Bumpy Ride Ahead!

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “That’s right,” Dad said. “When we went out the next morning, the wagon was totally empty, and there was not one walnut to be found.” Dad gave Mark’s shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t you worry, son, we had a good time Saturday having family time together, and there are plenty more walnuts left where we picked those. So, Mark, maybe you can convince one of your brothers or Mattie to go along with you to pick some more nuts after school.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Ike quickly volunteered. “Since I missed out on Saturday’s walnut picking, I’d be glad to help you get more.”

  Mark was happy that Dad wasn’t too upset and that he’d be doing something fun with his big brother Ike. He’d also learned a good lesson, though, about doing what he was told to do instead of what he wanted to do.

  “You’re tryin’ to cram too much in,” Mattie mumbled when Mark put a big, thick book in the basket on their bike before they left for school. “What is that, anyway?”

  “It’s my dictionary,” Mark said. “I’m gonna study it during recess today so I can have some new big words to say.”

  Mattie frowned. “You don’t need any more big words to say. You’ve said enough of those already.” She stuffed her jump rope into the basket beside her lunch pail. “And you shouldn’t be taking up room in our basket with that big book.”

  “If you think it’s too crowded, then why don’t you take your jump rope out?” Mark asked.

  She shook her head. “My jump rope hardly takes up any room at all, and I’m takin’ it so some of the girls and I can have fun jumping during recess.”

  Mark shrugged. “That’s fine by me. Let’s just get going or we’re gonna be late.”

  Mattie climbed onto the back of the bike, and Mark climbed onto the front. As they pedaled out of the yard, a cool breeze came up, swirling some of the fallen leaves into the air.

  Mattie shivered. Fall was definitely here, and she was glad she’d worn a jacket today. From the looks of the gray sky overhead, it could even rain before the day was out. She hoped no rain would fall—at least not until they were home from school. It was never fun to be caught in the drenching rain, even though they no longer had to walk since they’d been given a bike.

  They were halfway to the schoolhouse when they hit a bump and Mattie’s jump rope bounced out. The next thing she knew the bike had come to a complete stop. Mattie pumped her legs and pushed her feet hard against the pedals, but she couldn’t get them to move forward or back.

  “What’s going on?” Mark called over his shoulder. “The bike’s not moving. Did you stop pedaling, Mattie?”

  “No, I did not. My jump rope fell out, and I think it might be stuck in the chain.”

  Mark got off the bike and squatted down beside the chain. “Jah, that’s what happened, all right. Now we need to figure out how to get the jump rope loose.”

  Mattie got off, set the kickstand, and knelt on the ground next to Mark.

  First, Mark pulled on the jump rope, and then Mattie gave it a try. It was such a tangled mess she didn’t think they’d ever get it out.

  “Be careful, Mattie,” Mark said. “If we pull too hard, we might break the chain.”

  “What are we gonna do?” she asked, feeling a sense of panic.

  “Just keep trying to get it off.”

  They both twisted and pulled and twisted some more. Suddenly, the chain popped right off!

  “That’s just great,” Mark mumbled. “Now we’re gonna have to push the bike the rest of the way to school.”

  “If we do that, we’ll be late,” Mattie said. “Can’t we just leave the bike here and run the rest of the way?”

  Mark shook his head. “If we leave the bike, someone might steal it. Then we’ll be walking to school from now on instead of ridin’ our bike.”

  Mattie’s lips compressed as she gave Mark’s words some serious thought. “You’re right. It wouldn’t be good if someone stole our bicycle. Guess we’d better start pushing, even if it does make us late.”

  When the twins entered the schoolhouse, their teacher, Anna Ruth Stutzman, looked at Mark and Mattie and said, “You two are late.”

  “We’re sorry,” the twins both said.

  “We had a little problem with the chain on our bike,” Mark explained. “We ended up havin’ to push the bike the rest of the way to school.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Now please take your seats.”

