The Amish Heiress

Chapter Eight - An Open Door

Chapter Eight

An Open DoorThe Paradise Post Office was a small brick building right on the corner of Highway 30 and Leacock Road. Rachel parked her scooter by the phone booth, went around to the front and walked up the stairs to the big glass door. She peeked through the glass and saw Mrs. Shoemaker, the postmistress, behind the counter. Rachel went inside, but before she could say anything, Mrs. Shoemaker waved at her and smiled.

“Yoo hoo, Rachel! It’s here!”

Rachel glanced around to see if anybody heard Mrs. Shoemaker and then went to the counter. “Please, Mrs. Shoemaker, I don’t want everybody to know.”

“Whoops, I forgot.”

Mrs. Shoemaker looked around furtively, too, and then, with a secretive air, handed Rachel an official-looking envelope.

Rachel’s heart leaped. She stared down at the envelope, her heart pounding. An elegant logo was printed in the upper left corner. There was a red double circle with a book in the center and the words “Cornell University—Founded 1865” printed inside the lines. Off to the right was a red rectangle with the words, “Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.”

“Aren’t you going to open it, dear?”

“I’m afraid to, Mrs. Shoemaker.”

“Well, there’s only two answers that could be in it, yes or no. So you might as well get it over with.”

Rachel nodded in agreement and took a deep breath. She had been waiting for six weeks for an answer from the admissions department and now here it was. Her hand shook as she gently undid the seal on the letter and pulled out the folded paper inside.

My Dear Miss Hershberger,

We received your application for admittance to the School of Veterinary Medicine. As you may know, our standards are very high and only a small percentage of applicants gain entrance to the school. What makes your case interesting is that we have never had an Amish applicant before. Normally, a person in your position, that is, one who has technically only completed the eighth grade, would not be considered for entrance, but your obvious passion for the field of animal husbandry, as detailed in your charming letter, convinced our committee to pursue this matter further. After careful review of your middle school transcript, which, by the way, was exceptional, and the records you sent us from the community college where you took several courses in which you ranked at the top of your class, we are willing to pursue your application further, with a few conditions.

First, you will be required to take the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). You must demonstrate high aptitude on this test (in the top ten percent) in order to be eligible for consideration for entrance. You will also need to take the GED test to show us that your education has reached high school level or beyond. Once you have completed this testing, you will need to come to Ithaca for a personal interview. Our final decision will be based on your performance in all of these areas.

As Dean of Admissions to the college, I must say that your letter was very interesting, and we were all quite impressed. If your skills can be shown to be as high as your desire, then your application may have a positive outcome, after all. Please contact me personally if you have any questions and let me know as soon as possible if the conditions we have stipulated can be met by January. In the meantime, I want to wish you all the best in the pursuit of your dream.

Dr. Eloise Tillinghast

Dean of Admissions

Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine

Mrs. Shoemaker leaned over the counter. “Well? What?”

Rachel folded the letter and put it back into the envelope. Then she burst into tears. Mrs. Shoemaker came around the counter and took Rachel in her arms.

“Did they say no, Rachel?”

Rachel took a breath. “No, Ma’am. They...they said they will consider me if I can meet a few more requirements. If I do, they want me to come for an interview.”

“So, that’s good, right?”

“Yes and no, Mrs. Shoemaker. It’s wonderful, but there’s a big problem.”

Mrs. Shoemaker looked at her, and Rachel saw the question in her eyes.

“I have to convince my folks to let me take the tests, and if I pass, to let me travel to Ithaca for the interview. That’s not going to happen. I don’t know why I had my hopes up. I wish Cornell would have just rejected me.”

Mrs. Shoemaker pulled a Kleenex out of a box on top of the counter and handed it to Rachel. Rachel dabbed her eyes and blew her nose. The postmistress put her arm around Rachel once more. “Is it your father, Rachel?”

“Yes, Ma’am. It’s just...well, it’s just that he’s so strict. We have fought over me just taking some classes at the community college, so this will put him right over the edge.”

“What about your mom?”

“I think she supports me in this, but she loves my papa, too, and doesn’t want to upset him. He’s had some real physical and emotional problems since he came home and...oh, I shouldn’t be telling you all this. It’s really kind of personal.”

Mrs. Shoemaker sighed. “It’s okay, honey. You’re a sweet girl, and from what I hear, you would make a fine vet. I won’t say anything about your problem to anyone, but I will pray about it.”

Rachel looked at the woman in surprise. “Are you a Christian, Mrs. Shoemaker?”

The postmistress chucked Rachel under the chin and smiled. “The Amish aren’t the only ones around here that love God, sweetie.”

Rachel blushed and looked down. “I...I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Mrs. Shoemaker gave Rachel a hug. “It’s a big world, Rachel, and there are all kinds of people in it. Now, you should head on home. You have some things to work out, and I don’t envy you. But, like I said, I’ll be praying.”

Rachel hugged Mrs. Shoemaker back and smiled through her tears. She walked to the door and then turned. “Thank you, Mrs. Shoemaker; you are very kind.”

Rachel walked to the post office door. Then she turned. “If you wouldn’t mind, Mrs. Shoemaker, I could use some...”

Mrs. Shoemaker waved her hand. “I know, honey. I’ve already been praying for you, too.”

*****

Rachel peeked around the doorframe into the front room. The weather had cooled, portending rain. A fire popped and crackled in the fireplace, and her daed was sitting in front of it, staring into the flames. Jenny sat in her rocking chair, sewing a torn pair of Jonathan’s pants. From time to time, Jenny looked up at Jonathan and smiled, but he seemed lost in his thoughts. Rachel ducked back behind the doorframe and stood with her heart racing, the letter from Cornell clutched in her hand.

