Chapter 235 – Mr Landis Arrives
As lunch approached at the schoolhouse, Elizabeth had the students working on their homework as she needed to sit for a bit. She took the opportunity to work on the essays and while the students worked quietly on their worksheets or their reading. She had given them their new words, so some were working on looking them up. She was glad that there were several children that she could trust to work independently once she gave them instructions. When Elizabeth let the children go for lunch, she only had a few essays left to grade plus the spelling tests and the homework that she had collected that morning. It was feeling good about almost being caught up. There had been a time in the last couple of weeks that she thought she would never catch up.
After seeing that Charlotte and Patty were in the schoolyard, Elizabeth returned to her desk. She pulled out her lunch and was hoping to finish grading the last of the essays before she had to call the children in so they could set up their science projects. Some of the children had planned to head home and grab them over lunch which she was fine with, others had brought them that morning and were scattered around the edges of the room. Elizabeth was halfway through the essay she was grading when she heard footsteps on the floorboard. When she looked up, she wasn't surprised to see her Aunt Elizabeth walking toward her.
"Afternoon." Elizabeth said.
"Afternoon." Aunt Elizabeth said. "How was the morning?"
"Pretty good." Elizabeth said. "If I can grade these last three essays, I think I will finally be caught up and then I only have the spelling tests and the homework I collected this morning."
"Hand the spelling tests over." Aunt Elizabeth said, taking a seat on the side of the desk.
Elizabeth handed the stack of tests and a red marking pencil to her aunt. Together the two worked grading their stack of papers also while Elizabeth ate. After about ten minutes, Elizabeth heard boots on the floorboards and didn't recognize the sound so she looked up to see Cadet Kane walking toward her.
"Did you need something?" Elizabeth asked without getting up.
"There is a Mr Landis here and he says you are expecting him." Kane said.
"Yes." Elizabeth said. "He is the school official for the science fair. He is early and we are not ready for him. He wasn't supposed to be here for another half hour at least."
"Why don't you take him to the cafe and make sure that he has some lunch and please tell Ann to put it on my account." Aunt Elizabeth suggested.
Kane looked at her and then looked at Elizabeth and then outside.
"Charlotte and Patty are outside." Aunt Elizabeth said. "I am here and Pastor Frank is in his office, so we will be fine for a few minutes. Then let him know that when he is done, he can come back. Especially seeing that the children are enjoying their lunches as well."
"I will do that." Kane said. "Thank you."
Kane turned and walked back to the doorway and down the steps. Elizabeth watched him leave and then turned to her aunt. Aunt Elizabeth finished grading the spelling tests and set them aside for Elizabeth to look at. She then got up and headed outside. She wanted to let the children know that they could come in and start setting up their science projects because the school official was there.
Once Doug saw that Jack was settled, he headed to the kitchen to clean things up and make sure that they were ready for lunch. Once the kitchen was clean, Doug grabbed his messenger bag and pulled out the letter to his mother to continue writing. He told her about coming to Hope Valley and how he had been temporarily reassigned there to help Jack. He went on to explain why he needed to help Jack. He tried to sound upbeat, but he also knew that his mother would be concerned, so he gave more details then he might have to other people. He also promised to try and come visit as soon as he possibly could. Doug had just finished addressing the envelope to his mother when Jack stood in the doorway. Doug put the envelope down and looked at Jack.
"How are you feeling?" Doug asked.
"Not bad." Jack said, coming to take a seat. "Sore, but nothing I can't handle. It is definitely getting better."
"That is good." Doug said. "Just don't push too much too fast. I mean it, whether it is the exercises, walking or being with Elizabeth."
Jack blushed and ducked his head.
"Nothing to be embarrassed about." Doug said. "You are still newlyweds and have been through a lot since you got married. What you do together is natural for people in your position, I just want you to be aware of your condition. You may start to feel better, but it is going to take time to be able to do things again. Not only have you been laid up for weeks, but your body has been through several major traumas. You are going to tire easily and I know that your ribs are going to bother you for several more weeks. That is to say nothing of your hip. It is going to hurt to sit, walk and move for at least another month. Each day will get better as long as you are aware and don't overdo it."
"Understood." Jack said.
"Good." Doug said. "Then I won't say anything else, but you also need to be aware that there are other people in this house and the walls are thin."
Jack blushed a deeper shade of red.
"I can't wait until we have the new house." Jack said. "I know that it will be an adjustment and several weeks until we are there, but it will give us a lot more space and some much needed privacy."
"At least until that little one comes." Doug laughed.
The two sat there and talked about different things until there was a knock at the door. Doug jumped up to get it and saw that it was one of the ladies.
"I came to drop off lunch." She said.
"Thank you." Doug said. "I am sorry, I don't know your name."
"Marta Crocker."
"Nice to meet you." Doug said, as he motioned for her to come in.
