The Decision

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  A few seconds passed, and then Sara opened her eyes. “Jonah?” she croaked after a series of coughs.

  “Jah, it’s me. What happened here? How’d your barn catch on fire?”

  “I was doing some cleaning and accidentally knocked a gas lamp over. Before I knew it, the whole barn was in flames.”

  Sara tried to sit up, but Jonah told her to lie still a bit longer. “Is anyone in the barn right now?” he asked.

  “No. I got Lilly out, and then…” Another round of spasmodic coughing came from Sara’s mouth. “My barn is surely lost, and all of Harley’s tools are in there.”

  Jonah could see that Sara was visibly shaken and needed comforting, so he gathered her into his arms, gently patting her back. “It’s okay, Sara. The barn can be replaced, and so can any items that were inside. I’m glad you don’t seem to be seriously hurt, but I think you oughta see a doctor. If you inhaled a lot of smoke, it could harm your lungs.”

  Sara shook her head. “I—I don’t think I took in that much smoke, and I’d rather not go to the hospital. What I really need most is just to be with my son.”

  With deep concern, Jonah glanced around. “Where is Mark? Is he in the house?” He hoped the little boy wasn’t running around the yard someplace or, God forbid, had somehow gotten into the barn.

  “No, no. My boy’s okay. He spent last night with my in-laws, so he’s safe. I just need to be with him right now.” Tears streamed down Sara’s face, and she gulped on a sob.

  Sighing with relief that Mark was safe, Jonah nodded in understanding. “I hear sirens coming this way. Someone must have seen the smoke and called the fire department.” He helped Sara to her feet and held on to her, since she seemed a bit wobbly. “Are you okay to go into the house and wash up and change your clothes?” he asked.

  “Jah, I’m all right,” she reassured him.

  “Okay. While you’re doing that, I’ll talk to the firemen, and afterwards take you over to Herschel and Betty’s place to get your boy.”

  As Elaine pedaled her bike quickly along, she spotted Grandma plodding along the shoulder of the road, away from their home. Where in the world is she going, and why did she leave the yard without telling me?

  Elaine sped up until she was alongside of Grandma. She stopped the bike right in front of her, halting Grandma in her tracks.

  Grandma blinked and touched her fingers to her lips. “Nancy, I’m so glad to see you. Can you help me find my way home? I think I’m lost.”

  “It’s me, Grandma…Elaine. Mama is…well, she’s not here anymore.” Elaine figured it would be best if she didn’t mention that her mother was dead. No point in confusing or upsetting Grandma any more than she was.

  Grandma tipped her head, staring intently at Elaine. After a few seconds, a slow smile spread across her face. “You’re my grossdochder, aren’t you?”

  “That’s right, Grandma. I’m your granddaughter. What are you doing out here on the road by yourself? I’ve been worried about you.”

  Grandma’s cheeks flushed a bight pink. “I went looking for Dusty because he wasn’t in his stall. Thought I saw him in someone’s field, but the lady there said the horse was her grandson’s.” Her forehead creased. “That horse was brown, and it sure looked like Dusty.”

  Elaine got off her bike, set the kickstand, and gave Grandma a hug, realizing that she needed a little reassurance right now. “We sold Dusty a few weeks ago. Remember?”

  Grandma squinted while rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Why would we sell your grossdaadi’s gaul?”

  “Because we have no need for three horses now that Grandpa’s gone.”

  “Gone? Where did he go?” Grandma glanced around as though looking for answers. She was clearly quite confused.

  Oh great, Elaine thought. Grandma must think Grandpa is still alive.

  Undecided as to what else she should say, Elaine patted Grandma’s arm tenderly, hoping to reassure her that everything was okay. “We need to go home now. I’ll ride my bike slowly, and you can follow me there.”

  Grandma looked uncertain at first, but finally nodded. “That’s good, because I need to talk to Lloyd about his horse. He’ll be upset knowing Dusty got out of the barn.”

  Elaine hoped by the time they got home, Grandma might remember that Grandpa had died. She didn’t want to shock her with that news.

