“Oh Kassidy, really? Just take it off and leave it here on the porch. No one is going to say anything. You can just wear your socks.” Denise tapped her foot. “This discussion is over. It’s time to go inside.” She turned and knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, a pretty Amish woman with brilliant blue eyes and dark hair opened the door. “Welcome to my home. I’m Heidi Troyer. Please come inside.” She gestured to Denise and Kassidy, and also to the other woman and her two children.
As they entered the house, Denise noticed Heidi wore a pair of flip-flops. When she looked closer, and saw Heidi’s black and blue toe, Denise was tempted to ask what happened. However she didn’t want to appear nosy or impolite. Especially since Heidi hadn’t asked why Kassidy wasn’t wearing her shoes. However, that didn’t stop another boy, who looked to be close to Kassidy’s age, from pointing to her feet and asking what happened to her shoes.
Kassidy wrinkled her nose. “Left ’em both outside ’cause I stepped in doggie doo-doo.”
The boy snickered, until the man standing beside him said, “Don’t be rude, Jeremy. You need to mind your own business.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Heidi apologized. “Our Brittany spaniel normally goes out in the field to do her business, but she must not have made it in time. I’ll take care of cleaning your shoes after class.”
Denise stepped forward. “Actually it’s only one of her shoes, and there’s a little more than what remains on the shoe to clean off. Thanks to my daughter’s impulsiveness, most of it is now stuck to the edge of your porch. I am so sorry about that.”
Heidi’s brows pulled slightly inward, but then a faint smile formed on her lips. “It’s okay. I’m sure we’ve all done that at least once in our life. We’ll deal with it later. Now, if you children will follow me to the kitchen, you can introduce yourselves, and then we’ll begin our first class.”
Heidi was surprised when the children’s parents joined them in the kitchen. She had expected they would drop their kids off and return for them when the class was over. She hadn’t set out enough chairs for this many people and wondered how well the children would respond to her with their parents looking on. Surely, the adults didn’t plan to accompany their children to every class. Hopefully they would only stay today, in order to help their kids become adjusted.
After they scrounged more chairs to put around the expansive kitchen table, Heidi introduced herself, as well as Randy and Marsha. Randy muttered a quick, “Hi,” but Marsha hid behind Heidi, refusing to speak to anyone. This wasn’t unusual, since she said very little. Heidi figured the little girl would not join in any of the conversation during today’s cooking class.
“Your children are cute.” The auburn-haired woman smiled. “Are they going to take part in the cooking class too?”
“Yes, they will. My husband, Lyle, and I are foster parents to Randy and Marsha.” Quickly changing the subject, Heidi said, “Now, starting on my right, I’d like everyone to introduce themselves. Please tell a little about yourselves and why you decided to take my cooking classes.”
The tall man with dark curly hair spoke first. “My name is Darren Keller, and I’m a single father.” He gestured to the dark-haired boy beside him. “This is my son, Jeremy, and he’s ten years old. I thought taking a cooking class would be something fun for him to do during his summer break.” He nudged the boy. “Say hello, Jeremy.”
“Uh, hi everyone.” A dot of red erupted on Jeremy’s cheeks.
Darren smiled at Heidi. “My son was worried he would be the only boy here today.”
Heidi felt sorry for Darren’s son. Would he have been more eager to speak if his father hadn’t been here coaching him? She glanced at the brunette who sat next to Jeremy. “Would you and your daughter like to go next?”
The woman sat up straight, patting her perfect-looking hair in place. “My name is Denise McGuire, and this is my eleven-year-old daughter, Kassidy. I signed her up for the class so she could learn to cook, and also to give her something meaningful to do this summer.”
Kassidy rolled her blue-green eyes. “I didn’t even know my mom signed me up till I got here today, and I don’t want to learn how to cook.” The girl looked right at Heidi. “I can think of lots better things to do during summer break than spend time in the kitchen.”
