There was a pause and then her mom sighed. “Yes, sweetie. I’m sorry.”
Amy’s stomach knotted. “What’s happened? Are you and Dad okay?”
“Everyone is fine, sweetheart. It’s just…there’s been a fire.”
“A fire? Did something happen to the house?”
“Not the house. The church.” Her mom paused. “And the school.”
“The school?” Amy felt dread pooling in her stomach. “What happened? Were they able to save it?”
“No. They had been working in the school, painting, varnishing and stuff. They think an electrical short caused the fire and with so much flammable stuff in the building, it went up in flames quickly. Because it was late at night, no one realized what was happening right away. The sprinklers and alarm system seemed to have been shut off or malfunctioned because they didn’t kick on. The church was burn a bit, but the school was completely gutted.”
“Was anyone hurt?” The thought of the damage done to the buildings was bad enough, but if someone had been hurt as well, that would be terrible.
“Because it happened so early in the morning, no one was in either of the buildings.”
“What are they going to do? About the school?”
“Your dad met with the board this afternoon because they realized parents needed to be able to make alternate plans for the school year.”
“Alternate plans? So they’re not going to try to relocate the school?”
“They spent time putting out feelers to parents while they also looked for possible alternatives. A lot of parents weren’t willing to have their kids go to a school across the city since it would mean long bus rides, especially for the younger ones. The church is too damaged to be able to use it for classes. They are recommending that parents look into other Christian schools in the area or consider the public schools.”
Amy stared out the blurred window. “What about us teachers?”
Her mom sighed. “They aren’t able to offer any of you anything at this point. Your dad said they were hoping that they will be able to rebuild by next school year, but right now they just don’t have many options with the school year so close. All the equipment, the books and everything would have to be replaced. It just isn’t possible to get everything into place before school is scheduled to start.”
“So I have no job,” Amy stated without emotion. What was she supposed to do now?
“I’m sorry, sweetie. Your dad and I just feel horrible. Of course, you always have a place with us, so don’t worry about that. And I’m sure you’ll be able to find something.”
“Schools already have their teachers in place for the new year. No one is hiring now. I could maybe get a job subbing.” Amy slumped in her seat. All she’d ever wanted to do wasteach, and she had been well on her way in that career. Until this news. She’d planned to teach at this school for several more years, but now she was out of a job with no prospect of another.
“I know it’s upsetting, but it could have been so much worse. At least you have us to help you out.”
Amy knew that what her mom said was true, but part of her wondered how much worse. Right now she felt like her life had been devastated. After her broken heart at sixteen, Amy had carefully plotted out her life in hopes of avoiding anything quite so painful again. She’d planned to teach for a few years, get married and then have a couple of kids. It hadn’t been a complicated plan. In fact, she’d tried to keep it simple. But here she was...her life suddenly spinning out of her control and off the track of her careful planning.
First the whole thing with Will. She’d seen another heartache coming from that direction. Had already begun to brace for it. But this latest twist with her career had blindsided her. Of all the things she’d expected to go wrong in her life, that hadn’t been one of them.
“Are you going to be okay, sweetie?” her mom asked. “I wanted to be the one to tell you once we had an idea of what the church planned to do about the school.”
“I’ll be fine. God must have a plan in all this, right?”
“That’s right. Trust God even when things don’t look rosy.” Then her mom sighed. “Though I will admit to questioning God a bit about this on your behalf. But at least you don’t have to worry about paying rent to a landlord or having a car payment. I know you’ve been careful with your money.”
“I’ve certainly tried, but that was in order to travel some, not pay my bills while I was unemployed.”
“Sometimes what we plan is different from what God wants for us. Trust Him that all this will work out for good.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Amy knew she couldn’t let her momknow how upset shereally was about everything. Right then she just wanted to end the call and get home to her room at the manor. She glanced at the window and saw that the rain continued to streak down the glass, and lightning flashed. It appeared she wouldn’t be going anywhere for a little while.
As her mom went on to discuss other things, Amy tried to focus on what she was saying, but it was a challenge. Her mind was wildly racing trying to figure out solutions to the problems that had cropped up. It was a relief when her mom finally ended the call. Usually Amy loved talking with her, but right then she needed to be alone with her thoughts to process everything.
Amy dumped the remnants of her meal in the garbage and dashed through the rain to Jessa’s car. She knew she couldn’t drive out to the manor yet, but needed the privacy the car would give her. Once inside, she grabbed a tissue and wiped the rain from her face.
Rain streaked the windshield like it had the windows of the restaurant, but soon Amy realized the blurring of her vision was less from the rain and more from the tears that had sprung into her eyes. She blinked and felt hot moisture slide down her cheeks. Though she wasn’t normally given to tears, Amy let these come. She felt so alone. Yes, she had her parents, and they would help her, but she felt keenly the responsibility for her own life and the decisions that lay ahead. There was no one there to share the burden with her. No husband. Not even a boyfriend. Just her.
