“Of course. Will you be staying too?” Part of her wished for him to say yes, but her conscience warned she was asking for trouble.
“I don’t want to make extra work for you.”
“It’s no trouble at all. It’s only one extra plate at the table.” It’s more than that. Ada ignored the warning of the small voice inside, but she couldn’t ignore the quickening of her pulse as she waited for his answer.
“If you’re sure…”
“I am. You’re more than welcome.” Be careful, Ada. Worried she’d sounded overeager, she added, “David will be thrilled.” And so will I.
Now that she’d issued the invitation, it dawned on Ada it wasn’t proper to invite a man to dinner when Daed or another adult wasn’t here, especially one she was attracted to. But they’d have seven—eight, counting Nathan—chaperones.
Ada turned to David, who’d been watching them warily. “Two more,” she said to him, making sure he could see her lips.
Her brother beamed and held up one finger. Then he pointed to the table, where he’d already set out silverware for Nathan. So her brother had been sure his friend would be staying for dinner. David had given Nathan his favorite spot on the bench beside her chair.
Her brother came over and took Nathan’s hand, and together they hurried to the silverware drawer. When they neared Josiah, Nathan tugged David in a wide circle far away from his daed. They returned with a fork and knife for Josiah, and David placed them at Daed’s old place, before leading Nathan to the opposite end of the table.
Once again, Ada marveled at David’s sensitivity. Without his hearing, he’d developed his other senses more keenly, but his empathy seemed the most highly developed.
After motioning for Josiah to sit in the chair, she joined her sisters as they finished preparing the meal. Ruby filled water glasses and carried them to the table. Her twin, Grace, stood on a chair at the stove to stir the succotash. Ada put an arm around Sadie and, with a flick of her head, indicated her sister should sit at the table. Sadie’s eyebrows rose, but her lips curved in a slight smile as Ada took over hand-mashing the potatoes. They were setting the serving dishes on the table when Noah opened the back door.
“Sorry, I’m late,” he said as he rushed past them. “I’ll go wash up.”
He returned and slid into place as Ada carried in the meatloaf platter. “Chores took longer than usual without David’s help,” he said. Facing David, he said, “I missed you. I didn’t realize how much help you give me.”
David smiled back, so he evidently understood.
Noah turned to Josiah. “I unhooked your horse, rubbed her down, and fed her. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.” Josiah’s cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry I didn’t do it.”
“It was no problem,” Noah assured him.
As soon as Ada placed the last platter on the table and settled into her chair, everyone bowed their heads for silent prayer. She was pleasantly surprised to see Nathan participate. Teaching David had been difficult. She wasn’t positive, but just before she closed her eyes, she thought Nathan’s lips were forming words. She let go of the thought to concentrate on the Lord’s Prayer, but after the prayer was over, Ada intended to find out more about Nathan’s skills.
As they ate, David signed to Nathan. At times, Ada caught a glimmer of understanding in Nathan’s eyes, but usually his brow furrowed as if he were concentrating hard, trying to figure out what the signs meant. Her brother was good about pointing out concrete objects, and he repeated the motions several times until Nathan was able to copy the signs well.
Ada turned to Josiah. “So how much sign language does Nathan know?”
Josiah shifted uneasily and stared down at his plate. “I don’t have any idea.”
Ada was flabbergasted. How could a father not know about his child’s vocabulary?
Before she could voice her concerns, Josiah said miserably, “My wife took him along when she went to Mexico for cancer treatments. He was two and lost his hearing while they were gone. An infection or something. They weren’t sure, and I didn’t find out until…later.” Keeping his head down, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “When she got too sick to care for him”—his words grew husky—“they came home.”
Ada regretted starting this conversation and bringing up bad memories. If only she could reach out and comfort him.
“I wanted to return to Mexico with her and Nathan, but I had to work to pay the treatment bills,” Josiah continued. “While she was home for those few short months…” His voice broke, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He was silent for a short while, and when he spoke again, he choked up. “…she taught me a few signs, but most of the time, she was too weak.” He shrugged helplessly.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up such painful memories.” Ada wished she’d kept her questions to herself.
