CHAPTER TEN

 

The train seemed to move at a snail’s pace as Charlotte leaned against the window sill scanning the countryside.  There were small trees; all bunched together, they stood strong below the taller, older trees that ran up the hills that the railroad tracks.  The train’s deep throat roared as they turned a windy curve.  Was the crossing ahead on the outskirts of a town or on a rural area like the one that she’d just left? 

“Ma’am, the man in the back is trying to get your divided attention,” an African American woman, who appeared to be in her fifties, was leaning over the seat.  “He’s back there.”  Her deep eyes widened as she pointed to three seats back on the opposite side.  It was Roy Bender, and he was also leaning against the window sill, his gorgeous hair slicked back and his eyes mesmerizing. 

“Thank you,” Charlotte gazed over her shoulder again and wondered if it was okay to seat hop.  She’d never been on a train before, and she hated asking Roy; it would simply embarrass her, so she stayed put.  She waved and smiled.  He nodded and smiled back, and the lady in the seat behind smiled at both of them before returning her attention back to the book in which she was reading.

I wish I would have brought a book or two. Charlotte leaned up as the train came to a halting stop.  The rural countryside dotted the land on both sides of the track.  Why had the train stopped?  Where were they at, and when would the train return to its normal speed?

Goodness.  It would have been better to have ridden horse back. Her hands wiggled in her lap and her body repositioned in the small seat; her aching back almost made her grit her teeth.  They’d been traveling four hours and all she had seen were farming communities.  She wanted to see the city, and not because she wanted to settle there but because she had an oath before the Lord to make sure that she really put one hundred percent into this teaching job.  Knowing the city and its layout would help, especially when she heard the school board drill her during the open interview. 

I hope I pass the interview.  I really want to teach school.  The window sill provided a sleeping spot after fifteen minutes.  Although she never drifted off completely, her mind was free of worry and her plans for the future. The train jerked, bolting her from her rest, and she reached and rubbed her back.  How much longer to Walnut Creek? It would do no good to ask someone because like her life, she had no control over it. 

God it is hard to let go of the farms, but I have to do it to be happy.  The whole orchard is destroyed, but the tornado didn’t take my life.  Uncle Graham wasn’t so lucky, or was he?  He died saying the sinner’s prayer with the Reverend right before he revealed one of the many secrets.  Could there be more? She had to laugh at herself for calling her real father Uncle Graham, for he’d always be her father; she just wished that she’d had more time to spend with him and get to know him better.  What about Kathy?  Now that woman made her snicker, for she’d been the one that gave her up.  Feeling sorry for an Amish woman who’d lost a single child?  How dare her!  I wanted my mother too.  Rachael Anne was picked to stay with mother; I was rejected. 

She closed her eyes shut and recalled various scriptures that she’d heard Earl and Pearl Miller teach their children at evening devotions.  There was Genesis, which involved the creation story, and John 3:16, which claimed one was saved if you believed in Jesus Christ, and finally, there was Corinthians 11, which dealt with wearing a kapp and not cutting one’s hair if they were a female.  She’d learned a lot from that one family, and she was grateful for it.  She knew that she could be the one working at the post office, but deep down in her heart, she was glad that she was Charlotte Miller and not her twin sister.  It had been her life and no one else’s life.  Now, here she was on a train to go interview to teach at Walnut Creek.  Would they accept her?

 

******

 

Ben Troyer looked out the stormy window of the bulk food store and prayed for Elizabeth Yoder’s safe return.  There had been a flash flood and several wagons had been unaccounted for in nearby Sugar Creek.  Had Elizabeth perished? God, please be with our community right now.  We always needed you, but we really need you now.

The rain smacked the window as tree branches swayed, their heavy limbs bending and twisting through the deep wind.  Frank Schwartz walked in drenched from head to toe, his straw hat pouring cold water onto the floor.  His black beard splashed with water, he shook his head and flipped his hat off.  “It’s a mess out there.  Have you heard about the new teacher?  Is she okay?”

“I haven’t heard, but I hope that she is okay.  It took us a whole summer to replace Brenda Yoder, and I’m not sure that we can replace her if she’s been seriously injured.  School is in now, and we can’t skip classes; it’s not good for the students, and I am on the school board, so I have to be tough and follow the rules.  If she’s been hurt, we have to find another teacher.” 

Ben had to admit that it really wasn’t the fact that the new teacher couldn’t handle the classroom, for he knew that she had started off well, and the children liked her, wanted to learn, but it was her boyfriend, Luke Miller: he had spent a lot of time with her, so at any minute, they’d have wedding plans on their hands and no teacher.  Sure, he wanted her to be happy, but he also wanted a teacher that would stay put and be passionate about her job.

Bishop Yoder walked in and nodded at the two men.  His deep brown eyes matched his thick saddle-colored hair.  “The teacher is dead.  Let’s pray for her family, as they just lost one of their sons in Haiti; he was martyred.  This will be hard on the children, but we must keep school going.  Ask around to see if anyone wants to teach; they’ll need to be trained, and pray about it.  It’s in God’s hands, and I feel like He’ll touch someone to learn to teach or bring a new teacher here.”

