Isaac's Decision

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “Hi, Pa!” Emily ran over to him and gave him a hug. “You got my note, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I did. Your mother was the one who found it,” he replied as Emily stepped back from him. Directing his attention to Isaac, he asked, “Did you talk to your pa?”

  “No, not yet,” Isaac said and shifted from one foot to the other. “He doesn’t know we eloped.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t envy you when he finds out.” Motioning to the couch, he added, “Please sit.”

  Isaac joined Emily on the couch, glad for the close proximity they shared. He’d never been in the Craftsman house before, and he couldn’t recall saying more than a few words to her father and that was only when he was with his mother who’d stop to say hello. If he was with his father, his father quickened his pace and did all he could to avoid him. Once in a while, his father might offer a curt hello, but that was as much as he ever wanted to say to her father. And now Isaac was in her father’s house. Even if he seemed to be calm about the elopement, Isaac couldn’t relax.

  From where they sat, Stan and Luke stopped playing their game. “You’re not going back to school?” Luke asked Isaac.

  “No, no I’m not.” Isaac cleared his throat. “I got a job down at the lumber store Ben Connealy owns.” With a tentative glance at her father, he added, “I start on Monday.”

  Her father nodded, and her mother and Elizabeth carried two trays into the room. “Luke and Stan,” her father began, “do your chores.”

  “But we don’t have to do those for another hour,” Stan protested.

  “Do them,” he ordered, his tone firm but kind.

  Sighing, Stan stood up. “Can we at least get one of those cookies?”

  Her mother set her tray on the coffee table. “Alright. But you need to go out and do your chores.”

  “I’ll help them,” Elizabeth said and collected a couple of cookies after she set her tray down. “Come on.”

  Her brothers followed her out of the parlor.

  “That’s one clever girl,” her mother commented as she pulled up the chair Luke had been sitting in so she could be next to Emily’s father. She sat down and folded her hands in her lap. After the kitchen door shut, she asked, “Do you have a place to stay and enough money to buy food?”

  “Yes, we do,” Emily replied and reached for a cup of coffee that she held out to Isaac.

  Surprised, he accepted it and thanked her.

  “Isaac has a job at the lumber store in town,” her father added.

  “Oh, that’s good.” Her mother smiled at them.

  “It’s only for four years,” Isaac clarified, too nervous to drink anything while Emily settled back and sipped her coffee. Didn’t Emily worry that her parents might not be happy about this? Or perhaps she knew them well enough to know his fears were for nothing. Either way, he was determined to show them that his plan to elope with their daughter wasn’t as badly planned as they might assume, considering he hadn’t bothered to ask them about marrying her first. “I talked to Ben about working at his store until I turn twenty-one and can claim the Homestead Act. At that time, I should have enough saved to get us a good house, and I’ve been farming all of my life, so I know what’s involved in it. Anyway, Ben said it was fine with him that I stay on at the lumber store for four years. I thought it was important to be upfront with him, and…” His words died on his tongue as it occurred to him he was rambling.

  “So, where are you staying?” her mother asked.

  “We’re renting an apartment five blocks from the mercantile. It’s the large brick building.”

  “Oh yes, I know the one.”

  Her father leaned forward and grabbed a cup of coffee. “It sounds like you gave this a lot of thought.”

  Isaac shrugged. “I wanted to marry Emily for some time, but whenever I talked to my pa about her, he refused to listen to me. I figured that I’d never get his approval and had to get a good job and a place to live so that when I married her, we’d have somewhere to go and a way to pay the bills.”

  “Sounds like a smart move,” her father said before drinking his coffee.

  Pleased and surprised by the kind words, Isaac relaxed a bit. “Thank you.”

  “It’s a nice apartment,” Emily said as she set her empty cup on the table and retrieved a couple of cookies. She held one toward Isaac, but he decided he’d be doing good to drink his coffee so he shook his head. Holding onto the cookies, she continued, “Will you come by and see our new home?”

  Her mother bit into her cookie and nodded. “Sure, we can. We can stop by tomorrow after church. Speaking of which, now that you’re married, which one will you be attending?”

  Emily looked at Isaac.

  “The one you go to,” he said, thinking there was no way he’d walk into his parents’ church right now.

  “Another smart move,” her father commented with a slight grin. “I would’ve done the same thing in your shoes.”

  It occurred to Isaac that her father understood exactly why he did what he did, and by the smile on her mother’s face, she didn’t hold the elopement against them. He exhaled, relieved that things had turned out better here than he hoped. At least everything between them and Emily’s parents were going to be alright. As Emily went into detail about the elopement and the apartment, he drank some coffee.

  “Even though you have enough food, I’d like for you to stay for lunch,” her mother began, “especially since we’d like to get to know you better, Isaac.”

  “Yes, I’d like that, too,” her father added.

