Other Brother

by Dooley, Lena Nelson

  “Lars, is everything all right?” The feminine voice called from the station platform.

  Lars gestured toward the woman standing on the platform, and Gustaf looked up at her.

  The woman smiled.

  “Come meet my wife.” Lars took Gustaf by the arm and pulled him along up the steps. “Janice, this is my oldest brother.”

  She placed her gloved hand into Gustaf’s. “I think I would have known you anywhere, Gustaf. Lars has told me so much about you.” Her voice had a lyrical quality to it.

  Gustaf hadn’t known what to expect in his sister-in-law. She was tall and willowy. Her friendly face was surrounded by abundant black hair, styled in the current pompadour fashion. Her eyes were her most arresting feature. They were green, sparkling with life. For a moment Gustaf questioned his brother’s sanity. Janice was beautiful, but she didn’t come close to Olina in any area that he could see.

  Gustaf gave Lars and Janice a ride to the hotel. They had decided to stay there for the first few nights of their visit. They thought it would make everything less awkward. It was a good thing that Gustaf hadn’t yet bought the supplies. There wouldn’t have been room in the wagon for all of their luggage and everything he came to pick up.

  When they came back out of the hotel after taking the luggage up to their room, Gerda was walking down the sidewalk near the mercantile. She saw Lars before he saw her, and she came hurrying across the street, calling out to them.

  Gustaf suggested that Gerda, Lars, and Janice go into the hotel. He told them he would pick up Olina and bring her back so they could have lunch together. When Gerda looked concerned, he told her that he would prepare Olina for the confrontation.

  As Gustaf drove the wagon toward his house, he started praying for Olina. He wanted to warn her about Lars, and he wanted to be with her when she learned that he was in Litchfield. If need be, Gustaf was prepared to stay at the house with Olina until she didn’t need him anymore. He hoped that Lars and Janice’s presence wouldn’t set Olina back in her walk with the Lord. Most of all, Gustaf didn’t want Olina hurt again.

  ❧

  Olina was finishing the last stitch in the hem of the ruffled skirt when she noticed Gustaf’s wagon coming from Litchfield. She hadn’t seen him go by on the way to town. It was hard to miss him now. He was driving fast. That was unusual for Gustaf. He was always careful with the horses. Olina stood up and stretched. Then she took the dress to the table to fold it. She was glad that she could see outside from every spot in the room. With one eye on what she was doing, she kept part of her attention on the wagon that was approaching the house.

  When Gustaf stopped the wagon in front, Olina went to the door. Maybe he was coming to eat lunch with them. It was too bad that they hadn’t cooked anything today. Olina was planning to make a sandwich with some of the tomatoes out of the garden and the piece of ham left from breakfast. That would barely feed her. It wouldn’t be enough for a hard-working man like Gustaf.

  Olina opened the door just as Gustaf stepped onto the porch. “Hello. Have you come for—?” The look on Gustaf’s face stopped the question in midsentence. She rushed through the door. “Oh, Gustaf, what’s the matter?” Without thinking, she reached up and cupped her hand on his cheek.

  Gustaf placed his calloused fingers on top of hers as if to hold them in place. “Olina, I must talk to you.”

  “You’re scaring me. Whatever has happened to cause you this distress?” Olina couldn’t pull her gaze from his.

  He looked as if he were worried about her. Why would he be worried about her? Had he heard something in town? She glanced down at his other hand. It didn’t hold any mail, so it couldn’t be anything bad about her family.

  Gustaf pulled her hand from his face and held it in both his hands. “Let’s sit here.”

  Olina and Gerda loved sitting on the porch in the cool of the evening, so Gustaf and August had built a wooden swing for them. Gustaf guided her toward the swing. When they were seated, he leaned his forearms on his knees and clasped his hands.

  “I’ve come to tell you something.”

  Olina was exasperated. “So tell me. Don’t keep me wondering any longer.”

  Gustaf leaned back and placed his arm along the back of the swing. “Someone came to Litchfield on the train that just went through.”

