The Amish Schoolteacher

by Jerry Eicher

  “So you envision a future in which you hold your dark opinions of me privately.”

  “Must you misconstrue everything I say? I am trying.”

  Mary softened a little and smiled grimly. “I guess you are the janitor, and we will need to get along. I will be nice, which is easy for me, and you will think nice thoughts about me, which is difficult for you. Do you think we can manage that?” It came out sounding far more condescending than she’d intended, but she couldn’t take it back now.

  “Look,” he said, “I was tasked with bringing you home from the bus station, and I should have been focusing on that—on your comfort—rather than concerning myself with your belongings.”

  “So we are back to the suitcases.”

  Marcus sighed in frustration, realizing anything he said would be twisted. It was better not to respond at all. Didn’t the Bible say, “He that refraineth his lips is wise”?

  “You are right,” Mary conceded, to his surprise. “Maybe we should leave yesterday alone.”

  He nodded.

  “Well then,” she said. “That’s that.”

  “Susie just came.” He glanced out of the schoolhouse window. “You can bank the fire when you’re done.”

  Her irritation showed. “I’m not a dunce.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply that you were.”

  “Just go.” She dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

  Just outside the door he met Susie as she was coming in. “Goot morning,” Marcus greeted her hurriedly.

  “Got the fire going as usual,” Susie said, smiling broadly.

  “Yep.”

  Susie lowered her voice. “What is the new teacher like?”

  “She’ll make a goot one, just like you did,” he said, pulling his hat low over his eyes.

  Susie tugged on his arm. “That’s not what I meant.”

  Marcus yanked his arm loose and left Susie holding the door as he rushed across the field.

  * Pennsylvania Dutch word for “wonderful.”

  * Pennsylvania Dutch word meaning arrogant, prideful.

  CHAPTER 5

  MARY AWOKE AGAIN ON SUNDAY MORNING WITHOUT THE ALARM. Outside the window drapes the first signs of a pale dawn shimmered. There were soft puttering noises coming from downstairs. Lavina was up and busy with the breakfast preparations. Mary slipped out of bed and pushed back the drapes to gaze out at the ballooning sunrise. The day would be gorgeous, from the looks of things. This was her first Sunday in the community. How appropriate and blessed of the Lord to give her a clear day. Not that rain was a sign of the Lord’s disapproval, but sunshine was better for her formal presentation to the parents of her students.

  “You will love your time here in the community,” Susie had assured her on Friday. “The people are wunderbah, and the parents are so understanding. Even when things don’t go right.”

  “I’m sure the students are little angels,” she had replied.

  “They have been raised well,” Susie had concurred.

  Susie had been so helpful, and would remain on call if she needed further help. When they had finished going over the lessons, Susie had said with a twinkle in her eye, “That’s a nice janitor we have. He’s quite handsome.”

  Mary was sure a rush of color had betrayed her irritation. Marcus was well esteemed in the community, and she didn’t want to criticize him. But was the whole town determined to set the two of them up together? Susie, of course, took her blush completely the wrong way.

  “And he’s so available,” Susie gushed. “I got the best man in the community, but there’s still goot ones available in our little pond.”

  “I came to teach school,” she replied, perhaps more forcefully than she intended, but Susie’s gleeful smile hadn’t faded.

  “See you on Sunday!” Susie had hollered before leaving, waving vigorously while driving out of the schoolyard.

  The people she had met so far were certainly friendly, and seemed to like her. That was a great start, but Marcus lurked in the back of her mind like an impending storm cloud. Maybe he would stay true to his word, and their relationship could return to a respectful one, but she doubted it. The man had way too many opinions to keep them to himself. Such things could not be helped. She would have to make peace with his disapproval. At least Marcus was handsome. Better a handsome critic than a homely one.

  Mary made a wry face at the window while she dressed, and hurried downstairs afterward. She peeked in the kitchen doorway. “Goot morning.”

  “Why are you up?” Lavina scolded.

