October came and went with a flurry of colour. The leaves were so vibrant and vivid in their warmth, it seemed only natural for the light to cool in balance.
On the last day of October, every tree seemed to throw out one last "hurrah!" of crunchy autumn leaves, showering the world in gold and giving Anne the perfect day to teach her students about earth science. "Students, who can tell me why the leaves change colour?"
Anne was pleased to see a few hands reach high, with Amelia Pye being first. "It's because the trees are cold. The cold weather dries out their skin like it dries out my skin. That's why I use a little milk on my skin each morning. To keep it fresh. Have you tried using milk, Miss Shirley?"
It took a concerted effort not to roll her eyes in front of the class. Amelia was a first year, only 6-years-old and yet with all the attitude of a mini-Josie Pye. Instead, Anne simply replied "I have not needed to as yet, thank you, Amelia. And as for your answer, it is not the cold weather. Teddy, what is your thought?"
Teddy was excited to share his thoughts. "It is because God worries about all the white in our world during Winter and thus he wants to share some colour with us first."
"I am sure the good Lord has all the wisdom for sharing this beauty with the world but I was looking for a little more technical detail on how it happens rather than the philosophical discussion on why."
Anne continued to look around the room. Her students were less forthcoming with suggestions and it was time to move to the practical side of their science lesson. Then Anne noticed Mable quietly drawing at her desk. She was drawing some leaves in her notebook, with amazing detail in the veins of the leaf. Maybe she understands the concept…, thought Anne. "Mabel? Do you know how the leaves change colour in Autumn?"
Mabel looked up at her teacher and blinked a few times. It was clear she had been disturbed from her dreamland. Fortunately, she did not seem to resent it. Mabel gave Anne a small and gentle smile. "I think I do, Miss Shirley. It's because there is less sunlight in Autumn and Winter, so there is less photosynthesis in the plant to feed the leaves their colour.
"Excellent, Mabel! That is correct! Who here has heard of 'photosynthesis'? Well, today we are going outside to collect some leaves. Every colour you can find! And then we will bring all the leaves back here and do a little experiment on them. I'm going to give you all one hour, and each senior student is to take one of the first years, please. Go into the fields and forest next to the school and look for your beautiful leaves! When you hear the bell, bring them all back here and we will SCIENCE!"
As all of the students ran out of the school building, Anne sighed and grabbed her scarf. What kind of person would she be to deprive her students of this magnificent gift of a day from nature?
Just as she went to step out the door, Amelia came forward and blocked her way. "I still think it is because of the cold. Maybe you should stay inside, just in case the cold makes your hair even more red." Then she quickly ran off, not staying to hear or see the effect of her words. Like a Pye, Amelia already knew the impact.
Anne was shocked and speechless. She knew the Pyes were a large family across many villages but she honestly thought she had escaped some of the nastiness usually attributed to Josie. There was no point retaliating; as angry as it made her, Anne was coming to terms with this behaviour being a "Pye Trait", as Mrs Lynde would put it. It was Anne's responsibility as a teacher NOT to retaliate. But ohhhhh, how she wanted to pin Amelia's cute little blonde braids to the coat wall. Anne gasped with the thought! That was also NOT how a teacher should be thinking of her students.
"Some days, I just want to pin her hair to the wall and watch her legs flail around for a few minutes."
Anne poked her head out the door and looked around the corner to see Joshua Pye leaning against the school building. He had heard what his sister had said to Miss Shirley, and he did not look impressed.
However, Anne was caught by the fact Joshua had worded exactly what she was thinking. It was hard to hide the amusement from her face. Joshua turned to look up and see Anne's big grin and the mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"Well, Mr Pye. Since I was thinking the same thing, I promise not to tell on you if you won't tell on me."
Joshua smiled and blushed. He was surprised he had spoken his mind so freely. Normally, he would have stayed on the sidelines and only think like this. But Anne's smile gave him a taste of courage. In contradiction to everything he would usually do, Joshua offered his hand to shake. "Deal."
