Isaac's Decision

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “She did. I told her that I adjusted it just a bit so she wouldn’t think I did too much to it. She was so used to doing chores fit for a boy that her skills with a needle and thread weren’t what they should’ve been for a girl her age.”

  Mary nodded. “I’m sure she didn’t give up, though.”

  “No, she didn’t. No matter how much she messed up, she continued sewing until she mastered it. That’s one thing about Emily. When she sets her mind to something, she doesn’t give up until she gets what she wants.”

  From across the table, Dave sighed, and Sarah suspected he didn’t like hearing that about Emily since he probably thought she kept after Isaac until she got him. Sarah, however, didn’t see any reason to think Emily tricked Isaac into marrying her. Granted, Emily admitted she liked Isaac more than the other boys and stayed in school the extra year in hopes Isaac would talk to her, but Sarah didn’t believe she manipulated him into getting married. Emily might persist, given her stubborn nature, but she never forced anyone to do something they didn’t want to do. She didn’t think she could tell Dave any of this, so she didn’t. Instead, she opted to try for something else.

  “I know all of this is sudden, but I thought it might be…beneficial…if you two came to our house for supper. Or we could come here. Whatever makes you most comfortable is what Neil and I would like to do.” She held her breath and waited for a response.

  Mary glanced at Dave who gave her a look that Sarah couldn’t decipher. When Mary’s eyes met Sarah’s, she asked, “Can we think about it?”

  Well, it was better than being told no. At least they were willing to consider it. Sarah smiled and said, “Of course.” Unsure of what else she could say, she rose from her chair, and Dave and Mary followed suit. “I should get back home. Supper’s due soon, and my daughter Elizabeth has a tendency to put too much yeast in the bread if I’m not there to watch her. Thank you both for welcoming me into your home.”

  “It was nice to talk to you, Sarah,” Mary replied.

  Sarah expected Dave to join them on their way to the front door, but he stayed in the kitchen. Feeling more at ease with Mary who was the more approachable of the two, Sarah reached out and lightly squeezed Mary’s hand. In a low voice, she said, “I know we haven’t said much to each other over the years, but I want you to know that I appreciate everything you’ve done for Emily.”

  Pausing by the front door, Mary clasped Sarah’s hands. “I’m glad you married Neil so that Emily could have a mother who loves her. I’ll never forget the day she was born and how Cassie didn’t want to have anything to do with her.” Blinking back her tears, she added, “I couldn’t step in and do the job Cassie wouldn’t, and it was hard to know the little I could do wasn’t enough.”

  Sarah hugged Mary, grateful for her kind words. “Thank you, Mary. That means a lot to me.”

  Chuckling, Mary hugged her back. “And thank you for letting me and Dave know Isaac’s alright. Dave came home last night and told me what happened, but he didn’t see Isaac and a mother can’t help but worry until she knows for sure her child is alright.”

  Drawing away from her, Sarah wiped her own tears. “I don’t think we’ll stop worrying even after they get married, will we?”

  “Probably not. Did Isaac say whether he and Emily would come here?”

  “He plans to see you on Monday. He doesn’t want to bring Emily out here yet, and he doesn’t want to leave her this weekend. He starts work on Monday, and since he’ll be around this area, he’ll come out here then.”

  “Where is he working?”

  “The lumber store.”

  “And he has enough food and a good place to live?”

  “Yes. He thought of everything before he asked Emily to marry him.” Sarah took her coat from the coat tree and slipped it on. “You and Dave did a fine job raising him. Even if he was impulsive, he was responsible.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Sarah finished buttoning her coat and opened the front door. “Let me know if Dave agrees to have supper with us?”

  “I will.”

  Saying thank you again, Sarah left the house, hopeful that things had taken on a positive turn.

  ***

  Mary watched Sarah get into her buggy before she shut the door. Closing her eyes for a moment, she relaxed. Isaac had a place to live, food, and a job. He really was going to be alright.

  “Ma, can I get some water?”

  She opened her eyes and turned to Adam. “Yes, honey, but I need to talk to your pa so come right back here when you’re done.” She motioned to the parlor.

  “I will,” he promised and hurried down the hallway.

  Maybe the elopement was partly her fault. Isaac asked her if she’d speak to Dave on his behalf, and she told him he needed to do it himself. Maybe if she’d gone to Dave sooner, Isaac wouldn’t have felt it necessary to run off with Emily in the middle of the night. She knew things were getting tense between them but believed if she’d stayed out of it, they’d resolve their differences on their own. Apparently, that hadn’t been a good idea. Both of them needed someone to step in to help the process along.

