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“Are you sure?” He wanted her to be happy, and if that meant working three jobs, then he’d do it.
“I’m positive. I love our home. I just always dream about what life could be.”
“Just so you’re content with your real life…”
“So content!” She covered his hand with hers. “You know I’m happy here. And with you.” She blushed as she said the second part, and she knew he’d understand what she meant.
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. “And I’m happy with you…”
Another buggy stopped and people got down, bringing a picnic with them as well. The man looked at them for a moment before raising his hand in greeting. “Ho there, Berry!”
Leonard raised a hand. “Fredricks.” He wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic with his greeting as the other man had been.
“Who’s the lady?” the man asked.
Leonard sighed, realizing they would probably have company for the rest of their picnic. “This is my wife, Constance. Constance, this is Freddie Fredricks and his sister, Agatha.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Constance said softly.
Agatha skipped over and sank down on the quilt they were eating their picnic upon. “I haven’t met you before.”
Constance smiled. “I just moved here from Massachusetts.”
“Oh, well Leonard never told me he was marrying someone from back east, and I think that’s rather rude, as he knew I’d set my cap for him.” Agatha pouted.
Constance blinked a couple of times. “Well, I had no idea. I hope we can be friends anyway.”
Agatha shook her head. “Probably not. Now I’ll have to find another man to set my cap for. I usually just throw my bonnet at whomever I’ve decided I want to marry, so he’ll know.”
Constance did her best to hide a smile. “You’ll have to find another man who doesn’t mind having bonnets thrown at him then.”
“Oh, Leonard got mad at me for it. He told me that ladies didn’t throw things at men.” Agatha shrugged. “At least it got his attention. I’d been making cow’s eyes at him for just ages, and he never seemed to notice.”
“Well, maybe he was busy looking somewhere else while you were making eyes at him.”
“Probably. We went to school together, you know. Me, and Freddie, and Leonard. Leonard was always the smartest in school, but Freddie was always the one who stood in the corner most. He held the school’s record. Right, Freddie?”
Freddie nodded. “That’s right. I don’t think Leonard ever stood in the corner.”
Leonard wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he simply said, “The corner was always full. I wasn’t about to fight over the spot.” His eyes met Constance’s, and he could see how amused she was, so he decided to let the others stay.
“Tell me some stories about your school,” Constance said.
“Oh, there are so many stories, I wouldn’t know where to start,” Freddie said.
“I do!” Agatha said. “Leonard didn’t want to be a farmer like the other boys in school, and he wasn’t afraid to tell people. Once he fell asleep during class, and though the corner was full, he did have to write, ‘I will not sleep in class,’ one hundred times on the blackboard during our lunch hour.”
Constance smiled at Leonard, imagining him sleeping in class. “I fell asleep in class once too, but my seatmate noticed, and she woke me before the teacher could.”
“That’s good!” Agatha said. “We all saw Leonard sleeping, but we just laughed, and he got caught. Isn’t that funny?”
By the time they were finished eating, Constance had heard many stories of Leonard’s misadventures at school. Stories she would remember so she could tell their children.
As soon as they got home, Constance started chicken on to boil and then she mixed up the dough for dumplings. Leonard had yet to try her chicken and dumplings, and she was eager for him to do so. She also thought they would be an effective way to make a first impression at the church supper.
While she worked at making supper for the social, Leonard went into the parlor and fixed a small hole she’d spotted in the wall where she was certain mice would come in.
As they drove with their pot and Constance in her best dress that she was supposed to be married in, she told him she’d like a cat. “We always had barn cats at home, but Ma would bring them in the house if we had a mouse problem. I’d like to get one for the house, so we don’t have to worry about borrowing one.” Besides, she’d always wanted a pet.
