Excerpt for Judith's Place
Judith finished eating her apple and threw the core away in the wastebasket. Glancing again at the children, she saw Jacob Weaver talking and laughing with her twin brothers, Noah and Matthew. I wonder what he wants. He must be on his lunch break. Jacob worked at the lumberyard in Fields Corner. He was a gut son, helping his daed as much as possible with milking their cows and getting the crops out in the spring.
Jacob left the boys to talk to Ruth. After a moment, the older teacher pointed to the school. Jacob must want to talk to me, but he never has anything much to say when our families get together. Her mamm and Martha Weaver had been best friends for years. Both women hoped their children, Rachel and Samuel, would marry. When it happened in November, Rachel said, “Mamm would be so happy about my wedding.”
A blast of cold air hit her when Jacob opened the outside door. She smiled at him as he removed his felt black hat and noticed his brown hair was darker than Samuel’s. She liked how his longer hair curled. “What brings you here? Do you want to learn math?”
He laughed. “Math was my best subject but I could use help in writing.”
“That’s right. I remember you were good in math.”
“I’m not surprised you’re a teacher here.” He took several steps toward her. “You were always one of the best scholars.”
She remained seated as he stood by her desk. “Danki, Jacob.”
“I talked to your brothers outside. They said they miss having you for a teacher.”
“They behaved for me last year in fourth grade, but outside of school they both can be a handful.”
Jacob laughed. “They are braver than I was at their age. I couldn’t believe they tried to travel by themselves to Florida to see Rachel.”
How well she remembered that time when Noah and Matthew missed Rachel the short time she was away. Rachel had taken over a lot of the duties of their mother. The twins especially missed her spending time with them each night before they went to sleep. Apparently Rachel had followed their mother’s nightly routine of asking about their day. She listened as they shared what was good about their day as well as what wasn’t so great. Rachel sometimes talked to them how much Mamm had loved them. Her brothers got it in their heads they should take a bus to see Rachel while she visited with their cousin Violet and Aunt Carrie. Fortunately, Bishop Amos saw them before they got a ride to the bus station. “They seem to thrive on adventures but Samuel’s been a big help with them now.”
“You have a full house with Samuel and Rachel living with you, but I think it’s gut he decided to wait and build their house in the spring.”
She watched Jacob start turning his hat and fingering the brim of his hat. I don’t think he came in here to talk about my brothers, she realized. “The children’s recess will be over soon. If you’d like to stay, I can have you speak to them about how important it is to listen to me.” She gave a nervous giggle.
He blurted, “I’d like you to go sledding with me this Sunday. I never see you stay for the youth singing, so thought I’d ask you now.”
Jacob caught her off guard, and she wasn’t sure what to answer. At eighteen years of age, she had never been courted. It was partly her own fault because she hadn’t attended the Sunday singings. Usually an Amish boy around the age of seventeen or older would ask a girl he was interested in if he could take her home after the Sunday singing. She pretty much devoted her time to her family and to teaching. Reading books and grading school papers took some of her time. But she also enjoyed being a scribe for the newspaper, The Budget. Writing the weekly letters about the news in Fields Corner to submit to the Amish newspaper was a precious pastime to her. I want to get married and have a family someday, but not sure if I should go sledding with Jacob. It wasn’t because he was a few months younger, but because she never had gone with any young man to a youth get-together. “I don’t know.” Turning her head, she looked out the window and back at Jacob’s face.
He grinned at her. “Were you checking to see if there’s snow? You can’t use that for an excuse. If you don’t feel like sledding, we can do something else.”
If she didn’t go sledding with Jacob, she’d never hear the end of it from Rachel. She’d been pressuring her for months to get over her shyness and to stay for the Sunday youth gatherings. They were held every other church week for the young people. Rachel asked her frequently, “How will you find a life partner if you never socialize?”
He cleared this throat. “My lunch break is almost over. You can check your schedule. I’ll stop by later this week to get your answer.”
“I don’t have any plans for Sunday and I’d like to go sledding. Danki for asking me.” His gray eyes lit with pleasure at her answer. She hoped he’d still be happy he asked her after Sunday evening.