  When Adam returned from the kitchen and went into the parlor, she stuck her head through the doorway and looked at Rachel. “I need to talk to your pa for a while. Keep watching your brothers and sisters.”

  Adam grimaced. “I’m almost eleven. I can watch myself, Ma.”

  “Then you make sure you behave,” she replied, figuring he was right.

  Soon enough, he’d be old enough to get married and have his own place to live. In fact, all of her children would be adults much too soon. It was a shame children had to grow up as fast as they did. It wasn’t too long ago that she watched Isaac playing in this room with a toy train. And before she knew it, he’d have his own children who’d play with trains. She wondered how it could be that they grew up so fast when she didn’t feel like she was that much older, especially when she thought she was expecting another child.

  Glancing at the parlor once more, she was assured the children were being good enough so she and Dave could have a private conversation. She headed down the hallway, her footsteps soft on the floor. When she came to the kitchen, she saw Dave, sitting at the table with his face in his hands. Her heart went out to him. She knew this had taken a toll on him, but she’d never seen him look so defeated before.

  “Did Sarah leave?” he asked, not bothering to look up.

  “Yes.” She walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. “Dave—”

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Surprised, she stood still for a moment but then held him. Deciding it was best to hold her tongue until he spoke, she let him rest his head against her bosom.

  After a few minutes passed, he said, “I know what I have to do. I just don’t want to do it.”

  She heard the tears in his voice and softly sighed. “Is it really so bad that Isaac married Emily?”

  “I don’t know. I’m afraid. He has no idea how bad people can be to one another.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” she agreed, rubbing his back. “He’s been fortunate that way.”

  “I tried to warn him, but I don’t think he understood how bad it was between Neil and Cassie. Emily saw all of it. How could something like that not affect her?”

  “It did affect her. When she was a little girl, she wouldn’t trust anyone but her father and grandmother. She used to cry when she didn’t know others were looking. It wasn’t until Sarah came along that she started opening up to other people. I know you’re not going to like hearing this, but I think Isaac is the right one for her.”

  Dave groaned and pulled away from her.

  Pulling up a chair so she was right next to him, she sat down and rested her hand on his back. “She needs a husband who’ll be good to her.”

  “And what if she finds another man to invite to her bedroom like Cassie did?”

  “After all she’s been through, that’s n
ot going to happen.”

  He sighed and shook his head. “But what if she does?”

  “What if Isaac invites another woman to his bedroom?”

  Balking, he said, “Our son would never do that.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because I know him. And you know him, too. We raised him better than that.”

  Noting the tension in his muscles, she rubbed his back again. “And Sarah and Neil raised Emily better than that.”

  He grimaced.

  “Yes, Neil did. I understand what Neil was like before Emily was born, but since then, he’s been honorable.” When he rolled his eyes, she quickly added, “I know you don’t want to hear it. I know how Neil upsets you. But even so, you have to admit that Sarah’s always had a good reputation.”

  “That’s true, but how much influence could Sarah have? There are so many things that can go wrong.”

  “Yes, there are. But there are so many things that could go right.” She leaned into him so that their bodies were touching. “Dave, our job as parents is to raise our children the best we can. We’ve done that with Isaac. And now he’s grown up and starting a life of his own. We can’t be there for him all the time anymore. We have to let him make decisions that we might not agree with. My mother didn’t want me to come out to Nebraska, but there was nothing for me back in Maine. If I hadn’t followed my heart, I wouldn’t have married you and had children. Now, it’s Isaac’s turn to decide what’s best for him. If what you fear comes to pass, then we’ll be there for him to help him through it.”

  When he looked at her, there were unshed tears in his eyes. “I didn’t think it would be this hard to let him go.”

  She smiled. “You know, I always thought I’d be the one to say that.”

  He laughed. “I did, too.”

  “You and Isaac were close ever since he learned how to walk. He’d follow you out to the barn and pretend to do everything you did. Until Rachel came along, I felt like the third wheel.”

  Bringing his arms around her, he said, “You were never the third wheel.”

  “I didn’t share the bond you two did.”

  He kissed her. “Is it wrong for me to admit I miss the days when he’d follow me around all over the place because he wanted to be like me?”

  “No. I think it’s normal.”

  “Too bad they don’t stay young longer.”

  After a moment, she decided to say, “Dave, I was going to wait until I was sure to tell you this, but this seems like the right time. I think I’m expecting another child.”

  He brushed her cheek and his eyes met hers. “Really?”

  “Well, I won’t know for sure for another couple days, but I never missed the first day of my flow unless I’ve been with child in the past so it stands to reason, the same is true this time. And maybe we’ll have another boy who’ll follow you around and imitate everything you do. Although, I believe you got two of those sitting in the parlor already.”

