The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full.
John 10:10
Aaron heaved a sigh of relief as he sank into the couch after all his nightly chores were finished. His three children were in bed relatively early in the evening—hopefully they’d remain there. It hadn’t been easy coping after his wife’s death a year ago, but Aaron had done his best. He couldn’t keep relying on his sister-in-law, Heather, to help him. She and his brother, James, had three young children themselves.
Taking a step in faith that he’d be able to find a suitable nanny, Aaron with the help of James, had built a small cabin near his house. Someone had to watch the children while he was at work, and a nanny would also be able to keep the house, tend the animals, and cook the meals. Since Aaron worked from dawn to dusk in the fields, he simply didn’t have the time to do all those things himself.
As soon as the cabin had been built, he’d picked up pen and paper and written to his Aunty Bessie who lived in a large community within Lancaster County. He’d been writing to Bessie often since Ellen died and he thought that Bessie would know of a suitable woman who would be able to work for him. Hopefully the unopened letter before him—that he’d received that very day—was telling him that a suitable woman had been found.
Now that he had a quiet moment, he settled back and picked up the letter that he’d been too nervous to open earlier.
Aunty Bessie was the kind of person who knew everyone’s business. If Bessie couldn’t find him a nanny, then no one could.
Please Gott, may this be a positive response. The worst reply he could think of was that she’d say that there was no one who was willing to travel the long distance north to live in the remote part of the country where he and his brother had moved—Giles County—as part of a fledgling community.
Courtney opened the front door to Bessie—a kindly elderly lady who’d befriended her since her recent arrival to the community. The Yoders had been kind enough to allow Courtney to stay with them until she found something more permanent. The Yoders’ house was next door to Bessie’s.
“Come in, Bessie. I’m afraid Peter and Wilma aren’t here right now.”
Bessie stepped through the doorway. “It’s you I’ve come to see.”
“Oh good.”
Bessie was already making her way to the living room so Courtney hurried to catch up. After Bessie sat heavily on the couch, Courtney sat down next to her.
“Can I offer you any tea or kaffe perhaps?”
“Nee, I just had a cup before I left home. I have some exciting news and I do hope you think it’ll be a suitable arrangement for you.”
“You’ve found me a place to stay?” Courtney was aware that the old lady knew everyone in the community and most of the people in the other Amish communities close by.
“I have. My nephew is looking for a nanny to look after his three young kinner. He lives a day’s journey away, in a small community with only a few families. It’s a farming community.”
“Is he widowed?”
“Jah, I didn’t mention that, did I? He’s widowed. Ellen died over a year ago now and he’s found it difficult to look after the three of them and do all his work.”
“He’s never had a nanny before?”
Bessie shook her head. “He’s never been able to find anyone. I don’t know why I didn’t think of you before. You’d be perfect. He tells me he’s already built a cabin right next to his haus ready for a suitable nanny. He’s been praying for one for some time.”
“That sounds like it would be perfect. I’d be working for my keep and I love children.”
“You’d be paid too, of course, you wouldn’t just be working for your board and lodgings. You’re good with children; I’ve noticed that children always flock to you. I told Aaron, my nephew, the very same thing.”
“You’ve spoken to him about me?”
“I hope that’s all right, isn’t it? You and Wilma told me you need somewhere to live and you need a job—this is perfect for you.”
“I do. It hasn’t been easy for me since Mark died.”
“I still don’t think it’s right, what his family did to you.”
Courtney nodded. Neither did she think it was fair, but she wouldn’t dwell on it. Mark’s familye were Englischers and had never approved of his choice to join the community—they’d blamed Courtney for his decision. For some reason Mark had bought their haus within his family's trust and when he’d died, she had no rights to it. Courtney hadn’t known how he’d bought the house until after his death. Perhaps it was the only way he could’ve purchased a house, or maybe he was still holding on to his Englisch roots and the familye he’d told Courtney he had parted ways with. Courtney would never know the truth of his motives, but she did know that soon after he died, she was homeless and penniless.
“What his family did to me is in the past.” She shrugged her shoulders and Bessie patted her on her knee.
“Never mind, dear. I got a letter today from Aaron and that prompted me to think of you so of course I wrote back to him right away. I knew you wouldn’t mind. Have I done the wrong thing? Should I have talked with you first?”
Courtney laughed. “Nee. It sounds perfect for me. I need somewhere quiet and having children to care for suits me perfectly.”
“They have become a handful he tells me. They’re lively.”
“That’s gut. That means they’re healthy. When can I start?”
Bessie laughed. “He’ll want you there as soon as possible I’d dare say. He asked me to find someone older. He knew I’d want to match him with a younger woman who’d want to marry him if the decision were left entirely in my hands. Someone like you would be much more suitable.”
If she hadn’t already felt old and unattractive, Bessie’s comment would’ve made her feel just that way. Courtney was approaching thirty, which seemed old when the typical Amish woman starts looking for a husband well before her eighteenth birthday. She hadn’t been lucky in love. The two relationships she’d had before she met Mark hadn’t lasted long and had both ended when the men opted for prettier more vivacious women. Mark had come along to an Amish wedding when one of his friends had converted and married an Amish woman. It was at the wedding that Courtney first met him.
