Chapter III

After the month of working as a midwife, Julia learnt more about life and sorrow than during her four years long experience as a nurse during the war.

She visited lots of very different houses, families and neighbourhoods. Some of the houses she visited were very majestic and expensive, others extremely poor and dirty. She had patients who were lovely and patients who were very impolite and simply unpleasant. There were times when Julia, while she was cycling across the streets of White Sands from one house to the other, was in a neighbourhood which was really friendly, clean and nice and then cycling to an area filled up with homeless people standing on the streets.

After her first month, she delivered thirty babies, and really was exhausted at times but loved every second of her job, for she was truly becoming a woman with experience, most important of all; with experience of life.

Julia spent a few evenings crying helplessly in Blythe's arms, when the babies she delivered were either stillborn, premature or ill with no chance to live. But she could recover quite quickly because the day after, she would deliver a healthy newborn or visit a very friendly mother-to-be who would offer her a tea and biscuits during her visit.

After the first month of working with Gladys, Lake and Roxanna, Julia knew them and they knew her, completely and utterly. They were all very close during working-hours and afterwards, at their homes as well.

Gladys, as it happened, was thirty one, and lived in a small apartment close to Julia's own house. She was really clumsy, and too jolly at times, but was sweet and funny at the same time. She was supersititious and very worried about her being unmarried at her age. Her whole family was living in Seattle and she moved to White Snads because of her uncle whom she liked most of her family. Sadly, he died two years earlier, but left his niece his apartment in White Sands with a good deal of money.

Lake was very interesting and fun. She was the one "in charge" as she said to invite her friends from work to dances and clubs almost every weekend, and helping them to dress up in the latest fashion. Although she was a bit too proud at times, she was very sensitive and caring. But the "worst" of all, she had a boyfriend called Lucas Sheffield and she lived with him in the same house, unmarried. However she said that she had to live with him, as she had no family of her own, with her parents dead, no siblings and not enough money to hire her own house.

Roxanna was, and aways would be, an angel. She was always polite, nice, supportive and caring. She was the one with whom Julia could always talk about many things she would normally talk over with her Olive, Rose, Leslie, Cilia or just her own Mother. Julia and Roxanna had a very special bond with each other which grew every single day. Roxanna lost her sweetheart during the war, and she had never quite got over it. However she had her parents living in Avonlea, to Julia's big surprise, but lived in the same apartment with Gladys who agreed ("How could I not?") for Roxy to live with her.

So Julia finally found her dreams becoming true; her work was wonderful, she found new friends, life was really becoming meaninful after six years of war and not knowing whether the days of love and happiness would come back once more. There were even more beautiful two days in both October and November, this time in Glen. Luna's and Merry's wedding was supposed to take place in the very middle of October, and both Julia and Blythe took a four days vacation and went there very gladly, returning to their hometown for the first time as a married couple.

The wedding was supposed to take place in Rainbow Valley, between the enchanted trees with leaves which were softly touched by the breath of autumn. Everyone was happy to see the whole family once again as not only Julia and Blythe came back but also Rose with her John from Montreal, Cilia and Marshall with their Knox from Charlottetown, and Walt with Lily and their little Julienne from Kingsport.

It was the happiest month in Luna's life, and Julia could swear that she had never seen her so delighted and smiling as much as she did just a few days before the wedding. Merry was the same as his bride-to-be, and was cursing his blindness for not being able to see his "Luna-Moona" in a wedding dress.

Everyone was asking Julia and Blythe questions about their work and their new home and the Veratti family which was very interesting. Julia and Blythe were very proud when they talked about the start of their lives together, and everyone could plainly see how much in love they were with each other; "I must say that I have never seen a couple so much in love in my entire life!" said Grandmother Blythe with smiling eyes, looking at her husband meaningfully.

Rose had her small round-shaped belly and was proudly showing it off, making Julia chuckle every single time she did. Cilia's Knoxie was the most adorable boy with funny little ears, and Walt's Julienne was quite the lady even though she was just eight months old.

