A Reflection on Friendship: LHOP inspired fan fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

A Reflection on Friendship

LHOP inspired fan fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Disclaimer: I do not own the Little House on the Prairie television series, book series, or any of the characters.

Almanzo couldn't get her out of his mind. It confused him. Wasn't she just a child? Wasn't she only a young girl who had a crush on him that she would surely outgrow — once she matured?

Perhaps he had been tired when he ran to her, excited his horse Barnum had not been crippled by the reckless behavior of his younger brother, Perley Day. And yet, she felt so right nestled up against his body; her tiny frame fitting perfectly in his embrace. The impetuous kisses he placed on the top of her head signified more than mere friendship. He remembered her hair; long and flowing, reddish-brown, sparkling in the morning sun. It was still beautiful after a night without sleep.

"Hey Almanzo, ya gonna stop daydreaming and get my order?"

"What?" Almanzo felt the heat of a blush on his cheeks. "Sorry, Mr. Morgan. I'll start loadin' ya up right away."

He waved goodbye to Mr. Morgan when he was done and looked at the next order on the list. His gaze spotted Laura walking over the bridge with her siblings on the way to school. She strolled over to the platform at the Feed and Seed.

"Hi, Manly," she said with a huge smile on her face.

"Howdy, Beth." He purposely kept his tone polite, but not too friendly.

"How's Barnum doing?"

"He's fine."

She squinted her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

Laura shrugged. "I don't know, it's just you're acting kind of strange."

"Got a lot on my mind."

Just then, the school bell rang. "Gotta go. See ya, Manly."

Laura ran off towards the schoolhouse. His stare lingered after her, following her up the school steps and ending at the open door long after she had disappeared inside. She had run from the barn to the house that morning when they found out Barnum would recover. She declared she would prepare breakfast and dashed into the little house on Plum Creek. Maybe she was just happy that Barnum was okay, or perhaps she was excited to share her table with Almanzo. She had seemed young to him then; much younger than she had during the night when she carried pots of coffee out to her pa and him while they tended to Barnum's injured leg.

She was just a school girl, after all, while he was a man with a job and a farm to run. They shared a special connection from the time they met, he couldn't deny that. But he had never seen her as anything more than a young friend — until now. And still his mind played tricks on him. There were moments when she seemed like a child, playing baseball and shooting marbles in the schoolyard. Then there were other times when even as his junior she had taught him a lesson in life.

Almanzo turned his back to the schoolhouse and shuffled into the office of the Feed and Seed. He hung the clipboard on the nail sticking out of the wall. He tried to clear his mind of the thoughts floating around his head. This was nonsense. Laura was just a friend, plain and simple. They would never be anything more.

Copyright Cheryl C. Malandrinos - All Rights Reserved.