Chapter Four

“I see her! I really see her!” Angie breathlessly exclaimed as the four girls turned the corner and the Statue of Liberty came into view.

“Isn’t she magnificent!” Josey stated. “Thank God for liberty!”

“Amen sister.” Evelyn sung, and the girls laughed.

“Come on, let’s get on the boat tour.” Gertie said as she started to walk faster, waving her corn dog in the direction of the dock.

The three girls had been showing Angie the sights and the sounds of the city all week and still they had just scratched the surface of things to be done, places to go and unusual yet delightful foods to be tried. Angie had never tasted so much different food, from Chinese curry to French bread, authentic Italian pizza, to Greek yoghurt, and Swiss chocolate. They were doing it all, and all in one week it would seem.

Angie had to admit, New York certainly did live up to its reputation of being the city that never sleeps and all these new experiences had definitely washed away any homesick feelings she might have had. In fact, her letters were full of adventures, she was sure her family would be highly amused, and if they didn't know her better would think it was a lot of tall tales. She knew she would, for it sounded like something right out of one of her father’s old explorer novels.

They had been to a Broadway show, went shopping in the high-end department stores, walked through Central Park (numerous times), as they ate and laughed much together. The four young ladies were fast becoming like sisters, God truly was forming a special alliance between them, that they were sure would last a life time.

Time and time again she found herself thinking how Samuel would like this, or really enjoy doing that. Now gazing upon the beautiful symbol of hope, freedom, and stability, she wished he was here to dream with Lady Liberty and experience this beautiful cosmopolitan. “One day…”

“What’s that Angie?” Josey enquired.

“Oh, I know what she’s thinking.” Quirky Evelyn piped up. “She’s dreaming of Samuel and how that one day they will both be dancing under the stars in New York City!”

“Evelyn!’ Angie screamed with a laugh. “Come on, we better get back home.” She continued, “I’m hungry for dinner!”

“Yea, that’s not all you're hungry for.” Evelyn finished with a laugh as she ran ahead out of Angie’s reach. The girls all laughed and half-skipped, half-ran back to the dock to get their boat.

“Alright ladies, welcome aboard, nice to see some young lasses with spirit!’ Said the tour captain as he guffawed at the sight of them making their way up the walkway.

“Aye, aye, cap’n!” Evelyn joked and motioned a salute as she passed him, much to his delight and the rest of the girl’s embarrassment.

Once off the boat and back on dry land the four girls walked home in relative silence thinking upon the goodness of God towards them as they finished up their week of excursions around the beautiful city.

“New York, I love you!” Angie burst out in admiration as they walked. She had never even seen a skyscraper before, never mind walking amidst what seemed to be multitudes of them every day! The buildings fascinated her no end. Standing there stately and important looking yet with their elegant trimmings and official brass wall plates they exuded a feeling of prosperity and hope to anyone who would take the time to pause and drink it all in. That is exactly what Angie was doing. The street vendors, the paper boys, the trolleys, the cars, the tradesmen, the wash ladies, the socialites, the beggars, the schoolchildren, the workers, the hustle and bustle never seemed to stop, and now Angie herself was a part of it all.

The next day would be the start of school for her and she was ready for it. She was ready to complete her studies and graduate to teacher status. Her heart beat for the children—ever since she was a child herself there had been no question of what her purpose in life was, and so by the grace of God Angie had taken the steps needed in order to bring that dream to pass.

“Don’t be worried about tomorrow Angie.” Sweet Josephine looked at her friend as they neared home. “The teachers are kind and helpful and the students are friendly.” Angie smiled and took heart.

“Thanks, I was beginning to get a bit anxious thinking about it.”

The girls rounded the last corner and made their way up the steps into the house just as the clock in the hall struck six. “Perfect, I’m starving!” Evelyn declared as she hung her coat up on the stand, all the while shouting to Ms Potts that they were just rushing upstairs for a minute to get freshened up for dinner.

Moments later they sat in the formal dining room to enjoy the delightful meal. Conversation was light and the time passed by quickly as the girls were tired after all the sightseeing earlier, and had still to get their clothes and schoolbags prepared for the next day.