  Mark’s face heated with embarrassment. Mattie’s cheeks were red, too. All the other scholars seemed to be looking at them.

  They’d just taken their seats when Anna Ruth took out her Bible. “This morning I’ll be reading from First Thessalonians 5:18: ‘Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’”

  Mark sat at his desk, mulling things over. Was he supposed to feel thankful that their bike chain had fallen off and they’d been late for school? It was a lot easier to be thankful when things went well, but he did want to do what the Bible said.

  “I know it’s not always easy to be thankful when things don’t go as we’d like,” Anna Ruth said as though she knew what Mark was thinking. “But if we have an attitude of thankfulness, it helps us deal with things better. After all, it doesn’t do any good to get mad when things go wrong. When we go through hard times, it can actually help to strengthen our character.”

  Mark glanced over at Mattie to see her reaction, but she was whispering something to her friend Stella.

  Next the teacher told the children to stand and recite the Lord’s Prayer. Following that, everyone filed to the front of the room and sang a few songs.

  Mark didn’t feel much like singing today, but he forced himself to do it. He couldn’t stop thinking about the bike and wondering what Dad would say when they told him what had happened.

  After the singing, everyone took their seats, and Anna Ruth gave the arithmetic assignment. When that was done, she told the class that they had another assignment to do.

  “I’d like you to write an essay, either about something you’ve recently learned to do or something that’s taught you about becoming responsible. This assignment will be due by the end of the week, and everyone will get the chance to read what they wrote to the class.”

  I wonder what I should write about, Mark thought. Whatever topic I choose, I think I’ll include a big word or two.

  “I can’t think of anything to write about,” Mattie told Mark as they pushed their bike home from school that afternoon. “What topic are you gonna choose?” she asked.

  “I think I’ll write about how we learned to ride our bicycle built for two,” Mark said. “It was a real challenge for us at first, remember?”

  “Jah, I sure do.” Mattie sighed. “I can’t think of anything to write about. Do you have any ideas for me?”

  Mark stopped pushing the bike and turned to face her. “Anna Ruth said we could write about something that has taught us to be responsible. Maybe you could write about all the things you do to care for Twinkles. Takin’ care of our pets has taught us both about responsibility.”

  “I guess you’re right. Besides feeding and watering Twinkles, I’m responsible for brushing her hair and teaching her tricks.” Mattie smiled. “Jah, I think I will write about that. Danki, Mark, for giving me the idea.”

  He grinned at her. “You’re welcome.”

  Mattie was glad that Dad had been able to get the jump rope untangled and put the chain back on their bike. That meant she and Mark could ride to school again. She was also glad she had until the end of the week to get her essay done, and she spent every evening that week working on it. Putting words together in the form of an essay wasn’t something she enjoyed, but at least she had an interesting topic to write about. She was glad Mark had suggested it and hoped she’d get a good grade.

  When Friday came and the twins went to school, Mattie became nervous. She dreaded reading her essay in front of the class. And what if the teacher didn’t like what she’d written?

  Matt
ie had a hard time concentrating at the beginning of class as they recited the Lord’s Prayer, sang some songs, and listened to the teacher read a verse of scripture.

  After their arithmetic lesson was over, Anna Ruth told everyone to get out their essays and said they would take turns reading them.

  Mattie’s heart started to race. I hope she doesn’t call on me first. If she does, though, at least I’ll be getting it over with. Then I can relax and listen to everyone else read their essay.

  Anna Ruth looked at Mark and gave him a nod. “You have an eager look on your face, so why don’t you go first?”

  Good, Mattie thought. At least I don’t have to be first. Mattie had never liked speaking in front of the class. It made her stomach knot up and turned her hands all sweaty. She was afraid she might say something dumb. Mark didn’t have a problem with talking in front of the class, though. He always seemed calm and relaxed.

