“You mean, you didn’t come to me by chance?”
“No! I thought I told you about that a long time ago. Anyway, that is how I met you. And sure enough, after a short talk with you, I was heading for the pit and by that time I was pretty sure that I would get the job.”
“What made you so sure?”
“Call it instinct. I told the foreman that you sent me, and everything went well from there on.”
“You realize, of course, you are being cheeky,” Martin Zanton chuckled.
“And you have been my mentor ever since.”
“Is that why I can’t get rid of you? God only knows I’ve tried several times in all these years.”
The Zantons were always very resourceful and therefore always well provided for.
Martin Zanton was happy as long as those grinding stones kept grinding. The mill ran partly on water and partly on electricity. It was interesting how the little creek that ran past looking so timid could provide so much power. There was a system with the help of a dam that guided the main flow of the water to the large wheel, which in turn rolled the stones. The dam was closed when the mill needed water; otherwise, the water flowed freely over the weir. This system was standard in those days. The primitive ways are often the most reliable for farming.
“I was totally taken by the way the front of the mill looked, not showing any signs of it being a mill. It looked like some servants’ quarters,” Stan added. “And you were so relaxed doing what you were doing, that I almost asked for a job right there.”
“Now you are asking for trouble by mocking me, Stan!” At which point they both laughed.
“So you see, I figured, if you get too rich by growing hops, maybe I could run the mill,” Stan added.
“In that case, I am glad that I sent you to the right place — even though there is no getting rid of you. Am I right? Not that we want to get rid of you now that you are old. What the heck, we might as well put up with you for a while longer to keep us company.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Proposal
MAGDA WAS THE YOUNGEST OF THE ZANTON GIRLS and definitely a mama’s girl. The two of them had the same looks, mannerisms, priorities in life, and, above all, the same temper.
Being a farmer’s daughter made it harder to show off, since the word “plantation” did not apply then and there. Certainly, Magda would have liked to be able to use it.
When she married Eric Kelsen, she was relieved that she could move away to the city, because that provided an excuse for her to live in her own style, as nobody there challenged her stories about being rich and special.
She had met her husband at a New Year’s dance during the war. He was handsome and generous. He was taken by her beauty and proceeded to date her after the dance.
“Mother, you won’t believe it: I met this rich and handsome man last night at the dance.”
“What are you talking about, Magda?” Mother was surprised by her sudden outburst.
“As I said, I met him at the dance. He is a successful businessman. He has relatives in Gomilka, and as you know, these dances are supposed to help us deal with the war. Monika and Boris were there, as well. Mark could have enjoyed the dance as well if he hadn’t been so involved with his Lucille. I can’t understand what he sees in her.” Magda went on and on.
“So who is this man?” Mother inquired.
“His name is Eric Kelsen. He is from Gotanec. He has a business there and he is single. Well, he is a widower. He has no children and he wants to see me again.”
“When do we get to meet this wonderful man?” her father now stepped in.
“He is coming back next week, so you can meet him then. He would like to meet you as well. He is coming on business to Gomilka but he promised to stop by and meet you both.” Magda was happy to give all the information.
The Zantons were quite impressed by Eric and had no objections to his dating Magda.
Mark said to Lucille, “I can’t tell you how happy I am for Magda.”
“Do I recognize a touch of sarcasm in that statement?”
“Call it what you will. First of all, I couldn’t imagine Magda ever being one who would stay at home indefinitely. Not that I wish it upon Helena, and you know that. However, if one of them had to stay there for the rest of her life, I am glad it is Helena or even Monika and not Magda. . .”
“I see. Yes, that would be the hardest for everyone, I suppose.”
“And that includes my parents.” Mark was now quite serious and not malicious.
So when Eric proposed marriage to Magda, everybody was happy. They were married a year from their first meeting. He was a busy man and had no time to worry about gossip. He never inquired whether she bragged of riches on his account or if it was about her past in Gradsko Selo. It mattered not to him as long as his wife was happy. This turned out to be another similarity to her mother. She, too, had always gotten away with such behaviour and statements.
“Maybe now we can overcome this love/hate relationship between Mother and Magda,” Monika was saying, and Helena agreed with her. “Surely we will have more peace at home once she leaves.”
“They clash in this fierce competition when it comes to social standing. I am always relieved when I go home from here to Boris, who is ever so gentle with all of us. The kids adore him,” Monika said.
“On the other hand, she speaks for all of us when it comes to Lucille. You have to agree with that,” Helena said, forgetting that Mark was also present; seeing his face as she said that, she felt very bad, for she loved her brother very much. She just didn’t want Lucille there.
“Tell me, Helena, who is the leader of the pack when it comes to Lucille?” Mark insisted.
“Well, Mother and Magda were both against her, and you know it.” Helena defended herself.
