her husband Fred.”
“How do you do?” Ramona greeted them with a curtsey, and
the two women shook hands.
“They’re goin’ to be stayin’ here with us, ‘til the
wedding.”
“Oh, of course. How lovely, it will be so much fun – all
bunking together.” Ramona smiled warmly at the couple, who beamed back at her.
“We’re so pleased to meet you, Ramona. You just make
yourself at home here, we’ll stay out of your way. This is your home now, and
you’re mighty welcome in it,” said Mary, grasping Ramona’s hand once more, her
bright eyes twinkling.
“Thank you Mary.”
“Come now, I’ll show you to your room,” said Michael,
leading the way.
As he showed her to the spare bedroom, Michael made a vow
to himself not to give up on her too quickly. Perhaps I can prove that I am
good enough to be her husband, he thought, showing Ramona to her bedroom as
he placed her satin bag down at the base of the four poster bed.
“She’s all set then?” Mary appeared behind Michael and
followed him out of Ramona’s room and down the hall.
“Yes. And I really want to thank you and Fred for staying
here with us.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Nothin’ to it Mike, we’re delighted to do it.” Fred was
seated in the living room back in front of the fire reading a book.
“The house is lovely, by the way,” said Mary, sitting down
beside Fred on a wooden chair that Michael had whittled from a leftover piece
of oak.
“Thank you kindly. I’m very happy with it. I just hope
Ramona will be content here, too.”
“Of course she will be. What more could any woman want?”
Mary smiled warmly at him, and picked up a half-finished shawl she was
knitting.
Michael snuck down the hallway five minutes later to say
goodnight to Ramona and to see if she needed anything else, but Ramona had
already fallen to sleep. The rhythmic sound of her breathing drifted out to him
through the open door, and he pulled it closed behind him with a smile. As he
strode toward his own bedroom, he couldn’t help wondering what the future might
be like, and hoped that his days of loneliness were finally over.
***
The next morning, Michael was summoned to the front door by
a loud knocking. Then Tony’s voice bellowed loudly through the house. “Michael!
Come on. We’re going to be late for work.”
Michael hurried to the door, pulling on his boots as he
went.
“Shhh,” he said. “Ramona’s sleeping. She’s exhausted. I’m running
late ‘cause I was creeping around, trying to be real quiet so as not to wake
her.”
Tony shook his head and tutted.
Walking to the construction site, Tony had plenty to say.
“She’s already got you under her spell. I hope you ain’t gonna make a habit of
being late. I see she’s the sort of princess type that likes to lay around all
day long. I won’t say I told you so, but.”
“Go easy Tony. It’s only her first morning after a long
trip.”
“So, she’s not a princess then?”
Michael paused before he spoke.
“She wears her hair in this real modern style,” Michael
commented. “People around here might think it’s too modern.” In fact he was worried
they would think Ramona was too modern, all round.
“I told you so,” Tony said pointedly. “Those New York women,
they ain’t got no place around here.” He lowered his voice. “And she’s foreign
on top of all that, ain’t she?”
“Italian parents,” Michael rolled his eyes. “Like you, Tony.
She was born and raised in New York. But none of that matters a jot to me
anyhow.”
“I’ll say it again. You should wait for a good old-fashioned
pioneering woman. Someone used to the frontier life. That’s what I’m fixin’ to
do. It won’t be long before this town is crawling with women. And a handsome
man like yourself ain’t gonna have any trouble finding a sweet, practical woman
to marry. You don’t need a fancy New York type. She’ll be of no earthly use at
all. Mark my words.”
Michael didn’t want
“How do you do?” Ramona greeted them with a curtsey, and
the two women shook hands.
“They’re goin’ to be stayin’ here with us, ‘til the
wedding.”
“Oh, of course. How lovely, it will be so much fun – all
bunking together.” Ramona smiled warmly at the couple, who beamed back at her.
“We’re so pleased to meet you, Ramona. You just make
yourself at home here, we’ll stay out of your way. This is your home now, and
you’re mighty welcome in it,” said Mary, grasping Ramona’s hand once more, her
bright eyes twinkling.
“Thank you Mary.”
“Come now, I’ll show you to your room,” said Michael,
leading the way.
As he showed her to the spare bedroom, Michael made a vow
to himself not to give up on her too quickly. Perhaps I can prove that I am
good enough to be her husband, he thought, showing Ramona to her bedroom as
he placed her satin bag down at the base of the four poster bed.
“She’s all set then?” Mary appeared behind Michael and
followed him out of Ramona’s room and down the hall.
“Yes. And I really want to thank you and Fred for staying
here with us.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Nothin’ to it Mike, we’re delighted to do it.” Fred was
seated in the living room back in front of the fire reading a book.
“The house is lovely, by the way,” said Mary, sitting down
beside Fred on a wooden chair that Michael had whittled from a leftover piece
of oak.
“Thank you kindly. I’m very happy with it. I just hope
Ramona will be content here, too.”
“Of course she will be. What more could any woman want?”
Mary smiled warmly at him, and picked up a half-finished shawl she was
knitting.
Michael snuck down the hallway five minutes later to say
goodnight to Ramona and to see if she needed anything else, but Ramona had
already fallen to sleep. The rhythmic sound of her breathing drifted out to him
through the open door, and he pulled it closed behind him with a smile. As he
strode toward his own bedroom, he couldn’t help wondering what the future might
be like, and hoped that his days of loneliness were finally over.
***
The next morning, Michael was summoned to the front door by
a loud knocking. Then Tony’s voice bellowed loudly through the house. “Michael!
Come on. We’re going to be late for work.”
Michael hurried to the door, pulling on his boots as he
went.
“Shhh,” he said. “Ramona’s sleeping. She’s exhausted. I’m running
late ‘cause I was creeping around, trying to be real quiet so as not to wake
her.”
Tony shook his head and tutted.
Walking to the construction site, Tony had plenty to say.
“She’s already got you under her spell. I hope you ain’t gonna make a habit of
being late. I see she’s the sort of princess type that likes to lay around all
day long. I won’t say I told you so, but.”
“Go easy Tony. It’s only her first morning after a long
trip.”
“So, she’s not a princess then?”
Michael paused before he spoke.
“She wears her hair in this real modern style,” Michael
commented. “People around here might think it’s too modern.” In fact he was worried
they would think Ramona was too modern, all round.
“I told you so,” Tony said pointedly. “Those New York women,
they ain’t got no place around here.” He lowered his voice. “And she’s foreign
on top of all that, ain’t she?”
“Italian parents,” Michael rolled his eyes. “Like you, Tony.
She was born and raised in New York. But none of that matters a jot to me
anyhow.”
“I’ll say it again. You should wait for a good old-fashioned
pioneering woman. Someone used to the frontier life. That’s what I’m fixin’ to
do. It won’t be long before this town is crawling with women. And a handsome
man like yourself ain’t gonna have any trouble finding a sweet, practical woman
to marry. You don’t need a fancy New York type. She’ll be of no earthly use at
all. Mark my words.”
Michael didn’t want
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