The Legacy of Prairie Winds by Glenda K Clare

Author:Glenda K Clare
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: pioneer history, women's fiction, clean romance, tornadoes, dust bowl, pioneer, homesteading, family relations, American struggles, historical eventss
Publisher: Glenda K Clare
Published: 2024-05-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Finding Dreams and Futures

‘Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.’ Elizabeth Barrett Browning Helena arranged for her daughters to visit their grandparents in Hadar, Nebraska for Thanksgiving, 1913. When the time came to pack their clothes, Helena asked Berta to sit at the kitchen table; by the look on her mother’s face, Berta believed she’d done something wrong.

“B

erta, this trip is for Marta so she can start to find her own life,” Helena paused tapping on her coffee cup taking care to choose her words. “I know you two girls are close. But, Berta, sometimes you can be overbearing.”

The mother’s soft voice stung her daughter like a bee.

Berta’s eyes grew wide with surprise, and her face turned red. “Well, yes, I guess I can be, sometimes.”

“Berta, you know you can be.” Helena’s voice, sterner than expected, added to the pain. “Someday your self-confidence and ability to take charge will be a real asset. But not on this trip.”

Helena leaned across the table making eye contact to be sure Berta listened, “I don’t want you trying to decide Marta’s mind for her. This trip is for your sister. You need to let her shine.”

Berta struggled to find the right words. “Mama, what are you talking about?”

Frowning, Helena slumped back in the chair with a loud exasperated sigh, “Alright to the point, I am sending Marta to Grandma’s to push her out on her own. I want her to start thinking about her own future.”

The mother leaned ahead again and gazed at her daughter square in the eyes, “If she meets someone, I don’t want you interfering and giving your opinion or advice.”

Hot tears filled Berta’s eyes, “Mama, do I do that?” Her throat, so dry, caused her voice to crack with emotion. Her mother’s words burned into her heart.

“You can. You have. Berta, I am not saying you are a bad person. You are not.” Helena saw the wounded look on Berta’s face and lowered her voice, “You’re a great sister to Marta. But sometimes, she defers to you. She lets you make the decisions and the choices. I want her to learn to trust herself.”

After a few seconds of silence, Helena’s voice begged, “Please try to understand.” She reached her arm across the table and stretched out her hand.

Mother and daughter held hands entwining their fingers for a long minute as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Helena’s warm hands soothed Berta’s tender pride.

“Mama, I see now. I’ll go to Hadar and get to know my cousins. And, I promise, I will keep my opinions to myself.”

Helena and Berta both burst out in laughter knowing how hard it would be.

◆ ◆ ◆

Helena accompanied her daughters on the train from Oldenburg to Norfolk. The larger city’s train station was busier with lots of people milling around. Marta grabbed her sister’s arm, “Look at the different women’s fashions.”

Helena’s father drove them to the family farm. When they arrived, Grandma Mueller, aunts, uncles, and cousins greeted and overwhelmed them.

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