  Chuckling, he said, “It’d be easier if Jacob and Adam weren’t fighting most of the time. Jacob might have gotten on Isaac’s nerves, but Isaac ignored him for the most part.”

  “It’s because they’re so close in age.”

  “I don’t know. I seem to remember Tom and Joel fighting all the time, and they had eight years between them.”

  “Maybe it’s just the way they are.”

  “Probably.”

  She kissed him and stood up. “I better check on the children. Will you be alright?”

  “I think so. I need to check on the animals in a minute.”

  “Want any of your sons to tag along?”

  “No. I want to be alone for a while.” He shrugged. “Think things through, you know?”

  She nodded. “Of course.” Giving his shoulder a tender squeeze, she turned and headed out of the kitchen.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  On Monday morning, Emily woke up in Isaac’s arms. She smiled and snuggled closer to him, wishing to delay the time when they’d have to get up for the day. He tightened his hold on her and kissed her forehead.

  Realizing he was awake, she said, “It’s too bad you have to work today.”

  “You’ll miss me?” he asked, a pleased tone in his voice.

  “Of course, I will. I don’t think I’ll be able to focus on anything with you on my mind.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll miss you, too.” He kissed her again and squeezed her affectionately. “So, what will you be doing while I’m at the lumber store?”

  “I thought I’d go see Alice. We were supposed to see her yesterday so I could tell her the good news.”

  “I know. I’m afraid I kept distracting you.”

  Her face warmed at the memory of how delightful his distractions had been. “I won’t complain,” she murmured and kissed his neck. “However, we must be at her wedding next month. I’m the maid of honor.”

  “Matron of honor, you mean.”

  “Yes. It is matron now that I’m married.”

  “Do you wish we’d had a church wedding like Alice and Ben will be having?”

  “No. Maybe I should, but to be honest, I see all the work Alice has to do with arranging everything, and I’d rather have kept it simple.”

  “Maybe this sounds trite, but I like that my uncle married us. He married my parents, and I see how well things turned out for them. I’m not superstitious, but I like to think him marrying us was a token of good luck.”

  “My pa married my mother on short notice, you know. They went to Preacher Peters. In a way, they eloped.”

  “Did they?”

  She giggled. “Yes, and I remember how my pa announced he was taking her to town in front of a group of people who didn’t approve of the match.”

  “That sounds familiar.”

  “Doesn’t it?”

  “I’m going to see my ma today. She’ll tell me how my pa is taking things.” He caressed her cheek. “No matter what he says, I’m glad I married you. There’s no one else who would have been right for me.”

  “I feel the same way, Isaac. And my ma seems to think there’s a chance your pa will come around.”

  “I don’t know. All she said was that she extended an invitation for my parents to had supper with yours.”

  “But he didn’t say no.”

  “True,” he relented. “That’s better than what he could’ve said. But even so, I don’t regret being with you.”

  They stayed in each other’s arms for a few more minutes before they got out of bed. After they got dressed, she made pancakes and coffee for breakfast, excited to be doing the kind of things a wife did for her husband before he headed off for work. It was all so new yet, and she was enjoying it much more than she thought possible. She’d had an idea of what it’d be like to care for a husband and she wanted Isaac to be the one she married, but she hadn’t expected it to be as wonderful as it was turning out to be.

  After he left for work, she slipped into her coat and boots and headed out the door. It’d snowed the night before, but it was only a couple of inches so the walk to her friend’s house was pleasant, especially with the sun shining brightly and warming things up a bit. When she reached Alice’s house, she knocked on the door and held her breath as she waited for her friend to open it.

  Alice’s mother gave her a wide smile. “Hello, Emily. Won’t you come on in and get comfortable in the parlor?”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Reed,” Emily said as she entered the house, her body immediately warming from the nice fire coming from the parlor. She took off her coat and hung it on the coat tree. Then she slipped her boots off her feet and set them on the rug.

  “I’ll tell Alice you’re here,” her mother said as she strolled down the hall.

  Emily decided to sit in the chair closest to the fire. She rubbed her hands together and glanced at the clock. Isaac said he’d come home at six. The hours till then seemed to be unusually long, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t too soon to think of what she could ma
ke for him to eat.

  “Emily!”

  Too excited to remain sitting, Emily stood up and hurried over to her Alice. “You’ll never guess what happened!”

  Alice’s eyes twinkled as she said in a teasing tone, “You got married to Isaac?”

  Blinking in surprise, Emily asked, “How did you know?”

  She laughed. “Ben said Isaac came by looking for a job and asked about a nice apartment to rent. Considering how you and Isaac were getting along the last time you pretended to be Elmer, it wasn’t hard to deduct what Isaac was planning.”