“Ya, mamm, I am sorry.” Barbara said, struggling to keep her voice calm.
“Annie Fisher is the new teacher at the Peace Landing school. Her mother will be retiring at the end of this school year. Do you want her daughter teaching your sister and brothers?”
Barbara shrugged, not following her mother’s train of thought.
“Barbara, don’t be dumm! Think! If you can get her removed as a schoolteacher, Mark might begin to see her in a different light – and, this time, you’ll act right away, and not let time go by.”
“Mamm, how does her relationship with Mark Stoltzfus have anything to do with her teaching?” Barbara gestured her frustration by waving her hands wildly in the air.
Mrs. Kurtz sighed heavily. Before beginning to speak, she rearranged her round body on Barbara’s bed, adjusted her kapp and folded her small, plump hands together. Her entire presentation was that of a pious, devout woman – but her eyes glittered malevolently, belying the benign appearance she made.
“Barbara. Listen to me, and listen closely. The school board decides who will teach at the Peace Landing school. They pick the teacher, based on her good character and standing within the Amish community. Do you understand me so far?”
At Barbara’s quick nod, she continued.
“Annie Fisher went to the school board when she came back from her rumspringe earlier this year. It is up to you to put doubt in their minds, about her character. Make up lies, do what you have to do to put those doubts there! Rumpspringe, character? Do you get it? Or do I have to do everything for you? Find ‘reasons’ why she is not a suitable teaching candidate,” Mrs. Kurtz finished.
CHAPTER FIVE
Barbara’s rounded jaw dropped. “Mamm! I want Mark, but I don’t want to ruin Annie’s character! If I do that, nobody will marry her, and Mark will see she’s free to go back to!”
“Barbara, you are being dumm! You will get what you want! You are a Kurtz! Do not allow anything or anyone to get in the way! Do not be stupid like I was!”
At this outburst, Barbara’s jaw dropped further. “Mamm, what happened to you?”
Mrs. Kurtz regarded her oldest child silently. She thought back over the past twenty years of marriage to a man she did not love. Four children. Karl Lapp. Sighing heavily, she decided it was time to tell Barbara why she had to reach for what she wanted.
“Barbara, twenty-five years ago, I liked a man named Karl Lapp. He . . . was interested in me. But a little girl in our class liked him, too. Her family prevailed upon Karl’s family for Karl to court her. Not me! I was shy. I didn’t speak up. I wish I had, Barbara! Your father came to my father and asked for permission to begin courting me. To . . . to get back at Karl, I agreed when my father asked if I would like to court with your father. I wanted to make Karl jealous. But, instead, he married her in the next wedding season. To save face and keep from being embarrassed, I had to agree to marry your father in the wedding season after. And that is why I say, don’t let him get away. Don’t marry a man that you don’t . . . that you don’t . . .”
“Love? Mamm? You mean, you don’t love daed?”
Mrs. Kurtz snorted rudely. “Nee! A thousand times, no, Barbara, I do not! Can you love anyone the way you love Mark?” As she asked the question, Mrs. Kurtz completely missed the point that her daughter only liked Mark – she had already jumped to the conclusion that she had fallen in love with him, and that Annie was deliberately interfering with her daughter’s relationship with Mark Stoltzfus.
Barbara scooted back, shocked. Her first reaction was that her mother had never loved her father. Right behind that thought was that she had been denied the opportunity to spend a life with someone she had long loved. Immediately after that realization came the thought that her mother wanted her to fabricate false allegations against Annie Fisher! I don’t know if I can lie about her to the school board. But what is the alternative? If I don’t, I won’t have the chance to win Mark . . . and I do like him. I want him to be my husband. I want his children. Looking up at her mother, she saw the years of bitterness etched in the lines in her face and reflected in the hard gaze of her eyes.
“Ya, mamm, I will do it. I will think of reasons why Annie isn’t a good teaching candidate for Peace Landing. And I’ll make sure that Mark Stoltzfus finds out so that he begins to see her differently,” said Barbara quietly.
