Plain Christmas (Plain Fame Book 6)

by Sarah Price

  When he didn’t respond, Amanda started to say something, wanting to explain all of that to Alejandro, but they were interrupted by a loud hissing noise. One of the teat cups had popped off the udder of the cow closest to her. The suddenness startled her and she jumped, shaking off the solemnness of their discussion. Instead of reprimanding her for casting a somber cloud over what had been a shared morning of togetherness, Alejandro chuckled as he glanced over his shoulder at the cow.

  “Seems like this is a conversation we can continue later, Princesa.” He winked at her and returned his attention to the milking.

  “Mamm’s not going to be home for the pageant,” Rachel stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

  “No, sweetheart, she’s not.” Amanda gave her niece a gentle hug. “But we’ll be there and so will Isadora and Mammi Lizzie . . .”

  “And Abuela?”

  Amanda smiled at the sweetness behind the question. “Ja, Abuela will be there, too.”

  “But Mamm will be home for Christmas, ja?”

  Amanda nodded as she buttoned up the back of Rachel’s dress for school. She had managed to find time to call the hospital and check on Anna. Jonas had answered the phone and reassured her that both mother and baby were doing fine. There had been no complications, and Anna preferred that her sister attend to the children rather than come to the hospital to visit.

  “That’s what I was told,” Amanda assured Rachel. “Your daed said that they would be home tomorrow. And with your baby sister, too.”

  Hannah walked into the room, her hair loose and ready for Amanda to fix before they went downstairs for breakfast. “Who’s going to help Mamm with Samuel when she comes home with the new baby?”

  It was a question that Amanda had been asking herself since Anna had left for the hospital the previous day. Lizzie helped as much as she could with the children, and Alecia had even colored with Sylvia and Elizabeth before supper. To Amanda’s surprise, Alecia had been such a help to her and her mother while Anna was at the hospital. She couldn’t have managed without her. Yet Amanda had shouldered the bulk of the responsibility for tending to her nieces and nephew. And she had immediately realized that, even though Samuel had an almost continuously pleasant demeanor about him, he required close to 100 percent of Anna’s attention when he was awake.

  How on earth would Anna help Jonas, tend to Samuel’s unique needs, and care for a newborn?

  “Oh, well,” Amanda said after a brief delay to collect her thoughts. “I’m sure both of you will certainly help out.”

  She noticed the way that the two girls furtively exchanged a look between them. It was a look that only two sisters could share. And Amanda knew exactly what it meant.

  Amanda sat on the bench in the second row of the schoolhouse. Samuel sat on her lap, propped up against her chest. He played with a small toy, a wooden cow that was his current favorite, occasionally lifting it to his mouth to chew. The battery-operated lights that the schoolteacher had placed at the center of each windowsill created a warm and cozy glow in the room. With all the people crowded into the one-room schoolhouse, it was warm enough that Amanda didn’t need her shawl.

  She was flanked by Lizzie and Alecia. Sylvia and Elizabeth sat next to Lizzie while Alecia sat upright and leaned forward as she watched the children at the front of the large room. Alecia was dressed in her finest as usual, and there was a distinct air of pride about her. Amanda smiled to herself as she thought how much Alecia had started to embrace her role within her family. She was definitely not the same woman who had set foot in Amanda’s mother’s house the day they’d arrived. She watched with her complete attention as the grandchildren stood fidgeting before Amanda.

  Thankfully, the teacher had let Sofia and Nicolas stand right behind Hannah and Rachel. That way, it was easier for the three women to watch all of them.

  The teacher stepped in front of the children and faced the audience. She was a young woman with big brown eyes and a cheerful smile. Quite different from the stoic and emotionless educators that her children had, Amanda thought. No wonder Sofia and Nicolas liked it so much.

  “We want to thank all of you for attending our holiday pageant,” the teacher said, her voice carrying surprisingly well through the crowded room. “The children have been excited about this day, working hard for many weeks.” She glanced over her shoulder at her students, a benevolent smile on her face. “Christmas is such a special time of year, a time when we share our joy and faith with family and friends. At Christmas, we celebrate the wondrous gift that God has given to us, the greatest gift of all: Jesus, the Son of God, born to all mankind for the forgiveness of all sin.”

  She paused, waiting to allow the audience to quietly reflect on her words.

  “Today, we hope that you enjoy our Christmas pageant as we share the love of the Lord with each and every one of you.”

