funny about your dad. I don’t know how often I’ve heard him say he would gladly have all his married children live on the farm, and so far, they’ve all moved away to farms of their own. I always thought he’d probably be glad to offer us some land. Do you think I’m right?” Stephen asked.
Lizzie laughed. “Oh, you know how Dat is, Stephen. He talks almost as much as I do!”
She helped him hitch up his horse, and as he drove out through the darkness, his lights blinking as they always did, Lizzie thought they blinked a bit faster and brighter than before. She and Stephen were so happy that even the buggy lights felt it, she thought, then told herself to stop being so downright silly.
Wednesday evening Stephen was a bit late, which had Lizzie in an absolute dither. For one thing, she had tried so hard not to talk about the marriage proposal and the acre of land to anyone, but unable to help herself she had confided in Mam the very first thing on Monday morning.
Lizzie thought Mam seemed quite pleased, especially about their plans to build a house somewhere on the farm. So that made Lizzie feel good inside, thinking how happy Mam was to welcome Stephen warmly into the family as a new son-in-law. Of course, she reasoned, Mam and Dat had always approved of Stephen, she was sure of that.
When Stephen finally did turn into the drive, she breathed a sigh of relief. Dat had just finished the barn chores and was sitting on the porch for a minute’s rest. He looked questioningly at Lizzie as Stephen pulled up to the barn door.
“This isn’t Saturday evening,” he said bluntly.
Lizzie ran lightly down the steps, calling over her shoulder, “I know. He has something he wants to ask you.”
“Hello, Stephen,” Lizzie said, smiling up at him warmly as he walked toward her.
“Hello, yourself. Did you tell him?”
“No.”
She hadn’t told him, that was the truth, but she was almost certain Mam had said something to him about it.
“Hi, Stephen,” Dat called. “We didn’t expect to see you this evening.”
Stephen grinned at him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked Dat.
“Oh, I’m fine. I would hardly know I have MS, except my legs don’t always want to do what my brain tells them to do. My eyesight is largely improved by the new prescription from the specialist in Warm Springs. He knows what he’s doing. It took him two whole hours to thoroughly examine my eyes, and he found some things an ordinary doctor would never have found. I got a new pair of glasses. Almost fell over backward when he told me the price. Three hundred dollars! I almost told him to keep the glasses. That’s ridiculous.”
He stopped for breath, but before Stephen could get a word in edgewise, he started rambling on again.
That was Dat, Lizzie thought, smiling to herself as she walked to the porch with Stephen. As long as he had someone who listened without saying much, which Stephen was very good at, Dat would talk.
“You ought to start working with me and Jase. We need a good block layer right now. Are you familiar with masonry?”
Dat barely paused long enough to hear Stephen’s “Mm-hmm,” before launching into a lively description of a concrete job they were doing.
Stephen sat down next to Dat and listened, nodding his head, or shaking it in disbelief, and laughing at appropriate times. His eyes were crinkled at the sides, and he looked as if he was enjoying the whole conversation, although Dat was doing all the talking.
Jason came up on the porch, greeting Stephen with a quick smile.
“Are you mixed up, Stephen? It isn’t Saturday evening,” he asked, interrupting Dat.
“I know. I came to ask your dad a question,” Stephen said quietly.
“What? What?” Dat was fairly hopping up and down on his lawn chair, if it was possible to hop up and down while still sitting.
Stephen took a deep breath, and Lizzie could tell he was nervous. He wasn’t good with words, long speeches, or talking when he felt
Lizzie laughed. “Oh, you know how Dat is, Stephen. He talks almost as much as I do!”
She helped him hitch up his horse, and as he drove out through the darkness, his lights blinking as they always did, Lizzie thought they blinked a bit faster and brighter than before. She and Stephen were so happy that even the buggy lights felt it, she thought, then told herself to stop being so downright silly.
Wednesday evening Stephen was a bit late, which had Lizzie in an absolute dither. For one thing, she had tried so hard not to talk about the marriage proposal and the acre of land to anyone, but unable to help herself she had confided in Mam the very first thing on Monday morning.
Lizzie thought Mam seemed quite pleased, especially about their plans to build a house somewhere on the farm. So that made Lizzie feel good inside, thinking how happy Mam was to welcome Stephen warmly into the family as a new son-in-law. Of course, she reasoned, Mam and Dat had always approved of Stephen, she was sure of that.
When Stephen finally did turn into the drive, she breathed a sigh of relief. Dat had just finished the barn chores and was sitting on the porch for a minute’s rest. He looked questioningly at Lizzie as Stephen pulled up to the barn door.
“This isn’t Saturday evening,” he said bluntly.
Lizzie ran lightly down the steps, calling over her shoulder, “I know. He has something he wants to ask you.”
“Hello, Stephen,” Lizzie said, smiling up at him warmly as he walked toward her.
“Hello, yourself. Did you tell him?”
“No.”
She hadn’t told him, that was the truth, but she was almost certain Mam had said something to him about it.
“Hi, Stephen,” Dat called. “We didn’t expect to see you this evening.”
Stephen grinned at him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked Dat.
“Oh, I’m fine. I would hardly know I have MS, except my legs don’t always want to do what my brain tells them to do. My eyesight is largely improved by the new prescription from the specialist in Warm Springs. He knows what he’s doing. It took him two whole hours to thoroughly examine my eyes, and he found some things an ordinary doctor would never have found. I got a new pair of glasses. Almost fell over backward when he told me the price. Three hundred dollars! I almost told him to keep the glasses. That’s ridiculous.”
He stopped for breath, but before Stephen could get a word in edgewise, he started rambling on again.
That was Dat, Lizzie thought, smiling to herself as she walked to the porch with Stephen. As long as he had someone who listened without saying much, which Stephen was very good at, Dat would talk.
“You ought to start working with me and Jase. We need a good block layer right now. Are you familiar with masonry?”
Dat barely paused long enough to hear Stephen’s “Mm-hmm,” before launching into a lively description of a concrete job they were doing.
Stephen sat down next to Dat and listened, nodding his head, or shaking it in disbelief, and laughing at appropriate times. His eyes were crinkled at the sides, and he looked as if he was enjoying the whole conversation, although Dat was doing all the talking.
Jason came up on the porch, greeting Stephen with a quick smile.
“Are you mixed up, Stephen? It isn’t Saturday evening,” he asked, interrupting Dat.
“I know. I came to ask your dad a question,” Stephen said quietly.
“What? What?” Dat was fairly hopping up and down on his lawn chair, if it was possible to hop up and down while still sitting.
Stephen took a deep breath, and Lizzie could tell he was nervous. He wasn’t good with words, long speeches, or talking when he felt
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