***
As one month blended into the next, the temperatures slowly warmed up. Annie kept making doll quilts and, when Mary wasn’t working, she was making items for the Beiler tourist attraction. Jenny and Ruth visited Annie and Mary as they talked about what they would make. Ruth asked Annie if she would work with the Englischer girls, explaining Amish doll-making and quilt-making. Annie agreed to help out every day when she wasn’t busy at the farm.
It was almost May when Annie received a visit from Mr. Kopp. Opening the front door and seeing his solemn face, she felt confused.
“Ya, Mr. Kopp. Kumm in. Would you like a glass of lemonade?”
“Nee, Miss Fisher. I do need to sit down and talk with you, though.”
In the kitchen, he sat, gazing at her quietly. Releasing a long, troubled sigh, he spoke.
“Miss Fisher, the school board has received some troubling allegations. I need to talk with you about them and ask you to verify for me whether they are true or not.”
Annie was stunned. Feeling a finger of apprehension curling through her stomach, she nodded.
“I’ll answer your questions, Mr. Kopp. And my answers will be truthful.”
“What kinds of activities did you participate in while you were on your rumspringe? Did you go out drinking? Kiss any boys? Spend time alone in a hotel room with any boys?”
Annie shook her head repeatedly, “No.” When Mr. Kopp had finished speaking, she gave him details of her activities while she had been away from Peace Landing.
“I went to community college so I could earn my teaching certificate. I visited museums and stores. We went to family-style restaurants. I visited libraries in New York City. But never, Mr. Kopp, did I drink or spend time alone with boys. I certainly never kissed any boys! If you would like, I can give you the names and phone numbers of my Englischer friends in New York. They can confirm what I’ve just told you.”
“Ya, if you will give me these names and numbers, I will make the calls.” Leaning in closer to Annie, Mr. Kopp whispered, “I remember my own running-about days well. Nee, it wasn’t too long ago! Truthfully, Miss Annie, I doubt these allegations. But we must check them out, regardless. If you have been truthful with me, you will be teaching, come September.”
“Mr. Kopp, would you be able to tell me who made these allegations to you? Unless I know who did it, it will be difficult for me to defend myself,” Annie said quietly.
“Nee, Miss Annie. I can’t tell you. The person’s name must remain confidential. I am sorry,” Mr. Kopp said.
That night, Annie told her parents about the conversation she had earlier with the school board president.
“Mamm, I asked him if he could tell me who told him those lies, but he couldn’t – or wouldn’t tell me. I told him what I did during my rumspringe – taking my classes, going to libraries and museums and touring around New York city, then I gave him the names and phone numbers of my Englischer friends. Could I have done anything else?”
Mary’s hands slowed as she worked on dinner preparations with Annie.
“Nee. You were honest and you gave him the names of people who can prove what you told him. I wish he could have told you who lied about you, Annie. We trust you. Your letters home might also help. We saved them, so, if you would like, you can take them to Mr. Kopp as further proof.”
“Ya, please. I would like to show them to him. Denk, mamm.”
Dinner was a quiet and subdued affair, with Annie worried that she had lost her job before it even started. Over the next two weeks, she stayed close to home, working on the cleaning, cooking and the hand-crafted items she had promised she w
ould make for Ruth. Every few evenings, Mark came by to pick Annie up so they could visit at his parents’ farm. When Annie told him what had happened, his eyebrows lowered and he frowned.
“But, you will be cleared. You have never been alone with boys or young men, because you do not want to ruin your good reputation. I have seen how you are here in Peace Landing. I’m sure you would have been the same way in New York City. Annie, I’m sure Mr. Kopp will tell you that you still have your teaching job. Let’s have some cookies and lemonade while we talk, okay?”
As the days passed slowly, Annie found it hard to focus on much else. She tried to keep her mind off the false allegations, turning to her work and crafting as she continued making doll quilts. On the Friday afternoon two weeks after Mr. Kopp had asked her about her running-about time, she was struggling not to lose hope. She had been close to tears, swallowing them back hard, for most of the day. As she worried, she grew uncharacteristically angry with the person who had lodged the false allegations against her.
I hope I find out whoever you are, soon. It has always been my plan to teach and work with children here in Peace Landing, and you are ruining my goals! All I can do is allow God to work His way, both with my situation and with your conscience. All I can do is . . .
