The Teacher (Amish Country Brides)

by J. E. B. Spredemann

  FOUR

  “I think I’m going to accept the position.” Jaden stated into the phone’s receiver.

  “Really?” He could hear his bruder’s smile through the phone. “That’s great, Jaden. Excellent.”

  “So, what do you need from me?”

  “Have you talked to your employer yet? They’ll probably want at least a two-week notice.”

  “Jah. I called my boss after I talked to Mamm and Dat.”

  “And how’d that go?”

  He scratched his head. “With my boss or Mamm and Dat?”

  “Both.”

  “Fine. Mamm and Dat were surprised, at first. But I think they don’t mind the idea, especially if it helps me find a fraa.”

  His bruder chuckled. “Jah, that’s Mamm and Dat alright.”

  “I feel kind of bad, though, leaving Dat in a lurch with harvesting the corn and all.”

  “Ach, I’m sure he’ll just have Justin and Joshua help, or he can hire someone. They’ll adjust. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  “When do you think I should head out there, then?”

  “Anytime is fine with me and Nora. I’m sure the leaders will want to meet you and all that. Of course, you probably won’t be receiving a paycheck until you actually start school in September.”

  That was four months away yet. “Hey, I was going to ask. Martha had said something in her letter about a mission trip. Is that something your g’may participates in?”

  Josiah chuckled. “Over the bishop’s dead body.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Jah.”

  “But the two groups are allowed to mingle?”

  His brother sighed. “For now. We’ll see what happens.”

  “What do you mean?” Jaden frowned.

  “They’re pretty upset about the whole mission thing. I don’t know what will happen if they decide we can’t have fellowship with them. My daughter lives in Bontrager’s district, for crying out loud. Not to mention Silas and his family.”

  And Martha.

  “As you can tell, I’m a little frustrated.”

  Jaden rubbed his forehead. “I see.”

  “I won’t be cut off from my daughter, that’s all there is to it.”

  “What will you do?”

  “I’m guessing if they do decide to break fellowship, there will be a split in our g’may.”

  “How does Nora feel about all of it?”

  “She’s torn. This is where she was born and raised. Of course, Miriam and Michael are here too. Nora and Miriam are best friends. Then there’s Nora’s folks.” He blew out a puff of air. “It’s a mess.”

  “Yikes. So, you still think I should come?”

  “Well, you’ve been forewarned. Nothing is set in stone yet. But if there does happen to be a split, there will likely be a need for two teachers. So no need to worry about job security.” Josiah chuckled wryly.

  “Well, that’s something.”

  “So, do you have any idea of when you might come?”

  “Could you ask the leadership when they’d like me there? Four months is a while to go without pay, so I’m thinking of sticking around here for a little bit. Unless if they want me there already. You said there would be a teachers’ meeting?”

  “Jah. I’ll get all the details for you.”

  “Would you do me a favor, Josiah?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t tell anyone about this. I’d like it to be a surprise for Martha.”

  “You really like her, don’t you?”

  “She’s a gut friend.”

  “I see. Well, I can’t promise anything because there are some who already know. But I’ll try to keep it under wraps. It would be a gut surprise for the kinner too, now that I think about it. I’ll mention it to Nora. We haven’t said anything to Bailey or Silas, so we’re good there.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to get all my ducks in a row here.”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing you, Jaden.”

  “You too.” The phone clicked off.

  Now, to pen his letter to Martha.

  ~

  Greetings, Martha!

  I’m doing well. Thanks for your concern regarding the wasps. Fortunately, there is little evidence of their terror now. It is all just a bad memory. If I ever have to tackle that sort of thing again, I think I will borrow a full body suit from a beekeeper. I’m just glad it’s over!

  I hope you can still squeeze time into your summer schedule to work on your quilt. How long is the mission trip for? Is it all summer?

  I admit that the mission thing sounds interesting. I’ve never considered such a thing. It isn’t something our people usually do, so I’m a little surprised your district leaders are allowing it.

