Miriam and the Stranger (10 page)

T
wo days later Miriam hitched up Star and headed the buggy out of the driveway toward the schoolhouse. The brisk morning air stirred around her. The sun had risen only moments before and was now flooding the prairie with golden light. Long shadows stretched across the road in front of the buggy.

Miriam had risen early as usual, even though classes didn’t begin until nine o’clock. She was accustomed to arriving at the schoolhouse early and spending quiet moments alone preparing for the day’s work and having some time of communion with the Lord. This morning she especially needed that time of prayer. Her next date with Mose Stoll was tonight. He would be at Aunt Fannie’s for supper. Mose might even propose a wedding date, since he had announced his plan to leave after the coming weekend. Mose was both cautious and practical. That much she had figured out. And since she had passed every test he had placed in her path
with flying colors, why should he not return home with his mission accomplished?

Miriam winced at the thought. She didn’t usually make such prideful observations, with a touch of bitterness also included. The man was so full of himself. Had some of that spirit rubbed off on her? But Mose did live a righteous life, Miriam reminded herself. She shouldn’t think evil of the man. The problem was her own heart. She enjoyed knowing she had passed Mose’s rigorous inspection. She had pleased him. More than she had imagined possible. Streaks of heat warmed Miriam’s face in the cool morning air at such plain thoughts.

“Whoa there,” she called out to Star as she turned into the schoolhouse driveway. Moments later she parked and climbed out of the buggy to unhitch Star from the shafts. All she wanted was love from a decent Amish man. She hadn’t exactly envisioned that man as Mose, but still… why object? Miriam tied Star inside the stall of the small shelter and patted his nose.

“There now, be happy for the day,” she said as she dropped half a bale of hay in his stanchion. Star lowered his head to munch away as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

The crunch of tires on the schoolhouse’s gravel lane brought both of their heads up with a start. Star stared along with Miriam through the shelter door as the car approached. Miriam felt a weakness creep through her entire body. She knew this vehicle, and it shouldn’t be here. Why had Tyler Johnson come back again when she had made herself so abundantly clear? She wanted nothing to do with the man. But here he was so early in the morning. There went her quiet time with the Lord, to say nothing of her preparations for the day’s lessons. She could never settle down after this even if she could get rid of Tyler at once. Why did the man have this effect on her? What if Mose found out about this visit? Neither Uncle William nor Aunt Fannie had said a word in
Mose’s presence about a strange
Englisha
reporter who was asking questions of those in the community.

“Good morning,” Tyler called out to Miriam as he closed the car door with a loud thump.

Miriam turned her face away and didn’t answer. This was horribly ill-mannered for a Christian girl, but she couldn’t help herself. Here she had thought so well of herself only moments ago.

“Am I disturbing your morning?” Tyler seemed genuinely concerned. “I can make an appointment for later. I would have, but of course you don’t have e-mail or a cell phone… and I didn’t really want to stop in at your aunt and uncle’s.”

And they both knew why, Miriam told herself. This was a most inappropriate call, and Tyler knew it. Yet here he stood. Had she somehow given him a reason to take this liberty the last time they spoke? Perhaps as an
Englisha
man her flaming face in his presence had been all the permission Tyler needed.

Tyler stepped closer. “I really need to speak with you, Miss Yoder. It’s important.”

“But why?” she croaked.

A smile played on his face. “Well, we could go inside to talk about this—if you have the time right now.”

“I think it would be better if you just left,” she said, her voice not even trembling.

Tyler regarded her with a tilt of his head. “I’m sorry this is uncomfortable for you. I just want to ask a couple of questions for my story, and then I’ll leave… if you really want me to.”

He had read her correctly, Miriam told herself. Oh, why couldn’t she have feelings for Mose like the ones that were racing through her heart right now? This was an
Englisha
man, and he was completely out of her league. Miriam forced out the words, “I don’t think I have any answers that would interest you.”

“You might be surprised.” Tyler was his confident self again.
“Can we go inside now? I’ll take only a few minutes. And your classes don’t begin for a while, do they?”

Miriam couldn’t speak, so as an answer she led the way to the schoolhouse and held open the door for him.

“Thank you,” Tyler said, sporting that same grin that made her stomach flutter.

Miriam led Tyler up the aisle and took her usual place behind her teacher’s desk. That left Tyler to sit where the students sat on the benches. She needed to establish some control over the situation even if she couldn’t restrain her own emotions. Perhaps the one would affect the other now that she could sit down.

She stole a quick glance at him. He smiled at her from his lowered position. The man had enough charm to… Miriam pushed the thought away to ask, “So why are you here?”

“To get some answers,” Tyler replied, still smiling.

Miriam looked away. They’d go around this point all morning, and yet she felt totally helpless. Was this the Lord’s way to humble her? If it was, the job was well done. She didn’t have a smidgen of self-respect left.

Tyler regarded Miriam for a long moment. “I now know who gave the two million dollars to the Clarita Relief Fund.”

Miriam’s head spun. How could Tyler know? Had Deacon Phillips told him? But that wasn’t possible.

Tyler seemed to read Miriam’s question. “I asked one of your students yesterday on his way home from school. Doesn’t your Bible say, ‘out of the mouth of babes’?”

Miriam clasped her hands together until they hurt. The man was brilliant. Even she wouldn’t have thought to ask the schoolchildren, but of course they would know and think the matter of small concern. Such things couldn’t be kept a secret in the small community.

“Who would have thought?” Tyler had open admiration on his face. “It was you who gave the money. Will you confirm this?”

