Sarasota Dreams (49 page)

“When you said your mother’s friends went crazy, what were you talking about?”

“One of them left her husband for another man, and another stopped talking to all her friends.”

“That’s terrible!”

Charles nodded. “I agree. It’s a strong reminder that people can’t control every aspect of their lives, and when they refuse to give God the reins, things go from bad to worse.”

“Sounds like your parents have a solid marriage,” Ruthie said softly.

“Yes, and I eventually hope to have what they have.” He pulled up in front of Ruthie’s house. “Wait right here. I’ll get your door.”

Ruthie’s family rented the small house in Pinecraft, and since it was already wired for electricity, they used it, although sparingly. The front drapes were open, so she could see a tiny spark of light coming from the back of the house.

“Would you like to come in?” Ruthie asked when they reached the front door.

“I better get home. This is the only car we have, and I suspect Mom is itching to get it back.”

Ruthie didn’t understand, but she nodded. “Thank you for everything, Charles. I’ll see you at church tomorrow.”

Charles felt a combination of elation and peace as he drove home. Mom and Pop would no doubt fire nonstop questions at him, and he was glad to have some time to gather his wits. He created some quick answers to satisfy them without having to explain some of the feelings he’d never experienced before.

Ruthie’s shyness had obviously prevented her from quite a bit in her past, including getting into romantic relationships, which was just fine with him. He hadn’t exactly been Mr. Smooth Guy. He chuckled to himself as he thought about how awkward he felt with girls in the past, yet with Ruthie he had more confidence than ever. That brought back something Pop had said about when he and Mom started dating.
“Your mother brought out something in me that I never even knew I possessed. That’s one of the ways you’ll know you’re in love.”

Although Charles didn’t know Ruthie well enough to say he was in love with her, he knew he loved being with her, and he wanted to get to know her better. What blew him away was that she said she’d like to go out with him again. The day couldn’t have been better.

Mom and Pop didn’t disappoint him. The second he walked into the house, they were both right there grinning, ready to pounce. He pretended not to notice as he walked by and hung the keys on the Peg-Board and headed to the living room, where he stopped and waited.

“Well?” Mom walked up right behind him, so when he turned around, they were face-to-face. “We want details.”

“It was fun.”

Mom made a growling sound, and Pop laughed as he approached. “You know what your mother is asking, Charles. Out with it.”

“Let’s see. We went to the circus and sat in the nosebleed section.”

“Did that bother her?” Pop asked.

“Not at all. In fact, she said she thought we had the best seats because we could see everything.”

“I told you.” Pop appeared mighty pleased with himself. “So what else happened?”

“We watched the circus, and I explained some of what was happening when the clowns came out. After that we went to Penner’s and had pie.” He lifted his hands and let them fall to his sides. “That’s about it.”

“Charles.” Mom tilted her head toward him and glared at him from beneath her eyebrows. “I know better than that.”

“What else do you want to know?”

“Are you going out with her again?” Pop asked.

“I asked her if she wanted to, and she said that would be nice.”

Mom and Pop exchanged a glance before both of them turned back to face Charles. “That’s all?” Mom said.

Before he had a chance to answer, Pop winked. “Did you kiss her?”

Charles felt his face grow hot. “I didn’t think it was appropriate. It seems awkward, ya know? I mean, she’s been a Mennonite all her life, and … well, do Mennonite girls do that?”

Both of his parents burst into laughter. “Of course they do, Charles. They’re still human.”

“I just don’t want to make any mistakes. I like Ruthie, and I think she likes me, too.”

“Trust me, Son,” Pop said. “Ruthie is just as human as you are. If you make mistakes, she’ll understand.”

“Do you two need anything else?” Charles asked as he backed away from Mom and Pop.

Mom stood on tiptoe and gave him a hug. “We’ll let you off the hook for now.”

“Then I think I’ll go to my room.”

After he left his parents, Charles wandered slowly back to his room, unbuttoning his shirt on the way down the hall. He paused for a moment when he heard Mom’s hushed voice; then he took a few steps back so he could hear her better.

“Do you think we should say something to him about our visitors this afternoon?” she asked.

“Nah, let’s let him enjoy the aftermath of his date. I’m sure he’ll find out soon enough that not everyone thinks he’s good enough for Ruthie.”

“I can’t believe what they said.”

Charles strained to hear the rest of the conversation, but they’d taken it into the kitchen, out of hearing range of the hallway to the bedrooms. Whatever the visitors said must have been bad for Pop to think it would ruin his date.

Ruthie stood staring at Mother, her mouth hanging open in shock. Papa’s rage was evident in his bulging eyes and reddened face, but she knew he wasn’t about to act on it.

“They actually said that?” Ruthie managed to ask in a squeaky voice. “Why do they think Charles is trying to use me? He’s not that way. Besides, what about me would he use?”

“That’s exactly what we thought,” Mother said. “I expected as much from the first group, but when the Atzingers and Conrads stopped by, your papa and I were at a loss for words.”

“Speechless,” Papa agreed. “I had no idea there would be so many concerns about outsiders wanting to join our church.”

Ruthie felt an uncommon rage welling in her chest. “They didn’t seem to mind them joining the church until now. Why would the fact that Charles and I are friends affect their opinions?”

