The Amish Teacher's Gift

by Rachel J. Good

  Leah’s cheerful smile was accompanied by bubbly words. “What can I help you with today?”

  “I, um, don’t need anything. Nathan and I were passing by, and he spotted David climbing the goat farm fence, so of course, we needed to stop. I only wandered inside to warm up a bit.” He rubbed his slightly chilly hands together to make his excuse appear authentic.

  Leah leaned over and pulled a bottle out of a nearby box. “We just received a shipment of these.” She turned the bottle so he could read the label. “It’s a new product that’s supposed to help calm children.”

  Josiah bent closer, but he had little interest in reading about the tonic. “Hmm.” His new position allowed him to see farther down the closest aisle. A flash of black gave him hope Ada was in that aisle.

  “Would you like to try a bottle? We’re giving a ten percent discount until the end of the month.”

  “What?” He’d been so focused on hunting for Ada, he’d tuned Leah out. She’d said something about a discount. “Thanks, but actually Nathan’s much better. Ada discovered the problem, and we’re working to communicate.”

  “Ada did?” The tilt of her head and eyebrows indicated she suspected something.

  He attempted to make his voice as noncommittal as possible. “Yes, she’s a good teacher. Very observant.”

  Leah made a face as if disappointed. “Yes, she’s a wonderful gut teacher and sister and friend and person and—”

  Her gushing made Josiah nervous. “I’m sure she is.”

  At his clipped answer, Leah’s face reddened, making Josiah regret his sharpness.

  “If you’re only staying warm,” Leah said, “feel free to browse the store, and let me know if I can help you with anything.” She waved toward the aisle where Josiah had glimpsed the black fabric. “I’m stocking shelves back there. With Ada.”

  Had she emphasized those last two words on purpose? Or had they only stood out in his own mind? Leah seemed to have guessed his true purpose.

  Not wanting to appear overeager to see Ada, he strolled each aisle in turn, starting with the one farthest from where Leah and Ada were stocking. For two long months, he’d barely glimpsed Ada, but running into her yesterday had brought all the feelings he’d struggled to bury back to the surface. It might be foolishness on his part, but he couldn’t resist seeing her, talking to her, being around her. Especially now that he’d reached the end of his mourning period.

  His heart started beating double time before he headed into the aisle where she was working. And when she turned and stared at him, he hoped Leah had some remedies for heart palpitations because his hammered so hard against his chest, his ribs hurt.

  “Josiah?”

  Her soft, breathy voice set all his senses skittering. And left him speechless.

  “Are…we in your way?” She slid the stool from the center of the aisle to make more room.

  “Ne…” He stopped himself before he said never. “Neh, of course not.” Had that sounded too emphatic?

  “We can move,” Ada offered.

  The only place he wanted her to move was into his arms. He gripped his suspenders to prevent himself from issuing that invitation.

  “No need to move. I’m only—” What was he doing besides staring at her? He struggled to gather his scattered wits. “I, um, came in to warm up.” And see you. “I can walk in a different aisle.”

  She moved closer to the shelf to widen the aisle, and Josiah imagining brushing past her, feeling her body heat. “No, no, I’ll go the other way.” He turned so abruptly he almost knocked over the cardboard display at the end of the aisle.

  He held out a hand to prevent the tiny bottles of aromatic oils from tumbling. Once he secured them, he left the aisle on legs as unsteady as the still-wobbly display. He’d been foolish to come inside. “Maybe I should check on Nathan,” he said as he hurried down the far aisle and out the door.

  * * *

  “Now what was that all about?” Leah asked as she eyed Ada. “Try telling me again there’s nothing between you two.”

  “Leah, stop, please.” Ada couldn’t bear to have her deeper feelings exposed to scrutiny, even from her best friend.

  “Did you see how flustered and embarrassed he was?”

  Jah, he stopped dead as soon as he saw me. And he couldn’t get away fast enough.

  As much as Ada wished Leah’s interpretation were correct, with the way Josiah had avoided her since the newspaper photos, she had no doubt he wanted nothing to do with her. Ever.

  “Well, did you?” Leah demanded.

