An Unbroken Heart (2 page)
kumme:
come
lieb:
love
maedel:
girl/young woman
mamm:
mom
mann:
Amish man
mei:
my
mudder/mutter:
mother
nee:
no
nix:
nothing
schee:
pretty/handsome
schwesters:
sisters
seltsam:
weird
sohn:
son
vatter:
father
ya:
yes
yer:
your
yerself:
yourself
yung:
young
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the L
ORD
your
God
will
be with you wherever you go.
JOSHUA 1:9
T
his has to be a trick.
Joanna Schrock had been fooled once beforeâand again and again and again. As Thomas
Yutzy stretched his closed hands out in front of him, a familiar knot of dread formed
in her stomach.
She'd decided to spend her lunch recess alone on this warm spring day, reading under
the cool shade of a huge oak tree in the school yard. Then less than a minute after
she'd become engrossed in the book she started last night, Thomas approached her
and asked if she wanted to play a game.
She should ignore him, but that would be rude. She also couldn't resist the thought
that this might be the one time he was telling her the truth. She set down her book
and stood.
“C'mon, Joanna.” His small gray eyes were round with fake innocence. What a lousy
liar. “Which hand has the candy?” He moved closer to her as the noonday sun brightened
the cloudless sky.
Joanna glanced around the school yard. She could see her
classmates Andrew Beiler,
Christopher Beachy, and Asa Bontrager standing near a maple tree a few feet away,
waiting to see what she would do. The rest of the students were playing baseball
in the field behind the schoolhouse while
Frau
Miller supervised the game.
Christopher whispered something to Asa, and both boys laughed. Joanna's cheeks burned.
Then she saw Andrew. His face remained impassive, with his light blond hair poking
out from beneath his straw hat.
Thomas continued to grin, clearly not caring if she knew his true intentions. Then
again, everyone knew she was easy to fool. Although she was twelve years old now,
that didn't mean she was less gullible. In third grade she'd believed the moon was
made of cheese. Swiss, to be exact. In fourth grade she'd been told a real live monster
lived in the gentle flowing waters of Birch Creek. She'd been afraid to swim in
the creek until her father reassured her that the monster didn't exist. Then he had
taken her fishing to prove it.
Her classmates, mostly the boys, had also pulled several pranks on her. A few had
been harmless, like the time Asa had taken her math book and hidden it under the
teacher's desk. She hadn't minded that . . . too much. “We're only funning you,”
some of them would say after she'd been duped again. “Only kidding,” others would
tell her. She accepted their excuses. Hid her hurt feelings. And never admitted there
was nothing funny about being the butt of the joke.
Sometime during the last year, the pranks had become cruel. The tack in her chair.
The dozen pieces of chewing gum on the bottom of her desk, which she had to scrape
off after school because she was responsible for keeping her desk clean and tidy.
She refused to cry as she took the dull butter knife and removed the nasty, hardened
globs.
“You're too nice and sweet,” her sister Sadie had told her when they walked home
later that day.
“That's why the
buwe
pick on you,” her other sister, Abigail, said.
Sadie added, “You should stand up for yourself, Joanna. Don't let them walk all over
you.”
So it's
mei
fault.
Which wasn't fair. She didn't want to confront the boys. She
wanted them to leave her alone.
But as she stared at Thomas's grimy knuckles, she realized this might be the time
to make a stand. “I don't want to play.” She backed away from him.
“Aw, Joanna. Don't be like that.” Thomas's grin revealed overlapping front teeth.
He would have been a bit nice looking if he wasn't so annoying. “Be a
gut
sport.
Pick a hand.”
Perspiration formed on the back of her neck. She should pick so he would have his
laugh and leave her alone. She started to point to his left hand, squeezing her eyes
shut and steeling herself for what would happen if she chose wrong.
“Let her be, Thomas.”
She opened her eyes. Andrew strode toward them with confident steps. He was shorter
than the rest of the boys in their grade, and he was stocky. Solid, like the trunk
of a thick, unyielding oak tree. He stopped in front of Joanna and calmly slipped
his hands into his pockets, his gaze never leaving Thomas.
Thomas scoffed. “We're just playing a little game. You stay out of it.”
“Doesn't seem like she wants to play.”
Joanna's words left her. She didn't need Andrew to fight her
battles, but she had
to admit a small part of her liked that he was willing to. Andrew was not only very
schee
, he was also very nice. She lifted her chin, his presence bolstering her confidence.
Ignoring Andrew, Thomas faced Joanna again, pushing his fists toward her. “Pick,”
he ordered.
Andrew shook his head, confirming what she already knewâshe wouldn't like either
choice. Knowing he was beaten, Thomas opened both hands and tossed two small toads
at Joanna. Like tiny rubber balls, both animals bounced off her face and shoulder
and landed on the ground. She gasped and jumped back.
Thomas's laughter rang in her ears. Asa and Christopher were also giggling.
Her face flamed, her eyes stinging with tears she dared not shed. The last time
she'd cried at school, even a few girls had called her a crybaby. Only when Sadie
and Abigail had told them to shut up did they stop.
I will not cry . . . I will not
cry . . .