Ms Potts, understanding the current situation afforded them the luxury of listening to her spill out all the news of the day. Within the short thirty minutes that it took to eat, they were up to speed with who’s who, and what’s what, in the social scene of New York City.

Ms Potts was friendly with the biggest busybody in town so there was always an interesting story to be heard if one had nothing else of weight to discuss. With a yawn Angie finished with her dishes and climbed rather laboriously up the stairs. Once in her room she readied her bag, made sure her clothes were pressed and presentable, and then spent some time relaxing and enjoying a few hours quiet after the busyness of the day.

As night rolled in, there was a knock at her door and a whispering voice asking, “Are you awake?” Angie opened the door to find Gertie grinning at her and holding two empty mugs in her hand. “Wanna have a bedtime coco?” She whispered. Angie smiled mischievously and the pair made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

A boiling pan of hot water later and the two were positioned comfortably outside sipping their hot drinks. “Oh Gertie, it’s just amazing! Here we are about to start our final year of studies. It’s just amazing!” Angie repeated.

“Yes, and to think, I nearly never made it.” Gertie replied solemnly.

“What do you mean?” Angie turned to look at her friend.

“Two years ago, I was back home for the summer. It was beautiful weather and my family and I had been enjoying a few days at our beach house. One evening my younger sister Emily, and I were walking back to our house from the small village; it was still light out. When two men stopped their truck, and tried to grab us. They got my sister first but I launched at them, biting, hitting, and kicking like a wild thing, so much so they lost their hold on Emily in trying to contain me. When she got free I screamed for her to run back to the village. Another motor car was coming in the distance so the men dragged me into theirs and took off.”

“Oh my! Gertie, that is horrendous. Did they hurt you? How did you get free?”

“I know Angie, it was bad. I’m sure you don’t know as you’re from deep in the country, but my dad is quite wealthy and the men were wanting a ransom from him.” Angie gasped at the thought of it all. Gertie continued, “Emily made it back safely and my parents got the Sheriff involved. It was a whole big deal, but thankfully God protected me, and the Sheriff and his team were able to catch the men and rescue me.”

She paused, overcome at the memory of it all. Angie slipped her arm around her friend’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

“One of the men got shot and killed as they faced off with the law, but the other got caught and I had to testify in court; which was almost the worst part really.” She sighed. “But he is behind bars now.” Gertie concluded with a determined shake of her head.

“You are so brave, Gertrude! I can’t imagine coming to New York myself after all of that happened!” Angie exclaimed.

“Yea, both my parents and I were a bit apprehensive when it was time for school to start, but we all had a peace about it and we believed that me staying at home in fear instead of following my dreams would be letting the bad guys win. I may have been rescued physically but if that had been my decision I do think I would have been living in a fear filled cage for the rest of my life.”

Gertie looked at her friend and then smiled. “So here we are, sitting outside—in the cold—and apart from the odd flashback, it’s not impacting my life in the slightest anymore.”

“Oh Gertie, you’re amazing and God is amazing.” Angie replied with a grin, as the girls took a final gaze at the stars above before revisiting the kitchen to get a bountiful top-up of hot coco.

That night, alone in her room, Angie wrote to Samuel telling him about her first week and her amazing friends. She mentioned Gertie’s story and cried a bit as she did so. Oh, what her friend had been through, yet from seeing her you would never know. “That is a true testament to the love and grace of the Lord working in a person’s life.” Angie wrote. She finished her letter with words of heartfelt love, sealed the envelope and added it to the pile of mail to be posted after school tomorrow.

"School." She was a bit apprehensive herself. This would be her first time in a proper classroom setting since she left the schoolhouse when she was fifteen. Correspondence learning had been a blessing for sure, and the one-on-one tutorage of Ms Robinson was more than she expected when she knocked upon her door for the first time. Her plan had been to simply enquire if she had a couple of hours to spare one afternoon but Ms Robinson would be having none of it.

