Olof found himself on a train to Rockford, Illinois that evening. He had gone straight to his rooms after he talked to the clerk at the union office. He packed all his belongings in the old knapsack he had carried from Sweden. He gave the landlord notice and asked him to hold his deposit since he didn’t know if he would return or not. There was always a room available in his building anyway, even if it wasn’t the same room he had now.
He had gone downtown to meet with P. A. Peterson, President of the Union Furniture Company, (*) Mr. Peterson was interviewing cabinet makers at the Union League Club on Jackson. The Swedish furniture cooperatives were expanding their furniture lines and they needed skilled carpenters to complete the detail work for their manufactured furniture suites. Olof had a letter of introduction from the Carpenters Union of Chicago. It listed the history of his training and the latest work he had completed.
Olof hadn’t stopped to think about any of the events that led him to rush into leaving Chicago. He had only focused on getting a new job. When Mr. Peterson asked him ‘what his future plans were?’ he choked up and couldn’t talk. But then he recovered and said ‘I want to practice the skills I was trained for with a company that appreciates my abilities.’
Mr. Peterson told him he was impressed with his answer and his skills. Peterson offered him a job at his company and said him he could start immediately.
“Take the train to Rockford tonight and report to my man, Miller, the foreman, tomorrow morning.” He said as he handed Olof an official letter of employment.
So now Olof was on the train. He was leaving Chicago behind and starting over. As he watched out the windows into the black night sky he fell into a restless sleep. He kept seeing Ester’s eyes pleading with him. This picture startled him awake. The train was moving faster and faster into the night. He stared into the darkness with the occasional flash of light from a passing town. It brought him back into focus. He kept thinking to himself I have to work. I have to work. That will settle me.
That night he found took a room at a small hotel near the train station hoping he would sleep to be ready to face the foreman tomorrow. The foreman had expected him since Mr. Peterson’s secretary had called the previous evening to inform him of the coming new hires. Olof found he was among several new employees. Some Poles and Lithuanians along with the Swedes stood outside the furniture factory that morning with Olof. He hadn’t slept as he had hoped but he was determined to keep moving no matter what.
The foreman announced he would call their names and they should step up to the table to sign-in and get their assignments for today. Olof followed the others when his name was called. He turned in the letter Peterson had given him and got assigned to the dining suites section as a finisher. He would carve the medallions or the flowered decorative pieces that would be glued to the chairs or breakfronts to finish each piece and form a matched set for the suites. Olof thought this was perfect. Since the work was so intricate it would keep his thoughts from wandering back to Ester.
After about a week of this painstaking work, Olof was tired. He had found a room in a boarding house not far from the factory. His first pay was handed to him that night in a blue envelope. He didn’t even look at the cash to see how much he’d gotten, he just went back to the boarding house to clean up and go to sleep. He asked the land lady if he could have a bath. She said it was lucky he asked early since there wouldn’t be enough hot water later in the evening with all the other boarders wanting to clean up for the weekend, too. Olof fell asleep in the claw foot tub. He was dreaming of Ester again and woke up with a start when one of the other boarders started banging on the bathroom door.
“Hey you, Swede, you need to get out of the tub. We all need to use it, too.” the boarder yelled.
“Yaj, Yaj, I’m getting out. Sorry.” Olof yelled back.
The line-up of other boarders just glared at him when he exited the bath. Olof really didn’t take notice of their discomfort since he was preoccupied with his dream of Ester. He laid in bed trying not to think about Ester. It was easier when he was working since he had to concentrate on what he was doing. But he finally had to let his mind wander to what happened the day he left Chicago. He pictured her smile. He could almost smell the lavender scent she wore that night. He remembered the feel of his arms around her as they laid together that night. He wanted a life with this woman
Then his anger rose up when he remembered what she told him. It wasn’t what he wanted to hear from the woman he loved. Then he just had to get away to know why he had felt so betrayed. And now he felt guilty for leaving her that way. He thought about whether it would have changed things with Ester if he’d known sooner about her child. Could he have not loved her then? Did he still love her now? What did this mean for their future together?
