"Maxine Elizabeth Barlow, come downstairs this minute! Your mother and I
would like to you right now!" Dr. Barlow sternly said as he and his wife
sat around the dining table, holding her progress report. The report had
arrived at the Barlow household early in the afternoon in the mail and Dr.
Barlow had just opened the envelope.
Oh no, my full name! They must have found my report cards, she thought as she closed her textbook and quickly ran downstairs. "Yes Daddy?" She innocently smiled and batted her eyelashes.
"Don't Daddy me. Have a seat. Your mother and I would like to talk about this," he said as he pulled out a seat between him and Mrs. Barlow and placed the progress report in front of her on the dinning table.
She awkwardly laughed trying to lighten the atmosphere but her intent was not very successful. "Yes... so you're probably wondering about my German mark, right?"
"Oh so you have seen your report. And when were you going to tell us?" He sternly looked down at his daughter and patiently waited for an answer. Over the sixteen years of raising his daughter, he learned to be patient and wait for her to explain herself before considering any form of punishment.
"Look, Mom and Dad. I explained to you before that when I registered, all the French classes were all full and they didn't have room for me. So I had to be placed into the German class and I don't know one word of the language and I don't think I know one even now!"
Mrs. Barlow sympathetically smiled as she said, "Well, dear, you should have come to one of us when you first experienced trouble. We would have tried to help you."
"She's right. We would have tried to help with your studies. And if we couldn't help, we'd try to find you a tutor of some kind. We want you to try your best and sometimes everyone needs a bit of help once in awhile. I want you to feel that you're able to come to us when you need it."
She nodded in response and quickly apologized. Suddenly, Leah appeared from the kitchen doorway. "Sorry, I don't want to interrupt but I have an idea that might help her to improve her German mark." She smiled, hoping they weren't mad that she walked in on their 'parental talk' with Maxine.
"Oh Leah, I didn't see you come in." He thought for a moment, wondering if he wanted to listen to Leah's solution and eventually gave in. "Well, any help would be appreciated. What did you have in mind exactly?"
"Well... I know someone... actually some people who speak fluent German who would be willing to help Max with her studies."
"Really? Who did you have in mind?"
She smirked as she said, "Surprisingly, I was thinking about having Max tutored by the Longacre children. They're Amish of Dutch descent but they're quite fluent in the German language and I think they'd gladly help her."
They were all surprised to hear Leah's solution to Max's German problems but welcomed it with open arms. "So they're willing to provide some tutoring assistance?"
"Well... I don't know for sure. But Max can bring her books with her when we go to dinner on Friday. We can even go earlier... maybe she can squeeze in some tutor time before we ate. I'm sure Elizabeth would be more than willing to let a hand." She smiled as she watched the Doc and his wife nod in approval.
"Alright then. You two can go to dinner this Friday with the Longacre family and hopefully they'll be kind enough to offer some help because my German is... well... pretty much non-existent." They all laughed and the seriousness of the room lightened up as Max and Leah said goodnight and went up to bed.
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"Max, you do know that it's just a dinner. A normal dinner, nothing special, right?" Leah asked curiously as she looked at her friend while they were driving to the Longacre farm. Maxine had spent over an hour in the bathroom and took another hour in her bedroom picking out what she would wear for dinner. Leah found this quite odd because her friend usually wore very casual clothes and did not make a great effort to look nice unless it was an important event or occasion.
Her friend giggled and checked herself over in the mirror in the passenger seat. "Yes I know, just a normal dinner. Why do you ask?" She combed her fingers through her hair, making sure everything was neatly in place.
"Well... I don't know. You spent a lot of time in the bathroom getting ready and you seemed to put a lot of thought and effort in your choice of clothing. It just seemed odd... that's all."
"Oh no. I was just bored and had the extra time so I busied myself. That's all!" She smiled and returned back to the mirror, checking and double-checking her appearance.
Brian, who was sitting in the back seat, let out a big 'ha' as he rolled his eyes. "You weren't bored! You're such a liar! You know you're trying to look good for Simeon!" He laughed some more as Maxine quickly turned around and attempting to grab him, but with no success.
"I am not! You're the liar!" She continued to try to grab her little brother but Leah intervened.
"Simeon, eh?" She giggled as she said, "I never knew you had a thing for him!" She smiled as she kept her eyes on the long, dirt road.
