by Leigh Bale
That did the trick. Caleb nodded and immediately went over to sit close to Sam and help with his simple addition. Caleb sat up straight, his movements filled with confidence. And Becca knew she’d done a good thing. Caleb was very bright and getting too bored, which led to him causing trouble in the school. But elevating him to tutor would help him focus more on helping Sam. It would help him concentrate on helping someone else instead of getting into trouble. Caleb would now be Sam’s protector instead of his tormentor.
Feeling good about her day of teaching, Becca returned to her work with the other scholars and the morning whizzed by way too fast. She felt happy inside, knowing she’d just resolved a huge problem with Caleb. It made her glad she was a teacher. Glad she had come here to Colorado.
“Teacher Becca?”
She looked up and saw Karen Yoder holding her hand high in the air.
“Yes, Karen?” she said.
Karen indicated the clock on the wall. “It’s lunchtime, teacher. I thought you might be too busy to notice.”
Glancing at the clock, Becca gasped and realized her mistake. It was already eleven thirty. Where had the morning gone?
“Thank you, Karen. Scholars, please return to your desks and stand while we say our prayer of thanks,” she said.
The children at the chalkboard returned to their seats and all the students stood while they recited in unison. When they finished, the scholars each gathered their lunch pails and congregated in several huddles to eat.
“When you’re finished with your lunch, you’re welcome to go outside and build a snowman. Or if it’s too cold and you prefer to stay inside, feel free to get out the game boards and play quietly together,” Becca told them.
The kids nodded, speaking in muted voices, an occasional laugh piercing the air. None of them went outside today. They stayed inside and played games instead.
Becca sat at her desk, putting the finishing touches on the end-of-year program while she took bites of her ham sandwich. And that’s when she looked up and saw something amazing. Instead of teasing the younger boys, Caleb had invited little Sam and Andy over to join him and the older boys in a game of Life on the Farm. Sam didn’t speak but he participated silently and smiled when he did something right. The other children encouraged him, acting the way she expected them to.
Becca smiled to herself, realizing maybe she could be a good teacher after all. Last week, she’d felt as though she were a failure. That she never should have come to Colorado. But what she had done with Caleb Yoder had been a big achievement. Maybe she could make it as a teacher after all.
Now, if she could just figure out how to help Sam speak again, she would be truly happy. This afternoon, she would drive the little boy home and offer him some tutoring. She’d be sure to spend a little extra time bouncing ideas off Jesse as to how to help his son as well. She prayed that he wouldn’t resist and would take her advice well. And maybe during their conversation, she could find out what had caused Sam to cry that morning. She just hoped Jesse hadn’t been cruel to his son. She liked Jesse. She really did. She just wished he was more sensitive to his son’s needs.
* * *
By four o’clock that afternoon, Becca and Sam hadn’t arrived at the house and Jesse was ready to go find them. He stumbled on his way out of the back shed and headed toward the barn. Even though it was still early, the sky was overcast with a cluster of gray clouds. Maybe the roads had iced up already. It was certainly cold enough. He didn’t know how good a driver Becca was and started to worry.
He led Jimmy, his road horse, out of the barn. Taking a deep inhale of fresh air, he tried to clear his muddled mind. A blaze of panic almost overtook him. The horrible feeling of being out of control and losing everything that was good in life. And he couldn’t do a single thing to stop it from happening. Maybe Becca hadn’t been paying attention and went off the road. Maybe she and Sam were lying hurt somewhere in a ditch...
The jingle of a harness brought his attention and he looked up. Becca’s horse and buggy pulled into the graveled yard. Jesse saw her and his son sitting on the front seat, both of them bundled up against the frigid air. Becca held the leather lead lines with her gloved hands, seeming alert and attentive as she drove with confidence.
“Danke, Lord. Danke for bringing them home safe.” Jesse whispered the prayer of gratitude beneath his breath.
They were here. He could stop worrying. At least until Becca had to drive to her farm in an hour or so.
