Sarasota Dreams

by Mayne, Debby

  Abe pondered the thought, then slowly nodded. “Yes, I’d love to kiss you, Mary, but not here.”

  “What’s wrong with here?”

  “This isn’t exactly the best place for us to have our first kiss.”

  Mary lifted her free hand in surrender. “So you get to pick where we kiss?”

  Abe gave himself some time to gather his thoughts before speaking. “Mary, when I kiss you, I want you to understand it’s because I have feelings for you. It’s not something I take lightly.”

  “Who said anything about taking it lightly?” She frowned as she took a lick of her ice cream. She shook her head. “Don’t tell me you agree with that mean Jeremiah.”

  “No, this has nothing to do with Jeremiah. What it has everything to do with is letting you know that a kiss means … well, it means …” He glanced down then back up at her, slowly shaking his head.

  Mary lifted an eyebrow in amusement and tapped her foot. “Go on, Abe. I want to know what it means.”

  “Let’s just say it’s very special to me. A kiss is not like a handshake or even a hug. It means we’re more than just friends.”

  “I’m okay with that.” She held his gaze as though challenging him. “I thought that’s what you wanted.”

  That was exactly what he wanted, but the timing was off. Kissing on command seemed forced and cold. But he didn’t want to risk hurting or embarrassing Mary—not after her attempt to be more open and trust him.

  “Let’s take a little walk, okay?” He extended his elbow, hoping for the best, and to his delight, she took it.

  “Sorry about your ice-cream cone,” Mary said.

  Abe laughed. “I should have held on to it better.”

  “Want a lick?” she asked, offering her ice-cream cone.

  Abe laughed. “No thanks. I’m not about to take your ice cream.”

  “That’s okay, I don’t mind. I sort of lost my appetite.”

  “You don’t have to finish it.”

  They walked in silence for another block then turned up a side street behind some of the small shops at the edge of Pinecraft. Abe pointed to a lonely tree holding court over a tiny patch of grass in the center of a circle of palmettos. “Let’s get some shade.”

  Mary pivoted and headed straight for the tree without a single word. Abe was right behind her. They passed a trash receptacle, and she tossed her dripping ice-cream cone. “I can’t eat any more.”

  Abe leaned against the tree and extended his arms. “Come here, Mary,” he said softly.

  She took a step toward him then stopped. “Oh, so now you want to kiss me?”

  He closed his eyes, retracted his outstretched arms, and silently chuckled. When he opened his eyes again, she was so close, all he had to do was open his arms and she was in them. “May I kiss you now, Mary Penner?”

  She turned her face up to his with her lips puckered and her eyes closed. This time he leaned down and touched her lips with his for a couple of seconds. When he pulled away, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

  “So that’s what a kiss feels like,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. A quick flash of her mother being kissed and groped darted through her mind. A few times men had attempted to touch her, but her quick reflexes and whatever lies she could make up saved her. Mary shuddered as she forced herself to stay in the moment. Abe was nothing like those men, and she knew this was different.

  Abe couldn’t help but laugh. “Disappointed?”

  “Nope. I liked it. Let’s do it again.” She puckered her lips and closed her eyes.

  He dropped a brief kiss on her lips then the tip of her nose. “I think I better get you back before this gets out of control.”

  “Well,” she began slowly as she looked at him coyly. “I have plenty of self-control. It’s you I’m worried about.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Good. Now that we’ve got that settled, when are we going out again?”

  “Now look at you. When I first wanted to get to know you better, you acted like I was the enemy, and now you want to rush things. Why don’t we take things nice and slow?”

  She shrugged. “What’s the point? You like me, and I’m pretty sure I like you.”

  “You don’t mince words, do you, Mary?”

  “Why would I do that?”

  Her abrupt turnaround both delighted and startled Abe. Something had happened since the last time he’d seen her. “You’re acting different now.”

  “Maybe I am different.”

  Abe shook his head. “People don’t change that quickly. What’s going on, Mary?”

  “Don’t be so skeptical. Nothing’s going on, except I’ve had time to think about us.”

