The Amish Nanny (5 page)

Once the conversation turned from Amish wedding practices to Lancaster County in general, Mrs. Glick mentioned that she had always wanted to visit there, so I encouraged her to do just that, inviting her to stay at our home if she did.

She reached over and took my hand. “Ada, I might just take you up on that.” Her pale blue eyes grew misty. “It's such a blessing that you have been able to share this day with our Lexie. I'm so thankful she has you and her cousins.” Her fingers were bony. Suddenly I missed
Mammi
and wished she could be here for Lexie too.

“Speaking of Lexie's cousins…” Mrs. Glick said brightly, looking up over my shoulder.

I turned to see Ella standing behind me, her earlier anger gone, her eyes now aglow with some new excitement. Oh, the ups and downs of a sixteen-year-old girl! Our earlier conflict apparently forgotten, she motioned for me to come with her. I excused myself, stood, and followed as she led the way inside the house and into the kitchen. Once there, she simply handed me her phone and directed me to read a series of text messages, every one of them from Ezra.

The first one read:
Sorry I got you in trouble. I'll keep you updated via text. Right now they're talking about Frannie, that it's a shame she's not healthy enough to make the trip herself. They mean your grandmother, right?

I glanced at my young cousin, appalled that she and her boyfriend were still at this. “Ella, I thought I made it clear I don't approve of Ezra's eavesdropping. This is none of his business. Nor ours.” I handed her the phone and moved toward the door, reaching for the knob.

“Just keep reading, Ada.
Please
. They talked about you.”

I hesitated, the door half open. Then, against my better judgment, I accepted the phone from her and read through the next several messages. Sure enough, Ezra had written:
Will said it should probably be Ada. Unlike Marta, she has no job to worry about, and unlike Klara, she doesn't have a husband to take care of. Alice agrees, says that out of everyone, Ada's probably the only one who is free enough to go
.

My eyes filled with hot tears, the lines on the screen growing blurry. I didn't need to see Will's words to feel them driving the knife into my heart:
She doesn't have a husband to take care of
. Is that really how he thought of me? As an unattached, unloved girl free to take off on a trip at the drop of a hat? At least he was wrong about the job. Obviously he hadn't yet heard that I was soon to be a teacher in his very own district and that, in fact, I would have his daughter Christy as one of my scholars.

“Keep going,” Ella prodded, oblivious to my misery.

Shaking my head, I couldn't even bring myself to speak. She reached out and took the phone from my hand, skimming the words on the screen and launching into a recap of the remaining messages. I was only half listening, but the one thing that came through loud and clear was that whatever this trip to Europe was regarding, it involved both the Beiler family, specifically Alice, and the Lantz family, specifically Frannie, and some legal matter that would require the presence of both women, in person, to straighten out. If either one was unable to go, a family member could serve in their place. That was why our various names had come up. Obviously
Mammi
was in no shape to go anywhere, much less to another country, so she would need a relative to represent her.

“That's about it,” Ella said, still looking at the screen. “The twins came in, so Alice and Will agreed to finish their conversation later.”

I was trying to think of a reply when Ella surprised me by apologizing for her earlier behavior.

“I really am sorry, Ada, especially that crack about you being Amish. I don't even know where that came from.”

Ella's lack of maturity was the least of my problems. I had already forgiven her, of course, but right now my mind was on more important matters. Clearing my throat, I looked at my young cousin and said, “Actually, Ella, I would like you to send one more text. For me.”

“Sure,” she replied, her eyes sparkling with new interest.

“Tell Ezra that contrary to what his brother believes, I am not, in fact, without a job. I'll be starting as the teacher at Willowcrest in just a few weeks.” That the confirmation packet still hadn't shown up by the time we left for Oregon was beside the point. I had stopped at Levi Stoltz's the day before our trip started, and he had assured me, again, that the job was mine.

I doubted Ezra would pass along that message to Will, but he'd likely find out soon enough on his own. I may not have a husband to take care of, but soon I would have an entire classroom full of children who would be looking to me for their educations. Once school started, I wouldn't be free or unencumbered anymore, not at all, regardless of my marital status.

Ella's thumbs were tapping away at the tiny keyboard as I went back outside and headed across the lawn. When I walked past the table where the little girl with the braids was sitting, she smiled and gave me an enthusiastic wave. As I waved back, I could feel my tension ebbing. Will hadn't intended for his words to be cruel, just factual—to the extent of his knowledge, at least. Besides, what right did I have to be hurt by a comment made in private and never intended for me to hear in the first place? My pain now was a direct result of my own actions, not his.

I reached my seat just as Zed returned from the buffet with what looked like a second helping of almost everything. For some reason, the sight of his eager, innocent face grinning proudly at his overloaded plate made me smile.

“Take all you want, but eat all you take,” I told him, echoing one of our grandmother's more frequently used proverbs. Across from us, Mrs. Glick chuckled.

Sliding into my seat and reaching for my fork, I dug into the delicious meal once again, thinking about Will and Alice as I ate. I'd never met anyone who had been to Europe, at least not anyone from the Amish community, so just knowing they were considering it astonished me. Beyond that, the fact that they had discussed having me go along as well was so mind-boggling I couldn't even begin to comprehend it. Regardless of whether my teaching job prevented me from going or not, I still wanted to know more. Unlike Ella and Ezra, however, I would wait until someone was ready to tell me about it to my face.