  Climbing back on her bike, Elaine noticed some smoke in the distance. I hope that’s just from someone burning something and that no one’s house has caught fire.

  While Elaine pedaled slowly toward home, glancing back every few seconds to see if Grandma was following, she made a decision. Tomorrow she would call the doctor and ask why Grandma’s memory was failing so fast. According to that book on dementia, Grandma was losing her memory quicker than she should be and heading toward the more advanced stages of the disease. Elaine wished with all her heart that there was something she could do to slow the progression. She could hardly stand seeing her grandma like this.

  CHAPTER 32

  The following day after Jonah finished working, he decided to drop by Sara’s and see how she was doing. He took a quick shower, put on clean clothes, and headed outside to get his horse and buggy ready. Hopefully Sassy, having rested all day, would move a little faster this time.

  Going down the road, Jonah remembered another time when he’d come to someone else’s rescue. Memories took him back to Pennsylvania, when he’d first arrived in Bird-in-Hand. He’d just gotten settled in at Mom and Dad’s house when he’d learned about the tragedy concerning Meredith’s husband, Luke. Jonah had decided to visit Meredith and offer his condolences. It was good that he got there when he did, because shortly after his arrival, Meredith collapsed and could have gone into labor and lost her baby if she hadn’t gotten to the hospital in time.

  Was it divine intervention that Jonah had come to Sara’s aid when her barn caught fire? Maybe it’s my responsibility to rescue people in distress by showing up at just the right time, Jonah decided, pulling his thoughts back to the present.

  Jonah was halfway to Sara’s when he saw Elaine’s friend Leah riding her bike. She must have seen him, too, for they both waved at the same time.

  Jonah was tempted to stop and ask Leah how Elaine was doing, but decided against it. He wanted to get to Sara’s before she started cooking her supper. Besides, he’d talked to Leah’s dad, Alton, the other day when he’d stopped by the buggy shop. Elaine’s name had come up when Alton mentioned that Leah and her mother had been helping Elaine do some canning a few weeks ago. Alton said that Edna wasn’t doing well and if things didn’t improve, she and Elaine might not do the sit-down dinners for tourists anymore. Jonah had also learned that with her grandmother’s approval, Elaine had sold her grandfather’s horse and was renting acreage on her grandparents’ property to one of their neighbors, so if they quit doing the dinners, they would at least have enough money to live on. But would it be enough?

  Jonah wished he was free to help out, but Elaine had made it clear that she didn’t want that.

  “Did she ever really feel anything for me?” Jonah muttered as he continued on down the road. “Or was I always just a passing fancy for her?”

  Sassy’s ears perked up and he neighed as if in response.

  “Was that a yes or a no?” Jonah asked with a snicker. At least he wouldn’t be showing up at Sara’s house with a sour expression.

  Jonah thought about how he’d been one of the witnesses at Melvin and Sharon’s wedding last week. Seeing their smiling faces after they’d said their vows had made Jonah wish all the more that he, too, was happily married.

  Sara wasn’t sure what to fix for supper this evening. Nothing appealed, and she’d worked hard cleaning house most of the day, so she had no energy for cooking. Of course, some of her fatigue could be related to the ordeal she’d gone through yesterday when the barn caught fire. She still couldn’t believe it was gone or that she’d been so careless when she was attacking all those cobwebs. Each time
Sara glanced out the window, it made her sick to see what little was left of Harley’s barn. What would he think of her being so careless?

  I should have been watching what I was doing, Sara berated herself as she sat on the living-room floor next to her son while he played with some of his toys. She was glad Mark was young and wouldn’t remember any of this as he got older.

  Sara thought about Jonah and how thankful she was that he’d come along when he did. In addition to talking with the firemen after they’d arrived, he’d helped Sara calm down and reassured her that if she decided to rebuild the barn, he would come to help out. Jonah had also made sure that Sara’s horse was put out in the field. After the fire was extinguished, Sara was checked over by the paramedics, who had followed in an ambulance behind the fire trucks. Once it was determined that Sara was okay, Jonah had taken her over to Herschel and Betty’s, where she and Mark had spent the night.

