Cousin's Challenge (8 page)

As Jolene pedaled her bike to school the next day, she thought about her visit with Lonnie. Didn't he realize that he'd never be able to live a normal life unless he could communicate with others? He was bitter and angry right now, but then she'd felt that way, too, after she'd lost her hearing. She'd come to accept her disability, and learning total communication from her aunt had not only changed her way of thinking, but it had also opened up a whole new world for her.

I think I'll stop by the Hershbergers' after school again today,
Jolene decided.
Maybe I can get Lonnie to change his mind about letting me tutor him.

Jolene's thoughts turned to other things. Fern had reminded her class at the close of school yesterday that today would be pet day where anyone could bring a pet to share with the class. Irvin and Sylvia were invited to bring their pets, too, and Jolene hoped it might spark an interest in Irvin. She'd seen several cats at the Troyers' place, as well as a dog, so she figured the children might bring one of those.

As Jolene entered the schoolyard, she spotted Kyle and his brother Elmer trudging across the yard, each holding one end of a birdcage. A colorful parrot flapped its wings against the cage and hopped up and down. It seemed like an unusual pet for boys as rambunctious as Kyle and Elmer. Jolene pictured them having a big shaggy dog that liked to bark and make a nuisance of itself. Several children had gathered around Kyle and Elmer and were pointing at the parrot. Both boys beamed, obviously enjoying the attention.

Maybe that's all those two need,
Jolene thought as she parked her bike and headed across the yard.
With their daed laid up and their mamm extra busy right now, Kyle and Elmer might not be getting much attention at home. When I see Jake again, I'll mention it to him.

Jolene was almost to the schoolhouse when she saw Irvin and Sylvia sitting on the porch. Sylvia had a kitten in her lap. Irvin had just removed a turtle from the cardboard box sitting near his feet.

“Good morning,”
Jolene signed.
“I'm glad to see that you brought your pets.”

Sylvia nodded enthusiastically and signed,
“My kitten's name is Mittens. She has four white paws.”

Jolene smiled.
“Mittens is a cute kitten.”
She looked at Irvin.
“What's your turtle's name?”

He tipped his head and stared at her like he didn't have a clue what she'd signed.

Jolene signed again.
“What's your turtle's name?”

Irvin stared straight ahead.

Sylvia nudged Irvin's arm, but he ignored her. She looked up at Jolene and signed,
“The turtle's name is Tommy.”

Jolene was sure Irvin was just being stubborn by refusing to respond to her question. She was tempted to tell Sylvia to let her brother speak for himself, but she decided not to make an issue of it. She pointed to the schoolhouse and signed,
“Let's go inside. You can put your pets in their carriers and bring them upstairs. When the other class is ready for show and tell, we'll go downstairs and join them.”

Sylvia put the kitten inside its carrier, and Irvin put the turtle back in the box. Then Jolene followed the children up the stairs to their classroom.

As the children approached their desks, Sylvia stood in front of Irvin with her back to Jolene. She stayed like that a few seconds before she finally turned and faced Jolene.
“I told my brother that he'd better pay attention and do his lessons today.”
Her forehead wrinkled as she pursed her lips.
“Said I'd tell Papa if he didn't.”

Jolene bit back a chuckle, and then she told the children that it was time for them to sign the Lord's Prayer.

Sometime later as Jolene was about to give the children their arithmetic lesson, Fern entered the room, looking quite distraught. Jolene moved closer so she could read Fern's lips.

“My helper, Becky, isn't feeling well, and I need to take her home,” Fern said. “Would you mind taking over my class while I'm gone?”

Jolene's mouth went dry. “You—you want me to teach the scholars?”

“You won't have to teach—just have them show their pets while I'm gone.” Fern touched Jolene's arm. “It won't take me long to drive Becky home, and I'm sure you'll do fine while I'm gone.”

Jolene gave a slow nod. If all she had to do was oversee the children as they showed their pets, it shouldn't be too hard.

