My Dearest Naomi (15 page)

He’s placed traps on the stone-quarry land, and on the farms all around here. He wants to place some on Aden’s land yet, which will be as far west as he can go, both because of distance and from other trappers having the rights to the fields.

Your sisters said today that your uncle Ollie’s only son has leukemia. They heard it indirectly, so they don’t know for sure. I feel very sorry for them if he does.

Your mom said our trip out there is planned for the middle of November. It seems hard to wait that long, but I will try. Remember that I love you and am praying for you.

Hello. Here I am again. I forgot to mail my letter this morning before I went to work, so that’s why it’s still here. Another of your letters arrived, and I finished reading it on the couch. I liked your answers to the questions quite well indeed. I felt like I could jump, run, and do cartwheels all
in a long row. Now wouldn’t that be a sight? But when you said you liked my answers, I did let out a whoop. I was afraid you might not like them. As you can see, I have my fears—but often they are short-lived.

I love you ever so much,

Naomi

October 29

I have the egg-gathering duties for tonight, but I sat down and read your letter first. It’s good to hear that you are happy. I try to be, but things are boring and rough once school is out. I work on adrenaline all day, and then after 5:00 or so I crash.

I wonder where Aaron gets the idea that I can write well? And it sounds like it must be all over the community that I wrote every day for a while. Ha! They probably all got a good laugh out of that one. Poor homesick Eugene.

It’s good to hear of your enjoyment in babysitting the new children. I can certainly share the feeling here with the schoolchildren. They do grow close to my heart.

We were in the Trenton gym last night for the volleyball game. It closes at 9:00, so that gives us time for about three games. I really enjoy playing volleyball, as you know—sort of an Amish thing, I suppose. Afterward, one of the girls asked me if all the boys where I come from can play volleyball. I said, “Yes. It sort of goes with the territory.”

I’ve been wondering for some time how I could get Larry to read at his own level. When he does read storybooks, he picks first-grade-level books. I figured the problem must be he thinks the other books look too difficult.

Today I showed him the reader they read from in class, and then I walked over to the bookshelf and chose a book on Daniel Boone. I told him to try reading it—that it was the same level of reading. He got a big smile on his face, taking the book back to his desk. At next recess he was all excited, talking to me about how interesting it was and showing me how far he had read. So maybe he’ll read more at that level. I hope so.

It’s time for bed, but I have to tell you how the parent/teacher gathering went tonight. I wish you could have been here. We had the greatest time. Most of the parents waited until we had eaten before they talked with me. Everybody was so nice and is well pleased with how things are going—or at least they said so.

Before we ate, I spoke a few words on how school was going from my perspective. The crowd was large and public speaking is a little scary for me, but I made it through. After my little speech I asked Lonnie to say the blessing for the food. Lonnie and Luella were invited since they are boarding the teacher.

There was also other excitement for the night, but not produced by me. Someone lifted the top on the mouse cage and one escaped. So there was a race on, with a couple of men and boys running after the mouse. I was talking with parents at the time, but ended up going to help. The mouse of course, disappeared, and no one could find it. With no mouse in sight, things eventually quieted down. It reappeared toward the end of the evening, climbing up the bookcase. The ruckus was on again, and one of the men caught it this time, returning the mouse to its home base.

Laverne’s mom said the sweetest thing tonight. She said that before Laverne ever saw me he said that he didn’t know if he would like a boy teacher or not. Now the other day he said that he sure hopes I teach again next year.

The women all had a fit over how the schoolhouse is decorated. I didn’t know it was that big a deal. They were saying amongst themselves they had been so afraid a male teacher would leave the schoolhouse looking bare. Well, fears taken care of.

Goodnight for now. It’s well past 10:00.

I’m quite lonesome tonight, but that’s not unusual for Sunday evenings. Things are really quiet in the house. I could use a buggy ride about now, with you beside me, not to mention an Amish hymn singing.

I don’t feel like writing about school stuff, but I do wish I could tell you how wonderful you are, how comforting and soothing your presence would be, how beautiful you look, and how there is no girl on earth as marvelous as you are. But you’re not here, and I probably wouldn’t say it if you were. So maybe writing is a blessing in disguise.

I’ve been reading a book I purchased at the drugstore. It’s about body language and has some good points, I think. I find it very interesting that the first graders will show any emotion they feel. If they’re happy, they jump up and down. If they’re sad, they cry, and if they’re bored, they show it. The book says that as a person get older he will begin to wear a mask. I’m sure that’s true. I guess it wouldn’t work if adults showed every emotion they felt. The book says it’s because people get hurt too often. I don’t know, but I suppose that’s true.

I know I love you, but there are not many ways of showing that right now, book or no book.

Love you, darling.

Eugene

October 30

I finished rereading your wonderful letter with the answers to those marriage questions. I asked Mom the same questions, and she thinks the most important thing is trust or having faith in each other. I have thought over her answer, and I think that could be very true. Because really, once you couldn’t trust each other, there wouldn’t be much of a marriage. Also, I don’t see how you could truly love your partner if you couldn’t trust him.