"No, thank you." Marta said. "Cat said Jack didn't have much of an appetite so I made you a wonderful lentil soup. It just needs to be heated up. There is also a pan of biscuits under the lid that can be heated up. I just made them this morning. Feel free to drop the pans back when you are done. I am just down the row, Jack knows."
"I will do that." Doug said. "And thank you again."
Marta nodded, turned and went back down the steps. Doug watched her walk back to her house so he knew which one it was. Once she was in her house, he headed back in himself. He pulled out a towel to cover the biscuits and put the pot of stew on the stove to heat. Doug also pulled the large pot of water forward to get it heated as he was going to have Jack do a steam treatment before they ate. He still couldn't have the medicated tea, so Doug also got some coffee going so they could have that with their lunch. Once he was done at the stove, he turned to Jack.
"So." Doug said. "Do you want to go for a short walk before lunch? It is nice outside."
"How about we start with you helping me get to the outhouse and back." Jack said. "Then we will see. I haven't left the house in awhile and as much as I want to get out, I have a feeling taking a walk out front might cause a bit of a stir."
"True." Doug said. "Which is why I suggested it while the kids are still in school."
"Good point." Jack said. "But let's try my idea first."
Doug walked over to Jack and waited for him to stand and take his arm.
As the students started to come inside and set up their science projects, Elizabeth got up and walked around to see what the students had done. She had seen some of them throughout the morning, but it was her first chance to see them up close and ask the kids questions. There were projects ranging from plant life and the life cycle of some local bugs to one about rain. Little Opal had done one about bears and what they eat. She was so proud, she had put her teddy bear in front of the poster and a jar of honey that she had helped her dad collect. Elizabeth was impressed with the variety of projects that the students had done. She was even glad to see that the youngest children had done something. She knew that they wouldn't win, but it was the fact that they did a project and were proud of their work.
As Elizabeth watched the last of the students set things up, she saw Becky finish setting up what looked like a model bridge. She had seen her drawing different types of bridges in her sketchbook over the last couple of weeks. As Elizabeth looked at the math that Becky had done, Elizabeth was amazed. She knew Becky was smart, but it was even over her head. She understood the basic principle of what Becky was trying to get across, but there was no way that she would have been able to help the girl with the calculations. Elizabeth also knew that no matter how the girl did, she was going to have a conversation with Abigail about getting Becky into one of the technical schools back east. Elizabeth knew that Becky wanted to be an engineer and if the bridge was any indication of her ability, Elizabeth knew that the girl would go far.
Once everyone had their projects set up, Elizabeth called all the students back together.
"I want to thank everyone for working so hard on their projects." Elizabeth said. "They all look wonderful and I am excited to see what the school official has to say about them. Now, he is the one that is going to choose a winner and I don't want anyone to whine or complain they didn't win. He has no idea what our school is like and he is solely choosing a project based on what he sees and the answers to his questions.
I just want you all to know that you are winners in my book because you tried something that we haven't done before and you all put a lot of work into it. But as it was explained to you at the beginning, only one project is going to be chosen to represent our school at the county fair. We want whoever it is to go to not feel bad that their project got chosen over others. We should be happy for them. It will do the school good to have any of you represent them. Whoever it is, I want them to hold their head high and be proud of the work that you have done."
"I also want to say how proud I am of everyone and all the work that they have done." Charlotte said. "I know that some of you struggled and don't think your project is that good, but they are all great. Everyone tried something different and for those of you who hadn't been in school regularly, it is a major accomplishment to be able to put a project like this together."
"I agree." Aunt Elizabeth said. "I want everyone to be proud of the work that you have done. You have all come so far in the last couple of weeks. I don't know how long Miss Patty and I will be staying, but no matter what I want you all to know that I have loved being in the classroom again, especially with all of you."
Before Elizabeth could open it up to questions from the students, Cadet Kane stepped into the classroom and indicated to Elizabeth. As Cadet Kane stepped to the side and let Mr Landis in, Elizabeth clapped her hands.
"Students." Elizabeth said. "I want everyone to welcome Mr Landis to our school."
The students clapped as Mr Landis walked to the front of the classroom. As he started walking, Abigail, Wynn and Jacobs slipped in the back door with Pastor Frank, dismissing Cadet Kane back outside.
As Mr Landis approached Elizabeth, he couldn't hide his shock at her baby bump being clearly visible. He then looked at Aunt Elizabeth, Charlotte and Patty. He had also been concerned since there seemed to be armed security at the school. He was even more shocked when he turned around and saw two Mounties in uniform.
"Thank you for the lovely welcome." Mr Landis said. "Can the students please go and stand near their project? Then Miss Thornton and I will be coming around to speak to each of you."
As the students started to move, Mr Landis turned to Elizabeth.
"We will speak after the students are dismissed." Mr Landis said in a harsh whisper.
