The Teacher's Bride

by Kathleen Fuller

  Patience’s heart filled. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

  “I get sick to mei stomach every time I think about it.”

  She took his hand. “Then I’ll help you. We’ll pray together for you to be calm. I can help you study too. You don’t have to get up extra early anymore. We can study after the kinner geh to bed.”

  “I don’t want to burden you with this.”

  “You’re not.” She leaned over and kissed him. “I’d be honored to study the Bible with you. And if you get nervous during yer sermon, just look at me. I’ll be cheering you on. Silently, of course.” She grinned.

  He smiled. “Danki, lieb.”

  Tobias started to bang his sippy cup against the table. She rose from her chair and went to him.

  “You’re right about hiring some help.” Timothy stood. “I’ve been thinking about that too. Ruby’s offered a couple of times, but I turned her down.”

  “Are you thinking about hiring her now?” Patience asked, but she’d be surprised if he was considering it, especially after today.

  “Nee. And not because of what happened at the schoolhaus, although that would give me pause if I was inclined to hire her.” Luke leaned his head on Timothy’s shoulder. “Farming isn’t for Ruby.”

  “Neither is midwifing.” Or teaching? But Patience wasn’t so sure about that. Yesterday, after her first day of teaching, Ruby had been the happiest she’d seen her. She’d come home with stories about the students, telling them while she helped Patience make supper. Then right after doing the dishes, she studied the lessons for today. There was an enthusiasm in Ruby Patience hadn’t seen before, and that was saying something considering how Ruby approached even the most mundane task with energy and optimism. Her teaching career in Birch Creek might be over soon, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t find a teaching job in another district—if she wanted to, and if she learned how to properly manage a classroom.

  “But I know God has something in store for her, in his time,” Timothy said. “I thought it might be teaching, but . . .” He shrugged. “I trust he knows what he’s doing when it comes to Ruby.”

  Patience smiled as Timothy leaned down and whispered something to Luke, who then buried his face in his father’s shirt. Her husband looked more relaxed than she’d seen him in weeks, and she was glad. Whatever she had to do to help him, she would. Timothy would be an excellent minister—she knew that. And with her help and God’s, he would believe it too.

  On Friday morning Christian’s ankle felt good enough that he could put all his weight on it. He still needed the crutch, but he wasn’t as dependent on it. He could make good on his promise to the school board to be back on Monday.

  He couldn’t keep his mind off school, and especially Ruby. He knew she had meant well, and the idea of a show-and-tell day with a favorite pet had merit—if handled correctly. Which she hadn’t. He had no idea what had been going through her head when she told the kids to bring their pets all at once. Not to mention that was another deviation from his lesson plans. And while she had promised to him and the school board that she would follow those plans from now on, he didn’t trust that she would.

  Unable to stand it, he decided he would pay the school another visit that afternoon, right after lunch. He was already dressed to go out and eating a scrambled egg and toast when Selah came downstairs. To his surprise she was fully dressed, wearing a green dress and blue cardigan sweater, her hair bound up and covered with a white kerchief.

  “Gute morgen,” she said as she headed for coffee.

  She still didn’t look at him, but at least she greeted him. “Gute morgen.”

  Selah turned and leaned against the counter. “You look like you’re ready to geh somewhere.”

  “To school, after lunch.”

  “To check up on Ruby?” She smirked. “I heard all about Bring Yer Pet to School Day. That must have been a sight.”

  “It was. But she’s learned from that mistake.”

  Selah huffed. “I wonder.”

  Christian frowned. “Why don’t you like her?” he asked. Now wasn’t the best time to broach the subject, but since Selah was in a talkative mood, he took the opportunity. Besides, he was baffled and irritated by her attitude toward Ruby.

  “She’s too happy. Too perky. No one’s that upbeat all the time.”

  But Selah hadn’t seen Ruby’s face at the schoolhouse when she thought she was fired. It was as if the weight of the world had been thrust on her, as if she had let everyone down. Christian couldn’t bear to see her like that, even if she’d brought it on herself. Everyone made mistakes, and everyone deserved a second chance.

  “She isn’t normal.” Selah set down her coffee mug.

  “And you are?” Christian turned in his chair and faced her. “Because yer behavior lately has been anything but normal.”

  She shrugged. “You’re not mei vatter.”

  “But I’m responsible for you.”

  “Why? Because you’re older?” She rolled her eyes.

  “Ya, because I’m yer older bruder. I care about you—”

  “Don’t give me that.” She glared at him. “You don’t care about anyone. You’re not capable of it.”

  “That’s not true—”

  She’d turned away from him, and now she was storming out of the room. He grabbed his crutch and hurried after her as fast as he could. “We need to talk about this, Selah.”

  But she had already run upstairs. The door to her room slammed shut.

  He swung his crutch and banged the wall, but then stilled, shocked. What had he done? He’d never lashed out at anything in his life, especially physically. He could have knocked something over, and that wouldn’t have solved a thing.

  But what would solve his problems when it came to Selah?