Leslie was working with Jem as a nurse, "just to pass the time" she said, and was becoming more and more beautiful with every moment, and her freckled face was a real attraction to young men in Glen. Jake, who was making sheep's eyes at Leslie, although wouldn't be brave enough to admit it, was dashingly handsome, just like his father was when he was his age. He started looking for a job in orchestra all over the country but "with quite bad results" but with hope in his heart.

Gilly was looking for job as well as he was to be married just a month after. He was so excited for seeing Faye after a year of not seeing her, that he seemed to not think about anything else but her. His youngest brother, Owen, was as shy and modest as always, although his looks changed and he certainly was handsome by then. He also started his course in Redmond to become a doctor just like his grandfather and his uncle did. Julia's sister, Cee, had her eyes for Owen all the time, but even when Julia asked her about her feelings towards him, she wouldn't tell her the truth.

Nonetheless, the fifteen-year-old Cee grew to be very tall, and extremely pretty. She wasn't as beautiful as Julia was, but she had something in her eyes which made her beauty different from all the others, in its own way, she was beautiful. The twelve-year-old twins, Cordelia and Tom, were as always unseparable and as lovely as the children of Di and Carl Meredith could be.

All of Julia's and Blythe's uncles and aunts were looking young and very much acted as they looked, especially now, when the war was over for good. Grandparents Blythe were hugging and squeezing their every grandchild, Grandmother Rosemary was baking enourmous amounts of cake with a smile on her face, but Grandfather Meredith was still, unfortunately, ill and didn't have as much energy for walking as he used to have. No one quite knew what was exactly wrong with him, but he certainly was ill and was getting, gradually but still, worse.

However Julia's parents were still Julia's loving and supportive parents who were very proud of their children and were showng their pride to everyone. So everything seemed fine, except for some "tragic love affairs" as Blythe said, and Grandfather Meredith's health, but everything seemed to remain fine after all.

"Julia! Luna is here!" Faith shouted from the House on the Hill's kitchen to Julia and Blythe's bedroom upstairs.

It was a night before Luna's and Merry's wedding and the preparations were finished, although the stress was not done quite yet. Merry, Walt and Blythe, so all the men living then in the House on the Hill, went fishing together and doing "God knows what" as Julia concluded. However to Julia's surprise, Luna wanted to have a long walk along the beach with her, alone.

"I'm coming!" Julia shouted back and put her diary on the side. She stood up from her bed and flew downstairs to meet her dear bosom friend Luna, waiting for her at the doorstep, with her red cheeks and a stray look in her eyes. "Luna!" Julia gasped and took her hands in hers "Are you ready for a walk?" she asked with a smile on her face.

Luna nodded gently and waited till Julia put on her straw hat "Aren't you putting on any shoes?" she asked suddenly.

"No, I'm going barefooted." Julia answered plainly "I think you should go barefoot too, leave your shoes over here." she grinned to her and pointed at the corner of the room, and Luna did what Julia suggested.

The two of them walked together along the beach, Luna's arm resting in Julia's own, both of them looking at the sea in front of them, not saying a word for a few moments and letting the silence flow through the air like the most perfect of all the songs. "Luna, tell me," Julia asked her quietly, looking in Luna's eyes seriously "-is something wrong? You usually want to go to the beach with our small clan all together."

Luna looked at her friend and smiled shyly "I do like our own small clan to meet up together," she started also quietly but slowly "-but today I just wanted to talk with you becasue you are the only one who really listens to me, and understands me." she grinned at Julia sweetly.

Julia squeezed Luna's hand "I'm sure that your sister is as good in listening as I am." she said.

"Not really." she replied shaking her head "Cilia is a wonderful older sister but she usually thinks me silly and that my problems aren't really... 'problems'."

"Alright then." Julia said decidedly "Now, tell me: what is it?"

Luna sighed and sat on one of the rocks next to them "I'm scared that I won't make a good wife." she said eventually and her cheeks flushed with red.

Julia sat down on the rock standing beside her friend "It is not possible, Luna." she replied but Luna interrupted her.

"Don't say that." she said "I'm scared that because of all the differences between us, he will get bored of me eventually. And I love him so much, Sheba." she said the last bit with a breaking voice.

