Sarasota Dreams

by Mayne, Debby

  Ruthie had to walk past her family’s souvenir store on the way to Fresh’s, so she looked inside. Papa leaned against the counter talking to some men, and again, Rosemary was nowhere in sight. Acting on impulse, she pushed the door open and walked in. She had left the house a half hour early, so she had a little bit of time.

  The men instantly stopped talking when they heard the bell on the door. Papa looked up at her and tried to smile, but she could tell he was unhappy about something.

  “Is everything okay, Ruthie?” Papa asked.

  Ruthie nodded. “I’m on my way to work. We have our grand opening today.”

  Papa lifted a yogurt shop flyer from the counter and showed it to her. “I’ll hand these to all our customers today. Business should be good—at least on your first day.”

  “I hope so,” she said, although a part of her wanted no one to walk through the doors. “I just wanted to stop by and see you since you left before I got to the breakfast table.” She leaned around the counter and looked toward the office, the door barely ajar. “Where’s Rosemary?”

  Papa pointed. “She stays in the office most of the day. I try to get her to come out, but she doesn’t like being on the sales floor.”

  Ruthie understood how Rosemary felt, but she suspected there was something more to Rosemary’s reluctance to help customers than shyness. “Does she come out when you have to leave?”

  Papa nodded. “Ya. That’s the only time she does though.”

  What Ruthie wanted more than anything at the moment was for Papa to tell her he needed her to come back and that it was all a mistake to send her to another job. But he didn’t. She’d just have to put in her time, and hopefully he’d ask her to return when he was satisfied that she had enough experience away from the family business.

  “Have a good day, Ruthie, and don’t worry. You’ll do just fine.”

  Right before she got to the door, the men started talking again. When she overheard one of the men lambasting Papa for being so welcoming to the Polks, her stomach churned. She’d already heard about how a small handful of people from the church had gone to the authorities and claimed they had reason to believe the Polks had set the fire.

  Anyone who spoke to Charles, Mr. Polk, or Mrs. Polk for any amount of time and got to know them would know that wasn’t true. There was no doubt in Ruthie’s mind that they were sincere in their quest to learn about the Lord. She’d also seen Charles’s face when he heard about the fire, and based on how lost he suddenly appeared, he clearly had nothing to do with it.

  Ruthie arrived at Fresh’s at the same time as Zeke, another part-time worker, who was just as nervous as she was. “Part of me wants to be busy, but if we’re too busy, I’m afraid I’ll mess up,” Zeke said. “But I suppose we should pray for a successful grand opening so we will be able to keep our jobs.”

  The thought that she didn’t want to keep this job flickered through her mind. Papa had tried to explain how she needed to get out and experience something besides their family business for a while, but she didn’t get the point. Why change something that didn’t need to be changed? She also had a bad feeling about Rosemary. She’d overheard Papa telling Mother last night that he always had to go over the books after Rosemary finished because she made so many mistakes. Ruthie had seen Rosemary in action, and she knew that Rosemary was competent in math. She didn’t think Rosemary was sabotaging the shop, but her mind and heart obviously weren’t in what she was doing.

  Fortunately, early morning grand-opening business trickled in slowly and gradually increased over the course of the day. By midafternoon, they were packed, but Ruthie had gained enough confidence to handle the crowd. She even enjoyed helping customers decide what flavor to choose. Fortunately her boss encouraged them to offer samples.

  Mr. Fresh staggered the workers’ breaks, letting two of them take off fifteen minutes at a time. She was glad she had her break with Zeke. She’d known him since high school, when his family moved to Sarasota from Tennessee. Zeke’s family was different from most of the other Mennonites in Pinecraft, and he had a way of making Ruthie laugh. As they sat in the back room talking, he cracked a few jokes then asked her if it was true that she was seeing the Polk boy. The way he asked was matter-of-fact rather than accusatory, so she didn’t mind answering. And he always had a silly grin that she found endearing.

  “He seems like a nice enough guy,” Zeke said. “But I find it interesting he’s trying to break in at a time in his life some of us are trying to get out.”