Josiah, his head still bowed, waved a hand, and it was obvious he was struggling for control. To give him time to recover, she turned to the children. “Would anyone like another slice of meatloaf?”
Noah, who always seemed to be hungry, licked his lips. “I would.”
Ada served him and then turned to Nathan. She signed the question, but when he looked at her blankly, she pointed to the platter of meatloaf and mimed putting a piece on his plate. He ducked his head shyly before nodding. After she served him, he glanced up at her with a huge smile, a smile that warmed her heart.
Josiah lifted his head, and Ada motioned toward the meatloaf. He shook his head, and said in a choked voice, “I can’t eat much more, but it was delicious. Thank you for letting us share your meal.”
As soon as everyone finished, Sadie hopped up to gather the plates, but Ada motioned for her to sit down. “Mary Elizabeth will clear the table tonight and help with the washing up.”
“Me?” her little sister squeaked.
“Jah, you,” Ada said. Inwardly, she smiled at Sadie’s bemusement.
Josiah slid back his chair. “I’m happy to help.”
Ada shook her head. “Thank you, but I’ve decided it’s time for Mary Elizabeth to take more responsibility.” Perhaps if they stopped treating her like a baby, she’d stop acting like one. At least that was Ada’s hope. Usually after Sadie cleared the table, she supervised Mary Elizabeth’s bath while the others cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes.
Josiah stood and pushed in his chair. “Thank you for a delicious meal and the wonderful company. Much nicer than eating alone.” He rounded the table and headed toward the sink. “Nathan and I should be going soon, but first I’d like to help wash the dishes.”
Ada jumped up to intercept him and almost ran into him. He held out a hand to steady her, and the touch of his fingers on her shoulders set her heart pattering out of control. She’d never been this close to a man before, and being around one she was attracted to… One she had no business thinking about… She backed up and clasped her hands to keep from reaching out, pulling him closer. Lowering her eyes, she blurted out, “We don’t need help. Mary Elizabeth and I can handle it.” Then realizing how rude that sounded, she stammered, “I’m sorry. We appreciate your help, but you and Nathan are guests. I wish we had dessert to offer you, but that ended up on the floor earlier.”
Mary Elizabeth bit her lip and then said in a teary voice, “It was an accident.” The look of betrayal in her eyes stirred Ada’s guilt.
Ada opened her mouth to apologize, but Josiah spoke first. “It’s not easy being the youngest, is it?”
“But I’m not the youngest.” Mary Elizabeth gave him a puzzled look. “I’m a year older than David.”
“Of course you are,” Josiah soothed. “I should have said youngest girl. I was the youngest boy, so I know what it’s like. You’re never old enough to do what the older ones do, and everyone always blames you for everything.”
Gazing at him with adoring eyes, Mary Elizabeth agreed. “But you probably didn’t cause accidents like I d
o.”
“You’d be surprised,” Josiah said. “Once when we were having church at our house, Mamm and my aenti had spent all week cleaning. Daed had set up the church benches, which extended into the kitchen from the living room. Mamm set a big bowl of chocolate pudding on the counter and then went to greet everyone. I wanted to sneak one little taste, so I slid the bowl to the edge of the counter. I could barely reach, and the bowl tipped.”
“Uh-oh.” Mary Elizabeth sucked in a breath.
“It shattered, and chocolate pudding flew everywhere. It dripped from the benches, covered the floor, and coated me from head to toe. Mamm and some of the ladies rushed around, trying to clean everything before the service started, but there wasn’t time for me to change. I had to sit through church with hardened chocolate pudding on my hair and clothes. And we didn’t discover until later that several people had been sitting in spots of pudding the ladies had missed.”
Mary Elizabeth giggled so hard, she held her stomach.
Ada could barely contain her own mirth, but she could easily imagine his mamm’s distress. Having a clean house for church was so important. “Your poor mamm. She must have been so embarrassed.”
