The Teacher's Bride

by Kathleen Fuller

  “Return your attention to your assignments, everyone.” Christian gave them a stern look. He was gratified when they immediately complied.

  Malachi and Emma handed him the marbles. “I’m sorry,” Malachi said meekly as Emma went back to her seat.

  After tossing the marbles into his desk drawer, Christian said, “Keep them in a container next time. Not that there will be a next time.”

  “I will.”

  “Go back to your seat.”

  Malachi turned and took a few steps, but then he went back to Christian’s desk. He searched his pocket again, revealing two more marbles in his palm.

  “Are you sure that’s all?” Christian asked, his patience ebbing. He took the marbles and stood.

  “Ya. That’s all.” Christian heard a few more snickers and whispers as Malachi returned to his seat.

  Christian placed the glass balls on his desk. He’d put them away later. Valuable education time had been wasted over Malachi’s marbles. “Emma, Perry, and Jesse,” he said, heading for the reading table, “come to the front, please. And bring your math books.”

  The rest of the morning went smoothly, as did lunchtime, and the marble escapade was forgotten. Christian escorted his students out to recess, following behind Judah, who was the last student out.

  Christian was shutting the schoolhouse door when his heel landed on something hard and slippery. His right foot flew out from beneath him, and his other foot tripped over the threshold. Before he knew what was happening, he’d tumbled down the three steps and landed on the small concrete pad at the bottom.

  “Herr Ropp, are you all right?” Judah hovered over him.

  He shook his head, trying to get his bearings. His right ankle was strangely twisted underneath his left leg. “I’m fine,” he said, brushing Judah away. What an inept way to start recess. But when he moved his ankle out from underneath his leg, a sharp pain sliced through it. He recoiled, trying not to cry out.

  “Why aren’t you getting up, Herr Ropp?” Jesse asked, joining Judah.

  “Judah,” Christian said through gritted teeth, “direct the students to the playground.”

  Judah looked up. “Too late. They must have seen what happened.”

  Christian swung his head in time to see a small stampede of students hurrying toward him. He reached for Judah. “Help me up.”

  With Nelson’s help, Judah assisted him to his feet as the other students gathered around. Christian grabbed the rail and tried to put some weight on his right foot. More pain shot through it, and he lifted his foot, his stomach feeling queasy.

  “I think he tripped on one of Malachi’s marbles,” Nelson said.

  “I thought we picked them all up.” Malachi sounded worried and upset.

  “Did you break yer foot?” Emma asked, looking at Christian with round green eyes.

  Christian shook his head, but he wasn’t so sure he hadn’t. He’d never broken a bone in his life, but he couldn’t imagine what else could cause such intense, throbbing pain. Still, he had to keep it together for his students’ sake. He turned and attempted to go up one step, only to yelp as soon as he put the slightest pressure on his foot.

  “Yep, he broke it.” Jesse looked up at him. “Do you want me to geh get help?”

  Christian couldn’t fathom how slipping on a marble and falling down three small steps could result in such an injury.

  “Nee—”

  But Emma, who lived next door to the school, ran to her house while Christian held on to the bannister. The children were still huddled around him, most of them looking concerned, while a couple of the older boys looked faintly amused. Malachi stood off to the side, worrying his lip. Emma immediately returned with her mother and father.

  “Let’s get you inside.” Hezekiah Miller grabbed Christian underneath his arm as Judah supported him on the other side. Christian had no choice but to allow them to assist him, aware that his students were watching everything unfold with rapt attention.

  Emma’s mother, Amanda, herded the students into the classroom as Hezekiah and Judah helped Christian to a nearby chair.

  “You can’t put any weight on it at all?” Hezekiah asked.

  Christian shook his head and pulled up his pant leg. His ankle was already swelling, and now it hurt independent of any weight he put on it. He squeezed his eyes shut from the pain.

  “Judah,” Hezekiah said, turning to the boy, “bring over another chair so he can prop up his foot.”

