IT DON’T MATTER Chapter 6 New Gentleman Teacher

New Teacher
courtesy pixabay

I can’t believe how fast time is going by this year.  I plan to attend school more than in the past, as I hear it there is a man teacher coming to teach.  He is supposed to be really smart.  I hope he is for I need some smarting up because I have missed so much school.

After the first week I was convinced that he really knew what he was doing. He made learning easy for he would make you laugh as it soaked in.

Ma listened while I talked about him and said I should invite him to the dance come this Saturday.  I thought, “Sure, why not?”

The teacher said he would like to come to the dance for it would give him a chance to meet the parents of some of the students.  Come Saturday night the musicians were chomping at the bit to get this shindig rolling.  They started before most of the people had arrived.

My folks were early because Ma was helping set up the refreshments.  The whole family was there and ready to knock a few licks except for Jake’s wife for she was about ready to bear a child.

He wanted her to stay home for the road was rough and would shake her up but she insisted they come.  I was hoping she wouldn’t have the baby here at the dance.  Jake kept his eye on her while he danced with Maxine my oldest sister.

Ma took the teacher under her wing introducing him to the folks as they came in.  After he had met most everyone Ma said to him, it’s time you met and danced with Maxine. He looked surprised but pleased when he saw Maxi as she was called.

During the evening he danced with a couple other girls but mostly with Maxine.  He asked Ma if it would be alright if he took Maxine home in his buggy.  

Ma said yes it would but Alice and Sammie should go with them or people would talk. He said that would be fine for he knew how people can talk.

We made it home with Jake’s wife Maddie not giving birth but Ma looked at her and said you will stay at the family house tonight cause the baby’s coming.

Maddie said, “How you know that?”

Ma said, “I don’t know but I’m never wrong about such things.”

The teacher sat in the parlor with Maxi and Alice and Sammie.  He asked Sammie when he and Alice were getting married and he answered, “As soon as Ma says okay. It won’t be long for she is almost old enough.  Ma says a gal should be full grown before they wed and I reckon that is a good idea.”

The teacher looked over at Maxi and asked, “Are you full grown yet?”  

Maxi blushed and said, “Yes and just a little bit more so when ever you are ready.”

Now it was time for the teacher to turn red.  He said maybe I better ask Ma first.

They all had a big laugh about that in fact they laughed a lot until Pa came in and said its bedtime and the teacher could stay in one of the rooms no one was using cause of several of the girls were staying up with Maddie.

The teacher said, “I should put my horse up for he shouldn’t be tied to the railing all night.”

Pa said, “I have already taken care of it.”  I showed the teacher where he could sleep and said breakfast was about seven since it was Sunday.

Alice, Sammie, and I decided to go to church since the baby had came during the night and the teacher asked if Maxi was going.

I said I didn’t know but would ask her.  If she is going would you like to go along?  He said, “Maybe, well yes, I think I would like to meet the preacher.”

I went out and checked on the milking to make sure everything was done before leaving.  Some of the hands usually went to church each Sunday and they needed a few minutes to get ready so I wanted to make sure they had enough time.

The teacher, Maxi, Sammie, and Alice went in his buggy and were beginning to be friends.  I decided to ride one of our native horses since everyone else were involved with the new baby boy.

The teacher and the preacher hit it off right well and he asked if the teacher and Maxi had an understanding and if wedding bells were in the future.

Ma heard that and said, “Now we better not rush things preacher.”

The teacher was glad she stepped in and concluded that Ma was a wise old bird.

When we got home the girls had dinner ready and everybody sat down and enjoyed a good chicken dinner with the trimmings.

After dinner the teacher and Maxi sat in the parlor alone for a while and he said, “I must get ready for school tomorrow so I must take my leave.”

Pa and Ma walked him out and said, “You come back anytime.”

Once we had everything in order it was a lot easier to take care of our business I was heavily involved in everything that happens now even though I was the youngest save Elle.  She was about two years younger than me.

She still claimed to be smarter than me and at every opportunity tried to prove it. There was a forty acre patch for sale cause the ‘people died and the relatives wanted to cash out.  We didn’t have enough money to pay cash for what I figured the place was worth so I offered what we had and since they wanted to get their hands on some money they took it.

Sammie said he wanted to move on the place and start working it which was alright with me.  We had bought all the stock and equipment that went with the place so he could just start tilling the soil right off.

I noticed a little reluctance on Ma’s part for she didn’t like the idea of Sammie being alone although the place was the second place from ours and just a short walk there.  

She confided in me that there were a couple of young widows and several marrying age girls near there and she figured they would all be ready to jump him.  He being young she figured he wouldn’t be able to put them all off.  One of them would find a way to obligate him to have to marry her.  It wouldn’t be the first time a girl claimed to be with child and have a shotgun wedding before they found out she was lying.  

Ma said to me, “Its time for him and Alice to marry although I would have liked for her to wait a little longer.”

I said, “Ma you know best, so let’s tell them.”

They had felt they were ready before now so that was good news to them. The place was a little run down so we all went down for a weekend and fixed the place up for them.  

I had to stop going to church for every one of the women that had a marrying age daughter had their eye on me as a prospect husband for their girls.  I couldn’t count high enough to count the dinners I turned down knowing the reason for the invite.

Here these women were all over to marry me and I wasn’t quite fourteen yet.

Alice came into the Parlor where I was resting and I said, “The big day is almost here, are you ready for it?”

She said, “I don’t know if I am or not but I want to.  Sammie has been my favorite ever since I met him and he is the one even though there has been several other offers.”

Maybe it was a little mean but I asked if she had taught Sammie how to kiss yet.  She said I sure have and he is doing just fine.  “As good as me?” I asked.

She said, "Way better.”

I laughed and said, “Now you have gone and hurt my feelings.”

She said, “Well you had to ask didn’t you?”  She said, “You better not go and tell anyone about those lessons I gave you.”

I said, “I wouldn’t dare for it would be too hard to try to live down.  But I have to admit it was fun.  The only one who knows is Elle and she won’t tell for she knows I would get even when she wasn’t expecting it.”

Come Saturday the love birds became wedded ones.  We sent them off for a few days and stocked their pantry with enough food to get started with when they returned.

The teacher came over last Saturday and wanted to talk to both Pa and Ma.

He said he knows a lot of women but Maxine had reeled him in and he was glad of it.  I wish to marry her but there is one obstacle which I hope you will understand.  

He went on saying Maxi has a good mind and is far ahead of most people I have met around here.  

Here is the problem I face; I have been in school all my life and I now have my doctorate.  It was recommended that I take a rural teaching position for a year or two before I took a position in the university.  

If I marry, or I should say when I marry Maxi and I take her to the university community she will be totally out of place.  She will be hurt beyond measure and it won’t be because the people mean to do it.  It is just the way it is.  

Now I could stay here and let all my years of training go down the drain and be a country teacher.  So you can see what I am facing.

Ma spoke up and said, “There must be an answer for most often there is.”

He said I think there is.  I propose to do this; I will stay here this year and the next and will prepare Maxi for near everything she can expect to encounter.  She will graduate from high school, and I will teach her the equivalent of a college education and along with that the things she will encounter on a daily social environment.

We will be married and then move to an upscale intellectual environment where if she isn’t up to their standards it won’t matter.  By the time I am to take up my position she will be able to hold her own with any of the social snobs who she is bound to meet when I’m not around.

The last things I will teach her is how to disarm any situation she may find herself in.  

In any case I want to marry your daughter and I have come to respect your wisdom in important matters so you tell me which way we should go and which will make your daughter the happiest.

For me “It don’t matter” - - Or maybe it does.