I could lie,
Miriam told herself, but that wasn’t possible even at this horrible moment. She was who she was. And Tyler might expect her to deny it, and this would only motivate him to dig deeper. What if Tyler went to Deacon Phillips or Uncle William for confirmation? Mose might even hear of the inquiry.

“
Yah
, I did give the money,” Miriam said, finding her voice.

His eyebrows went up. “So you really did?”

“I see that was the wrong thing to say,” Miriam snapped.

“Well, I didn’t think you would lie.” Tyler was sober-faced now. “So let’s backtrack a little. That means you once had two million dollars. Can I ask how you came into the possession of such a sum? Have you been married before?”

That’s none of your business
, Miriam almost said. But the words would sound bitter.

“Of course, you don’t have to tell me,” he said. “I won’t use this for my story. I respect you, and I respect your privacy.”

He was a reporter, Miriam told herself, but Tyler appeared sincere, so the words spilled out. “I once worked for an older man for three years, a Mr. Bland in Possum Valley. He could take care of himself during the night but needed someone with him during the day, for meals, and making sure he took his medicines. I also kept the house clean and that sort of thing.” Miriam’s voice died off.

Tyler remained silent while she searched for words.

“I had grown to love Mr. Bland. He was generous to me with wages, and we needed the money at home badly.
Daett
isn’t that
gut
handling money.” Miriam bit her lip. She shouldn’t have said that, but Tyler didn’t know
Daett
and never would. Miriam hurried on. “One morning I arrived at his house as usual and helped
him get out of bed and buttoned his shirt for him. Mr. Bland said he had dreamed of his
frau
, Thelma, that night. He said it was a lovely dream. As I helped him to his front porch rocker while I fixed his breakfast, his face just shone with the memory of his dream. When I came back with his breakfast, he was gone… to join Thelma.” Miriam felt a tear well up at the memory.

“And he left you the money,” Tyler finished.

Miriam could only nod.

“He must have loved you a lot,” Tyler said.

Miriam glanced at him in alarm, but Tyler only smiled back. He understood, Miriam thought, and more tears welled up.

“You must have been close.” Tyler stood to take a Kleenex from the desk and hand it to Miriam. She took it and wiped her eyes.

“
Yah
, we were,” Miriam allowed. She finally collected herself. What if one of the students walked in early and found her in tears with the
Englisha
man? What had come over her? Words to dismiss him from the schoolhouse rose to her lips, but his gaze made them die before she could speak.

“How did you decide to give the money away?” Tyler’s voice was gentle.

Miriam looked away. She couldn’t share those intimate details with an
Englisha
reporter. But at the moment Tyler didn’t look like a reporter. He didn’t even look
Englisha
. His face was clean-shaven this morning as an unmarried Amish man’s would be, and she could almost imagine him with an Amish haircut.

So the words tumbled out. “My
daett
has very strong opinions about money, so I kept the inheritance a secret from him and
Mamm
. Which was wrong, of course, but it seemed like the wisest course at the time. Anyway, I had some trouble with a sort of ex-boyfriend. Everything got all tangled up. I came out here to get away for a while and ended up falling in love with a local Amish
man and became engaged to him. We had planned to marry when…” Miriam couldn’t go on.

Tyler nodded. “Your deacon told me that part of the story. He died in the tornadoes. He and his sister. I’m sorry for you, Miriam. I really am.” Tyler handed her another Kleenex.

Miriam wiped her eyes. “
Yah
, that’s what happened.” She tried to smile. “But the Lord has been with me all these years.”

“I suppose so.” Tyler stared at her.

Miriam stood to her feet. “Now, I think you’d better go. The children will be arriving soon and I have some work to do.”

Tyler stood with her and moved a step away, but he paused to turn around. “I’d like to speak to you again, Miriam. Some time when it’s convenient.”

“You can’t do that.” Miriam twisted the Kleenex into her hand. “You really can’t.”

“Why not?” His blue eyes pierced hers.

“The community… I mean it’s not proper… because…” Miriam shut her mouth. Now she had only made the situation worse.

“I’ll see you in a few days then.” A slight smile played on his face.

Before Miriam could speak, Tyler had gone out of the schoolhouse door. Miriam glanced down at the floor where little pieces of Kleenexes lay scattered about. She ignored them to rush over to the window and watch Tyler’s car leave. Once the vehicle was out of sight, Miriam brought herself out of her trance with a sharp pinch on the arm. She must get out of this dreamworld somehow. Slowly the Kleenex particles beside her desk came into focus again. Miriam hurried back to the closet and grabbed the broom to sweep them up. With a quick dump of the dustpan she emptied the pieces into the wastebasket.

There, at least the evidence of her behavior during Tyler’s visit was gone. But what about the unseen evidence in her emotions?
Her heart had betrayed her again. And where should she go from here? This was only getting worse. Perhaps she should confess to Mose tonight. He’d understand, wouldn’t he? But she knew he wouldn’t. If he knew what had happened at the schoolhouse this morning, Mose would leave tomorrow on the first Greyhound bus out of Coalgate.

Chapter Ten

A
fter supper that evening Miriam and Mose sat quietly on the front porch of Aunt Fannie’s home. Miriam turned her face so the cool evening breeze could blow across her cheeks. The last of the sun’s glow was fading in the western sky, and the kerosene lamp on the porch flickered on Mose Stoll’s face. He had insisted they bring a light so they wouldn’t sit in the dark. What a holy man Mose was. He wanted only impeccable standards applied to their relationship. A flush of shame filled Miriam’s face. She should confess and tell Mose about Tyler Johnson right now, but the words stuck in her mouth. And Mose seemed happy with the silence on the porch as behind them the low murmur of Aunt Fannie’s and Uncle William’s voices came from the living room.