  Judah returned with a child-size chair, and Christian put his foot on it. That didn’t help much with the pain, but he felt a little bit of relief. He glanced at the classroom and saw all the children in their seats, quiet as they stared at him with concern. Through his haze he could still appreciate how well they were behaving.

  “I think you should see a doctor,” Hezekiah told him. “You might have a sprain or even a break.”

  “The students—”

  “The students are going home.” Hezekiah, a large man with a thick beard that grazed the top of his chest, gave him a look that brooked no argument. He walked over to Amanda, who was standing at the front of the classroom and surveying the students as if to see if anyone of them dared to step out of line. He talked to her for a few moments and then came back to Christian. “Amanda agrees with me. I’m going to call a taxi and take you to the emergency room.” Christian knew Hezekiah ran a watch and binocular business from his house, and he was interrupting his work day. “I can geh by myself—” He saw Hezekiah grimace and leaned back against his chair. “Danki.”

  Hezekiah used the school cell phone, given to Christian for emergencies, to call a taxi, and Amanda dismissed the students. Christian watched helplessly as they filed past him, each giving him an apprehensive look, even the ones who had at first thought his fall was funny. Malachi was the last to leave. He gave Christian a sorrowful look and then dashed out the door.

  “I’ll be right back,” Amanda said as she followed the students. “I want to make sure they’re all heading directly home.”

  Christian nodded, his side suddenly sore. That felt like nothing compared to his ankle. He rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. How was he going to teach a classroom full of active children with a broken ankle? All because of one little marble.

  Monday evening after supper, Ruby began planning her week again. She’d discovered that planning her activities was useful, and with enthusiasm she wrote Lesson #2 Chris in Saturday’s box. She added No church in Sunday’s box and then backed up to look at the rest of the week. It was empty, other than helping Patience with her sons and whatever chores she needed Ruby to do. With the midwife assistant option out of the question and her brother still stubborn about not letting her help with the farm, she needed to find work elsewhere.

  Maybe she’d visit Barton again this week. Working there wouldn’t be too bad, except part of her pay would go toward hiring a taxi to and from work. It was a nice small town, and it had a yarn and craft shop she wanted to check out. She didn’t do a lot of crafting, but she enjoyed looking at pretty yarns and ribbons and other craft supplies. While she was in the city she could ask around about any job opportunities. She wrote Barton on Wednesday’s square.

  Timothy passed through the kitchen to the mudroom, and then Ruby heard him slipping on his boots. She got up and reached him just as he was opening the back door. “I thought you finished the chores,” she said.

  “I did. There’s an emergency school board meeting at Freemont’s. Just got the call.”

  “Emergency?” Alarm went through her as she thought about Chris. “Did something happen to the school?”

  “The school is fine.” Timothy let the door shut behind him and spoke to her through the screen. “The teacher isn’t. The news will get out soon enough. He sprained his ankle. Really serious, from what Freemont was telling me.”

  Ruby gasped. “How did he do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Timothy said. “I’m sure I’ll get more details at the meeting.”


  “May I come with you?” She couldn’t sit around waiting to hear news about Chris. “Maybe there’s some way I can help.”

  “How? You’re not on the board, and you’re not an employee of the school.”

  She couldn’t exactly admit that she was that concerned about Chris. Her level of apprehension surprised her, but she didn’t like the idea of him being in pain. “I promise I’ll stay out of trouble. I’ll just sit in a corner, quiet as a mouse. You won’t even know I’m there.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Timothy, that was a little rude.” She frowned. “A little accurate,” she added, “but still rude.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. I’m sure they won’t mind if you visit with Mary while we have the meeting.”

  The mention of Mary’s name made her think of Seth. She hadn’t put two and two together to realize the meeting was at Seth’s home. She should be figuring out a way to talk to him without scaring him off, yet for some reason she couldn’t move her focus from concern about Chris. There would be time to think about Seth later.

  After the short drive to the Yoders’ and joining Mary in the kitchen, Ruby stood as close to the doorway leading to the living room as possible without being seen by the board members. She was trying to hear what they were saying, but the men’s voices sounded like low rumbles to her, and she couldn’t distinctly make out anything they said.