  Ruthie tilted her head in confusion. “Break in?”

  “Ya, break in to the simple life. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be out there in the world.”

  “That’s what rumspringa is for,” she said.

  “My parents never went for that, and I didn’t want to upset them since my father has a bad heart.” He dropped his crooked grin as he reflected. “I don’t recall you having rumspringa either.”

  “I never had the desire,” Ruthie said. “We better get back to work so the others can have a rest.”

  Her shift was supposed to end at three, but Mr. Fresh asked her to stick around another hour if she didn’t have any other commitments. “You’re doing such a good job, Ruthie. The customers like you.”

  He couldn’t have said anything to make her happier. Her last hour on the job flew by.

  Mr. Fresh approached her with a wide smile as she took off her apron. “You did a wonderful job, Ruthie, and I hope you work here for a very long time.”

  She smiled back. “Thank you, Mr. Fresh. I did the best I could.”

  “Customers appreciate your quiet demeanor. You’re not pushy and they trust you.”

  That small amount of flattery brightened her day. She hung up her apron and started her walk home. As she drew near her family’s store, she slowed down a bit but decided not to stop. Papa was inside talking to a customer, and she was pretty sure she could see the light on in the office at the back of the store, meaning Rosemary was still there. Papa never left lights on that he wasn’t using.

  Mother glanced up from weeding the front flowerbed when she got home. “Oh hi, Ruthie. How was your first day on the job?”

  Ruthie stopped and talked about the grand opening and how the crowd had been steady. Mother seemed pleased as she went back to her weeding. Ruthie went inside to wash the stickiness off her hands, arms, and face from the frozen yogurt that had splashed on her.

  She still hadn’t heard anything about the Polks’ house. Mother might know something, so she decided to ask her.

  Charles drove his pop to Penner’s, where they picked up Mom. Mr. Penner had told her she didn’t need to come to work, but she said she needed something to get her mind off the fire. She came out to the car looking haggard. “I take it you had a rough day,” Pop said.

  She closed her eyes and leaned back against the backseat. “I don’t know why I thought working would help me get my mind off all we’re going through. Seems like everyone who came in today—at least the locals—asked what we planned to do.”

  Pop glanced at Charles. “Tell you what. I’ll take you back to the Yoders’, and Charles and I will go look at the house we’re about to rent.”

  Mom’s eyes opened as she bolted upright. “What?”

  “The people from the church found us a house to rent, and they’re getting it ready for us. I’m surprised no one told you.”

  Mom rubbed her forehead. “They might have, but the way I’ve been all day, it wouldn’t have registered unless someone came right out and handed me a set of house keys. Tell me about it.”

  “All we know is that some of the people from the church found us a house, and they’re getting it ready for us to move into.”

  “Did you get the insurance money yet?”

  “No, not yet,” Pop said. He explained how generous some of the families were by paying all the house-related expenses for the first month. “I plan to pay them back, of course, but at least we won’t have to worry ab
out things for a few weeks.”

  Mom sat staring out the window in a daze as Pop told her that the fire marshal had promised to expedite the investigation so they could deal with the insurance company and move on with their lives. “What if they find something suspicious?” she asked. “Will we have to prove our innocence?”

  “Don’t worry so much, Lori,” Pop said. “Let’s continue to pray about it and trust that the Lord will protect us.”

  “I don’t want to go back to the Yoders’ now,” Mom said. “I’d rather go with you and Charles.”

  Charles made a quick decision to do something he’d been wanting to do all day. “Tell you what. The two of you can go to the house, and I’ll visit Ruthie. I’d like to see how her new job went.”

  Mom and Pop agreed, so he drove straight to the new frozen yogurt shop, where he got out so Pop could take over at the wheel. After Mom got in the front passenger seat, he closed the door and waved as they pulled away from the curb. Then he went inside to see Ruthie at her new job. But she wasn’t there. Frustration welled in his chest. Seeing Ruthie could make all his worries seem less … well, less worrisome.