  “I’m helping with breakfast.”

  “That is totally unnecessary. I told you that.”

  Mary marched on in. “Are we going to argue on a Sunday morning?”

  Lavina laughed. “The eggs are in the refrigerator. You already know how Leon likes them.”

  She did, and Lavina had trusted her to notice such things. Leon liked his eggs flipped in the pan at the first possible moment and taken out with the yolks still running. With someone as mild mannered and understanding as Leon, she might look forward to serving her own husband someday. The fun would be squashed out of the breakfast preparations if she was frying eggs for someone like Marcus. There wasn’t a woman in the world who could make him happy. She was sure about that. Likely that’s why he was still single.

  “Anticipating your first Sunday in church?” Lavina asked, glancing up from the bacon pan.

  “Oh, very much,” Mary assured her. “I hope I pass inspection.”

  Lavina chuckled. “Everyone will love you, as Leon and I already do. The school board did an excellent job in selecting a teacher for the new term.”

  “You are very kind.” Mary ducked her head.

  “Did you and Marcus get along okay on Friday? Dare I ask?”

  “He was there when I arrived,” Mary said, cloaking the irritation in her voice. She was beginning to feel like she’d been hired primarily to date Marcus. Why couldn’t anyone ask about her teaching plans or her goals for the students, rather than harping on Marcus? She set the egg pan on the stovetop to concentrate on turning up the flame.

  Lavina clucked her tongue. “He’ll get used to having you around soon enough.”

  “I suppose he has reasons for his disapproval.”

  “Are you sure the man doesn’t fancy you? He really has such a soft heart.” Lavina looked hopefully in Mary’s direction.

  Mary forced herself to nod, but couldn’t come up with an appropriate response.

  Lavina busied herself with the bacon, stirring the pieces. “There’s Leon now,” she said with a smile as the outside door opened in the lower stairwell.

  Leon’s jolly face peered up the stairs. “What do I smell a-cookin’?” he teased.

  “Just the usual,” Lavina told him.

  “The usual is perfect, dear.” He grinned and headed into the basement.

  “You are such a lovely couple,” Mary told Lavina, to the sounds of water splashing in the sink below. “I feel so blessed to board at your house.”

  A pleased look filled Lavina’s face. “Yah, I know. The Lord has given Leon and I many happy years together, but we are the ones who are honored to have you.”

  Mary didn’t protest, allowing the happiness of the moment to sweep over her. This was not so very different from home, but somehow it was new, and exactly what she needed for a fresh start. Maybe after a year of teaching in the community she would be ready to settle down with a husband of her own, someone that fitted her perfectly. Someone she could respect and honor.

  A thrill ran up Mary’s back. She had never been at this place before, considering a man seriously, even if he was fictional at this point. Truly this was a new day. She had indeed followed the Lord’s leading correctly in her move south.

  Leon’s footsteps came up the basement stairs, and he appeared, his beard still moist from the washing at the sink.

  “Goot morning,” he said officially, pulling out a kitchen chair and sitting down. “What a beauti
ful Lord’s day we have on our hands.”

  “That it is,” Lavina agreed, transferring the bacon and toast to the table. “I think we’re ready.”

  Mary turned off the flame and moved the egg pan to the back of the stove. She placed the plate of eggs on the table and sat down a moment before Lavina did. Leon had noticed that she had made the eggs, and was trying not to inspect them.

  Mary hid her smile, and moved the plate a few inches so he could see better. Relief filled his face, which he quickly wiped away, and he cleared his throat loudly. “Let us pray.”

  Mary bowed her head for the prayer, and tears stung her eyes. She was so blessed with this home that the Lord had provided, much more than she had dared ask or think that she deserved.

  Across the road, Marcus bowed his head for the prayer of thanksgiving at the Yoders’ breakfast table. The faces of his siblings, and his Mam’s, faded as he closed his eyes and silently mouthed his prayer. “Our Father which art in heaven, blessed be Your name. Thank you for this food that is before us, and for the goot night’s sleep we have had, and for healthy bodies and minds . . .”