  “It’s nee use.” Mary picked up an apple from the basket on the table and began peeling it with a paring knife. “More than one person has tried to overhear a conversation in our living room from the kitchen. It’s too far to eavesdrop, and if you move any closer, you have a chance of getting caught. I think Freemont planned it like that when he built the house. Not that I would ever eavesdrop,” she added, chuckling.

  Ruby’s face heated. “I shouldn’t try to listen in.” She sat down at the table, determined to make herself useful. She’d find out about Chris later. “May I help you with the apples?”

  “Sure.” Mary drew another paring knife from a drawer and handed it to Ruby before sitting back down. “I’m glad to see yer nose is looking better.”

  Ruby touched the top of it. It wasn’t sore anymore, and the bruising was clearing up. Danki again for taking care of me.”

  “Nee problem. Seth felt terrible about that, by the way. Too bad he’s not here. He and Ira went to the Bontragers’ tonight. I know he wants to apologize to you, having failed to do so that night. I think he was afraid it might upset you to see him then.”

  “That’s not necessary.” Ruby picked up an apple and looked back at the doorway to the living room. She wished she could find out if Chris was okay.

  “You seem mighty interested in the board meeting.” Mary set peeled apple slices in the large plastic bowl in front of her.

  Ruby shrugged, hoping she looked nonchalant. “I’ve never been to one.” A lame explanation, but she couldn’t exactly ask how Chris was doing. Not without raising suspicions. Not that there were any suspicions to be raised. They were friends, and she was concerned for him as a friend.

  “They’re usually pretty quick since they expanded the schoolhouse and hired Chris. Although the last meeting was a little longer since they were talking about Phase Two.”

  “Phase Two?”

  “Adding on to the schoolhaus again. Or maybe building a second one somewhere else. They haven’t decided yet. They have time. Chris is doing a marvelous job running the school as it is.” She shook her head. “Hard to believe he sprained his ankle so badly from stepping on a stray marble.”

  So that’s what happened. She’d never suspected Chris would keep marbles in the school, though, or any other toys. School was serious business for him, and, she imagined, for his students. “How is he going to teach on crutches?”

  “He can’t. That’s what the meeting is for. They need to discuss hiring a substitute.”

  Ruby slid the knife under her apple’s red skin. “How long would they need one?”

  “A week, maybe two. A sprain will heal quicker than a break, but they can sometimes be more painful than a break.”

  “That’s true.” She knew that firsthand. She’d sprained her wrist the first time she roller-skated. When she grabbed on to the side of the rink, her hand went one way and her feet went the other. Her wrist had been acutely painful for a few days, but it had healed quickly after that.

  She tossed the apple peel into a smaller plastic bowl. “Do they have any candidates?”

  Mary shrugged. “I don’t know who could do it from our district. Martha, maybe, but she helps her onkel Hezekiah in his shop. Maybe Selah can do it.”

  For some reason she couldn’t imagine Selah in a classroom full of kids. But there was someone she could imagine doing the job. She set down her apple and looked at Mary. “Or I could.”

  Mary stopped mid-peel. “You would be interested in teaching?”

  “Substituting,” she clarified. But as the word left her mouth, doubt already started to trickle in. She didn’t think she was responsible enough to teach students year-round, but she could be accountable for the short-term Mary mentioned. “It sounds like fun,” she said, smiling.

  “I’m not sure I’d call it fun.” Mary looked at her and then got up from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

  Ruby had peeled and sliced two apples by the time she returned. “The board members want to talk to you.”

  Suddenly her palms felt damp. “Why?”

  Mary grinned. “I think they want to interview you for the job.”

  “Interview?” Why would they do that? She was only offering to be a substitute. She hadn’t known she’d have to be interviewed. She hesitated. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Then again, she did like children, and they did need a teacher. Setting her misgivings aside, she wiped her hands on the towel on the table and walked into the living room.

