by Beth Wiseman
“Nee. Of course I’ll do it.” Irma Rose took the money.
“We are all in your debt. Elizabeth said she didn’t know what she would have done without your help.”
Irma Rose felt herself blushing. “It was no problem for me.” She wondered how she would get word to Jake that she wasn’t going to be able to go to lunch with him. And how was she going to get out of lunch without lying? She didn’t want Jake to know she’d been visiting Jonas at the jailhouse.
Jonas grinned as Theo eyed his breakfast. “It won’t kill you,” Jonas said as he shoveled a nasty forkful of eggs into his mouth.
Theo continued to stare at the plate, then finally looked up at Jonas. “You got any of that shoofly pie left?”
Jonas nodded to the pie plate on the floor by his bed. “One piece. But I thought you didn’t like molasses.”
“I’ll take it over this mess.” Theo tossed the plate in a nearby trash can and picked up the pie plate. After peeling back the plastic wrap, he picked up the last slice and took a giant bite. When he was all done, he surprised Jonas by thanking him.
“You’re welcome.” Jonas bit into his toast, not quite as burnt as the day before. From the moment he’d woken up this morning, all he could think about was Irma Rose going on a lunch date with Jake today.
After breakfast, Jonas was glad that Theo fell back asleep for a while. Although, in the silence, he couldn’t shake loose the vision of Jake and Irma Rose together. Maybe Irma Rose deserved someone like Jake, a man who was well respected in the community. A man who hadn’t gone to jail. He bowed his head in prayer, vowing to stay away from fast cars and other Englisch hobbies that might get him in trouble again. Jonas accepted that this life lesson was part of the Lord’s plan for him, but he didn’t see how any good could come out of this experience.
He looked up when he heard footsteps. It was Peter. He unlocked the cell, smiled, and said, “Jonas Miller, you just got sprung.”
Chapter Eight
IRMA ROSE WAS HOPING TO QUELL THE BUTTERFLIES DANCING in her tummy as she and Jonas rode home from the jailhouse. Sarah Jane had insisted on paying for a driver there and back. Jonas was as quiet as Irma Rose had ever seen, but he could also barely keep his eyes open, nodding in and out. Finally, he laid his head back against the seat and lightly snored. She latched onto the opportunity and watched him. Even during his sleep, she could see the hint of a smile. He didn’t nap long, though, and when he opened his eyes, he turned to her and grinned.
“Sorry you missed your date with Jake.”
“Nee, you’re not.” She folded her hands in her lap as she cut her eyes in his direction. She’d left a note on Jake’s mailbox, just saying that she couldn’t go to lunch today.
Jonas grinned. “Nee, I’m not.” He squinted as he looked at her, and his expression stilled into a look of distress. “Irma Rose . . .”
She held her breath and waited.
“I’m so hungry, I feel like I might die without some food. Do you care if we stop and eat somewhere?”
Relief washed over her, and she laughed. “I’m quite sure you won’t die, but that’s fine.” She put a hand on the seat in front of her and leaned forward. “Sir, would it be possible for you to take us somewhere to eat? I’d be happy to pay for your meal as well.”
“I’ve already eaten, but thanks,” the driver said before he glanced over his shoulder. “I hear the Burger King has something new. It’s called a Whopper. How does that sound?”
Burger King had come to their town about three years ago, and it was always a treat to go there. Irma Rose nodded, and a few minutes later, they were pulling in the parking lot off the main highway. The driver dropped them off, saying he had an errand to run and that he would return in forty-five minutes.
As they walked to the entrance of the burger place, Irma Rose noticed a sign advertising a movie that would be played in the Englisch theaters in November. Jailhouse Rock starring Elvis Presley. Giggling, she nudged Jonas.
“Very funny,” he said, grinning.
Irma Rose couldn’t stop her smile from spreading, but as they neared the sign, she stared at it for a few moments. She’d never been to a movie. She was barely into her rumschpringe and hoped one day to be able to. But it wouldn’t be anything with Elvis Presley. Mamm said he wasn’t fit for young girls to watch, and that some television stations only filmed him from the waist up because of the inappropriate way he danced.
Glancing at Jonas, she wondered if he’d ever been to a movie. Probably, she decided. She couldn’t imagine seeing Jailhouse Rock with him. I’d be so embarrassed.
Cool air met them when they entered the restaurant, and after they ordered and sat down, Jonas thanked her repeatedly for everything she’d done for him and his family.
“I would have found a way to come up with the money if I’d known Mamm would be in the hospital so long.” He paused. “How did she look? How mad was she when she found out I was in jail?”
“She looked tired, but otherwise okay. And I don’t think she was mad, more worried, it seemed.”
Jonas just stared at her, which only fueled the dancing butterflies in her stomach.
“Why are you staring at me?”
He smiled. “Because you’re so pretty. The prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
She covered her face with her hands for a couple of seconds. “You’re embarrassing me.”
He gently lowered her hands from her face. “It’s true, Irma Rose.”