  When she stepped aside, a silence fell over the room. From the back, someone coughed, and a few of the children shuffled their feet while waiting for their cue to start.

  The older students standing in the back of the room began to sing the first line of the song to the tune of “Jesus Loves Me,” and when they came to the chorus, they stopped so that the younger students with their cherubic voices could sing in turn:

  In a land and time far away,

  Upon a manger filled with hay,

  Christ the wondrous baby lay.

  Shepherds on a hill that dark night,

  Watched their sheep under starlight,

  Until beckoned by one so extra-large and bright.

  They followed the star to where it hung

  Over the inn in Bethlehem.

  Angels sang from the heavens above,

  About God’s gift: the son he loved.

  Jesus the Savior slept in the manger

  Prayed over by his parents and strangers.

  While the angels continued to sing,

  Proclaiming the birth of the newborn king.

  As she watched her daughter and son singing along with the other students, Amanda felt a lump forming in her throat. Both Sofia and Nicolas sang without any fear of standing in front of people that they didn’t know. When Nicolas stumbled over a word, Sofia gently nudged him with her shoulder, as if encouraging him to continue anyway. Without even looking, she could sense Alecia’s joy as the children sang.

  It dawned on Amanda that this was the first, and perhaps last, time that her children would perform in a Christmas pageant with their peers. Success had robbed her children of so many of the simple pleasures taken for granted by so many children—and adults! Fame and wealth might buy fancy houses, yachts, and stylish clothes, but those were just things that, once acquired, usually lost their value in the eyes of the beholder anyway. What mattered most were the things that money could not buy, such as children singing in a school pageant, baking cookies with their cousins, and learning to crochet with one’s mother and grandmother.

  She turned around and sought out Alejandro where he stood in the back of the room. There was a look of pride on his face as he watched his children performing in unison with the other students. Usually, he was the one on the stage with every pair of eyes staring at him. He smiled to himself, his head moving just a little as he listened to the song.

  And then his eyes glanced in Amanda’s direction. When he saw that she was watching him, he held her gaze with such a thoughtful intensity that she wondered if he had been thinking the very same thing she had. But just as soon as the thought crossed her mind, he winked at her and returned his attention to the front of the classroom, where the children had moved to the side of the room, a few of them slipping behind the hanging curtain to prepare for the highlight of the show: the reenactment of the Nativity scene.

  Amanda knew what came next. When she was growing up, it had been the same every year: the younger children acted out the Nativity scene while the older students took turns reciting the second chapter of Luke to the audience. And each year it was always the highlight of the pag
eant, especially when the children were particularly creative with their props.

  A tall girl, probably no older than thirteen, stepped toward the corner of the “stage” area and gently cleared her throat. She looked nervous as she began to recite the first verses:

  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

  Finished with her section, the girl gave a quick smile in the direction of her parents before she stepped aside for another student, a boy this time, to continue the recitation. Only this time, before he began to recite his verses, two of the younger children emerged from behind the curtain.

  White sheets covered their regular clothes, and each had a black cord tied around the waist so they looked as if they wore biblical-style garments. It was clear that they were playing the roles of Mary and Joseph.

  Slowly, the two actors began to trudge across the front of the room, Joseph clearly having practiced how to look like he was trudging through a hot desert. Every few steps, he stopped, pretending to wipe the sweat from his brow and shaking his head at the tedious journey ahead of him. A few of the parents in the audience chuckled, which only seemed to encourage him to continue his theatrical display with even more intensity.

  While Mary and Joseph made their way across the room toward the other side, the other young boy began speaking his lines:

  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David;

  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

  As he finished speaking, Mary and Joseph had completed their journey and now faced a dark curtain that hung from the ceiling. A little boy poked his head out from behind the curtain and, pretending to scowl at Mary and Joseph, he shook his head emphatically as if to say no. Joseph tossed up his hands. Then he turned to Mary and shrugged his shoulders while holding out his hands, palms up.

  Clearly, there was no room at that “inn.”

  Amanda couldn’t help but give a soft laugh at his performance. She wasn’t alone. Several people in the audience joined her, including, to Amanda’s surprise, Alecia.

  “Such a character, that boy,” Alecia whispered into her ear. “Reminds me of Nicolas, sí?”

  A third student stepped forward and continued reciting the Scripture.

  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

  The girl acting as Mary knelt down by a makeshift manger, which looked suspiciously like the box Amanda had been looking for after Nicolas had “borrowed” it the day before. Amanda saw him standing with the other children and caught his eye. When he grinned at her, she knew that her suspicion was correct.