  Ada straightened another row of jars to avoid Leah’s piercing gaze. “Anyone would have been startled if they turned the corner to find us blocking the aisle.”

  “You think so?” The disappointment in Leah’s voice revealed she’d been hoping for agreement and even a confession.

  Ada refused to give her either. Any feelings she had for Josiah would remain tucked away inside, never to be shared.

  To avoid more questions, she said, “I should take my brothers and sisters home.”

  Leah pushed her lip out in a pretend pout. “Already? You only stayed a short time.”

  “It’s cold outside, and I only came to buy vitamin C. And to make sure you were coming to the Christmas cookie exchange.”

  Pushing herself to her feet, Leah sighed. “I guess it’s that time of year again. We go right from a month of weddings to the buddy bunch cookie exchange.” She walked into the next aisle and returned with a bottle that she handed to Ada.

  “I know.” Although they both loved their friends in the buddy bunch and the group had been together since they were sixteen, going to the annual Christmas cookie exchange became harder each year. Their friends had married or were engaged, and many had little ones already.

  Leah led the way to the cash register. “It’s difficult enough seeing everyone married or engaged, but the sympathetic looks they give us make it even worse.”

  Ada paid her and took the small bag. “I agree.” And this year she’d need to endure speculation about Josiah.

  “Do you want to ride together? I could pick you up on Saturday.”

  “That would make it a bit easier.” Ada pushed open the door, and a gust of cold wind nearly blew her off her feet. “Ach, it’s freezing out here. I shouldn’t have left everyone outside so long.”

  “See you at nine,” Leah called before the door jangled shut behind Ada.

  Bent against the wind, Ada trudged toward the goats but stopped partway there. Josiah stood by the fence talking to her siblings.

  One foot resting on the lowest wooden fence rail and an arm resting on the top one, he appeared unaffected by the cold as he gave Mary Elizabeth his undivided attention. Waving her arms and babbling, her sister seemed to be animating a story. When she ended, Josiah laughed, a low, throaty sound that started a tingling in her stomach, which spread through her body and made her legs weak.

  Then he turned and looked at her, and her trembling increased.

  * * *

  The words he’d been about to say died on Josiah’s lips. Ada, her cheeks pink from the cold, met his eyes, and once again he was drowning. Everything around him faded to fuzziness, the children’s chattering receded. Only Ada stood before him in sharp clear focus.

  Josiah tried to form a coherent thought. “I decided to stay—” So I could see you. He needed an excuse and seized on the first one that came to mind. “To be sure nobody landed in the goat pen.” He had worried about that, but his conscience jabbed him for his dishonesty.

  Ada’s unsteady chuckle made him wonder if she’d seen through his half-truth. “That was thoughtful of you.” But then, with a sincere smile, she added, “I appreciate it.”

  Josiah mentally exhaled. It seemed as if she’d accepted his hasty excuse.

  David tugged at his arm and signed, asking if Nathan could come to his house. Josiah hesitated. Mamm was at the restaurant today, helping with an Englischer’s Christmas party, so they’d be alone for t
he evening. When he picked up Nathan, it would be close to dinner time, and Ada might feel obligated to ask him to stay. As much as he’d love that, he wasn’t sure it would be wise. Not only because he’d spend the mealtime wrestling with his feelings, but also because his buggy would be parked outside her house. Linda had scolded him for the way he’d stared at Ada during the restaurant’s Thanksgiving dinner.

  David repeated his question, and Ada said aloud to her brother, “Josiah may not understand the signs. Why not ask him?”

  “I did understand,” Josiah told them, being sure he faced David, so the small boy could read his lips.

  “That’s right. Katie is teaching you.”

  The way Ada emphasized Katie’s name made it sound as if she were upset. Had he hurt her feelings by learning from someone else after she’d offered to teach him? “Yes, she is, but she isn’t nearly as good a teacher as you.”

  That earned him a slight smile. Perhaps he’d been right that she was bothered by Katie teaching him. “I wish you were still teaching me,” he said wistfully. “I miss our time together.” He probably shouldn’t have admitted that, but he was glad he had when her whole face brightened.