Annie’s train of thought was interrupted by a sudden and unexpected knock at the front door. Wiping her tears away, she smoothed her hair under her kapp, sighed and answered the door.
“Mr. Kopp! How are you? I hope you have . . .” Annie’s words and thoughts grew tangled as she felt her emotions coming back to the surface again. Gulping, she blushed as a tear slid down one cheek.
“Miss Annie, I have news for you. May I come in, please?” Mr. Kopp asked. His face under his beard was wiped of all expression, making it impossible for Annie to know what her fate would be.
“Ya, kumm in. Would you like some lemonade and cookies?”
“Ya, denki.” Mr. Kopp sat waiting, as Annie poured a glass of chilled lemonade and put several cookies on a plate. Picking one up, he took a large bite.
“These are so gut. Your mamm is a very talented cook, teacher . . . and mother,” said Mr. Kopp. “I have good news for you. It’s just as I thought. The allegations were nothing more than lies, which is not good for the person who talked to us. You used your own running-about time to figure out your place here in the Plain life. Be ready to teach at the end of the summer,” he said with a large grin. At that moment, both of Annie’s parents walked in.
Annie gasped. Her tears began falling again, this time, from happiness. Putting her hands over her face in embarrassment, she tried to speak.
“Denki, Mr. Kopp! You will not be . . . sorry!”
Mary Fisher grabbed both of Annie’s shoulders in her hands, giving her a strong squeeze.
“See, Annie, I told you! You are an honest young woman and your reputation helped you.”
John Fisher shook Mr. Kopp’s hand as a broad smile spread across his face. “Thank you for bringing this good news to us! Annie has been a quiet little ghost for the past few weeks – it has been hard for her to think of anything else.”
“You are welcome, John. The board has decided it will not dignify the allegations by talking to the one who made them. The word will get out in due time. Your Annie is a good, upstanding young woman, with a good head on her shoulders.”
After Mr. Kopp had left, Annie sobbed in her parents’ arms. Once her tears of joy had been exhausted, she washed her face and hands so she could help her mother make dinner.
“I think an apple cake is in order. Annie, if you will dice some apples, I will make the batter. We’ll need the spices as well,” Mary said with a broad grin on her face. “Oh, before I forget, we also need to make something for Sunday’s luncheon after service. What do you think?”
Annie thought as she peeled and chopped apples.
“How about some salad and a big platter of your sourdough biscuits? It’s getting warm, so cooler foods would be more welcome,” she said.
“Okay. We will think of a salad and I will make biscuits. You will need to make a dressing for the salad – perhaps a light salad with spices and herbs,” suggested Mary.
That evening, Mark stopped by to pick Annie up. Before they left, she shared her good news with him.
“Gut! I knew those lies were lecherich,” said Mark with a wide smile. He looked into Annie’s happy eyes and felt a pull to kiss her. Stepping back quickly, he opened the door, escorting Annie outside.
At the Stoltzfus farm, Annie shared her news with Mark’s parents. Mary gripped both of Annie’s hands in hers, telling her she knew the school board would see reason.
“Wunderbarr, Annie! You are a good girl, and your parents have raised you well. Your new students will benefit when you begin teaching next autumn.”
Outside, Mark and Annie sat closer to each other than they had in the past. Annie, feeling the nearness of Mark’s body, struggled with a racing heartbeat – he really was too good-looking for his own good. Looking at his tall, muscular form, she swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.
Mark appeared to be struggling with the same feelings. He kept his gaze on Annie, seeking out her eyes more frequently than he had before. As their visit came to a close, he laid his hand over hers.
“I’d better get you home before it starts to get dark. I don’t want to get in trouble with your parents,” he said with a choked laugh.
“Ya, I don’t want that to happen either. Denki,” Annie said with a small smile.
At her parents’ house, Mark seemed to have a difficult time leaving her at the front door. He stood in front of her, shifting from one foot to the other, looking down at her. Annie stood in front of him, looking at him with a small smile playing about her lips.
“Well, I guess I’d better say, I’ll see you on Sunday. Would you like to stay after lunch for the sing?”