Heidi hadn’t expected the girl to be so blunt. Maybe cooking classes for kids wasn’t a good idea. She hadn’t expected she’d be dealing with a problem child like Kassidy. Well, she refused to become discouraged. As time went on, and everyone got to know each other, the sessions were bound to get better.
The next parent introduced herself as Miranda Cooper. “And this is my son, Kevin, and my daughter, Debbie.”
Neither child said a word. Heidi hoped her young students might be more talkative once they got busy making today’s recipe.
The last parent stood and said her name was Ellen Blackburn, and that she was a single mother. She’d brought her ten-year-old daughter, Becky, to learn how to cook.
Becky’s chin dipped toward her chest. No comment from her either.
Poor child, Heidi thought. Becky must be shy, the way she’s keeping her head down and not looking at anyone. It’s probably best to keep things moving along. “Thank you everyone, for your introductions. Now we’ll begin making our first recipe.”
Heidi went to the refrigerator, took out a tray of fresh fruit, and placed it on the table. “Today I’ll be teaching you how to make a fruit salad.”
“I hope it doesn’t include oranges.” Kassidy wrinkled her nose. “I can’t stand the smell of oranges, and I’d gag if I tried to eat one.”
“I do have oranges available for those of you who would like to include them, but there are other fruits to put in the salad, so you can pick and choose.”
After Heidi had all the supplies set out, she asked the children to take turns washing their hands at the sink. Heidi watched in dismay as a couple of parents, obviously determined to be a part of the class, washed their hands too.
She stood at the end of the long table, holding a stack of index cards. “Here is the recipe I’ve written out for you to take home today.” Heidi moved about the table and gave each child a card. She’d written a verse of scripture on the back, the way she’d done previously for her adult students, but she made no mention of it. Heidi hoped after the children got home, they would discover the verse and it would be meaningful to them.
Heidi had coaxed Marsha to take a seat beside Randy. Even though they couldn’t read yet, she’d given them both a recipe card so they wouldn’t feel left out. Then she returned to the head of the table to explain what they should do first.
Heidi first demonstrated how to hold and cut up an apple. The children picked up their dull paring knives and apples, and copied what she did on their cutting boards.
Like a mother hen, Miranda moved in close to her boy. “Kevin isn’t used to cutting up food. I do all the meal preparations at home.” The woman almost reached for the knife, but pulled back.
“I can do this, so don’t worry, Mom.” Kevin’s tongue shot out and rested against the side of his mouth, while he cut up the apple into good-sized chunks.
“He’s doing a fine job.” Heidi stepped over to watch him and the other children. She wasn’t sure how this was going to play out. Heidi could see that some of these children didn’t have a lot of experience in the kitchen.
Darren shifted in his seat. He felt ill at ease, being the only man here with his child. In order to hide his embarrassment, Darren concentrated on his son and how he responded to Heidi’s instructions.
Next, Heidi showed the children how to peel an orange. Darren wasn’t surprised when Kassidy held her throat as though gagging and looked away. Then lowering her voice, she muttered, “That’s so easy. Anyone with common sense can peel an orange.”
Darren held back a snicker when Kevin took half an orange and squeezed the juice in Kassidy’s direction. She responded by sticking out her tong
ue. “Ha! Ha! You missed me.”
“That’s enough, Kevin,” the boy’s mother reprimanded.
Darren was glad it wasn’t Jeremy who’d squirted the orange. So far, he’d been minding his manners.
“Children, as long as you are here taking my classes, you will need to be kind to one another,” Heidi said. “That includes no intentional squirting or sticking your tongue out at anyone.”
Aside from a little more awkwardness with everyone in the room, the kids, for the most part, remained well behaved.
One thing that annoyed Darren a little, though, was the blond woman—Ellen. Instead of allowing her daughter to participate on her own, Ellen did everything for Becky. The girl simply sat, watching her mother take part, when she should have been doing by herself what Heidi instructed. Not only did Becky watch what her mother was doing, but she shyly glanced around at the other kids, who were cutting the fruit on their own.
