Growing Up in Lancaster County (12 page)

She searched again, looking between every bale of hay. A chill rippled through her body. No box! No glasses! She knew she had no choice but to go back to the house and tell Mom that she’d hidden her glasses in the hayloft and now they were gone. A sudden thought shook her all the way to her toes. Someone must have found the box and taken it! But who?

With tears burning her eyes and legs trembling like a newborn colt, Rachel climbed down the ladder. She’d just stepped out of the barn when she spotted her schoolteacher’s horse and buggy at the hitching rail.

It’s almost suppertime. I wonder what Elizabeth’s doing here?

Rachel hurried into the house and found Elizabeth in the kitchen, talking to Mom.

Mom frowned at Rachel. “Elizabeth has given me distressing news. She said you haven’t worn your glasses at school for the last few days.”

Thump! Thumpety! Thump! Thump!
Rachel’s heart hammered as she stared at the floor.

“Is it true, Rachel?” Mom asked.

“Jah.”

“But you were wearing your glasses before you left for school every day this week. You never mentioned losing them until this afternoon.”

Rachel shifted from one foot to the other as tears welled in her eyes. The lies she’d told had only made things worse. She wished she could take them all back.

“Rachel, answer me, please.”

“I—I took off my glasses before I got to school, and I—I put them in my backpack,” Rachel said in a quavering voice.

“But you told me you’d forgotten your glasses at home,” Elizabeth said.

“I—I’m sorry I lied.”
Sniff! Sniff!
Rachel wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I don’t understand. Why did you lie about leaving your glasses at home?” Mom asked.

“Some of the boys at school made fun of my glasses, and I—I felt ugly wearing them.” Rachel’s voice broke on a sob. “So I—I decided not to w–wear them at school anymore.”

“What?” Mom’s mouth fell open, and her glasses slipped to the end of her nose.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the teasing?” Elizabeth asked.

“I was afraid they’d call me a retschbeddi and tease me more.”

“At times it’s necessary to tell on someone, and this was one of those times.” Elizabeth placed her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “Your glasses don’t make you look ugly, and you shouldn’t worry about what others think or say. It’s important that you wear your glasses so you can see well enough to do your schoolwork.”

“Elizabeth is right,” Mom agreed. “You should have told her and us about the teasing, and you shouldn’t have lied about losing your glasses.”

Rachel nodded. “I know, and I’m truly sorry.”

Mom touched the tip of Rachel’s nose. “Where are your glasses now? Are they really lost, or did you put them in your backpack again?”

Rachel swallowed around the lump in her throat. “I—I put them in a box I found in the barn, and I hid them in the hayloft.”

“Then you’d better get them, schnell,” Mom said.

“I went there a few minutes ago,” Rachel said tearfully, “but the box was gone.” She drew in a shaky breath. “Now my glasses really
have
vanished.”

Mom’s forehead wrinkled. “You truly don’t know where they are?”

Rachel shook her head. “I’m afraid I might never see my glasses again.”

Just then the back door opened and Jacob stepped into the kitchen. “What’s going on? I saw Elizabeth’s horse and buggy outside.”

“Your teacher came by to tell me that Rachel hasn’t been wearing her glasses at school.” Mom stared at Jacob. “Did you know that Rachel had been putting her glasses in her backpack before she got to school?”

Jacob nodded, and his face turned red.

“Why didn’t you tell Elizabeth or us what was going on?”

“Well, I—”

Elizabeth cleared her throat. “I think I’d better head for home and let you work things out with your kinner.”

“Jah, of course.” Mom followed Elizabeth to the door. When she returned to the kitchen, she turned to Jacob and said, “I’d like to know why you kept quiet about Rachel not wearing her glasses at school.”

“I made him promise not to,” Rachel spoke up.

“Did you now?” Mom gave Jacob a curious stare. “What did Rachel promise to do in order for you to keep quiet?”

The color in Jacob’s cheeks deepened. “She said she’d feed and water Buddy for a whole week.”

