Page 14 - Publishing Inspiration Christmas Card 2023
P. 14

An Unusual Courtship
                               (Halloween Help part 2)
                                         l
            After helping Mrs. Levi harvest her garden and apple trees, we sat down
     to hot chocolate and cookies, and she shared the story about how she and her
     husband, William, met.
            “My father had one brother, and my mother had no siblings,” she said.
     “My father and my uncle were about as different as could be for two brothers.
     My uncle was lazy, and my father worked hard.  Unfortunately, when my
     grandparents died, my uncle inherited the farm.  My father worked hard and
     bought a farm of his own.
            “My parents wanted children but couldn’t have any for many years.
     They were really excited when I came along.  Life was good for me.  My dad
     made sure we spent lots of time together, fishing, camping, or doing other fun
     things.
            “But when I was around ten, my parents were killed in an accident.  My
     uncle was my only relative, so I went there to live.  Both he and my aunt made
     it clear they didn’t want me, but my uncle accepted me because I was to inherit
     the sale of my parent’s farm.  I never saw a penny of it, and they made me work
     like a servant in their home.  I had to clean, do laundry, cook all the meals, and
     do a myriad of other chores.
            “My uncle was too lazy to work his farm, so he rented it out for half the
     profit of whatever was grown.  He often lost much of that gambling.  My
     cousins treated me like a servant, too, all except Leah.  She was about five
     years younger than me, and she liked to help me cook.  She also liked me to
     read to her.
            “When my cousins went to school, I wanted to go, too, but my aunt and
     uncle wouldn’t let me.  They said I had chores to do.  There were only two
     things I enjoyed: cookies that I baked, and reading.  There were few books
     around their home, so Leah would bring some home from school.
            “Through the years, Leah and I became best friends, but I was still
     lonely for others my age.  Then, when I was sixteen, the farmer that rented my
     uncle’s farm was William’s father.  That’s how I met William.  I thought he
     was the kindest, most handsome man I had ever met.  I would take extra time



                                          11
   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19