"Matthias! Come on in!" Paul greeted his brother. Matthias stepped inside, and the two men embraced. "It's been forever, hasn't it? How are Mama and Papa?"
"They're doing well," Matthias replied. "A new Volkswagen dealership is opening up in Richmond, and I was sent over to help with that. I couldn't go back home without stopping by to say hello to my brother and his family, could I?"
"Well, I'm certainly glad to see you," Paul replied. "You remember Elizabeth, don't you?"
Elizabeth had come into the living room at the sound of the door opening, and now she stood gazing at her brother-in-law. In the years since she'd last seen him, Matthias had grown even taller and wasn't as thin anymore.
"Of course! How are you?" He grinned as he walked over and embraced her.
"Doing well, thanks," she told him. "I'll go get the children."
Max was reading when he heard the knock on his door.
"Your Uncle Matthias is here!" Elizabeth told him after he opened the door. Then she went to knock on Laura's door, and both children went into the living room to greet their uncle.
"I can't believe how much you've grown!" Matthias exclaimed as he ruffled Max's hair. The boy grinned and shyly ducked his head.
"And Laura! You're so beautiful!"
"Thank you, sir." She smiled and blushed.
"Oh, you don't have to call me 'sir.' I'm your uncle, you know."
"Would you like something to eat?" asked Elizabeth. "I've just cleared the table, but I could get you something if you're hungry."
"Oh, no, don't go to any extra trouble for me!" Matthias replied, sitting on the sofa and motioning for Max and Laura to join him. "Come, tell me all about your lives. How is school?"
Ginny Walton looked down at the braces on her legs and heaved a heavy sigh. Most of the time, she didn't even think about her disability, but today it was troubling her as it hadn't in a long time.
"Hey, Ginny!"
She turned to see Patsy and Sue walking together. She waited for her friends to catch up so she could walk alongside them.
"I sure hope Stan asks me to the dance!" said Patsy. "He's so fine! I suppose you'll be going with Walter, won't you?"
"He'd sure better take me!" Both girls laughed.
"What about you, Ginny? Are you going to the dance?" asked Patsy.
Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. I can't dance very well, you know."
"Neither can I, but I'm going anyway! I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Sue told her.
Cindy looked up as her daughter entered the house. "Why so glum, sweetheart?"
Ginny sighed. "The harvest dance is coming up, and all the girls are talking about it."
Cindy smiled. "I always enjoyed that!"
Ginny snorted. "What boy will want to dance with a girl with braces on her legs?"
"When the right boy comes along, he won't even notice them," Cindy told her daughter.
"If the right boy comes along," Ginny muttered.
Saturday morning, Cindy was baking a cake when she realized she was out of eggs.
"Ginny, would you please run to the store and pick up some eggs?" she asked her daughter.
"Sure, Mama," Ginny replied.
Entering the store, she saw her Uncle Paul standing beside the handsomest young man she'd ever seen. He looked much like Uncle Paul but was a little thinner and had more hair. They were talking to each other but stopped when they saw her.
"Hi, Ginny!" said Uncle Paul. "This is my younger brother, Matthias. Matthias, this is Ben and Cindy's daughter."
"Hello!" Matthias smiled as he reached for Ginny's hand. His grasp was warm and firm.
"It's nice to meet you." Ginny suddenly felt terribly shy.
"Nice to meet you as well!" Matthias replied. "It certainly is a beautiful day, isn't it?"
"I love the fall, when the leaves change colors and fall from the trees," Ginny replied. "It's my favorite season."
"I love it as well," said Matthias. "I'll be staying here on Walton's Mountain for a few more days. Maybe we'll see each other again before I go back home."
"I'd like that," Ginny told him.
She felt like she was walking on air all the way back home.
"Why does Ginny have braces on her legs?" Matthias asked his older brother as they walked back to Paul's home together.
"She had polio when she was little," Paul replied.
"That's too bad!" said Matthias. "She's such a beautiful girl!"
Paul nodded. "It's a real shame, but she doesn't let it stop her from doing anything she really wants to do. She's a very brave girl."
Elizabeth saw them coming and went to meet them.
"I met your niece Ginny at the store," Matthias told her. "She's such a lovely young lady."
"She is," Elizabeth agreed. "She's going through a really hard time right now. Her school is having a dance, and she doesn't think anyone will want to dance with her because she has braces on her legs."
"To the right person, that won't matter," Matthias pointed out.
"Her mother and I have both told her that, but it doesn't seem to make any difference," Elizabeth replied.
"Perhaps I can help," Matthias offered.