“I’m glad you think I’ll be suitable. That would be something I’d really enjoy. Do you think he’ll want to speak to me first?”
“Nee. He trusts my judgment. I did take the liberty of saying that you’d take the job.”
“You did?”
Bessie nodded and smiled.
“That’s gut. I suppose that means I’ll get there sooner. Can you tell me a little about the familye?”
“He grew up here in this community, but his wife, Ellen, didn’t. After they met, they moved away shortly after they married, as did his bruder’s familye. They haven’t been back since, and I’ve never even met his kinner. He wrote to me infrequently over the years, but since Ellen died, he’s been writing once a week.”
Although Courtney wondered how his wife died, she didn’t like to ask.
Bessie held her hand over her heart and winced.
Courtney jumped up. “Bessie, are you okay?”
With a furrowed brow, Bessie looked up at Courtney and her lips tugged at the corners as though she were trying to make the effort to smile. “It’s heartburn, that’s all. I’m not having a heart attack or anything.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
Bessie nodded. “I had sauerkraut with the evening meal last night. It always gives me pangs of heartburn the next day.”
“Have you been to a doctor?”
“Humph! Doctor Schmokter! I don’t believe in ‘em. I refuse to go running off to a doctor at the first sign of a sniffle or a pain.” She stared deeply into Courtney’s eyes. “Now don’t you worry about me; you look after yourself. I know it’s not easy with your husband gone.”
Courtney sat down again next to her. “It’s been dreadful and lonely.”
“It took me some time to adjust to my Alfie being gone, but I’d expected it since his health had gone downhill.”
“It would’ve been nice to have met him. You’ve told me so many nice things about Alfie.”
“Memories are what we have left of them. Memories and the hope that we’ll see them again one day as long as we stay on the narrow path right where Gott wants us to be.”
Courtney nodded. She had no intention of going off the path and that’s why she’d put the bitter feelings toward her late husband’s family aside. A root of bitterness could eat away at a person’s soul. His family had tossed her out of her own home because it was owned in the name of their family trust of which she was not a part. She had soon found out that Mark held no money in his own name either.
After Mark’s death, Courtney was alone and penniless and that’s not what Mark would’ve wanted, but dollar signs was all his family could see. They’d told her that the Amish community should look after her. She couldn’t bring herself to tell them about the child she was carrying—the child that would be a part of their family. Of course, one day her child might wish to meet them and she would not stop that from happening. But right now, she had to think of her future, and her baby's, and do what was best. That meant having a home and an income.
“I must go. I just wanted to pop over and see if I hadn’t made a mistake by telling him you’d take the job.” Bessie stood up. “Why don’t you come by tomorrow and I’ll tell you as much about them as I know. That’ll prepare you for meeting them.”
Courtney stood as well. “The children are only young?”
“Jah, from memory, the youngest one is three or so, and the oldest one, Jared, is around eight.”
“Such fun ages.” She walked Bessie to the door. “Denke, Bessie, I appreciate this so much. It sounds like it would suit me well. Are you certain you’re okay? You can stay and rest awhile.”
“I’m fine. It seems that all the food I like disagrees with me. I’ll have to learn to live with bread and broth.”
“You might have to if everything else causes you such pain.”
“Sauerkraut’s the worst.”
“You must stop eating it.”
Bessie’s mouth turned down at the corners. “I will. Every time I eat it, I do it hoping that this will be the time it causes me no ill effects.”
“You’ll have to be strong. You can’t go around in such pain. Has it gone now?”
She placed her hand over her heart. “It’s still there a little, but don’t you worry about me. The sooner I go home to be with Gott, the sooner I’ll see Alfie.” Without waiting for Courtney to respond, she said, “Gut! See you tomorrow, then?”
Courtney nodded and then watched Bessie walk away. Bessie glanced back at her and waved. Courtney waved back, and when Bessie was out of sight she closed the door and leaned against it.
She felt bad about keeping the fact that she was pregnant from Bessie, but would Bessie think she’d be so suitable working for her nephew had she known? Courtney placed a hand softy on her carefully hidden baby bump. If the community she’d only just arrived in knew of her condition they would’ve helped her and found her somewhere to live, but she wanted a life of her own and independence. Mark would’ve wanted Courtney to teach their child the importance of being independent and working hard to give to those in need. One thing Courtney did not want was to be one of those who were in need.
Bessie’s visit was an answer to prayer. She’d prayed every night for the perfect place to stay and for the perfect work.
That night, Courtney told Wilma and Peter that she’d soon be leaving and that Bessie had found her a job. Wilma and Peter told her all about Aaron and his brother, James, and how they moved to Giles County. She heard that Aaron’s wife, Ellen, had drowned in the creek on their property when it was flooding, leaving behind their three young children.
Courtney couldn’t wait to get to Bessie’s house the next day to hear more about the family she would be working for.