“Hallo!” she called as she hopped out of the buggy.
She reached back to help Sam down. The boy rested his little hands on her shoulders without hesitation. And that’s when Jesse noticed his son seemed to trust his teacher quite a bit.
“Were you going somewhere?” she asked, looking at his horse as they walked over to greet him. Her blue eyes were bright and alive, her cheeks and nose pink from the chilled temperatures. He could see each of her exhales like a puff of smoke on the frosty air. And looped over one arm, she carried a rather large basket covered by a clean cloth. Probably her school books for tutoring Sam.
He nodded, leaning against Jimmy’s front shoulder. For some reason, he felt extra tired today, though he’d never admit it to Becca. “Ja, I was getting ready to go and find you. Now that you’re here, I’ll put your horse in the barn until you’re ready to leave.”
Without being asked, Sam helped his father. Becca stood near the wide double doors, watching silently as they stabled her horse and offered it some water.
“It’s barely four o’clock,” she said. “I don’t know why you were getting ready to komm and find us. School gets out at three thirty and I had to make sure all the scholars were picked up by their eldre and secure the building before I could leave...”
He turned to face her and her eyes widened and she gasped. “Jesse! What happened to you?”
Feeling confused, he reached up and touched his forehead where he discovered a giant bump forming there.
“It’s nothing. I was working to repair one of the walls in the back shed and took a fall off the ladder a little while ago.” He reached for the halter to lead Jimmy back inside the warm barn too.
Becca and Sam followed after him. The boy didn’t speak but took hold of his father’s elbow, his face creased with concern. Jesse could tell Sam was worried about him.
“Geht es dir gut?” Becca asked.
“Ja, I’m all right,” he reassured them both. “The fall just knocked the wind out of me. I didn’t realize I’d hit my head until just now.”
He released Jimmy back into his stall and shut the door. No wonder he had a mild headache and had been disoriented a few minutes earlier. But now, he could feel his mind clearing and realized he’d been stunned by the fall.
“Let’s go inside the house. It’s too cold out here,” Becca said.
She still looked anxious and for some crazy reason that touched Jesse’s heart like nothing else could. It had been a long time since someone had fretted and cared about him.
Even though he still had cows to milk and chickens to feed, he didn’t argue with her. He wanted something warm to drink and then he’d finish his evening chores.
They went inside the back door, the warmth of the potbellied stove engulfing them. Though this house and the surrounding corrals and outbuildings needed tons of repairs, at least the old stove worked well as long as he kept it supplied with fuel.
Becca set her basket on the table and doffed her gloves and heavy shawl. She helped Sam do the same, tossing his hat and coat carelessly on a chair. While Becca went to the kitchen cupboards, Jesse placed more wood on the fire. When he set the kettle on the stove to heat up, he glanced over and saw Becca retrieving a clean dishcloth from a drawer. Thankfully, she didn’t say a word about the sink filled with dirty dishes. He planned to wash them later tonight but knew his home suffered from his lack of tidiness. Alice had always
kept their place immaculate and in good order. But with all the work he had to do just to get ready for spring planting, he couldn’t seem to keep up with everything.
He didn’t question Becca when she went outside to fill the dishcloth with small chunks of ice. By the time she’d returned, he had sat down to rest a moment. Without a word, she promptly placed the cold cloth over his forehead. He flinched and she moved more gently, her fingertips warm against his skin.
“Hold this against your head for a few minutes. It’ll help the swelling go down,” she said.
“I don’t need this,” he said.
“Ja, you do,” she insisted. “I’m wondering if I should take you to see Eli Stoltzfus. He can tell if you need to go to the hospital in town.”
Jesse had met Eli and knew the man was a certified paramedic who worked for the small hospital in Riverton. Since Jesse was a firefighter, he wasn’t surprised to find an Amish paramedic here. He knew they never drove any automotive vehicles, but the Amish had quickly discovered the benefits of having EMTs, paramedics and firefighters among them.
