Their Pretend Courtship, page 6
Even though she was acting as if the thought had just occurred to her, there was something about Eliza’s solution that just seemed a little too convenient, as if she’d had it in mind all along. Was he imagining it, or was it possible that Eliza was becoming more interested in keeping Freeman’s company than in keeping Jonas’s? She certainly seemed to enjoy talking to Freeman and kidding around with him. But then again, Eliza was generally a very amiable person and she’d laughed at Jonas’s corny jokes, too, so maybe he was misreading the situation.
Still, he was tempted to tell her that he’d changed his mind about going to the lake after all. But he’d already agreed to it and if he broke his word, he might lose her favor altogether. So he did the only thing he could. “Sure, I’ll ask him if he wants to kumme.”
“Great. I’ll let Mary know I mentioned the outing at the lake to you and that you and your bruder are going and you agreed to give us a ride. We’ll meet you at your buggy after kurrich.”
That wasn’t exactly how the conversation had gone, but Jonas said, “Sounds gut. See you then.” As he strode off, he thought he heard Eliza say something else, but he didn’t catch it because he was silently praying that Freeman had already made plans to do something else on Sunday afternoon.
Chapter Five
“Won’t you please kumme fly kites with us, too?” Samuel pleaded to Eliza as they rode to church on Sunday morning.
She shifted her youngest brother, Mark, to her other knee. At three years old, he was still just small enough that he had a difficult time staying seated on either of the narrow benches facing each other in the back of the buggy, so it was safer for her to keep him firmly in her arms. Rather than tell Samuel she was going out with Jonas, Eliza replied, “If I kumme, there won’t be enough kites for everyone.”
“That’s okay. I’ll share mine with you. Mamm says Gott likes it when we share with a cheerful heart.”
Eliza smiled at the dear little boy; she should have known not to give him such a feeble excuse. “Denki. That’s very generous of you. Next time we have a breezy Sunndaag, maybe I’ll be able to join you. But today I’m going canoeing with my friends.”
“Your friends?” he asked. “Mary?”
“Jah, she’ll be there,” Eliza answered.
At the same time, Lior gently scolded him from the front of the carriage. “Samuel, that’s none of your business.”
Generally speaking, it was considered impolite for Amish children to question adults about their plans. However, Eliza found her six-year-old brother’s curiosity more understandable and less intrusive than her stepfather’s, who asked, “What do you mean, Mary will be there? I thought you were going out—”
Eliza noticed her mother tap Uri’s shoulder and raise her finger to her lips. So Uri was quiet a moment before he rephrased his question in a way the boys wouldn’t understand. “I thought you were going out with your other...friend.”
“Jah. I am. There is a group of us going,” Eliza cryptically assured him even though she resented the infringement on her privacy. She’d told him earlier in the week that she and Jonas were spending Sunday afternoon together. That was already more information than Eliza felt she should have had to share. Couldn’t he just leave it at that?
She silently asked the Lord to give her patience and to take away her resentful feelings, but she still felt annoyed all the way to church. Those feelings lingered throughout the worship service as well. She felt like canceling her plans with Jonas just to prove to Uri that he wasn’t in control of her social life. But that was just it: Uri was in control of her social life, at least to the extent that he insisted Eliza should have a serious suitor.
Besides, she really was looking forward to canoeing, and she was committed to helping Mary get to know Freeman better. Her friend, however, had expressed second thoughts about going when Eliza told her about the arrangement she’d made with Jonas to invite his brother.
“Oh, neh!” she’d cried. “I didn’t realize you were going to speak to Jonas about it directly. He probably thinks I put you up to matchmaking. If Freeman finds out, he’ll think I’m being very forward. Now he’s going to avoid talking to me altogether.”
“Don’t worry. I made it seem as if I was the one who wanted you to kumme along so no one would know Jonas and I are courting. He and Freeman won’t suspect a thing. When it comes to courting and romance, menner can be completely oblivious about a weibsmensch’s interests,” Eliza had said. She should know; she’d been tricking her stepfather about her interest—that is, her lack of interest—in suitors for over five years.
