The Guardian (18 page)

A
s soon as Jodi turned onto Hickory Lane, she tried to remember which driveway led to the Amish bishop’s house. She figured it would come to her in spite of the fact she had been so concerned for the lost little girl sitting in the backseat that morning.

Pulling onto the right shoulder, she parked and got out, breathing deeply of the fragrant air. Up and down Hickory Hollow Lane might equal three or more miles, she guessed. If she wanted to, she could run it twice, which would be about six miles and therefore even better. She was enamored with the area and hoped to see some of the carriages going to or from house church, perhaps.

She heard the inviting trickle of a nearby stream as she began to run, slowly at first. In the near distance, horses rambled through tall grass, and along the roadside, robins tugged at earthworms.

It was impossible not to think of Karen in such a setting. Their great-aunt’s home in rural Vermont had been a place for both girls to unwind and run through the meadows with the breezes in their faces. Before Great-Aunt Leora moved there,
stinging nettles and other weeds had sprung up where once a vegetable garden flourished. But within a few months’ time, the place was alive with colorful flowers and fresh produce. Jodi and Karen were some of the first benefactors, enjoying moist zucchini bread, carrot cake, and raw cucumbers drenched in Leora’s creamy homemade dips.

Jodi recalled nightly walks with Karen and their aunt, who knew the constellations so well she simply pointed out the names of one star after another.

The world, my world, was upright back then… .

At the farmhouse on the right, just before Maryanna’s house in the distance, row after row of gray carriages were parked on one side of the yard. Jodi slowed her pace as she took in the sight. She was sure she’d spotted Maryanna with Leda and Sarah standing close by. A bearded man dressed in black, except for his white shirt, was walking toward Maryanna and her girls, accompanied by Benny and Toby, his smile wide as he removed his straw hat.

Jodi continued to run as she watched, her long skirt bunching up between her knees. She wondered how many tourists viewed this world from afar each day after stumbling upon the remote road. To think she had personally sat in Maryanna’s kitchen twice, enjoying two home-cooked meals.

Definitely something Scott and Paige would give their eyeteeth for!

The Amishman held his straw hat, turning it steadily as he talked. Jodi presumed he was the neighbor for whom Leda and her cousins had gone to plant flowers. Craning her neck, Jodi looked to see the side garden the children had discussed but was unable to tell from so far away.

It was odd to see Benny and Toby standing so erect, listening with almost exaggerated respect to the man as he spoke directly to Maryanna.

He’s nervous,
she realized, watching him twist his hat in his hands.

––

Joshua drew a deep breath as he stepped near Maryanna Esh. “If ya don’t mind, I’d like to thank you for beautifying my flower garden for today’s service.”

“Oh—well, Leda’s the one to thank,” Maryanna replied quickly, glancing at her older daughter.

Joshua’s spirits fell. “Then I’ll have to say I’m mighty grateful to you, Leda.”

The girl nodded shyly, her cheeks turning rosy.

“Leda’s bashful today,” Tobias said next to him. And Leda pulled a face at him.

“I was, too, when I was her age.” Joshua was surprised when Maryanna cracked an appreciative smile. He felt slightly encouraged.
Maybe she even remembers what I was like as a boy.

“Hope it was real nice for Preachin’ service to be held here—so close and convenient for you and your family.” He tried not to focus only on Maryanna but wondered how on earth he was going to get her alone, as he had Ida Fisher. Or maybe this was not the time the Good Lord had in mind.

“The bunny’s frightened, Mamma,” Tobias said suddenly, looking up at his mother and explaining, evidently for her benefit. “The cat chased it and tried to catch it and—”

“Tobias, don’t speak out of turn,” Maryanna said.

“Sorry, Mamma.” Tobias glanced at Joshua now, which Joshua deemed a mistake. He felt sorry for the lad.

“Shadow’s all right,” Joshua reassured him. “I saw to it.”

But now little Sarah looked like she might cry. Her lower lip pushed out, and a big frown emerged on her face. “I wanna see Shadow, Mamma.”

“We best be goin’, children” was all Maryanna said as she
reached around both Leda and Sarah to guide them toward the driveway leading to the road. “Come now, Benny and Tobias.”

“
Da Herr sei mit du,
” called Joshua as the boys left his side.

“God be with you, too,” Benny spoke up.

Tobias smiled back at him, waving with his fingers as he always did.

Joshua knew he must do something. The time was now! “Excuse me, Maryanna—might I speak with ya, right quick?”

