ONE MORE WEEK LATER
Mountie timidly approached her teacher's desk. It sat atop a dais, almost forbidding children to go near it. But the kind teacher sitting in the chair made Mountie O'Teale forget the intimidation the extra height of the desk gave off. "Miz Christy" had never discouraged anyone from approaching her, nor her desk. She condoned them coming to her whenever they wanted to. And for anything.
Mountie climbed up the two short steps noiselessly. She was use to not making a sound since she rarely wanted anyone to notice her. Poor little Mountie had not known that absolute silence would draw excessive attention to her. Attention she did not want. Mountie now worked towards being a normal child.
Mountie studied the far away look in "Teacher's" blue eyes and wished she could do something, anything, to cheer her. All the students knew their teacher was fairly unhappy with how things were going. It did not take a brain surgeon to see this.
They did not know how much they really comforted Christy.
Mountie dared to touch the softness of her teacher's clothes. Mountie turned shy, even more so, when the pair of sad eyes belonging to the older female turned to the little girl.
Christy softly smiled to see Mountie's uncertainty. "Hello, Mountie," Christy greeted gently. "What can I do for you today?"
The nearly completely nonverbal O'Teale looked exceedingly encouraged with Miss Huddleston's response. "Sad?"
Christy's twitched with a smile she was yet to manage that day. It was a more sad day than the others. The recitation was the next day. The doctor had promised to be present but he was not even back from wherever he had gone with Margaret. Christy needed to accept Neil was married and he did not live his life around her. But, still, he had never broken his word to her yet. And Christy felt strongly he owed her an explanation. She could only wish, and pray, that Neil would show up. Margaret was probably deterring him.
"Oh, not so much anymore, Mountie," Christy replied, touched with the girl's obvious concern for her teacher. "Thank you."
Mountie shook her head. "God," she mumbled. "Thank God."
Christy knew the little girl was right. How was it Mountie could be so right and Christy could be so wrong? She remembered what she had first thought when she came to the Smoky Mountains. That she had been there to teach, to reach out to those in need. But now she realized, and she had long ago, that she was there to learn far more than she was to teach. Christy taught hygiene, academics, spirituality, and morality the best she could but the children, everyone there, taught her so much more than she felt she taught them. She thought it was a wonderful switch.
"You're right, Mountie," Christy said with a smile.
Mountie smiled shyly. She was not exposed to such blunt praise very often. And to get this rare praise from such a well-loved public figure made her feel shy and want to shrink inside herself again. Mountie was a bashful girl and not good with attention. Mountie delicately shifted the spotlight away from herself and left the teacher alone.
Christy watched the young girl go. She knew she had made such an impact on little Mountie O'Teale's life. Christy had helped her come out of her shell and be more open. There was a long way to go still but they were almost there. Christy praised God He had given her the guidance to help Mountie so much.
Christy then proceeded to ponder on how Christ reached His Word to her through the children. Just listening to two simple words from shy little Mountie's mouth, "Thank God," had provoked her to want to pick up her Bible.
Christy left the schoolhouse. She felt the strongest urge to seek warmth and refuge in the kind words from God.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The recitation went beautifully. As expected, the MacNeills did not show. Christy was disappointed but did not dwell on his first broken promise. Could she really blame him for not coming? After all, he was with his wife and had left with her.
Christy denied the pang of hurt that jabbed at her when she acknowledged Neil had a wife. A wife. Christy determined to not be so jealous. He was married when she was hitting puberty, after all.
Mountie O'Teale, sweet Mountie, stared over the crowd of parents and families while she opened the ceremonies. Her large eyes scanned the crowd. It took a gentle prod of encouragement from Teacher to get her to say the words of welcome to the audience. The schoolhouse burst into applause for the girl they all thought was a mute. Christy lightly hugged the girl, both excited, and Mountie found this kind of awareness of her presence was all right, and even fun!
Christy smiled over the schoolhouse. It was about to burst with all the people! Never had she expected such a turnout. The school had gone through so many troubles, and Christy personally had, too, to reach this day. It was finally here! Now she could show off the students she was so proud of.
Creed Allen had a time showing off his raccoon. Scalawag seemed to understand he was the center of attention and puffed up with pride, much like his human owner. Christy had to hide a smile with her hand at how humorously similar the boy and his pet were. She glanced at David to see him watching her, having the same problem himself. It only made her feminine grin harder to stifle and Christy had to turn from David to not laugh. She had no desire to offend Creed, especially not now.
There was little incident that day to interrupt the children. Both the reverend and the teacher were glad of that. Cutter Gap usually had a way of disrupting important events like Lundy Taylor use to interrupt class. They regretted the Taylors were a no-show. It would always annoy Christy she had lost him as a student. Lundy needed to know he was cared about. But it was impossible with Bird's-Eye treating him so meanly. Not to mention the fact Lundy had run away due to terror from his father.
Christy Huddleston decided it would do no one any good if she continued to linger on the things that lacked. She was not looking enough at what she had right before her eyes. She smiled as Mountie covered her mouth and objected to a giggle she felt bubbling inside her. Mountie was very happy, Christy could tell. The thought of the melancholy girl she had met transformed into this giggling child before her now made the somewhat gloomy educator smile.
There was a short recess where the parents and children could talk. Christy could hardly talk to Miss Alice and David before the students came to her, wanting her to tell their parents something, anything, about them. Christy commended them all. They had all truly been a pleasure to teach.
Christy said as much in her address to the school and parents as a final word after all the recitations. She thanked the parents for allowing their children to come, hoping they would be able to come next year. She thanked the children for being wonderful and working so hard. Christy dismissed the class for the summer but it was her turn to be flattered. The children and parents did not leave.
They presented her with kind words of their own and gifts of thanks. She had had no idea they were planning this. The soft smile on Miss Alice's face gave away her secret, that she had known. Christy was delighted and flattered. She wished her family could have been there to see the change in the children and in Christy herself.
With the school let out, Christy talked to parents and promised teachings to several woman Fairlight had talked to about reading. But one train of thought stood out in her mind. Asheville. Parents. George, her brother. Christy felt foolishly immature for wanting these things for a little while. She wanted the comfort of her strict mother, the coddling from her father, the bantering from George which never failed to cheer her.
Christy knew where she wanted to spend the next few weeks.