There is no one else; remember the wedding that Brenda went to in Haiti?  Ben leaned against the deli counter.  “I had to pay one of Washington Court House’s retired teachers to come and cover for those two weeks.”

The bishop smiled and shook his head, “God will answer, and just keep praying, Ben.”

A sigh of frustration entered his mouth followed by a nod of agreement.  He hoped that the bishop was correct.  They needed a new teacher, and they needed her now. 

Charlotte Miller walked into the bulk food store in search of something to eat; she’d eaten very little on the train.  Roy Bender walked beside her and grabbed a shopping basket.  The men gave a nod to him and then looked at her, and Roy nodded back.

“Hello.  How is everything in Walnut Creek?  I haven’t been here in a while,” Roy asked as he walked up to the deli counter.  ‘I need four bologna sandwiches with thick slices of Colby cheese.  We’ve been on a train ride, and we’re mighty hungry.”

“Who’s this nice young lady that you have with you, Roy?” The Bishop asked. His eyes were eager to know, his heart hoping that God has just answered their prayer.

“She’s come up here to volunteer to teach school.  She was certified to teach in Indiana,” Roy announced as he watched Ben Troyer slice the bologna.  His mouth watered and his whole body relaxed, and he knew it was because he was back at home.  Home always felt better, that was until he’d get preoccupied on the secret journal that his grandma hadn’t given up yet.  Could Charlotte talk her into giving it up? 

All three men drew wide grins that matched their eyes as they focused in on Roy’s remark.  God had been quick this time answering their plea for a new teacher almost immediately, and they didn’t even have to leave Walnut Creek this time.

“She can board with my sisters,” the Bishop said as he took a sip of a bottled root beer.  He thought that the drink was calibrated correctly and refreshing.  How long would this beautiful blonde-haired lady stay single?  He knew one thing: Roy Bender surely wouldn’t attract any women, for he was business-oriented.  Maybe she’d stay forever. He sent a prayer up.

******

 

The smooth Colby cheese was unlike any that she’d ever tried as she sat in the buggy next to Roy Bender.  As soon as she’d swallow one bite, she’d sink her sharp teeth into the cheese and meat again, her stomach wanting more, and her palate being pleased.  “This is so good, Roy!”

He smiled and leaned back against the seat.  “You know that you have to teach a minimum of one year?”

She swallowed her food and then sipped her root beer.  She hadn’t thought about it, and she probably need to: what were the requirements?  “I need to talk to the board about what’s expected of me.”

“I was thinking that you’re not going to be teaching for more than a year,” His tone lowered, his hands become restless, and he hesitated to explain why he was edgy: he wanted to marry her.  He’d ridden his horse at the higher speeds possible through the open prairie, not knowing if she’d survived the tornado that had taken her biological father Graham’s life. He’d prayed up through the thick, black cloud that had lined his view to Heaven and pleaded for her.  “I only want her, God!” He requested as he‘d jumped over fences and ran through flooded creeks. 

“You need to let them know that we are dating.  That will give them time to find someone else.”

“Okay.  I will tell them.  We’re not getting married now, but I would consider it in the future.  You know that I am going to sell my two farms.  We can use the money to buy one large farm,” she quickly guzzled the rest of her sweet drink and thought of how intimidating her statement could have been to Roy, for he had millions of dollars.  How would it feel to inherit millions from your everyday customers when they pass on?  At times, he had to feel down, unworthy, as if he got to enjoy their hard-earning money instead of them. 

“I have a farm here.  My sister and her husband live in the tenant house, and they run it.”  He took a bite of his sandwich and thought it tasted very good.  He thought that life in Walnut Creek would be happy as long as he could get his hands on that journal.

 

******

 

 

 

The children sat with perfect posture, their shoulders squared and their eyes in need to see the new teacher.  Several of the third graders had tears welling up in the sides of their eyes; they missed the former teacher, and Charlotte had expected this, for loss was hard to deal with, especially with children. 

“You’re the locked up girl!”  One of the boys yelled, his eyes twinkling with mischief.  “How can you teach us?  You’ve never been to school?”

“I just wanted to meet everyone.  My name is Charlotte, and I am the new teacher.  Now, the class is dismissed. 

The children’s mouth flew open and at first they couldn’t believe that they were getting out of school as soon as they’d arrived there, but one at a time, they slowly slid out of their seats and walked out of the two-room school house, and Charlotte was glad, for she recalled the snotty lady’s remarks back in Bloomington when the little boy had reminded her of her disease.

I really didn’t have the disease! It didn’t matter; the children were convinced, as were some of their parents.  She wanted to be back on the farm, tending to her ting sweet pears and burying potatoes under layers of orchard grass, wood, and sheet metal.  She wanted to be Mrs. Miller, and she knew that she could do that without any judgment from him, for he loved her and not her past.