“I don’t need to see Eli. It’s just a little bump on the head and I feel fine,” he said.
Her forehead crinkled slightly but she didn’t argue as she bustled over to the table and began emptying the contents of the basket she’d brought. Watching her, he couldn’t help thinking she had a way of taking over his home every time she arrived. And yet, he didn’t mind. Not really. Because she seemed to bring lots of comfort and order with her. But he was surprised when she removed a casserole dish, a loaf of homemade bread and a cherry pie from her basket.
His mouth watered at the sight of so much good food. His hunger alone told him that his head was okay. “What are those for?”
She didn’t look up as she slid the casserole into the gas-powered oven and turned it on. It looked like some kind of pasta, cheese and hamburger mixture that smelled delicious. Simple but filling food that made his stomach rumble. Sam had homed in on the pie, climbing up on a chair so he could gaze longingly at the golden crust and plump red berries that had oozed out of the lattice top when it was baked.
“This is for your supper,” she said. “It was easy to keep the food chilled until we got here and I figured you were busy and might appreciate a night off from cooking.”
He laughed out loud. He couldn’t help himself. “Is this your polite way of letting me know I’m a lousy cook?”
She laughed too, the sound high and sweet, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. “Ach, I don’t mean to offend but you must admit that you really are a poor cook.”
He nodded without argument, still smiling at her sense of humor. “I’m willing to concede your point and will admit I have come to dread meal preparation. I think Sam dreads it too.”
Her smile stayed firmly in place as she removed several books from the bottom of the basket. “And these are for my tutoring session with Sam.”
She handed the boy one book, which he took readily. A feeling of deep and abiding gratitude for her thoughtfulness rested over Jesse like a warm blanket. And that’s when he realized something important. He had laughed just a few moments ago. A loud, full-bodied laugh that came from deep inside. It was the first since Alice and his little girls had died. And that made Jesse pause in startled wonder. He felt suddenly unfaithful to their memory. Disloyal for feeling happy when they were gone.
He stood abruptly and tossed the dishrag onto the cupboard. “This is fine now. I’ve got chores to do.”
Placing his black felt hat on his head, he closed the door firmly behind him and hurried to the barn. After tossing hay to the animals, he fed the chickens and milked the cow. The work gave him time to gather his thoughts. To remember who he was and what he was doing here.
Becca was efficient, bossy and wonderful but she wasn’t Alice. And he was not going to let her take over his life or his thoughts. In his heart, he was still a married man who was faithful to his wife. And he wouldn’t allow himself to be taken in by Becca’s competent ways.
Thirty minutes later, he returned to the kitchen, carrying a bucket of frothy white milk. As he set it on the table, he could hear Becca in the living room, reading to Sam. He stepped over to the doorway and peeked into the room without revealing his presence. They both sat huddled together in the new rocking chair he had finished making last night. Little by little, he was getting things done but he was impatient to paint the ugly, scarred walls inside his home. However, that would have to wait. There were more pressing issues he needed to tend to right now or they wouldn’t have a livelihood. Issues such as getting the corrals and sheds repaired so he could buy livestock for their farm.
He listened silently as Becca read Sam a story about a cat named Elmo and a dog named Patches. The feline played a lot of tricks on the dog and got away with all sorts of antics. Finally, Becca finished the story with a laugh.
“I really like Elmo. He’s so funny. He’s always sneaking up on Patches,” she said.
Sam nodded in agreement.
“But who do you like the best? Elmo or Patches?” Becca asked.
A slight movement from Sam told Jesse that his son had pointed at his preference.
“Ach, pointing at the picture will never do. Can you say his name out loud for me?” Becca asked, her voice calm and inviting.
There was a long, quiet pause. Becca didn’t intrude. She gave Sam plenty of time to think. And then, the softest whisper wafted across the room. So quiet that Jesse almost didn’t hear.
“Patches.”