  There were two more younger boys, dressed in sackcloth and walking with shepherds’ crooks, or, in their case, small cast-iron stakes that they probably brought in from their mothers’ gardens. A third student stepped forward to recite the next section of Luke.

  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

  To Amanda’s surprise, Hannah appeared from behind the curtained-off area dressed as the angel. Behind her were four other little girls, one of whom was Sofia. Amanda caught her breath and, without thinking about it, reached out to hold her mother’s hand. Her feelings of emotion went beyond a lump in her throat now, and tears filled her eyes. She had to blink rapidly and make a conscious effort at containing them.

  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

  The angel made a wide gesture with her arms and turned to walk toward the manger, then stood behind it as if hovering protectively over the baby that “slept” inside the box.

  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

  When the four young girls representing the multitude of the heavenly host finished pretending to say the words as the student recited their lines, they twirled twice and slipped back behind the curtain. Amanda placed a hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath from having watched two of her children perform in the Nativity scene for the very first time.

  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

  The two shepherds walked over to where Mary and Joseph knelt by the manger-box. They stood nearby, pretending to gaze into the box. The one shepherd leaned over too far, and before he or the audience knew what was happening, he fell forward. In trying to steady himself, he leaned against Mary, who almost fell into the manger as well. The shocked look on her face coupled with the embarrassed expression on the boy’s face caused a ripple of laughter in the audience. But the children managed to recover quickly and acted as if nothing unusual had happened.

  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

  The children who had not performed in the Nativity scene stepped forward and began to sing “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.” After they finished the first stanza, the actors stood up and gathered together with the other children, joining in with the singing.

  Amanda couldn’t help but notice how their faces shone. She remembered her own school years and how she had felt when she performed for her parents and her grandparents. It had been a wonderful experience knowing that she, along with her classmates, could give something so very special and meaningful back to the community, especially during the holidays.

  How wonderful that Sofia and Nicolas had been given the opportunity to feel the very same thing.

  At the end of the performance, the children stood in front of the parents, holding hands as they awkwardly took a humble bow. Then, with the teacher announcing that the pageant was over, they scattered to join their proud families. Several women began to unwrap trays of freshly baked sugar cookies and other sweets, setting them on the edge of the teacher’s desk at the front of the room, where the children had just performed.

  “Did you see? Did you see?” Nicolas asked repeatedly as he jumped up and down, hanging on Lizzie’s arm.

  Sofia grinned at her mother.

  “You were all wonderful,” Lizzie said, recognizing all four of her grandchildren who had performed.

  Alecia smiled at Sofia and Nicolas. “Such talented children!” she said, her face glowing with pride. And then, remembering that Hannah and Rachel had performed, too, she added, “All four of you.”

  “Can we go get cookies now, Mami?” Nicolas asked eagerly.

  “It’s ‘may we,’ and yes, you may, but please take Sylvia and Elizabeth with you.”

  “I’ll go with the little ones,” Lizzie said. “I see Jenny Fisher over there anyway.”

  Alecia stood beside Amanda, both of them watching as Nicolas and Sofia followed behind Hannah and Rachel to raid the table of sweets.

  “Such a wonderful experience for them,” Amanda said
with a sigh. She noticed Alejandro at the back of the school, talking with several other men. With the exception of his clothing and lack of a beard covering his jawline, he certainly fit in with the others.

  “And for us, too,” Alecia pointed out. “What a treat it has been to see my grandchildren in an environment that allows them to just be children!”

  Amanda reached over and took Alecia’s hand in hers. And together they stood there, taking in the scene of happy children laughing as they talked about the pageant and parents and grandparents complimenting each other on their children’s performance. Isadora stood near the doorway with her newfound friend, Barbie King. They were giggling and whispering to each other with an occasional glance in the direction of three teenaged boys on the other side of the room.

  It was a moment that filled Amanda’s heart with so many emotions. She felt happy and sad at the same time, grateful for having been blessed with this moment but disheartened as she knew that, all too soon, it would come to an end.

  She pressed her hand against her chest and said a small prayer to God, thanking him for seeing fit to give her this special moment to share with her entire family.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The morning before Christmas felt very much like every morning since they had arrived. Regardless of the special day, Jonas and Alejandro had awoken before sunrise to milk the cows while Amanda shivered in the chilly kitchen, waiting for the propane heater to warm up the room while she began to prepare the morning meal.