  I understand about siblings leaving home. Seems like this house keeps getting emptier as my brothers and sisters marry off.

  I can’t really say anything yet, except that I have a surprise! I wish I could say more, but it’ll have to wait until a later time.

  I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy.

  Your friend,

  Jaden Beachy

  Jaden sighed. He wished he could tell Martha all about his upcoming new venture, but he wanted it to be a surprise.

  What would Martha think if he just showed up on her doorstep one day? He couldn’t wait to find out!

  FIVE

  Martha packed her things into her messenger bag and said goodbye to the last student, before locking the schoolhouse door. She turned around, then nearly jumped out of her skin when Titus Troyer almost bumped into her.

  The young widower was a first cousin to her best friend Amy. He’d always been of the timid sort. He seemed kind too, but maybe she just thought that because she’d never really talked to him much.

  “I’m sorry.” He apologized. “I didn’t realize you’d be leaving so soon.”

  She glanced over his shoulder at his three children sitting in the buggy, her smile tentative. “Did you…need something?”

  He removed his hat, twisting it awkwardly in his hands. “Uh, jah. I…I…uh…was wondering…”

  She nodded slowly to encourage him to continue.

  “Well, you know, since Helen passed on last year. You see, uh, I don’t make a very gut mamm.” He frowned, then shook his head. “Ach, this isn’t coming out right. What I mean to say is would you consider…?”

  Her lips twisted. Ach, she hoped he wasn’t going to ask what she thought he might. “Consider…?”

  “Becoming their mamm.” The words rushed out. “You see, you’re real gut with the kinner and they like you, and seeing as you’re not hitched yet…” He shrugged. “I was thinking that I would ask anyhow.”

  Martha gasped. “I’m flattered, Titus. Really. And I do enjoy having your dochder in my class. But see, the thing is…” Ach, she shouldn’t lie. But if there ever could be anything between her and Jaden, then she wanted to keep her options open.

  “You’re already courting someone, ain’t not? Ach, I’m sorry. I hadn’t realized…” He glanced toward his kinner.

  “It’s okay, Titus. I do hope you can find someone.”

  He nodded curtly, his face reddening slightly. “We’ll go now. I’m…I’m sorry.”

  Should she say thanks for asking? Nee, she’d leave it at that. The situation was already awkward enough. Oh boy. A marriage proposal? She certainly hadn’t been expecting that today!

  He quickly turned and hasted to his awaiting buggy.

  As Martha watched the family head down the road, she wondered what their life was like without a mamm. Did Titus know how to prepare meals and such? Ach, she couldn’t imagine. Hopefully, he had someone to help him.

  It was true that her heart went out to him, but she had no interest whatsoever in becoming the poor man’s fraa.

  ~

  Martha pulled into the Millers’ Country Store and Bakery, owned by her oldest brother Silas and his fraa Kayla. Kayla and their sister-in-law Jenny, Paul’s w
ife, mostly ran the store with help from Kayla’s daughter Bailey Stoltzfoos and occasionally Martha’s youngest sister Emily.

  The moment Martha walked inside, she was reminded why this store had become a hotspot in their community. Jenny must’ve just taken a loaf of bread from the oven.

  “What is that appeditlich smell?” She closed her eyes and inhaled.

  “It’s the pretzels,” Bailey volunteered. “If you want one, you better grab one now before the rush comes in. We’ve already made two batches today and sold out of both of them.”

  “Ach, business must be gut.” Martha perused the bakery case.

  “Jah, it’s been great. I don’t know how Mamm and Aenti Jenny keep it running and still keep the kinner in one piece.”

  Jenny walked in from the back, carrying a little one in her arms. “Fortunately, I have helpers. And your onkel Paul has limited my hours away from the haus.” She informed Bailey.

  Jenny turned to Martha. “We have doughnuts left over from this morning, if you’d like to take them home to the family. Gott knows your bruder doesn’t need them,” she said. “I can bag them up for you, if you’d like to hold this one.”

  Martha stretched out her arms to receive her youngest nephew. “I’m sure they’ll enjoy them.” It seemed like every time she visited the store, she left with free leftover baked goods.

