“Ordinarily, I take a woman at her word, but this time I have to disagree. Sit still. I’ll be back in a few minutes and you will stay right here. Understood?”
“I will stay,” she repeated, closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. Her color was a little pale. Was she really okay?
Something about her prompt agreement troubled him. He was torn between the need to get the ice and a reluctance to leave her alone.
She opened one eye to peek at him. “I thought you were going to get ice?”
“I’m waiting to see if you plan to obey my orders or if you’ll take off as soon as I’m out of sight.”
Both her eyes opened wide and then narrowed in speculation. “You must have sisters.”
“Just one. She doesn’t like to do as she is told, either.”
“Very well. I promise to stay here until you return.”
“That is exactly what I wanted to hear.”
Willis hurried out the door and down the school steps. His house was only about fifty yards across the way. He barged into his own kitchen, startling his little six-year-old sister Maddie, who was coloring at the kitchen table.
“Willis, you scared us.”
Maddie was the only one in the kitchen. He figured the us referred to her imaginary friend. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“Bubble says that’s okay. She wasn’t really scared. Do you like her picture?” Maddie held up a sheet of white paper.
“It’s a blank page, Maddie.”
His half sister and her two brothers had only been with Willis for a few weeks. He still wasn’t used to sharing a home with them, let alone with Maddie’s imaginary friend who required a place at the table and was always being stepped on or sat on by someone. Had he made a mistake by moving the children so far from everything they had known? He thought living with a family member would be best after losing their parents, but what if he was wrong?
It wouldn’t be the first time. Normally, his mistakes didn’t affect anyone but himself. Now there were others who might be hurt by his failures. The lingering fear that he couldn’t properly care for his siblings often kept him awake at night. He tried to put his trust in the Lord, but he wasn’t good at giving up control.
He grabbed a plastic bag from the box in a drawer beside the propane-powered refrigerator and then pulled the ice tray out of the freezer. He began emptying the cubes into the bag.
“Willis, you hurt Bubble’s feelings. Tell her you like her picture.”
A knock at the door stopped him before he got into another discussion with his sister about the existence of Bubble. He opened the door and saw Craig Johnson, the farmer he had promised the potato digger would be ready for today. The man’s red pickup truck and a black metal trailer were sitting on the road.
“Goot morning, Mr. Johnson. I’m sorry but I’m not quite done with it.”
“I need it now. My farm auction starts at two o’clock and I won’t get any money for a broken digger that’s still at your shop. You’re new here and I took a chance on you instead of using a machine shop in Presque Isle. I won’t pay for something that’s not fixed.”
“I understand.” Willis couldn’t afford to lose business if an unsatisfied customer started telling his friends how unreliable the new Amish blacksmith was. He could only put out one fire at a time. He turned to his sister. “Maddie, where are Otto and Harley?”
“I don’t know.” She held her hand to the side of her mouth and whispered into the empty air. She turned back to him and shrugged. “Bubble says she doesn’t know.”
Neither of his brothers were turning out to be much help. He held out the bag of ice. “Take this and a kitchen towel up to the school and give it to the new teacher.”
Maddie’s face brightened. “My teacher is here?”
“Ja, and she got a bump on her head so hurry. I’ll be there soon.”
Maddie got down from the chair, pulled out the one next to hers and helped her invisible friend out of it. “Let’s go meet our teacher.”
She took the towel and ice bag and rushed out the door. Willis led Mr. Johnson to the potato digger he had been working on. “Once I get the bolts in and check that it is level, I will help you load it.”
“Okay, but make it snappy. I don’t have all day.”
Willis watched his sister long enough to make sure Maddie crossed the road safely and went into the school. He would have to see about the new teacher once he was done here. He hoped Maddie wouldn’t tell Eva Coblentz about her imaginary friend or what a poor job her brother was doing at raising her. He prayed his little sister would be too shy to say a single word, but he knew he was going to regret sending her alone.
Chapter Two
Eva opened her eyes when she heard someone enter the schoolhouse. It wasn’t the man she had been expecting. It was a little Amish girl about six or seven years old wearing a purple dress with a black apron and a black kapp on her bright blond hair. The child stopped inside the door and stared at her.
Eva smiled. “Hello.”
“Are you the new teacher?”
“I am. Who are you?”
“I’m Maddie. This is my friend Bubble.” The child gestured to one side.
Eva didn’t see anyone. “Bubble is very thin.”
Maddie looked up and down. “That’s because my brother Willis is a terrible cook. Mostly he makes dry scrambled eggs and oatmeal. Bubble hates oatmeal.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Eva said, smothering a laugh. What a charming child she was.
Maddie walked forward with a bag of ice cubes and a white kitchen towel. “Willis said to bring this to you.”
Eva took the plastic bag, wrapped the kitchen towel around it and applied it to the side of her head. “Danki. What happened to your brother?”
“Grumpy old Mr. Johnson came and said he wouldn’t pay Willis because his potato digger wasn’t fixed so my brother had to finish the job. He’s always working. He’s sorry he couldn’t come back and take care of you.”
