The cool wetness of the snowstick blanketed the thick material of her blue and white winter coat and found the bare skin of her nose and warm cheeks. But Vandalia of the Van Huysen farm did not mind the chill. So long as her beloved husband drew her close, she felt warm and dry, even if it were pouring rain and her dress were soaked to her skin.
“There now, love, it’s just as I told you.”
Before Vandalia could respond, Silas tenderly kissed her brow, as if putting a finger to his lips, so as not to interrupt her thoughts. Yet she needed no words. His actions spoke for him. He was always more eloquent than her, so it was only necessary for Vandalia to smile in love and offer him a reply in kind.
Even the sky was kind. It was clear and very blue, with not a single cloud in sight. The clouds might be threatening around the corners of the sky, but on this day they could not touch their love. Silas, his short dark brown hair plastered to his head with sweat from their exertion, stood before a small breakfast table that had been covered with white tablecloths. The maples of the nearby forest rustled, but the young couple were so caught up in each other that they did not hear.
Silas smiled at his wife. “I’ve got to go upstairs to finish getting things ready for dinner. The waistcoat clip and vest are in the chest in my room. And my coat and the hearth-starter are in the living room.”
“Keep the fire going?”
“Yes, love of my life, yes.”
Silas’s wife ran her hands across his chest. It was the first time she had ever felt his body—the first time she had ever experienced his love, and she knew it was as real as the fact that her own hands moved on him. His heart was speeding up, his breath quickened. Though their marriage had only been three weeks, Silas felt he was part of Vandalia for as many years, for as many days, and for as many minutes. Vandalia was his love.
“By the way, love, I’m going to have to leave you for supper,” he whispered now, feeling the tenderness of her smooth cheek against his own. “We’ve been working so hard that I want this house to be nice and ready for winter.”
Vandalia smiled up at her husband as his kiss left her face and found its way into her hair. “That will be fine, love.” She replied.
He turned and stopped at the door, turning his love to face him. She gave him a small kiss on his tightened lips. “You’re going to be so lonely. Wait for me. I’ll be home before dark, love. Don’t worry.”
“Little one, if you only knew how lonely I’ll be all evening without you…”
Vandalia nodded and pursed her lips. They each knew the conversation well. They both understood that their time together could not be interrupted.
“Vandalia,” Silas began. “Love of my-…”
His wife put her hand up and, with a sincere smile, shook her head at him.
Silas chuckled and swept her up into his arms. She gasped at his strength, but neither Judas nor the room with black walls nor the misty Chicago streets or any other place in the world really seemed as important as her husband’s strong arms.
“What a little kiss-”
A soft feminine cough broke through Silas’s lack of words, and he and his wife turned to the open doorway to see Judas, their horse-and-buggy-driving nursemaid, holding something she had picked up in the kitchen.
“Judas, what have you found in the kitchen?” Silas asked as he set Vandalia down.
“Found? I didn’t find anything.” Judas responded as he turned to the twenty-seven-year-old Vandalia. “Vandalia, Miss Daisy from the big city is coming to visit. She’s a big-time movie star, and she’s going to be staying at the neighbor’s house for about a week. She’s Mr. Forgrin’s wife, and she wanted to know if you and Silas would like to come over for supper or a visit, some evening. But she said she won’t be coming to town till she gets everything in order up there.”
“Miss Daisy?” Vandalia could not remember ever hearing her husband speak her name. Only in the doctor’s office and in labor had she heard her name spoken aloud.
“You never told her about me?” Vandalia laughed happily. “Well, where do we send our regrets?”
“We don’t have to send anything. She said you could just come out.”
“New city, new people. She knows nobody. That’s only what’s right.”
“Well, if you insist…”
“Silas, I am glad you could have your breakfast tonight. I am going to wash up some water and meet you in the living room.”
“You can go ahead, Vandalia. I’ll finish up up here.”
“But you have not had breakfast yet.”
“Then you can have mine. You’ll be here when I get back; I’m not going to worry about a few minutes.”
“Gosh, Silas, you make me so proud. The city is such a fine bit of work.”
“How does that mean, Silas, ‘the city is a fine bit of work’?” Judas asked the couple with a laugh. “You don’t work for money. I do my best to work for my health and have to work just to keep my children clothed and fed. It is all I know how to do. I don’t see the city as a fine bit of work.”
“You’re right. Well, Ada, I’ve taken the better part of this afternoon to wish the two of you the best of luck, and it is really unnecessary for you to be here right now. I have congratulated the both of you, and your best friend should be home for the evening meal. You worked hard, and so you should be able to rest in the evening. You’re not a spring chicken anymore, Ada, and a rest will do you good. Now, that’s what you should do every day.”