“Helena, that’s enough!” Father interrupted.
“Your mother and your sister no longer rule this house when it comes to plotting against other people. Mother, may she rest in peace, is no longer with us, and Magda is happily married and no longer living at home. So there will be some changes around here.”
Mark loved and was brought up to respect his parents, but his father was by far the easier one to get along with. Before his brother was killed, Mark and his father used to go to the vineyard to do chores. They had some private talks about the future. His father would often say, “Mark, you will someday find a great girl and you deserve one. Then, all your dreams will come true. You are very deep and will appreciate a good partner. You will likely get into a career and prosper because you are not afraid to work hard.” Then there was a time when the two of them carved their initials into the bark of some tall trees there.
“I hope that someday in the future, those initials will bring you back here to remember our talks.” He worried about Martin’s choice in girls. He was a good son but careless about picking the right girl for himself.
Father also hoped that the girls would be happily married.
When Martin joined the forces, Father Zanton felt that it was a good thing. “This will help him to grow up and mature. He needs to learn some hardship in order to appreciate the life that he left behind.” Those were his words before Martin’s death. Never, in a million years, did he expect or even dream of losing Martin and that he would never return home. Yes, of course, there are always those possibilities — but they only happen to other people. How vulnerable we really are!
“Dear God, have I been challenging fate and taking things into my own hands?”
Mark, on the other hand, felt guilty for being alive while his beloved brother would never have the chance to live and love again.
He just wanted to be with Lucille and forget about everything and everyone.
The same wise old man who, in what seemed to be another life, had once comforted him was now suffering beyond belief.
His dreams and hopes were shattered; yet, how well he dealt with all of it. He, as well as Mark, had both been born on this farm and they were both proud to be Zantons.
Now that years had passed, Mark found himself more than ready to get married. He wanted to have Lucille present while confronting the opposition in the family and to announce their engagement, as well as setting a date for their wedding.
“Let’s go to the vineyard and have that important talk that we have been waiting for.”
“And what talk would that be?” Lucille teased.
Old Tom, who lived with Stan in the cottage next door, was beginning to think that Mark and Lucille were going to join him and Stan and move right into the Zantons’ cottage.
Lucille was certain of Mark’s proposal. They spent some time there in the vineyard and then decided it was too cold and went to Lucille’s place. It was there that Mark proposed to her.
She was bursting with excitement. Her head was spinning and the whole world was suddenly very beautiful.
“Oh, Mark! Yes, yes, and yes! Something beautiful is finally happening to us.”
“Nobody will ever take you away from me!” Mark whispered as he held her.
“You realize, of course, this house will have to be sold when we get married,” Lucille said.
“You will have to deal with that together with Mira and Ivan.”
“Yes, I will, and they will both appreciate getting some money out of the sale,” Lucille added. “I miss the house already in some ways but at the same time I can’t wait to be with you all the time, not just part time.”
Mira was happy for Lucille, that the long-awaited time had come for Mark and Lucille to get married. She could not wait for Lucille to tell Ivan about it, when Ivan showed up at her house and told her he was going to see his baby sister across the road.
“Lucille is not at home.”
“You are right. I am going to drop by the clinic and say hello. I want to discuss something with Steve anyway and this will give me the opportunity to do so. You know me, the born procrastinator.”
“I wouldn’t say that if I were you. You are one of the most organized people I know, so don’t give me that,” Mira complimented her brother. “That is not what I meant when I said that Lucille was not at home.”
“Then what did you mean by that?” Now he noticed reluctance in Mira, because she suddenly realized that she had already said too much. “Mira, stop playing games with me. I don’t have time.”
“Well, I have already told you too much, and Lucille will want to tell you herself, I know that.”
“Tell me what?”
“I think Mark is going to propose today.”
“That is great. I have to have a talk with that guy about the way his family is treating Lucille.”
“Ivan, I don’t think you should get involved in that. I don’t think Lucille would want you to.”
“That’s too bad. Enough is enough, and I know that we all feel that way. Well, don’t we?”
Meanwhile, Mark was proceeding with suggestions regarding their wedding so he led the conversation in the right direction: “What about deciding on a date for the wedding?”
“I have no particular date in mind.” She wanted to be fair. “How about next spring?”
“Do we have to wait that long?”
“Well, that would give your sisters and your father some time to adjust to the idea. What do you think?”
“Do we have to? After all, my father is quite ready for us now,” Mark protested.
“Yes, dear, we have to.”
“All right, then.”
“I want you to know that I really appreciate your proposing to me at my home. After all, I can’t have my parents at our wedding, and this is the next best thing to them being there. I miss them very much.” She went on and on about all kinds of things, like she used to as a little girl.
“This is what I will be missing once we are married.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This place and you chattering on, just as you did a minute ago.”