“It’s only a minor bump. He shouldn’t worry about me.”
“Can I ask you about school?”
Eva nodded and winced at the pain in the side of her head. It dawned on her that her students weren’t some vague group of well-behaved children. They were going to be real kids like Maddie with questions Eva might not have the answers for; then what? Here was her first test. “Ask me anything you want.”
“Can my friend Bubble sit beside me?”
Eva pondered the question. What would the school board say if she asked for a desk for an imaginary child? She smiled at the thought. “What grade will you be in?”
“The first grade. We’ve never been to school before, but my brothers Otto and Harley went to school back home before Mamm and Daed went to heaven.”
A wave of pity for the little girl swept through Eva. “I’m sorry. That must have been a very sad time for you and your brothers.”
Maddie sat beside Eva on the bench and stared at the floor. “It was. Bubble cried a lot, but she was happier when Willis said we could come and live with him.”
“I’m glad she is happier. And did you cry a lot?”
“Not too much. Our old bishop said it was Gott’s plan for them and not to be sad.”
“It’s okay to be sad. Gott understands that we miss the ones we love.”
“He does?”
Eva nodded. “The Lord knows everything in our heart and he understand our grief.”
Maddie put her arm around her imaginary friend. “Did you hear that, Bubble? It’s okay if we cry. Not right now. Maybe later.”
Eva slipped her arm around Maddie. “If we have enough desks for all the students Bubble can sit beside you. Otherwise, she can stay here on this bench during school hours. Does that sound acceptable?”
�
�She says it is.”
What an adorable child. “How long have you lived with Willis?”
“I don’t know. A lot of days.”
Days, not months or years so her grief was recent. “Were you here in the winter when it snowed?”
“Nope. The snow was mostly gone when we came. Willis says we will see a lot of snow before Christmas. Maybe even before Thanksgiving. It can snow up to the roof sometimes. I like the snow, don’t you? I like to catch snowflakes on my tongue.”
“I do like the snow.” Eva wasn’t so sure about snow that was roof high. She would have to invest in a good snow shovel.
“Otto says he hates school. I won’t hate school. I think it will be wonderful.”
“Maybe Otto won’t hate it if I’m his teacher.” Or maybe he would. How would she know if she was doing an adequate job or not?
“Will you tell Otto he’s stupid if he gets something wrong?”
“Oh, nee. That wouldn’t be nice.”
“Otto’s last teacher told him he was stupid. Daed and Mamm were mighty upset.”
Eva filed that piece of information away. It sounded as if Otto’s former teacher wasn’t patient or kind, but it was possible Maddie had misunderstood. “What does Harley think of school?”
“He says it’s okay as long as he gets to play baseball.”
“I’m sure we will play lots of ball.” That was something she hadn’t done since she was fourteen. Even then she wasn’t good at it. She’d spent most of her recesses reading.
“My brothers don’t help Willis much. He works and works all the time. He never has time to put shoes on my pony so I can go riding. Otto is always mad that he had to leave his friends in Ohio, and Harley disappears into the woods for hours without telling me where he is going. Bubble gets mighty put out with them sometimes.” Maddie gave a long-suffering sigh.
“I can see why.” Eva was tempted to laugh but managed to keep a straight face.
“You do?” Maddie smiled brightly.
“Absolutely. Bubble is very perceptive for someone so young.”
“I don’t know what that means. Bubble says Willis needs a wife to help him.”
Eva laughed. “Bubble may be right. Especially if Willis is a bad cook.”
The outside door opened and Willis came in. Maddie jumped off the bench. “I have to go.” She darted past her brother and ran outside.
He shook his head and crossed the room to where Eva was sitting. “How’s the bump?”
“Much better. Danki for the ice.” She handed the bag and towel to him. “Your little sister is delightful.”
His expression grew wary. “She is an unusual kid.”
Eva chuckled as she got to her feet. “She is that. I met Bubble and I enjoyed talking to her. She’s a fountain of information.”
His eyes narrowed. “About what?”
“Oh, everything. I really must be going. I have a lot to do before school starts next month. Goodbye.” She pinned her kapp to her hair as she headed for the door.
“I’ll get that chair fixed for you,” he called after her.
Eva went down the steps and chuckled all the way to her new house a few hundred feet south of the school. Poor Willis Gingrich had his hands full with his siblings if Maddie was to be believed. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Willis standing on the steps of the school, watching her. An odd little rush of happiness made her smile. She raised a hand and waved but he was already striding toward his workshop and didn’t wave back.
She went into her new house that had been sparsely furnished by the school board and church members. Eva had arrived in New Covenant by bus two days ago. Bishop Schultz and his wife had graciously allowed Eva to stay in the teacher’s home until after her interview. Now she wouldn’t have to repack her things. She was home.
At a small cherrywood desk she pulled out a sheet of paper and sat down to write to her brother. She tapped the pen against her teeth as she decided what to say.
Giggling, she dictated to herself as she wrote. “Dearest Gene. I got the job. Send my books. Your loving sister, Eva.”