"No I don't! It's true! I'm telling the truth! Don't believe Brian. He's so full of c --" Before she could finish her sentence, Leah quickly shot her a 'don't even think about it' look. She sighed and let out a deep breath and busied herself by looking out the window.
After a few moments of silence, Leah began to talk. "You know, mixing yourself with Amish guys, isn't quite the best thing to do. Trust me..."
"I obviously know that now! That's why nothing is going to happen! Geez..." She was old enough to make up her own decisions! She didn't need Leah breathing down her neck every time she had a slight crush on a guy. Plus, who cares if he's Amish. He's probably different from Ethan anyways! But who was she kidding, why would a good-looking guy like Simeon want to do with an English girl like me. She sighed and ended her thoughts about Simeon. "I'm just going tonight because I need help with my German and they invited me for dinner. That's all! And the reason I'm wearing some nicer clothes and used more time to get ready is because we rarely have any special occasions and this was the closest thing to something eventful so I put some thought into it. That's all... so stop reading into it, okay?"
It was obvious that her friend seemed hurt that Brian and her had teamed up against her and quickly apologized and explained, "Look, I overreacted a bit but I was hurt a lot when I separated from Ethan and I just don't want you to be hurt. And your brother and I didn't mean anything behind it. So don't take it to heart. Right, Brian?" She looked into her rear window and saw him roll his eyes and apologize.
Within minutes, they reached the small dirt road that led to the Longacre farm. Leah put her car into park and the three of them slowly got out of the car. They were quickly greeted by Charity and Elizabeth, who were evidently waiting for them by the front porch stairs. Brian went to look for Nathan to play with, while Leah and Maxine helped the female Longacres with the night's meal. As they were cutting some carrots, Leah remembered about Max's need for a German tutor and quickly asked before she forgot. "Elizabeth, how fluent are you in German?" She smiled in response and began to speak the language effortlessly as she was stirring the stew by the stove. "Whoa! Whoa! Alright. I have no idea what you just said but I'm guessing you were just speaking German. I was wondering if you were willing to tutor Maxine. She's having some trouble with her German and she needs to boost up her mark before the end of the year. Do you think you can offer some assistance?"
Elizabeth smiled and looked at her father who nodded in approval and she quickly glanced back at Leah and swiftly nodded. Maxine's spirit was heightened as she realized she would be able to improve her mark and make her parents happy. She quickly thanked her and smiled.
"Well, I am just about done with the stew and I see you brought some of your books with you. We can start now if you'd like to."
"Okay! Sure! I just finished cutting these tomatoes anyways!" They both went outside to work at the back at the house while Leah and Charity finished with their vegetables.
After they were done, there was a bit of time left before dinner was ready so Charity led Leah to the barn where the rest of the Longacre family, along with Martha, Jonas, and Brian, were hanging about. She smiled and said, "Well... you all remember Leah!" They all nodded and greeted her as the two girls grabbed stools and joined the circle of conversation.
Without a surprise, Martha was the first one to speak. "So Leah how is everything?"
With careful consideration, she answered, "Well... they're pretty much the same as the last time you asked me last week." She smiled politely. "But how about you?"
She smiled, but only to be polite but deep down she was not pleased but Leah's quick retort. "It's great," she said as she put her arms around Ethan who awkwardly tightened his hold on her. "So I've met Brian and who is this Maxine you came with?"
"Oh, she's Brian's older sister. She's with Elizabeth right now, getting some German tutoring lessons to help her with her schoolwork."
Martha frowned at her remark and said, "Tutor lessons? I'm glad I'm not in school anymore." It was secret that she was never quite the brightest student in school and she was happy to leave it behind her after she was done her eighth year.
Before she could defend Max, Charity reacted before she could think of something to say, "Well I think it's great that the English continue their schooling. Learning is a great experience and it should be valued, even if you aren't the top student."
Whoa, good going Charity! She laughed in her mind as she developed a new admiration for her friend who had evidently grown an edge, especially towards Martha.
Hoping to level the tension, Jonas quickly began to steer the conversation away from school and quickly began to ramble on about all the work he's doing on his father's farm. "This year's harvest was good. It seems it has been a good season for growing! It will do well for my parents."
Soon the entrance of Elizabeth and Maxine interrupted the flow of conversation. "Leah! You can't believe it. I know more than one word in German! Isn't that great?" Maxine smiled with pride as she spoke a five- word sentence in the language without a visible struggle.