  Mattie leaned forward, anxious to hear what Mark had written about riding their bike. This should be really good, she thought. That bicycle built for two had taught them a lot about working together as a team—not just with riding the bike but in many other ways, too. It was a good topic for Mark to write about, and she was sure he’d have a lot to say on the subject. She just hoped he wouldn’t mention some of the silly mistakes she’d made when they’d first begun learning to ride the bike. Letting their whole class know about that would really be embarrassing for Mattie.

  Mark picked up his paper and went to the front of the class. “The name of my essay is: How I Take Care of My Pets.”

  Mattie’s mouth dropped open. What? Now, wait a minute! I thought Mark was going to write about learning to ride our bicycle built for two. He told me to write about caring for my pet, but then he went and wrote about it. What a copycat my brother is!

  “Caring for my cat, Lucky, involves a lot of responsibility, and I’m the one who has to take care of her needs,” Mark said. “I’m also responsible for taking care of Lucky’s kitten, Boots. Most kittens are curious, playful, and energetic, and Boots is all of those things.” He chuckled. “It’s fun to watch Boots grow and mature.

  “An adult cat, like Lucky, requires less care than my kitten does,” Mark went on to say. “But I don’t mind ’cause I enjoy taking care of them both.” He paused a minute and smiled at the scholars, who all seemed to be listening intently. “Healthy cats have clear, bright eyes with little or no tearing, and their nostrils and ears are clean. If there’s black, tarlike gunk in a cat’s ear, it probably means she has ear mites. Lucky had them once, and Dad helped me put medicine in her ears.”

  Mark is doing such a good job telling about his cat, Mattie thought. My essay is boring compared to his. I wish he’d chosen something else to write about. He’ll probably get a better grade than me, too.

  Looking around the classroom, Mattie could see that her brother had everyone’s attention. From the looks she saw on their faces, she knew they were eager to hear more.

  “Cats are naturally fastidious,” Mark continued. “So I always make sure my cats have fresh food and water and that their dishes are clean. Cats don’t like food that is old or water that’s stale.”

  “What’s fas-tid-ious mean?” Aaron Stutzman wanted to know.

  “It means they like to be clean,” Mark said with a wide grin.

  Mattie wondered if he was trying to show everyone how smart he was by using such a big word. She gripped the edge of her desk with both hands. It figured that Mark would have to do that!

  “You shouldn’t ask questions or speak out of turn,” Anna Ruth said, looking sternly at Aaron. “If you have a question, please raise your hand.” She nodded at Mark. “You may continue reading.”

  “I always brush my cats regularly so that their hair is shiny and sleek. Cats like to lick themselves: their paws, their legs, their back, and even their tail, which is how they keep clean. By brushing their coat and gettin’ the loose fur removed, this also helps the cats not to end up with hair balls. In addition, brushin’ the cats’ hair helps me to check for fleas.” Mark glanced at Mattie but then quickly looked away.

  He probably knows I’m upset because he took my topic to write about, she fumed. Well, why wouldn’t I be upset? He was selfish to do that, and I hope he knows it.

  “Taking care of a pet requires love and patience,” Mark said. “Cats can be one of the most lovable and playful pets to have. I’m glad I have some pets that have taught me about responsibility.” Mark smiled at the teacher and took his seat.

  Anna Ruth looked at Mattie then. “Would you like to go next?”

  Mattie’s heart felt like it had sunk all the way to her toes. Speaking in front of the class was bad enough; having to read the essay she’d written about caring for her pet, after Mark had read his, was horrible! Yet she knew she had to do it, or she wouldn’t get a good grade. And if she said no to the teacher, she’d be in big trouble, too.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Mattie picked up her paper and slowly made her way to the front of the room. Turning around and looking out at the class, she saw that all eyes were on her now. Mattie’s stomach felt queasy, and her mouth turned dry. Here goes nothing, she thought. “The name of my essay is: How I Take Care of My Pet,” she said, swallowing hard and barely able to speak.

  She glanced at Mark, and he smiled at her. Didn’t he feel the least bit guilty?

  “Please continue, Mattie,” Anna Ruth said.