  Several men were there. She recognized a couple of them, and her brother, Timothy, of course. Then there was the bishop, and Jalon Chupp and Thomas Bontrager. Another man she didn’t know was there, but she recognized him as the good-looking man who had sat next to Timothy during the last church service. Her gaze swung to one corner of the room. An elderly woman sat in a hickory rocking chair, crocheting what looked like a shawl. Or an afghan. She had no idea.

  “Ruby,” Freemont said, rising from his chair. He gestured to everyone else in the room. “I assume you know everyone here.”

  “I don’t think we’ve met.” The handsome dark-haired man stood and extended his hand. “Asa Bontrager. Nice to meet you.”

  She quickly shook his hand. He sat back down, and not knowing what to do with her hands, she thrust them behind her back.

  “I’m Cevilla,” the old woman said with a smile. “Welcome to the board meeting.”

  “Mary says you’re interested in being a substitute,” Freemont said, resuming his seat.

  “Well, I, uh . . .” Where were her words? Panic squeezed her chest. Please don’t hiccup. Then she remembered this wasn’t about her. It was about the students . . . and Chris. “I thought it would be fun. “

  “Fun?” Jalon lifted his brow.

  Ruby saw her brother’s head drop into his hand. I guess that was the wrong thing to say. “Educational fun, obviously,” she continued. “I’m a firm believer that children need to learn, but it needs to be interesting and stimulating.”

  “Fun,” Cevilla said, nodding. She peered at Ruby with an expression of approval. “Not a bad concept.”

  “Have you ever taught school before?” Asa asked.

  She shook her head. “Nee. But I have extensive experience with kinner. I’ve been watching them, Amish and English, since I was twelve. I can also provide references if you need them. Timothy is one of them.”

  Timothy looked more relaxed now. “She is gut with kinner.”

  “It’s only for a few days,” Jalon said. “A week at most. If you were to take the position, we wouldn�
��t have to close school for that long.”

  Asa and Freemont nodded. “She can consult with Chris about lesson plans,” Asa said, looking at Jalon.

  That was a good idea. “I can do that,” Ruby piped up, feeling hopeful. “He and I are friends, after all.”

  The men all turned and looked at her, as if trying to puzzle out exactly what she meant by friends. Cevilla merely chuckled.

  “All right, Ruby,” Freemont said. “As long as we’re all in agreement, you’re hired.” He looked at the other board members. “Any objections?”

  Ruby held her breath and looked at her brother. Would he agree to this? Or would he be afraid that she’d burn down the school?

  “None here,” Timothy said, giving Ruby an encouraging smile.

  She grinned back, grateful for his support.

  “Then we have ourselves a substitute teacher.” Freemont gave her one of his rare smiles. “How about you start the day after tomorrow? That will give you time to talk to Chris and learn about policies and procedures. I’m sure the kinner wouldn’t mind another day off from school.”

  The school board members adjourned the meeting, and Ruby stood there, unable to stop grinning. She probably looked ridiculous, if not downright strange. But she didn’t care. She had a job. Even better, she would be teaching children. She never would have been hired for such an important job back home. They knew her too well. But in Birch Creek she was different. Responsible. Mature. She was determined to do a good job. She’d make sure the school board didn’t regret hiring her.

  CHAPTER 10

  They hired you?”

  Ruby put her hands on her hips as she glared at Chris, although now she was wondering why she’d told the school board she’d be glad to inform him about their decision. After all, she had to talk with him anyway. “Don’t sound so shocked.”

  He leaned on his crutches. “You’re telling me this before kaffee.”

  “I didn’t realize kaffee was that important to you.”

  “It is when I’m awakened before sunrise.”

  Oh. Ruby bit her bottom lip. Perhaps she should have waited until after breakfast. She’d been up for more than an hour, excited to get started on her new job. She’d talked so nonstop on the way home from Freemont’s house that Timothy had to tell her to be silent for a few minutes. He’d said it good-naturedly, though, and she had thanked him for giving her his vote.