“Congratulated the two of us? That’s a fine bit of work to do! And you think a rest will do me good? Well,” she sighed, and snatched the coat away from Vandalia as she came out of the bedroom. “Now what do you think is needed for this coat, Jehosephat?”
“The best that’s available in town.” He replied, shaking his head gently as he went out the kitchen door in the direction of the stairs.
The kitchen was amazing, a large room divided into three areas: a place for the table, a place for the stove, and a place for the cook. The stove was in the middle, and was prepared to boil and cook when needed. The sweep of it and the shape was exceptional. Everything was so perfect—from the stove to the table. The wood on the table was arranged and set in the pattern that had been worked out for the kitchen. It was the same table as in the living room. But instead of using it for food, the dining room table and chairs were used in the living room.
“And I will tell you something, girls. I’m glad you have bought that kitchen. It makes the whole house so lovely.”
Vandalia was pleased to hear that from her friend. Since she and Silas had been married, the only people she and Silas had had over were her cousins, a neighbor, and the doctor.
The kitchen continued to move the young people to talk about the advantages of this kitchen over the kitchen she had had in Chicago. They talked about the cost, the benefits, what was required, and what was left.
Judas sat in the kitchen and listened with a smile. The ladies had become so much happier since the kitchen, the house, and the life were created by the two women. The only problem they had now was the men.
“Boys,” Judas said to the four people on the final floor of the house. “Marmalade will not be happy because she has run off on her husband. He has gone back to the city and left her alone.”
“She should have been home with Silas tonight,” Asta interjected, then stopped. “She’s not gone with Silas is she?”
“No, she’s not gone. We’re all just about ready to sit down for supper. Judas, go outside and give him a privilege of some kind.”
“Yes, Miss Mulda.” Judas walked outside to the horse-and-buggy that was to take him back to his house.
Vandalia and Silas sat down together and breathed deeply. Every time they expected their lives to begin their happiness was stolen from them. For so long, they had only dreamed of being together to work with hands and mine the ground for food and shelter. But every time they had taken a good step in the direction, something had stopped them. Only once that they could remember did they have a moment of peace—that moment of peace was always stopped just as quickly as it had come.
This was the first time they had had great moments of peace and happiness, and it had come by their own doing. Vandalia and Silas were part of it. Every person around them knew how to do something, and it was the people themselves who had had to do it.
Silas excused himself as he felt his stomach grumble.
Vandalia slid from the chair and felt her empty stomach growl at her. “Look at this! I am so glad. I need to cook tonight.”
Vandalia walked to the kitchen of a quick pace. She was excited. She had never cooked before, and she hoped and prayed she could do it well enough to be worthy of being called Vandalia.
In the minutes before the first potato was cut, Vandalia worked hard to produce a wonderful meal; the potatoes were divided into ones that were boiled, and those that were fried. In just a few minutes, she had the potatoes all ready. She moved onto side dishes, and then pans.
She stirred a pot of soup and looked into another where stir-fried vegetables made a delicate sound. She pulled the spoon out of the pot of soup and poured it into dishes that had already been set. Then she pulled the pot from the stove and poured the stir-fried vegetables into a mixing bowl. She mixed them all together and leaned back in the chair to take a long breath.
In a few more minutes she had a table set and looked at the results of her work. Silas arrived. His eyes were wide and all the words he had wanted to say to her died as they looked at the meal together.
“You did this? I made this?” He said with astonishment.
“Yes. I did. Now sit down and eat, and remember that for the most part you must go slow to succeed.”
“Oh my.” Silas sat down with a big smile on his face.
When Judas came home, he took on his plate to follow the others into the kitchen. “I know what you have made. Understand, Miss Vandalia, that you do not know how to work hard, so do not think about the little things. You will do the best that you can, and I know it will be good.”
“It will be the baby and I’s chance to play and be with one another.”
From that evening their life was nothing but happiness. Vandalia and Silas did not have to wait anymore for their home to feel like home. Their house was ready for them from the minute they announced to everybody that the house was theirs and that they had bought it. It was theirs and there was nothing around that would separate them from one another.
Vandalia and Silas were a family. They had finished their lives they had started and were thankful for the days they had been given. They were grateful for all that had happened and were thankful to one another.
As life went on, Vandalia and Silas learned all that you could and should know about the city. Their city, Allgood, was the only city for hundreds of miles in any direction. No one felt that it was too big for them to live in. It was the city for the people that believed that a great city is only great because everybody finds a way to live together.
And they were happy. Nearly every day Vandalia and Silas found a way to be happy.