A Sister’s Advice
LHOP inspired fan
fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos
Almanzo’s packed belongings sat at
the edge of his bed. One bag and one knapsack to carry with him to his new life
in Sleepy Eye. He would stop by Laura’s house this morning before school to
talk to her.
Eliza Jane had been quiet at supper
last night. They grew up together. They had never lived apart. When she left
home to accept the teaching position in Walnut Grove, he offered to go with
her. As hard as it was to leave his parents all alone in Spring Valley, as the
second oldest son, he had a responsibility to make sure she stayed safe. Royal
married years ago, and with Perley Day’s whereabouts unknown, Almanzo filled his
wagon with household items and provisions, and made the drive to his new home
with Eliza Jane.
Part of him struggled with his need for
independence versus his need to care for his sister, but seeing Mr. Ingalls in
town every day and sitting across the aisle from him at church on Sunday
mornings, pretending he agreed with Mr. Ingalls’s decision that Laura and he must
wait two years to marry, pushed him forward. He made plans for Ned Turner to
help with the farm while he was away, so at least Eliza Jane wouldn’t have to
worry about managing all the chores by herself.
Almanzo’s boots thudded on the
stairs as he marched down to the kitchen for breakfast. He doubted his sister
would allow him to go without a lecture, but he had made up his mind. He wanted
a future with Laura, and her overprotective father stood in the way of their
happiness.
“Good morning, Sis.” He caught how
she glanced out of the corner of her eye at him as she stirred scrambled eggs
in a cast iron pan.
Eliza Jane poured him a cup of
coffee and handed it to him. “Good morning, Mannie. Sleep well.”
What
is she up to? He knew his sister well enough to know that the temporary
shock of last night’s announcement had worn off. She would have plenty to say.
He shrugged. “Not really, but I have
a lot on my mind.”
“I’m sure you do.” Eliza Jane slid a
plate of ham and eggs in front of his seat at the table and sat down at her
seat opposite him. She looked over the rim of her glasses. “Are you still
planning on leaving this morning?”
He nodded. “Yes. I’ll head over to
Laura’s place after I drop you off in town. Shouldn’t take her long to pack up.
Then we’ll head out to Sleepy Eye.” He shoveled a large forkful of food into
his mouth, which he washed down with a swig of coffee.
Eliza Jane crossed her arms and
leaned them on the table’s edge. “What makes you think Laura will go with you?”
Almanzo stopped his fork mid-air,
his mouth remaining open. “What do you mean?”
“She has a lot to consider, you
know.” Eliza Jane slid her mostly full plate aside. “Without warning you’re
going to ask her to pick up her life and move to Sleepy Eye? What about her
teaching? What about her family?”
His sister’s lecture quickly got
annoying. Beth would go with him. Hadn’t she been in love with him forever?
Didn’t she immediately say yes when he asked her to marry him?
“Sis, we are only moving to Sleepy
Eye, not Boston.” One corner of his mouth lifted, creating a crooked smile. “We
can come visit once we get settled.”
Eliza Jane pursed her lips as he
spoke. She stood straighter in her seat, like she did when she made a point to
a student. “Mannie, you know I want what’s best for you. I always have.” She
lowered her gaze and smiled. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciated you
coming with me to Walnut Grove when I accepted this job. I’m sure a single
young man had other things in mind for his life, but you chose to live here.”
She reached across the table and clutched
his hand. “While I am thankful, I never would have asked you to pick up everything
and move here with me.” Eliza Jane shook her head. “You’re not giving Laura any
choice. She loves you, and if she wants to be with you, she must leave the
place she has called home for years and leave behind her family. Are you sure
you want to ask that of her?”
Almanzo pushed his seat back and
stood. The heat of his anger rose to create a ring of sweat around his shirt
collar. “You don’t understand, Sis. How am I supposed to face Mr. Ingalls every
day and pretend that we agree when we don’t? How is Beth supposed to feel about
me as a husband if I can’t stand up and fight for what we want?”
He stormed off to the kitchen and
dropped his plate and cup in the sink. When he turned around, his red-headed
sister stood in the kitchen doorway. Tall and slender, her eyeglasses made her
appear older than she was. The red, black, and white plaid dress she often wore
to school didn’t help. Growing up in Malone, she used to be so fashionable.
Maybe if she ever had a beau, she
would know what it’s like to be in love and to want to spend your life with a
person so much it almost hurts to spend days apart. Painfully shy, Eliza Jane
felt most comfortable around her students.
“Almanzo, all I am saying is that if
you fight for what you want, you should be sure Laura wants the same thing. This
could go horribly wrong, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Almanzo’s shoulders drooped. How could
he stay angry with the sister he had looked up to all his life? He strolled
over and hugged her. “It will work out, Eliza Jane.”
The clock chimed seven times. “I
best get Barnum and Skip hitched up. Can’t have the teacher being late for
school.”
Almanzo plunked his hat on his head
and marched out to the barn. As he hitched up his Morgans, he thought more on
what his sister said. Could she be right?
Would Laura choose her pa over me? He shook those thoughts from his mind.
Laura loved him and he loved her. His plan would work out fine.
