine didn’t make an issue out of her having said the wrong word.

  “No problem. I don’t particularly like mustard on my sandwich, either.” Elaine took the ham, cheese, and a jar of mayonnaise from the refrige
rator. Then she placed them on the counter near the sink.

  Wanting to help, Edna got out the bread and a knife. “I’ll make the sandwiches while you set the table.”

  Elaine shrugged. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.”

  While Edna put the sandwiches together, Elaine set the table and poured them each a glass of iced tea with a slice of lemon. When the sandwiches were done, they took seats at the table and bowed their heads for silent prayer.

  As Edna thanked God for the food, she thought about Lloyd and how, whenever he’d finished praying, he would rustle his napkin so that she and Elaine would know he was done. Oh, how she missed that sound. Even more, she missed him sitting at the head of their table. It was hard to think of her dear husband never coming back, but somehow she had to press on. Elaine needed her, and as much as she hated to admit it, she needed Elaine, too.

  Heavenly Father, Elaine prayed, I thank You for this meal and for the hands that prepared it. Lord, You know how much I love my grandma and how worried I am about her. I pray the outcome of her blood tests will let the doctor know what’s wrong, and if it should turn out to be something serious, then please give us the grace to deal with it.

  Upon hearing a rustling noise, Elaine opened her eyes. When she looked over at Grandma, she noticed that her hand was on a napkin near the place where Grandpa used to sit. A lump formed in Elaine’s throat. Hearing that familiar sound had almost been her undoing, but she held herself together in order to be strong for Grandma’s sake. Jah, Grandma, I miss him, too.

  Except for the muffled crying Elaine heard coming from behind Grandma’s closed door each night, she hadn’t witnessed Grandma openly grieving much. Elaine figured it was because Grandma was trying to put on a brave front for her sake. Maybe keeping busy and attempting to be strong for each other was what they both needed in order to deal with their grief and move forward.

  Grandma pointed to her plate. “Shall we eat?”

  Elaine nodded and picked up her sandwich. She really wasn’t that hungry, but Grandma needed to eat, so she would do the same.

  “Will you be going with me tomorrow for the blood tests?” Grandma asked, reaching for her glass of iced tea.

  “I thought I would. When we’re done, maybe we can stop somewhere for breakfast, since you’ll have been fasting and will need to eat.”

  Grandma picked up her glass and took a drink. “Don’t like it much when I prick my finger with a sewing needle, so I’m not looking forward to getting my arm stuck.”

  “I understand, but the blood draw is the only way to monitor your blood sugar in the morning, and I’m sure the doctor will be checking for other things as well.”

  Grandma frowned while fingering the edge of her plate. “Sure hope there’s nothing seriously wrong. As much as I’d like to join your grossdaadi in heaven, I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”

  “I wouldn’t like that, either,” Elaine said sincerely. “But let’s not put the buggy before the horse. We need to wait till the tests are all in and we’ve talked to the doctor again next week. Now, why don’t we change our topic of conversation to something cool and tasty?”

  Grandma quirked an eyebrow. “Like what?”

  “Well, we have some lemon sherbet in the freezer that we can have after lunch, if that appeals.”

  “That sounds good, but first there’s something I need to say.”

  “Oh, what’s that?”

  Grandma looked directly at Elaine. “I think you need to think about the future, not just today.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe you should marry Jonah right away, so you won’t be alone after I’m gone.”

  Elaine nearly choked on the cold tea she was drinking. “For goodness’ sakes, Grandma, I can’t get married right now. I need to be here to take care of you. Besides, Jonah hasn’t even asked me to marry him, and even if he did—”

  Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. “I’ll see who it is,” Elaine said, rising from the table.

  When she opened the back door, she was surprised to see Jonah on the porch. She hadn’t heard his horse and buggy pull in. She hoped he hadn’t heard through the open kitchen window what Grandma had said to her. “Hello, Jonah. I—I didn’t expect to see you today,” Elaine stammered. “I figured you’d be hard at work in your buggy shop.”

  “I was, but I needed some bread at the bakery down the road, so figured it’d be a chance to drop by and see how things went at Edna’s appointment this morning.” Jonah smiled, and when he removed his straw hat, his curly dark hair stood straight up.

  Elaine resisted the temptation to laugh, or worse yet, to reach out and flatten his hair in place. Instead, she asked him to come in. He either hadn’t heard what Grandma had said or chose not to mention it.

  When Jonah entered the house, he hung his hat over a wall peg and smoothed the top of his head. Elaine was glad, because she figured her outspoken grandma surely would have said something about Jonah’s unruly hair if he went into the kitchen with it sticking up like that.