  The prayer flowed out of habit while his mind raced. He paused for a moment, and then added, “Please help our new schoolteacher to feel welcome.” There was more he wanted to pray, but he wasn’t sure exactly what.

  Mam and his oldest sister, Wilma, began to pass the food around the table. Mam had a fixed look in her eye, but there was no way she could have known about his prayer for Mary. Even if Mam knew, there was nothing unusual about it. What a horrible situation they would be in if the school board had not found a new teacher. He wanted his younger siblings to be properly educated and to learn the discipline that a good teacher would instill. He had no reason to suspect she would perform her duties poorly.

  Marcus flinched when Mam interrupted his thoughts. “I have an announcement to make.”

  He faced her, but Mam was looking at the others.

  “I have already told Marcus,” Mam said, “but I wanted everyone to know. There is someone coming to visit us this afternoon.”

  “Uncle Amos?” Charles, the youngest, chirped.

  Mam’s smile was crooked. “No, sweetheart, this is someone who will be a special friend of mine. At least, I hope so.”

  “That’s awful mysterious,” Wilma said.

  Esther, the sister born between Wilma and Henry, stared at Mam. “Are you dating someone?”

  “Surely not!” Wilma exclaimed.

  “Please don’t be so shocked,” Mam begged. “It is a date, yah, but I shouldn’t have waited this long. I haven’t been fair to Marcus, or to the rest of you, leaving our home without a dat.”

  “We were doing just fine,” Wilma said, leaping up from the table. She gave Mam an angry look and then stomped away, not giving her a chance to explain.

  Mam appeared ready to rush after her, but must have changed her mind. “I . . . I really am sorry for the shock, but this has come suddenly even for me. I guess I just wasn’t facing things.”

  “Who is he?” Mose asked.

  “John Beachy,” Mam said, “but remember, this is just a date. We don’t know yet where it will lead.”

  Marcus concentrated on his food. Mam was going to marry John Beachy, likely this fall already. Neither of them was young, and as Mam had told him, John Beachy had been trying to win her affections for some time.

  “The time has come to move on,” Mam said, and left to comfort Wilma.

  Marcus ate slowly, the silence heavy around the table.

  “Where does this leave you?” Mose finally asked.

  “What does that mean?” Marcus retorted.

  “There won’t be enough work on John’s farm for two grown men.”

  “I suppose not,” Marcus allowed. Mose was right. John would surely move into their home and sell his own, much smaller farm to work on theirs.

  “Maybe you should be scheduling your own date,” Mose said.

  “What is a date?” Charles piped up.

  “I’ll let someone else explain that,” Marcus told him, gulping down the last bite of his food. He stood and left for the upstairs. If a new man was moving into the house, it was time for him to find a wife and settle down in a new home. Perhaps he should have felt relieved, but instead he just felt tired. The thought of running around with the other youths, most of whom were much younger than him at this point, did not excite him. Rumspringa began at age sixteen for most youths. Marcus was twenty-one, and the role he’d taken on for his family made him feel even older. Well, he’d have to trust that the Lord had a plan for him, even if at the moment it felt like God was leaving him high and dry.

  CHAPTER 6

  ON THE WAY TO CHURCH, MARY RODE IN THE BACK OF THE Hochstetlers’ buggy, with Leon and Lavina seated in the front. The steady clip-clop of their horse’s hooves filled her ears. The familiar sound was a great comfort to her continued nervousness. Mary kept checking the road ahead of them, and the home where the services would be held soon appeared. Mary leaned out of the buggy door for a better look. The white two-story structure with its accompanying massive red barn had a string of buggies in the driveway, with more parked in the field behind the barn. The women were unloading their children and moving them up the walks toward the house. Black shawls flapped in the morning breeze, while children clung to their mothers’ arms.

  “This is Robert Troyer’s place,” Lavina turned around to say. “They have one child in school, I think.”

