This is a continuation of the story Childhood Memories. Laura is in the living room of the Rock House, writing, when Almanzo comes to visit her with a special request. I am hoping to continue writing about different episodes that Laura remembers from her childhood that she'll share with Almanzo.
Childhood Memories 2
“Back for more, I see,” Laura said, as Almanzo crept into the living room of the Rock House.
Manly plopped down on the chair that was situated right next to her desk.
“Yes, but I have a request this time, maybe two.”
“And, may I ask from whom?”
Almanzo smiled. “Well, from me. I wanted to hear about Albert again; the one about how you met him and how your Ma and Pa adopted him. And then, maybe about that calf your father got for him, Fagin? That was his name wasn’t it?”
"Yep, that was his name. Got it from a book he said he read once. Oliver Twist, Albert said." Laura looked at him. "What do you want to hear first?"
Manly smiled. "You can start with how you two met, then you can tell me the rest."
“Well, we met him in Winoka, you know,” Laura said, smiling. She stared at him. “I was the first one to see him walking down the street, a shoe shine kit around his neck. He was so cute, Manly, a little dark haired boy with a beige cap on his head. He caught me looking at him and then he smiled, one of those big wide smiles of his. He winked at me and pulled off his cap. Something about him, Almanzo, it was like….”
“The two of you always got along so well,” Almanzo whispered, looking at her. “Always close as if you belonged together. I always felt…”
“Oh Manly, stop it. We always loved one another and yes, we were always close, but it wasn’t that kind of love, not the kind between you and me. He was my brother.”
Laura stood up and walked to the window to look out. “You know, we weren’t always so close. There was a time I was jealous of him.”
Almanzo stood up and joined her at the window. “Yes, I remember you telling me. Fagin, the little calf your Pa brought home for him to raise, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. That’s where I learned all about raising a male calf. Albert ran away when he discovered I was jealous. He didn’t want to come between Pa and me.
“So what happened?”
“We entered him in a contest at the county fair, Manly. It was for biggest calf. That’s really what Albert was raising him for. Since Albert wasn’t there, I had to stand next to him. I hadn’t the slightest idea what to do until the day we took Fagin to the fair.”
“Well obviously, Albert came back,” Almanzo said, looking at Laura, a concerned expression on his face. “How did you find each other?”
“He showed up at the fair, Manly. Seemed he wanted to see if Fagin was going to win or not. Pa saw Albert and chased him until Pa caught up with him. Pa convinced Albert to stay and well, you know what happened.”
“And you accepted the award for Albert, if I remember right?”
She nodded her head, remembering. “Anyway, getting back to how we met, Pa became attached to him in Winoka. Albert used to live under the stairs of some building, that’s where we found him, that’s where Pa found him. He tracked him down when he caught him stealing a lantern from a store. Albert didn’t want to go back to the orphanage again and he told Pa he needed to steal to survive. Pa felt bad for him and ended up buying the lantern for him. Pa invited him to Mary’s birthday party and everyone fell in love with him.”
She turned from the window and found Almanzo staring at her.
“Pa always wanted a son, Manly, you know that. Albert was the son he never had. Not until you showed up anyway. “
Almanzo picked his hand up and touched her cheek with his thumb.
“He came back with you, didn’t he?”
Laura nodded. “Not as his son, but as a friend. Pa adopted him later on, about the time you and your sister showed up in Walnut Grove. It was your sister’s homework assignment that started the whole mess. Eliza Jane listed all her relatives and told us to make up a family tree of our own family. Nellie got in the act and wouldn’t leave Albert alone about how he really wasn’t born an Ingalls. The orphanage found Albert’s real father, Jeremy Quinn, who was also a farmer. He wanted Albert back because, well, at the time, he was eleven years old. Pa said that the only thing Mr. Quinn wanted to know if Albert was strong enough to help him out on the farm. After all, he was eleven and old enough and he needed the help badly. Seems that’s the only thing he was interested in. Albert really didn’t want to go back to him, so he pretended he was blind. It worked and he became Albert Quinn Ingalls from that day on. No one thought to ask what about his family history was, as far as disease was concerned. We loved him and that’s all that mattered.”
Almanzo stared at her. He hadn’t said one word since she began her story.
“Oh, Laura, none of it was your fault. No one knew his family history. It happened. At least he did become a doctor and he took good care of Pa and the family when they all moved back to Walnut Grove. The time you climbed up that hill with him and the kids to the Keepsake Tree.”
“Harper’s Bluff,” Laura corrected him. “It was a field trip. We wanted to see if Albert could make it or not. And he did.”
“We all followed you two up that hill, Beth. I didn’t take my eyes off you once. I couldn’t. And I wasn’t jealous of Albert. I knew you loved him as a brother. He loved all of us, including me. I’ll never forget the look on his face when I picked up your bag and brought it into the schoolhouse. He knew somehow, Beth. He knew that we had gotten married the minute he saw me. He came over to shake my hand and called me his brother in law. Remember?”
Laura smiled and nodded her head. She could feel the tears welling up. “That was Ma’s carpet bag that went to Radnor, Ohio. It was the day after we were married at the Blind School in Sleepy Eye. He was so surprised when your sister and I walked into the classroom. He was monitoring the class. He had the widest smile on his face….”
And she fell into his arms and he pulled her close. “Beth,” he whispered, “My Beth.”
“I miss him, Almanzo. I miss him so much.”
“Let’s go a walk, Beth. My leg could use a little exercise right now and it’ll be good for the both of us.”
He released her and dried her tears with his thumb.
Almanzo grabbed his cane and placed his arm around Laura and the two walked to the door of the Rock House. It was then he opened it, let Laura walk out first and closed the door behind them.
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