Angie loved her dear old teacher. They spent many days together chatting about their callings to teach, about the dreams Angie had in her heart and the new methods and ideas that she had for teaching. That is one thing that continually amazed her about Ms. Robinson. She always told Angie to push forward and enlarge her mind by studying other journals and papers beyond the curriculum and to look for those new and innovate methods for training and teaching children in both their character and intellect.

Now here she was another step closer. With a yawn and a stretch Angie got up from her chair and went about getting dressed for bed. After double checking her bag had her timetable in it, she flicked off the light and settled into her cosy bed, pulled the covers up and attempted to get some sleep.

“It’s a big tomorrow,” she mumbled to herself as she yawned and turned over in the bed, “And it’s going to be good!” She sighed as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came all too soon and passed in a fuzzy haze, with so much new people met, new teachers to work with, and new things to remember, Angie found herself relieved when the brriinnng of the lunch bell was heard.

She made her way through the maze of corridors, with a mix of first, second, and third year students all greeting one another—laughing, hugging, and talking about who got which professor and when. It was a mix of chaos, noise and joyous celebrations, and as she arrived at the canteen Angie found it was no different. She smiled to herself, observing the scene, when she heard her name being called out.

“Hello Miss Angela, we meet again!” Turning around she saw Michael O’Brien walking towards her with a friend. “This is Tony, he’s an Italian, New Yorker. Born and bred here; as we say.” Michael motioned towards his friend.

At that moment Josey and Gertie, who had just entered the canteen, spotted Angie, “Oh there you are Angie, it’s like a zoo in here.” Josey cupped her hand around her mouth and shouted above the noise as they headed towards her. “Oh…” She continued as they arrived, “My apologies, I didn't mean to interrupt.”

“Hi Josey, Gertie, I’m sure you all already know each other. I met Michael on enrolment day.” Angie explained. “And just had the pleasure of meeting Tony this very minute!”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Tony replied with a grin, “Hi girls, welcome back to the grind!”

“Thanks!” Gertie laughed, “It’s all work this year, but I’m sure we can fit some of your fabulous parties in Tony!”

Michael, seeing this was his opportunity spoke to Josey directly, “I do believe we are in some of the same classes again this year Miss Josey.” Josey blushed, for off course she did know that, and indeed through the years had admired the young man for his upstanding character, which had been evident to all and off course his handsome look.

“Ye-yes.” She partially stuttered over her words, as she glanced up to meet his gaze. Thankfully at that moment Evelyn, the life and soul of any gathering, came bounding towards the group.

“Hi everyone, what a morning! My romantic notion of final year has been obliterated—I’d say.” She faked a swoon, “I already have two assignments to write, what’s a gal to do!” Everyone laughed.

“Oh, my dear Miss Angie, don’t tell me you’re mixed up with the likes of this one!” Michael joked as he greeted Evelyn. They laughed again. Nearly everyone knew Evelyn on some level or another, for a bubbly and delightful character she was. She was one of those people who could brighten up your day with a simple smile.

Evelyn was destined to be an amazing teacher, and not just because of her personality, she held the record for being the top academic student in the history of the school. In fact, the professors had already introduced her to the who’s who in the New York school sociality scene. It was well known that Evelyn would have the pick of schools here in the city once she graduated, and yet even with this notoriety she had remained one of the kindest humans a-body would ever meet.

Angie looked around at her circle of friends as they sat down to lunch. “This was going to be a great year she thought to herself, assignments an’ all!”

Gerties persistent tugging at her elbow quickly brought Angie back to reality. “Angie, tell Michael and Tony about Mistysprings. These boys need to be informed that there’s more to America than city blocks and dusty streets!” She smirked!

Angie needed no more encouragement and with that they spent the rest of lunch hearing tales of apple orchards, hay rides, river walking, horse riding and country schooling!

After lunch, the group made their way to the library. “Wow!” Angie exhaled, as she took in the sight. Rows and rows of books, and papers were before her.

“Impressive, huh!” Tony said with a grin, as he motioned towards the librarian. “Go and get your library card and all this will be yours!” Angie laughed and then quickly covered her mouth, it wouldn't be good to get into trouble for noise on her first visit! She spent the rest of the afternoon exploring and making notes to research this, and read about that. Finally, with six books added to her load she made her way towards the exit, delighted at the thought of many more days to spend in this delightful place.