“Ya, denki,” said Annie. Her grin was larger this time.
“I will see you at service, then.” Smiling quickly, he made himself turn and leave her on the wide, wooden porch before he couldn’t leave. Waving to her from the safer distance of his buggy, he pushed out a sigh of relief – the feelings of wanting to hold her hand, to kiss her, were getting stronger.
***
The following Sunday was a church meeting day. After Annie got ready, she climbed into the buggy with her parents, setting the large bowl of salad next to her. In her lap, she held the biscuits she had asked her mother to make. She felt lighter in spirit than she had felt for several weeks. She was eager to see and visit with Ruth and Jenny, who had both been busy at their family farms.
Walking to the rows of benches, Annie saw Ruth, Jenny and Mark. Before the morning’s service began, Mark walked over to her with a gentle smile on his face.
“Gut mariye, ladies! Annie, how are you?” Mark asked.
“I am wonderful this morning! How about . . . Oh, service is about to start.” Annie said with a bright smile.
After the service, the oldest members of the Amish community gathered, taking seats at the picnic benches as the women brought out the afternoon meal. Once they had finished, the next shift of members sat down and partook of their meal. The third shift was for the teens and young people. Annie, Jenny and Ruth sat together, eating hungrily.
“I have some good news!” Annie said. “Those allegations against me – Mr. Kopp came to our house Friday afternoon and told me he and the school board found they were false!”
Ruth looked quickly around at Annie. “What allegations?”
Annie explained everything. “I was able to give him the names and phone numbers of my Englischer friends and they confirmed for him that I had told him the truth about visiting museums, stores and tourist attractions, but not bars.”
Barbara Kurtz walked behind Annie, Jenny and Ruth. As she heard Annie’s happy news, she jumped suddenly, jostling her plate of food, which tipped and spilled all over Ruth’s and Annie’s backs. Seeing the food decorating their dresses, s
he gasped. Her emotions were clearly written on her face.
Annie turned around and saw the dark, glowering frown on Barbara’s round face. Her eyes were a dark, stormy blue and her lips were clenched tightly together, turning down. Annie gazed at Barbara’s plump form as she retreated. She only vaguely felt others brushing the back of her dress free of food. Oh! She overheard me telling Ruth and Jenny that I didn’t do what Mr. Kopp asked me about . . . I wonder?
“Denki, Mrs. Kopp. No, I am fine. I will change at home,” Annie murmured thoughtfully. Looking at Ruth, her eyes widened – her friend had a large blotch on her back, where some of the Fisher family’s salad had landed. “Ruth, hold on. You have some salad dressing on your back. You will need to treat that dress as soon as you get home,” Annie said.
“Ruth, come with me. I have a dress that might fit you,” said Jacob Lapp’s mother.
“Denki, Mrs. Lapp. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she told Annie and Jenny.
Annie only barely heard her and she nodded vaguely, wondering what she should do with her new information. She continued to be far-away during lunch and the group sing. Driving her home, Mark looked at her.
“Annie, are you all right? You’ve been quiet all afternoon long,” he said, worried.
“Ya, I am fine. When we get to my parents’, would you come in with me? I have something to ask all of you,” Annie said, refusing to say anything more.
Mark was not aware of Barbara Kurtz’ reaction to hearing Annie’s happy news, so he was worried and confused. In the Fisher kitchen, Annie asked her parents to join them in the kitchen.
CHAPTER SIX
Mary poured lemonade and put a platter of cake on the table with several plates and forks. She cut it as Annie began to talk.
“Daed, mamm, something happened today,” Annie said, turning around to show them the back of her dress, stained with spilled food. “Yes, I will go change, but first, I have something to ask you. When I told Ruth and Jenny my news today, Barbara Kurtz was walking behind us and she spilled her food on our backs. She didn’t say anything, only walked away – and she was mad. I don’t know for sure, but I think she was the one who talked to the school board. I think she was the one who told them all those lies about me. I didn’t want to say anything during lunch or the sing, Mark. That’s why I was so quiet. I don’t know that there’s anything I can do – I just wanted to let you know what I figured out today.”
Simple Amish Love 3-Book Collection Page 4