Tap! Tap! Tap!
Mom’s foot thumped against the kitchen floor. “I’m disappointed in both of you.” She slowly shook her head. “Now Rachel’s glasses are missing, and if they’re not found, we’ll have to buy her a new pair.”
Tap! Tap! Tap!
“That’s money we don’t have to spare right now.”

“Rachel’s glasses aren’t lost,” Jacob said. “I know where they are.”

Rachel’s mouth fell open and she gasped. “You do?”

He nodded. “I was in one of the horse’s stalls when you hid your glasses in the hayloft. After you left the barn, I went up there and found the box. I hid it in my room.”

“I thought I heard someone in the barn.” Rachel glared at Jacob. “Why’d you take my glasses?”

“To teach you a lesson.”

“What a mean thing to do, Jacob Yoder!” Rachel’s chin trembled. “What were you trying to do—get me in trouble?”

“You’re the one who didn’t want to wear your glasses.”

“That’s true, but—”

Mom stepped between them. “No more quarreling! You both did wrong things, and you shall both be punished.” She pointed to the stairs. “Jacob, go up to your room and get Rachel’s glasses!”

“All right, Mom.” Jacob hurried out of the room and sprinted up the stairs.

Mom turned to Rachel. “From now on you are to wear your glasses at school and at home. Is that clear?”

Rachel nodded as tears dribbled down her cheeks. “I will, Mom. Even if the kinner at school tease me, I promise I’ll wear my glasses.”

I
wish I could have stayed home today,” Rachel mumbled as she and Jacob walked to school the next day. She picked up a twig and sent it flying. “And I wish I didn’t have to wear glasses!”

Jacob pulled the strings on Rachel’s kapp.
“Grummel net um mich rum
[Don’t grumble around me].”

Rachel pushed his hand away. “I have good reason to grumble.”

“Why?”

“You ought to know, Jacob. I have to wear my glasses to school, and when I get there, I’ll have to put up with Orlie and Brian calling me names.” Rachel kicked at a pebble. “If that’s not bad enough, I have double chores to do for two whole weeks, and I can’t go anywhere or do anything fun—all because we lied to Mom and Pap.”

Jacob shook his head. “Not
we
, Rachel. It was
you
who lied. All I did was promise not to tell Mom and Pap you weren’t wearing your glasses at school.”

Rachel ground her teeth together. “Humph! You forced me to feed and water your dumm hund!”

“I didn’t force you to take care of Buddy. You said you’d do it if I kept quiet about the glasses.” He poked her arm. “And don’t forget, I have double chores, too. I’ll be working late in the fields tonight, so I was wondering if you would feed Buddy for me.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

He shook his head.

“After all that mutt did to me the other day, you expect me to go back in his pen?” Rachel shook her head so hard the ties on her kapp flipped up in her face.

“No, I’m never feeding your hund again!”

He grunted. “Fine then! Be that way, little bensel!”

Rachel kicked another rock so hard it hurt her toe. She was tired of Jacob calling her a silly child, and she was worried about how things would go today at school.

When Rachel entered the school yard, she spotted Orlie on the porch. She wished he would move. She didn’t want to be around him.

Rachel waited near the swings until the school bell rang. When Orlie went inside, she hurried up the stairs and into the schoolhouse. She halted when she saw Orlie standing near the shelf where their lunch pails were kept.

“I see you remembered to wear your glasses,” Orlie said.

She brushed past him and put her lunch pail on the shelf.

Orlie followed. “Aren’t you talking to me? Did you lose your voice on the way to school? Should we send out a search party to look for it?”

Rachel ground her teeth together, determined to ignore him.

“What’s the matter, four eyes? Why are you wearing such a big old frown?”

“Leave me alone. I have nothing to say to you, Orlie Troyer!” Rachel whirled around and hurried to her desk.

Ding! Ding! Ding!
Elizabeth rang the bell on her desk. “Good morning, boys and girls.”