When he woke the next morning, he realized he had fallen asleep before he had answered any of the questions he asked himself. Now it was Sunday and he had all day to think about them. He still didn’t want to think about them so he had to find something else to do. He didn’t want to go to church services. Then he remembered one of the other carpenters had said there was a concert this afternoon in the town square. His stomach growled. He remembered the landlady had said she would only provide a lunch after services on Sundays. He decided to go downstairs to the kitchen. Maybe the cook would give him some food before all the other boarders returned from services. So he got dressed and marched down the back stairs to the kitchen.
“Hej!” Olof greeted the cook when he arrived in the kitchen.
She turned from her task to see Olof and said. “Lunch will be served in the dining room at half past twelve today. The other boarders should be back from services in about twenty minutes. You can have a scone to keep yourself from starving until they get back. Go into the dining room and look on the sideboard. There’s some coffee there, too.”
Olof responded with gratitude. “Tack sa mycket” as he walked out of the kitchen and entered the dining room. He saw that he wasn’t alone. A couple of other men were sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the papers. He got his scone and coffee and found a place to eat it at the other end of the table.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to engage in conversation with the other men. He didn’t want to miss lunch. He decided to just wait for them to speak to him while he ate his scone. Then a question popped out of his mouth.
“What time does the concert in the town square start?”
One of the men looked up from his paper and said.
“Usually about 1:30 pm. Today the musicians are playing Mozart and Beethoven.”
The man went on, which surprised Olof.
“The audience just sits on the lawn. Often the older children play around the gazebo while the musicians perform and the younger children fall asleep in their prams or on their family blankets on the lawn. The musicians perform for about an hour and then they take a break. The second group of musicians continue the concert in the meantime. Overall, the afternoon is whiled away with continuous music. We are lucky to have a more classical venue today. No dancing. Just music.”
Before Olof could ask another question, the other boarders filed into the dining room looking for their lunch. The cook brought out large platters filled with meatballs, potatoes, cabbage, and bread. Olof listened to many conversations while he ate. He was glad they did not need his participation. It was a nice respite.
After lunch Olof followed the crowd to the town square. There he met a couple with two small children. They offer him a portion of their blanket to rest on and he laid there watching the children play. While listening to the music and watching the children play, he started thinking of Ester and his same questions came up again. They filled his mind. He went over them again, maybe, this time his answers would be clearer to him.
Would it have changed things with Ester if he’d known sooner about her child? Could he have not loved her then? Did he still love her now? What did this mean for their future together?
The answers started to unfold. He couldn’t deny his attraction to Ester. He enjoyed her sassy laugh and her blue eyes and her round hips. She had a kind heart and was good to her friends. He admired her determination to make her way in life even on her own. He had to admit to himself that he had done some things he wasn’t proud of before he came to America. How could he judge her?
The music stopped and he came out of his pondering. Olof thanked the couple for allowing him to share their blanket and he walked back to the boarding house. His thoughts were still not far from answering his questions. Resting in his room he continued to look at the situation. He decided then that he would still have been attracted to Ester even if she had a child or not. He knew he loved her no matter what.
What could he do now? He agonized.
Olof woke the next morning having dreamed of what he should do. He had to rush to get to work at the furniture factory but before he left his room he looked at the blue envelope with his pay. Counting the money, he thought. This would be enough!
Olof asked the foreman if he could speak with him before his shift.
“Sure. What is it, man?” Miller asked.
“I have to give my notice. I have a family matter that has come up. I must return to Chicago as soon as possible.” Olof said.
“Yikes, man, you’ve barely been here! Mr. Peterson will not be happy with this short notice.” Miller answered, giving Olof a sneer. But he thought for a minute or two and came back again.
“I’ll tell you what. Give me another week so we can finish this order and I’ll give you your pay and send you on your way. If we get the order done on time Mr. Peterson won’t make a fuss and you won’t lose your standing at the Union.” He put his hand out for Olof to shake. “Agreed?”
Olof shook his hand. “Thanks, Yaj, agreed.”
He would be back in Chicago in a week.