  “Oh yeah?” He glanced down at her as they walked side by side on the narrow sidewalk. “What were your thoughts?”

  “To start with, I know that you’re a very nice man, and you seem honest.”

  “Ya, I like to be nice to people, and honesty comes natural. But plenty of people are nice and honest.”

  “Oh but not like you, Abe.”

  He knew some people were puzzled by Mary, and even after all this time, some of them may still have held her past against her. But he hadn’t seen anyone being intentionally mean except Jeremiah—even Mrs. Troyer, whose mind seemed to be elsewhere.

  “Has anyone said or done anything to hurt you?” he asked. “Besides Jeremiah, that is.”

  “Not really. I’ve gotten used to being ignored. But you’ve never ignored me. You’ve always acted like I was any other Mennonite girl.”

  “Trust me,” he said with a chuckle. “You’re not like any other Mennonite girl.”

  She gave him a look of pretend hurt then grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “Good. You should.” They continued another half block toward her grandparents’ house. “It’s still not enough to explain why you’re suddenly demanding kisses. Why did you ask me for a kiss today?”

  Mary contorted her mouth and pondered the thought. Finally she shrugged. “Why not?”

  “There you go again, answering my question with a question.”

  She shrugged. “I wanted a kiss, so I asked for it.”

  He studied her. “Okay.”

  “Besides, I like the way I feel when I’m with you.”

  Now they were getting somewhere. “How do you feel when you’re with me?”

  “I … well …” She pursed her lips and sighed. “I think I’ve already told you too much. Since you want to take things more slowly, I think I’ll keep some things to myself.”

  Abe grinned. “You are such a mystery, Mary Penner.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Neh, I think I like it.”

  “Good. Then my hunch worked out.” They’d gotten to the block where her grandparents lived, so she stopped and turned to face him. “Thank you for the ice cream and kiss.”

  He tilted his head toward her. “And thank you for spending some time with me … and the kiss. I’ll see you soon.”

  Mary was pretty sure Abe couldn’t see her hands shaking. It had been difficult to hide her nerves, but it was better he didn’t know how he affected her. Ever since their lips touched, she felt as though the earth had tilted just enough to throw her off balance.

  “Mary, is that you?” Grandma called from the kitchen. Before Mary had a chance to answer, she added, “Come on back and tell me about your ice cream date with Abe.”

  “I’ll be right there, Grandma. I have to put my stuff away first.”

  As Mary deposited her tote on her bed, she took several deep breaths to get a grip on her nerves and gather some thoughts on what to say about her time with Abe. Maybe Grandma wouldn’t ask too many questions.

  That hope was quickly shattered when Mary joined her grandmother in the kitchen. “How was your date with Abe?” Before Mary had a chance to say a word, Grandma added, “You’re back awful early. Did something happen?”

  Mary reach
ed for the flour canister and moved it to a different spot on the counter so she could help with dinner. “No, nothing happened.”

  “I thought you’d be home before dinner, but not this early.” Grandma pointed to the other canister. “Hand me the sugar, please.”

  “We got ice cream and went for a walk. That doesn’t take very long.”

  Grandma paused and looked directly at Mary. “You and I need to have a talk. There are obviously some things you don’t understand about courting.”

  Mary’s cheeks flamed. “I think I know enough.”

  “Dating someone you’re thinking about spending the rest of your life with involves more than getting ice cream and going for a walk.”

  “Who said anything about spending the rest of my life with him?”

  Grandma shook her head. “Are you saying you’re not interested in marrying Abe?”

  Mary let out a nervous laugh. “That’s not what I’m saying. Things like that take time. Besides, I’m not sure I ever want to get married.”

  Grandma placed one fist on her hip and shook her other finger at Mary. “Don’t ever say that again. If the Lord puts the right man in front of you, who are you to say you don’t want to get married?”

  Mary knew better than to argue with Grandma about the Lord’s will. It would be a losing battle since Grandma knew the Bible front to back. Mary had studied tenaciously since she’d been in Sarasota, but she knew she didn’t know scripture like Grandma did.