* * *
Willis thought he had enough time to fix the new teacher’s chair, put four shoes on Jesse Crump’s buggy horse and get supper on the table by six o’clock. It was seven-thirty by the time he came in to find his family gathered around the kitchen table with a scowl on every face. Thankfully, he couldn’t see Bubble but he was sure she was scowling, too.
“I know I’m late. One of Jesse’s horses had a problem hoof and I had to make special shoes for him. I’ll fix us something to eat right away.”
He went to the refrigerator and opened the door. There wasn’t much to see. “I meant to set some hamburger out of the freezer to thaw this morning but forgot to do it.”
“You should leave yourself a note,” Harley said. He was paging through a magazine about horses. He was always reading. Willis fought down the stab of envy.
If Willis could write a note, then he’d be able to read one. He couldn’t do either. The most he could manage was to write his name. No one in New Covenant knew his shameful secret. Children as young as Maddie learned to read every day but he couldn’t. No matter how hard he’d tried. There was something wrong with him.
He hid his deficiency from everyone although it wasn’t easy. He’d been made a laughingstock by the one person he’d confided in years ago. He’d never been able to trust another person with his secret. The bitter memory wormed its way to the front of his mind.
He’d been twenty at the time and hopelessly in love with a non-Amish girl. She was the only person he had told that he couldn’t read. He hadn’t wanted to keep secrets from her. She claimed to love him, too. He had trusted her.
Later, when they were out with a bunch of her friends, she told everyone. They all laughed. He laughed, too, and pretended it didn’t matter but the hurt and shame had gone bone deep. He didn’t think anything could hurt worse than Dalene’s betrayal, but he’d been wrong. She and her friends had much more humiliation in store for him.
He pushed those memories back into the dark corner of his mind where they belonged. He had to find something to feed the children gathered at his table. “I guess I can scramble us some eggs.”
“Again?” Otto wrinkled his nose.
“Bubble says to be thankful we have chickens.” Maddie beamed a bright smile at Otto.
“Bubble can’t say anything because she isn’t real, stupid.” Otto pushed his plate away.
Willis rounded on him. “Never call your sister or anyone else stupid, Otto. You know better than that. Apologize or go to bed without supper.”
“Sorry,” Otto murmured. He didn’t sound apologetic.
A knock at the door stopped Willis from continuing the conversation. Who needed a blacksmith at this hour? He pulled open the door and took a step back. Eva Coblentz stood on his porch with a large basket over her arm.
She flashed a nervous grin. “I’m used to cooking for more than just myself and I made too much tonight. I thought perhaps you could make use of it for lunch tomorrow. It’s only chicken and dumplings.”
Willis was speechless. Maddie came to stand beside him. “Teacher, how nice to see you.”
Eva smiled at Maddie. “It’s nice to see you again, too. How is Bubble?”
Maddie stuck her tongue out at Otto. “She’s fine but kinda hungry. We haven’t had our supper yet. Willis had to give Jesse Crump special shoes so he was going to make scrambled eggs again, but Otto isn’t thankful for our chickens.”
Eva blinked her lovely green eyes. “I see.”
“Do you?” Willis couldn’t help smiling at her perplexed expression. “Then you’re ahead of me most of the time.”
Harley came to the door. “Let me help you with that.” He took the basket from her and carried it to the table. He began setting out the co
ntents.
Otto pulled his plate back in front of him. “That smells great.”
Harley dished up his own and then passed the plastic bowls along. Willis thought his siblings were acting like starving animals. He could hardly blame them. He was going to have to learn to cook for more than himself. Normally, he didn’t care what he ate or when he ate it. That had changed when the children arrived, and change was something he didn’t handle well.
Eva folded her arms across her middle. “I will be going so you can enjoy your meal in peace. Have a wonderful night, everyone.”
He didn’t want her to go. He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door from the prying eyes of his family. “How’s your head?”
She touched it gingerly. “Better.”
“I fixed the chair. You won’t have to worry about tipping over again.”
“I appreciate that.” She turned to go.
“The school board hired me to supply and install the hardware in the new building. I’ll get the rest of the coat hooks, cabinets and drawer pulls installed tomorrow. Have you had your supper? You are welcome to join us.”
“I have eaten. Danki. Don’t forget to feed Bubble. She’s much too thin.”
Willis raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why Maddie makes things up.”
She gave him a soft, kind smile. “Don’t worry about it. A lot of children have imaginary friends.”
“Really?” He wanted to believe her. When she smiled he forgot his worries and his ignorance.
“Absolutely. She will outgrow her invisible friend someday soon. Until then, enjoy her imagination.”
“I reckon you have seen a lot of things like this in your teaching career.” It made him feel better to know Maddie wasn’t the only child who had a pretend companion.
“This will be my first year as a teacher. I was actually surprised that the position didn’t go to someone with more experience. Perhaps my enthusiasm won the school board over.”
The Amish Teacher's Dilemma and Healing Their Amish Hearts Page 2