  “Did you stop by for anything in particular?” Bailey asked.

  “Jah, actually. I need thread.” Jaden’s comment in her letter had reminded her that she was out of a particular blue color. Hopefully they carried it here.

  “It’s in aisle two.” Bailey pointed. “Do you need help?”

  “Nee. I should be able to find it alright.” The store was so tiny, it only had three aisles. But the items they carried were useful to most Plain folks. The bakery took up nearly half the store space, not counting the back area where the large ovens were.

  Somehow, this little store felt like a slice of home. Perhaps it was because she was related to everyone who worked here.

  “Where is that blue thread?” She whispered to the little one, stroking his fine hair. “Ach, here it is.” She grasped two spools, then headed up to the counter. “I’ll take a pretzel too,” she told her niece.

  “Sure.” Bailey grabbed the tongs, took one of the large pretzels from the warming case, placed it on a foil sheet, grasped a napkin, then handed it to Martha.

  “Denki.” She smiled as she handed the boppli back to Jenny and took the bag of leftover baked goods.

  She pulled off a steaming section of the pretzel and popped it into her mouth. She couldn’t refrain from groaning. “So gut.” Too bad Jaden wasn’t here to enjoy one with her.

  “I know, right?”

  Sometimes Martha laughed when the loved ones around her used Englisch phrases, but she supposed it was only natural since Bailey’s mother had grown up Englisch, and her Amish father had lived in the Englisch world for almost two decades.

  “Anything new?” Martha asked.

  The corner of Jenny’s mouth lifted as she glanced at Bailey, a hint of knowing dancing in her eyes.

  “What?” Martha’s gaze ping ponged between her niece and sister-in-law. “Don’t tell me…Bailey…” She leaned close to her niece’s ear. “Are you in the familye way?”

  Bailey nodded, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  Concern prickled on Martha’s skin. She glanced at Jenny, a question in her mien. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay with the boppli?”

  “Ach, don’t get her started,” Jenny said, shaking her head.

  Martha was confused now. “What do you mean?”

  Jenny looked at Bailey. “Do you want me to tell her?”

  Bailey nodded, her lips smashed together.

  “She’s had morning sickness and—”

  “Timothy won’t let me go on the mission trip now!” Bailey exploded. It looked like tears threatened to fall. “It doesn’t matter what I say, it’s ‘No, I don’t want anything to happen to you.’ It’s ridiculous! Timothy and I were the ones who got Jerry Bontrager and the leaders to even consider it. We’re kind of in charge of our group. We can’t not go!”

  Ach.

  “I’m sure he’s just concerned for you and the boppli.” Jenny assured.

  “Jah, well, I could just as easily be injured in a buggy accident out on the road,” Bailey said, swiping away a tear. “Timothy doesn’t know how much this means to me.”

  “And you don’t know how much you and our boppli mean to me.” A masculine voice echoed behind Martha.

  Martha turned around at the sound of Timothy’s voice. Uh-oh.

  “Bailey, it would kill me if something happened to you and our boppli. I’d never be able to forgive myself.” He walked close to his wife and lowered his voice. “The conditions aren’t desirable. You could get really sick from the water or by eating something foreign.”

  “But we’d be going there to help improve the conditions. Remember, we’re installing those pumps so they’ll have fresh running water to drink?”

  Martha’s gaze volleyed between the couple as they scuffled.

  “Bailey, you’ll be miserable traveling all that way. You could hardly come to work today.” He shook his head. “If only you could have seen yourself.”

  “I’ll take ginger.”

  Timothy’s hands clenched. “Bailey, be reasonable.”

  “If we don’t go this year, then tell me when we will go.” Bailey frowned.

  “There will be other opportunities, fraa.” He insisted.

  “Nee, there won’t. The bopplin will keep coming and our lives will just get busier. Don’t you see? This is our only chance, Timothy! It’s now or never.” A cascade of tears fell against her cheeks. “Sometimes I think you don’t even care about how I feel.”

