by Annie Boone
Not What He Expected
Annie Boone
A Mail Order Bride Short Story
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this story are products of the author’s imagination. Any misrepresentation or discrepancies about the places or history are research or interpretation errors by the author.
For more information about the author, Annie Boone, check out her website.
http://www.AnnieBoone.com
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter One
Lucy and Patricia sat together in Lucy’s room as they had done for most of their lives. As they pondered the twisting turns of love, romance, and marriage this conversation was slightly different than most of the others they’d had before on the subject.
“You’ve already had your wedding, Patricia,” Lucy reminded her dear friend. “And it was a lovely event. I was honored to be your maid-of-honor. But I’m ready to get married myself. All I need is a handsome groom!”
Lucy was a larger woman, but she had always had an unshakable confidence in herself. In addition to engaging conversation skills and an extensive array of homemaking talents, it was her confident spirit that had helped her to become a woman that made her family proud.
Even still, over the years, despite having many friends and being quite popular in her circles, that confidence had become sorely shaken. Before her eighteenth birthday, Lucy was convinced that even though she was larger than most of the other girls her age, her personality and intellect would set her apart from the others. She believed that the man that she was destined to be with would see who she was inside and love her for it. The nosy people in town who did not know her very well often asked when she was going to marry. She usually just smiled in response, but those questions always unnerved her a little even though she knew she was a real catch.
As her eighteenth year passed, quickly followed by her nineteenth, she was beginning to think that maybe she should have developed a husband finding plan. The men she would consider husband worthy weren’t interested in her. Worse, they were marrying her friends and other available women in the area. The desirable single man population was most definitely declining.
After the war, women outnumbered the men. With this shift, the remaining men had far more options than they ever had before. Maybe the war made everyone more sentimental. Instead of playing the field, everyone around her seemed to be getting proposals left and right, with Lucy being left out entirely.
She began to feel the inevitable public disgrace of becoming a spinster looming. Her parents would still love her, of course, but they’d have to start thinking of reasons for why she was still unmarried. She would have to come up with her own set of excuses and practice them so they’d sound natural. The whole scenario was depressing. And very lonely sounding.
Since she’d not had a man call on her or even look her way in many months, Lucy thought it was time to consider other options, besides conventional courtship.
“I think that I need to figure something else out. I have no idea what I’ll come up with, but there’s no doubt it’s not happening for me around here,” Lucy sighed.
Patricia responded in a most surprising way. “You know how starved the men out in the western frontier are for women. Why don’t you become a mail order bride?” Then she giggled a little.
“It is not as though there would be any photographs to thwart me…” Lucy reasoned. “The catalogs only contain descriptions. That will help me share all my good qualities before he finds out about my, well, not so desirable attributes.”
At this, Patricia reached out and held her hand. She looked Lucy in the eyes and said, “Lucy, you’re a beautiful girl. I know you don’t see it that way, but you are. And really, I’m only kidding about the mail order bride thing.” Then, realizing how dangerous the conversation had instantly become, she argued, “You don’t really want to leave your family and your life behind to marry a man you have never met. There are risks involved that I am sure you haven’t thought about.”
Lucy smiled at her and shifted her eyes away, “Forgive me, but what life are you referring to? I have a mother and father, who, sad to say it, are getting up in age and so am I. This might be my last hope to find a relationship that will be happy. You said it yourself that the men in the West starve for women. I am sure one of those men would appreciate a good wife, even if she is not as beautiful as the women in our society.” She looked at her friend with sadness and desperation in her voice that she rarely showed to anyone.
Lately, she had felt these negative emotions often, and she didn’t like how that made her feel. She sensed the plague of depression pulling her heart and poisoning her spirit now more every day. The marriage of her best friend had made the dark thoughts more intense. She wasn’t jealous and she was genuinely happy for Patricia, but it magnified the fact that she was being left behind in building a happy and fulfilling life.
“But is it smart to lie to a man you hope will be your husband?” She asked, now sounding concerned.
“Oh, I’m not going to lie,” She answered quickly, “I am going to employ some tried and true sales tactics to make myself more appealing.” Lucy sighed and added, “I know that I can be a good wife, Patricia. I just need the chance to meet someone who is open minded enough to believe it.”
Patricia had been pacing around the room. She stopped abruptly and looked at her friend with empathy and concern. She thought for a moment about what her friend was saying before she answered, “Well, what are you looking for in a man? I mean, after all, I hear that life is a lot different out there in the West and once you commit, it’s not like it would be easy to come back home. You need to know what you want, too, instead of only being willing to supply their needs just to have a man in your life.”
