Summary: Adam receives news that his heart\u2019s desire is within his reach. Will he grasp the opportunity?
\nRating: G Words 1415
\nWritten for the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Heart\u2019s Desire
\n<\/i><\/b>In Absentia series #6<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
My dear Adam,<\/em><\/p>\n I trust that this letter and the packages for you and your brothers have arrived without incident.\u00a0\u00a0It would be doubly blessed if they arrived before Christmas.<\/em><\/p>\n You\u2019ve certainly been through a lot in the last year. I had reconciled myself to your father\u2019s death, but his return and the story of his absence are\u00a0so astonishing, I am still in some confusion and awe.<\/em><\/p>\n First things first \u2013 your Christmas present.\u00a0\u00a0I hope you don\u2019t mind that I am about to spoil the surprise for you. It was terribly difficult, as you might imagine, to choose something for the man whose father has recently returned from the dead.\u00a0\u00a0After a great deal of thinking and hours of useless shopping, I took to plundering your\u00a0mother\u2019s room.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m a bit embarrassed to tell you that it hasn\u2019t much changed since she passed away. Somehow, leaving it as it was made her leaving me a bit easier.<\/em><\/p>\n Anyway, I searched though the boxes of old letters and journals (and saw a few entries about your father that made my eyebrows jump!), the cupboards, and trunks until I found something suitable for the season. My housekeeper helped me wrap it up \u2013 I\u2019m all thumbs at that sort of things. But I believe you might appreciate this memento.<\/em><\/p>\n Elizabeth loved winter which was fortunate, to say the least, considering Boston weather. One of her favorites parts of the season was the holly which has been planted in abundance around the city.\u00a0\u00a0She used to trudge home with baskets full of holly branches with the dark red berries clinging to the limbs. She and her mother would spend hours constructing wreaths and various folderol to decorate the house\u00a0for the Christmas season. You know women. Despite my unassailable logic in pointing out that shrubbery belongs outside where it\u2019s been planted, they merely laughed at me and continued with their fun. Lord, how I miss them.<\/em><\/p>\n As I said, holly branches and berries were my daughter\u2019s particular favorite.\u00a0\u00a0I never realized until I went through some of her personal things how much she was taken with them. To make a long story somewhat shorter, I have boxed up a few small items she created\u2014two handkerchiefs embroidered with holly berries and a small canvas my Elizabeth painted of our mantel adorned with a holly wreath. My girl was a talented lass.\u00a0\u00a0I hope you like them.<\/em><\/p>\n All these words! I will admit, Adam, I am dithering a bit. This next part is important, and I want to make sure I say it right. As you know, your father and I have been corresponding. What you might not know is that we have been corresponding about you.<\/em><\/p>\n When your father disappeared, you made the difficult decision to give up your plans for college to care for your brothers and maintain the ranch in hopes that your father would return one day. Your courage and love of family humbled me, Adam.\u00a0\u00a0As it turned out, you were right. Your father did return, and against all odds\u00a0your family was restored.<\/em><\/p>\n For the past several months, Ben and I have been discussing how you might regain that dream of college after all.\u00a0\u00a0We\u2019ve been quite busy putting together what we hope will be a Christmas gift you will appreciate.<\/em><\/p>\n I have renewed an old acquaintance, Philip Moberly, who leads a Boston architectural firm that is well regarded throughout the city. He is a fine man, Adam, and was very interested in your story.\u00a0\u00a0He would like to employ you as an apprentice in his firm. Moreover, he has taken it upon himself to speak with the dean of the college program you were forced to pass up eight years ago. The dean agrees that your acceptance into the program may be renewed, and you may attend classes in the upcoming year.<\/em><\/p>\n Your father assures me that your passage back to Boston and maintenance during your studies and apprenticeship are well taken care of.\u00a0\u00a0You would stay with me, of course!\u00a0\u00a0In fact, you would stay in your mother\u2019s old room and perhaps get to know her in some small way.<\/em><\/p>\n I know you, Adam. You\u2019re already sputtering, \u201cI can\u2019t . . . I can\u2019t.\u201d Self-sacrifice is an old habit of yours. I can\u2019t and won\u2019t make this decision for you. Just, please, dear boy, don\u2019t let this be a decision made from habit or fear.<\/em><\/p>\n Best wishes of the season!\u00a0\u00a0I hope to hear from you soon.