  Mary’s mind raced over the list of school children Susie had given her on Friday. “Enos. First grade,” she said with a smile.

  “Yah!” Lavina was clearly impressed. “Enos will be in school this year. Missy and Robert couldn’t have children for a few years. Enos is their first gift from the Lord. They’ve had two more since then, a girl and a boy.”

  “One of our most successful farmers,” Leon added.

  “That he is,” Lavina agreed, and turned around in her seat.

  “Whoa,” Leon called out, bringing Brownie to a lumbering halt at the end of the sidewalk.

  Mary followed Lavina out of the buggy and clutched her shawl.

  “I see the unmarried men are watching us,” Lavina teased as they headed towards the house.

  Mary didn’t glance over at the line of men who stood near the barn. She did not want to appear as if she was checking them out. The services would begin soon enough, when she would get a proper look at the bench of unmarried men. Her heart was not exactly pounding in anticipation.

  “Wouldn’t surprise me if you get a few requests for dates by the end of the day,” Lavina continued.

  Mary gave Lavina another smile but didn’t answer. In a way, Lavina’s words warmed her heart, and so would the requests for dates from the men, even if she turned them down. She was honest enough to admit that much. There was no shame in finding the attention of men reassuring. The Lord had not yet opened her heart to the love of a man, so she would continue to wait until that special moment arrived.

  Lavina opened the front door and they walked in to find a long line of women greeting each other in the living room. Little children moved about underfoot, but everyone was well behaved and staying close to their mothers. Playtime would be after the services ended.

  “Goot morning,” Lavina greeted the first woman in line, and made the introductions. “Mary, our new schoolteacher.”

  They moved slowly around the circle, shaking hands.

  Most of the women added a hug to their greeting, but asked only the basic questions. “When did you arrive? How did you travel down?”

  Further details would be shared later around the dinner table, or while she helped serve in the kitchen. As the women gave their names, Mary matched them with the list Susie had given her and made a special effort to memorize the names of each child she encountered. Knowing their names on the first day of school would make an excellent impression. Lucille, the wife of the chairman of the board, Elmer Miller, who Mary had already met, made a point o
f greeting her with a big smile and a long hug. “Welcome to the community.”

  “Thank you. It is lovely here.”

  “I’m glad to hear you saying that. Elmer and I will be down Monday morning to see that you have everything you need. Perhaps help you open your first day? If that’s okay?”

  “That would be awesome,” Mary assured Lucille.

  There was also light teasing from the women. “Is Lavina taking care of you? Have you lost weight from her cooking?”

  Lavina played along good-naturedly, making faces and acting horrified. Their quiet laughter warmed Mary’s heart, and joy filled her. When they completed the full circle, she took her place at the end of the line with Lavina by her side.

  “That went goot,” Lavina whispered in her ear.

  Mary nodded, satisfied with the initial reaction from the community.

  Outside the house, standing near the barn door, Marcus jumped when a sharp elbow jabbed him in the ribs. “You’ve been staring at that front door for the last ten minutes. Are you asking the new schoolteacher for a date tonight?”

  “I was not staring,” he retorted, but the laughter from several men belied his denial. His cousin Emmanuel had made sure his whisper was heard by those who surrounded them.

  “She sure is cute,” Jonas Esh commented. “I didn’t know schoolteachers came that pretty.”

  “Are you having second thoughts about your wedding this fall?” Emmanuel teased.

  Jonas chuckled. “Not a chance, but I speak the truth. Seems like Marcus has been supplied his manna from heaven. No wonder he waited this long.”

  Marcus didn’t respond. They wouldn’t believe his protests. He was not about to run Mary’s reputation down by mentioning shimmering suitcases. In fact, that bit of information might enhance Mary’s standing with most of the men. It was not often that Amish girls came with such flair.

  “He’s so gone,” Emmanuel declared. “Look at the daze he’s in.”

  The laugher rippled down the line.

  “Did you hear that Marcus drove the new schoolteacher home from the bus station?” someone added.