She thought about what Elizabeth had said, how Jonas always talked about her and told stories. Maybe the warmth she felt around him wasn’t to be feared, but embraced. Maybe what made her uncomfortable was that he looked at her with such stark admiration. She wasn’t used to being the center of attention, nor had anyone made mention of her outer beauty. It wasn’t their way.
They were quiet as they unwrapped their burgers.
Jonas wasted no time biting into the burger. Irma Rose took a small bite, feeling self-conscious about eating in front of him.
“Do you like it?”
She was relieved he’d changed the subject. She finished chewing and swallowed. “I think it’s very good. I’m not sure if thirty-seven cents isn’t a bit much, though.”
“You’re worth it, Irma Rose.” He grinned, but his expression quickly shifted. “I need to ask you something.” He leaned back, his eyes locked with hers.
“Okay.” She sipped her Coca-Cola from the straw.
“Before you came here, you lived in Hershey, right?”
She nodded. “Ya. I was thirteen when we moved here. Why?”
“Did you ever know a boy named Theo? It’s probably a coincidence that my cell mate . . .” He paused, hung his head for a moment. “I hate the way that sounds, cell mate. Anyway, the Englisch man that was in my cell said he knew a girl named Irma Rose while he lived in Hershey. I think this guy is seventeen. Is that a coincidence, or did you know someone named Theodore? His parents owned some type of hotels there.”
Irma Rose’s breath hitched in her chest. She’d always wondered what happened to Theodore.
Jonas waited for Irma Rose to answer, but every time she opened her mouth to say something, she couldn’t seem to get her words in order.
“I-I, um . . .” She took several gulps of her soda, then looked up at him. Then more soda.
“You did know him, didn’t you?”
She stared back at him with a blank expression.
“It wonders me why you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Blinking her eyes a few times, she opened her mouth, but still nothing came out. As badly as he wanted to know the
connection between the woman he loved and his crazy cell mate, he could see that the conversation was bothering her. “We don’t have to talk about it, if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Okay. Gut. Danki.” She took another sip of her soda.
“I told you that I’d make it up to you, remember? What can I do to show my thanks?”
She swallowed as she shook her head. “Jonas, you’ve told me danki a dozen times. That’s enough.”
“Let me take you on a proper date to a fancy restaurant.” He didn’t know how he’d get the money for that, but he’d figure out a way if she would agree to go with him. Lots of the fellows in their district had side jobs, but it took all of Jonas’s time to take care of the farm. He didn’t have time for anything extra. Even when it wasn’t planting season or harvesttime, there were always outdoor chores. Repairing fences, tending to the animals, painting, and most recently leveling gravel across the driveway in an area that held water when it rained.
“Nee. That’s not necessary.” She dabbed her mouth with the napkin from her lap before she lifted a French fry to her mouth.
“Is it Jake? Is he courting you now?” Jonas held his breath, willing it not to be so. “Or you just don’t want to date a convict?” He grinned, thinking how that sounded.
Irma Rose giggled, which was nice to hear. “I think you like hearing that word roll off your tongue,” she said in a whisper.
“And I think that Jake Ebersol will never be exciting enough for you, Irma Rose. You have a fire in your belly, a sense of adventure.”
She laughed again. “And Jonas Miller, you have way too much adventure to suit my liking.”
“Then I’ll change.” He gazed into her eyes. “Who do you want me to be? Tell me three things you’d change about me if you could.” Chuckling, he added, “then I’ll tell you three things that I’d change about you.”
“Ach, really?” She smiled. “And what makes you think I’d like to hear what you’d change about me?”
He shrugged. “You go first.”
She tapped a finger to her chin. “I wish you didn’t smoke cigars.”
Jonas chewed on a French fry, nodding. That didn’t seem too hard. “That’s one,” he said after he swallowed, “I’ll try to change,” he added, winking at her.
“Actually, I don’t think a person should change for another person. That doesn’t seem right.”
Jonas pointed a finger at her. “You can’t think of anything else that you’d like for me to change.”
“That’s not what I said. I said that any changes a person makes should be for himself . . . or for God.”
He sighed. “Okay. But I had a really long list of things you need to change.”
Her eyes rounded as she halted a French fry between her mouth and her tray. After she put it back down, she scowled at him. “Then let’s hear your list.” She was so cute when she pouted.
“First and foremost, you need to change your dating circumstances and not date anyone but me.”
“That’s not changing something about me. That’s just doing something you want me to do.” She leaned against the seat of the booth. “What else?”
“You need to sell your baked goods at the market. That shoofly pie was the best I’ve ever had.” He was telling her the truth. The woman could cook. “You could make money from the tourists.”
“I’m listening.” She straightened, raising that cute little chin of hers.
“I’ve heard folks talking. More and more Englisch people are coming here to visit and shop. The local vendors are talking about forming something called the Pennsylvania Dutch Tourist Bureau. All the shop owners would work together to attract people to Lancaster County.”
“Don’t you think it’s touristy enough here?”
