Twenty

That night, Olina wrote a long letter to her mother, explaining all that had happened. She included another to her father, asking for his forgiveness. After writing a note to Tant Olga, she enclosed all the missives in one envelope addressed to her great-aunt. Olina sealed the envelope, then placed both hands on the thick bundle and prayed over it, asking God to direct every word to the hearts of those receiving them. When she finished this task, her heart felt lighter.

During the rest of the autumn, Olina and Gerda were busy with their dressmaking. News of their expertise spread, and some women even came from other towns to order dresses from them.

Olina no longer felt the need to protect her financial security as she had, so she and Gerda purchased things to make their cottage more homey. They chose fabric to make all new curtains and even bought a few small pieces of furniture. Tables and lamps added warmth to the living room. Scraps of fabric were fashioned into pillows that made the sofa more inviting.

Gustaf kept his promise to court Olina. He escorted her to every party and social that was held in Litchfield or at any of the surrounding farms. It wasn’t long until everyone knew that the two planned to marry. They received many congratulations, even from Anna Jenson, who was being courted by one of the other young farmers in the area.

Olina hoped that she would hear from her father in a month or two after she sent the letter. By mid-November, she went every day to the post office, which was located in the mercantile, to check for a letter. Every day that didn’t bring an answer caused a heaviness in her heart. She feared that her father was still angry with her. How would she ever have total peace if he continued to shut her out?

Thanksgiving was fast approaching. Olina had never experienced this holiday, since it was distinctly American. She was excited while the family began preparations. In addition to their grain crops, the Nilssons raised cattle. However, for Thanksgiving, August went hunting for venison. When he brought in a large buck three days before the holiday, the whole family worked on preparing the meat. The two hind-quarters were smoked, much like the hams of a pig. The forelegs were roasted, and the rest of the meat was made into sausage, then smoked.

On Thanksgiving Day, their church hosted a community-wide celebration. A morning service allowed everyone to express thanks to God for their blessings that year. Olina thanked God for bringing her to America and giving her Gustaf to love, but a small part of her heart ached for the loss of her Swedish family. She prayed silently for God to intervene there, too.

The pews were moved into a storeroom, and tables and benches were brought in for the dinner. Everyone had prepared their best.

The Nilssons shared the roasted forelegs and one hind-quarter of their deer. Others brought ham, pork chops, beef roasts, or chickens. Olina imagined that the tables groaned under the weight of all the food. Vegetable dishes, pies, cakes, pastries, hot breads, fresh churned butter. The aromas started her mouth watering long before the meal began.

Soon after Thanksgiving, everyone was preparing for Christmas. Olina and Gerda worked together to make all the members of Gerda’s family some new garment. While they were visiting at the farm, Gerda sneaked around and measured her father’s and Gustaf’s shirts. The young women offered to do August’s laundry with theirs, so they were able to measure his shirt, too.

Pooling the amount of money they could afford to spend, they bought the best fabric available in Litchfield. They made each man a new dress shirt. Mrs. Nilsson would receive a wool suit, complete with a silk waist to wear with it.

One week before Christmas, Olina went to town to pick out lace for the dress she was secretly creating for Gerda. When she finished making all her purchases, she went to the corner where the post office was located. Once again, she was disappointed to find no letter from Sweden waiting for her. With her head down against the cold wind, she started the walk toward the cottage. She didn’t notice the vehicle driving by until she heard her name called.

Olina almost dropped her package. The voice calling her sounded so much like her mother’s voice that tears pooled in her eyes. When she looked up, she saw August driving a buggy from the livery. The tears blurred her vision so that she didn’t recognize the woman sitting on the other side of him.

“Olina.” August stopped right beside her. “Look who has come to visit you.”

He jumped from the buggy and turned back to help the woman to the sidewalk. Olina reached into her reticule and withdrew a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. When she looked up, she saw that her ears had not deceived her.

“Mor!” Olina dropped the package and threw her arms around the woman her heart had missed all these months. With tears streaming down her face, Olina hugged her mother as if she would never let go.

“Darling, don’t cry.” Brigitta Sandstrom said in Swedish, as she pulled back from the embrace to look at her daughter’s face. “I only wanted to make you happy.”

Olina was used to conversing in English, but she easily went back into her native tongue. “Oh, you have. These are happy tears.” Then Olina looked around. “Where is Fader?”