  Ruby looked at the line of apples on her desk and smiled. Several of the students had brought them along with their apologies for what happened with their pets. At the very end of the line was a small chicken feather—clearly a token of apology from Feathers.

  She was touched. She explained to the students that it wasn’t their fault, that she should have thought the idea through. “Let this be a lesson to all of us,” she said. “It’s important not to be impulsive.”

  “What does impulsive mean?” Malachi asked.

  “It means doing something without thinking it through first.”

  “Like the time Perry threw Jell-O up on the kitchen ceiling?” Jesse said.

  “I didn’t know it would stick,” Perry said, giving his brother a side eye.

  “Because you didn’t think it through!” Jesse said.

  Ruby’s smile widened at the boys’ story as she looked at the class. They had been model students today, and as she promised the school board and Christian she wouldn’t, she hadn’t strayed from his lesson plans. Right now they were doing their guided reading time, even the older boys, whom she knew didn’t enjoy reading. She wasn’t foolish enough to think their good behavior was because of her. They all had been shocked by what happened. Someday they would be able to look back and see the humor in it, but right now it wasn’t funny at all.

  The door opened, and to her surprise Christian limped in. He looked better today than he had just the day before, and he was putting some weight on his foot, even though he was still using his crutch. The children turned around and saw him and then whispered to their neighbors.

  “Students,” she said, rising from her chair. “Settle down, please. You still have five minutes left of yer guided reading time.”

  They nodded and went back to their reading. She saw the impressed look on Christian’s face, and she had to admit it made her feel good. She was happy that he at least had a chance to see his classroom was still in good shape.

  She walked over to him. “Another unexpected visit this afternoon?”

  He nodded. “I’m merely making sure that you’re following through on your word.”

  She deflated. “You don’t trust me.”
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  To her surprise he looked slightly contrite. “It’s not that,” he said in Dietsch. “It’s just that . . .”

  “It’s okay.” She looked at him. “After what happened yesterday, you shouldn’t trust me. I have to earn that back.” She gestured to the bench in the back of the classroom. “Why don’t you have a seat? May I get you some water?” She pointed to his desk. “Or an apple?”

  His brow lifted at the apples on the desk. “I’m fine, danki.” He went to the bench, sat down, and leaned his crutch against the wall.

  She turned and went to the front of the classroom. “Put away yer books, please. According to the schedule, sixth through eighth graders will do their science lesson now. Chapter 10, Section 2. Third and fifth graders, pair up for yer vocabulary practice. And kindergarten through second graders, meet me at the table for yer art lesson.”

  The children shifted to their next assignment smoothly and with little chatter. She had to give Christian a lot of credit for that. His schedule and strict running of the classroom did give the school a lot of structure, necessary with so many students of varying ages, grades, and abilities. She put the art supplies on the table and asked Fanny to pass them out while she circulated around the room to make sure everyone was on task.

  A few minutes after she began cutting out pumpkins to decorate the bulletin board for October, Judah raised his hand. “I don’t understand question number five.”

  “Me neither,” Samuel said.

  She rose to go to them, but then Christian got up and limped over. Leaning on his crutch, he began explaining what the boys hadn’t understood. They nodded and continued to work.

  Ruby smiled as she sat down and picked up her scissors. In a few minutes Christian went to the students doing their vocabulary work to help them. He seemed able to move back and forth between the two groups easily enough, so she let him do that while she helped Mose and Mahlon with their pumpkins.

  Once those lessons were over, the school day ended. The students gathered their sweaters, lunch boxes, and coolers and headed out the door. “Are you coming back on Monday, Herr Ropp?” one of them asked.

  He nodded. “Everything will return to normal.”

  Emma ran up to him and threw her arms around his legs. “I missed you.” Then she hurried out the door with the rest of the students.

  A lump formed in Ruby’s throat as she saw Christian’s expression. It was if he’d never been hugged before. A tiny smile formed on his face before disappearing as he walked toward her.

  She steeled herself for his criticism. While she thought the afternoon had gone smoothly, she was certainly no expert. She’d probably done a number of things wrong or could have done some things better, and she was open to hearing about them. She folded her hands and waited.

  He set the crutch aside. “I’m ready to get rid of this thing. My arm is tender and uncomfortable,” he explained.

  “How is yer ankle?”

  “Better. I shouldn’t need the crutch on Monday.”

  She looked out a window. “I’m sure you’re glad to get back to yer classroom.”

  “I am. I’ve missed teaching.” He paused. “You’ve done an excellent job, Ruby.”

  Stunned, she looked up. “I have?”

  “Other than the mishap yesterday—”

  “Mishap? You mean disaster.”

  “I see no reason to dwell on that, especially since it’s clear you’ve followed correct procedure today. I was impressed to see that. You looked like an experienced teacher.”

  “I did?”

  “Ya” He paused again, this time glancing away before looking back at her. “I’m gratified to know mei students were in gut hands.”

  Without thinking, she clapped her hands together. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!” She grinned. “I really liked being a teacher too. Well, other than the pet thing, but that will never happen again.”