Thinking about it now, as the minister read a passage from the third chapter of Colossians that included a verse about not lying to one another, Eliza felt a little twinge of shame. Not about matchmaking for Freeman and Mary, but about purposely misleading Uri. But she quickly dismissed her qualms, rationalizing that her stepfather was so controlling that he left her with no other choice. Besides, it wasn’t as if she’d been outright lying to him—or to her mother—anyway.
Nor have I been lying to my suitors, she silently justified. I’ve always been very straightforward about not necessarily wanting anything more than an opportunity to develop friendships with them.
Indeed, judging from the few interactions she’d had with Jonas so far, she believed she genuinely would enjoy becoming friends with him. Eliza liked the way he engaged with her brothers, and she appreciated how agreeable he was about going to the lake on Sunday, instead of for a ride. Also, her connection to him was already allowing her to help Mary get better acquainted with Freeman. For all I know, Gott has allowed Jonas to be my suitor just for that very purpose, she told herself.
Yet if that was true, then why did she still feel so relieved when the minister’s sermon about truthfulness was finally over?
* * *
“You want to sit in the front with Eliza?” Freeman asked out of the corner of his mouth as Eliza and Mary approached Jonas’s buggy after church.
“Neh,” Jonas whispered urgently. “Remember, you have to pretend you don’t know anything about us courting. That’s the entire reason Eliza wanted you and Mary to kumme with us—she doesn’t want anyone to know I’m her suitor, including you.”
“Hello!” Eliza called, and Mary echoed her greeting. They were each carrying an insulated half-gallon jug, which presumably contained water or lemonade for the group to share.
The brothers hardly had time to say hello back before Honor came dashing toward them from the opposite direction, a sizable cooler bag in hand. “Oh, gut—you haven’t left yet,” she said, panting. “I was going to ride with Glenda, Ervin and Keith, but Keith’s groossmammi and groossdaadi arrived yesterday as a surprise for his daed’s birthday. So he’s staying home with them. I didn’t want to ride alone with Glenda and Ervin because I’d feel like a third wheel, if you know what I mean.” She gave an exaggerated wink, which was unnecessary because everyone knew exactly what she’d meant.
“You’re wilkom to join us,” Jonas said. Eager to get on the way before Honor could catch her second wind and continue gossiping, he said, “I can hold your bag while you get in.”
“Denki, Jonas. You’re such a gentleman.” Honor’s syrupy tone made Jonas regret offering.
“And I can take those for you.” Freeman held out his hand to take the jugs from Eliza and Mary, then joked, “I’m just as much of a gentleman as my bruder is.”
Eliza laughed and handed over the bottle before climbing into the back of the carriage, but Mary held on to hers and stated, “It’s only a half gallon of water. I think I can manage, denki.”
On the way there, Honor talked so much that no one else got a word in edgewise. Not that Jonas minded; it was actually kind of a relief to have her do all of the talking because he was preoccupied with other thoughts.
Eliza certainly seems to be amused by Freeman, he mused. Or does it just seem that way because Mary is so reticent by comparison? In either case, to be on the safe side, he decided when they reached the lake, he’d try to keep as much distance between Freeman and Eliza as possible. But how could he separate the two of them in a way that wouldn’t result in him winding up alone with Eliza?
Thankfully, an opportunity presented itself almost as soon as they arrived at the lake and met up with Glenda and Ervin. “Glenda’s wrist is still healing from when she fell and sprained it last week, so she shouldn’t paddle. I can take her in the rowboat. That means there will be three of you in one canoe and two in the other, okay?” Ervin suggested, making it clear he preferred to be alone with Glenda in the rowboat, even though it had room for three people.
“Sounds gut,” Jonas agreed. “You and I can share a canoe, Freeman. The weibsleit can go in the other one together.”
Freeman looked incredulously at his brother and opened his mouth, undoubtedly to object, but Honor beat him to it. “It’s so rare for even one of you Kanagy buwe to kumme on an outing with us. How will we get to know you better if you only keep company with each other?”
