Almanzo and Laura spend an afternoon by the lake learning about sunrises and sunsets and about themselves. Story complete in one chapter
Sunrise, Sunset
It was still dark when Almanzo walked out of the barn carrying the milk can. He was whistling as he walked into the kitchen, transferred the milk from the large can to the smaller can, which he placed on the kitchen counter near the sink. Then he poured the rest into two more milk cans, grabbed both cans and deposited them in the root cellar.
He didn't see the streaks of light in the eastern sky until he climbed out of it.
"BETH," he called, "BETH."
"I'm over by the chickens, Manly," Laura called back as he ran over to join her.
He smiled and put his arms around her. He moved her in front of him and held her close. "It's so beautiful," he whispered, his chin resting on her shoulder.
"Isn't it?" she answered leaning her body against his.
They were quiet as they watched the first light of the new day peek out over the clouds of darkness, Almanzo's arms wrapped around Laura's waist as Laura's hands held on tightly to those strong arms.
"Oh, Beth," Almanzo whispered, as the sun climbed higher in the sky. "I don't know how I missed something as beautiful as the sun coming up first thing in the morning. I've always been out here this time of day, but I never appreciated it until you came along."
Laura smiled. She turned around to face him.
"The sunrise means new beginnings and awakenings. It gives us time to make a fresh start to plan and prepare for our long day's work."
"I always thought that sunrises and sunsets stood for the same thing?" Almanzo asked.
"The sunset means that it's time to rest from our daily activities. It gives us time to reflect and helps us get ready for the coming day."
Almanzo didn't say anything, just kept on staring into those big brown eyes of hers, a smile on his face.
"Well, you sure straightened me out," he answered as he pulled her close.
"I guess," Laura answered, looking into his blue eyes. "I always thought that I was the most beautiful sight you see every morning," she teased.
Almanzo grinned and took her in his arms. "You're special, Beth. There is no one like you in the whole world and I love it that way."
"And what makes you think you're not special, Almanzo Wilder. I don't fall in love with just anyone you know."
He stared at her, that shy smile playing on his lips. "I love you, Beth," he whispered.
"And I love you, Manly," she whispered back. "Come on, breakfast is already on the table, hopefully it's not too cold."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So this is what you meant when you asked me to have dinner out," Laura said, looking at him, a smile on her face.
"This is a great spot for sunsets," Almanzo said, as he jumped off the rig. He reached up to help her down and went to get the blanket and the picnic basket.
Laura smiled, pulling him close. "Manly, you know that…"
He smiled. "I know that the sunrise is your favorite part of the day and it's starting to become mine. I love watching them with you every morning, but I thought we'd compare the two, spot the differences and discuss it when we get back later."
He kissed her lightly and pulled back, staring into her eyes.
"Is there going to be a test later on?" she teased, looking at him.
"Only if you want one," he answered.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Beth," he said, not sure if she was asleep or not. They were still on the blanket by the lake, his head on her lap.
"You okay?"
He nodded. "You know," Almanzo said, "You've never told me how you felt about me. "
"What are you talking about, Manly?"
"When did you fell in love with me? I mean, when did you first know?"
He sat up and looked at her, his eyes wide. A little shy smile played on his lips.
"It was love at first sight, Manly," Laura said, looking at him. "In the back of my mind, I kinda always knew that we would end up together."
"Did you?" he caressed her cheek with his thumb. He smiled. "I should have noticed it."
Laura smiled. "Why? I was just a little kid to you. You didn't take me seriously. Look at what happened when I asked if I could ride behind Barnum."
Almanzo smiled widely and shook his head. "I was wrong, Beth. You showed me that I was wrong. I was wrong about so many things including our age difference. I don't even remember when I stopped paying attention to it."
"I don't think I ever let it bother me, Manly. I think it bothered Pa more than it did me."
Almanzo smiled and nodded. "I always knew I had feelings for you, but I didn't know how much until I picked you up at the end of your first week. You looked so different that I forgot there was an age difference. I fell in love so darn fast, I couldn't stop myself."
"Did you want to?"
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I could never stop loving you."
They stared at one another, not realizing how dark it had been getting. It was Laura who brought it up.
"Manly, look," she said, "the sunset, look at how beautiful it is."
He smiled as he turned around and watched as the sky turn a deep golden brown as the sun, now a bright orange, sunk lower in the western sky.
He turned around to face her, his eyes just as wide as the smile on his face.
"It sure is beautiful," he said and hugged her tightly. "
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
It didn't take them long to get back home.
"Thank you for this afternoon, Manly," she said, as she brushed her hair. She stood up and walked toward the bed.
"You're welcome, Beth," he answered as he climbed in.
"Well, so what did you think," Laura said, as the two of them settled in bed.
"Not sure about the differences yet, I gotta think about it" Manly answered, "but I can tell you one thing."
"What?"
He took her in his arms. "There's nothing as beautiful as you are, Beth," he said, as he kissed her.
No comments:
Post a Comment