Brigitta and August looked at each other. August picked the package up from the wooden sidewalk. “Olina, I’ll take you and your mother to your house. We’ll be there in a few minutes and then you can talk all you want.”

“Could Fader not come?”

“Come, Dear.” Brigitta took Olina by the arm. “This wind is so cold. Let’s get in out of it, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Olina was so pleased to be with Mor that she climbed into the buggy for the ride. Thankfully, it only took a few minutes.

Once they arrived at the cottage, Gerda hurried to the kitchen to make a pot of tea. Olina was glad that she and Gerda had baked Christmas cookies the day before.

Mrs. Sandstrom and Olina sat on the sofa holding hands and devouring each other with their eyes. “Mother, what are you doing here?”

Brigitta laughed at her daughter. “I’ve come to help plan a wedding.” She pulled Olina into another hug. “Have you set a date yet?”

Olina leaned back from her mother’s arms. “I wanted to wait until I heard from Fader. Where is he?”

After standing up, Mrs. Sandstrom paced once across the parlor. With her back still turned toward her daughter, she started explaining. “Your father couldn’t come, Olina.” She turned around and looked into Olina’s face. “I brought some bad news.”

Oh no. Please God. Her thoughts became jumbled. She wasn’t even sure what she was asking Him for. She had realized when Moder didn’t tell her anything in town that something bad had happened, but she hadn’t wanted to believe it was possible. Now she could no longer deny it.

Mrs. Sandstrom crossed the room and sat beside her daughter. “There’s no easy way to say this. Your father became sick. I believe it was his hard-heartedness toward you that brought the sickness on. I prayed for him so much, but he kept getting sicker and sicker.”

She pulled a hanky from her sleeve and wiped the tears that were making trails down her cheeks. That caused Olina to realize how wrinkled they had become. As she looked closer at her mother, Olina realized that she had lost weight, and her hair, which had still retained the golden color when Olina last saw her a month before she left Sweden, was streaked with silver. When had her mother become old? It had only been nine months since Olina last saw her. Nine months shouldn’t have done that much damage. Unless something terrible had happened.

“Finally, your father told me that we must contact you. He wanted to make peace with you. I told him that I would write you a letter the next morning, but before the sun came up, he left us.”

Olina pulled her mother into her arms, and the two women cried together. They weren’t aware of Gerda entering the room, but when they stopped crying, they found a tray—with a pot of tea, two cups and saucers, and some cookies—sitting on the table in front of the sofa. Olina poured each of them a cup of tea, but neither of them picked up a cookie.

After taking a few sips from the bracing brew, Mrs. Sandstrom set her cup and saucer back on the table. “That day, we received your letter telling about Gustaf and asking your father to forgive you. I’m so sorry he wasn’t able to say this himself, but I know that he would accept your apology and welcome you back into the family.”

Olina smiled at her mother through her tears. “I hope so. I wouldn’t set a date for the wedding, because I was waiting to hear from Fader.”

Mrs. Sandstrom patted Olina on the knee. “I know, Dear. That is why Tant Olga urged me to come to America and talk to you in person.”

Olina smiled. “Tant Olga?”

“Ja, for sure.” Mrs. Sandstrom returned her smile. “I already turned the farm over to the boys. When Sven got so sick, I couldn’t help them at all. All my time was taken with caring for him. Then he died, and Olga asked me to live with her. That way the boys would know that the farm is theirs. Sven and I saved enough money for me to live on for the rest of my life. I won’t have many expenses living with Olga, and she needs me.”

Olina looked up as Gerda came into the parlor with a carpetbag in her hand. “Are you going somewhere?”

Gerda went over and hugged Mrs. Sandstrom, then Olina. “I wanted to give you and your mother some time alone. August put her luggage in my room. He and I have been having tea in the kitchen. Now he’ll take me home. I’ll stay with my parents for a few days.”

Mrs. Sandstrom stood up. “You don’t have to do that, Gerda. I can sleep here on the sofa.”

“No need for that.” Gerda turned and called August. “I’m ready to go.”

August came in and took the carpetbag from her. Then he helped her into her heavy coat. “It’s cold. You probably should take a blanket to wrap up in during the drive.”

