“Jah, I will think about it. Now, can we talk about something else?”
Over a dinner of ham, and baked vegetables that night, Matt looked bothered to learn that Jane had agreed to spend the whole of the next day with Isaac.
“I’m sorry, Matt, but he’s come all this way. I’ll stay an extra day to make up for it.”
“Denke, Jane. I appreciate it, but you can see him every day when you’re at home.”
“I know that. It’s just one day.”
Matt nodded. “What does he want you to do?”
“I don’t know what he’s got in mind.”
Matt didn’t want to sound too bothered about it. But he knew he’d have to step things up or risk losing her.
Chapter 22
“I'm so pleased to be spending the day with you, Jane.”
Jane wasn't so certain her feelings agreed. “Yes, it will be good. I haven't seen you since … yesterday.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Even though we live next door to one another, we don't really spend much time together.”
“That's true.”
“But before we go anywhere …”
Jane looked over at him wondering what he was going to say.
“I feel you should talk to the bishop's wife.”
“Debra?”
“Yes, Debra.”
“Why do you think I should talk with her?”
“Because I don't think you’ve really talked to her since you've been here, have you?”
Jane thought back. “I'm not sure. Is someone complaining that I haven't spoken to her? I saw her at the meeting only on Sunday.”
“But did you talk with her?”
“Yes, a little.”
“You might not know this, Jane, because you didn't visit many communities, but you should really speak to the bishops and their wives at all the different places, more than just saying hello.”
She stared at Isaac. “It’s a little different because I know them so well. I grew up here, remember? You hardly go anywhere, so where is this coming from?”
“Before I married and had the goat farm, I traveled around to different communities—that's how I met my fraa.”
“Sure, I'll go speak to Debra. But I'm sure she'll be busy with something more important.”
“And what could be more important than you?”
“I can think of a good many things that would be more important than me.”
He laughed at her, but Jane knew this was going to be awkward, and a huge waste of everyone’s time. She had no idea why he was forcing her to do this.
And then Jane wondered whether the bishop's wife had something she wanted to say to her. Had she behaved inappropriately at the meeting or had she done or said something that she shouldn't? She couldn't think of anything like that.
“Do you know if she’s home?” Jane asked.
“She was when I left. I didn't tell her that I was coming back with you. Such a worrier you are, Jane.”
“I never thought of myself as a worrier, but you're not the first person to say that.”
When they reached the bishop’s house, Isaac stayed with the horse and put the reins over the hitching post while Jane knocked on the door.
Debra opened the door and smiled when she saw Jane's face. “Jane, how lovely to see you.”
“Denke. I was about to spend some time with your haus guest, Matt… ooh, I mean… “
“Do you mean Isaac?”
“Jah, I was spending the day with Isaac and I realized I didn't say much to you on Sunday and I just came to have a little talk, if that's alright.”
“Certainly Jane, you can talk to me about anything you like. Will Isaac be joining us for this talk?”
“It's not really a talk I just called in to say hello … more or less.”
“Yes, that's quite alright. I thought you had something to talk to me about, maybe a confession.”
Jane giggled. “Nee, I don't have any confessions to make about anything. Maybe I do, but I can't remember what they are right now.”
Debra smiled. “Don't worry we all have our secrets and that's okay. Come through into the kitchen and I'll make tea for three.” Debra laughed. “That rhymes, tea for three.”
“Jah, it does.”
When they got to the kitchen, Debra directed her to sit on one of the four chairs at the small round table. “He likes my cooking too much.”
Jane looked up at her. “Who does?”
“Jeremiah.”
Jane shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.
Debra stopped still. “Oh dear. I was replaying our future conversation in my head. The conversation that I thought would come about in the next few seconds. When people visit, they ask me the same things and I thought that you were going to ask me too.”
Jane couldn’t help smiling. “Ask you what?”
“Why Jeremiah is still living at home. It’s so weird, me saying that just now. You must think I’m odd. Have you ever done what I did just now?”
“Nee. I don’t think I have, but it sounds like it would be an easy thing to do.”
“You’re kind, Jane. It was a mistake, and it might’ve been an easy mistake to make, but I have to separate what goes on in my head and what happens in the real world.”
That comment startled Jane. She too would have to do that.
“You see, I have Jeremiah, my oldest, living at home and it bothers me. That’s probably why I’m thinking about it all the time and it’s also what people ask me about when they’re looking to have a conversation. Because you’ve just come to say hello, you’ll get around to talking about my kinner, sooner or later.”
“You’re so right, Debra. That’s very true. So, he’s still living at home?”
Debra sighed deeply. “Jah, he is.”
“And you'd rather him not be here?”
“I'd rather him be married, Jane. Married and giving me grosskin.”
“He'll get there when the time is right.” Jane grinned. Everybody was always telling her that, so she took every opportunity to repeat it to as many people as she could. For her, the right time was always now. She would never share her inner thoughts with anyone, but sometimes it seemed that ‘Gott’s timing,’ never happened.
