The Bishop's Daughter (35 page)

He chuckled. “Now that’s what I like—a woman who’s easy to please.”

“Not really. I get frustrated when things don’t go as I’d hoped.”

Leona studied the geometric design on her placemat, then looked up when she sensed he was staring at her. “You seem to take life as it comes, Jimmy. I mean, look how well you’ve adjusted to living here. It’s almost as if you’ve been in Lancaster County all your life.”

Jimmy’s eyes brightened, and he leaned slightly forward. “You really think so?”

“I do. In fact, Arthur mentioned once that whenever you’ve worn a straw hat while you were working you looked like you could even be Amish.”

“Well, maybe that’s because—”

Jimmy’s words were halted when the waitress came and asked if they were ready to order.

“I think I’ll have the buffet. That way I can pick and choose all the things I like best.” He smiled at the pretty English waitress, and she gave him a quick wink.

A pang of jealousy seared through Leona. “I–I’ll have the same.” She knew it was silly to feel this way. She had no claim on Jimmy. And never would.

Leona followed Jimmy to the salad bar, determined to shake off the sullen mood she’d been in since they’d left the Hoffmeirs’ store.

They returned to the table a few minutes later, and Jimmy suggested they offer a silent prayer.

Leona looked up when she’d finished her prayer. Seeing that Jimmy was done praying, she picked up her salad fork.

“I sure like these pickled-beet eggs,” he said, cutting one in half and forking it into his mouth. “I’d never heard of them ’til I came here.”

“Do you miss Washington?” she asked.

“There are some things I miss about it.”

“When do you think you’ll go back?”

“I don’t know. It all depends on how things go.”

She tipped her head in question.

“You see, I came here on a mission, but I haven’t found what I’m looking for yet.”

“What mission?”

Jimmy leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “I thought I was ready to share some things with you, but until I’m able to make a decision as to whether I should stay, it would probably be best if I don’t talk about it.”

Leona watched Jimmy fiddle with the end of his spoon, wondering if he had some sort of secret. If so, then why’d he bring up the subject if he wasn’t planning to tell her what it was?

Jimmy crossed his arms and stared at her from across the table. She wished he wouldn’t do that. It filled her with a strange mixture of longing and fear.

“I shared a few things with your daed not long ago, but I think I only confused the poor man,” he said after a few seconds went by.

Like you’re confusing me?
Leona’s tongue felt as if it was fastened to the roof of her mouth.
Why would Jimmy take Papa into his confidence and not me?

“There is one thing I’d like to ask you, though.”

“What’s that?”

“I was wondering what the Amish would do if a person—an Englisher—hurt someone in their family.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “I–I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Would they prosecute the guy and send him to jail?”

She shook her head. “That’s not the Amish way.”

A look of relief spread over Jimmy’s face as he leaned against his seat.

“Are you in some kind of trouble? Are you worried about going to jail?”

“Not me,” he said in a near whisper. “It’s someone I know, and I’m sure he’ll be relieved to hear that he won’t be prosecuted for what he did.”

Leona was tempted to question Jimmy further, but she figured if he wanted her to know he would have shared the details. “I guess I’ll go back to the buffet and see what else is there,” she said, rising to her feet.

“You go ahead,” he said. “I’m going to finish my salad first.”

As Leona walked away, feelings of confusion and doubt swirled in her head. What kind of secret was Jimmy keeping from her, and why had she allowed herself to be swept away by a tide of emotions whenever she was with him?

W
hen Leona answered a knock at the back door one Saturday morning, she was surprised to see Lettie Byler, the Amish schoolteacher Eli Raber had been courting, standing on the porch.

“Guder mariye, Lettie,” Leona said. “What brings you by so early this morning?”

“After our last teachers’ meeting, when you mentioned the problem one of your scholars was having, I decided to speak to my Mennonite friend, Katherine, who’s a nurse. When I told her that you suspected Millie has dyslexia, she gave me this article on children with various learning disabilities.” Lettie handed the piece of paper to Leona.

Hope welled up in Leona’s soul. “Danki for sharing this with me.”

“The article not only lists the symptoms of dyslexia, but it also offers some suggestions you might want to try.”

“Jah, I’ll surely do that.” Leona opened the door wider. “It’s too cold for us to be visiting on the porch. Won’t you come inside and have a cup of tea with me and my mamm?”

“Maybe some other time,” Lettie said sweetly. “I’m on my way to the Rabers’ to see Eli. As I’m sure you’ve probably heard, he fell off a ladder last week while he was painting a supermarket. Thank the Lord he wasn’t seriously hurt, but he did sprain his ankle real bad, so he hasn’t been down to Strasburg to see me in a while.”

The mention of Eli falling from a ladder made Leona shudder as memories of Papa’s accident filled her mind with gloom. Even now, she could still see him falling to the ground and landing with a sickening thud.

“You’re shivering, and I must let you get back inside where it’s warm,” Lettie said as she turned to go.

“Danki for coming by. I’ll let you know how things go with Millie.”