  “So?” Olina knew that people often came to Litchfield on the train. She looked up into his troubled eyes and waited.

  “It was Lars and his wife.” The statement hung in the air between them while Gustaf seemed to be studying every expression on Olina’s face. What was he looking for?

  “Lars. . .and his wife?” Olina was puzzled.

  “Yes.” Gustaf took one of her hands in his.

  “I didn’t know that he was coming home.”

  “No one did.” He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb while he continued to study her. “It’s a surprise visit.”

  Olina waited for the hurt to settle in her chest, but all she felt was surprised. Oh, Father, did You take that hurt away, too? Will I be able to forgive Lars as You have forgiven me? “Where are they?”

  Gustaf must have been holding his breath because he had to let it out to answer her. “I left them at the hotel with Gerda. Do you feel like going into town to see them?”

  Olina stood up and walked to the porch railing. She leaned against it, looking toward town as if she could see into the hotel. Then she turned back to Gustaf. “It was inevitable that this would happen. We might as well get it over with, but I need to freshen up a bit.”

  Gustaf’s smile went right to Olina’s heart. “I’ll be here when you are ready.”

  “I’ll hurry.”

  Gerda, Lars, and his wife were sitting in the lobby visiting when Gustaf and Olina arrived. Lars stood as if he had been watching the door for them. Standing across the room from her was the man she had planned to marry. For a moment, all the pain lanced through Olina’s heart. How was she going to get through the next few minutes? She just had to. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Did she need to stop all feeling again as she had before? Would it help?

  Lars introduced Olina to Janice. What does he see in her that he didn’t see in me? Olina recognized the wariness in Janice’s expression. It wasn’t her fault, was it? Lars hadn’t been a real man. He hadn’t taken responsibility for his actions, and two women were paying a price for that irresponsibility. When Lars met Janice, did he even tell her about Olina?

  After introducing Olina to Janice, Lars asked Olina if she would take a walk with him. She looked at Janice, who nodded.

  They walked around the hotel and out across a field toward a small grove of trees. When they reached the shade, Lars stopped Olina with a gentle touch on her arm. She turned toward him.

  “Olina, we came to visit with our family, but you’re the main reason I’ve come.”

  She looked up at him and waited. It was a minute or two before he continued. During that time, he studied her as if he were looking for something specific.

  “I know that I did you a grave injustice.” Lars seemed ill at ease. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I was blind to my faults. And I was impulsive.”

  Olina nodded. She agreed wholeheartedly.

  “I should have met you in New York City. I apologize for that. Can you forgive me?”

  Olina gazed up at a cloud that was drifting by. It looked like a little lamb, gamboling in the pasture around his mother. The lamb reminded her of Jesus, who died to bring her forgiveness.

  Looking back at Lars, she whispered, “Yes, I will work on forgiving you.” She paused, then continued. “Why did you go to Denver in the first place, Lars?” She had to know.

  Once again, Lars shuffled his feet in the grass. “I thought we could start our new life together in Denver. I was offered a better paying job, and I planned to get us a home, then come back here before you arrived. I planned for us to be married here and then go to our new home.” He looked everywhere but at her, t
aking a long time before he blurted, “I thought I loved you, Olina, but I didn’t know what love really was until I met Janice. ”

  Olina waited for the pain to lance though her midsection. She felt disappointment, but not the agony she expected. “And what is love. . .really?”

  “It’s not just that she’s beautiful. You’re beautiful, too. Janice and I were made for each other. She has strengths where I have weaknesses, and I have strengths in the areas where she is weak. I know God created someone for you, just as he created Janice and me to be together.”

  When Lars said that, Olina looked across the field toward town, and her thoughts drifted to Gustaf. Could he be the one?

  “I have great fondness for you.” Lars’s voice sounded stronger, more sure. “You will always have a special place in my heart.”

  Olina glanced back at him. “Maybe that’s not good.”