Jonas shrugged. “I think that Lancaster County is going to become a place that people all over the United States will know about. The Englisch seem real interested in the way we live, and I don’t think there’s any gettin’ away from them. You’ve heard the saying, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them.’ ” He smiled at her. “And you’re a real gut cook, Irma Rose. You could even have a bakery in the heart of Paradise, maybe even right off Lincoln Highway.”
“I think I’d rather be married, stay home and have kinner, and tend to mei family.”
That was music to Jonas’s ears. “If you were my fraa, I’d want you to do whatever made your heart sing.”
Irma Rose was speechless as her entire being filled with warmth. She folded her hands atop her napkin, surprised they weren’t clammy. And as they eyed each other across the table, she had to rethink why she kept fighting the attraction she felt for Jonas. She’d thought it had been simple, that he just wasn’t right for her. Anyone who unnerved her in such a way couldn’t possibly be the person God intended her to be with.
She thought about how comfortable she was around Jake. But then she thought about their kiss and wondered if safe and comfortable would ever be enough. What would walking a little bit on the wild side with Jonas Miller be like? Would life be filled with his desire to live more adventurously than Irma Rose would like? Or would she saddle up next to him, love the ride, and not worry about the destination? And all these thoughts were reasons why Jonas upset her stomach. He constantly tipped the balance of her applecart, tempting her with a life she hadn’t planned. “What else would you change about me?” she finally asked.
“Irma Rose, if the truth be told, you are perfect in every way. I wouldn’t change one thing about you. I’ve loved you since the day I saw you sitting under that tree. I could tell you were nervous, and you were real young. But I’ve watched you become a woman, and there isn’t anyone else I’d rather spend my life with. And I feel like I need to tell you this because life is short. Mei daed is gone, and mei mamm gave us all a real scare.” He paused, and Irma Rose could feel herself trembling. “And I know in my heart that you feel something for me too.”
Irma Rose swallowed back the knot in her throat, and in the distance, she was sure she heard angelic singing again. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. “I-I think we need to go.”
Jonas’s expression dropped instantly, and Irma Rose had a strong urge to reach for his hand across the table. But until she could corral her feelings, she couldn’t tell him how she felt.
Jonas picked up their trays and deposited them in the designated area, and Irma Rose offered again to pay for her half of the meal. Jonas shook his head, and they were quiet as they walked outside. The driver was waiting curbside, and Jonas opened the door for her. They rode silently to Irma Rose’s house, then politely said good-bye. She stood in the grass, the afternoon sun blazing down on her, and watched the car until it was out of sight, tears filling her eyes.
God, I need a sign from You. What should I do?
Chapter Nine
IRMA ROSE STAYED TO HERSELF FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF weeks. When she wasn’t busy cooking, sewing, or tending to the farm animals, she read books her mother had approved for her. She craved anything that would take her away from her own thoughts. She’d waited a long time to be old enough to date, but now the prospect of marriage and making lifelong decisions overwhelmed her. What if she didn’t choose correctly? Would the wrong choice land her on a path that wasn’t the one God intended for her? People married young in her community. But I’m only sixteen years old.
She was sitting on the couch reading a book, the warm breeze wafting into the living room and mingling with the aroma of oatmeal cookies baking in the oven. Not even the battery-operated fan on the coffee table did much to counter the August heat that had settled upon them like a dense fog. She tried to focus on the book she was reading, but her mind kept drifting.
“Are you okay, mei maedel?” Her mother walked into the living room, a kitchen towel draped over her shoulder and an oatmeal cookie in one hand. She smiled. “Because I don’t think there is anything an oatmeal cookie can’t cure.”
Irma Rose closed the book. She’d considered talking to her mother about the confusion swirling around in her head, but she felt like even the decisions she might make at sixteen years old should be based on her own thoughts and feelings. Once she got them figured out. “I’m fine, Mamm. Do you need me to do anything this afternoon?”
Her mother shook her head. “Nee. It’s too hot to do more than get by today. I shouldn’t have baked in the middle of the day, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Mammi’s recipe.” She handed the cookie to Irma Rose, and the moist, warm treat melted on her tongue. Her grandmother on her mother’s side had been the best cook Irma Rose had ever known, a thought that made her think of her conversation with Jonas a couple of weeks ago.
Mamm sat down on the couch next to her. “I ran into Mary’s mother at the market yesterday. She asked me if you were all right. She said you haven’t been to the malt shop with Mary and Hannah in two weeks.” Her mother nudged her gently with her shoulder. “And I know how you feel about strawberry shakes. And you didn’t feel up to church service last weekend either.”
Irma Rose again considered talking to her mother, but decided against it. Again. “It’s so hot outside. I guess I’m just being lazy after I get my chores done. But I really didn’t feel very well the day of worship.” It was a partial version of the truth. Mary and Hannah would ask about Jake, if they were going steady, as the Englisch would say. Irma Rose was afraid of getting pulled into a conversation about Jonas, and she didn’t want to lie to her friends. She’d avoided Jake too.