  “I’m not saying you should marry Abe, but don’t rule it out. It’s not like every Mennonite boy in Sarasota is beating our door down for you.” Grandma turned back to the cobbler she’d been working on, leaving Mary to ponder her words.

  They sifted, stirred, and rolled dough in silence as Mary’s mind wandered from the kiss and Abe’s intentions to her motives. Grandma was right. The only man who’d shown any romantic interest in Mary was Abe. If she had her choice, would he be the one she’d pick? Without having the experience, how would she know?

  “Mary?” Grandma’s voice was soft and tender. “I didn’t mean to say you should marry Abe because you can’t do better. It’s just that your grandpa and I are concerned about you, and Abe is such a nice boy. He’s a hard worker, and he has land that would be ideal for a large family.”

  Grandma and Grandpa had always wanted a dozen children, but Mary knew that for some reason they hadn’t been able to have more than one child. Mary couldn’t imagine having a houseful of kids underfoot. All the babies and toddlers she’d seen required so much selfless work. And her mother’s voice rang through her head. If I didn’t have you to worry about, my life would be so different.

  “I’m not so sure that’s what I want,” Mary said. “A big family is a lot of work.”

  “Anything worth having is a lot of work,” Grandma replied. “Including Abe.”

  Mary wanted to end the conversation, so she racked her brain for a new topic. She was about to mention the seasonal crowd at the restaurant when she heard the front door. “Grandpa’s home. Eleanor was off today, so he must have left Shelley in charge of closing.”

  “Hello, ladies,” Grandpa bellowed as he entered the kitchen. “Beautiful, sunshiny day.”

  “Ya.” Grandma paused with her hands hovering slightly above the finished cobbler. “Mary got home early from her date with Abe.”

  Grandpa looked at Mary and winked. “I’m sure she has her reasons.”

  “Said it didn’t take long to eat ice cream.”

  Mary wished they didn’t talk about her as though she weren’t there. She wanted to run from the kitchen, but that would make the situation more uncomfortable when she came back.

  “She’s right,” Grandpa said, surprising Mary. “Besides, I think it’s a good idea for them to take it easy. We don’t want Abe getting the wrong idea, thinking Mary is too eager to find a husband.”

  “I’m not even looking for a husband,” Mary blurted.

  Grandma made a clucking sound with her tongue, and Grandpa chuckled. “Good girl. It’s harder to find one when you’re looking,” he said.

  “She’s not getting younger, Joseph.”

  He nodded. “I think she knows that. How much longer before supper’s ready? I’m starving.”

  “Not much longer,” Mary replied. “The ham and sweet potatoes are ready. As soon as the rolls are done, we can eat.”

  “In that case, I’ll go do some weeding. Let me know when it’s time to sit down at the table.”

  Silence fell between Mary and Grandma after Grandpa left the kitchen. Mary sometimes wondered why Grandpa came home acting as though he might starve to death after working in a restaurant all day. Even though he was surrounded by food, Mary or Shelley sometimes had to remind him to eat lunch. He worked as hard as his employees did, so Mary was more than happy to do what she could to help out at home.

  After the rolls came out of the oven, Grandma pointed to the door. “Go let your grandfather know it’s time to wash up for supper. Then you can help me put everything on the table.”

  Mary’s skirt swished as she turned around and headed for the back door. She shielded her eyes as she stepped outside on the western side of the house.

  Grandpa glanced up. “Supper ready?”

  “Yes,” she said. “It’ll be on the table in a few minutes.”

  Grandpa nodded. “I’ll be there in a moment.”

  Mary went back inside to help Grandma finish the meal preparation. She sliced the maple-citrus-glazed ham and set it on the table then slid the hot, buttery rolls into the napkin-lined basket. Grandpa liked buttermilk with dinner, so she poured him a glass and set it at the head of the table. Grandma placed a pot holder on the table before putting the dish of sweet potatoes on top of it. The aromas blended and would have had Mary’s taste buds on high alert if her stomach wasn’t so off-kilter after the afternoon with Abe and the conversation between her grandparents.