  Mattie cleared her throat and wiped one sweaty hand on the side of her dress. “Uh … I have a dog named Twinkles, and she’s a fox terrier. Caring for her involves a lot of responsibility.” She paused and moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “The things I do for my dog are: feeding her, giving her fresh water, playing games like ‘fetch the ball,’ and I also brush her hair at least once a week. That way she doesn’t shed so much.”

  Mattie’s cheeks burned. Her essay wasn’t nearly as well written as Mark’s. She was sure everyone in the class was bored because a couple of the boys were yawning. It was hard to concentrate on reading her essay with so many pairs of eyes watching her, too. Maybe it would be best if I hurry through it so I can return to my seat and be done with this assignment, she decided.

  “I’ve taught Twinkles to sit, roll over, and fetch,” Mattie said, glad that her essay was finally coming to a close. “My dog’s very smart, and someday I’ll teach her to jump through a hoop.” Red-faced and feeling more nervous than ever, Mattie turned to the teacher and said, “That’s all I have.”

  “Very well, you may return to your seat,” Anna Ruth said.

  Mattie sank into the chair at her desk, wishing she could crawl right under it and stay there for the rest of the day. It had felt like forever, standing there in front of the whole class, and it was all Mark’s fault that her essay wasn’t as good as his. If he just hadn’t chosen the same topic, maybe the things she’d written wouldn’t have sounded so boring.

  As Mattie’s friend Stella got up to read her essay, Mattie looked up at the sign on the wall above the teacher’s desk. It read: You ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR You.

  Mattie blinked against the tears stinging her eyes. I should have never asked for Mark’s help. I should have chosen a topic to write about myself. Next time I’ll know better.

  CHAPTER 9

  Horse Sense

  “Can I play with your gaul?” Mark’s little brother, Perry, asked when he entered Mark’s bedroom.

  Mark’s gaze went to the small wooden horse sitting on his dresser across the room. Dad had carved it and given the toy to Mark for Christmas last year. That made it very special.

  “No,” Mark said. “You can’t play with my wooden gaul.”

  Perry’s bottom lip jutted out. “Sei net so eegesinnisch.”

  “I’m not being selfish. I just don’t want you to play with it.”

  “How come?”

  “Because you might break it.”

  Perry shook his head. “Huh-uh. I’ll be achtsam.“

  “You
might think you’re being careful, but you’re not old enough to play with something so fragile.”

  “Sei net so eegesinnisch,” Perry mumbled as he lowered his head and shuffled out of the room.

  Mark knew his little brother was upset, but he figured Perry would get over it as soon as he found something else to do. Besides, the horse is mine, and I don’t have to let Perry play with it if I don’t want to, he thought. Mark leaned against his pillows and went back to reading his book.

  A few minutes later, Mattie poked her head into the room. “I just talked to Perry, and he said you’re eegesinnisch. How come he said you were selfish, Mark?” she asked.

  “He wanted to play with the little wooden horse Dad gave me last Christmas, and I said no because he might break it.”

  “I don’t blame you for saying no,” Mattie said. “Remember awhile back what happened when Ada got ahold of my bopp?”

  Mark gave a nod. “Jah, she scribbled on the doll’s face with black ink.”

  “That’s right, and now it’s her doll to play with.” Mattie frowned. “I sure didn’t want the bopp after that, and I was glad when my friend Stella gave me a new one for my birthday.”

  “If I’d let Perry play with my gaul and he broke it, Dad probably wouldn’t have time to make me a new one. He and Ike have been keepin’ real busy in the wood shop lately.”

  “Do you think you’ll work for Dad in the wood shop after you graduate the eighth grade?” Mattie asked.

  Mark shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t really know yet what I wanna do. How ’bout you, Mattie? Do you know what you want to do when you finish school?”

  “I’m not sure. One thing I know is that I don’t wanna teach school.”

  “How come?”

  “I’m too dumm.“

  “You’re not dumb, Mattie. You just need to study harder and not daydream so much.”