“Yes, she was. And people never stopped talking about it.”
“I’m glad…I didn’t spill…flour before church,” Mary Elizabeth wheezed out between chuckles.
“I am too,” Ada agreed. She had enough people talking behind her back already. “Which reminds me, we need to clean the kitchen now.”
As she started toward the sink, Josiah stopped her. “Please let me help. After all you’ve done for Nathan today, I’d like to do something in exchange.”
“It was no trouble. I was happy to do it, and besides, you helped my siblings get home.”
Josiah waved aside all her protests, and the next thing she knew, he was ensconced at the sink with Mary Elizabeth beside him holding the dish towel. Ada hovered nearby, busying herself with putting away leftovers and cleaning the counters and tables. She told herself all these chores needed to be done, but if she were honest, she did them because the work kept her near Josiah and gave her a chance to observe him without being obvious.
Ada had finished wiping the table—twice—and continued rubbing in circles as she eavesdropped on his conversation with Mary Elizabeth. From this spot, she had a good view of their faces.
“So how was your first day of school?” Josiah asked her sister.
Mary Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears, and she ducked her head. “Not good. I missed Ada.”
“That’s understandable. The first few weeks of school can be hard.” He handed her a plate to dry. “Did you learn anything? Have fun at recess?”
Keeping her attention on the glass she was wiping, Mary Elizabeth said in a small voice, “No. I cried all day. And Sadie was mad at me because nobody could hear the teacher.”
“Oh, that bad, huh?” When Mary Elizabeth nodded, he said, “I guess I’m not the only one who made it hard for the teacher to give lessons on the first day of school.”
Mary Elizabeth glanced up shyly. “You did?”
Josiah gestured toward the glass she was holding. “I’ll wait until you put that away to tell you.”
Mary Elizabeth quickly returned it to the cupboard and stared up at him with expectant eyes.
Josiah smiled at her before handing her another glass to dry. “I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I ran away from school the first day. I missed my mamm, so I ran home. The teacher chased me out to the playground, but she didn’t catch me.”
“Ooo…” Mary Elizabeth sucked in a breath and stared at him with wide eyes.
Ada clenched the rag she’d been aimlessly pushing around on the table. She hoped Josiah wasn’t giving her sister any ideas. The last thing she needed was for Mary Elizabeth to run away from school.
Josiah nudged Mary Elizabeth back to work by handing her another glass. “It was the worst decision I’d ever made. I got in trouble with my parents.”
Her sister’s disappointed oh suggested she had been thinking of following his example. Then Mary Elizabeth brightened. “But I wouldn’t get in trouble with Ada.”
Josiah’s eyebrows rose. “I hope you aren’t thinking about following my example.”
Mary Elizabeth shuffled her feet. “Well, maybe, a little.”
“Ach, your sister will have my head.”
“No, she won’t.” Mary Elizabeth giggled and looked over at Ada, who straightened up and tried to look purposeful.
But when Josiah turned in her direction and their eyes met, the rag dangling from her hands fell from her nerveless fingers. Flustered, she bent to pick it up, but knowing he was staring at her made her movements awkward and clumsy. She breathed out a sigh when he turned back to the dishes.
“So what happened next?” Mary Elizabeth asked as he handed her a plate.
“My mamm marched me back to school. It was almost time for recess. I had to stay in the classroom and do chores while everyone else played.”
Mary Elizabeth frowned, and Ada hoped that part of Josiah’s story might be a deterrent. Her sister disliked chores, and losing playtime would be a major punishment.
Josiah washed the next plate slowly. “I thought about running away again, but when I glanced out the window, Mamm was standing at the edge of the playground with her arms crossed.” He handed over the dish and started on another. “I tried running away the next morning, but one of my older brothers grabbed my suspenders and the other grabbed my arm. They didn’t let go until I was inside the schoolhouse.” He sighed. “It’s hard to get away with anything when you have older brothers and sisters.”
“I know,” Mary Elizabeth agreed.
