That same night, Ma and Pa Gruber, George Jr, John, Melania and Mary Jane were all sitting around the kitchen table having supper...All were talking about the day's events, until Melania spoke up about something entirely different.
"Mr. and Mrs. Gruber...John...George." She said looking at each of them...and when she and George Jr. made eye contact, he smiled at her...and Melania smiled a little, but looked down and then quickly looked up again..."I think its high time for Mary Jane and I to be getting a place of our own...We've stayed here with you for four months now...To which we are very greatful...but we just can't..." She started to say.
"We're not just going to let you both leave!" Franziska said. "Besides, we LOVE having you in our home! You're family!"
Melania smiled a little..."Well, Mary Jane is...but I'm not."
"And does that matter to us?" George Jr. spoke up. "No! It doesn't!"
"Yeah, you're like a sister, Melania!" John said...and smirked at George Jr. He gave him back a look like, "Shut up! Why'd you tell her that? And why are you looking at ME?"
"I still think it would be better if we had our own place...And its not like we'd be leaving the country!" She laughed a little..."Mary Jane and I could live at the boarding house or somewhere like that...I know Mr. West's old place is vacant now...I could work, save up the money..."
"I said you could two could stay as long as you needed to...I meant what I said, Melania." Big George Gruber said. "My word is good."
"I know that, Mr. Gruber...but I think its just time to be by ourselves...We can't stay with you forever you know!"
"Well, you're an independant woman, Melania...we can't force you to stay here with us...but please, just think about staying awhile longer with us...like my wife said, we love having you here...and you're like family...Besides! Mary Jane IS our granddaughter! You couldn't take away our privelege of being her grandparents! Now, could you?"
"Yes...LIKE family. Not actually part of the family." Melania thought and didn't want to say anything more on the subject, for fear of starting a HUGE argument.. "I'm finished with supper...I think I'll be heading up to bed, if you'll excuse me, please." She said rising from her seat at the table. She turned to her daughter. "Mary Jane...When you're finished, I want you to come upstairs to bed as soon as possible, you have school tomorrow, you know."
"Yes Ma." Mary Jane said, finishing up the last of her supper.
"Well, good night all." Melania knodded, and headed upstairs.
"Ma...Ma..." Mary Jane whispered into the night. Both mother and daughter were sharing the same bed. "Ma. Are you awake?" The ten year old asked, cuddling up to her mother.
"Yes...sweetheart...I'm awake..." She whispered.
Mary Jane was silent for a few moments, and then something in her made her ask a question. "Do you like Pa?"
"Yes. Of course I like your Pa." She laughed.
"No...I mean...do you like him, like him...I saw the way you were looking at each other tonight at supper, Ma."
"Mary Jane, can we not talk about this, please?" Melania said, turning over on her side.
"Oh Ma, admit it! You have a crush on Pa! And he has a crush on you too!" Mary Jane said in a sing-songy voice. "...and you must've at one time! You had me!" She smiled.
"Mary Jane!" She raised her voice at her daughter. "I told you I didn't want to talk about this! You shouldn't have asked me in the first place!...Go to sleep...Now." Melania snapped at her.
Tears welled up in the 11 year old's brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Ma...I...I didn't mean..." She began.
"Its all right, Mary Jane...I'm sorry I yelled at you. But when I don't want to talk about something...you need to respect that, okay?"
"Okay..." Mary Jane quietly said.
"Now, please...Just go to sleep, will you? You know you have school in the morning."
"Yes Ma." Mary Jane said, and rolled over and went to sleep.
Melania stayed up awhile that night. All you could hear was her soft breathing, but what you couldn't hear was that she was weeping..."Have you ever heard of such a thing?...Your own DAUGHTER asking you if you have a little crush on her PA? Because you aren't MARRIED to him in the first place!" Her tears seemed to flow now and she covered her face with the pillow so no one would hear her crying. "Well, Melania...that's what you get for being a Jezebel!...You're reaping what you've sown, now aren't you?" Melania thought. "You knew it would all catch up with you someday..." She whispered to herself.
Frances COULDN'T stop thinking about Fred...and that letter, which she found again in Fred's trousers while she was doing the laundry and she stuffed it into her skirt pocket...Most of all, she couldn't stop thinking about that woman she saw him hugging in front of the iron factory! Turns out, she met the woman at the mercantile the next day.
"So I hear you're Barbara Guess?" Frances said, with a twinge of attitude in her voice.
Barbara was still polite, even though she wasn't quite sure what her problem was..."Sure am...And who might you be?" She smiled, extending her hand, but Frances refused to shake it.
"Frances Lay...Fred Lay's WIFE...I found the letter you wrote him." She said, crossing her arms, and glared at her.
Barbara's eyes lit up in an excited manner. "Oh! So you wouldn't mind him coming to Minnesota?" She was about to say more, but was interuppted.
"I WOULDN'T MIND?" Frances shouted..."What? You want him to come up there?...So you can have him ALL to yourself!"
"What?"
"Don't think I'll just let some woman waltz right in and take MY husband from me! If you think so...OH, you've got another thing comin'!"
"Frances...I don't understand what you're talking about!..."
"Oh, don't try and play sweet and innocent with me, lady! I can see right through your little act!"
"W-what act?" Barbara questioned.
"Don't play dumb with me!...You know what's going on!" And with that, Frances started pounding on Barbara...at one point, she had her down on the ground and was just letting her have it! They were rolling around in the dust, fighting, scratching, kicking screaming!...All the townspeople just stood around the two women and watched...SHOCKED as could be! Until Franziska spotted them and saw what was going on...and she ran over, yanked her daughter away...and Fred went out from the crowd and came over to Barbara...