Leah laughed at her friend, congratulated her on her success, and asked her what she has just said. Ironically, she explained that she had said, "I do not understand German".
Maxine turned to look at the rest of the people staring at her as if she was a foreigner. Elizabeth smiled and quickly grabbed a stool and offered her new friend a seat. "Max, this is my brother Simeon," she said as she pointed to her brother on her left and went around the circle clockwise. "Next to Simeon is Ethan, my older brother and Martha. You know that's Charity... and that's Jonas, her fiancé. And you already know Leah, obviously."
Maxine nodded and smiled and said a quick 'hi' to everyone and sat down. She found it interesting that her new friend did not call Martha Ethan's fiancée but had done so with Charity and Jonas.
Simeone looked at the new girl and found something... different about her. A good different... He was unable to pinpoint what exactly made this girl special but he was going to find out. He looked up and caught her eye contact and became suddenly lost within the depths of her gentle hazel eyes and was put under a trance. He was swiftly brought back to reality when Ethan playfully punched him in the arm when heir mother rang the bell, signifying that dinner was ready.
"You alright Simeon? You seemed like you were in another world a few moments ago..." he asked his younger brother curiously as they stood up and began to walk towards the house, lagging behind the rest of the ground who were talking mong themselves animatedly.
"You know what Ethan? I was in another world... it was weird but felt good at the same time. Does that make any sense?"
"I think I know what you're talking about. That girl..." He could tell that Simeon was growing up and found it interesting that his younger brother's eyes were first caught by a girl...not just any girl... but an English one. Maybe it runs in the family, he thought to himself.
"What about that girl? Who... by the way, is named Maxine."
Ethan laughed at his brother and explained, "You just proved my point. I think she has stolen your heart."
"What are you talking about? Crazy talk, brother!" Hmm... he did start feeling this odd feeling in the pit of his stomach when he first met this Maxine girl. When she first came to the farm, he felt the same feeling but convinced himself it was a stomachache and had forgotten about it. However, after seeing her again tonight, the odd feeling had returned... with force.
"I've experienced the same odd feeling after meeting Leah. She was the special one and maybe Maxine is your special one."
Simeon frowned and gave his brother a 'oh boy' type of look as they reached the back door.
Oh no, my full name! They must have found my report cards, she thought as she closed her textbook and quickly ran downstairs. "Yes Daddy?" She innocently smiled and batted her eyelashes.
"Don't Daddy me. Have a seat. Your mother and I would like to talk about this," he said as he pulled out a seat between him and Mrs. Barlow and placed the progress report in front of her on the dinning table.
She awkwardly laughed trying to lighten the atmosphere but her intent was not very successful. "Yes... so you're probably wondering about my German mark, right?"
"Oh so you have seen your report. And when were you going to tell us?" He sternly looked down at his daughter and patiently waited for an answer. Over the sixteen years of raising his daughter, he learned to be patient and wait for her to explain herself before considering any form of punishment.
"Look, Mom and Dad. I explained to you before that when I registered, all the French classes were all full and they didn't have room for me. So I had to be placed into the German class and I don't know one word of the language and I don't think I know one even now!"
Mrs. Barlow sympathetically smiled as she said, "Well, dear, you should have come to one of us when you first experienced trouble. We would have tried to help you."
"She's right. We would have tried to help with your studies. And if we couldn't help, we'd try to find you a tutor of some kind. We want you to try your best and sometimes everyone needs a bit of help once in awhile. I want you to feel that you're able to come to us when you need it."
She nodded in response and quickly apologized. Suddenly, Leah appeared from the kitchen doorway. "Sorry, I don't want to interrupt but I have an idea that might help her to improve her German mark." She smiled, hoping they weren't mad that she walked in on their 'parental talk' with Maxine.
"Oh Leah, I didn't see you come in." He thought for a moment, wondering if he wanted to listen to Leah's solution and eventually gave in. "Well, any help would be appreciated. What did you have in mind exactly?"
"Well... I know someone... actually some people who speak fluent German who would be willing to help Max with her studies."
"Really? Who did you have in mind?"
She smirked as she said, "Surprisingly, I was thinking about having Max tutored by the Longacre children. They're Amish of Dutch descent but they're quite fluent in the German language and I think they'd gladly help her."