“Zed, I can't imagine where you're putting all of that food,” Mrs. Glick said, gesturing toward his plate, which was already almost half empty.

“My mom says there's a two-hundred-pound construction worker living in my stomach,” he replied between bites, causing us both to laugh.

Soon, we were back into our conversation, with Mrs. Glick peppering me with questions about Amish wedding traditions. She asked how we managed to handle such a massive onslaught of guests, and I explained that the mother of the bride would usually make up a list of all the help the family would need, and then she would recruit friends and relatives to work through that list by butchering the chickens, cooking, setting up, ushering, serving, cleaning, attending the horses, and more.

“My, my,” Mrs. Glick said. “This is all so fascinating. And I have to say, Ada, you certainly have a knack for relaying information.”

“It's her inner teacher,” Zed managed to say, just before he took another bite.

I turned toward him. “My what?”

“Inner,” he began with his mouth full, but then he thought better of it and swallowed before continuing. “Teacher. Inner teacher. It's like you can't turn her off sometimes.”

I wasn't quite sure that Zed meant it as a compliment, but Mrs. Glick seemed to think that was the case. “That's exactly right!” she said, placing her frail hand on my forearm, directing my attention back to her. “So tell me, Teacher, how does it work to have all of that cooking going on when the wedding ceremony itself takes place in the same house? It sounds awfully busy.”

“Sometimes a kitchen housed in a trailer is rented and delivered to the home of the parents of the bride a week before the wedding,” I explained. “It's equipped with stoves and refrigerators that run on propane, and stocked with all the needed pots and pans. Other times an extra kitchen is set up in an outbuilding of the home or in the basement.”

“Sounds like a good system,” she replied, smiling, “as long as you have enough friends and relatives to pull it off.”

“True,” I replied.

Taking a bite of salad, I looked around at all of the guests here, my gaze finally landing on James's mother, Mrs. Nolan, who was sitting not too far away. As far as I knew, out of all the people at this event, she was the only blood relative in attendance other than Ella, Zed, and me. I found that astonishing. Our weddings back home were filled one end to the other with siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more. Thinking of that, I felt doubly glad the three of us had been able to be here for Lexie.

I was about to ask Mrs. Glick if Lexie's parents had any siblings still living when I felt a warm hand on my arm. Turning to my left, I realized Ella was kneeling at my side, the expression on her face one of concern—and pity.

“I have to tell you something,” she said softly.

Glancing toward the others around me, I asked her if it could wait until later.

“I don't think so,” she replied, shaking her head slowly from side to side. “Probably the sooner you know, the better. Don't you think?”

That all depended on what she had to say. I squinted and pursed my lips, not sure how to respond.

“I'm so sorry, Lexie,” she persisted. “I sent the message to Ezra, like you said. About the teaching job.”

“And?”

Ella took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “And he texted me back. He said…well, here. I'll let you read his response.”

“Please, just tell me what he said.”

“Okay.” She swallowed hard, meeting my eyes. “He said you didn't get the teaching job at Willowcrest. It's not yours after all. The school hired somebody else.”

A
nd just like that, all of my plans, all of my dreams, began evaporating into thin air.

I didn't ask Ella if her boyfriend knew exactly what had happened or why. I simply apologized to Mrs. Glick and asked her to excuse me yet again.

“Of course, dear. Is everything all right?”

“Everything's fine,” I lied. Then I got to my feet and began walking away.

Didn't get the job? Levi Stoltz had promised it to me several times, including right before we had left Lancaster County. I'd sat on his front porch, held his five-month-old baby, and heard him say he'd have the confirmation packet ready for me when I returned from Oregon.

“Ada?” Ella said, moving to catch up with me. “Ada, wait!”

Looking around, I realized I had walked halfway to the orchard. I stopped, my feet feeling strangely unsteady beneath me.

“Did you hear what I said?” Ella pressed. “You didn't get the job.”

“Yes, I heard you, but I'm afraid you're wrong. There has been some sort of mistake.”

“That's what I thought, but Ezra says it's true.” Ella reached for my hand. I pulled away, shaking my head. I wanted to take off running through the orchard. If not for all of the people who would see me and think me mad, I would have.

“Who did they give it to instead?” I rasped, closing my eyes. “Is the teacher someone we know?”

She reached for my hand again and this time held it. “He didn't say, but I can find out if you want.”

Opening my eyes, I looked back at the table, where Mrs. Glick and Zed were both watching us with concern.

“Look at it this way, Ada,” Ella continued. “At least now you'll be free to go to Europe with Alice. Whatever that's all about, it has to be more exciting than being in charge of some dumb classroom full of kids back in Pennsylvania.”

I sucked in a breath, aware that others were starting to look our way now as well. Whatever was going on with Alice and Europe was beside the point. I wanted to teach.

But I hadn't been given the job.

Staring vacantly at the crowd, a flash of white off to one side caught my eye. Focusing in, I realized that it was Lexie, who was at her husband's side, still circulating among the guests. She and James had been making the rounds since the meal began, moving from group to group and chatting with everyone in turn. Soon they would probably be cutting the cake, and then it was only a matter of time before they would leave on their honeymoon and this whole big party would be over.