Beth mailed the letter, and then all that was left to do was await the response, if it came. As summer drew to a close, Jo realized she had to figure out what to do about the coming year. She lacked the desire to return to New York, as painful memories of the time she'd spent there with Fritz haunted her.

Or had that all been a dream?

"Hey Mom, remember that guy I told you about that I met in New York?" she asked her mother one day.

Mrs. March frowned. "What guy? I don't remember you mentioning anyone."

Jo sighed. "Never mind." First Beth had no memory of Fritz, and now her mother didn't, either. He must have been a figment of my imagination, Jo concluded.

Or had he?

Jo couldn't think of a possible way to find out. One thing she did know, however, was that without a car, her options were limited.

One day in August, Beth finally received the letter she'd been waiting for. Breathless with excitement, she showed the letter to Jo.

Dear Beth,

Thank you very much for your letter. I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear from you, as I wasn't told anything at all about who would receive my son's heart. You sound like such a sweet young woman. I would love to meet you in person. For me, it's like a part of Karl is still alive in you.

Love,

Sarah Hummel

"She wants to meet me!" Beth cried.

"Do you want to meet her?" asked her mother, and her smile disappeared. "It's up to you. I don't want you to feel pressured."

"I...um...well, yes, I believe I do."

Plans were made, directions were obtained, and one sunny day, Mrs. March and her two younger daughters traveled to Lowell to meet Mrs. Sarah Hummel.

At last they arrived at the red brick house. A tall tree grew at each side of the well manicured lawn. The windows and doors were trimmed in white, and four white pillars supported a porch which boasted a white porch swing and a small, round wooden table with two cast iron chairs.

A young boy playing in the front yard stopped his play to gaze at them curiously.

Mrs. March rang the doorbell, and a stout, blonde, middle-aged woman appeared. Deep wrinkles were at the corners of her bright blue eyes, and she wore a white sundress and brown sandals.

"You must be the Marches," she said. "Come on in."

"Thank you." Mrs. March smiled. "I'm Marge, and these are my daughters, Jo and Beth."

"Pleased to meet you." The woman gave her visitors a warm smile and extended her hand. "I'm Sarah." She led them into a cozy living room. The walls were white, and a large bookcase stood against one wall. A light gray wraparound couch dominated the room, and in front of it was a round cork table which held a potted plant and a short, fat white candle.

"This is all so lovely!" Beth cried.

"Thank you," said Sarah. "Please have a seat. How do you like your coffee?"

"Two creams and two sugars for all three of us," Mrs. March replied.

The three women sat on the sofa, which turned out to be incredibly comfortable. A few minutes later, Sarah brought them their coffee and then sat beside them.

"You're certainly a beautiful girl," Sarah told Beth.

"Thanks." Beth blushed furiously.

"She's very shy," Mrs. March put in. "She has a hard time meeting new people."

"I can tell," said Sarah. "I'm so glad to meet you, though."

"Would you like to tell us about your son?" asked Mrs. March.

"Gladly," Sarah replied. "Jonas and Karl were identical twins. Jonas was older by ten minutes. Even though they looked just alike, they had completely opposite personalities."

"That's interesting," Mrs. March remarked.

"Jonas has always been quiet, serious, and responsible," Sarah continued. "He always got good grades in school, was dependable and obedient, never got into trouble. He was a little shy, like you, Beth. He was a real bookworm - always read a lot. He knows so much about so many things - he's like a walking encyclopedia sometimes!"

"You must be very proud of him," said Mrs. March.

"Oh, I am!" said Sarah. Jo heard the door open, and the young boy from outside appeared.

"This is my youngest, Noah," Sarah told her guests. "Noah, this is Mrs. March and her daughters, Jo and Beth."

Noah nodded. "I just came in to get a Coke." He disappeared into the kitchen.

"How many children do you have?" asked Jo.

"Besides the twins, there's Henry, Lily, and then Noah. Henry's going into tenth grade, Lily into eighth, and Noah into fifth."

"Karl was Jonas's twin brother, right?" asked Mrs. March.

"Yes! He was my live wire." Sarah chuckled. "Always up to something. That boy and his practical jokes! When the twins were in high school, I worked full time and gave each child a list of chores to do after school. Karl, that stinker, he'd take chores off his own list and add them to the lists of the others. Later, Jonas remarked that he'd never understood why his own list was so long."

"That wasn't very nice," Jo put in.

"No, it wasn't, but Karl could charm his way out of anything," said Sarah. "He got twenty citations for his dirt bike not having the proper equipment, and he talked his way out of having to pay every one of them! You should have heard him! 'Oh no, sir, I'll never, ever do it again'!" She laughed. "Twenty citations!"

"Sounds like quite a guy!" said Jo.

She heard the door open.

"Oh, here come the others," said Sarah.

A few seconds later, two teenage boys and a teenage girl appeared.