With the first day of school successfully over, Angie made her way home, had a bite of dinner and quickly retreated to her room where she intended to only get changed into her nightclothes so she could rest and enjoy the evening reading, but once she saw her cosy bed, that was it. The day’s activities and emotional demands were more taxing that she knew and as she snuggled under the covers to relax, it was only a matter of seconds before she was out for the count!

Awakening in the early hours of the morning, Angie lay upon her bed trying to fall back over but to no avail. Instead thirst attacked her and there was nothing else for it but to throw back the covers and stealthily creep downstairs to the kitchen. Once there Angie soon found out she was hungry too, and so after searching through the pantry settled on a simple yet highly gratifying solution of fresh bread with a thick wad of cheese, complimented by a tall glass of milk.

In the stillness of the night Thelma and John popped into her mind and she realised that she had not yet written to them; they were most definitely due a letter. Finishing off her feast she ascended the stairs again and sat down at her writing desk to pen a quick note to the couple.

 

Dear Thelma and John,

I just wanted to let you know that I am settled in wonderfully, and that New York is such a special place. My new friends (house-sisters) took me out exploring every day of my first week. They are lovely girls, oh, and Ms Potts the housemother is amazing!

I enjoyed Central Park so much and even had a corn dog; definitely not something you would see in Mistysprings, but maybe I will introduce them! The Brooklyn Bridge is a marvellous structure, I know my brother would find it fascinating, and seeing the Statue of Liberty has truly impacted my life! I’m sure you can sense my excitement in this letter because as I write the events are still vivid in my mind.

How are you both doing? I pray this letter finds you in good health and that all is flourishing both in your family, and business operations. I must beg your pardon, in that I have to tell you again, how grateful I am for your kindness and dearest consideration towards me on our journey. That alone will stand with me forever, I’m sure of it!

School is all I hoped and more. There are so many resources available and I am greatly encouraged to learn and absorb as much as I can this year.

Well I must go and get some sleep or it will be difficult to wake up in the morning!

 

With regards,

Angie.

 

With a yawn, she sealed the envelope and jumped back into bed, thankful that sleep had returned.

——

 

Angie quickly got settled into her new lifestyle and formed a routine of coffee, lectures, library visits, and late night or early morning study sessions with her friends. Days turned into weeks and soon it was mid-November almost time for end-of-term exams. It was also the due date for selecting a School for their January programme of practical training.

“Sooo, what school will we go to?” Josey sighed deeply while holding up the final three options they had settled on. It was common practice for the students to be placed into groups of four or five per school so they could walk there together and help one another through the process; as they each spent the day assisting teachers in their separate classrooms for the month.

Gertie, Angie, Michael and Tony all looked at each other and said, “You pick.”

Exasperated Josey sighed, “Ok, I will and I don't want to hear any grumbling about it after.” She placed the three picks out on the table randomly and selected the middle one. “Gardiner Elementary it is!” She exclaimed with a smile. The group stood up and high fived one another, then Josey took the sheet across the room to the professor and made it official.

At that point, Evelyn came into the classroom. “Well guys are you all sorted, wish I was going with you, but you know I have to do what I’m told.” She grinned.

“We’re all excited for you, Ev. Going to the top two prestigious schools in the city is not something you’d be refusing now is it!” Michael mockingly bowed and waved her to a seat

“Very funny! But yes, I’m excited.” Her green eyes danced and glistened as she inhaled a large breath and slowly exhaled to calm herself down. Then she looked at her friends with an unusually weak smile, “My only concern is that I better live up to the reputation the Dean is spreading around town!”

With a laugh, they assured her that the reputation was all her doing and the Dean was only informing what everyone in the school already knew to be true, so there was nothing for her to do other than keep on being her normal self.

The conversation continued as they informed her of their decision of Gardiner Elementary, and then it led onto more pressing matters such as their examinations that were coming up in the next few weeks. The bell rang signalling the start of the weekend, the girls however, made their way to the library to work on their assignments a few hours before dinner.