  “She’s not on duty now,” Mr. Fresh said. “Would you like to try one of our delicious flavors? We’re giving samples.”

  “I’d like to later,” Charles replied. “But right now I want to see Ruthie.”

  “Come back when you have time. And bring your parents. I’m sure a little frozen yogurt will help cheer them up.”

  Charles had to pass the Kauffman family’s souvenir shop on the way to their house, so he slowed down and glanced in the window. Mr. Kauffman was talking to Rosemary, who hung her head and occasionally nodded. It didn’t appear to be a friendly conversation, so he quickened his pace so they wouldn’t see him.

  A few minutes later he arrived at Ruthie’s front door. He was about to knock, but Mrs. Kauffman flung open the door before he had time to lift his hand.

  “I’m so happy to see you, Charles,” she said. “Come on in and join us for some coffee cake.”

  Between dealing with the house fire and wanting to see Ruthie, Charles still had so much on his mind he hadn’t thought about food much. The mere mention of coffee cake sent his stomach rumbling as he followed Mrs. Kauffman to the kitchen. She turned and smiled.

  “Sounds like you could use a good meal. Why don’t I make you a sandwich?”

  “I don’t want you to go to any trouble,” he said.

  “Oh it’s no trouble at all. In fact, I enjoy feeding people.” She walked into the kitchen and motioned toward the table, where Ruthie sat. “Have a seat and I’ll bring your sandwich in a minute.”

  His pulse quickened as he saw Ruthie. “So how was your first day on the new job?”

  Ruthie shrugged. “Okay I guess but busy.”

  “That’s a good thing, right?”

  “Ya. I guess it is.” Ruthie took a sip from the cup in front of her. “How are your parents?”

  Before Charles had a chance to say a word, Mrs. Kauffman glanced over her shoulder. “Did you have a chance to see the house you’ll be moving into yet? My husband took over some dishes and cups. They might not be as nice as you’re used to, but they’ll work until you can find something you like better.”

  “I haven’t, but that’s where Mom and Pop are now. That was such a nice thing for everyone to do for us.”

  Ruthie raised her eyebrows, giving him the impression she didn’t know what they were talking about. But she didn’t say anything. Instead she sat and waited.

  “It’s not too much when several families participate,” Mrs. Kauffman said as she cut the sandwich and carried the plate over to the table, where she set it in front of Charles. “I hope you like ham.”

  The ham was good but even better was being with Ruthie. Charles felt an odd combination of excitement, warmth, and security when he was with her. No matter what else was going on, looking at her sweet face gave him the feeling that all was right in the world.

  Mrs. Kauffman joined them at the table with her cup of coffee. “The Penners are stocking the pantry. We weren’t sure what your family liked to eat, so they’re putting a little bit of everything in there. The Yoders brought bedding, and the Burkholders’ older son had some extra furniture he wasn’t using.”

  Charles listened in amazement as she rattled off all the things people had done for his family. They’d thought of everything. “I just hope we can repay all of you, but it’ll be hard as generous as you are.”

  “The way to repay anyone is to live for the Lord,” Mrs. Kauffman said. “That is what most of us are trying to do.” She stood. “I think I’ll leave you two alone for a little while. I’m sure you have some talking to do after last night.”

  Ruthie blushed as her mother smiled down at her. Charles wanted to reach out and touch her red cheek, but instead he clasped his hands together on top of the table.

  Once Mrs. Kauffman left the kitchen, Charles leaned toward Ruthie. “I had a really nice time yesterday until we got the news.”

  “Me, too.” She started to smile but caught herself. “I am so sorry about what happened to your house. Any idea what caused it yet?”

  “Pop and I talked about it, and we can’t come up with anything. We’ve always been so careful, so I can’t imagine what happened. Mom was in the kitchen, but according to her, it didn’t start there.”

  “I hope the authorities find the cause soon,” Ruthie said.

