Grandma Jane's Recollections
With her eyes wide, Hope stared at her grandmother’s face, trying to figure out who she was talking about. Having no idea, she asked, “Who do you mean?”
“There was a time when another young lady slept under this roof, and sometimes I’d wake up in the middle of the night and wonder if she was still here. Couple of times she wasn’t.” Hope realized she was talking about her mother, and her mouth dropped open. “Don’t think that this adventurous spirit of yours comes solely from the Tucker side of the family. I’m afraid your mother had a bit of a wanderlust, too, Hope.”
Shaking her head, Hope said, “I never would’ve imagined.”
“Went to Springfield to see about your daddy without our permission.” She glanced over her shoulder at the window. “Pretty sure she snuck out to meet him a time or two. She was engaged for over a year, and I had no idea. Your mama knows what she wants, and she fights for it, honey. You get that from her.”
The idea of her mother doing anything remotely dangerous was difficult to accept, but she did remember Mama saying that it was Frieda who went with her to Springfield. She’d just assumed her grandfather had also been there, but apparently not. Several questions sprung to mind about the adventures her mother might’ve had, but now wasn’t the time to ask them. Instead, Hope asked, “Have you ever felt that way, Grandma? Like maybe there’s more out there?”
Jane gave a small chuckle and posed another question. “Do you know how I met your grandfather?”
“No, I don’t think anyone has ever told us,” Hope admitted, shaking her head.
The chuckle turned into a laugh. “Your mama doesn’t even know the full story. I’ll tell you, but you’ve gotta keep it to yourself, you hear?”
“Of course, Grandma,” Hope replied, sure she’d promise anything to hear the story that made her grandmother chuckle so mischievously.
“I answered an ad in the newspaper.”
Hope stared at the wrinkled, smiling face before her for a long moment before the pieces began to come together. “Wait—you were a mail order bride?”
Jane’s laughing increased. “I surely was. Came to Missouri from Ohio. My parents had fits over the whole thing, but I knew I needed to go. There was just something else out here for me, and I’m so glad I did. Marrying your grandfather was the best decision I ever did make in all of my sixty-five years.”
“But Grandma, why did Grandpa have to send away for a bride? He’s educated, handsome, well-to-do.”
“He surely is,” she nodded. “But there weren’t many ladies out in these parts those days, and he was so busy starting up the bank, he didn’t have time to do much courtin’. So, his sister persuaded him to write an advertisement, and he did. We wrote each other a spell, a few months, and he seemed like a nice enough man. We exchanged pictures, and I almost thought he must’ve borrowed a picture from a good lookin’ friend a his because, like you said, I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t have a dozen young ladies fallin’ all over him. But when I stepped off the train and saw his handsome face, I knew I’d done the right thing. Not just because he was a sight for sore eyes either, but because he’s a good man.”
“So you think this spirit inside of me came from you?”
“Maybe so. Maybe from your great-grandparents. Your grandfather’s folks came across the ocean from England before he was born. There’s just no tellin’, honey, but you come by it naturally.”
Hope thought over her grandmother’s stories for a few moments. She’d never heard her sister mention leaving Lamar, but then, she had Frankie. Maybe she didn’t get stung by the same bug as Hope. “Grandma, if I ever did think about looking for a position somewhere else, out west, or down in Texas, don’t you think it would break Mama’s heart? Would it break yours?”
“Honey, I would miss you so much.” Her grandmother’s small hand rested on Hope’s knee. “I would think on you every day and write you letters every chance I got. I’m sure your mama would feel the same way, but if you think there might be something else out there for you, who are we to stand in your way? The world can be a cruel, dangerous place. Lamar was unsettled and fierce back when I first came here, and my mama worried I’d be killed the first day when I stepped down from the train. But the world shifts and changes. And it takes good people to make that happen. Maybe you’ll go out there and find there’s nothing for you and be back directly. Maybe you’ll be the ember that starts the world ablaze for good. I can’t rightly say. But if you’ve got a whisper of a dream in your heart, that ain’t gonna settle down. And it sure ain’t something Jimmy Brooks can quiet.”
Once again, Hope’s eyebrows shot up. “How do you know about Jimmy?”
“I gotta window in my bedroom looks right out on the road, don’t I?” She giggled again, and Hope was glad to see her so happy. It was rare, what with all of the pain her grandmother had been in recently.
“Do you think Grandpa would agree with you?”
“I do. But it don’t matter. You just need to do what’s right for you Hope Frieda Tucker. The rest of us will handle ourselves.”
Hope stretched over and wrapped her arms around her grandmother’s neck and kissed her on the cheek. She still had no idea if she should take a chance and leave Lamar behind, but at least she knew her grandparents would be supportive, and that was something else. And, should her mother decide to stand in her way, she had plenty of ammunition now to remind her that she once had a vagabond heart as well. “I love you, Grandma Jane,” she said, looking into a pair of the wisest eyes she’d ever seen.
“I love you, too, my sweet Hope. Don’t you ever forget it either.” Grandma Jane patted her on the knee again, and Hope stood to help her up. She made her way slowly to the bedroom door, and Hope heard her shuffle on down the hall before she leaned back against her pillows again. She had a lot of thinking to do, and while it wouldn’t be an easy decision, she knew in her heart she’d have to at least give it a try. If there was a school out there that needed her, then that’s where she would go, even if it meant leaving everyone she loved behind.
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