  Turning her attention back to Mark, Sara realized that she couldn’t sit here all evening; she needed to feed him something. Maybe she would make them sandwiches for supper. That wouldn’t be much trouble.

  Since Mark seemed content to play with his toys, Sara made her way to the kitchen. She’d just opened the bread box and taken out a loaf of bread when she looked out the window and saw a horse and buggy pull in. Pleased to see that it was Jonah, Sara set the loaf of bread on the counter and opened the back door.

  When Jonah stepped onto the porch, he smiled and said, “I came by to see how you’re doing. That was quite an ordeal you went through yesterday.”

  She nodded, appreciating his concern. “It was, and I’m thankful you were there to help me through it.”

  “Are you doing okay?” Jonah moved closer to Sara.

  “I’m fine now. Still coughing a bit from the smoke I inhaled, but otherwise doing okay. However, I fear all of Harley’s tools have been lost.”

  “You can worry about that later.” Much to Sara’s surprise, Jonah slipped his arm around her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I can even come over once the area has cooled and see what things might be salvageable.”

  “You would do that for me after all you’ve already done?” she asked in disbelief.

  “Sure, why not?” A blush of pink spread across Jonah’s cheeks. “That’s what friends are for, right?”

  Sara nodded in agreement.

  He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as though nervous about something. “Um…I know it’s short notice, Sara, but if you haven’t started supper yet, I thought maybe you and Mark would like to go out someplace to eat.”

  “I haven’t started supper and going out does sound nice, but I’m worried that with us being seen together at a restaurant, it might cause some people to talk.”

  “Talk about what?”

  “Well, it might not seem right for you to be seen with me when you’re courting Elaine.”

  “That won’t be an issue, because Elaine and I broke up a few months ago,” Jonah said. “With the way information travels around here, I thought you would have heard by now.”

  “No, I hadn’t heard.” No wonder Elaine hadn’t been at Jonah and Jean’s birthday dinner. Sara wondered if Jonah had broken things off with Elaine, or if it was the other way around. Even though she was curious, she wouldn’t ask, because it just wouldn’t be polite. If Jonah wanted her to know the details, he would share them with her.

  “So, how about it, Sara? Will you and Mark go out to supper with me?”

  Barely giving it a second thought, Sara nodded. She looked forward to spending the evening with Jonah.

  “I’m glad you were free to have supper with me,” Elam Gingerich said as he and Priscilla took seats at Yoder’s restaurant.

  “It was nice of you to invite me.” Priscilla had known Elam since they were children and had attended the same school together. Her family worshipped in a different church district than his, but they’d spent time together during several young people’s gatherings. Priscilla had known for some time that Elam was interested in her, but he was kind of shy and hadn’t made his intentions known until last week, when he’d invited her to have supper with him tonight. Elam was twenty-five and had never had a serious girlfriend that Priscilla knew of. He had medium-brown hair, hazel eyes, an average nose, and ears that were a bit larger than most. But Elam wasn’t ugly; there was actually a handsomeness about him, and Priscilla found his quiet way and genuine smile appealing.

  Elam worked part-time at his parents’ bulk foods store and also helped an English man in their area who was a roofer. Elam seemed to be highly motivated and had joined the church last year, so Priscilla figured he was secure in his faith and had no plans to leave his Amish heritage. He would probably make someone a good husband. But if Elam decided to pursue a serious relationship with her, could she see him as more than a friend?

  “Did ya hear what our waitress said?” Elam’s question pulled Priscilla’s thoughts aside.

  “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you’d come to our table,” Priscilla stammered, feeling foolish as she looked at Barbara Yoder, their Amish waitress.

  Barbara smiled. “Would you like something to drink besides water?”

  “I’d like a glass of iced tea,” Priscilla responded.

  “And I’ll have a root beer, please,” Elam added.

  “I’ll get those now and be back to take your order.” Barbara smiled and walked away.