He was shocked when she walked back toward him, leaving the children within earshot. “What is it, Joshua?” She forced a smile, though with some difficulty, he was all too sure.

Putting his hat back on his head, he changed his mind and removed it again, holding it over his heart. “Walk with me over yonder,” he said, pointing to the rickety bench.

“Is everything all right?” she asked, still following.

Then, lest he lose all courage, he looked at her in earnest. “Maryanna, I’d like to take ya ridin’ sometime next weekend. If that’s all right.”

She blinked, then looked away. “Oh my.”

You’re pressing your luck.

“I’m just not sure …” She stared at the field between their houses.

He felt like a
Lump
putting her in such an awkward position and was about to politely retract his invitation out of mercy for both of them when she finally answered.

“Exactly how many pets
do
you have, Joshua?”

He cleared his throat. “Well, now, there’s Honey Lou and Shadow, Malachi and—”

Maryanna’s face was not nearly as pretty this way, all serious-looking, her mouth in a straight line. “They caused quite a disturbance today,” she added.

“Entirely my fault.”

“Yours?” She tilted her head innocently, and for some reason it endeared her even more to him. “How can that be?”

“Well, I left the cat in the same room with the rabbit. Poor judgment on my part.”

“And the parrot?”

Joshua explained that the hypersensitive bird had been distressed by the noisy cat in the room overhead. “I thought it was a
gut
idea to make an apology to Preacher Yoder for disrupting his sermon.”

Maryanna’s expression evolved to sympathy, or at least something more like it.

Then, taking him off guard, she said, “All right, Joshua, I’ll go with ya.”

His heart pounded nearly out of his ears. “Jah?” he replied, standing straighter and pushing his shoulders back, chin up.

“How’s Saturday evening?” she asked.

He was flabbergasted at his success. “Just fine,” he said cheerfully. “I’ll pick you up after supper, round seven o’clock.”

“Might be a bit late.”

“Six-thirty, then?”

She nodded and glanced back at the house. “And the pets?”

“They’ll stay put, of course.”

She nodded and joined her waiting children without commenting further.

Joshua didn’t dare watch them walk toward the road. And he was altogether persuaded that Maryanna’s bark was fairly convincing, but surely worse than her bite.

He was heading back to the house when it hit him. A broad smile erupted on his face.
Maryanna said yes!

But just as quickly, he realized his terrible blunder. He had two dates with two women on the selfsame evening!

J
odi was greeted by Sarah in a pale blue dress with a sheer white apron on top. The little girl came running to see Jodi on the side of the road, Benny and Toby close behind in look-alike black pants and white shirts with black vests. Leda hung back slightly, a white apron over her deep purple dress, too.

Maryanna smiled from where she stood farther back with her sister Mollie. Both seemed surprised to see Jodi as Sarah threw her arms around her knees, jabbering in Deitsch.

“We didn’t know you were comin’ by today,” Leda said, grinning.

“Nice ya did, though,” Toby said, inching closer.

“I wanted to see you again.” Jodi also mentioned she’d gone running last night on one of the roads near the route for the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon. “I met your former schoolteacher, Rosaleen Yoder, and another girl you probably know—her cousin Barbara Yoder.”

Benny nodded. “Rosaleen’s right over there.” He pointed toward the group of women near his mother who were standing and staring at Jodi and the children.

Am I interrupting their Sunday?

It did look like church had already disbanded, although many people were still lingering about the side and front yards. Jodi was most interested in knowing if the man talking earlier to Maryanna and the children was their neighbor Joshua. And if so, how remarkable that he was so youthful and good-looking—not at all like she’d pictured him.

“I hope you’ll come home with us,” Leda said softly, her eyes shining.

“We still have ice cream from yesterday,” Toby said with a glance back at his mother. “Will ya come?”

Jodi didn’t quite know how to respond. “I really should run some more,” she said, thinking that might suffice.

But now Fannie and Bertie, along with Ellie and Darla, had spotted her, too, and were calling her name as they hurried down the driveway, all dressed alike in maroon dresses and white aprons.

“You’re back,” Bertie said, blinking. “We didn’t think we’d see you again.”

Thrilled, Jodi smiled and greeted each of Mollie’s four girls by name.

“You remembered us!” Darla said, wiggling in between Sarah and Toby toward Jodi.

“We’ve been practicing our arithmetic,” Ellie said, her light brown hair slicked back on both sides.

“You’ll be all set when school starts,” Jodi replied.

