As they were sitting on the bench, kissing, fireworks began to go off,...it being the 4th of July. They looked up at the beautiful explosions of bright color,...reds, blues, greens, yellows, oranges,...all the colors of the rainbow,...in all shapes and sizes. Fred put his arm around Mary as she layed her head on his shoulder, and they sat there on the bench together, watching the fireworks...
The last firework had been set off...It was pink, and in the shape of a heart...Fred smiled down at Mary and she smiled up at him as well...
"Pink...for romance,...love,...and friendship..." He whispered. "I love you, Mary..." He said, placing a kiss on her forehead.
Mary couldn't believe Fred actually told her he loved her...She was speechless, and all she could do was smile up at him.
That night, before going to his place at the little sod house,...he and Mary stayed outside after Charles, Caroline, Laura and Carrie had gone inside.
Fred took Mary's hands in both of his and leaned down and kissed her forehead. "...I'd like to take you for another outing, Mary...Say, when I get off of work at the mill tommorrow...I'll come home, clean up and we can go do something together...How 'bout it?" He asked, smiling at her.
"Yes..." Mary whispered. Then, as quick as a wink, Mary stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him. "I love you, Fred John Lay..." She said to him before going inside.
He stood there outside the house for a few minutes,...just smiling. Fred trudged back to the little sod house with a smile on his face. He lit a lamp when he got inside, since the little soddy was as dark as night itself! He sat down on his bed and took off his shirt, and it was then that he saw the scars on his upper arms and on his chest...He looked at his strong, manly upper body in the mirror. He could still see the scars...Scars that still haunted him after years gone by...The scars were still very visible on his upper arms,...on his chest, they were hidden, because of his chest hair...but if you looked close enough, you could still see them...Fred denied the fact that he was angry about what he went through...the beatings, the torchure...the nights where he cried himself to sleep as a young child...Afraid that every move he made would end up with another beating from his adopted mother...but maybe he was...maybe he was angry still...just a little. And yet, he was upset that it happened to him and he was self-conscious of how he looked. He stared at his scars in the mirror..."What if Mary and I get married after all...There's no way she'll think I'm...attractive...when I look like this...Or any woman...for that matter..." He thought. Fred blew out his lamp, got under the covers, and layed his head on his pillow...
Mary was sitting at the wooden vanity up in the loft, brushing out her pretty, blond hair...
"You must be really happy now that you're courting Fred, Mary...I can tell by that smile on your face." Laura said, already in bed and under the covers...
"What smile? This my regular smile..." Mary insisted...
Laura shook her head. "Nah-ah! That's a special smile!...What happened, Mary?" She smiled at her older sister.
"He kissed me..." Mary said happily...
"He kissed you?" Laura said, making a face...
"Yes...More than once..." She said, getting into bed beside Laura.
Laura scrunched up her nose and shook her head..."Yucky..."
"No...it wasn't...I liked it..."
"Yucky!" Laura said again. "I still think its yucky!"
"Think what you may, Laura Ingalls...It isn't..."
"Yucky..." Laura mumbled, turning over and closing her eyes.
"So you don't even have a crush on a boy?" Mary whispered.
Laura hesitated. "N-No..." She said at last...Actually, Laura sort of liked one of the new boys at the Walnut Grove school, Cole Griffin,...but she wouldn't admit it to anyone.
Mary smirked, and the rolled over on her side and closed her blue eyes..."Goodnight Laura..."
"Night Mary..."
The next day, just as he had promised, Fred had taken Mary out for a walk around town,...through beautiful, grassy prairie fields, a walk beside the lake,...and finally to the sweetheart tree...Mary wanted him to see it.
"Sweetheart tree?" Fred asked, staring up at the strong, tall tree...
"Yes...If someone liked another someone...they would carve their initials and the other person's too on the trunk of the tree...Its so romantic, isn't it..."
Fred began rummaging around in his trousers pockets...
Mary laughed..."What are you doing?"
"Trying to find my carving knife!" He smiled, pulling his hand out..."Found it!" Fred said, throwing it up in the air a few inches and caught it by the handle with one hand. "Don't look!" He said, turning her around. "No peeking! You told me that Mr. Edwards can't stand for no peeking...and neither can I!"
Mary giggled..."Okay..."
Fred began to work his magic on the trunk of that tree. He was good at carving on things and he enjoyed it very much... "All right...Turn around...Now you can look at it..." He smiled as Mary turned around and saw the words, Fred L. and Mary I. and a heart with a curved tip around the words...
Fred stood back with Mary to admire it, and he placed his hand on her back.
"Its wonderful Fred...Thank you..." Mary smiled up at him.
That next Sunday, everyone was in church...Rev. Alden was doing announcements...
"Now...I'd like Mary Ingalls and Fred Lay to stand up, please..."
Fred smiled at Mary, and holding each other's hand, they stood up from where they sitting together on the little pew in front of Charles and Caroline...Laura and Carrie were sitting in the pew in front of Fred and Mary...
Rev. Alden smiled at the young couple and spoke..."Fred and Mary would like to announce to the congregation that they are now courting...Rejoice with them in their courtship...and possible future marriage..."