Ada had to smile at the sympathy on her sister’s face as she commiserated with Josiah.
“But you know what was funny?” Josiah said. “Once I started paying attention to the teacher, I discovered I loved learning.”
“You did?”
“I especially liked being able to read books for myself instead of waiting for people to have time to read to me.”
“Ada likes to read too. She does it almost every night.” Mary Elizabeth lowered her voice. “When she thinks I’m asleep, I sneak to the top of the stairs to watch her. When she’s not quilting, she’s reading. Read, read, read.”
Ada couldn’t hear Josiah’s response, but from now on, she’d pay closer attention to her sister’s breathing to be sure she really was asleep.
“So what are your plans for tomorrow?” Josiah asked Mary Elizabeth.
Ada had run out of chores to do in the kitchen, but she re-swept the kitchen floor. She told herself it was so she could hear his story, but she had to admit she was equally—or maybe even more so—interested in watching him.
Mary Elizabeth hesitated. “I want to be brave, but…” Her chin wobbled. “I miss Ada, and I miss Mamm.” She put the plate in the cupboard and then swiped her eyes with her dress sleeve.
Josiah took his hands from the dishwater and wiped them on his pants. Then he squatted down in front of Mary Elizabeth and set his hands on her shoulders. “It’s hard being brave.”
She sniffled. “I know.”
“When I want to be brave, I remember Bible stories. David must have been scared to fight that huge giant, but God helped him. Do you remember the story of Queen Esther? She was afraid, but she did what God wanted her to do, and her bravery saved her people.”
Mary Elizabeth nodded, although her eyes were still damp.
Josiah smiled at her, a smile that made Ada swallow hard and turn away. She headed toward the pantry, but stopped when Josiah started speaking again.
“Daniel was brave when he faced the hungry lions.” He pinned Mary Elizabeth with a serious look. “Is Rebecca’s class as scary as a den of lions?” He took his hands off her shoulders and curved his fingers into claws. When he growled, Mary Elizabeth giggled.
“No,” she admitted.
“Then maybe tomorrow you could try being like one o
f them?”
“I—I guess.” Mary Elizabeth’s teeth clamped down on her lower lip. “I’ll be Queen Esther”—her voice shook—“because we don’t have any lions.” A hesitant laugh followed her words, and she gazed up at Josiah adoringly.
As adoringly as Ada wished she could do for more reasons than just her attraction to him. Her heart overflowed with gratitude. Not only had he been gentle and understanding with her sister, he’d also taught her a lesson, which saved Ada from lecturing her tonight. Josiah’s stories made a much stronger impact than her pleading.
* * *
Josiah’s heart went out to this little girl. He understood what it was like being one of the youngest in the family and never being able to keep up with the others. It would be hard to leave her older sister when she was missing her mamm. But his conscience pricked him. He’d used Scripture to teach a lesson, to help her, but wasn’t he a hypocrite if he couldn’t trust God in his own life?
“We’d better finish these dishes,” he said to Mary Elizabeth as he stood. “Everyone will wonder what took us so long.”
She dried as fast as she could, but by the time Josiah finished washing, a mountain of dishes had piled up. He picked up a towel and helped. Ada had been hovering behind them doing chores while they worked, but when he turned in her direction, she scurried toward the pantry and stowed the broom. Then with a brief apologetic glance, she left the room. He stared after her until he realized he’d been scrubbing the same plate over and over.
Mary Elizabeth heaved a huge sigh after she put the final dish in the cupboard, but Josiah would have preferred to dawdle. He hadn’t had a peaceful evening like this since before Ruth passed…
He shook off the gloom surrounding him. He’d just talked to Mary Elizabeth about being brave. Now it was his turn to face the lion.
Nathan hadn’t made a peep since dinner. Josiah’s tense nerves gradually unraveled, making him realize how tight his muscles and jaw usually were whenever he prepared for a confrontation with his son. Like he was doing now. Before Ruth’s death, he would have prayed for courage, but now…
The Amish Teacher's Gift Page 9