Papa’s scowl turned to contemplation. “They said they’re trying to protect you, but I think there’s more to it than that.”

“What else could it be?” Mother asked.

“No telling. I think we should just tell people to mind their own business.”

“No,” Mother said, “that would only anger them. Why don’t we invite the Polks over and perhaps get one or two of the other families to join us? That way we can show an example of Christian love.”

Papa nodded. “We can do that, but you know we can’t control what anyone says. The Polks might hear something upsetting.”

“Then so be it. I’m sure they’ve heard upsetting words before.”

Ruthie was still perplexed, and she felt an intense desire to keep anyone from hurting Charles’s feelings. “I think that might be a huge mistake. What if they decide not to join the church just because some people are mean spirited?”

Mother and Papa looked at each other. “She has a point,” Papa said.

“It’s better for them to change their minds before they join than to join and become disenchanted.”

Ruthie thought about that and agreed deep down, but now she had her feelings for Charles to consider. “Why don’t we just invite the Polks over first and let them see how our family is? After they know that some of us are nice, we can include others.”

Mother smiled. “Ya, that might be good.”

“Why don’t you talk to Lori tomorrow at church?” he said. “Ask if they’d like to come over for supper.”

Ruthie didn’t expect him to want to invite the Polks over so soon, but she thought that sounded good. She looked at Mother, who nodded. “Okay, I’ll do that if it’s okay with Ruthie.”

“Ya, that’s just fine with me.”

Mother and Papa smiled. “Then that’s what I’ll do,” Mother said. “Ruthie, why don’t you and I bake some cookies right now so we’ll have something to serve for dessert?”

They didn’t discuss the visitors, but Ruthie couldn’t stop thinking about them. When she saw them at church the next morning, she felt their disapproving gazes as they said their good mornings.

Mother spoke to Mrs. Polk, who said she needed to consult her husband. By the time everyone left the church, arrangements had been made for the Polks to stop by for a light supper. Charles grinned at Ruthie. She knew her cheeks were flushed as she smiled back.

C
harles lay back on his bed, study Bible in hand. He wanted to spend some time immersed in the Word before going to the Kauffmans’ house for dinner.

On the way home from church, Pop said he was uncomfortable about going because he thought they might have an ulterior motive—one other than simply getting to know each other. Mom told him he was being paranoid after a couple of people gave them the cold shoulder. Charles knew not everyone was in favor of letting his family in, but the Kauffmans were kind and open to giving his family a chance.

After a couple of hours, Charles’s stomach started rumbling, so he left his room and went to the kitchen for a snack. The aroma of baked chocolate accosted him the second he entered. Mom was bent over the open oven, checking a pan of brownies.

“For me?” he asked. “I’m starving.”

“No, not for you.” Mom straightened. “They need a few more minutes. I’m taking them to the Kauffmans’.”

“I thought they were having supper for us.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “You know better than that, Charles. Never visit people empty handed.”

“And since you’re from Alabama, that means you’ll come bearing food.”

“That’s right.” She propped her elbow on the counter and tilted her head as she watched him open the refrigerator door. “There’s some fresh pimento cheese. Why don’t you make yourself a sandwich?”

“Mmm. Good idea.” He pulled out the bowl of pimento cheese and carried it to the counter by the bread box to make his sandwich. “Has Pop lightened up about his suspicions?”

“No, but he has agreed that it’s probably a good idea to go, even if there is an ulterior reason they invited us. At least we’ll have a better idea once we do this.”

“Sounds like you’re a little skeptical, too.”

Mom shrugged. “You have to admit, today was strange. Some of the people who were originally open and friendly basically ignored us.”

“I wonder if it has anything to do with my dating Ruthie.” He scooped a heaping mound of pimento cheese onto a slice of bread, spread it with a knife, and topped it off with another slice of bread. Then he lifted it to his mouth and took a bite. “This is good, Mom.”

She smiled. “At least I still remember how to cook. It’s hard to believe that this time last year we barely had any meals together—we were so busy with lives that pulled us apart. I actually thought it would go on like that forever, and I thought I was happy. But now I realize I was in a perpetual state of numbness.”

Charles put the sandwich on the plate so he could put the pimento cheese back in the fridge. As he worked, he thought about what Mom had said.

“I’m still surprised at my reaction when your dad lost his job.”

Charles put his plate on the table and sat down to eat. “Why’s that?”

She pursed her lips and stared down at the floor. “I was relieved. I must have subconsciously known that things weren’t working for us before.” She looked back up at Charles with sadness in her eyes. “We needed something to shake us up and bring us back together as a family.” Her voice cracked as she added, “After your sister died …”

As her voice trailed off, Charles closed the distance between them and pulled Mom into his arms. She shook as she sobbed for a few seconds before pulling away. “Things will all work out,” he said.

“Yes, I’m sure they will.” She dabbed the corner of her eye with the edge of her sleeve. “I can’t help but think that God saved us in the nick of time.”

“What are you saying? We weren’t exactly starving to death.”

“Not in the physical sense, but I felt empty all the time, and no amount of shopping ever filled me up.”

“I didn’t realize you were miserable.”

Mom grinned with tightened lips. “I knew I wasn’t happy, but until we were forced to come together and rely on the Lord, I didn’t know how unhappy I was either.”

“Are you happy now?”