The following Monday, as Leona opened the door of the woodstove to stoke the fire before her pupils arrived, she thought about the article on dyslexia Lettie had given her. It had been full of helpful suggestions, listing various ideas, such as breaking words and information into smaller chunks and placing colored overlays over the top of the pages the child would be reading. It also mentioned the use of a tape recorder, computer CD, and videotapes, but Leona knew those wouldn’t be acceptable tools in her Amish community.

She was, however, determined to try some of the suggestions on Millie today, and she’d even brought a sheet of blue cellophane to experiment with the color-changing idea.

Leona had just closed the door on the woodstove when she heard the sound of heavy footsteps clomping up the front steps. Glancing at the clock on the far wall and realizing it was only seven thirty, she figured the footsteps didn’t belong to any of the students, since school wouldn’t start for another hour.

She smoothed the sides of her dress to be sure there were no wrinkles, checked her head covering to make sure it was properly in place, and went to open the door. She was surprised to discover Abner standing on the porch with a box of firewood at his feet.

“It’s my week to furnish wood for the schoolhouse,” he said. “So I’m dropping it off now, before I head to work.”

She glanced past him into the school yard. “Is Emanuel with you?”

Abner shook his head. “He didn’t want to get here early, so he said he’d walk with some of the kinner who live near our place.”

“That makes sense.” Leona motioned to the box of firewood. “Danki for this, and if you wouldn’t mind moving the box to the other end of the porch, it would be much appreciated.”

“Sure, I can do that.” Abner bent to pick up the box, and he carried it across the porch with little effort. Once he’d set it down, Leona figured he would be on his way. Instead, he shuffled over to where she waited and stood there as though he were waiting for something.

“Is there anything else I can help you with, Abner?”

“Jah, there is.” He scuffed his boots against the wooden planks and stared at the porch.

“If it’s about Emanuel, you’ll be pleased to know that he’s done real well here of late. I haven’t had a bit of trouble with him misbehaving for many weeks.”

“I’m glad to hear that, but it’s not my little bruder I want to talk about. I—uh—wanted to ask you something about a—a friend of yours.”

“Which friend are you referring to?”

“Mary Ann Fisher.”

Leona folded her arms to ward off the cold, wishing she’d had the foresight to grab her jacket before opening the door. “Would you like to come inside where it’s warmer?”

“Jah, sure. I guess that would be better than standin’ here in this chilly weather.” Abner tamped the snow off his boots and followed her into the schoolhouse.

“What did you want to ask me about Mary Ann?” Leona asked, once she’d shut the door and taken a seat behind her desk.

Abner removed his hat and leaned against one of the desks in the front row. “I—I was wonderin’ if she’s—uh—bein’ courted by anyone.”

Leona bit her lip to keep from smiling. Her concern that Abner might be interested in courting her had been put to rest. Apparently, he had an interest in Mary Ann and had been too shy to show it. “Why, no, Abner,” she replied. “I don’t believe Mary Ann’s seeing anyone right now.”

A look of relief flooded his face, and his cheeks turned pink. “That’s good to hear.” He stood there, twisting the end of his hat brim and staring at the floor. Finally, he lifted his gaze and said, “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to put in a good word for me.”

“You mean with Mary Ann?”

“Jah.”

“I guess I could, but don’t you think it would be better if you spoke to her on your own?”

“I’d kind of like to find out how she feels about me first. That way I won’t be embarrassed if I ask to court her and she says no.”

Leona nodded. “I’ll speak with Mary Ann when I get a chance, and I’ll let you know what she says.”

“Danki. I’d appreciate that.” Abner plopped his hat on his head, swung around, and headed for the door. “You’re a good friend, Leona,” he called over his shoulder.

“Seems I’m everyone’s friend these days,” she mumbled as he shut the door. “Everyone’s friend but Papa’s.”

Jim glanced at the clock sitting on the small table beside his bed and was shocked to see that it was only 5:00 a.m., yet he felt fully awake, energetic, and ready to meet the day. It was the first time in many weeks that he’d felt so well, and he figured the reason was because he’d attended an AA meeting with Holly on Friday night. On Saturday, they’d gone to dinner so they could get better acquainted and discuss some of the things Jim had learned at the meeting. He’d come to realize during their meal that he was physically attracted to Holly, and he planned to take her on a real date soon.

Jim pondered a couple of things he’d learned at the AA meeting. “
Live and let live. Easy does it. Think, think, think. First things first
,” he quoted from four of the five slogans he’d seen posted on the meeting-room wall. Those all made good sense.

He burrowed into the pillows propped against his headboard, remembering how he’d chosen to ignore the last slogan because it didn’t apply to him. “Slogan number five,” he muttered. “
But for the grace of God
.”

“Where was God’s grace when I learned that I couldn’t father a child? Where was God’s grace when Linda died from cancer?” Jim groaned. “Where was God’s grace when my boy took off for Maryland without telling me he was going and ended up in Pennsylvania searching for his Amish family? And where is God’s grace now, when Jimmy won’t return any of my phone calls?”