Anne noticed Joshua's soft smile, warming up his soft green eyes. They were different from Josie's and Amelia's blue eyes, not just in colour but in warmth and depth as well. Almost all his other features were the same as the Pyes': blonde, strong and muscular with small ears. Joshua was older and taller than Anne, and his skin was just starting to lose the soft brown colouring from working during the warmer months. Joshua was nice enough to look at, and that was often the perilous bait of the Pyes. However, Anne was held by the difference in the eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be the only difference between Joshua and his family?
"Miss Shirley, I'm sorry for what Amelia said. She is still young and really doesn't know any better."
Anne was startled back to the conversation and blushed a little. "Thank you, Mr Pye. I will confess, my hair is one of my sorest points and I do not usually take to comments lightly."
"Yes, Fred Wright told me about the slate. I hear it took five years for Blythe to recover from that one? Sounds like you knocked a good lot of sense into him. He was pretty sure of himself until you set him right."
There was that smile again! Was Joshua Pye mocking her? Anne felt herself blush a little more. "Well, I was hoping that story wouldn't be as well-known around Carmody as it is in Avonlea. Such is my luck. Um, was there a reason you wanted to talk with me, Mr Pye?"
Joshua had forgotten himself while talking to Miss Shirley. He was usually a quiet fellow who kept to himself; mostly because he was used to being told what to do by everyone else in his family. And yet, here he was having a conversation with a lovely young lady. "Um, oh yeah. I was told you, uh, you needed a hall painted. I… uh, I was thinking we could … uh, go and check the colours for you. I mean, after school. I know you are teaching and all. When I come and pick up Amelia."
Anne smiled. This was the shy Joshua she had heard of. His eyes had dropped and his voice was a little quieter now. Anne sighed. "Yes, Mr Pye. I would appreciate that. Shall I wait for you here or meet you at Lawson's?"
"Uh, here will be fine. And please, call me Joshua. Mr Pye is my father and we do not want him with us today." And with that, Joshua left as quickly as he arrived.
Anne called out to him just as he reached the gate. "It's Anne. With an 'E'."
Joshua turned and looked at her quizzically.
Anne ran up to the gate and offered her hand to Joshua. "I meant, you can call me Anne. Except at school, then it has to be Miss Shirley. But if we are to be friends, you may call me Anne."
Joshua smiled and shook her hand. "Thank you, Anne. With an 'E'." And then he turned and walked out the gate.
Anne whispered to herself, "Look at me. Making friends with a Pye." Anne had a little chuckle to herself and walked back to the classroom to set up the experiment for the students.
At the end of the day, Joshua waited patiently outside the school building on a tree stump near the fence. When Amelia saw him, she ran up and asked, "Did Mother bake any scones today? I am simply dying for some scones!".
Joshua replied, "Yes but you have to wait for a little. I need to walk with Miss Shirley over to Lawson's to pick up some paint."
Anne had just stepped out the door in time to hear Amelia exclaim, "What?! We have to walk with her! But … but everyone will see me walking with her… and her red hair! If Josie hears, she will laugh at me and she'll never let me sit with the big girls." With all the dramatics of a six-year-old Pye, Amelia ran off towards home and didn't look back.
Anne was surprised at Amelia's behaviour. "I'm sorry, Joshua. I had no idea she hated me so much. Amelia is such a good student, especially for a first year."
Joshua sighed. "No, I should apologise. We had a family dinner on the weekend. Josie was back from Queens and Amelia overheard some nasty things."
"About me?"
There was a pause whilst Joshua kicked an imaginary stone. "Yeah."
Anne bristled. There was all the feeling of a blossoming friendship with Joshua but she had no idea of what was going on with the Pyes as a whole. Josie had never been friendly to Anne but Anne had never expected such rude behaviour as shown by Amelia.
"Josie was teasing about your … your hair. Which I think is … lovely. I really do. Josie was saying stuff about how redheads can never be taken seriously and how being the teacher would only encourage the students to be unruly."
Anne made a very audible "Harumph!" sound with absolute indignation. To think her hair colour could possibly make her less of a teacher! Unlike Josie's personality making her less of a human…
Anne paused to look at Joshua. "There's more, isn't there?"
