Hopeful by Shelley Shepard Gray

“Let’s go over to him and say hello. You’ll like his sisters. Most everyone does.”
    “And then?”
    “And then we’ll eat and be done.”
    “I hope so.” Mary Kate let herself be dragged, but to Miriam’s dismay, she had the sort of look one wore to get a root canal.
    “Please try to be friendly, Mary Kate,” she whispered.
    Narrowing her eyes, Mary Kate said, “He means something to you, doesn’t he?”
    “Who? Junior?”
    “Of course, Junior,” she practically hissed. “Why in the world did you agree to set him up with me if you like him?”
    “I don’t,” she lied. There was no way she was going to let Mary Kate see that she’d been pining over a man for years who had no interest in her whatsoever. “I set this up because he’s taken with you,” she whispered back as they walked the last ten feet to meet the Beilers.
    “But that doesn’t—”
    Miriam cut her off with a hard look. “It does. Now, please, be nice.”
    The little group of four parted to make room for them when they approached. “Hi, Miriam, Mary Kate,” Junior said. “Mary Kate, this is Claire, Beverly, and Randall. Three of my siblings.”
    Mary Kate smiled. “Now I know five of you. It’s nice to meet you all.”
    “You moved here in August, yes?” Claire asked.
    “ Jah . I moved here from Millersburg. So not too far away.”
    When she paused, they all leaned forward. Eager to hear what else she had to say. But instead of continuing, Mary Kate only stood quietly.
    Claire’s friendly smile turned a bit strained. “And are you enjoying Sugarcreek? And teaching school?”
    “I am enjoying Sugarcreek, and my job is going well enough, I suppose. Soon we’ll have Christmas break, then spring break. Then, at last, I’ll have almost three months of vacation.” Mary Kate gave her first genuine smile then, much to Miriam’s relief—until she realized how awkward her friend sounded.
    Certainly, Mary Kate didn’t realize how uncaring she sounded to Kaylene’s siblings? She glanced at Junior to see his reaction, hoping against hope that he hadn’t caught the edge of relief in her voice. But as she’d feared, some of the light in his eyes dimmed.
    “So, you enjoy vacations?” he asked.
    “Oh, jah . Next summer, I’m hoping to go to Florida for a time.” Smiling at Miriam, she added, “I’m hoping to get Miriam to come with me. I know we’d enjoy ourselves at the beach.”
    “Who wouldn’t?” Beverly said. “Are you going to try to go to Pinecraft, too, Miriam?”
    “That’s a long time from now. It would be nice, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to. I might be needed at the restaurant. Or somewhere else.”
    “Summer is a busy time for me,” Randall said. “The long days mean I have more time working construction.”
    The conversation continued. It was easy and low-key. If Miriam hadn’t been so worried about Mary Kate saying the right thing, and wondering what Junior thought about her, she would have enjoyed it a lot more.
    As it was, however, she felt like she was on pins and needles. Waiting for something unfortunate to happen.
    Around them, a lovely lunch had been set out and most folks had already started to dig into their meals.
    Anxious to fulfill her promise, Miriam blurted, “Maybe we should eat before all the food is gone.”
    Randall grinned. “Miriam, that is a super idea. I’m starving. Let’s lead the way.” Gallantly, he waved her toward him. She had no choice but to walk by his side to the line of tables.
    Sometimes the luncheons were served by the women of the hosting family. Today, the Yoders had opted to have a more casual setup. Miriam was glad of that. As they walked through the line, she chatted with Randall about his job and a few of their mutual friends.
    On her other side, Beverly and Claire were making plans to put up some applesauce. Having a bit of experience with that, Miriam shared her preferences.
    After that, it was easy to follow Randall and his sisters to an