  “I do too. We’d love to have Nathan, and when you come to pick him up, we could spend a little time together”—her cheeks darkened to a deep plum color—“um, learning signs.”

  It seemed those last few words had been tacked on as an afterthought. Did she mean she enjoyed spending time with him, not just teaching him? Instinctively, he leaned closer, drawn by the look in her eyes.

  A buggy pulled into the lot, and Josiah took several steps back. The bishop’s sister and her husband emerged and waved. Had they seen how close he’d been standing to Ada? With the way gossip traveled, Betty would probably hear about it by nightfall.

  David danced on his toes with impatience and tugged on Josiah’s sleeve. Ada signaled for him to calm down, but he ignored her and signed a question mark in the air.

  “I’m sorry,” Josiah said with great reluctance. “Not today.” As much as he wanted to, he had to protect Ada’s reputation. He wasn’t sure how to sign that, so he only did the double motion for no.

  David ducked his head, and his lower lip wobbled. The excitement in Nathan’s eyes died. His son’s disappointed expression mirrored the one Josiah hid in his own heart.

  Chapter Thirty

  On Monday, Sadie came home from school with a large bolt of fabric. “Rebecca said you should get this first because you have six outfits to make. Plus you’re working.”

  Ada had been so busy, she’d forgotten about the Christmas program. Teachers always bought fabric so parents could make matching outfits. Now she’d have to add sewing outfits to her already busy schedule. She sank down at the kitchen table and put her head in her hands. All the schools had Christmas programs, and she hadn’t planned one. Nor had she bought fabric for the parents. What could she do with her scholars when most of them couldn’t or wouldn’t speak?

  “It’s all right. I can help with the sewing,” Sadie said.

  Ada’s head shot up. Sadie? Offering to help? “That would be wunderbar. I’m also worried about what my scholars can do for their program.”

  “That’s hard when most of them don’t speak.” Sadie’s tone was a cross between flippant and understanding.

  Ada smiled at her. Her sister seemed to be trying to make amends, but evidently, it was a struggle. “Yes, and many of them are shy or scared of people. Why don’t we think about it while we sew tonight? I’ll need to pass this fabric to one of the other mamms soon.”

  That evening while they measured and cut fabric, Sadie said, “What about a pantomime for your students?”

  “That would be perfect! Thank you, Sadie.”

  Her sister ducked her head shyly, but not before Ada caught the broad smile on her lips.

  After weeks of rehearsals, everyone seemed to know their parts. Ada hoped they’d be able to execute them tonight in front of an audience. Unlike her siblings’ Christmas program with its lively skits, songs, and poems, her class would reenact the nativity scene in silence.

  After an early dinner, the whole family went to the school to set up for the program. As Ada pulled into the parking lot, David bounced excitedly and pointed to Josiah’s buggy already waiting. He hopped out and ran over to greet his friend.

  Josiah met Ada at the schoolhouse door. “I thought you might need some help setting up. I can unbolt the swing frames to collapse them, so you have room for the chairs.”

  “Oh, that would be wunderbar,” Ada said as she unlocked the door. She hoped her response didn’t sound too gushy. “I wasn’t sure how many chairs we could fit in.”

  While Josiah took care of the swings, her siblings set up chairs. Ada tried to keep her mind on setting up the props, but she kept sneaking peeks at Josiah. His shoulders so strong…Was his mourning period over yet?

  Mary Elizabeth caught her attention when she twirled around in her angel costume, overjoyed at being part of the program.

  “Help me set up your message cards so they’re in order,” Ada said, dragging the desk her sister would use to the front of the room. Then Mary Elizabeth flipped up each card, while Ada set up the new cut-open refrigerator carton that would serve as the backdrop. Will had meticulously colored it to look like a stable.

  In front of it, she placed a small wooden feeding trough filled with straw and hollowed out a spot for the doll that would serve as baby Jesus. All the costumes and props were ready. Ada and Mary Elizabeth laid out the name cards and special papers for the end of the program by everyone’s spot.

  Lizzie and her mamm arrived first with the new baby. “Lizzie wanted to make the nativity more authentic tonight, so we had a few ideas,” her mamm said. “We wrapped Matthew in swaddling clothes so he can go in the manger.” She held out her three-month-old son.