Aunt Elizabeth and Charlotte exchanged looks and knew that they wouldn't be leaving Elizabeth with this man. Before they started to go around, Mr Landis again turned to Elizabeth.
"I thought the head of the schoolboard would be joining us." He said.
"Mrs Stanton is in the back of the room." Elizabeth said. "She is standing with Deputy Commissioner Delaney, Sergeant Jacobs and Pastor Frank Hogan."
"Who are these other people?" Mr Landis asked, not looking all that happy.
"Charlotte Thornton." She said, stepping forward to shake hands. "I was here visiting my son and daughter-in-law. I am a retired teacher. I was in the classroom for twenty-five years and offered to help since this town has been through a lot in the last month."
"Elizabeth Delaney." Aunt Elizabeth said, also stepping forward to shake hands. "I am the wife of the Deputy Commissioner and also a retired teacher. I also happened to be in town and offered to help."
"Patricia Winters." Patty said, nodding her head.
She didn't offer any explanation as to why she was there. Mr Landis wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't understand why all those people were there. He also wasn't happy about the apparent state of Elizabeth. He was going to get to the bottom of things before he left the schoolhouse that afternoon.
After Doug and Jack returned from their trip to the backyard, Jack needed to sit. While Jack was sitting, Doug got the steam treatment ready and had Jack do it before they ate. While Jack was doing the steam treatment, Doug wanted to talk to him about something. He also wasn't sure how to bring it up or how Jack would react. Once Jack's head was covered, he could tell that Doug was sitting close to him. He wasn't sure why, but he figured that Doug was just going to talk to him. They had had several great conversations since Doug had gotten there. Jack had missed his friend and even though he was injured, he was enjoying the time he spent with his friend.
"Jack." Doug said, hesitation in his voice.
"Whatever it is." Jack said. "Just spit it out. We have been friends for too long and are too close to dance around things."
"First." Doug said. "I don't want you to think I was snooping around. I was looking for blotting paper and happened to see something."
"I would never think you were snooping." Jack said. "We are family. Besides, we told you to make yourself at home. So what did you see?"
"I saw a list in Elizabeth's writing." Doug said. "It had my name, Dee's name and another name on it. Did I do something? Is she upset? I don't want things to get weird or put my career in jeopardy."
Jack sighed and Doug got up to pace. Jack heard him, so Jack lifted the towel and looked directly at Doug.
"Sit down." Jack said, using his Mountie voice.
Stunned, Doug looked at him.
"I said sit, Constable." Jack said.
Doug took a seat and Jack put the towel back over his head to continue the steam treatment.
"I am not mad." Jack finally said. "Elizabeth is not mad. The list is potential godfathers for our child. I know we have time, but it helps Elizabeth to make lists as she thinks of things."
"Godfather?" Doug gasped.
"Yes, godfather." Jack said. "Elizabeth put you and her cousin on the shortlist to be a godfather. We still have decisions to make and we need to talk to Pastor Frank to see what the rules are. She grew up with several godparents. If we can have more than one, we might do that. If not, we might name honorary godparents. We have also been speaking about who will be guardians to all of the children should something happen."
Doug sat there stunned. He had thought it would be fun to be Uncle Doug to Jack's children, but to be considered for godfather was an honor he had not hoped for, especially knowing that Jack wasn't Catholic and despite their close relationship, they had never quite seen eye to eye on religion and God. They had different beliefs and Jack's anger after his father's death also added to things.
"I would be honored if that is what you want." Doug finally said.
"Good." Jack said.
Jack finished the steam treatment, sat back and looked at Doug.
"I know that we haven't always seen eye to eye on God and religion." Jack said. "But things have really changed in the last year. Living in this place has really shown me a different side of things. I know that I struggled with faith and beliefs because of things with my father, but I have been able to start working through those things. My faith has never been stronger and it is because I have seen faith at work in more ways than I can count since I have been here.
I mean look at all these widows from the mine. They could be angry and bitter, but instead they still want the best for everyone around them. They pulled together and have helped each other since the disaster over a year ago. They continue to do that. Then with everything that has happened around here in the last month, it has only strengthened people's faith. Did you know that the entire community came together and prayed for me when I was unconscious after the flash flood? They didn't have to do that. They, themselves were hurting and yet they came together to pray for me. When I heard about it, it really touched me. While I have been laid up, I have been doing even more soul searching.
I thank God everyday for bringing Elizabeth into my life, no matter how much I hated having my assignment changed at the last minute. I don't know what I would have done without these people. They may not have much, but I have learned more from them than I did the entire time I was at Fort Garry. I have also learned more about humanity than all of my previous schooling."
"I can see that." Doug said. "I am just glad that you have started to come around. I know that we will never fully see eye to eye about things, but I am glad that you are not angry at God anymore."
Jack didn't say anything else, but just took a deep breath and got up to get a cup of coffee. He was happy to talk to Doug, but he needed a break from the heavy conversations that they had been having.