“Jah. She’s right. I talk to you morning, noon and night. It’s time for us to chat with someone else,” Freeman said to Jonas, smirking. “I’ll take two of the weibsleit in my canoe and you can take one in yours.”
Jonas knew Freeman was setting it up so that it wouldn’t seem suspicious for Jonas to go alone in the canoe with Eliza, and for once, he didn’t mind his brother’s interference in his supposed courtship. However, before he could answer, Honor again piped up. “I’ll go with Jonas. Mary and Eliza, you can go with Freeman.”
Jonas shot his brother a pleading look but Freeman gave him a shrug as if to say “Sorry, but what can I do?”
Eliza said the arrangement was fine with her and hurried to put on a life vest. She seemed more eager than disappointed to be relegated to Freeman’s canoe with Mary. Is that because she doesn’t want Honor or the others to figure out we’re courting, or is it because she prefers Freeman’s company to mine? Jonas wondered, irritated that such thoughts were plaguing him.
“Let’s head toward Pine Island,” Ervin suggested a few minutes later as the three vessels shoved off from shore.
Pine Island was how they referred to the little clump of land in the middle of the lake. Surrounded by jagged rocks and densely populated with pine trees, the rectangular-shaped island was probably only seventy feet long and thirty feet wide, but it was a popular picnicking spot because it afforded a cool, shaded resting or fishing area in the middle of the lake.
“Okay,” Jonas agreed, then pointedly added, “After we take a break there, we can switch paddling partners.”
“Are you tired of me already?” Honor asked, sounding dejected. “We haven’t even gotten our paddles wet yet.”
Realizing he’d insulted her with his suggestion, Jonas joked, “Neh, but my bruder’s arms will probably be tired so he’ll want someone else to paddle by then.”
“Voll schpass,” Freeman remarked from his canoe, where he was sitting in the back. Mary was in the middle and Eliza was paddling in front. “If my arms are so weak, why are we ahead of you?”
“You won’t be for long,” Jonas quipped. “We’ll race you to the island, won’t we, Honor?”
“Jah. Let’s go!”
Jonas put all of his strength into paddling, and Honor was a strong, confident paddler herself. The pair quickly overtook and then outpaced Eliza, Mary and Freeman’s canoe. Ervin and Glenda apparently decided not to race at all because when Jonas glanced over his shoulder, he noticed they were lagging so far behind that it was clearly intentional.
“We won!” Honor exclaimed when she and Jonas reached the shallow, rocky area surrounding Pine Island several minutes before anyone else did.
“Gut paddling,” Jonas acknowledged. He navigated them around the boulders jutting up above the water and situated their canoe parallel with the embankment. He told Honor she should get out first, but when she stood she said she felt “too tippy” and promptly sat back down. So Jonas got out and dragged the boat about fifteen yards through shin-deep water to where there was a flat, sandy area, so Honor could easily step onto it. Regardless, as she stood up, she extended her hand to him. Reluctantly taking hold of it, Jonas thought, She didn’t have any difficulty balancing when she was getting into the canoe. As soon as her second foot hit dry land, he released her fingers.
It wasn’t that he disliked Honor, but he did recognize that she’d earned the reputation she’d developed for being rather bold in her behavior toward the bachelors in the New Hope district. He supposed it was understandable; Honor was one of the older single women and she clearly wanted to get married soon. But the community was small so she probably didn’t have a lot of options for suitors. However, Jonas didn’t want to do anything to encourage her to think he might be one of those options. I’m not even interested in being Eliza’s suitor...and I’m actually courting her, he thought wryly.
So when Honor suggested Jonas should sit with her on a large log in the shade, he declined, making a joke at Freeman’s expense to soften his refusal. “Denki, but I’d better not. I’ve got to stand here and make sure my bruder doesn’t capsize his canoe on a rock.”
Honor giggled. “Do you really think he might tip it over?”
“Neh, probably not,” Jonas admitted. “But better safe than sorry.”