  “Get the lemonade,” Grandma ordered. “I’ll get the glasses.”

  By the time the women had everything laid out, Grandpa appeared. “Have a seat, ladies.”

  They sat and bowed their heads for the blessing. Mary held her breath as he thanked the Lord for the beautiful day and the food they were blessed with, hoping he wouldn’t mention Abe. When he finished with “Amen,” she let the air out of her lungs. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her. He winked, and she managed a slight grin in return.

  Abe stared at the sandwich on the table. He was getting sick of eating the same old thing every night for supper, but he felt guilty for his dissatisfaction because he never had to go hungry. Although he knew how to prepare a meal, it seemed pointless to go to so much trouble for only one person.

  After he and his brothers grew up, his mother mentioned the same thing about cooking for two. “But if I don’t prepare a meal for your father, he might wither up and die, then I’d have only myself to cook for.”

  Abe felt an emptiness in his heart as he longed for the days when his whole family was in the house, eating a lavish dinner prepared by his mother’s loving hands. He took a bite of his sandwich and slowly chewed before swallowing and repeating until it was gone.

  He carried his plate to the sink, washed it, dried it, and put it away. Next time he went into town, he needed to get something from Penner’s to go.

  It was still daylight out as he stepped onto the front porch and deeply inhaled the fresh air. The workers had gone home for the day, so here he was, in the middle of his family farm, alone and confused—not only by the way Mary Penner was acting but by how he felt about her. As much as he liked her, he should have been happy to kiss her, but when she ordered him to do it, he was startled.

  Then when they finally did kiss, it was even better than he’d expected. He still wondered why Mary had changed toward him so abruptly.

  The sound of an automobile turning onto the shell driveway caught his attention, and he turned in the direction of the main road. A bright orange car came barreling toward him. T
he only person he knew with a car that color was Jeremiah Yoder. Tension rose from his core and extended throughout his entire body. Why would Jeremiah be coming all the way out here?

  Abe stepped down off the porch and into the yard. He placed his hands on his hips and glared as the automobile drew closer. He could see Jeremiah’s face had a look of determination.

  The orange car came to a skidding halt about twenty feet from where Abe stood, and Jeremiah got out. “Hey, Abe. Got a few minutes to chat with an old friend?”

  “What are you doing here, Jeremiah?” Abe had to hold back the anger that brewed in his chest.

  Jeremiah lifted his hands in surrender. “Hey, man, I just wanted to make amends. I feel bad about what I said in town earlier.”

  “You do?” This didn’t sound like the Jeremiah of late. Abe couldn’t help but be suspicious.

  “Yep. I was being a class-A jerk, and I’m sorry.”

  Abe’s faith ran deep, and he knew that when a man was sincerely sorry for what he did wrong, he needed to be forgiven. But it wasn’t always easy.

  “Want some coffee?” Abe asked.

  “Nah, I can’t drink coffee late in the day or I’ll be up all night.”

  Abe smiled. “Based on what I’ve heard, being up all night is normal for you these days.”

  “Yeah, afraid so. But I’m getting older, ya know?”

  “I do know. So you’ve apologized, and you’re forgiven.” Abe took a step back, hoping Jeremiah would get back into his bright orange car and leave.

  “I’d still like to talk”—Jeremiah glanced around—“unless there’s something else going on, and you can’t.”

  “Nothing else is going on.”

  Jeremiah continued standing in the same spot, kicking at the sandy soil beneath his feet, looking uncomfortable while Abe watched and waited. Something was up, and Abe couldn’t tell if it was good, bad, or neutral.

  “What do you want, Jeremiah?”

  Jeremiah shrugged and shook his head but didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked everywhere but at Abe. Finally Abe decided someone needed to speak up, so he gestured toward the house. “Do you wanna come inside?”

  With a nod, Jeremiah took a step toward the house. Abe led the way in silence, wondering all the way what was so important for Jeremiah to have to talk now.