“Good morning, Elizabeth,” Rachel said with the others in her class.

Elizabeth opened her Bible. “I’ll be reading from Ephesians 4:32: ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’”

Elizabeth closed the Bible and looked at the class. “Before we recite the Lord’s Prayer, there’s something I’d like to say.” She leaned forward with her elbows on the desk. “Poking fun at someone and making rude remarks is wrong. I won’t tolerate anyone in this class making fun of another person for any reason at all. Do you understand?”

All heads bobbed up and down, and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped none of the scholars would say mean things to her anymore. During recess that afternoon, Rachel sat on a swing while most of the others played baseball.

“Hey, Rachel, aren’t you going to join us?” Jacob called from the ball field.

Rachel shook her head. She was afraid if she played ball, her glasses might fall off. She remembered Mom saying she could make a special strap to hold the glasses in place, but Rachel had talked Mom out of it.

Orlie walked by Rachel and snickered.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

He held up four fingers and pointed to his eyes.

Rachel turned her head and looked the other way. Should she say something to their teacher or ignore Orlie’s teasing?

She pumped her legs faster.
I’ll ignore him. Jah, that would be the best thing to do
.

Rachel stayed on the swing until the ball game was over. When she headed to the schoolhouse, Brian sauntered up to her and made circles with his fingers and placed them around his eyes like he was looking through a pair of glasses.

Rachel looked away. She would ignore him just as she’d done with Orlie.

Hisss…hisss
…Brian smirked at Rachel but didn’t say a word. He headed for the schoolhouse, hissing like a snake all the way.

Audra grabbed her brother’s arm. “Stop teasing Rachel! If you don’t, I’m going to tell the teacher!”

“If you do, I’ll tell Mom and Dad you’re a retschbeddi.”

“I don’t care if you do tell them I’m a tattletale. You either stop teasing Rachel, or I’m going to tell Elizabeth!”

“Whatever,” Brian mumbled as he walked away.

Audra hugged Rachel. “I’m sorry my bruder is such a
pescht
[pest].”

Rachel swallowed around the lump in her throat and struggled not to cry. “My life’s been miserable ever since I got glasses. I wish I could see better without them.”

“Try not to be so sad. If you ignore the boys, they’ll get tired of teasing you.” Audra patted Rachel’s back. “Things will get better soon—you’ll see.”

Rachel kicked at a clump of grass. “I wish I
could
see.”

Audra gave Rachel a strange look.

“I wish I could see without my glasses.”

“Just be glad someone invented glasses. Millions of people in the world wouldn’t be able to see well if it weren’t for their glasses.”

“I guess you’re right,” Rachel said. “Even so, I wish I wasn’t one of the millions who need glasses.”

When Rachel got home from school, Mom had a list of chores waiting for her. One of them was taking the dry towels off the line.

“I wish I didn’t have so many chores all the time,” Rachel grumbled as she lugged the wicker basket to the clothesline.

Plunk! Plunk! Plunk!
She pulled the pins from the towels and dropped everything into the basket.

Rachel glanced across the yard and saw Cuddles running out of the barn. Tears trickled down Rachel’s cheeks, and she reached up to wipe them away.
I wish I could play with Cuddles instead of doing chores. I wish I wasn’t me
.

Rachel picked up the basket and turned toward the house. She’d only taken a few steps, when—
Honk! Honk!
—their mean old goose charged across the lawn. Rachel remembered the last time the goose had pecked the backs of her legs. She didn’t want that to happen again, so she ran for all she was worth!

By the time Rachel reached the back porch, she was huffing and puffing so much she could barely catch her breath.

Thump! Thump! Thump!
She hurried up the steps and turned to see if the goose had followed.
Honk! Honk!
The goose flapped her wings, stuck out her long neck, and pecked at the porch.

Rachel set the basket down and fluttered her hands. “Shoo! Shoo! Go away you ornery goose!”

Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
A horse and buggy rolled into the yard. The horse whinnied and pawed the ground. The goose honked and waddled away.