<\/em><\/p>\n Loving regards from your grandfather,<\/em><\/p>\n Abel Stoddard<\/em><\/p>\n With slightly shaking hands, Adam withdrew a small wrapped parcel from the box of gifts his grandfather had sent. Leaning back on the settee, he unknotted the cord, and the wrapping fell open revealing a small box containing the items Abel had described. He stroked the vibrantly embroidered holly berries worked into delicate linen handkerchiefs. The water color picturing the fireplace and wreath was charming, displaying considerable artistry. A talented lass, indeed, his mother.<\/p>\n \u201cHmmm . . . already opening presents?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa? No, not really . . . well, yes sort of . . . it\u2019s just that I read grandfather\u2019s letter.\u00a0\u00a0You don\u2019t have to smile like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, no smiling at Christmastime.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa, ha. Do you know what\u2019s in this letter?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know what your grandfather and I discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all very wonderful . . . and you two went to a lot of trouble. But, of course, you know I can\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh, you\u2019ve lost interest in college?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, never! It\u2019s just that you\u2019ve only been back home a year, and Joe is a handful, and the ranch is growing, and there\u2019s just so much to do . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep. I was always a very responsible man myself. Plenty of things needed to be done before I could get to the things I wanted to do.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, eight years ago, I felt like I needed to go to California about a rumor of Spanish land grants when I wanted to stay home with my boys and mend the relationship I\u2019d damaged after Marie\u2019s death.\u00a0\u00a0Funny thing, doing what I needed to do instead of what I wanted to do led to seven wasted years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome on.\u00a0\u00a0This isn\u2019t the same.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWasted time is wasted time, son. Putting aside your\u00a0desires when necessary was a tremendous sacrifice . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a sacrifice. I couldn\u2019t leave them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u00a0\u00a0Heavens, your hand is cold.\u00a0\u00a0Are you saying you never missed going to college?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a great deal of courage in that decision all those years ago.\u00a0\u00a0Everyone is grateful for it.\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t know whether you\u2019ve thought about this, but sometimes it takes courage to reach out and take your heart\u2019s desire when it\u2019s offered. What are you afraid of?<\/p>\n \u201cYou see right through me.\u00a0\u00a0What if . . . this is hard . . .\u00a0\u00a0what if I can\u2019t do the work?\u00a0\u00a0What if I fail at school?\u00a0\u00a0What if something happens and you need me here? What if Joe and Hoss resent me leaving?\u00a0\u00a0What if . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if no one here needs me anymore?\u00a0\u00a0Joe will\u00a0be seventeen when I\u2019d get back\u2014I\u2019d miss seeing him grow into a man. Good grief, Hoss could be married by then!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWoah, boy!\u00a0\u00a0You\u2019re getting all worked up.\u00a0\u00a0Sit down before you pace a rut into the floor.\u00a0\u00a0Who do you think first brought up the idea of sending you to college?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoss and Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. And it\u2019s not because they want to be rid of you. It\u2019s because they love you, and they want to return the favor you did for them eight years ago.\u00a0\u00a0They want you to have something you want just because you want it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think I would miss you all too much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe would miss you, too, of course. But we\u2019d know that you were doing something you love, and knowing that would make us happy for you. And, . . . I\u2019m not sure I should tell you this . . . Joe thinks that by the time you come back from college, he\u2019ll be able to beat you in a duel with an epee. There, I thought that would make you laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, really?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou already know what \u2018m going to decide, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot to do before I can head to Boston. Will you help me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlways, son. Merry Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n XXXXXXXXXX MERRY CHRISTMAS\u00a0XXXXXXXXXX<\/b><\/p>\n Written for the 2022 Advent Calendar series.<\/p>\n My prompt was \u201cholly berries\u201d.<\/p>\n Primary character: Adam<\/p>\n Secondary character: Abel Stoddard<\/p>\n <\/p>\n WHL for Elizabeth, My Love<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Link to the 2022 Bonanza Brand Advent Calendar – Day 10 – Steadfast (by Belle)<\/a><\/p>\n