Free The Springtime Mail Order Bride by Kit Morgan Page A

Gunderson hadn’t been exaggerating.
    The men filed in not minutes later, with Arlan bringing up the rear.  He looked tired, dirty and a wee cranky if one considered the set of his jaw, but his look softened the moment dinner was set on the table. “What is it?” he asked as he studied the platter of chicken, vegetables, and potato es.
    “I’m not sure what it’s called, but I refer to it as oven chicken stew,” Samijo explained.
    Arlan and his brothers, each with a fork and knife in their hands, sniffed at the succulent dish set before them. “Smells good,” commented Daniel.
    Samijo took each of their plates and served them up a healthy sized portion.  They stared at their plates in turn, as Ma sat and clasped her hands together for the blessing. Samijo hurried to her seat to join them.
    “Dear Lord,” Ma began with a smile. “Thank you that my new daughter can cook!  You know how forgetful I’ve been lately, and I enjoyed the nap I took today. And Lord, thank you for knocking some sense into Calvin, and letting him see the errors of his ways.” Benjamin snickered, and Arlan kicked him in the shin under the table.  Ma didn’t seem to notice. “I know I’m getting old, Lord, and I’m sure thankful you’ve brought another woman into the house.”
    Arlan’s head snapped up, and he stared at his mother. Samijo’s eyes, open since he kicked Benjamin, watched as his expression changed to concern.
    “I pray we stay a happy family, and that I’m able to teach Samijo all that I can before …”
    Arlan let his hands fall to the table. “Don’t say it, Ma. Just don’t.”
    She looked at him from the head of the table. “It’s inevitable, son. It happens.”
    “Not to you, not yet.”
    Samijo looked between them. Was she saying what she thought she was?
    His mother reached over and took her eldest son’s hand. “And I pray that Arlan continues to become the man You want him to be. As I do with all my boys.” She looked at each of them. Daniel was seated on her right, Arlan on her left. Both held one of her hands now.  Benjamin sat at the other end of the table and stared at her. “Ma?” he whispered to himself.
    “Things have to move on, sons. Arlan has a new wife, and it’s time the rest of you, esp ecially you and Calvin, start thinking about marrying and having a family. I’m not going to be around forever.”
    “Do we have to talk about this now, ma?” Daniel asked.
    “No, but we’ll have to talk about it sometime.”
    “Not now, ma. Not tonight.” Calvin added , his eyes lowered to the table.
    Samijo looked at each of them.  The mood had gone from happy to melancholy with but a few words from their mother’s lips.  They must have loved their father very much, and couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to their mother, to the point of not wanting to speak of it.
    Her heart sank. She was out in the middle of nowhere, far from … well … Nowhere, and began to understand how the Weaver family must feel.  Their entire lives were each other.  They lived too far out to make a simple trip into town when they felt like it.  No, it took an entire day, which meant spending the night, then another whole day to get back.  They didn’t have friends they spent time with, didn’t socialize.  And here she thought she had it bad living with Uncle Burr. At least she got out of the house now and then to fetch his laundry or go to the market.  But not here, the Weavers were bound to their valley farm and liked it. But at what cost was their isolation?  When their mother did one day pass on, how hard was it going to be?  And what of the younger brothers future wives? Would they be able to adapt to such a life? Samijo was somewhat used to it from living with Uncle Burr all those years, and saw it as freedom.  But other women might not look at life in the Weaver’s little valley the way she did.
    “This is delicious!” Benjamin blurted.
    Daniel belched.
    Calvin burst out