Gerda went upstairs and returned quickly with the cover. “Don’t be surprised if Gustaf comes for dinner tonight. I’m sure he’ll want to be with the two of you.”

After Gerda and August left, Olina and her mother planned a special meal for when Gustaf came. It was good to work together in the kitchen again. Gustaf arrived as they were putting the finishing touches on the food.

Olina answered his knock. He gave her a quick hug before he greeted her mother. Soon they were seated at the table sharing the special meal.

“How long are you staying in Minnesota?” Gustaf asked.

“I planned to stay for awhile. It’s such a long journey. One of my cousins is staying with Tant Olga until I return.” Brigitta glanced at her daughter. “I want to be here for the wedding, and I know Olina needs some time to mourn her father’s death.”

Gustaf put his fork down and looked from mother to daughter. “For sure, that’s right. I know Olina was anxious to hear from him.” He reached over and placed his hand on Olina’s shoulder. “How are you doing?”

Olina’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I’ll be okay. It will just take some time.”

“I want to be here for the wedding.” Brigitta took a bite of the gräddbakelse she had made because it was such a favorite of Olina’s.

“Maybe we should set the date tonight.” Gustaf studied Olina for a moment. “Do you think we could do that?”

“Moder, can you stay until April?” Olina asked.

“Ja, for sure.”

Gustaf and Olina soon decided that they would exchange their vows on Saturday, April 9. That would give them plenty of time to plan the wedding, and Olina and her mother would have time to enjoy each other.

❧

Since Christmas was only a few days away, Gerda and Olina were busy with a few last-minute orders for Christmas presents. Gustaf brought Gerda to the house every morning, so she and Olina could work together. After two days, he took Mrs. Sandstrom back to the farm with him to visit with her old friend, Ingrid.

That day Gerda and Olina went to town to purchase fabric so they could make Mrs. Sandstrom a suit similar to the one they were making Mrs. Nilsson. They finished in time for the family Christmas at the farm.

❧

Olina woke on her wedding day to the sun streaming through her window. She was used to getting up at dawn and making breakfast, but Gerda must have beaten her to it. The fragrant aroma of coffee beckoned Olina to the warm kitchen.

“Well, Sleepyhead, I see you finally woke up.” Gerda was pouring a cup of coffee as Olina entered the room.

“Yes. I didn’t think I would ever go to sleep. I was so excited thinking about today.” Olina stretched and yawned before she sat at the place Gerda set for her at the table. “When I did go to sleep, I slept like a baby.” Gerda placed a plate filled with pancakes and sausage in front of Olina.

Olina gasped. It was so much food. “I can’t eat all of this.”

“You need to,” Gerda urged. “You might not be able to eat lunch, and you must keep up your strength. I don’t want you fainting before you walk down the aisle.”

It was here. Her wedding day. Olina could hardly believe it. So much had gone into the preparations for the day. Her mother wanted to make her wedding dress. Olina and Gerda told Mrs. Sandstrom that she should learn to use the sewing machine, but she insisted on making the dress by hand. Her stitches were tiny and even, a labor of love.

The wedding was scheduled for one o’clock, because Gustaf and Olina were catching the four o’clock train. They were taking a honeymoon trip to San Francisco.

❧

Gustaf stood beside the preacher at the front of the church. His father was standing at the back of the church with Olina’s dainty hand resting on his arm. Since her father wasn’t there to escort her down the aisle, she asked Gustaf’s father. It made both Bennel and Gustaf very proud.

Gustaf caught his breath at the vision of loveliness. Olina wore a dress of white silk brocade. A single row of flowers, formed into a coronet, now adorned her golden tresses. She looked like an angel. His angel.

Tears formed in his eyes. Thank You, Father, for bringing her to me.

The pastor’s wife began playing the organ, and Olina walked toward him.

I’ll care for her, Father, as You have cared for me. I’ll love her and cherish her.

Olina had never seen the suit Gustaf was wearing. He must have bought a new one for the wedding. She was amused. He wore a suit so seldom, but it meant a lot to her that he would purchase a new suit for their wedding. He was such a thoughtful man.

As Olina and Mr. Nilsson walked down the aisle, tears blurred Olina’s vision. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t really see the people who surrounded them. Father, thank You for what You planned for me. Thank You for helping me come to the place that I could recognize Your plans. I will love and cherish Gustaf for the rest of my life.