They were all surprised to hear Leah's solution to Max's German problems but welcomed it with open arms. "So they're willing to provide some tutoring assistance?"
"Well... I don't know for sure. But Max can bring her books with her when we go to dinner on Friday. We can even go earlier... maybe she can squeeze in some tutor time before we ate. I'm sure Elizabeth would be more than willing to let a hand." She smiled as she watched the Doc and his wife nod in approval.
"Alright then. You two can go to dinner this Friday with the Longacre family and hopefully they'll be kind enough to offer some help because my German is... well... pretty much non-existent." They all laughed and the seriousness of the room lightened up as Max and Leah said goodnight and went up to bed.
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"Max, you do know that it's just a dinner. A normal dinner, nothing special, right?" Leah asked curiously as she looked at her friend while they were driving to the Longacre farm. Maxine had spent over an hour in the bathroom and took another hour in her bedroom picking out what she would wear for dinner. Leah found this quite odd because her friend usually wore very casual clothes and did not make a great effort to look nice unless it was an important event or occasion.
Her friend giggled and checked herself over in the mirror in the passenger seat. "Yes I know, just a normal dinner. Why do you ask?" She combed her fingers through her hair, making sure everything was neatly in place.
"Well... I don't know. You spent a lot of time in the bathroom getting ready and you seemed to put a lot of thought and effort in your choice of clothing. It just seemed odd... that's all."
"Oh no. I was just bored and had the extra time so I busied myself. That's all!" She smiled and returned back to the mirror, checking and double-checking her appearance.
Brian, who was sitting in the back seat, let out a big 'ha' as he rolled his eyes. "You weren't bored! You're such a liar! You know you're trying to look good for Simeon!" He laughed some more as Maxine quickly turned around and attempting to grab him, but with no success.
"I am not! You're the liar!" She continued to try to grab her little brother but Leah intervened.
"Simeon, eh?" She giggled as she said, "I never knew you had a thing for him!" She smiled as she kept her eyes on the long, dirt road.
"No I don't! It's true! I'm telling the truth! Don't believe Brian. He's so full of c --" Before she could finish her sentence, Leah quickly shot her a 'don't even think about it' look. She sighed and let out a deep breath and busied herself by looking out the window.
After a few moments of silence, Leah began to talk. "You know, mixing yourself with Amish guys, isn't quite the best thing to do. Trust me..."
"I obviously know that now! That's why nothing is going to happen! Geez..." She was old enough to make up her own decisions! She didn't need Leah breathing down her neck every time she had a slight crush on a guy. Plus, who cares if he's Amish. He's probably different from Ethan anyways! But who was she kidding, why would a good-looking guy like Simeon want to do with an English girl like me. She sighed and ended her thoughts about Simeon. "I'm just going tonight because I need help with my German and they invited me for dinner. That's all! And the reason I'm wearing some nicer clothes and used more time to get ready is because we rarely have any special occasions and this was the closest thing to something eventful so I put some thought into it. That's all... so stop reading into it, okay?"
It was obvious that her friend seemed hurt that Brian and her had teamed up against her and quickly apologized and explained, "Look, I overreacted a bit but I was hurt a lot when I separated from Ethan and I just don't want you to be hurt. And your brother and I didn't mean anything behind it. So don't take it to heart. Right, Brian?" She looked into her rear window and saw him roll his eyes and apologize.
Within minutes, they reached the small dirt road that led to the Longacre farm. Leah put her car into park and the three of them slowly got out of the car. They were quickly greeted by Charity and Elizabeth, who were evidently waiting for them by the front porch stairs. Brian went to look for Nathan to play with, while Leah and Maxine helped the female Longacres with the night's meal. As they were cutting some carrots, Leah remembered about Max's need for a German tutor and quickly asked before she forgot. "Elizabeth, how fluent are you in German?" She smiled in response and began to speak the language effortlessly as she was stirring the stew by the stove. "Whoa! Whoa! Alright. I have no idea what you just said but I'm guessing you were just speaking German. I was wondering if you were willing to tutor Maxine. She's having some trouble with her German and she needs to boost up her mark before the end of the year. Do you think you can offer some assistance?"
Elizabeth smiled and looked at her father who nodded in approval and she quickly glanced back at Leah and swiftly nodded. Maxine's spirit was heightened as she realized she would be able to improve her mark and make her parents happy. She quickly thanked her and smiled.