  “Janice knows all about you. . .us. . .what we were to each other. At least now she knows. I was not man enough to tell her about you until after we were engaged.” Lars rubbed the back of his neck. “We were not meant for each other, you and I. We just thought we were. I know it’ll be hard for you to forgive me for all of this, but that’s what I came here for. To apologize to you face-to-face. I pray that someday we can be friends.”

  Olina glanced at the grass, then across the field to some cows that were grazing in the adjoining pasture. “I’ll not deny that you hurt me very much. I don’t know when I’ve ever been so hurt.” She looked down at her skirt that the gentle wind was swirling around her ankles. “I’m trying to forgive you. In time, maybe we’ll be comfortable around each other.” She gazed up at Lars. “We should go back. I don’t want the others to be worried about us.”

  Lars took her arm and guided her back to the front of the hotel.

  On the way across the field, Olina thought about all she had gone through. Had God allowed those things to happen because He had created someone for her, someone besides Lars? Was he here in Litchfield, Minnesota, right now?

  What about Janice? She had been caught in the middle of the dilemma Lars had caused by his irresponsible actions.

  Just as she stepped up on the wooden sidewalk, Olina said, “I’m glad you’ve come. I do want to get to know your wife.”

  ❧

  When Gustaf drove Olina home, Gerda stayed in town with Lars and Janice. He was glad, because he wanted to talk to Olina alone.

  After stopping the horses by the front gate, Gustaf turned to Olina. “Are you all right?”

  Olina looked up at Gustaf. “You mean about Lars and Janice?”

  “That. . .and about Lars being here. . .and about Lars and you.”

  Olina blinked as if her eyes were watering. “There is no ‘Lars and me.’ ”

  Gustaf reached over and took both her hands in his. “I know that, but how are you handling everything?”

  When Olina looked down at their clasped hands, so did Gustaf. Hers looked so small and smooth, engulfed in his large, calloused ones. He would gladly take all the pain out of her life, but he knew he couldn’t.

  Olina looked back up at him. “I want to forgive Lars, but it is so hard, for sure. How can I completely forgive him? The hurt goes deep.”

  Gustaf didn’t know if he had an answer for her, so he got out of the wagon, then helped Olina down. They walked to the front door in silence.

  “Let’s look in the Bible, Olina.” Gustaf opened the door and waited for her to enter.

  Olina went into the parlor and picked her Bible up from the table where she had put it when she finished reading it last night. “What do you want to show me?”

  Gustaf sat on the sofa, and Olina sat beside him. Gustaf searched for a verse. “In Matthew, chapter six, it says, ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’ ”

  Olina nodded. “I remember reading that. It’s where Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. But it was more than that.” Gustaf cleared his throat. He didn’t want to hurt Olina, but he wanted her to understand what he was talking about. “I believe it means that if we don’t forgive others, then the Lord won’t forgive us.”

  “That’s a hard word, Gustaf.”

  “I know, but when you forgive others, it allows your forgiveness from God to flow freely. Does that make any sense?”

  Olina nodded. “I see what you mean. And I think I agree, but it’s not easy sometimes.”

  Gustaf stood and walked to the front window. “God didn’t say that everything would be easy, but it would be worth it. I had a hard time forgiving Lars for what he did. God used this verse to teach me that I had to. It took me awhile, and I thought I had totally forgiven him.”

  Gustaf rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Then today when I saw him on that platform. . .and knew that his coming could cause you pain, my anger came back. While I was coming for you, God reminded me that I had forgiven Lars. If you are never able to forgive Lars, there’ll be a root of bitterness growing inside your heart. Soon it will consume you.” He turned back toward Olina. “You don’t want that, do you?”

  Olina shook her head. “No, I don’t. Would you pray for me?”

  “We can do that right now.” Gustaf sat back down beside Olina. “Father God, please help Olina turn loose of the bitterness and unforgiveness she has in her heart. Give her Your strength. Let Your love for Lars flow through her heart and take its place. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  Eighteen

  Lars and Janice stayed at Litchfield for a month. Because Lars decided to help with the harvesting at the farm, after a few days, he and Janice moved into the house with his parents. Gerda and Olina became friends with Janice. Often when the men were working at the farm, Janice spent the day at Gerda and Olina’s home, even helping them with handwork or cooking lunch for them while they finished a garment. In the evenings, Gerda, Olina, and August ate dinner at the farm. Everyone wanted to make the most of the time Lars and Janice were there.

