New Generation Arises

Five years passed with the different family members beginning to consolidate their plans for their future and turn them into action.

James had completed his education degree and was soon to start work at one of the elementary schools in Gatlinburg along the way in these studies he’d taken up with a young lady Mary Ann Brown at the college and they were in correspondence while she waited for an opportunity to join him in Gatlinburg teaching.

Sarah was engaged to her Graham and a wedding was planned for November that year. Graham Wolf had enough to place a deposit and assurance of a bank loan on a home in the outskirts of town in the direction of the Landa family property. He intended to do some work on the home to satisfy Sarah’s requests and when finished would move out of his rented apartment next to the clinic. He’d already established a reputation as a competent doctor and was building a substantial patient base.

Sarah would pour her savings into an attached studio in their new home and continued to expand her clientele for paintings she produced. Some art shops in large cities were tentatively inquiring about purchasing her works for resale there and Sarah was considering accepting pupils when her studio was complete. Her parents Ethan and Joslyn watched the developments with a mixture of pride and sadness, feeling the skills they’d taught their children in their development years would be lost forever as the children, now adults, followed their own career paths.

Leah continued to work with her father and was now producing increasingly sophisticated carvings and sculptures which Ethan proudly exhibited in the dedicated area in front of their home displaying their products for tourists. There were signs up in approaches to Gatlinburg giving directions to their display at home and their products were selling in the art shops in Gatlinburg too. The family were now well established financially, and Ethan had planned with his financial advisor for substantial financial gifts to their children when they married. The property would go to the children equally on the death of Ethan and Joslyn.

It was a month before Sarah’s wedding and Leah was with her father in the workshop as they worked on separate projects. She spoke.

“Dad, do you like Will?”

“Yes, I do Leah, why do you ask?”

“Well, we’ve been going together for five years now, and I know he likes me but doesn’t seem to like me enough to marry him. I want to get married like my sister. Why doesn’t he ask me to marry him. It’s not up to me to ask him but if he doesn’t want me then why does he hang around?”

Ethan paused his work to think about that question. Why did he hang around if he had no intention of marrying his daughter?

“Leah, I do think this needs to be clarified. When is he coming over this afternoon?”

“Three O’clock as usual dad.”

“Hmm! Why don’t you spend the afternoon helping your mother with her crafts? She loves to have you do that and misses the times when you and Sarah used to help her with her crafts. I may have a little conversation with him diplomatically to see what he plans for his future. If it includes you then I’m sure that will come out. If not, then perhaps I won’t be as welcoming to him in future.”

Leah was troubled at this suggestion.

“I’d be humiliated if you pushed him into asking me to marry him dad. Please be careful what you say.”

Leah put her tools away and went to join her mother for the rest of the afternoon.

When Will arrived at the usual time he immediately inquired where Leah was, and Ethan explained Joslyn had asked her to help her this afternoon. Will looked disappointed but went to work on a wood carving he’d been working on for the past week silently. Ethan worked in silence for a while and then began asking about Will’s parents and how their shop was faring with the influx of tourists. The Smith shop featured a lot of the Landa productions, so it was a natural question. Then Ethan casually inquired about what Will was planning for his future and Will responded without any hint he understood where the conversation was going.

“Sir I’ve been working and saving for a long time. I know my parents are getting older and will one day expect me to take over running the shop. I was hoping Leah would consider including me in her future but don’t ask her if she would because if we got married, we have such a small house attached to the shop and it wouldn’t be fair to expect my wife to have to move into already cramped conditions. My parents practically live in the shop day and night selling or rearranging displays after hours so it’s not an issue for them, but it is for me, and I’d never expect my wife to put up with those conditions. The shop is bigger than our living quarters. I don’t know what to do and I sense Leah is becoming unhappy with the arrangement.”

“Well five years is a long time to court a girl without her having expectations son. I think you should explain this to her and tell her you’d like to marry her, and you’d have our permission as we know you are an honorable person who’d take good care of her. Do you want to marry my daughter?”

“Yes sir! I’d feel like the luckiest person in the world to have Leah accept my proposal.”

“Then this is my suggestion son. We have more than enough room on our property and can easily afford to build a second home here which we’d be glad for you to occupy with Leah and it certainly would be convenient as its not far for you to commute to the shop every day and Leah obviously is going to take over the Landa business from Joslyn and I as neither Sarah or James have that interest and she does. Would this solve your problem?”

Tears formed in Will’s eyes.

“Thank you for the offer, sir. I’d be privileged to accept your kind offer and would pay you to rent that new house to be built at whatever rent you set. Can I tell Leah?”

“I think you are overdue to ask her to marry you Will. Why don’t you drop tools and find her and ask her now.”

Will rushed out of the workshop and headed for the workshop where Joslyn did her craft work arriving breathless in front of the two startled women.

“Leah, will you marry me?”

Will was swamped with hugs and kisses from the two women and Leah shouted yes. So, the family sat together to plan for a new home on the property and Ethan rushed around engaging architects, contractors and making submissions to the authorities for permission to build when plans had been drawn up. Joslyn conscripted the twins to help her with her work and the business while Ethan was engaged with building and Sarah for once was cooperative with her sister happy that Leah’s future was being settled too.

During the exciting plans for both girls’ weddings James dropped a bombshell on his parents. Mary Ann Brown had not been successful in getting a job in Gatlinburg and decided to take a job in Knoxville where there were more opportunities. James, fearful that he’d lose his love over time in a lengthy separation, applied to the same institution in Knoxville and was granted employment. He informed his parents he’d be departing in the next month for Knoxville and had already arranged accommodation and asked his love to marry him, which she’d accepted.

Not having met James true love the family were disappointed. He promised to visit often and especially be at his sisters’ respective weddings and would bring his future wife to visit with them all as soon as they could get vacation time together. He expected his parents and sisters to attend his eventual wedding too, which would probably be within a year as the Browns were a wealthy family and were willing to finance the cost of the wedding and a home for their daughter and new son-in-law.

Ethan felt irritated because his son had not confided in him before making these decisions but held his peace. Joslyn, always the peacemaker, soothed Ethan’s wounded pride and Ethan could never resist his wife who he deeply loved and respected.

To be continued.

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