 

-----

Exam fortnight was at the door and there was not much time for anything else other than eating, studying, sleeping and more studying.

Saturday morning had arrived and Angie was thankful for the continual pitter-patter of rain outside, for she could not afford to spend time on some excursion or another in the City when there was so much studying to be done. The rain, as you can imagine, helped her resolve immensely. So, after breakfast she poured another cup of hot tea and went back up to her bedroom to the nest of books and papers she had created on the luxuriously soft rug she had bought on her first week of exploring (with the extra money her parents had given her).

First things first though, Angie decided she would get a letter written to Samuel before she lost the ability to function as a normal human being. Closing the door of her room, she sat down at the desk, picked up her pen and began.

 

Dear Samuel,

 

I’m taking a momentary break from studying to write you. This coming week starts my examinations and I’m nervous to say the least, but I have to believe I’m ready. I have studied so much over the past few months; learning about the development of the child, the different teaching methods with their pros and cons, among other specialised classes and then of course finishing up the course in General Education. It covers all the areas that we must be proficient in, whether your end result is specialising in a subject or general teaching at a younger level, like I will be, everyone must complete the General Education part of the course or else they will not graduate.

My apologies, I’m sure that wasn't that exciting information for you to read but it’s what I'm living and breathing these days. Just know I hope it all pays off and that these exams go well. At these moments, I miss the open countryside and fresh air! Oh, to jump on Strawberry and ride across the hills with the wind in my hair, but then I’m sure once there I would be missing walking through Central Park or alongside the Hudson river— I’m glad to say I’ve learned to be content wherever I am.

I miss you. Hope your final year is even better than you thought it would be. I think you must be like the ‘Evelyn’ in your college. I write that with a smile, because I’m the one that will have the delight of living life with you. I pray that I will be worthy of it.

For now, I must go, will write after the exams.

 

Adoringly yours,

Angie

 

Once sealing the envelope, Angie sat down on her rug and barely moved from that spot, and indeed other than a trip to church on Sunday she never left the house the entire weekend.

The Monday morning bell rang, signaling one thing: the grueling fortnight had begun! The four girls worked their way through late nights and early mornings of last minute cramming sessions. Yes, there were some tears and some desperate comments of giving up, but then there came the encouraging you can do it of a friend, and the times of laugher, and small daily victories that gave them hope to continue through the grind of exams.

At one point, in one exam, I can’t say which for there were so many, Angie blanked out and almost panicked but after a quick prayer she regained her nerve and the knowledge she had meticulously stored away came back to her at just the right moment.

Ms. Potts was indeed a Godsend with her motherly advice and loving hugs, she always seemed to know what to say to bring a calm assurance after a particularly taxing exam or stressful study session. “Have a break.” She would urge. “Come on down and have a cuppa with me, there’s a big slice of fresh apple pie and a piping hot coffee with your name on it.” She made the whole process that bit easier to get through and on the evening of everyone’s final exam, she asked chef to prepare a special celebratory surprise meal and had spent the afternoon decorating the dining room with fun paper garlands and such. It was a grand ole time in the house that night as they all laughed and ate till they could talk, laugh and eat no more.

“Ms Potts, you are simply the best!” Gertie exclaimed as she got up to give her a big hug.

“Yes, I don’t know how we would have made it through, without you.” Angie agreed.

“Oh girls, don’t be making me cry now.” She dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. “Let’s just take moment to thank the good Lord for His faithfulness to us all.” And with that they all bowed their heads in gratitude to the One who brought them safely this far.

“Now who's up for dancing?” Josey shouted as she jumped up and turned on the radio.

Evelyn pulled Ms Potts to her feet, “Come on, let’s take a waltz about the room.” She laughed.

“No, no, I’m too old for that dearie. You young girls can dance about there, I’m going to get a fresh cuppa.” She lightly scolded as she headed to the kitchen with her special occasion fine china cup in hand.

The girls moved the chairs to one side and began to dance and sing the night away. Well at least for a few hours more, then tiredness and the relief of completion kicked in forcing them to retire for the evening before they found themselves fast asleep on the dining room floor.