  “It wasn’t a terrible idea.” He brushed his fingers over his chin. “I might instate something similar in the future, but with defined parameters.”

  She couldn’t believe it. Not only was he complimenting her, but he might use one of her ideas. Smiling, she started picking up scraps of paper and throwing them into the trash can. While she put away the art project supplies, Christian sat at his desk and studied his lesson plans. They worked in silence for the next few minutes.

  She put the small stack of crooked paper pumpkins on the table. “Is there anything else you want me to do?” she asked.

  He kept his focus on his plan book. “I’ll take it from here.”

  “All right.” But she didn’t move. “Christian?”

  He looked up at her. “Ya?”

  “Danki for the second chance. I didn’t deserve it, but I’m glad you gave it to me.”

  He nodded. “Everyone deserves a second chance, Ruby. Especially when it comes to teaching. There are rules and guidelines and educational theory, but also trial and error. Some things we do in the classroom don’t always work out the way we planned.”

  She noticed his use of the word we, but she didn’t point it out. “I bet everything you’ve done has been perfect.”

  To her surprise he laughed. A genuine, deep-throated laugh. “Hardly true.” Then he sobered. “Just ask Selah.” He turned back to his review.

  “Is something wrong?”

  He shrugged, back to his unemotional self. “I don’t know. She doesn’t talk to me.”

  “But you’re worried about her.”

  He hesitated and then nodded. “However, she is an adult. What she does isn’t mei business.”

  “She is yer schwester and you care, so it is yer business, in a way.”

  “She doesn’t agree.”

  Ruby didn’t say anything. She wished she could do something to help them both, but since Selah clearly didn’t like her and it wasn’t her business to poke into their family affairs, she kept quiet. She was going to think things through from now on, and she wouldn’t get in the middle of other people’s problems impulsively.

  “I guess I’ll geh home now.” She retrieved her purse and lunch bag from the floor next to his desk. Then she remembered what had been in the back of her mind ever since he’d come. “Will we meet by the tree tomorrow for our next lesson?”

  Christian raised his head and seemed to be wrestling with the idea. “I’d like to, but would you mind if we wait another week? I’d like to ensure I’m prepared for my return on Monday.”

  “Of course. I understand.”

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” he said as she headed for the door.

  “What?”

  “These.” He pointed to the apples with his pen.

  “Oh.” She went back and picked up a couple. “Why don’t you take the rest? Except for this.” She grabbed the feather. “Feathers’ feather is mine.”

  He smiled. “You can have it.”

  For the next week Ruby didn’t see Christian. She took care of the boys while Patience visited three pregnant women and then delivered Sadie Troyer’s baby girl, who had come a week early but was in excellent health. When she came back that evening, Patience was exhausted. Ruby had made supper, bathed the kids, and put them to bed before she arrived.

  While Ruby heated up Patience’s supper, Timothy brought her a cup of tea. “I think this job is becoming more than one person can handle,” he said.

  Patience took the tea. “I have to agree with you. If I hadn’t had Ruby here to take care of the kinner this week, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “Do you think you can find someone to help you?”

  “In the district? Nee, not right now.”

  Ruby brought over the ham steak and mashed sweet potatoes. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help to you.”

  “It’s all right. Besides, I think you might have found something you truly enjoy.”

  Ruby didn’t answer right away. Patience was right. The only things she’d thought about this week were teaching, he
r former students, and, for some reason, Christian. She’d especially missed meeting him at the tree last week, and she was looking forward to seeing him there tomorrow. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do here at home.”

  “Taking care of the kinner and the haus is exactly what I need. And next week I’ll be visiting Sadie and her baby, but otherwise the rest of the women are doing well. And no one else is pregnant—as far as I know. Things should slow down for a while now.”

  Ruby smiled, glad to hear that not only was she a big help to Patience, but that her sister-in-law would have a bit of a break.

  Patience finished her supper and went to check on the children. As Ruby was doing the dishes, Timothy came into the kitchen, back from doing evening chores. “Danki, Ruby,” he said, standing next to her. She could tell he’d already washed up by the fresh soapy scent she smelled.

  She wiped her hands on a dish towel. “For what?”

  “For being here for Patience.” He leaned against the counter, looking tired himself. “She loves being a midwife, but we’re having a population explosion around here. A blessed one, of course, but it takes a lot out of her to travel around the district. I know she misses being with the buwe too. I’m glad you’re here to help her . . . to help us.”

  She swallowed. She’d made a bit of a mess of things lately, but her brother still trusted her, and with what was most important to him—his family. “I’d do anything for you and yer familye,” she said, tears in her eyes.

  He nodded. “I know.” Then he smiled. “I should let Mamm and Daed know how responsible you are now.”

  She laughed and turned back to the dishes. “They wouldn’t believe you.”

  “Oh,” he said, suddenly turning serious. “I think they would. You’ve changed, Ruby. You said you were going to prove you’re mature and responsible now, and you have.”

  “I wrecked the schoolhaus, Timothy.”