Darren looked at Heidi. She was also watching Ellen. He assumed from her sober expression that she saw it too. Maybe I’ll say something to Ellen once the class is over. Would she be offended?
After all the fruit was prepared, Heidi explained how to mix the two juices and ginger and then pour it over the fruit to lightly toss. The fruit salad looked good, but it would need to chill for half an hour.
Once everyone had put their bowl of fruit salad in the refrigerator, Heidi explained a little about the upcoming classes and what to expect. She told the parents that unless they felt they needed to be there, they weren’t expected to stay during the classes. The lessons would last for two hours, so if the parents had something they’d like to do in the meantime, they could return for their children at noon.
Darren figured maybe next time he wouldn’t stay, but he’d wait and see first what the other parents did.
After the cooking class ended, Heidi helped clean off Kassidy’s shoe, as well as the mess on the porch. Denise apologized once more for the mess her daughter had left, but Kassidy remained silent as she stood and watched, her cheeks crimson.
Heidi didn’t mind tending to the job, for she’d learned early in life how important it was to be kind and patient. Maybe this would help the contrite girl to be a little nicer. Heidi could only imagine how it would be to have a daughter as bold as Kassidy. While different from a shy child, Kassidy too could use some help learning how to act around others.
Kassidy seemed a bit more pleasant now that her shoe had been cleaned up. Denise nudged her daughter’s arm. “What do you say to Heidi?”
“Thank you,” Kassidy mumbled.
“You’re welcome.” Heidi handed the shoe to the girl.
Kassidy went over to retrieve the other shoe, and slipped it on her foot.
Not long after, Heidi waved as Denise and her daughter got in the car and pulled out of the driveway. Then Heidi grabbed the hose and turned on the water, giving the porch one more good washing.
Soon Randy and Marsha came outside and took a seat on the porch swing.
“How did you like learning to cook with the English kids today?” Heidi asked the children. “Did you both have a good time?”
“I liked eatin’ the salad, but it was hard to cut up the fruit.” Randy looked at his sister. “It was too hard for Marsha, but I’m glad she gotta taste the salad.”
“The next class will be two weeks from today, and then we’ll learn to make something else.” Heidi put the hose away. “I’m going in the house now to get our lunch started. Do you two want to come inside or stay out here on the porch?”
“Think we’ll stay out here awhile.” Randy clasped his sister’s small hand. “Me and Marsha wanna sit on the swing.”
“Okay. I’ll call you when lunch is ready.” Heidi went inside. As she took a loaf of bread out to make sandwiches, she heard a shrill scream. Dropping the bread to the counter, Heidi rushed out the front door.
Chapter 7
When she stepped out on the porch, a blast of water shot Heidi in the face. Holding her hands like a shield, she gasped.
“Uh-oh.” Randy quickly lowered the hose, holding the nozzle so it pointed toward the nearest flowerbed.
Marsha, who stood sobbing across from him, was drenched from the top of her blond head all the way down to her little bare toes.
Heidi wasn’t sure what to do—scold Randy or comfort his distraught sister. She shook her finger at the boy, then quickly turned off the nozzle at the end of the hose. “I’m ashamed of you, Randy. What made you squirt your sister with water?”
He gave an undignified grunt. “Marsha said she was hot, so I cooled her off.”
“I don’t believe being soaked with cold water from the hose was what she had in mind.” Heidi placed her hand on Marsha’s wet head. “Now, Randy, please put the hose back where it belongs and make sure the spigot where the hose is connected is turned off.”
“Okay.” Randy paused and looked at his sister. “Sorry for gettin’ you wet. Are ya mad at me?”
Still sniffling, Marsha shook her head.
As Randy stepped off the porch, Heidi leaned down and clasped the little girl’s hand. “Looks like I got a little bath too. Come inside with me, and we’ll get out of our wet clothes.” She was thankful the social worker hadn’t shown up for a surprise visit in the middle of all this. If Gail had seen what had just happened, it would not have made a good impression.