"Oh sure!...You'll go to HER and not you're own wife!...You're cheating on me!...I guess what you said a year ago TODAY didn't mean anything to you! Did it?...DID IT!" Frances shouted and started bawling. "EVERYTHING we're supposed to have together! It means absolutely NOTHING to you! The love we share!...Well, I THOUGHT we shared!...Our BABY!...It all holds NO importance in your life whatsoever!...I guess I was wrong to marry you! And I wish I knew then what I know now! You're nothing but a cheater!" She screamed at him.
"HOLD YE YOUR PEACE!" Franziska shouted at her daughter.
"What?" Frances shouted.
"Its the Biblical way of saying SHUT UP! So do it!...That's enough now, Frances!...Let's get home right now and we can get to the bottom of this!"
"Don't say you two don't know what this is all about!...I know an affair when I see one!" Frances shouted at both her husband and Barbara. They were sitting around the kitchen table at Fred and Frances' place.
"Affair?" Barbara exclaimed.
"I read the love letter you wrote him! Don't try and deny it!" Frances was almost in tears again.
"Love letter?" Fred questioned. "She never wrote me a love letter!...She's my..." He began.
"Then what's THIS?" Frances yelled, holding up the letter Barbara wrote to Fred. She turned to Barbara. "I read it!...You said you miss him something aweful!...You called him dear! And dearest! You said you missed him so much your heart aches for him...You said you love him with all of your heart! If that's not a love letter, then I don't know what is!"
"Honey..."
"Oh, don't you honey me!" Frances snapped at him.
"Frances!...Barbara is my SISTER!" Fred raised his voice at her.
"But I saw you two in front of the iron factory! Hugging...KISSING! Let me tell you! You don't kiss your sister like THAT!"
"Sweetheart, I don't know WHAT you saw...but it was just a little peck on cheek! It was harmless!...I'm serious! She's my older sister! She's a year older than I am...I hugged her like that and gave her a kiss on the cheek because...I couldn't believe it was HER! I haven't seen her in years! Since I was 3 or 4 years old, I think."
"But the letter!" Frances exclaimed. "I could've sworn it was a love letter! It sure sounds like one!"
"Did you read the WHOLE letter?" Barbara questioned.
"Well...No..." Frances said.
"Well, THAT explains it!...Read the rest of the letter! You'll find its most definetly NOT a love letter!" Barbara chuckled and looked at Fred. Who had a look on his face. "Oh, you know I love you!...You're my baby brother!" She smiled and patted his cheek.
Fred flashed a smirky type of smile at his older sister, and looked at his wife. "I know how it could've looked like...I hope you would've known I'd NEVER cheat on you...When I married you...I found a real treasure!" He smiled, and put his arm around her.
Frances had the letter in her hands and was reading the rest of it.
"Our dear brother Leonard, his wife Bridget and their daughters Anna and Elisabeth are doing quite well...They are still living in Germany...Anna is 11 years old and Elisabeth is 10...Such sweet little girls! They told me before I left Germany they wish they could see you again! They sure have missed you!
I feel I must bring this long letter to a closing soon, or it might go on forever, my dear younger brother! I love you with all of my heart and I miss you just the same...I know I've said so before, but I feel I can't say it enough! I feel it is better to tell your loved one how much you love them while they're alive, for someday...they won't be. How sad a thought, but a happier thought is that if the said loved one accepted Christ as Saviour...something which I hope you've done in your life, Fred. Both Leonard and I have...We prayed for you! Not a day passed where we didn't pray or think about you, my brother! We prayed the Good Lord would keep you safe and secure in life, and that you would someday come to a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ!
I know me writing this letter won't make up for the years we spent apart, my dear brother...both Leonard and I felt growing up, like there was something missing in our lives...and that missing thing was you, Fred! Sure we each wrote you letters as children...but it still was not the same as actually being with you and seeing you face to face...and I know my heart would rejoice when a letter from you would come! I'm sure for our older brother Leonard as well...My heart just broke when the letters from you stopped. We never knew what happened to you!
Well, goodbye for now, my wonderful brother!...I surely do hope we can meet one another again in the near or perhaps distant future. And if not in this earthly life, but hopefully we shall see each other again in Heaven someday.
With All My Love,
Barbara Guess
"She really is your sister." Frances stated. "Well, don't I feel...foolish. Stupid. Stupid me."
"Don't be so hard on yourself...It was an easy mistake on your part...and mine." Barbara said. "Maybe I should be careful how I write my letters from now on!" She laughed.
Frances started laughing.
"What?" Barbara questioned.
Frances kept laughing...She couldn't stop! She couldn't even say one single word. Soon, she finally calmed down a little and was able to talk. "I...I can't believe I practically beat up my own sister-in-law...and...and didn't even know it!" She said tilting her head back, as she was still laughing.
"Talk about a first impression!" Fred chuckled.
"Oh, she impressed me all right!...Straight into the ground!" Barbara laughed.
"I'm so sorry about that!" Frances apoligized.
"Its all right...Just shows me to NEVER get on your bad side!"
"Don't worry...I'm usually nice to someone who's family!" Frances smiled...putting an arm around her sister-in-law. "Well,...except for this one time, but I can assure you...it WON'T happen again!"
"I sure hope so!" Barbara laughed.
A/N: Barbara Lay Goss was Fred's sister. I didn't know her last name was Goss until I read it in one of Frances' diaries...My grandpa had thought Barbara's last name was either Guess, or Gass, or something like that but was unsure of the spelling. Easy mistake.
I did not know what Barbara's husband's name was, so I had picked out a random name. Still don't know what his name was.