“Gut. I’ll look forward to seeing you on Sunday. Be sure to wear your snow boots and wear a heavy coat. I don’t want our fine Amish teacher getting sick.”
Jacob left the boys to talk to Ruth. After a moment, the older teacher pointed to the school. Jacob must want to talk to me, but he never has anything much to say when our families get together. Her mamm and Martha Weaver had been best friends for years. Both women hoped their children, Rachel and Samuel, would marry. When it happened in November, Rachel said, “Mamm would be so happy about my wedding.”
A blast of cold air hit her when Jacob opened the outside door. She smiled at him as he removed his felt black hat and noticed his brown hair was darker than Samuel’s. She liked how his longer hair curled. “What brings you here? Do you want to learn math?”
He laughed. “Math was my best subject but I could use help in writing.”
“That’s right. I remember you were good in math.”
“I’m not surprised you’re a teacher here.” He took several steps toward her. “You were always one of the best scholars.”
She remained seated as he stood by her desk. “Danki, Jacob.”
“I talked to your brothers outside. They said they miss having you for a teacher.”
“They behaved for me last year in fourth grade, but outside of school they both can be a handful.”
Jacob laughed. “They are braver than I was at their age. I couldn’t believe they tried to travel by themselves to Florida to see Rachel.”
How well she remembered that time when Noah and Matthew missed Rachel the short time she was away. Rachel had taken over a lot of the duties of their mother. The twins especially missed her spending time with them each night before they went to sleep. Apparently Rachel had followed their mother’s nightly routine of asking about their day. She listened as they shared what was good about their day as well as what wasn’t so great. Rachel sometimes talked to them how much Mamm had loved them. Her brothers got it in their heads they should take a bus to see Rachel while she visited with their cousin Violet and Aunt Carrie. Fortunately, Bishop Amos saw them before they got a ride to the bus station. “They seem to thrive on adventures but Samuel’s been a big help with them now.”
“You have a full house with Samuel and Rachel living with you, but I think it’s gut he decided to wait and build their house in the spring.”
She watched Jacob start turning his hat and fingering the brim of his hat. I don’t think he came in here to talk about my brothers, she realized. “The children’s recess will be over soon. If you’d like to stay, I can have you speak to them about how important it is to listen to me.” She gave a nervous giggle.
He blurted, “I’d like you to go sledding with me this Sunday. I never see you stay for the youth singing, so thought I’d ask you now.”
Jacob caught her off guard, and she wasn’t sure what to answer. At eighteen years of age, she had never been courted. It was partly her own fault because she hadn’t attended the Sunday singings. Usually an Amish boy around the age of seventeen or older would ask a girl he was interested in if he could take her home after the Sunday singing. She pretty much devoted her time to her family and to teaching. Reading books and grading school papers took some of her time. But she also enjoyed being a scribe for the newspaper, The Budget. Writing the weekly letters about the news in Fields Corner to submit to the Amish newspaper was a precious pastime to her. I want to get married and have a family someday, but not sure if I should go sledding with Jacob. It wasn’t because he was a few months younger, but because she never had gone with any young man to a youth get-together. “I don’t know.” Turning her head, she looked out the window and back at Jacob’s face.
He grinned at her. “Were you checking to see if there’s snow? You can’t use that for an excuse. If you don’t feel like sledding, we can do something else.”
If she didn’t go sledding with Jacob, she’d never hear the end of it from Rachel. She’d been pressuring her for months to get over her shyness and to stay for the Sunday youth gatherings. They were held every other church week for the young people. Rachel asked her frequently, “How will you find a life partner if you never socialize?”
He cleared this throat. “My lunch break is almost over. You can check your schedule. I’ll stop by later this week to get your answer.”
“I don’t have any plans for Sunday and I’d like to go sledding. Danki for asking me.” His gray eyes lit with pleasure at her answer. She hoped he’d still be happy he asked her after Sunday evening.
“Gut. I’ll look forward to seeing you on Sunday. Be sure to wear your snow boots and wear a heavy coat. I don’t want our fine Amish teacher getting sick.”
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