Shading his eyes as he peered out over the water, he watched Freeman and Eliza paddling toward the island, with Glenda and Ervin’s rowboat still far in the distance behind them. As Freeman’s canoe came closer, Jonas could see Eliza was scowling. Maybe she doesn’t enjoy being with my bruder so much after all. And although he wouldn’t have deliberately wished a bad time on her, Jonas couldn’t help but feel a little bit relieved.
* * *
This is not how I envisioned spending the afternoon, Eliza thought as she silently brooded. She was hot, sweaty and annoyed that Jonas had suggested racing across the lake. How is Mary supposed to chat with Freeman when he’s so intent on getting to the island? Honor and Jonas already won the race and Glenda and Ervin aren’t even trying, so what’s the big rush?
Not that Mary could easily chat with him, anyway, since she deliberately sat facing forward instead of facing Freeman, but she could at least say something over her shoulder. Instead, Eliza’s friend had been virtually silent for the entire excursion toward Pine Island. How does she expect Freeman to be interested in her when she’s acting as if she wouldn’t give him the time of day? Eliza wondered.
But what really had gotten her goat was that Jonas seemed to be showing Honor an inordinate amount of attention. Granted, there was little he could have done when Honor declared she was going to paddle in the same canoe with him. And Eliza figured he was just being polite by holding Honor’s bag for her when she got into the buggy—after all, Freeman had done the same for her. But Eliza had distinctly spotted Jonas taking Honor’s hand and helping her out of the canoe when they’d reached the island just a moment ago.
I know I said I didn’t want anyone to find out we’re courting, but that doesn’t mean I want him to show special attention to Honor, she thought. If he’s not careful, she’ll think he’s interested in her. It wasn’t completely far-fetched for Eliza to imagine that Honor might tell her mother about her misperception, and that Honor’s mother would be so delighted that she’d share the news with someone who’d share it with Eliza’s mother. Or worse, that Uri would somehow hear the rumor.
I can’t allow that to happen, Eliza thought. So when they approached the embankment and were ready to disembark from the canoe, she sweetly asked Jonas, who was standing close to the water’s edge, “Could you take my hand, please? I feel shaky, probably from all that exertion.”
Eliza was almost certain she heard Mary snicker behind her—after all, they’d both hopped in and out of the canoe easily without assistance countless times before. But there was too much at stake for her to care if her friend thought she was acting sappy. Jonas took her fingers in his, and she was surprised by the softness of his touch. After holding his hand a moment longer than necessary, so Honor would see them, Eliza finally let go.
But Honor was bending over her own canoe, fishing her cooler bag out of it, and she apparently hadn’t even noticed. Eliza realized she’d forgotten the jug of iced tea she’d made for everyone to share in the canoe. “Oops,” she said. “I forgot—”
“It’s okay. I’ll carry it. I know how dizzy you are,” Mary said drolly. Then she hopped out of the canoe, a jug in each hand, without so much as a wobble.
“Wow, Mary. You have the balance of a cat,” Freeman remarked as he clumsily hefted himself onto dry land.
Not exactly the most romantic compliment, but it’s a start, Eliza thought, pleased. It seemed Mary was pleased, too, because even though she didn’t respond aloud, a blush rose on her cheeks and forehead.
Once Glenda and Ervin had come ashore, the group climbed farther up the embankment to sit on an old fallen tree and on the numerous rocks or stumps in the area. Mary and Eliza distributed paper cups of water or iced tea to everyone, while Honor passed around a tin of blueberry muffins that she’d made. Everyone except Freeman refused the offer, saying they were still full from eating lunch at church.
“More for me,” Freeman said gratefully. “I’m starving and I love any dessert made from blohbiere.”
How is it possible that Freeman has lived here for over two years and has attended dozens of kurrich potlucks and yet he doesn’t realize what a baremlich baker and cook Honor is? Eliza wondered to herself. She wasn’t being unkind: Honor’s cooking was notorious in New Hope. In fact, it was even notorious in the surrounding communities of Serenity Ridge and Unity. To be sure, her lack of simple culinary skills was an anomaly among Amish women, much like it would have been for an Amish man to lack basic carpentry skills.
