––––––––
As the days slowly passed, Annie began recovering from her broken leg. First, she began using her wheelchair. After receiving a more-stable cast, she was able to move about the house and help her mother with some tasks. She began sitting at the sewing machine and piecing together more doll quilts. Eventually, the doctor allowed Annie to begin moving around on crutches.
Her friends came to the house, with news of Barbara and Mrs. Kurtz.
“They are locked in a mental ward and can’t leave. The doctors have said they are too much of a threat to you and Mark,” Jenny said.
“Mr. Kurtz has begun to ask about a therapist in the Englischer community. He’s scared about this for the rest of the children,” Ruth said.
“I want to give him some numbers and names,” Annie said. She limped on her crutches to the desk, where she pulled out her address book. Jotting names and numbers down, she tore the piece of paper out and gave it to Ruth. “Give this to him, please, and tell him these are my friends. They are good at what they do, and they can help Sarah, Ben and Joseph.”
On the meeting day chosen for Annie’s baptism, she walked to the front of the assembly on her crutches, where she publicly made her commitment to the Amish faith and way of life.
At the community lunch, Annie sat with her friends as was her habit. Sarah, Ben and Joseph came up to her and sat with her.
“Miss Annie, thank you. Our daed is getting us someone who we can talk to about what’s in our heads,” Sarah said softly. As she spoke, her face flushed deeply and she wrung her fingers together in extreme nervousness.
“Thank you, miss. We were very mad when our Barbara and our mamm were put in the hospital, but our daed told us that we have some of the same problems. We don’t want to end up crazy, so he made us start seeing a therapist. He told us that you gave him the names. Denki for forgiving our family,” said Joseph, the oldest boy.
“Joseph, it’s not your fault. I’ve forgiven Barbara and your mamm for what they did to me and to Mr. Stoltzfus. They – and you – are getting the help you need. Just do all the work you can so you can have a normal, happy life here in Peace Landing,” Annie said with a gentle smile. She turned herself carefully so she was facing the 13-year-old boy. Her gentle brown eyes searched his face and saw only gratefulness.
“Denki.”
Ben, the 11-year-old boy, tilted his head at Annie. “Is it true you’re going to be our new teacher next autumn?”
“Ya, it is. I will be teaching you, hopefully for many years to come. I know how intelligent you are, and I expect you to learn. Understand?”
“Ya, miss. Denki,” said Ben with an engaging grin.
After the group sing, Mark helped lift Annie into his buggy and he drove slowly to her parents’ farm, where they visited. Instead of using the porch swing, Mark accepted a large blanket from Annie’s mother and spread it out under the large oak tree. He and Annie sat close to each other, talking, playing with blades of grass, drinking lemonade and eating oatmeal raisin cookies. Shortly before it grew dark, he stood and pulled Annie to her feet, helping her place her crutches under her arms. He walked her slowly up the porch steps to the front door, where he opened the door for her.
“I will see you later this week,” he promised with a gentle smile.
“Ya, that will be good,” Annie said smiling back at him.
As he rode slowly home, Mark thought about his growing relationship with Annie. He had fallen in love with her – her gentleness, ability to accept what life threw at her and her ability to live the Plain life. As he drifted into a daydream, his horse walked slowly toward the farm, knowing the route well.
At the farm, Mark roused, realizing he was stopped in front of his parents’ farm. Flicking the reins once, he directed the horse toward the barn, where he unhitched him from the buggy and brushed him down. Mark’s thoughts continued as he imagined a life with Annie as his wife. He saw her in his kitchen, with blonde hair and large brown eyes. He saw them with several sons and daughters. Smiling, he realized the images felt right. He walked into the house with a jaunty step.
“Well, son, you look happy,” Hannah said.
“Ya, mamm, I am. I watched Annie at lunch today. She spoke with the Kurtz children, and I heard her tell them that she’s forgiven Barbara and their mother. She gave their father the names and numbers of therapists who could help them. It was so hard for Sarah to talk to her, but I think she sensed that Annie only wants to help them. Ben and Joseph were . . . polite to Annie. When I was driving home after our visit, I imagined us married . . . with children. Mamm, I’m going to talk to her about marriage. It’s too late for this year’s wedding season, so if we plan to be married at next year’s wedding season, I know we will be ready,” Mark said with a wide smile.
“Gut! She is a strong woman, Mark. I saw that after Barbara struck her and broke her leg. You will do well, marrying her,” Hannah said.
***
Two days later, Mark drove the buggy to Annie’s parents’ house, where they sat under the large oak tree once again. Annie had stretched to pluck a flower, holding it and gently stroking its petals with her forefinger as they talked.
“Annie, I was thinking the other night after I took you inside. We have been courting now for several months. I . . . I am falling in love with you. I would like to talk about marriage with you – of course, I need to talk to your parents first, but I want to let you know what I have been thinking,” Mark said.
Annie’s finger stilled on the flower’s petals as she looked at Mark. Her mind went back to the imaginings she had stored in her heart – marrying Mark and becoming the mother of his children – seeing several brown-haired, brown-eyed children sitting around the dinner table after a long day’s work – growing older with him.
She smiled. “I like that, Mark. It feels . . . right . . . when I think about spending the rest of my life with you. I know it won’t always be easy.” Here, she gestured at the cast still encasing her healing leg. “We will have hard times. But, as I have spent time with you and gotten to know you, I have gotten to know a man who is strong in faith and who is comfortable in the Plain life.”
The couple thirstily drank from their glasses of lemonade and munched on the cookies that Mark had accepted from Mary. “I have a successful business building furniture and cabinets, Annie. I am getting calls from new customers every month – they tell each other about my work, and new customers call me to ask me to build things for them, so we will have enough money to make a living. You are becoming a teacher this coming autumn, and we can talk later about you continuing to teach after we get married. If you would like to do so, this is fine with me,” Mark said as he gazed into Annie’s gentle eyes.
“Ya, I would like to continue teaching. I don’t want to make us rich, Mark. I just want to help us set aside enough funds so that, if we have an emergency, we can handle it,” Annie said. As she looked at him, she had to make herself resist the impulse to scoot near him and cuddle into his side. It wouldn’t be appropriate, and if they were seen from the adjacent road by other Amish, they would be in trouble.
Mark reached over and plucked a flower of his own. Playing with it, he forced himself to keep from touching Annie. Even touching her face would be frowned upon, and he didn’t want to do anything that would precipitate a visit from the stern-faced ministers of Peace Landing.
“Have you been making progress on your plans to teach next autumn?” he asked.
“Ya, I have. Mamm and I have been working on lesson ideas for each student. She has been telling me how each student has been progressing, even Ben, Sarah and Joseph Kurtz,” Annie said with a smile of anticipation.
“Gut,” said Mark. “That gives you time to adjust to your new role – as well as plan our wedding for next year.” Looking at Annie, he saw her head shoot up.
“Next year! Ach! Between beginning as a new teacher and planning our wedding, I don’t have much time!”
Mark chuckled. “It’s good we talked now, then. I will get permission from your daed, then. In one year, we will marry.”
THE END.