Jesse blinked. Had he heard right? Had Sam actually said the dog’s name out loud?
“That’s very gut,” Becca said. “But why do you like Patches the best?”
Every nerve in Jesse’s body went on high alert. He leaned forward slightly, eager to hear his son’s response. Would Sam speak again? Could he do it?
“Dog,” Sam whispered low.
Okay, not a complete sentence, but Jesse understood only too well. Before Alice had died, Sam had asked him numerous times if they could get a dog. They already had several barn cats who kept the mice population down but Sam wanted a puppy of his very own. Jesse hadn’t gotten around to getting the boy one before tragedy had struck and then they’d moved here to Colorado. Maybe it was time...
“Very gut,” Becca said, closing the book with a slight snap. “You’re doing so well, Sam. I’m very pleased with you.”
She leaned her head down and kissed the boy’s forehead. When they stood, Jesse pulled back into the kitchen with a quick jerk. He didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping, yet he felt mesmerized by the two of them. He could listen to them all day.
Hurrying over to the kitchen sink, he noticed that all the dishes had been washed and put away. He stared at the clean countertops, stunned down to the tips of his worn work boots.
“We’re all done for this evening.” Becca spoke from behind and he turned.
She stood in the doorway, holding Sam’s hand. The boy smiled shyly but didn’t speak.
“How did he do tonight?” Jesse asked, clearing his throat.
“Wundervoll. He even spoke twice,” she said.
“Ja, I heard. That’s great news.”
Jesse smiled at his son, trying not to overreact so much that it startled Sam and shut him down. Jesse had enough common sense not to push the boy until he was ready. But it was an amazing, wonderful start. And he had Becca to thank for all of it.
Chapter Six
“I see you’ve finished making more chairs for the table. You’re a gut carpenter.” Becca glanced around the kitchen in Jesse’s home and couldn’t help admiring his simple handiwork.
There were now four wooden chairs surrounding the long table, which had enough room to seat eight people. That wasn’t surprising. Most Amish families had an average of seven or eight children. But since Jesse’s wife had died, Becca wondered why he had
made such a large table. Maybe he hoped to remarry and have more children. She wasn’t sure. She figured he’d lost all his furniture in the house fire and it would take time to rebuild. Already, she’d seen enough of his house to know the walls needed painting and the cold wooden floors needed covering.
“Ahem, supper is ready. Would you like to join us in our meal?” Jesse asked.
His voice sounded a bit stilted, as though he wasn’t used to having a woman in his home who wasn’t his wife.
“I would like that very much.”
She rolled up her sleeves and reached inside the cupboard for some plates so she could set the table. As she did so, she thought it odd that she already knew where he kept the utensils. Having washed his dishes, she knew quite a bit about his kitchen, including the fact that his cupboards were now filled with a variety of canned goods.
“I see you’ve got plenty of food in the house.” Wearing two mitts on her hands, she lifted the casserole out of the oven and set it in the middle of the table. Steam rose from the hot dish and filled the air with a yummy aroma.
He chuckled as he sliced the loaf of homemade bread. “Ja, I don’t want Sam to go without his meals just because I can’t cook.”
They sat together at the table and bowed their heads. No one spoke and Becca simply recited the Lord’s Prayer in her mind. She also asked Gott to help Sam continue to make progress in his speaking and to help Jesse be safe while he worked on his farm.
After a few moments, Jesse released a low sigh and they dug into the delicious food. Sam ate ravenously and Becca realized it had been a long time since he and his father had enjoyed a home-cooked meal that wasn’t burnt. Maybe she could do something about that from time to time, just until Jesse got back on his feet with his farm chores.
“What was the name again of the little dog in the story Becca was reading to you?” Jesse asked.
He was looking at Sam expectantly. Obviously, he hoped the boy would respond. But he didn’t. Sam glanced hesitantly at his father, then stared down at his plate. He didn’t say a single word but set his fork on his plate, as though he’d lost his appetite.