“I just want a man who appreciates me. There have to be men like that all across the country, right?” She shrugged, “I’m easy to get along with, I have a sense of humor, and I’m a hard worker. I can get through anything as long as I have a good man by my side.”
Again, she fell into thought. A man who loved me would be nice, too. Is there a chance I can find that?
Lucy waited patiently. She wanted her friend’s blessing because she was well aware that she knew her better than probably even her parents. They shared every issue and accomplishment with each other, and Patricia was the one person that Lucy trusted to have her best interest at heart.
When it came to trusting intentions, Lucy even had doubts about her parents. She was sure they wouldn’t do anything to intentionally harm her or her ability to find a suitable match. They had made insensitive comments recently about her lack of suitors that had made her wonder if she could trust them. She was almost twenty-one. This time of her life was a critical year for her because there would soon come a time when people would brand her as a spinster. That would be that. Her fate would be sealed. Lucy feared that she was becoming a burden on her family, instead of a blessing.
Lucy’s faith was strong, and she had prayed that God would save her from this terrible, lonely fate. With this in mind, she remembered that the Lord works in mysterious ways, so perhaps this was His way of answering her prayer. She had a little bit of money saved up from some sewing she had performed for a local shop; maybe she should use that to answer the calling.
After a minute or two of silence, Patricia finally re
sponded, “Well, that new Matrimonial News does have a lot of success stories in it.” Then, her eyes moved up to stare into Lucy’s, and she added, “But what am I going to do with you so far away?”
Lucy beamed at her ultimate approval, “We will be able to write and besides, you are already with child. As soon as your family has started, you will have no room for me anyway.”
“Nonsense,” She replied, “I will always, always have time for you.” She smiled quickly and then, she turned serious. “However, if you look into it and that is what you wish to do, then I want you to know that you have my blessing.”
“Thank you,” she replied, before turning the subject back to the exciting news of the expectant mother.
The thought of their conversation was never far from her mind, though. The second Patricia left to go back home she began to research the mail order bride idea further.
Little did she know what a wild adventure was on the horizon for her.
Chapter Two
As Lucy sat on the train headed out to meet her husband to be, she was feeling too many emotions to describe adequately. She was excited, happy, sad, and nervous all at the same time. And honestly, she was a little scared, too. While she had complete faith that the Lord would protect and sustain her, she didn’t know what was going to happen when she arrived. Yes, she did have faith, but she was human, and she was still scared!
Levi. His name was Levi. A lovely name. She couldn’t believe that they had reached this milestone in their long distance relationship. He invited her to come out to Nebraska. The one-way train ticket had arrived soon after she accepted.
The day after she had talked with Patricia about her husband finding options, Lucy had signed up to be a part of the Mail Order Bride program. She was very pleased when she soon received correspondence from a man who seemed interesting and amiable. She felt that there was the chance for a connection between them, so she wrote him back.
Even though she described her personality; strong-willed, adventurous, fun loving, and a hard worker, she did not say anything about her appearance aside from the basic facts of her blonde hair and green eyes. Her self-confidence grew with every letter that she sent and received. She was learning the ropes of courtship through the written word. It was fun, too.
There were times when her certainty dipped, she was beginning to feel nervous about it now as she made her way to the place that would be her new home.
What if he sends me back? She thought about the possibility of rejection, and a sick feeling rose from her core. Looking down at her sturdy wrists and slightly bulging stomach, she knew it was too late to change any of that now. Levi would see the real her the minute she stepped onto the platform.
She had tried her best to lose a little weight when she started the correspondence, but as far as she could tell, her efforts were to no avail. She was a very good cook, and she relished a delicious meal. What could she say? That’s just how things were.
That’s ridiculous! She thought to herself, clenching her hands into fists and raising her eyes to look out of the window. As the trees passed by, the train chugged on, creating a slight hiss of vibration throughout the train car. Lucy sighed again as she considered what awaited. It’s too expensive to send me back and plus, he already likes me. We have a connection - or at least, I hope we do. Maybe he won’t notice the extra few pounds.
Lucy thought about the perception she had of her husband to be. The man seemed honest enough. Through his letters, Levi had expressed great faith in God and an overwhelming sense of family. In one of his letters, in particular, he had told her that he always remembers his mother telling him that a good wife is an asset to a man. He explained that a good and Godly woman will help him stay grounded and help him succeed. He also wrote of his vision of growing together as a couple and supporting each other in their faith and endeavors in life.
He was the first to admit that good, decent women who were single are rare where he lives. He wrote that this was the reason he decided to advertise for a wife. He told her that he had put off making a decision about finding a wife for a long time. He’d worried about choosing the right way to meet the right kind of woman and prayed that he’d do the right thing for himself.