“Get your pets; we're going downstairs,”
Jolene signed to the children. Sylvia jumped right up and got her kitten, and Irvin, though moving slowly, picked up the box with his turtle inside. They both tromped down the stairs ahead of Jolene.

As soon as Fern left with Becky, Jolene went to the blackboard and wrote:
Those of you who brought small indoor pets can show them now. Afterward, we'll go outside to see the bigger pets.

Before Jolene had the chance to explain that they would take turns showing their pets, Elmer Beechy raced across the room where his parrot's cage sat on a shelf. He fumbled with the latch but was unable to open it.

Kyle leaped out of his chair, pushed his brother aside, and pulled the latch open. The parrot hopped out, flapped its wings, and swooped over the children's desks.

Pandemonium broke out as most of the girls ducked down on the floor, while several boys leaped out of their seats and chased after the bird. Jolene clapped her hands, trying to get the scholars' attention, but she was completely ignored. While the parrot continued to fly around the room, Kyle, wearing a smug expression, took a seat at his desk and stared straight ahead as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Jolene stood in front of Kyle's desk. “Please catch the parrot and put him away!”

He cupped his hands around his ears. “What was that? I can't hear you.”

Jolene gritted her teeth. In her previous years of teaching, she'd never encountered such a difficult child. Even though Kyle had been in her class two years ago, he'd been much younger then and had never given her any problems. The way he acted now made no sense, but it had to stop!

Suddenly, Irvin jumped out of his seat, raced to the back of the room, and jerked the door open. The parrot made another circle of the room and flew out the door. Kyle leaped out of his seat and chased after it.

Jolene was tempted to go after Kyle but decided it was best to let the boy go and try to get the rest of the class under control. She motioned to Sylvia and signed,
“Why don't you show us your kitten?”

Sylvia left her seat and was about to open her pet carrier when Kyle burst into the room, riding his pony. He stopped in front of the blackboard, leaned down, scooped up a piece of chalk and wrote in big letters:
MY PONY'S NAME IS SHADOW.

Jolene's hand shook as she pointed to the door. “Take that animal outside! The schoolhouse is no place for a horse!”

“It's not a horse; it's a pony,” Kyle said, looking at her defiantly.

Jolene groaned; her patience was gone. Why did this young boy have to be such a challenge? Determined not to let Kyle know how upset she was, Jolene grabbed the pony's bridle and led him out the door. When she returned to the classroom, she found a stool and told Kyle he had to sit in the corner until Fern returned. She'd be glad when school was over for the day and she could go home and collapse on the sofa. Then she remembered her decision to see Lonnie. She hoped that visit would go better than the rest of her day.

When Eunice pulled up to the hitching rail at the Yoders' place, she spotted Andrew talking to a young, dark-haired man she'd never seen before.

Andrew smiled when Eunice stepped down from her buggy, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Have you met Jake Beechy?” Andrew asked.

Eunice shook her head. She knew Jake's parents and siblings, but she'd never met him.

“Jake was in Montana when you moved to Indiana, but he's back now, taking care of his daed's business.” Andrew motioned to Jake. “He came over to shoe a couple of our horses.”

“I see.” Eunice smiled at Jake. “It's nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Jake said as he pulled some tools from the back of his pickup.

Eunice couldn't help but notice the dimple in Jake's chin. His dark hair and deeply set blue green eyes were in sharp contrast to Andrew's light brown hair and hazel-colored eyes. While both men were nice looking, Jake was far more handsome. But then, good looks weren't everything. Eunice was attracted to Andrew's easygoing, soft-spoken ways.

“I came by to deliver the candles your mamm ordered at the party she hosted awhile back,” she told Andrew.

“Want me to get them out of the buggy for you?” he asked.

“I'd appreciate that.” Eunice went around to the back of her buggy and motioned to the box full of candles.

Andrew whistled. “Mom sure ordered a lot!”

“Oh, they're not all hers. Most of them are what the other women who came to her party ordered.”

“Sounds like you had a successful party.”

Eunice smiled. “I did.”