  “Oh.” Ada stood dumbfounded. “That’s sweet of you, but—”

  “Don’t worry. He’s just been fed, and he’s a wonderful gut sleeper.”

  While Ada stood there, opening and closing her mouth, trying to frame an objection, Lizzie’s mamm marched over to the cradle, spread a blanket over the straw, and laid Matthew down. She and Lizzie looked so happy, Ada didn’t have the heart to object. And Matthew was sleeping soundly. She only hoped the change in plans wouldn’t upset Will, who was playing Joseph.

  She had no time to think about that because the scholars were arriving and needed to get into costumes. Ada and Martha assisted the parents as they dressed their children in robes. Ada put weighted neck rolls under Lukas’s and Will’s robes, hoping the pressure of the rolls would keep both boys calmer.

  After everyone had arrived, Ada stepped to the front and welcomed the families. “Because noise bothers some of our scholars, I’d like to ask everyone to be especially quiet and not to clap at the end.”

  People in the audience nodded, and Ada announced Mary Elizabeth as the narrator.

  Pointing to her wings, her sister added, “I’m an angel too.”

  “Not always” came a quiet voice from the front of the room.

  Mary Elizabeth frowned at Sadie.

  Ada’s face grew hot as people tittered, and she shot a quick warning glance at Sadie, then turned to the audience. “If you’ll give us a few minutes to get set, we’ll start.”

  Martha herded four of the children out the door, while Ada helped Emily into place. The small girl stood as placidly as usual by the manger. In her blue robe, she made a serene Mary. Miriam ushered Will to his place on the other side of the manger and handed him his staff. Ada had suggested he might like to tap the staff on the floor, and the repetitive movement helped to calm him and keep him still.

  Once Mary and Joseph were in place and their live baby Jesus slept peacefully in the manger, Ada signaled Martha to send in the shepherds. David and Nathan entered first, carrying their staffs, and headed toward the manger. Then Lizzie stepped through the door, and Ada clapped a hand over her mouth. Lizzie was
supposed to carry a stuffed lamb. Instead a live lamb gamboled along beside her.

  Mary Elizabeth gasped. “A real lamb. She’s not supposed to…”

  Ada waved frantically to get her sister’s attention, and Angel Mary Elizabeth lifted her first sign: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

  The shepherds approached the manger slowly as Ada had instructed them, but the lamb spotted the straw and broke away from Lizzie to nibble it. Before anyone could grab her, the lamb nosed the baby, who began to cry. Will dropped his staff, which clobbered Lizzie on the shoulder, and startled the lamb, who raced around the room. Lizzie and the baby were both bawling. Will covered his ears and backed into the stable backdrop, knocking it to the floor. The ripples of laughter drifting through the audience were quickly stifled.

  Ada could have cried as she rushed to the rescue. The play was in shambles. David and Nathan were chasing the runaway lamb, Miriam was calming Will, and Lizzie’s mamm was rocking Matthew. Between cries, Lizzie’s arms and legs flailed, her head jerked, and she emitted clicking noises. Ada tried to calm her.

  With Josiah’s assistance, the boys cornered the lamb, and Lizzie’s daed took it outside. Ada picked up the cardboard backdrop Will had flattened. When she set it up, it listed to one side. Matthew quieted, and his mamm laid him back in the manger. Miriam adjusted Will’s weighted neck roll, led him back to his place, and handed him his staff.

  Lizzie’s daed came back in with the stuffed lamb they’d used during rehearsal, and shepherd Lizzie clutched it by one ear as her arms spasmed. Along with David and Nathan, the third shepherd knelt by the manger far enough away that her flailing limbs didn’t hurt anyone. Soon some of Lizzie’s tics calmed, and she hugged the lamb to her chest. Beside her, Nathan clutched his rabbit.

  When all the children were in place, Mary Elizabeth helped Ada replace an end-of-program paper in front of each child. Then Ada signaled to Martha, who entered with Lukas, both dressed as wise men. Lukas carried a stuffed camel, and Ada sighed in relief that it hadn’t been exchanged for a real camel. They carried fancy boxes that they placed beside the manger.