Julia put Luna in her arms and hugged her tightly "And Merry loves you." she whispered into Luna's ear "He is crazy about you, he can't stop thinking about you. Luna, you two, with all your differences, understand each other. That's how love is created, by not only trust but mostly by understanding one another." she looked in Luna's wet eyes with a smile "That's why, I would never be able to marry anyone but Blythe, we understand each other utterly, and we know how to be with one another. And you and Merry know it too."

Luna dryed off her tears and smiled at Julia in her old way "And that's why I came to talk to you instead of anyone else." she said and the two of them chuckled.

"Didn't you talk with your Mum?" Julia asked her.

"No, I didn't want her to know that I had a problem." she replied softly "She is so much like me, I wouldn't want her to be nervous just because I had a small problem."

Julia nodded "You are so kind Luna." she answered with a grin "You will be the most wonderful wife for my brother."

And the two of them walked together for the next hour, till the sun dissapeared on the horizon in front of their eyes, and marking the beginning of new dreams and hopes in both of their hearts.


Merry and Luna were married the next day in Rainbow Valley. Luna looked like an angel which came down from Heaven. She wore her Grandmother Cecilia's wedding dress, just like Una once did. Merry looked incredibly handsome, even with burns on his cheeks, happiness radiated from his face.

Just after the feast, Luna and Merry departed for their one-week long honeymoon to Toronto, leaving everyone as they were before, but with their hearts fulfilled with great hope for the future.


Three weeks later, in the middle of November, a young beautiful woman stepped from the train at the train station in Glen, accompanied by her loving parents. She was tall and very very beautiful with her long black and thick hair put in a simple braid. A two years older, enourmously funny and altogether good-looking man, caught the girl in his strong and longing arms from which she was separated for over a year.

Just two days later, after the whole family gathered up again from every corner of Canada, Gilbert Ford and Faye Williams were married in the House of Dreams in Four Winds. It was a great celebration, and everyone thought that somehow, it was much louder than the wedding of Merry and Luna.

It was at the feast when Gilly got up from his seat, and announced, looking at his younger brother Blythe and his wife Julia, that after their honeymoon in New York, they will settle down in White Sands, as Gil found a job as a private Mathematics and History teacher there. "Oh, I couldn't imagine more splendid news!" Julia said at once and stood up to give both the groom and the bride kisses on their cheeks.

"I know we will get along just fine, Sheba." Faye whispered to Julia and winked at her in a way only kindred spirits do. Julia winked back and since then the two of them became real bosom friends.

The day after the wedding, Julia and Blythe packed their suitcases and put them in their car at midday. It was just then that Julia wasn't sure when she will visit the home where she was born and raised up in again. She sighed when she looked at the old House on the Hill but was interrupted by her Grandmother Blythe who put her hand on her shoulder gently "What's wrong, dear?" she asked.

Julia smiled at her bitterly "You always know when something is wrong, don't you, Grandma?" she said and Anne chuckled.

"That's how I am, and how you are too." she replied with a grin "Now, tell me, what is the matter, darling?"

Julia sighed again "I don't know when I shall see my home again, or any of you." she explained "I know that Christmas is not far off but I don't know if we will be able to come. I always feel, whenever I leave Glen, that something bad might happen and I won't be there to help."

Anne squeezed Julia's hand and smiled at her warmly "Darling Julia, it's obvious that you worry, I worried very much too when I left Green Gables and moved here with Gilbert. But after some time, you realize that wherever you are, you will grow to love your new home just as much as you love this one. And don't worry about us. If we will need help of a nurse, we know who to call." she said and Julia smiled at her sweetly.

Julia chuckled "Thank you, Grandma. And do call me, if something is wrong." she replied but quickly turned her head to the direction of the sound of an opening door.

"Ready, darling?" Blythe asked Julia when he put another bag into the car.

"Yes, but what is this?" she asked him curiously looking at the bag.

Blythe chuckled as he saw Grandmother Blythe sneaking back into the House on the Hill. Julia looked at her meaningfully "Not another cake!" she said and waved her hands to the laughing Anne "Do you want me to get fat, Grandma?"

"Most certainly not." she replied laughing and came inside the House on the Hill, just to take another bag of her chocolate cookies she was planning to put into the pockets of Julia's jacket.