"Well, I am just about done with the stew and I see you brought some of your books with you. We can start now if you'd like to."
"Okay! Sure! I just finished cutting these tomatoes anyways!" They both went outside to work at the back at the house while Leah and Charity finished with their vegetables.
After they were done, there was a bit of time left before dinner was ready so Charity led Leah to the barn where the rest of the Longacre family, along with Martha, Jonas, and Brian, were hanging about. She smiled and said, "Well... you all remember Leah!" They all nodded and greeted her as the two girls grabbed stools and joined the circle of conversation.
Without a surprise, Martha was the first one to speak. "So Leah how is everything?"
With careful consideration, she answered, "Well... they're pretty much the same as the last time you asked me last week." She smiled politely. "But how about you?"
She smiled, but only to be polite but deep down she was not pleased but Leah's quick retort. "It's great," she said as she put her arms around Ethan who awkwardly tightened his hold on her. "So I've met Brian and who is this Maxine you came with?"
"Oh, she's Brian's older sister. She's with Elizabeth right now, getting some German tutoring lessons to help her with her schoolwork."
Martha frowned at her remark and said, "Tutor lessons? I'm glad I'm not in school anymore." It was secret that she was never quite the brightest student in school and she was happy to leave it behind her after she was done her eighth year.
Before she could defend Max, Charity reacted before she could think of something to say, "Well I think it's great that the English continue their schooling. Learning is a great experience and it should be valued, even if you aren't the top student."
Whoa, good going Charity! She laughed in her mind as she developed a new admiration for her friend who had evidently grown an edge, especially towards Martha.
Hoping to level the tension, Jonas quickly began to steer the conversation away from school and quickly began to ramble on about all the work he's doing on his father's farm. "This year's harvest was good. It seems it has been a good season for growing! It will do well for my parents."
Soon the entrance of Elizabeth and Maxine interrupted the flow of conversation. "Leah! You can't believe it. I know more than one word in German! Isn't that great?" Maxine smiled with pride as she spoke a five- word sentence in the language without a visible struggle.
Leah laughed at her friend, congratulated her on her success, and asked her what she has just said. Ironically, she explained that she had said, "I do not understand German".
Maxine turned to look at the rest of the people staring at her as if she was a foreigner. Elizabeth smiled and quickly grabbed a stool and offered her new friend a seat. "Max, this is my brother Simeon," she said as she pointed to her brother on her left and went around the circle clockwise. "Next to Simeon is Ethan, my older brother and Martha. You know that's Charity... and that's Jonas, her fiancé. And you already know Leah, obviously."
Maxine nodded and smiled and said a quick 'hi' to everyone and sat down. She found it interesting that her new friend did not call Martha Ethan's fiancée but had done so with Charity and Jonas.
Simeone looked at the new girl and found something... different about her. A good different... He was unable to pinpoint what exactly made this girl special but he was going to find out. He looked up and caught her eye contact and became suddenly lost within the depths of her gentle hazel eyes and was put under a trance. He was swiftly brought back to reality when Ethan playfully punched him in the arm when heir mother rang the bell, signifying that dinner was ready.
"You alright Simeon? You seemed like you were in another world a few moments ago..." he asked his younger brother curiously as they stood up and began to walk towards the house, lagging behind the rest of the ground who were talking mong themselves animatedly.
"You know what Ethan? I was in another world... it was weird but felt good at the same time. Does that make any sense?"
"I think I know what you're talking about. That girl..." He could tell that Simeon was growing up and found it interesting that his younger brother's eyes were first caught by a girl...not just any girl... but an English one. Maybe it runs in the family, he thought to himself.
"What about that girl? Who... by the way, is named Maxine."
Ethan laughed at his brother and explained, "You just proved my point. I think she has stolen your heart."
"What are you talking about? Crazy talk, brother!" Hmm... he did start feeling this odd feeling in the pit of his stomach when he first met this Maxine girl. When she first came to the farm, he felt the same feeling but convinced himself it was a stomachache and had forgotten about it. However, after seeing her again tonight, the odd feeling had returned... with force.
"I've experienced the same odd feeling after meeting Leah. She was the special one and maybe Maxine is your special one."
Simeon frowned and gave his brother a 'oh boy' type of look as they reached the back door.