  “I’m not against you, schatzi. I love you.” Timothy’s frown deepened, then he and Bailey seemed to realize that Martha and Jenny were still in the same room, hearing their every word.

  Bailey hung up her apron on a peg on the back wall. “If you’ll excuse us, Aenti Martha and Aenti Jenny, my husband and I will continue this discussion on our drive home.” She nodded curtly, then rushed out the door.

  Timothy followed quickly behind her. Before he left, though, he turned to them. “Am I wrong in wanting mei fraa and boppli safe?” He didn’t wait for an answer. His shoulders sagged as he slugged out the door.

  “Ach, the poor things.” Jenny shook her head, jostling the boppli in her arms. “Marriage is tough sometimes.”

  “I can imagine.” Martha looked around at the empty store. “Do you need help? Was Bailey supposed to leave early?”

  “Nee, but her hours have been sporadic lately. I’m used to working by myself. There’s only an hour left yet. I can handle it.”

  “What about the boppli?”

  “He’ll just go into his playpen back here. He’s a real gut boppli, so he’ll be fine.”

  “You’re sure then?”

  “Jah. Besides, Kayla’s just down the driveway. If she sees that it’s busy, she’ll send Shiloh out to help.”

  That was one of the things she liked about the Amish ways. No one was ever alone, at least, not in their community. Martha smiled as she left with her abundance of baked goods.

  Now, to coax Quibble into getting her home in one piece.

  SIX

  “There’s a letter for you on your desk,” Mamm said as Martha walked through the doorway. She glanced at Martha, attempting to suppress a smile. “It’s from Jaden Beachy.”

  Ach, she supposed it was nearly impossible to have any type of a private life when your family knew all your goings-on. At least no one had witnessed the exchange between her and Titus Troyer. She decided that was something only her journal and Der Herr would be privy to. No one else needed to know.

  “Denki, Mamm.” She glanced around the kitchen, attempting nonchalance. She set the baked goods on the table. “Do you need help with preparing supper?�
�

  “Maybe later. You go read what Jaden has to say.” Mamm shooed her toward the stairs. “I know you’re anxious for his words.”

  So much for nonchalance.

  Ever since the Stoltzfoos-Miller wedding, it seemed everyone expected her and Jaden to get hitched. But honestly, she didn’t think Jaden was all that interested in her. Jah, they’d hit it off at the wedding. Jah, they were gut friends. Jah, they wrote letters to each other. Often. But that didn’t mean that he was head-over-heels for her. He never indicated anything more than friendship, so why should she expect it? Why should she lay her heart out for it only to get trampled on? Why had she gone and fallen in love with Jaden Beachy?

  Ugh.

  While still in her mother’s view, she took her time removing her bonnet and placing it on the mudroom counter. She patiently took her lunchbox to the kitchen and cleaned out its contents. When there was nothing left to do, she meandered up the staircase to her room.

  Once inside, with the door closed, she sat at her desk and smiled down at Jaden’s envelope. There wasn’t anything different about it, except for the stamp, which had red hearts on it. Nee, she wouldn’t read anything into it. It was just a stamp, after all. One that he likely got from his mother’s stash. But just the same, it caused her heart to gallop.

  She used her letter opener so as not to make a torn mess of the thing, then pulled out his single-lined page. While she wanted to savor each word, that proved nearly impossible when receiving one of Jaden’s letters. Nee, instead she devoured the thing and it was over all too quickly.

  But this time…

  This time his words lingered. I have a surprise.

  Ach, for sure and certain it was going to drive her crazy not knowing what Jaden’s surprise was all about. What a big tease. How could he expect her to be content with I have a surprise? Didn’t he know a proclamation like that was akin to pure torture?

  What on earth could it be? Oh no. What if he…? She didn’t want her mind to go there, but it did. What if Jaden Beachy had met a young woman and had fallen in love with her? What if the surprise was that he was getting married? Would she be able to accept that and move on? Ach, she’d have to. She wouldn’t have a choice.