Andrew reached into the buggy and lifted the box with ease, and then he headed across the yard with Eunice following on his heels. When he reached the house, he set the box on the porch and turned to face her. “My mamm's not here right now, but I'll make sure she knows these are here as soon as she gets home.”

“What about your sister? Is she at home?”

“Nope. She's still at the schoolhouse.”

“Oh.” Eunice hesitated, wondering if she should invite Andrew to her house for supper one night next week, but she changed her mind. When she'd been trying to win Freeman Bontrager's heart last year, she'd become too pushy and had sent him straight into the arms of Katie Miller. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

“Tell your mamm and schweschder that I'm sorry I missed them,” she said.

“I will.”

Eunice hurried across the yard. When she reached the place where Jake had begun shoeing one of the horses, she paused. “I'll probably see you again soon because my daed has a couple of horses he needs to have shoed.”

“No problem,” Jake said as she untied her horse. “Tell him to give me a call.”

“I will.” Eunice stepped into her buggy and gathered up the reins. When she reached the end of the driveway, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Andrew waving at her. She smiled.
If I don't chase after him, maybe he'll chase after me.

Lonnie gripped the stick he was using to steady himself and kicked a pebble, sending it flying up the driveway. He'd been sitting on the front porch and had seen the mailman go by, so, despite his equilibrium being off some due to his loss of hearing, he'd walked down to pick up the mail. He'd hoped that there would be another letter from Carolyn, but there'd been nothing but a stack of bills. On the one hand, he was disappointed that there was no letter from her. On the other hand, he felt a sense of relief. If Carolyn didn't write, he wouldn't have to write back. What was there to say? She already knew he'd lost his hearing, as well as his job. Without a job, he couldn't offer her a future. Without a job he enjoyed, he'd never be truly happy.

Wayne had suggested that he didn't need his hearing for every kind of job. But what job could he do that wouldn't require him to hear? Jobs were scarce here in Indiana, and even if he could find something he was able to do with his hearing loss, he didn't want just any old job. He wanted a job he enjoyed, like the one he'd had making wind chimes.

When Lonnie stepped onto the porch, he dropped the mail on a little table and flopped into one of the wicker chairs with a groan. He was surprised when he glanced toward the road and saw Jolene pedaling her bike up the driveway. She pushed it near the house, climbed off, and pulled a notebook from her backpack. Then she stepped onto the porch and handed the notebook to Lonnie.

He squinted at the words she'd written:
I've been thinking about you and wondering if you'd reconsider and let me to teach you how to sign and read lips.

He surprised himself when he gave a slow nod. “When can we begin?”

I can't do it today,
she wrote,
but if you can come by the schoolhouse after school lets out tomorrow, I can start teaching you then.

“I'll be there.
” But I don't have to like it,
he told himself.

Jake had just finished cleaning the barn when he spotted Kyle riding up the driveway on his pony.

“How'd it go at school today?” Jake asked after Kyle halted his pony near the barn and climbed down.

The boy frowned. “It was baremlich.”

“What was so terrible about it?”

“I got in trouble for somethin' I didn't do—least not on purpose, anyway.”

“What was that?”

“I was tryin' to get the parrot's cage open so Elmer could show the dumm bird, and the crazy critter hopped out and scared the scholars when it flew around the room. Then that daab
buwe,
Irvin, opened the door, and the bird flew outside. Jolene blamed me for the whole thing.” Kyle's forehead wrinkled as he squeezed his eyebrows together. “I always get in trouble for things that ain't my fault.”

“Did you tell Jolene that you didn't let the parrot out on purpose?”

“Jah, but she didn't believe me. Made me sit in the corner facing the wall while the other kids showed their pets.” Kyle grunted. “Had to sit that way for half an hour.”

Jake frowned. “That doesn't seem fair to me. Would you like me to have a talk with Jolene about this?”

Kyle shook his head vigorously. “I'd be in more trouble if you did that.”

Jake leaned against the barn door and thought. “How come Jolene was the one who punished you? I thought she was hired to teach the deaf children, not your class.”