"So this is Concord," Melanie remarked as she, Jonas, and Beau emerged from the train station. "To me it doesn't look so different from Atlanta, really."
"It's still summer," Jonas pointed out with a smile. "In winter, it's a whole different world. The buildings and houses are all covered with snow. It's quite magical, more similar to Germany than to Atlanta."
"It must be beautiful," Melanie sighed. She'd seen snow only a handful of times in her life, and it had always melted much too quickly for her to build a snow man. "But how do you walk on the sidewalk without sliding down?"
Jonas laughed. "With much care."
As they stepped out into the bright sunshine, Melanie had to shield her eyes from the sun's bright rays. A young couple accompanied by a small boy and girl passed them on the street. The woman smiled, and the man tipped his hat.
"Look, Mommy!" Beau pointed to a man on horseback. "Isn't he beautiful?"
"A thoroughbred Arabian stallion," Jonas remarked.
"I want a horse like that!"
Jonas ruffled the young boy's hair. "It may indeed happen some day."
Melanie sighed. How I wish I could give him a child of his own! she thought.
The three walked hand in hand until they reached a tiny white shack that reminded Melanie of the house Emmie Slattery's family had lived in before the war. Its dilapidated condition, the peeling paint and exposed, water-damaged boards gave mute testimony to its age. Several preteen boys were playing ball in the front yard. Their clothing was dirty and torn, and their faces were smudged. Melanie gasped and drew back a little when she saw them. One of the three smiled and walked right over to them.
"Hi, Uncle Jonas!"
"Hi there, Dieter." Jonas clapped the boy on the shoulder. "This is my wife Melanie and our son Beau."
Dieter frowned. "You're married now?"
"That's right!"
"Where did you get a son?"
"Melanie was married before. Her first husband was killed in an accident."
"So he isn't really my cousin, then." Dieter stared at Beau without smiling.
"Of course he is!" Jonas walked to the front door and knocked on it, and several minutes later, it was pulled open by a thin, middle-aged woman. Her dull hair was brown streaked with grey, and her pale blue eyes looked tired. She wore a faded dress of indeterminate color that hung off her shoulders. Her eyes lit up right away when she saw them. "Jonas!"
"Guten abend, Klara!" Jonas embraced the woman as he continued speaking to her in his native tongue. When he was finished, the woman smiled and greeted Melanie and Beau in English, then stepped back so they could enter the house. It was sparsely furnished but immaculate.
"Everything looks so nice," Melanie commented, wondering how well Klara understood her.
"Danke." Apparently she had. "Please, have seat on sofa and I will bring you nice cup of tea, ja?"
One look at the sofa made Melanie wonder whether it would even hold their weight but, not wanting to look rude, she took a chance and sat down on it anyway. Jonas sat beside her, and an animated conversation in mixed German and English commenced. Melanie tried to hide her extreme awkwardness by being very polite, glancing at her new husband from time to time to gauge her success. Beau just sat in silence, looking all around.
After awhile, a young woman of about fifteen entered the house carrying a basket of food, which she sat on the table. She was very pretty, with light brown hair which she wore in braids, blue eyes, and pink cheeks.
"Uncle Jonas!" she exclaimed, and they embraced.
"Lotty, I'd like you to meet my new wife, Melanie, and our son, Beau," said Jonas. "This is my niece, Lotty."
"Hello!" Lotty's smile was genuine and warm as she shook Melanie's hand. "Welcome to the Hummel family. You're from Atlanta, right?"
"Right." Melanie smiled, relieved that, unlike her mother, Lotty spoke fluent English.
"Is it very dreadful there?" asked Lotty. "I remember hearing about how the city was burned down during the war. How's reconstruction coming along?"
"Well enough. Of course, it's been a major adjustment for all of us, as our entire lifestyle has changed. The plantations and cotton fields are gone now."
"So how does one get along?"
"Many have started businesses of their own, and others have turned to share cropping."
"What's that?"
"Many former slaves and even some poor whites work the land in exchange for some of the profits. To me, it seems much more fair than the previous system of slave ownership."
Lotty smiled. "However poor one may be, if they at least have their freedom, they can be grateful for that."
"I agree," Melanie replied. Jonas smiled and squeezed her hand.