  “Well, Jonah, now isn’t this a coincidence?” Grandma grinned at Jonah. “We were just talking about you.”

  Oh no, Elaine groaned inwardly. Please, Grandma, don’t tell Jonah what was said.

  Jonah smiled. “Is that a fact? And what, might I ask, were you saying?”

  “Oh, nothing much,” Elaine was quick to say. She motioned to the sandwich makings on the counter. “Have you had lunch yet? I’d be happy to make you a sandwich.”

  “Sure, that’d be great. I’ll head to the bathroom and wash up.”

  As soon as Jonah left the room, Elaine whispered to Grandma, “Please don’t say anything to Jonah about marrying me, okay?”

  Grandma shook her head. “I would never do that.”

  “That’s good. Let’s just keep the conversation on anything other than that topic.”

  “No problem.”

  Hoping Grandma kept her word, Elaine set about making a sandwich for Jonah. By the time he returned, it was ready and sitting on the table.

  “Would you like iced tea or something else to drink?” Elaine asked after Jonah took his seat.

  “Iced tea is fine, since that’s what you’re having,” he replied.

  Elaine poured Jonah a glass and then sat quietly while he said his silent prayer. “The ham-and-cheese sandwich has only mayonnaise on it, but I can get the mustard if you want some of that,” she said once he’d lifted his head.

  “No, that’s okay. This is just how I like it.”

  “How about some potato chips?” Grandma asked. “I think we still have some in the pantry.”

  “The sandwich and tea are plenty for me,” he responded. “Fact is, it’s more than I expected to have for lunch today.”

  “If you had a wife, she’d make sure you were fed properly.” Grandma glanced briefly at Elaine; then, looking away, she grabbed her iced tea and took a drink.

  “This is sure nice spring weather we’re having, isn’t it?” Elaine asked Jonah, attempting to change the subject.

  He nodded. “Always did like spring. It’s not too hot and not too cold. Perfect weather for fishing and taking buggy rides.”

  They finished their meal with a bit of light conversation. Then Jonah turned to Elaine’s grandma and said, “Did you see the doctor today?”

  “Jah. He said he won’t know why I’ve been feeling a bit puny lately until he gets the results of my blood tests.” Grandma frowned. “I can’t eat any breakfast in the morning because I’ll be getting my blood drawn at the lab.”

  “We’ll return to the doctor’s next week,” Elaine put in. “He should have the results of her blood work by then.”

  “It’s good that you went. Please keep me posted when you know something definite.” Jonah scooted his chair away from the table. “Danki for the lunch, but I probably should be on my way, unless there’s something you need me to do first.”

  “How about doing the dishes?�
� Grandma asked in a teasing tone. “Since you’re a bachelor, I’m sure you’ve learned how to wash them quite well.”

  A trickle of perspiration ran down Elaine’s forehead. She hoped, once again, that Grandma wasn’t on the verge of bringing up the topic of marriage.

  “I’m sure Grandma’s only kidding,” Elaine was quick to say. “I’m perfectly capable of doing the dishes, and I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.”

  Jonah grinned and winked at Grandma. “I do know how to wash and dry the dishes, and maybe I’ll prove that to you the next time I’m invited here for a meal. I hope you both have a good rest of the day,” he added, moving toward the door.

  Grandma leaned toward Elaine and whispered, “Aren’t you going to see him out?”

  “Certainly.” Elaine followed Jonah to the door and handed him his hat. “Danki for stopping by, Jonah.”

  “No problem.” He opened the door, but paused and turned to face her. “Say, I was wondering if you’d like to go for a buggy ride with me tomorrow evening. There’s supposed to be a full moon, and I thought it would be a chance for us to spend a little time together.”

  “That sounds like fun, but with Grandma not feeling well, I’d better stay close to home in case she needs me.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Grandma called from the kitchen in a bubbly voice. “You two need to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather, and Elaine, I insist that you go for that ride.”

  Feeling that she had little choice in the matter, Elaine smiled at Jonah and said, “Unless something comes up to prevent it, I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Truth was, it would be nice to spend some time alone with Jonah, and hopefully it would lift her spirits.

  CHAPTER 10

  If you don’t need me for anything else right now, I think I’ll get supper started,” Sara told her mother-in-law.

  “No, I’m fine,” Betty said, leaning against the pillows Sara had placed under her head after she’d reclined on the sofa. Sara had also put an extra pillow under her broken leg. “I only wish I didn’t have to lay here staring at the ceiling while you do all the work. I feel so nixnutzich right now.”