“Oh, Mark!” She hit him lightly and giggled some more. “Don’t you think we should be going to the house? Your father will be waiting to hear from us. You said that you told him about this today.”
“My father is not the only one waiting, but I think he is enjoying the waiting, while my sisters are arguing about everything and anything. As you know, he is not a mean person, but once in a while he enjoys giving them a bit of a hard time — to educate them.”
“Mark Zanton, you are the one who is being bad right now,” Lucille teased.
Mark had never cared about anyone in his life as much as he cared about Lucille. And Lucille had her own reasons for saying yes to Mark. She hadn’t wanted him to marry her out of pity while she was ill; now she was well and had no reason to feel inadequate. She would now be able to work hard.
“So how does it feel to be going into the slaughterhouse?” Mark asked.
“I am ready for anything and everything, so long as I am with you. So there!”
“You are a brave girl!”
They were now ready to conquer the world — in this case, the Zantons’ way of life.
Word had spread of the impending marriage between Mark and Lucille. The Zanton girls, however, showed defiance, stating, “Very well, then, as soon as you two are married, we want to be paid out. After all, we Zantons are wealthy and we should be able to get a substantial amount of money as an inheritance.” As always, none of them was aware, or even cared, that there was very little cash in the bank in their name. In fact, these people were in so much financial trouble, were it not for Lucille’s money, the two of them would not have been able to get married. Not in a proper manner. They had not recovered from the setback of the war. In addition, much money had gone into the preparations for Helena’s comfort since her stroke. Then came Mother’s funeral and associated expenses. Mark’s sisters were too shallow-minded to realize the truth, and people like that can make one’s life quite miserable.
Now it was time for Father Zanton to take charge.
“How dare you girls demand anything while I am still alive and well? I will have you all know that I am still in charge in this house. I am ashamed of my own children.”
Money never makes good friends or partners, but in families, it can cause great enemies when it comes to inheritance.
“Monika, what has happened to you since you gave your word of approval?” he asked.
“What?” Magda interrupted. “What word? What is going on here?”
“Magda, calm down.” Helena interrupted this time. “Why don’t you let Father talk and listen for a change. I am on your side regarding the inheritance, but you don’t have to be disrespectful to Father. You are always causing trouble around here. Don’t you have enough money? You are always bragging about being rich. I can see it now, you are not doing this out of loyalty to Mother, and you are actually greedy enough to stir trouble simply out of spite. Can’t you see that Mark, who is our brother, is sitting right next to Monika, and she feels loyalty to him as well?”
“Helena, you have nothing to complain about. A small fortune has been spent on you lately, so who are you to talk?” Magda’s back was up. “This is not all about you.”
None of them paid the least attention to Lucille, who was also sitting next to Mark.
“For your information, I stand to lose the most here. I am the one who will have to look at Lucille day after day. In case you have all forgotten, I am stuck here in this house for the rest of my life.” Helena burst into tears, and Mark tried to comfort her. But Magda was relentless.
“You all know that I was Mother’s favourite. If she was here, she would fight for me!” Magda yelled.
“You girls have all been spoiled by your mother, may she rest in peace. But now it’s tim
e you all grew up and started to take responsibility for your own actions. Mark is your brother, and Lucille is going to be his wife soon, for which I am very happy. I will expect the three of you to show me some respect, as I am still your father. Mark has always been a good brother to all of you. As for Lucille, how dare you condemn her before you have a chance to get to know her?”
“But, Father — ”
“Magda! Keep quiet until I finish. Mark and Lucille are going to be married next spring. So you all have time till then to come to your senses. In the meantime, let’s all be civilized.”
No wonder Mark wished that the day of his proposal at her house would never end. There was such a wonderful feeling, almost magical. There was such a powerful feeling of love there.
“I expected some fierce opposition at home, but Magda always surprises me with her overreacting.”
“Mark, you don’t have to worry about me. Remember, I am the one who had to face a lot of terrible battles at home when my brother Joe was still at home. Nothing surprises me anymore.” But Mark was looking at things from a different perspective.
“Just think: My father has all this on his shoulders — the death of my brother still haunting this family; my mother’s passing; Helena crippled; Monika still battling her own demons; and Magda, who is still waiting for something to go wrong. Father amazes me.”
The weather seemed to go with the general mood — or was it the other way around? A lot was at stake, and major changes were to be expected. As much as people don’t welcome changes with open arms, there had to be a change in this house and this family.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Wedding
EVERY BRIDE DREAMS OF A WHITE GOWN, a big wedding, music to remember, and happy times ahead. After all, we plan on doing this only once in a lifetime. Mira was very happy for her little sister. She knew that by marrying Mark, Lucille would have, if not a happy home, a good one, as well as Mark’s love.
A Touch of Light Page 13