You mentioned another thing that I’ve often wondered about, and that is what you saw in me that attracted you. Somehow I always thought I should be able to figure that out, but I’ve never been able to. Now if I know you can’t figure it out, I’m sure I can’t because you are a lot better at figuring things out then I am. I do know you are the most wonderful person I could have been attracted to.

Well, I have to get this room cleaned before chore time so talk to you later.

Hello. How does this Monday morning find you? I’m feeling a good deal better than yesterday. I was going to finish this letter, but I was too tired after chores, supper, and dishes.

I have to babysit at 9:30 this morning for a few hours. This afternoon Dad, Don, and I are planning a trip to the Bachs. Dad and Don are putting up their storm windows. The Bachs have these old-fashioned ones that are really heavy, so Don has to go along. I will clean the house while they work outside.

Yesterday was a rainy, dreary day for a Sunday. This morning it’s nice again and balmy. James Yoder went to that other church again yesterday. He took the three youngest boys and Dorothy with him. Millie and the rest came to our church. That poor family. It would be such an awful situation to be in.

We ended up at Robert’s Friday night on a sudden invitation. Your family was also there. The men were all working on some project outside while the women stayed inside and played Probe. I really enjoyed the game.

What would you like for Christmas? Is there something you really
want or need? If there is, please tell me. This isn’t proper to ask, I suppose, but I’m at a loss to know what you’d like. I think boys are much harder to shop for than girls.

Monroe and his wife are going to move to their new place tomorrow. Somebody said Daniel might continue boarding at Robert’s since he helps on the farm now. I suppose Lydia would be happy, as it’s closer to where she lives. By the way, they are going steady.

Sometimes I get the feeling this winter will never end. I sit around imagining what life would be like married to you. That would be quite wonderful, but it doesn’t give me any more patience, which I’m in sore need of. Take care of yourself.

With all my heart,

Naomi

November 1

Just as the months do onward go.

Just as the seasons surely roll.

So is my love as sure to you.

It’s ever binding, ever true.

Two months have gone by, though it seems more like two years. I often wonder if you miss me as much as I do you. Yet I hope you don’t sit around and mourn for me. I do enough of that for both of us.

There sure is a big difference between weeks at school. Last week I had to push everything hard to get the lessons through, now today things went smoothly. I even finished early enough that I could work with the first graders for an extra half an hour. I wish I could spend extra time with them more often.

Dena, Dennis, and Laverne were absent today. Dena is on a three-day trip to Michigan. Dennis was sick, but he’s supposed to be back tomorrow. Poor Laverne has been taken west to a doctor for treatment. His condition has continued to worsen, to where his skin started to scale badly. The plans are for him to be at the doctor for most of the week. Hopefully he won’t have a hard time catching up when he comes back. If they find help for him, it will have been well worth the effort.

On Tuesday the school is planning a trip to the local river for part of the day. The excursion will be to the campground I was at the other Saturday. I hatched up the idea last week and talked with the board last Monday evening. The children are all excited. I didn’t tell them where we’re going though. I’ll make them sweat it out to increase the pleasure of the outing.

Last night we visited Luella’s sister’s place. She’s an old maid, and older
than Luella. The topic of interest was her parakeet, which she took great joy in showing me. The thing talks. His name is Billy, and I got to hear him say “Billy talks.”

The parrot also says “Billy’s tired” and “Billy’s naughty,” but that wasn’t easy to understand. They informed me the only way to teach parakeets to talk is if one person is around them all the time and spends a lot of time talking to them.

I’ve been having headaches lately, which is very unusual for me. Who knows what’s causing it. Perhaps a nasty brain tumor.

It sure gets dark around here early.

I reread your letter with the answers to my questions tonight, enjoying it again. I’ll have to remember that you like to be independent.

Lonnie brought up something interesting the other evening at the supper table. He said that when a new idea comes to him, he thinks about it, and even though he might not like the idea, if it’s right, he can learn to like it. I thought that was a good way of looking at it.

I’ve started planning the Christmas program this week. I found one poem I want to use for the introduction, so that’s a start. I might try taking a familiar melody we know and putting new words to it.

Around here the schoolchildren have a tradition that on a child’s birthday they stick the person under the table. That’s been going on at school, but they haven’t gotten rough yet, so I haven’t forbidden the practice. I figure one has to walk carefully with other people’s traditions.

The other morning in arithmetic class, Dora wasn’t done with part of her page. We went ahead checking the other papers, and as I read the answers off she was afraid she would remember them so she held her ears closed. That’s one honest girl, if you ask me, although I doubt she would have remembered the answers.

I love you, dear. 

Eugene

November 2

Greetings.

Elena Marshall stopped by today and spoke with Mom again. She says that when she tries to talk with Bob, he won’t listen and just doesn’t communicate. He’s not ignorant at all, but there isn’t much love between them apparently. He won’t even kiss her anymore. She said he goes with her to the marriage counselor, but he won’t talk there either. I feel sorry for those two. It seems to me that a marriage like they have wouldn’t be much of a marriage at all. How sad. I sure am glad Amish people don’t have marriages like that.