I’ve got to say something, but I’m so afraid. Oh, Gott, why is every-thing so hard? Vielleicht sind Sie nicht ebenso freundlich, wie Mama sagt. Perhaps you are not as good as mama says.

Rachel turned to go back down the hall to her room. The thought that maybe Gott wasn’t as kind as her mama said confused her. Then she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she turned to see her mama.

“Rachel, what is it?”

Jenny had come quietly out into the hall and was standing beside her. Rachel stared at her, and then took a deep breath.

“I...I have something...I mean...I...”

“What is it, Rachel? Are you in some sort of trouble?”

“No, Mama, it’s just that I...”

Rachel’s hands were trembling. Jenny took hold of them and looked deep into Rachel’s eyes. She nodded toward the back and together they went down the hall into Rachel’s room and closed the door.

“What is it, Rachel?” Jenny asked softly.

Rachel looked at her mama and then handed her the letter from Cornell. Jenny looked at the address on the outside and then back up at Rachel. “What is this, dochter?”

“It’s...it’s... Oh, just read it, Mama.”

Rachel sat down on the edge of her bed and put her face in her hands. Jenny opened the envelope, took out the letter, and read. When she finished, she looked down at Rachel and sighed. Rachel looked up at her mama’s face, hoping for a reaction that she could read, but Jenny’s face remained stoic. Then Jenny came and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. She put her arm around Rachel’s shoulders and drew her close.

“What, Mama?”

Jenny drew a breath and squeezed Rachel. She held her that way for a long time. Finally, she spoke. “This is a hard thing, Rachel. My heart is torn for you. On the one hand, I am so proud of you and what you have become. You are so smart, Sie machen mich so stolz, you make me so proud of you. You have your papa’s mind and my determination. But I am afraid that you have chosen a path that can only bring sorrow and strife to our family. Your papa, he...”

“He will say no, that’s what I know,” Rachel said.

“Perhaps if you let me speak to him first. You two are not good with words and you make each other so angry.”

Jenny sighed and then continued. “It was not always so. Sometimes, I think it would have been better...”

But the thought remained unspoken. Jenny folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. “Also, there is more to this than just taking the tests and going to the interview, Rachel, even if we can get your papa’s permission. There is your faith and your commitment to the Plain Way. It would not be easy to convince the elders that this is a good thing. They believe that higher education can promote ideas that are counter to Christian values, and rightly so. But they also believe that education is useful when it can be shown that it is for the good of the Amish community. The elders could decide that a good Amish vet would be of great value to all of us. So this is a matter that could be decided either way.”

Jenny stood up and handed Rachel the letter. “Keep this and let me pray the matter through. I will see what du leiber Gott has to say. If I do not have a check in my spirit, I will speak to your papa. But I cannot promise anything. Will you abide by Jonathan’s wishes in this matter if he says no?”

Rachel’s insides twisted. “If Papa will think it through and give it a sincere consideration, and if he can give me a good reason why I should not do this, I will obey him. If he just says no without any consideration, then I do not know what I will do.”

Jenny sighed and reached down to stroke Rachel’s face. “That is an honest answer, Rachel. Wollen wir dem Herrn in dieser Sache vertrauen. We don’t want to trust ourselves so let’s trust Gott.”

Jenny turned and left the room. Rachel remained sitting on the edge of her bed, staring down at the letter. Her head whirled with the possibilities it represented. If she could get accepted into Cornell, it would mean that her dream of being a vet would be on its way to fulfillment. She knew she could handle the classes—that wasn’t the problem. Handling her father was the greatest obstacle. Rachel’s heart sank.

He will never, ever give his permission!

Rachel stood up and began to get ready for bed. After she took down her long, auburn hair, she went into the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. She came back to her room, got into her nightshirt, and slipped under the covers. But for Rachel, sleep did not come easily. Her mama’s question kept running through her mind...

Will you abide by your father’s wishes in this matter if he says no?

Will you abide by your father’s wishes in this matter if he says no?

Rachel tossed and turned trying to get comfortable. She twisted from one side to the other, but her mind kept racing. She knew what Jonathan’s answer would be, even though her mama had promised to intervene.

It’s no use. No matter what Mama says, Papa will never give in. He is too stubborn and besides, he is verrückt! He’s crazy! I wish he had never come back.

A profound sense of guilt swept over Rachel as she thought about her father. She lay in the darkness and tried to remember the good days when she and Jonathan had been so close. Finally, her eyes closed and she drifted off.

But Rachel did not find peace, even in sleep. Strange images and thoughts began to play in her mind. Her papa, floating in the ocean, clinging to a piece of wreckage; her grandparents, Reuben and Jerusha Springer, lying dead in the front room of the little house in Apple Creek, Ohio; Jonathan returning home after so many years, not dressed as an Amish man but an Englischer.

Images of death and loss and deep feelings of fear and sorrow swept back and forth through her mind like the restless sea bringing flotsam and jetsam to the shore, only to drag it away again to be lost forever. Rachel groaned in her sleep. Her mouth opened, but she couldn’t speak. Finally, with a great effort of will, she broke free from the grip of the dream and jerked awake. She lay in her bed and felt the sweat on her arms and back.

Then she knew the answer.

There was no life for her in Paradise. If she wanted to fulfill her dreams. she would have to leave, to go far away and never look back. The tears began to fall, and then the quiet sobs shook her shoulders. The truth that she could not—would not—entertain, pressed to the front of her consciousness.

No, I mustn’t think that, I must not...

And then the words forced themselves from her lips, and she spoke quietly into the darkness.

“I cannot stay Amish.”