Joshua sighed again and accepted his fate. "She then made a comment about how redheads should never marry because you wouldn't want to mix that colour in with something like our pure blond looks. At which point, I told her to shut up. I couldn't see it as a bad thing. I said… I then kind of said… well, I said I wouldn't mind you as a wife because I least I would know which wife at the party is mine! And maybe being different in looks would make you different in personality … and that would always be a better thing."
At this point, both Anne and Joshua were blushing bright red. However, Anne's eyes were startled open with big grey orbs of shock while Joshua's deep green eyes were cast downwards, too embarrassed to look at Anne.
"I'm not wanting to court you right now, Miss Shirley! I'm really sorry it sounds like that because I'm sure you deserve better. I … I just was… Well, I was thinking you seem like a really nice person and you deserve to be treated better than that. You deserve someone to stick up for you…"
These last few words were whispered. The change in tone was enough to wake Anne from her shock and finally respond to Joshua's confession.
"Joshua, that would have to be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Possibly the nicest, since you had to do it with your family. And we both know what an achievement that must have been! You defended my honour and only because you thought it was the right thing?"
Joshua ventured to look at Anne's face. "Well, yes. I mean, you seem nice and all. But it's not like I know you. I know of you and that's all nice. But I would hate to miss out on the opportunity to know you better because of some stupid comment Josie made."
Anne was so moved by Joshua's words, she walked up and kissed him on the cheek. It shocked both of them, though Anne was the first to recover. "Joshua Pye, I do believe you are a kindred spirit after all. After defending my honour in such a fashion, the least I can do is help you paint the Avonlea Hall. Let's go pick up the paint!"
"What? No! You can't help me paint it!", Joshua exclaimed.
Anne put her hands on her hips. "And why ever not, Mr Pye? Is there something wrong with me? Is it perhaps my red hair?"
Joshua cringed. "Of course not, but I've… I, uh… I've never had a girl help me work before." Joshua was genuinely torn between doing the gentlemanly thing and refusing Anne's offer of help, or accepting her offer and spending more time in her company.
"Trust me when I say, I can paint as good as anyone. Come along, Joshua. We're going shopping!"
Joshua was stunned into silence again. This was the most he had ever spoken in his life, and all with Anne Shirley. Joshua was convinced this new friendship was going to change everything.
Later that evening, Gilbert visited Green Gables to swap study notes with Anne. As they sat on the floor near the fireplace, Anne told Gilbert about her plans to help Joshua to paint the Avonlea Hall.
Gilbert was not impressed. "No, Anne! You can't paint the Hall! That's what we are paying Joshua for. It's his job."
"Gilbert Blythe, I am more than capable to help paint a hall. Joshua has already shingled the roof himself. I merely thought after defending me, and with his own family, it would be nice to help him in return." Anne had not told Gilbert every detail of Joshua's speech to the Pyes. It was enough for the storytelling to include Joshua telling Josie to shut up. That alone brought a smile to both Anne and Gilbert.
"Well, yes. It was very honourable of him to do that. But it doesn't warrant you helping paint the hall! If he really needs the help, then Fred and Charlie can come with me. We'll help out on Saturday."
Anne sat up in such a quick and straight manner, Gilbert had the sudden feeling of dread and regret wash over him, without fully understanding why. "So now it's your turn to tell me what I can and can't do? Joshua tried that earlier today as well. If I had known this was the expected behaviour of male friends, then I may be inclined to refuse your friendship again. To think … no, it would appear you didn't think! Otherwise, you would understand I am my own person. And the only person I need to answer to right now is Marilla."
Gilbert realised too late the importance of all Anne was saying. But he could not fight against the significance of Anne painting with Joshua Pye. And how sick it made him feel.
"Anne … It would be … Improper!"
There. That did it. Anne's eyes flared with a fiery green hue that filled the room with dread. Instantly, Gilbert regretted his words but it was too late now. In for a penny, in for a pound.
"So is studying unchaperoned with a young lady late at night. And for that, I will bid you goodnight, Mr Blythe. I would not want to sully your good name with my improper behaviour. Be it now or when I am improperly painting the Avonlea Hall on Saturday with Mr Pye."
With that, Anne picked up her books and stormed off upstairs. Gilbert was left hoping it would take less than 5-years to save their friendship this time.