“Can I come in?” Isaac called out from the next room.
“Come in, Isaac. We’re in the kitchen.”
Isaac walked in and sat down.
“What would you like, Isaac, hot tea or kaffe?”
“I wouldn't mind a coffee. I like the way you make it.”
“Denke. And for you, Jane?”
“Just a black tea for me, weak and no sugar for a change.”
“That's easy enough. Isaac, we were just talking about Jeremiah.”
“Jah, I was having a good talk with Jeremiah last night.”
“Were you indeed?”
“Yes.”
“Did he happen to mention any young ladies?”
“Are you asking me whether he might be interested in someone?”
“That's exactly what I'm asking. All I wanted him to do is get married. He doesn't even have to leave this haus, he can get married and move his fraa right on in. We’ll make room. It's a big haus, plenty of space.”
“You'll be pleased to know that he does like someone. But don't ask me any more because I can't tell you.”
“That's all I wanted to know.”
Jane giggled. “You men and your secrets.”
“Don’t women have secrets?”
“They're nothing like men’s secrets,” said Debra.
“Women gossip, and men don’t,” Isaac stated.
“Certain men do, Isaac,” Debra said. “I can guarantee you that. I get to hear many things. Not that I eavesdrop, but my ears can’t stop hearing.”
Isaac and Jane exchanged a smile. Debra was certainly entertaining.
When she’d made the hot tea and the coffee, she sat down with them, placing a bowl of sugar cookies on the t
able. “Now, what have you two got planned today?”
Jane had no idea and she looked at Isaac, who said, “Jane can show me around. We didn’t get much time last time we went out.”
“Which was yesterday,” Jane commented.
“Yes. Jane couldn’t spare me much time. Now we have the whole day together.”
“That sounds lovely and what will you show him, Jane?”
“I’m not sure yet. We haven’t really talked about what he’d like to do.”
“It doesn’t really matter what we do. It’ll be nice to spend some uninterrupted time with her.”
Jane took a cookie and bit into it. Spending so much time with Isaac, she was certainly seeing a different side to him—a far more controlling side. He was different when he was at home.
Was this the man God had for her? It was hard to imagine it was, because she wasn’t looking forward to spending the entire day with him. And if spending a day with him seemed tiresome, how would she handle spending her entire life with him?
It was a whole hour later when they left the bishop’s house.
“That took a long time,” said Isaac as they traveled down the bishop’s driveway to get back onto the road.
“I know. She can talk.”
“You should’ve excused us sooner. You know I wanted to spend all day with you. I just thought we’d be there for fifteen minutes. I didn’t know you were going to accept hot tea which turned into a full blown morning tea with food.”
Jane pressed her lips together. She felt like a schoolgirl getting berated by her teacher. “I always accept the offer to eat when someone invites me.”
“That would be fine if you were alone, but you could’ve checked with me first.”
“Sorry, Isaac. I’ll do that in future.”
He glanced over at her. “I’m sorry, Jane. You must think I’m awful. I’m just so uptight.”
“What about?”
“About losing you. I know Matt is interested in you and that’s why you’re here.”
“I can tell you that I’m here for a very different reason.”
He held up his hand. “Don’t lie to me.”
Jane was taken aback by the comment. It was so abrupt. “I’m not. I wouldn’t. It’s true.”
“Is it?” Isaac stared at her.
She swallowed hard wondering if he would guess her reason for being there was that she was in love with Matt, even though Matt's reason was something else entirely. She didn’t want Isaac to know either of them.
Chapter 23
“It is.”
He smiled and looked back at the road. “Tell me where I’m going. I want to go somewhere we won’t be interrupted by people you know.”
“I should’ve packed us a picnic and we could’ve eaten it in the park.”
“Perfect, a picnic.”
“But it’s too late for that, unless you want to go back to Sadie’s.”
“Nee. We can get takeout burgers and fries and sit in the park.”
It seemed to Jane that he liked burgers and fries. That was what they’d had the day before. “That sounds wunderbaar. I know the perfect place to get food like that and there’s a park by the river a two minute drive from there.” What she didn’t tell Isaac was that Matt’s produce store was close to the fast food burger restaurant.
When they drove past it twenty minutes later, she had a good look and saw Matt’s horse and buggy out behind the building. If only she was spending the day with Matt and not her uptight neighbor from back home. Still, she was prepared to give Isaac a chance. It was the least she could do after he’d come all that way to see her. He'd gone to so much trouble.
They drove through the drive-through, one of only two in the district that could fit a horse and buggy.
Once they had their food, they continued on to the picnic area.
Isaac found a blanket in the back of the buggy and they spread it out and then placed all their food on it. “The only thing that ruins this day is that it’s so chilly.”
“It’s not too bad. I don’t mind the cold.”
“Well, you can’t feel it like I do if you say you don’t mind it.”