Joanna focused on the toads as they hopped away in the grass. Thankfully they weren't
harmed by Thomas's cruelty. She couldn't face her tormentorsâor Andrew. He was probably
laughing at her too.
“Fight!” Asa yelled.
Joanna whirled around. Andrew was gripping Thomas by the front of his pale yellow
shirt. “I told you to leave her alone,” Andrew growled, his voice much deeper than
she'd ever heard it.
Thomas replied with a punch to Andrew's face.
Joanna gasped again and brought her hands to her mouth. Andrew stumbled from the
blow yet managed to remain on his feet, his hands fisted at his sides. But he didn't
retaliate. Before things could escalate, two eighth-grade boys stepped between them.
“Enough!” Joel Zook, the tallest kid in school, pierced both boys with a warning
look. “
Ach
, you want the teacher to know about this? She'll tell
yer
parents and
you'll both be in big trouble.”
Andrew took a step back, the red mark on his cheek glowing against his fair skin.
“
Nee
. We had a misunderstanding, that's all.”
“It won't happen again,” Thomas added.
“Better not, or I'll take you to
Frau
Miller myself.” Joel gave each of them a hard
look before he and the other boy walked away.
As Thomas went to stand by Asa and Christopher, Joanna wiped the part of her cheek
the toad had landed on, fighting off the tears. If she had gone along with Thomas
to begin with, none of this would have happened. Everything was worse now. She picked
up her book and proceeded to the schoolhouse, eager to get away from all of them.
Andrew appeared beside her. He walked with her a few steps, then moved to stand in
front of her. “Are you okay, Joanna?”
Surprised, a funny feeling appeared in her tummy when she met his gaze. Oh, he was
definitely nice looking. “I should be asking you that question.” She rubbed her
nose. “I'm sorry I caused so much trouble.”
“It's not
yer
fault Thomas is a
dummkopf
,” he said with a nonchalant lift of his
shoulders. “If those guys or anyone else bothers you, let me know. I'll take care
of it.”
She looked at his swollen cheek. “I don't want you to get hurt again.”
He chuckled. “This?” He pointed at the dark red mark. “He only landed that punch
because he caught me off guard.” The smile slid from his handsome face. “There are
better ways to handle an argument than using fists. Thomas needs to learn that.”
He sounded wiser and far older than his twelve years. Andrew,
his sister, Irene,
and their mother were new to the district, having moved to Birch Creek almost a
year ago. There were rumors that his father had left the family for an
Englisch
woman.
Joanna had never asked Andrew about it. His family had the right to their privacy
and didn't deserve to be gossiped about.
Andrew suddenly reached toward her. When she flinched, he said softly, “This is
a
gut
trick. I promise.” He brushed his fist against her ear, then drew back his
hand
and
opened it.
Her eyebrows lifted at the acorn in his palm. “How did you do that?”
His lips tipped up in a half-smile. “I can't tell you all my secrets.”
Frau
Miller rang the bell, and the students scrambled back to the schoolhouse. Andrew
walked with Joanna. “What are you going to tell
Frau
Miller about
yer
cheek?” she
asked, rubbing her nose again.
He shrugged. “I'll think of something.”
Their teacher had given both Thomas and Andrew a questioning look when they entered
the school building, but she didn't say anything. Joanna suspected
Frau
Miller had
an idea about what had happened between the boys but for some reason chose not to
do anything about it. As the children sat in their seats and school resumed, Joanna
leaned back, relieved nothing else awful had happened.
The rest of the day went by without incident. Joanna tried to focus on her schoolwork,
but she was unable to resist sneaking a few glances at Andrew, who sat three seats
away. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to notice. She bit her lip, disappointed. What
he'd done for her at recess was special. He'd stood up for her when no one, other
than her sisters, had ever done so. He'd been her hero.
At the end of the school day, Joanna gathered her books and her lunch pail and met
Sadie and Abigail outside, forgetting about Andrew and focusing on what she would
do when she got home. After she finished her homework, she would start on supper.
She'd taken over the cooking chores this year so her mother and sisters could work
more hours in their family-owned grocery store. She didn't mind. She liked to cook
and loved to bake.
What's Andrew's favorite dessert?
She shook her head at the sudden
thought.
So much for getting him out of
mei
mind.
She was deciding whether to make hamburger casserole or chicken pot pie when Andrew
appeared
by
her
side.
Butterflies danced in her stomach. He remained quiet as they
continued
down
the
dirt-packed
shoulder of the road. Slowing her pace, she lagged
behind
her
sisters.
When
his stride lingered with hers, the butterflies ramped up.
There
was
something
comforting
and protective about his presence. They passed by
sun-warmed
fields
and
gardens,
the freshly turned earth ready and waiting to be seeded
with
corn,
tomatoes,
beans,
and other varieties of vegetables and grains.
When they reached her house, the ease she'd felt with him disappeared. Should she
thank him for walking her home? Would she sound stupid if she did? Her stomach tightened
as she wondered if he would say anything to her. If he did, how would she respond?
She wasn't sure she could even talk, not when her mouth was drier than a parched
garden.
While all these thoughts ran through her mind, he gave her a nod, turned, and walked
in the opposite direction toward his home. She sighed. As she watched him leave,
a part of her fell in love with him.