Marsha looked up at Heidi with such a sweet expression, it almost melted her heart. Truth was, she had begun to think of these children as her own.
“I don’t see why we have to eat here,” Kassidy grumbled as the hostess showed them to a table at Der Dutchman restaurant. “I told Hillary I’d be home before one o’clock. She was gonna come over and swim in our pool today.” Kassidy reached back to flip her red ponytail.
Denise clicked her freshly manicured fingernails against the table. “In the first place, it’s not warm enough to go swimming yet. In the second place, you should not have invited your friend without checking with me first. So settle down, because we are not going home until we’ve eaten lunch.”
Kassidy slumped in her chair. “Are you trying to punish me ’cause of what happened to my shoe?”
“Your shoe is inconsequential. What upset me today was your attitude. You were rude and acted like a spoiled three-year-old child instead of an eleven-year-old girl who should know better.” Denise released an exasperated sigh. “I’ve never been so humiliated in all my life.”
“Well, what about me? You shouldn’t have signed me up for that stupid cooking class. I already know how to cut up fruit, and everything about the class was boring.”
“Is that so? First of all, you need to stop thinking of yourself all the time, and boring or not, you will be taking the next five classes.” Denise spoke with clenched jaw and forced restraint. “As far as Hillary is concerned, you can call her right now and say she can’t come over because you’re on restrictions until you learn to have a better attitude.”
Tilting her chin down, Kassidy frowned. “That’s not fair, Mom. I was looking forward to spending the afternoon with my friend.”
Shaking her head, Denise held firm. She’d given in to her daughter too many times in the past, and it had done nothing to improve the girl’s haughty attitude or tame her temper. “Kassidy, I was looking forward to us being at the cooking class together, and look how that turned out. So get on your cell phone and call Hillary right now.”
Frowning, Kassidy reached into her pocket. “My phone! It’s not here.”
“Did you leave it in the car?”
“No, I—I must have left it at that Amish woman’s house.” Kassidy’s face contorted. “I remember setting it down on the table when we were eating the fruit salad. I bet it’s still there.” She pushed her chair aside and stood. “We’ve gotta go back, Mom. We need to go there now and get my phone.”
“Sit down, Kassidy and quit making a scene.” Denise pointed to the menus on the table. “We’ll go after we’ve had lunch.”
&
nbsp; “But what if something happens to my phone? Those kids Heidi’s taking care of are little. If one of ’em fools around with the phone, they might mess up the settings.” Eyes narrowed, Kassidy’s voice rose as she clutched the neckline of her blouse.
Denise put her fingers to her lips. “Calm down. I’m sure Heidi would have found your phone and put it in a safe place.”
“But what if she didn’t? What if—”
“All the ‘what ifs’ in the world won’t change a thing. We’ll find out about your phone when we get there.” Denise pushed the menu closer to Kassidy. “Now make a decision on what you want, or I’ll order for you.”
Kassidy pouted, but grabbed the menu. After looking it over, she muttered, “Nothing looks good, so I’ll just have a burger and fries.”
Denise felt relief when a waitress came to take their order. Maybe once her daughter had food in her stomach, she’d be in a better mood. I know I will be. She picked up her water and took a drink. I’m more than ready to eat lunch, and despite whatever Kassidy thinks, everything on the menu here looks good to me.
Berlin
“What did you think of the cooking class today?” Miranda asked her children.
“I liked it, but I don’t care much for Kassidy.” Debbie’s lips curled. “She wants her way all the time.”
“Maybe since we were all strangers to one another, everyone was a little uncomfortable. I’m sure it will get better once we all get to know each other.” Miranda had to admit that Kassidy was one spoiled child. I’m glad my children aren’t like that. “How about you, Kevin? What did you think of the cooking class?”
“Guess it was all right, but I had more fun when that nice man showed us the animals after the class was over.”
Amish Cooking Class--The Celebration Page 4