The day arrived that Fritz was due to collect Adam and Daniel from the home of the friends with whom they'd spent the summer. Jo accompanied him, of course. Jonas and Beth were spending the day together on the beach in New Hampshire.
Adam and Daniel had spent the summer with Tom and Marcy Blackwell and their children, Marshall and Regina, on their farm in Red Hook. Marcy and Minna had been close friends. Marshall was Adam's age, and Regina was Daniel's age.
Fritz picked Jo up at six in the morning, when the air was cool and dew was on the grass. She was watching for him at the front window, and when she saw him pull up, she quietly slipped out of the house and dashed to his car.
On the interstate, they passed miles and miles of farmland. Jo was reminded of the Weber's farm during the pre-war period and got a strangely sweet feeling of nostalgia.
At about ten thirty, her stomach began to rumble.
"Ich habe Hunger." Fritz grinned at her. "Something to eat would be nice right about now, would it not?"
"You read my mind exactly!" said Jo.
Fritz chuckled as he left the interstate.
"I packed us a picnic lunch before leaving home this morning. I could not find the right kind of sausage, so we will have to make do with what I found. There is plenty of sauerkraut and potato salad, and apples for dessert."
Jo yawned.
"I'm sure whatever you have will be fine."
They drove through several miles of farm country, eventually arriving at a quaint wooden covered bridge. The tires made a clickety-clack sound, and Jo was taken back in time to another period, one which was simpler in some ways, yet more complicated at the same time...
"Do you like covered bridges?" asked Fritz.
"I love this one! It's very charming," said Jo.
"So do I." Fritz kept his eyes on the road as he drove along. "This is the long way around. I chose this route intentionally so that we could experience the bridge." He looked at her and smiled. "I hope you are not disappointed."
"Not at all! I love old things." The words were out of Jo's mouth before she'd even realized she'd said them.
"So do I."
They arrived at a picturesque little park. Jo stepped out of the car and inhaled a deep breath of the fresh air. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, insects buzzed, and beside a row of swings were several picnic tables.
Fritz fetched the cooler from the trunk and carried it to the nearest picnic table. He opened it, and Jo helped him retrieve the food and drinks - beer for him and iced tea for her.
"Do not worry," he told her. "I am a responsible drinker. Since I am driving, I shall have but one beer and share your tea after that, although I am accustomed to hot, rather than iced, tea."
"I know hot tea is an English thing," said Jo. "I didn't know it was a German thing as well."
Fritz only laughed.
The sausages, sauerkraut, and potato salad turned out to be quite tasty. Fritz and Jo ate their fill, and then Fritz asked if Jo was in any special hurry to be back on the road.
"I thought we might take a nice walk first - let the food settle in our stomachs," he explained.
"Sounds like a great idea to me," Jo replied. "It is a beautiful day, isn't it?"
As they strolled around the park, in her mind, Jo was taken back in time to the many walks she'd shared with Dieter in England. She felt unexpected tears spring up in her eyes and prayed Fritz wouldn't notice them.
From the park, it was a quick drive to Marcy and Tom's farm. The house was painted red, and the barn right beside it was painted a darker shade of red. A tall silo stood right behind the barn. In the front yard were several maple trees.
From one of them hung a swing on which Regina was swinging while Marshall, Adam, and Daniel played nearby. Marshall and Regina both had curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. Adam and Daniel saw the car approaching and ran to meet their uncle.
Fritz emerged from the car and took one boy by each hand as Jo got out of the car. She heard both boys chattering with excitement.
"One at a time, please!" Fritz laughed.
"I saw a baby chicken hatch out of its egg!" said Daniel. "He was all wet and yellow. I named his Fluffy."
"I know how to milk a cow now," added Adam. "Miss Marcy showed me how."
"That is nice," said Fritz. "You both remember Miss Jo, do you not?"
"Hi, Miss Jo!" both boys said together.
Everyone went inside, where Marcy sat in a recliner doing needlework. She was a blue-eyed blonde with long, straight hair. She smiled and stood as they entered.
"Well, hello there! Would you like some refreshments? I just put the leftovers away, but I can get them back out."
"No, thank you. We have already eaten," said Fritz. "This is my friend from Concord, Josephine March."
"Hello." Marcy smiled and shook Jo's hand. "I'm Marcy Blackwell."
"Nice to meet you," said Jo. "What's that you're making?"
"Doilies for the table," said Marcy. "Come on in and have a seat on the sofa."
"Thank you," said Fritz. He and Jo sat on the sofa, across from Marcy. Jo noticed that the walls were covered with needlework designs.
"Did you do all those?" asked Jo, thinking of Beth.
"I made most of them," said Marcy. "A few were gifts."
"You're so talented!"
Marcy smiled.
"Thank you. My grandmother taught me when I was nine or ten. This was my grandparents' farm. I used to spend summers here when I was a little girl, and when they passed, they left it to me."
Jo heard footsteps in the hallway, and moments later, Tom Blackwell appeared. Jo knew who he was even before his wife introduced him. He bore a strong resemblance to both his children.
She was in school, listening to the teacher. Her feet didn't quite reach the floor, so they dangled. Although she was trying hard to pay attention, she couldn't keep her mind from wandering. It was simply too beautiful a day to have to go to school.
At long last, the bell rang, and she and the other students hurried to the door. Just outside it, she saw Freddy waiting for her. He always came to walk his little sister home.
They were almost there when a soft rain began to fall.