I married Todd because I was afraid
if I didn"t, then I would have to settle for someone who
wouldn"t treat me as well as he did. I was wrong about
Kent. I had thought he was the right one for me. My
parents had warned me about him. They also
recommended Todd. So, in the end, I decided to trust their
judgment. Maybe it was a selfish reason, but I was afraid I"d
give up the best husband I could have.
We stopped by our minister"s house, and fortunately
he was there so we didn"t have to go find another one. We
did want the minister we grew up with to marry us. During
the simple ceremony, I thought about my parents" dream for
me to have an elaborate wedding with lots of guests, food
and music. The only person to witness the event was his
wife. There was no food or music. The minister did
question us about our decision, but since we had reached
the age of accountability, he agreed to marry us.
Once we were married, we thanked the minister and
headed out of Virginia. Todd"s cautious nature made me
anxious, for I feared our parents would find us and make us
return. I kept looking behind us, only reassured that we
were safe when I didn"t see any lanterns in the distance.
“I"ve been mapping out a trail to North Dakota for
months,” he assured me when he noticed my distress.
“Someone who hasn"t studied the trails will get lost.”
49
Falling In Love With Her Husband
Stil , I couldn"t relax, especially when he stopped to
let the horses take a break.
“Do we have to stop now?” I wondered, fiddling with
the white lace on the sleeve of my dress.
“They need to rest for a few moments. They have a
long journey ahead of them. We don"t want to wear them
out.” He hopped off the wagon, untied his horses and led
them to the stream so they could drink the water.
Afterwards, he fed them some carrots.
I wondered what time it was as I stared at the full
moon. It real y was a beautiful sight. Why hadn"t I noticed it
before?
When he hooked the horses up and sat next to me, I
asked, “What if our parents do find us?”
He paused for a moment. “Then we were meant to
stay in Virginia.”
I frowned. Why did we have to rely on horses for
transportation when trains were much more practical?
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“Actual y, I am.”
He grabbed a blanket from behind the seat and
wrapped it around my shoulders.
“Thank you,” I whispered, pleased by his concern.
He stared at me, as if he wished to say or do
something. Suddenly, I felt strange. We were married now.
How would things change between us?
The moment passed, for he must have decided
against whatever thought raced through his head. I chose
not to ask what he wanted. Instead I closed my eyes. We
didn"t say much that night as we traveled. It seemed that
words weren"t necessary. I was actually comfortable in the
silence we shared. Eventually, I went back into the wagon
and fell asleep.
***
50
Falling In Love With Her Husband
Todd didn"t sleep that night. He made frequent stops
so the horses could rest. I slept through most of the night,
which proved my mother correct when she once commented
that I could sleep through anything. By the time dawn
arrived, I woke up. My back and neck were stiff. I never
experienced such discomfort before and asked Todd if it
was normal. He assured me it was and stopped the horses
so I could stretch and walk around in order to loosen my
tight muscles.
When we were ready to ride again, he handed me
food called jerky. “It won"t last us all the way to North
Dakota but it"s suitable for now.”
That was the first cold and tough meal I ever ate, but
I was so hungry that it tasted better than the meals I was
used to.
By mid-day, my dress became unbearable. I asked
him to stop so I could change into one of my more
comfortable dresses. He stopped so I could do so. I took
one of my other dresses out of my carpet bag and went
behind some bushes to change.
if I didn"t, then I would have to settle for someone who
wouldn"t treat me as well as he did. I was wrong about
Kent. I had thought he was the right one for me. My
parents had warned me about him. They also
recommended Todd. So, in the end, I decided to trust their
judgment. Maybe it was a selfish reason, but I was afraid I"d
give up the best husband I could have.
We stopped by our minister"s house, and fortunately
he was there so we didn"t have to go find another one. We
did want the minister we grew up with to marry us. During
the simple ceremony, I thought about my parents" dream for
me to have an elaborate wedding with lots of guests, food
and music. The only person to witness the event was his
wife. There was no food or music. The minister did
question us about our decision, but since we had reached
the age of accountability, he agreed to marry us.
Once we were married, we thanked the minister and
headed out of Virginia. Todd"s cautious nature made me
anxious, for I feared our parents would find us and make us
return. I kept looking behind us, only reassured that we
were safe when I didn"t see any lanterns in the distance.
“I"ve been mapping out a trail to North Dakota for
months,” he assured me when he noticed my distress.
“Someone who hasn"t studied the trails will get lost.”
49
Falling In Love With Her Husband
Stil , I couldn"t relax, especially when he stopped to
let the horses take a break.
“Do we have to stop now?” I wondered, fiddling with
the white lace on the sleeve of my dress.
“They need to rest for a few moments. They have a
long journey ahead of them. We don"t want to wear them
out.” He hopped off the wagon, untied his horses and led
them to the stream so they could drink the water.
Afterwards, he fed them some carrots.
I wondered what time it was as I stared at the full
moon. It real y was a beautiful sight. Why hadn"t I noticed it
before?
When he hooked the horses up and sat next to me, I
asked, “What if our parents do find us?”
He paused for a moment. “Then we were meant to
stay in Virginia.”
I frowned. Why did we have to rely on horses for
transportation when trains were much more practical?
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“Actual y, I am.”
He grabbed a blanket from behind the seat and
wrapped it around my shoulders.
“Thank you,” I whispered, pleased by his concern.
He stared at me, as if he wished to say or do
something. Suddenly, I felt strange. We were married now.
How would things change between us?
The moment passed, for he must have decided
against whatever thought raced through his head. I chose
not to ask what he wanted. Instead I closed my eyes. We
didn"t say much that night as we traveled. It seemed that
words weren"t necessary. I was actually comfortable in the
silence we shared. Eventually, I went back into the wagon
and fell asleep.
***
50
Falling In Love With Her Husband
Todd didn"t sleep that night. He made frequent stops
so the horses could rest. I slept through most of the night,
which proved my mother correct when she once commented
that I could sleep through anything. By the time dawn
arrived, I woke up. My back and neck were stiff. I never
experienced such discomfort before and asked Todd if it
was normal. He assured me it was and stopped the horses
so I could stretch and walk around in order to loosen my
tight muscles.
When we were ready to ride again, he handed me
food called jerky. “It won"t last us all the way to North
Dakota but it"s suitable for now.”
That was the first cold and tough meal I ever ate, but
I was so hungry that it tasted better than the meals I was
used to.
By mid-day, my dress became unbearable. I asked
him to stop so I could change into one of my more
comfortable dresses. He stopped so I could do so. I took
one of my other dresses out of my carpet bag and went
behind some bushes to change.
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