  As their gazes met, he felt unsteady even though he was sitting. The desire to leap toward her and plant a kiss on her little bowed lips nearly overwhelmed him, but he didn’t want to startle her. Instead he took a deep breath, shuddering as he exhaled.

  “Once all this fire business is settled, I would like to take you someplace nice.”

  She offered a shy smile. “That would be very nice.”

  “As soon as we get settled in our new place, we can make plans. Pop wants to sell the car, though, so we might have to take the bus or call for a ride.”

  Ruthie beamed. “You already know I don’t mind riding the bus.”

  Chapter 12

  After Charles left the house, Mother enlisted Ruthie’s help in the kitchen. As they worked, she chatted about a variety of topics, from the souvenir store to Ruthie’s new job.

  “The Polks are taking this whole thing extremely well,” Mother said. “I’m sure it’s difficult, but with the prayers and community support, they can get through this.”

  “Ya.” Ruthie didn’t know what else to say, so she just bit her lip.

  Mother stopped stirring and smiled at Ruthie. “You and Charles seem to like each other very much.” She turned back to the pot on the stove but continued talking. “Did you know that your papa and I didn’t know each other very well before we decided to get married?”

  Ruthie abruptly turned to Mother. “I thought you lived on neighboring farms.”

  “We did but that was only after your father moved in with his grandparents after his parents were killed in a horse and buggy accident.”

  Ruthie knew Papa’s parents had died young and that he and his brothers moved in with his grandparents, but he was born in the same general area as Mother. “Didn’t you know him before that?”

  “Well,” Mother began slowly, “I’d seen him, and I knew who he was, but he is quite a bit older than me. It wasn’t until his older brother asked me on a date that he even noticed me.”

  Ruthie blinked in shock. “You dated Uncle Paul?”

  Mother giggled. “No, of course not. I wasn’t interested in Paul. In fact, after I turned him down, your papa came to see me to find out what was wrong with me. It didn’t take long to realize he and I were more suited for each other.”

  “I had no idea,” Ruthie said. Her parents rarely discussed their past, so she assumed they knew each other for a long time, courted, and got married when Mother was old enough. “Uncle Paul is such a sweet man, but I can’t see you and him … together.”

  “Ya, he is very
sweet, and fortunately there were no hard feelings when your papa told him he wanted to court me.”

  “How long did you date Papa before you agreed to marry him?”

  Mother gave her a sheepish grin. “Six weeks.”

  Ruthie was speechless. She couldn’t imagine marrying someone after only dating for six weeks.

  “I know you are in the early stages of your relationship with Charles, but I can see the sparks between you,” Mother said. “While I realize love can happen quickly, I would like the two of you to wait a bit longer than your papa and I did. At least we shared similar backgrounds and faith. You and Charles don’t have that.”

  “Mother! I haven’t even thought about marrying Charles!” At least not until now. Ruthie placed the salt shaker back in the cabinet, pulled a fork from the drawer to turn the meat in the skillet, and turned her back so Mother couldn’t see her face.

  Before Mother had a chance to respond, Papa walked into the kitchen. “Rough day,” he said. “I had to let Rosemary go.”

  Ruthie dropped the fork into the pan. “What are you going to do now?”

  “I have no idea. Do you know someone who needs a job and is good with numbers?”

  “I would like to come back to the store, Papa.”

  He shook his head. “No, you’ve got a job, and from what Rolf Fresh has said, you are very good with the customers.” He smiled at her. “I’m proud of you, Ruthie.”

  “But—”

  “I hear Lori Polk needs more hours, but Joseph Penner can’t give them to her,” Mother blurted. “How about hiring her part-time?”

  Papa’s eyebrows shot up, and he nodded. “Ya, that might be a good idea. Lori is apparently very good with numbers, and she seems to have a good head on her shoulders. I’ll talk to her after they get settled in their new house.” He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment as silence settled in the kitchen. Then he turned to Ruthie. “Since you’re working part-time at Fresh’s, I would like you to come in for a little while until we get Lori trained … that is, if she takes the job.” He paused as he looked at Mother. “Is that okay with you, Esther?”