  Isaac glanced at Emily who seemed to like the idea, so he nodded his agreement.

  “Good.” Her mother smiled and took another sip of her coffee. “If you don’t mind my asking, may I pay your mother a visit this afternoon?” When her father turned his gaze to her, she added, “I’ve talked with her on occasion and think it might help if I assured her that everyone’s alright. A mother worries about her children, no matter what their age.” She looked at Emily and smiled. “We’re very glad you came out here today.”

  Isaac figured the chances of his mother accepting his marriage would be better, and he also knew his father listened to her more than anyone else. Perhaps she might speak up on his behalf. “When you see her,” he began, “will you tell her I’ll come by on Monday to visit?”

  “I’ll do that,” she agreed.

  At least his mother would expect him, and maybe that would help. But there was no way he was going to go there while his father would be there. At least not yet. Forcing his apprehension aside, he turned his attention back to the conversation.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Three hours later, Sarah stood in front of Dave and Mary’s front door and took a deep breath. She’d talked to Mary in the past, and at one time, Mary had helped her so that Emily didn’t end up with her real mother. Dave hadn’t said anything when Sarah requested the help, but he agreed to take Mary into town so she could do it. Given what she knew about Emily’s real mother and understanding Neil’s past, a part of her understood Dave’s hesitation in accepting his son’s decision. After all, it’d taken her some time in order to realize Neil had changed for the better, but the only way she did realize it was when she spent time with him. She wasn’t sure what she might say when she saw Isaac’s parents, but she hoped she’d say the right words to at least open the door to peace between the two families.

  Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and clasped her hands together. A young boy opened the door, so she smiled and asked, “Is your ma or pa home?”

  The boy nodded. “Sure. Both are. Who do you want?”

  Amused by his frankness, she said, “Well, I suppose your ma.” At least that would be a good place to start, especially since she knew Mary, to a point.

  The boy ran down the hallway, calling for his mother, and Sarah took another deep breath. This was it. She hoped she said the right things. To her surprise, Dave was the one who came to the door, but Mary was close beh
ind. She’d expected Dave to come barging her way, but he didn’t. He didn’t even look angry like she feared. On his face was a mixture of worry and dread, and in that instant she understood why he didn’t want his son with Emily. He was afraid, probably just as afraid as she’d been when she got stuck on Neil’s property and had to give birth in his house. She’d been afraid that the others would assume she’d been engaging in undesirable activities because she was associated with Neil and afraid he’d try to take advantage of her since he’d been known for visiting prostitutes earlier in his life. Dave’s fears would be different, of course, but he was afraid nonetheless.

  She cleared her throat and offered a smile. “Good afternoon.” Finally getting a look at Mary whose eyes were red from crying, she continued, “I hope you don’t mind that I came to talk?”

  Dave glanced at Mary, sighed, and opened the storm door so Sarah could enter the house. After she stepped into the entryway, she noticed that five children were staring at her in interest.

  “Here, I’ll take your coat,” Mary offered, holding her hands out.

  Taking that as a good sign, Sarah nodded and slipped out of her coat. She gave it to Mary, thanked her, and waited as Mary hung it up.

  “Who are you?” the boy who answered the door asked.

  “My name is Sarah Craftsman,” she replied.

  One of the three-year-old girls ran over to Mary, so she picked her daughter up. “Perhaps we should talk in the kitchen. Rachel, I need you to stay in the parlor and watch your brothers and sisters.”

  “Sure, Ma,” the oldest girl in the group said.

  “What’d you come to talk about?” the same boy asked, his eyebrows raised in interest.

  “Jacob,” Dave said, his voice indicating that he was emotionally drained, “go with your sister into the parlor.”

  Though Jacob groaned, he obeyed.

  Hoping to lighten the mood a bit, Sarah chuckled. “Children want to know everything that’s going on, don’t they?”

  “Especially when there’s company.” Mary patted the little girl on the back and kissed her forehead before setting her down. “Rose, go on to the parlor.”

  The little girl glanced at the adults, not looking quite sure if she wanted to do that or not, but when Rachel called out to her, she headed into the other room.

  Mary motioned down the hall. “The kitchen is this way.”

  “Thank you,” Sarah said.

  She followed Mary and Dave followed her. Though it was tense in the house, something which the other children had to have noticed since they were unusually quiet for their age, Sarah took comfort in knowing that Mary and Dave were at least open to hearing her out. That was a good start.

  When they reached the kitchen, Mary asked, “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Anything you have will be fine.” Sarah sat across from Dave and watched as he rubbed his forehead. He might not have known she heard his weary sigh, but she did and sympathized with him. Clearing her throat, she clasped her hands in her lap and decided she might as well begin the conversation. “The reason I came by is because Isaac and Emily stopped by my house earlier today.”

  At that announcement, Mary turned from pouring the drinks. “How is he?”