“That might be right. I could have a higher internal temperature than other people.” Or it could’ve been the double layers of thermal underwear she always wore under her dresses in the wintertime, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
He tilted his face to the sky. “It’s miserable.”
She looked up at the dark gray sky that was scattered with clouds. “It’s not. I have to disagree. It’s a beautiful blue gray, such lovely tones. Gott is an artist, don’t you think so? Look at all the different colors and hues. Then He breathed in deeply, and slowly, calmly, blew the clouds across the sky.”
He looked up with his mouth open. “You’re right, Jane. It is pretty spectacular. I never stopped to admire the sky, not the way you did just now.”
“I always look for beauty everywhere. There’s beauty in all things. We just have to know how to see it.”
“When I’m looking at you, I don’t have to learn how to see it.”
She giggled at him being so corny. He was trying hard to give her a compliment. “Denke, Isaac. That’s a lovely thing to say.”
“It’s true. You are a true beauty, Jane, inside and out.”
She looked down and blushed.
“Now, let’s eat.” He was quickly distracted by the food, but Jane was pleased he’d taken the time to say nice things to her. She seldom heard such things. He unwrapped her burger and then his. “I know this is not grand, and you deserve a better meal than this, but …”
“Nee. It’s perfect.”
He smiled and then bit into his burger.
Jane continued, “It’s perfect to be among nature and the trees with the water just over there. It’s nicer than sitting in a building to eat. I’ve been to a few restaurants before and it’s not as good as eating in the outdoors or in someone’s home.”
“Mm, I’m with you there. I’d much rather eat and have fellowship in a brother’s home.”
Jane didn’t think she could take a bite without making a mess, so she ripped off some of the burger with the bun and popped it into her mouth.
“You must miss Rosalee,” Jane said when she had finished her mouthful.
“I do. Every minute I’m away from her.”
“I’m missing her too,” said Jane. “I’m used to seeing her every evening when I get home.”
“I’m sorry about that. You get home when I’m finishing off the milking. I’ve told her to stay indoors and leave you be.”
“I’ve told you that’s fine. I enjoy our talks. Where is she staying?”
“With her grossmammi.”
“Jah, that’s right. You told me that. That’s good. They’ll have fun together.”
“I wrote to her as soon as I got here. I told her what it was like and about the trip on the Greyhound. She’s never been on a Greyhound bus before.”
“You’ll have so much to tell her when you get home.”
He smiled at her. “Do you think so?”
As soon as she realized he had taken what she said the wrong way, she didn’t know what to do. All she could do was nod politely.
When they had finished their food, he tossed their rubbish into the trashcan and then folded up the blanket and they walked back to the buggy where he carefully replaced the blanket. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
“I was just going to suggest that.”
“Good. We think alike, and I agree with you now.”
She looked over at him. “What about?”
“It is a beautiful day even if it is a little cold and gray.”
“I'm glad you think so. What a boring world it would be if we had sunshine or rainbows every day. We need the dark and we need the light to shine in the dark.” Jane laughed at her own words.
“You make me happy, Jane. I want that for myself and Rosalee. Even just the few minutes she’s with you of
an evening has enriched her life.”
His words made her feel good and she knew he was speaking from his heart. She was glad she could be a good presence in someone’s life. “I hope so.”
“She misses having a mother like all her friends, and I'm sure the time spent with you makes up for that in some way.”
“Thank you. That's a lovely thing to say.”
“You remind me of her.”
Now things were getting a little awkward. “Oh, I didn't know.”
“It's not a bad thing. In fact, it could be seen as a good thing.”
“Um, yes it could be a good thing. That's how I took it to be.”
“I hope you've given some thought to the question I asked you before.”
Jane nodded. “I have. I've been giving it some serious thought.”
“You don't have to give me your answer just yet. I know you wouldn’t have had much time to think about it.”
“Good.” Jane was longing to get back to Sadie’s place.
“I'm a patient man. I can wait.”
“It's good to know.”
“I don't want to wait too long.”
Jane stopped walking and looked at him. “I don’t understand. You just said you were patient.”
“Are you patient?” he asked.
“I am.”
“Jane, I love—”
“Don’t say it,” Jane blurted out before she started walking quickly to the water.
He followed after her. “I do.”
Jane had never been more uncomfortable. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder hoping no one was around to see them walking together, and misinterpret their relationship.
At that moment, the wind swept up and he looked up into the sky. “I think it's going to rain. Look how those rain clouds have come over.”
“Nee, I don't think it's going to rain.” As she too looked up in the sky, little sprinkles fell on her nose and cheeks. “Oh, I think that was rain.”
“Let’s go.” He grabbed her arm, swiveling her toward the buggy. Then he walked with her, fast. “I dislike getting caught out in the rain, and it happens to me so often. And it's so easy for me to catch a cold.”
“I'm used to the weather around these parts. It's not going to end up in a storm or anything.”
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