Coming Home ~ Part 6
~The Conclusion~
"Oh, what a beautiful story, Franz!" Jo exclaimed as she wiped a tear from her eye and Nick reached into his pocket to offer her a handkerchief.
"Yes, Franz, that was a wonderful story. Why didn't you tell us about it in your letters?" Nat added.
"Well," Franz explained, "if I had told aunt Jo about it, this is how she would have reacted," he gestured to his aunt, who was still wiping tears from her eyes.
"The last thing I wanted was for Jo to worry about me, and I knew that if I told her about the snake bite, her would have worried herself to death."
Jo cast a knowing glance in Franz and Isabel's direction, then sighed and placed her hands on her lap.
"Well, Nat is right about one thing. That is a wonderful story. Have you thought about writing a book about it?"
"I don't think so, Aunt Jo. If anyone here would be expected to write a story about me in Arizona, I would expect it to be you, or Nat. I'm more suited for teaching than for writing."
After a moment's silence, the grandfather clock in the corner chimed the hour.
"Oh, my," Jo said, yawning, "It's ten o'clock already. You two must be exhausted from your long trip."
"Yes, I am a bit tired," Isabel replied.
"Well, then," Nick said, "we'd best be headin upstairs an git some sleep."
"Sounds good to me," Franz replied as he stood up and offered Isabel his arm.
Together, the group headed up the stairs and went to their rooms.
"Good night, Jo, Nat, Nick," Franz whispered as he and Isabel slipped quietly into the guest room.
Later that night, Franz woke up, and unable to sleep, slowly crept out of bed, trying not to disturb his wife who slept peacefully next to him. Sighing, he gazed at her lovely face and pushed a few strands of hair away from her forehead before kissing it. Tiptoeing to the window, he looked outside to see the grounds bathed in moonlight; it was so different from the desert landscape to which he had grown accustomed over the past several years. Still, it would always feel like home to him. He had grown up here after his Uncle Fritz had married Jo and moved here from New York. He still remembered the first day he had seen this place; Aunt Jo and Uncle Fritz had ridden through the gates in thier wagon, and as soon as they stopped in front of the house, Franz lept from the wagon and burst through the front doors. The first boxes he had opened were ones of books, and he had spent hours by the pond or the river reading such tales as Through the Looking Glass, Moby Dick, and Robinson Crusoe.
Quietly, we walked out of the room and down the hallway until he reached the stairway that led to the widow's walk. Once up the stairs, he opened the latch and climbed up onto the platform, where he saw a familiar silhouette by the railing.
"Aunt Jo, what are you doing up here?"
"I could ask you the same question," Jo replied, turning to face her nephew.
Franz smiled sheepishly and walked over to where Jo was standing, leaning on the railing.
"Couldn't sleep, huh?"
"You too?"
"Yeah," Franz said, looking around at the forest, the bridges, the gardens, "I couldn't stop thinking about how much everything has changed here over the years."
There was a moment of silence as Franz's gaze rested on the barn, where he had so many fond memories of teaching here at Plumfield.
"Do you still hold classes in the barn, Aunt Jo?"
"Yes, we do. For a while, we almost couldn't, when the new teacher came. But he got used to the idea and kind of liked it after a while. The students were upset after he left, but by that time, most of them were ready to graduate, and Nat was more than pleased to take over the teaching responsibilities. After you left, I thought I could teach and do everything else too, but I obviously couldn't. The grape juice incident taught me that."
"Ah, yes, the grape juice incident," Franz said, trying not to laugh, "I remember you writing to me about that. I was so proud of how the children all worked together to help out after your accident. Especially Nat. I could tell then and there that he would become a fine teacher someday."
"Oh, he has, Franz," Jo replied, "The way that he teaches, how he is so patient and understanding with the children, he reminds me so much of you."
"Thanks, Aunt Jo. It's good to know that Plumfield is in capable hands," after a momentary pause, he looked at his aunt and continued, "I want to thank you again, for persuading me to take that 'leap of faith', or whatever you called it. If I hadn't gone to Arizona, I wouldn't be as happy as I am now. I love Isabel so much, Aunt Jo, and our children, they are the best things to happen to me since I married her. Every day that goes by, I see more and more of Uncle Fritz in his namesake, and as for little Josie, she may be just a baby now, but I can tell that she'll be just as beautiful and spirited as her mother."
Sighing, Jo embraced her nephew, trying to choke back tears as they started to form in her eyes.
"Oh, Franz, I'm so proud of you, of what you've become. Look at you, a husband and father will a wonderful family that loves you so very much."
Stepping back from the embrace, she looked over Franz's shoulder to see Isabel climbing up onto the widow's walk.
"There you are!" Isabel said as she shut the door behind her, "I woke up and was wondering where you'd wandered off to. I checked the barn first, but you weren't there. On my way back to the house I saw you. Nick showed me how to get up here. He's in the kitchen now, Jo, no doubt eating the remainder of that wonderful dinner.
"Well, I'll just have to go down there and stop him before he eats everything in the refrigerator!"
Giving Franz and Isabel each a quick hug, she walked over to the door that led back down into the house.
"Besides," she added before closing the door behind her, "you two probably want to spend some time alone right now."
"It sure is beautiful up here, Franz," Isabel said as she walked over to the railing, "how come you never took me up here when we were courting?"
"Oh, I guess I never really thought about it," Franz replied, pulling Isabel close to him as she shivered in the cold night air. "It is a lovely view, isn't it?"
"It's wonderful, Franz! I think I can even see into town from up here!"
"Turning to face Isabel, he kissed her gently, then whispered, "not as beautiful or wonderful as you, dear. You know, not a day goes by that I don't thank God you came into my life. I love you so much, Isabel. Thank you for letting me come back here. I know how much you must miss your family. Who knows, maybe after I'm done with college, we can go back to Arizona and start a school there, for your brother, and Fritzy, and even little Josie when she's old enough. It can be just like Plumfield."
"Really, Franz?" Isabel said, looking happily into her husband's eyes, "I would love that. And I'm sure there would be plenty of other children that would be more than happy to have you as their teacher."
Smiling, Franz pulled Isabel close to him again, and the couple gazed towards the horizon. In this moment, they knew that no matter where they went, or what they did in the years to come, they would feel no greater joy than that which is felt in coming home.
~The End~
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