  “He’s doing fine,” Sarah told her.

  “And he’s married to Emily?” Dave asked with a wince.

  “Yes. They eloped last night,” she replied, taking her cup as Mary handed it to her.

  Though Dave took the cup Mary gave him, he didn’t drink anything. Instead, he set the cup on the table and rubbed his eyes.

  As Mary sat next to Sarah, she said, “He keeps hoping his trip to his sister’s last night wasn’t real. His brother-in-law, the judge, married them.”

  Sarah knew that from what Emily had told her during lunch but chose not to let them know it. They’d been through a shock and the less things they had to sort through, the better. Hoping it wouldn’t make things worse, she ventured, “I realize this is unwelcome news. Neil and I knew Emily was interested in Isaac when they were younger but assumed as they matured, she’d allow several men to call on her and her young girl’s crush for Isaac would go away. Well, now we know it didn’t, and even though we had a couple young men stop by wanting to talk to her, she’d make it a point to avoid them.” With a chuckle, she added, “In fact, Wiley Greene came out with his father the other day to pick up cattle he’d purchased, and Wiley asked if Emily was there. She was, but she told me she had no interest in him and felt it was wrong to talk to him in case he got the wrong idea.”

  Since neither Dave nor Mary spoke, she figured she might as well continue.

  “I don’t know if it makes things better or worse for you to know it, but ever since Cassie came back to get Emily when she was nine, Emily decided she wouldn’t be like her mother.”

  “I remember when Cassie returned,” Mary softly said. “And I remember how devastated Emily was to learn her mother only wanted her to get money.”

  Taking another sip from her cup, Sarah nodded. “It was a rough time for her. You know, sometimes she acts strong, but deep down, I think she worries that the people she loves will end up deserting her like her mother did. Before Cassie divorced Neil, Emily believed Cassie loved her. She didn’t understand that her mother saw her as an inconvenience.”

  Mary sighed and set her elbows on the table. “You weren’t there when Emily was born. It was the most difficult thing I ever watched.” Shivering, she continued, “It’s unnatural for a mother to ignore her baby. I know some of what Emily went through, but I wasn’t there to see all of it. And quite frankly, I wouldn’t have wanted to either. I’m just glad Neil took on the role of her parent so she had one person who cared for her.”

  Seeing that as her cue to switch the topic to Neil, Sarah gave a tentative look in Dave’s direction. Dave hadn’t said anything as he stared at the contents in his cup, but Sarah figured he had to be paying attention to what she and Mary said so far. Besides, she’d said too much to stop now. Brushing back a stray blonde strand of her hair, she straightened in her seat.

  “I understand it’s hard to trust Neil,” Sarah began, knowing her next words would either make things better or worse. “Before I married him, I heard about his past, what with the prostitutes he used to visit and all. I only got to know him because I had no other choice. I had my newborn son to take care of and my husband just died. Neil was the only one who was willing to help me, and I told him outright that I wouldn’t share his bed because that’s what I was afraid he’d want. But he didn’t want that. What he wanted was for a woman to be a mother to Emily, and in exchange, he’d house and feed me and my child.

  “I didn’t believe he’d changed until I got a chance to know him. It wasn’t easy to give him that chance. Really, it was scary. I was trusting him to keep his word that he wouldn’t take advantage of me and that he’d be good to my son.” She cleared her throat and dared another glance in Dave’s direction, but he hadn’t looked up from his cup. “So anyway, with our children getting married, what Neil and I would like to do is work out something with you two.”

  “Like what?” Mary asked.

  “I’m not sure, exactly.” She glanced over at Dave again, but he was still staring at the cup. Turning back to Mary, she continued, “I want Emily to be happy, and having seen her today, I know your son makes her happy. He’s a wonderful young man.”

  This time it was Mary whose gaze went in Dave’s direction. “Thank you, Sarah.” She looked back at Sarah. “I haven’t seen Emily much since you started taking care of her. She was a sweet girl.”

  “Yes, she was. It took her a year before she accepted me.”

  “I suppose after what happened with her mother, it wasn’t easy for her to adjust to the change.”

  “No, it wasn’t. In fact, she adamantly opposed me at first because she thought I was trying to take her mother’s place. That was never my intention, of course.” Giggling, Sarah added, “I will say the poor girl might hav
e enjoyed wearing feminine items such as ribbons and bows, but she had a tendency to prefer the boyish activities like hunting. I had to put my foot down and insist she learn how to act like a girl. One such thing I taught her was sewing. She was so proud of the first shirt she made, even though one sleeve was twice the length of the other one.”

  Mary’s lips turned up into a smile. “That must have been a sight.”

  “Oh, it was. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she couldn’t wear it in public, so when she was asleep, I altered it so that the sleeves were even.”

  “Did she know the difference when she woke up and saw it?”