  One Friday night in September, all the family was gathered around the table enjoying another one of Mrs. Nilsson’s wonderful meals. Gerda noticed that Gustaf seemed preoccupied. She wondered what was bothering him, but she didn’t have long to worry.

  “A few of the shingles on my house look as if they’re damaged.” Gustaf took another bite of the chicken and dumplings. Olina knew it was one of his favorite foods. He looked thoughtful while he chewed. “Since we don’t have any other fields ready for harvest right now, I think I’ll go over and fix the roof tomorrow.” He looked around the table at his brothers. “Do you want to help me?”

  Lars put down his fork and frowned. “I would like to, but Janice promised her aunt and uncle that we would spend the day with them.”

  Janice smiled at her husband. “It would be all right if you want to help your brother. I can go without you.”

  “No,” Gustaf said. “You haven’t spent much of your time here with the Braxtons. It’s only right that you both go tomorrow.”

  “I can help you.” August reached for another hot roll. “I haven’t had a day off, except Sunday, for a long time. We aren’t very busy right now.”

  Gustaf smiled. “Then it’s settled. I’ll feel better about the girls spending the winter in the house if I know the roof is safe.”

  The next morning, Gustaf and August arrived in time for breakfast. Gerda had told Olina that they would, so the young women had cooked extra bacon and biscuits. Gerda started the scrambled eggs while the men washed up for the meal.

  Breakfast was fun, with light banter going around the room and keeping everyone laughing between bites. Olina looked at Gustaf. She liked having him sitting across the table from her. It was familiar and something she would like to continue for her whole life. Where had that thought come from? She sat stunned, wondering what it meant.

  August pushed his chair back from the table. “We’d better get started if we want to finish today.”

  “Okay, Brother.” Gustaf clap
ped him on the back before he went out the door toward the wagon.

  Olina sat for a minute more, still stunned by the direction of her thoughts. Gerda quickly cleaned off the table. Olina jumped up and started washing the dishes while Gerda dried them and put them away.

  “I’m going to the mercantile this morning.” Gerda hung the tea towel on a hook near the sink. “Do you want to go with me?”

  “Not today,” Olina said. “Last week I bought a piece of wool to make myself a suit. I haven’t even had time to cut it out. I want to get it made before the weather gets any colder.”

  “Do you want me to get anything for you while I’m there?”

  Olina followed Gerda out of the kitchen. “Would you check and see if they have any cotton sateen? I want to make a new waist to go with the suit.”

  Gerda stopped and put on her bonnet and shawl. “What color?”

  “The wool is navy. Maybe a light blue, pink, or even white would go with it.”

  Olina went into the sewing room and pulled the fabric from the shelf. She planned to make a skirt that wasn’t as full as she wore in the summer. She liked a little flare, but if it wasn’t too full, the skirt would be warmer. The wind was bad about blowing full skirts around, and the wind already had a bite to it. Olina wanted to make a fitted jacket with fitted sleeves. That style was also warmer than looser styles. If she had enough fabric, Olina was going to add a peplum to the bottom of the jacket. Maybe she would scallop it to give it more interest. She could even add scallops to the opening of the jacket, with a buttonhole in each scallop. The more she envisioned the new creation, the more excited she became. Spreading the fabric on the table, Olina went to work cutting out the suit.

  ❧

  Gustaf and August quickly gathered the needed tools and wooden shingles from the wagon. While Gustaf carried them to the side of the house, August hefted the ladder on his broad shoulders.

  It took several trips up and down the ladder before the men had moved all they needed to work with onto the roof. Soon they were pulling away rotted shingles and nailing new ones into place. While they worked, the brothers talked and laughed. They had always gotten along, and they worked well together.