  “Sure is nice weather we’ve been having,” Priscilla commented after several minutes of awkward silence.

  Elam glanced out the window. “Jah, and I’m glad for it, ‘cause my boss has a couple of roofing jobs that need to be done next week, and we sure don’t need any rain.”

  “Do you enjoy roofing more than working in your folks’ store?” Priscilla asked.

  He nodded. “‘Course when the weather’s bad and we can’t roof, it’s nice to have a second job to fall back on.”

  Barbara returned with their drinks and asked what they’d like to eat. Elam ordered a burger and fries, and Priscilla said she’d like some fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a small garden salad.

  While they waited for their food, they talked about some of the things they’d read in the paper lately, like the accident that had taken place in the town of Sullivan, not too far away.

  “At least that collision didn’t involve a horse and buggy.” Elam drew in a deep breath and exhaled quickly. “As bad as it was, if one of our people had been in a buggy and gotten hit by that truck, they probably would have been killed.”

  Priscilla was about to comment when she glanced toward the door and saw Jonah enter the restaurant with Sara and her son, Mark. Priscilla was so surprised to see them together that she choked on the iced tea she’d just sipped.

  “You okay?” Elam asked, leaning toward her with a look of concern.

  Priscilla nodded, blotting her lips with a napkin. “I’m fine. Guess I must have swallowed the wrong way.” She watched with curiosity as the hostess seated Jonah, Sara, and Mark on the opposite side of the room. Had they seen her? Should she go over and talk to them? Maybe not. It might be best just to keep her focus on Elam and pretend she hadn’t seen Jonah with Sara and her little boy.

  “How come you’re frying so much chicken?” Edna asked, peering over Elaine’s shoulder as she stood at the stove. “There’s just the two of us, and we can’t eat that much chicken for supper tonight.”

  “This isn’t just for us, Grandma,” Elaine said. “We’re hosting another dinner tonight for a small group of tourists.”

  Edna rubbed her forehead as she pondered this information. “Really? Did I know about that?”

  “The tour director set things up with us a few weeks ago. Do you remember?”

  Edna continued to rub her forehead. It was upsetting not to be able to recall something like this. “I can’t say that I do, but if it’s true, then we need to get busy, because there’s a lot yet to be done.”

  “Not so much.” Elaine motioned to
the hefty-size kettle on the back burner. “The potatoes are cooked, mashed, and keeping warm on the stove, and the salad is in the refrigerator.”

  Still puzzled, Edna squinted. “Oh, really? I don’t remember making those.”

  “Actually, you didn’t. I made them while you were napping earlier this afternoon.”

  Edna slid one finger down the side of her nose, stopping at the tiny mole. “That’s right; I was kind of sleepy.” She smiled at Elaine, removing her finger. “Danki for doing all of that, Nancy. You’ve always been a hard worker. My son picked well when he married you.”

  “No, Grandma, I’m not Nancy. I’m your granddaughter, Elaine.”

  Edna’s cheeks warmed. “Of course. How silly of me to say such a thing. You look so much like your mamm; it’s easy to get you mixed up sometimes.”

  Elaine nodded as she continued to fry the chicken.

  Edna turned and moved slowly across the room. “Think I’ll go to the dining room and make sure the tables have been set.” Sure wish I didn’t feel so confused. Makes me feel like I’m losing my glicker.

  Things went okay during the first half of the dinner, but when it was time to serve dessert, Grandma started talking to Elaine like she was a child, saying things like, “If you can’t be a little faster serving that pie, I’ll send you to bed without any dessert.”

  Elaine merely smiled and tried to shrug it off, hoping none of their guests had heard what Grandma said. But when Grandma started talking about Grandpa and said someone had stolen his horse, Elaine became concerned.

  “Grandma, could I speak to you in the kitchen for a minute?”

  “Whatever you want to talk about can be said right here with my friends.” Grandma turned and smiled at their guests.

  Feeling a sense of panic, Elaine gave Grandma’s arm a little tug and whispered, “Would you please come with me for just a minute? It’s important that I talk to you alone.”