“‘Cept there’s no teacher yet,” Bertie told her, and the children’s faces drooped as they nodded their heads.

It was Leda who spoke next. “If the school board can’t find someone soon, we might have to start late.”

“Ain’t never happened before.” Toby frowned.

“How do you know this?” asked Jodi.

“Well, ‘cause Uncle Jeremiah’s on the school board,” Benny volunteered.

Toby looked over his shoulder at Rosaleen. “Least we won’t have to worry ‘bout the teacher this year.”

“Ach, Toby,” his cousin Fannie said, stepping even closer.

With eight children pressing in around her, Jodi wondered if they shouldn’t move closer to the front yard.

When Jodi suggested it, Leda said there was rarely any traffic on the road. “Just horses and buggies, mostly.”

This made Bertie giggle for some reason. And then all the children began laughing, Sarah still with her arms around Jodi’s knees. “Mei Engel,” she said again.

Despite the fact that the Amish folk were milling about, talking with each other, Jodi felt their collective eyes on her.

––

Maryanna watched Jodi with the children—the young woman seemed so comfortable with them. Why didn’t such a delightful woman want children of her own when it was apparent to everyone watching that the Englischer was a magnet for them?

“Just look at her,” Mollie said softly next to Maryanna.

“Jah,” Rosaleen agreed. “Barbara and I ran with her last evening, and she’s not like some of the English folk we know. Both of us remarked ‘bout it.”

“Oh?”

Rosaleen continued. “She fit right in, and we had a
gut
time together. Odd, though … she never once had to stop to drink water, and goodness, we ran a long ways.”

“Don’t be silly,” Barbara interjected. “She has one of those water carriers on her back to drink from. Look, she’s wearing it now.”

Maryanna smiled.
So Jodi’s human, after all!

“Jeremiah’s over talkin’ to Bishop John—wants to call a school board meeting at first light,” Mollie said, seemingly anxious to impart the news she’d heard just a bit ago from her husband. “Even the bishop noticed Jodi out there with the children.”

“Does he know she’s the one who found Sarah?” asked Maryanna.

“Oh, he seems to know
all
about it.”

“So what do you think’ll happen tomorrow morning?” Maryanna asked.

“I heard something but best not say.” Mollie glanced at her husband and the bishop, deep in discussion with the two other fathers who were decision makers in appointing the next schoolteacher.

“Bishop must think Jodi’s a godsend, then.” Maryanna could see why, despite Jodi’s spiritual wavering since losing her only sister.

The children were still pressing in around Jodi on the lawn, some of them sitting on the grass as they pleaded for her to sit with them, too.

“You don’t think they’d ask an outsider to teach, do ya?” Rosaleen asked.

“It’s never been done,” Barbara Yoder spoke up.

“‘Tis true,” said Mollie. “Not ever.”

“I do know she’s lookin’ for a teaching job,” Maryanna revealed. “She said so herself.”

“Ach, that’s right … she mentioned it last night.” Rosaleen seemed excited suddenly.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean she’d ever consider what you’re thinkin’,” Maryanna added.

“Well, the pay’s not what she’d get as a public schoolteacher, I’d guess,” Rosaleen said. “It’s all right for a single Amishwoman, still living at home, of course.”

“You’re forgetting she has a place somewhere up in New England,” Mollie said.

“Vermont,” Maryanna was quick to say.

“Does she own a house there?” Barbara asked.

Mollie stroked her Kapp strings. “Ain’t for us to be talkin’ this way.”

“
Isn’t,
” Rosaleen corrected.

They all tittered, trying to keep their voices at the appropriate level for the Lord’s Day.

Maryanna saw little Sarah reach for Jodi’s hand and begin to head up Hickory Lane, all seven children following close behind. “Where are they goin’?” she whispered.

“To your place, must be,” Mollie replied with a gentle poke on her arm. “Better follow an’ see.”

“A Pied Piper’s come to Hickory Hollow,” Maryanna heard Jeremiah say from back amidst the menfolk.

“And just in time, too,” the bishop stated.

“Well, mercy’s sake,” Maryanna’s own mother said.

What have we prayed into our community?
Maryanna wondered as she followed behind the children with Mollie, scurrying to keep up.

“What if Jodi refuses?” Mollie whispered.

“Don’t get your heart set on this, sister. She’s not Amish, remember.”

“Well, but look at
us
… we, too, are steppin’ to the Pied Piper’s music.”

This brought another chortle, but Maryanna was more concerned about Sarah, who looked to be leading the entire procession.