He wrote that managing the ranch and being an upstanding citizen in town kept him so busy that he had to make a conscious effort to try to have some fun. He knew he needed to find a woman to share his life with to help with the responsibility and to keep him from turning into a curmudgeon.
Lucy figured that was fair. She knew what a wife’s duties were, and he seemed to understand what she wanted as well. She sincerely hoped she had judged accurately that he would see past her weight. She so wanted him to learn about the woman she was inside before deciding she wasn’t for him based on her outside. If she was right about him and the kind of man he was, the two of them would be a terrific match.
Still, when her train finally arrived at the station, her nerves were jittery. She had a knot in her stomach and a lump in her throat that made her wonder if she would even be able to introduce herself properly. Before getting off the train, she looked into her pocket mirror. She fluffed her hair and pinched her cheeks to put a little color in her pale face. After the long journey to Nebraska, she felt a little washed out and disheveled.
First impressions last the longest, especially when it comes to romance, and she wanted to look her best. After all, she was living proof that first impressions can ruin all of your options.
When she got off the train, she looked around and saw a man standing alone on the side of the platform. She smiled at the sight of him. She hoped that this man was Levi. He was tall and very handsome, with a physique that Lucy imagined could only have come from working on a ranch. He matched his brief description of himself – the dark blonde short cut beard, blue eyes, and Stetson. He’d mentioned that he always wore a hat unless he was sleeping or at the dinner table. A nervous, yet excited sense of wonder overtook her.
Lucy took a deep breath, put on a big smile, and walked over to the man that she hoped would be her husband.
“Hello,” she said, hoping that she did not make a fool of herself, “I’m Lucy. Are you Levi?”
The man looked up at her and the smile on his face faded a little. He gazed over her slowly and then finally looked at her face. “Well, hello.” He answered recovering and smiling broadly at her. He spoke cheerfully, despite the sense of disappointment that she had seen on his face, “Yes, I’m Levi. It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Lucy.” He then stuck his hand out.
She wasn’t sure how she thought the meeting was going to go, but she certainly did not expect it to be quite like this. She had lived with the look of disappointment like that for what seemed like an eternity, so even though it was relatively subtle, she still noticed that it was there. Since he was trying to get past it, she figured that was an excellent sign. So, she told him, “I am happy to meet you.” and gave him a strong handshake, just like her father taught her.
The man smiled at her and then pulled her in for a brief hug. “I suppose since we’re acquainted through letters, a hug is definitely in order.” He let go of her, stepped back, and looked at her face again.
Lucy smiled her beautiful, best smile and was pleased to see the genuine nature of curiosity return to his eyes.
“Ready to go?” Levi asked as he offered his arm to escort her out.
“Of course,” she answered as she wrapped her arm inside of his, and he began to walk her towards the exit. He took her valise from her with his other hand.
As they were waiting for her trunks to be loaded into his buggy, they exchanged a little small talk and looked at each other often. Once the last trunk was in place, he looked at her again carefully and he told her, “I have arranged for us to have lunch. There is a restaurant near the train station that I want to share with you.”
“That sounds lovely,” she replied. “I quite enjoy a meal out sometimes.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t g
et to have a meal in a restaurant that often and this will be a welcome treat for me, too. I’m sure you have meals out often in the city. At least we’ll start off sharing a meal at a good restaurant.”
“Well, actually, I usually prefer to eat at home. I love to cook, you see, and it makes me happy to serve good food to those who are important to me. Though tonight, I’d love to see the restaurant you have in mind.”
“And having a nice woman to share a meal with tonight will be an extra special dinner for me,” Levi said.
He smiled at her, and she felt a sense of warmth fill her heart. His smile seemed sincere, and she was encouraged.
Perhaps this was going to work out in her favor after all!
Chapter Three
During lunch, the world seemed to start anew for Lucy. The two of them talked about a whole host of different things and she felt as though he was genuinely beginning to look past her physical appearance, beginning again to see the real Lucy.
This thought boosted her confidence and allowed her to contemplate seriously what her life would be like with Levi.
He certainly was a gentleman, but still, he held a simplistic nature about him that was genuinely kind and accepting. He’d gallantly held her chair for her and it was clear he was a polite man who would hold the chair for any woman. Something inside her wanted him to feel the need to protect her and do nice things for her, but apparently she was going to have to wait on that. She hoped that one day he would honor her out of love rather than duty.
As they talked during their meal, Lucy also realized that while he was forthright about the ranch, he was also very proud of it. He told her how his father had lived in the east and had disowned him when he said that instead of taking over the family business, he wanted to make his way out West.