Fred and Mary both sat down again, with Fred smiling down at her and not taking his eyes off of her one minute...
Christi Loyalton, sitting across the aisle and up aways, dressed in a light green Sunday dress, had her hands folded in her lap and her head down...She felt so low, like she had hit the bottom of the ocean...She was sad, because she wished she could be in Mary's place right now...and she wasn't...
Rev. Alden had finished his announcements and had begun to preach his sermon...
"Wait one minute!...I almost forgot! We have a new face here in Walnut Grove...Jess Lawson..." He said motioning into the congregation and a tall young man in his 20's stood up...
"There's a man for you, Christi..." Mrs. Foster nudged her...
"Aunt Melinda!" She whispered, embarrassed...but she was still looking at Jess.
"He is a very handsome young man..."
"Yes...I suppose so..." Christi whispered.
Jess Lawson had sat down, but he could feel a pair of eyes on him,...so he looked over.
Christi's eyes got wide...and embarrassed...she quickly looked away.
Jess Lawson smiled and chuckled to himself and looked up and payed attention to Rev Alden...
"Be sure to make him feel at home here...and I know you all will..." Rev Alden smiled and then began his sermon...
"You know...I had something totally different ready to preach for this wonderful Sunday morning,...but at times...the Good Lord lays other things upon your heart...as he did to me this morning, so all of you, turn to, Psalm 34:18, and we shall read our text for this morning..."
Rev. Alden began to read the Word of God,..."The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
He used another verse from Scripture, Psalm 147:3..."He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."
"And this last verse I shall share with you may as well be my life verse, Isaiah 61:1..." Rev. Alden smiled, and read the last verse..."The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;"
"I do have a point to these verses..." Rev. Alden chuckled..."I'm sure you noticed the repetiton of the words, broken heart...Whether it be...of a broken heart...or...broken in heart...or the last verse where it says...to bind up the brokenhearted..."
Rev. Alden walked around the little platform...one hand hanging on the side of the pulpit...and he solemnly spoke..."There are a few ways a heart could be broken...the loss of a loved one...losing a chance at love...being rejected by someone you loved..." That really hit Christi Loyalton hard...but she still listened to Rev. Alden speak. "...and many other things, I'm sure...but...there is hope! For, as the verses we read say, The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart...and...He healeth the broken in heart...The Lord is able...and willing to heal broken hearts..." Rev. Alden smiled..."If I remember correctly...there's a verse that says..."Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.-1 Peter 5:7...and...My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever-Psalm 73:26." He quoted the verses..."And the most wonderful verse I think, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee...Isn't it wonderful to know...that the Lord will always be there for us when we need Him...That He'll never, NEVER I say,...ever leave us...He's always there..."
Rev Alden soon closed the service and asked the congregation to stand all together..."Let us sing...'In the Garden'..."
The whole congregation stood to there feet, and sang...
"I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
Rev. Alden smiled..."You are dismissed...Have a wonderful Sunday."
With that, all the people got up and started toward the church door. Rev. Alden stood at the door and shook folk's hands as they left...Some stood out in the churchyard talking and fellowshipping one another...Mrs. Foster walked up behind her neice, who was gazing at someone across the churchyard...
"Go up to that young man and introduce yourself!" She said, nudging her...
"Oh no! I will not go up to Jess Lawson and make a fool of myself!"
"You won't make you fool of yourself! Just go up there and say hello, Christi..."
"No!"
"Do I need to drag you over there?"
"No Aunt Melinda!...You do that and I will die of embarrassment!"
"You'll get over it...Go over there!" Mrs. Foster said, pushing Christi in the right direction...In the process, Christi almost bumped into Jess, but he caught her by the arms...
"Why hello there..." He chuckled..."Fancy meetin' you here..." Jess smiled.
"Umm...sorry..." She said, embarrassed, and her face turned a lovely shade of red.
"Its alright..." Jess smiled, steadying her.
"Ummm...I ummm...I just wanted to welcome you to...to Walnut Grove...I'm Christi Loyalton..." She said, nervously extending her hand...
"Jess Lawson..." He smiled shaking her hand...
"Ummmm...Bye..." She said, waving...and nervously left...
Jess stood there, watching her leave, with his hands on his hips. He smiled, shook his head and walked off to talk with some of the men.
"You are so stupid, Christi Miriam Loyalton!" She thought. "Who knows what he thinks of you! You stood there all nervous,...staring at him!...Stupid!"
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Mrs. Foster said...
"It was horrible..." Christi stated, with a straight face..."I made a complete fool of myself in front of him!"
"You did not!...You over-react, Christi...Besides..." She smiled..."I think he likes you..."
"How could he?...He just met me and all I did was stutter and stare at him!"
"It wasn't that bad, Miss 'My Life Is Over' Loyalton..." Mrs. Foster said, holding her by the shoulders. "Now come on...We have one good Sunday dinner waiting for us back at the house..." She said, guiding her niece to the buckboard.
"But I was all stuttery!" Christi still exclaimed...
"Don't dwell on your mistakes, sweetie...Look forward to good moments..." Mrs. Foster smiled.
A/N: Christi and Jess are obviously my own characters. :)
