A Little House fill in. Takes place a week after Divorce Walnut Grove Style. While dusting the mantle on the fireplace, Laura finds something that was placed a week and a half ago. Story complete in one chapter.
The Gift
Laura stared at the beautifully neatly wrapped package for, well, she wasn't sure how long now. She was sure it had been almost a week and a half since she found it while she was dusting the mantle on top of the fireplace. She wasn't sure what to do with it or who it was for or how and why it was there in the first place.
And she couldn't even ask Manly because he and her father were off delivering something to someone in Mankato this time. They were talking about starting up a new freighting service, but she couldn't understand why. What was it, Ingalls and Wilder or was it Wilder and Ingalls? She couldn't remember. Ma had told her the business names were in alphabetical order, so it had to be Ingalls and Wilder, right?
Their first and only trip had been a disaster, but it was fun to watch Almanzo and Pa burn the dinner that night. The menfolk ended up joining the womenfolk at Nellie's place later on. Despite everything that happened, it ended up being an enjoyable evening.
Laura wondered if that was the reason they decided to try again.
But getting back to that package, what was it? Where did it come from? And how long had it been there?
There was a card attached to the ribbon, but no one signed it. Not a signature, sentiment or name of a store. No identification, not even a clue. Just a pretty wrapped package tied with a bow.
Was it old? Was it new? Could it have been Eliza Jane's before she moved out of the house for the teaching job in Currie? The possibilities were endless.
Could it possibly have been a gift for her from Almanzo? She shook her head. If it was why the heck had it been sitting up on the mantle in the first place? Why hadn't he given it to her?
And then she remembered what her Pa had said about how Almanzo was so excited that everything had been straightened out that he even bought her a present. And that he didn't present the picture of a guilty husband. And what did she say?
"I'm sure Almanzo's getting very good at that."
Even Ma agreed until Pa told her to get in the wagon and that they were going to straighten the whole thing out once and for all.
That was the day they argued about Brenda Sue or was it the day after? No matter, it was a week and a half ago now. Everything had been straightened out. Everything was good. No love affair going on, just a little misunderstanding.
She kept staring at it, in fact, she had stared at it every single day since she found it.
Well, who else could it be for, Laura Ingalls Wilder, she thought as she took it down. A whole week it was there and no one noticed it, not even Manly.
She tore off the wrapping and opened up the box it came in.
"Toilet water," she said, opening the green blue bottle and giving it a sniff. Laura smiled as she remembered the smell, lemon verbena. She had to hand it to Manly, he had great taste in gifts, but how did he know that she had loved it so much?
But then she remembered. She told him over dinner one night when they reminiscing what they had done as kids. He told her about bathing in a bucket and she told him about the lemon verbena.
She smiled, remembering. Good times and bad times, sunshine and shadow; you give a little and he gives a little. Marriage was a compromise; a two way street. You give a little and he gives a little.
She uncapped the bottle a placed a little on both sides of her face, closest to the ear as Miss Beadle had taught her so long ago. The menfolk were due home sometime today.
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"Beth," Manly called out as he entered the house. She wasn't outside to greet him as she normally would have been, but that was okay. She wasn't sure when he was going to be home, he wasn't sure when he was going to be home either.
"Beth?" he called again, up the stairs this time.
He ran upstairs and found her on their bed asleep. This wasn't like her; she was usually up and around, keeping up with chores that he couldn't even keep up with. There was something gleaming at him, some bluish green light reflecting off the setting sun that caught his attention. Curious, he bent down and picked up the bottle of the toilet water he picked up last week in Sleepy Eye. He turned the bottle around in his hand. Where the heck had she found this? He had put it down somewhere, but he couldn't remember where he'd put it.
Leave it for Laura to find anything lost, Almanzo thought and smiled. He looked down at her and the love he felt for her outweighed any other feelings he had inside. All he cared about was her and her alone.
And so he lay down next to her, his back away from her and his arms around her waist. He didn't want to wake her; his heart wouldn't let him. He cuddled a little closer to her and kissed her behind the ear. The scent of the lemon verbena made him dizzy and sleepy at the same time and it didn't take long before he fell asleep cuddled next to her.
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The early morning light found Almanzo in the same position. She had to free herself from his arms before could milk the cow and feed the chickens. When she was finished, she let herself in and saw something she was sure she hadn't seen before. Another small box was waiting for her. She smiled and practically ran up the steps to see how her husband was doing.
She leaned over him, kissed him softly on his cheek and whispered in his ear that breakfast was ready. He turned around and, with a wide smile, grabbed her and pulled her down.
"I missed you," he said, as they lay together, "I can't go one day without you next to me,"
They kissed again, but suddenly he broke apart.
"Manly, where are you going?" she said innocently.
"The cows and the chickens, Beth, they need to be taken…"
Her kiss cut his words off.
"Laura," he said, when they parted. "Don't tell me you…"
She smiled and nodded her head.
"And by the way, thank you for the gift or should I say both of them?"
But there was no answer as he kissed her again.
"Where'd you find that? I looked all over …"
"Shh," she whispered and kissed him again.
"You saw the other one?" Almanzo asked between kisses.
"I did, but didn't open it yet," she answered.
"So you have no idea what it is?"
"No, am I supposed to?," she asked, looking at him.
Manly sat up. He reached over and grabbed the green blue bottle off her night table. He held it up and then handed it to her.
Laura looked at the bottle, then back at him. "You mean it's a replacement?"
Almanzo nodded. "You still haven't answered me, Beth. Where did you find it?"
"On the mantle downstairs on top of the fireplace, Manly. It was partially buried under that red velvet cloth that's covering it. I wasn't sure what it was and I pulled it out. That's the present you bought in Sleepy Eye the day we had the fight over Brenda Sue, wasn't it?"
Almanzo nodded and then he frowned. "Did your father..."
Laura nodded. "Yep, Pa told me you got me a present, but then again, he might not have."
Almanzo let the comment go. Charles told him that he mentioned the present to her when Almanzo replaced the first one in Mankato. He smiled and wrapped her up in his arms. "So now you are the proud owner of two of them. I figure you might have enough now for the rest of our lives together."
"Almanzo Wilder," she scolded, as she watched his grin get wider. "I just might surprise you and wear that scent every single day from now on."
He shook his head and pulled her closer. "I wouldn't mind it if you did, Beth." And he kissed her again.
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