Love in 1865

Chapter Twelve

October was here before we knew it, and even closer coming was Izaak's birthday. The next week would be the date of his birth, but we were celebrating early because his Mama insisted on meeting me. I had just finished getting ready when Cassian entered my room without knocking. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but when were you going to tell me that you needed help?" Before I could ask what he was referring to he pointed north and said, "The lawyer just told me that you are running out of time, what does he mean?" I returned to getting ready to leave and answered, "My father doesn't have a male next of kin and I don't have a husband." Angrily he asked, "Why didn't you tell me?" "Well what can you do? There isn't an easy answer to that! You are not family, and you are not my husband." "Marry the big bloke you've been seeing the past few months then!" I stood up and yelled, "I am not going to jeopardize my friendship with Izaak because I want to keep my father's property! You are a boss, wasn't my father supposed to sign my work agreement?" Cassian's eyes grew wide. "By heavens he did! I am so sorry for the trouble, now if you excuse me, I must chase after that lawyer!" He left the room in a hurry, and I just shook my head. At least that conversation was over. 

I heard a knock at the big doors downstairs and rushed to see who it was. An older woman jumped at me with hugs and kisses and smiles. I hardly looked up to see Izaak to know it was him and his Mama. "Oh Izzy! She is truly image of perfection. Hello dear, I am Mama Przemys, but you call me Mama. You must be Gwyneira Highton- stupid boy calls you Rachela in his letters, but Mama know better." She finally let go of me and grabbed her son's ear to pull him to her level. "You better not screw up, she a good girl, very pretty." I giggled and sincerely thanked her for coming. "So have you guys decided what we should do for your one day stay in Ludovica?" Mama nodded ecstatically and nudged at Izaak. "She would like for us to have a relaxing dinner with you." I lead them inside to the dining room and kitchen. "What are we making, Mama?" She looked to me and was about to say something, but she looked to her son once more. "I'm sorry, but Mama doesn't speak a lot of English, so I will have to translate sometimes. Mama wants to make a Polish meat pie for you, but she doesn't want you to cook it, she wants to cook for you." I took her hands into my own and asked, "But Mama, don't you want me to impress you with my cooking skills?" She shook her head and declared, "You pretty girl, too pretty for Izzy, I make up for it with good eats." So I sat at the dinner table with Izaak and watched her cook. She was a wonderful woman who was much smaller than I. As she cooked, she looked like she was flying. "She really likes me." Izaak rubbed his face and sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry about her. She seems to think you and I...and we're not. I don't think she really cares." I smiled and replied, "I like that she thinks that because it means she has high hopes of you as well as high expectations." He put a hand on mine and asked, "Do you think you could tell her that we are friends?" "I doubt she'll listen to me any better than she listened to you." Mama looked to us and gave me a smile. "I like to be honest with her, but she drives me nuts, Rachela." I stood and put a hand on his shoulder, but then I left to the library to grab my favorite book. I came back and Mama coaxed me to her. "Listen, I, I know you not girlfriend, but you are his whole world here. If you ever come to coast, we give you welcome." I smiled and sat down with my book.

At dinner, after Mama forced Izaak to set the table, she stayed silent while we talked about our day. "So I went to pick up Mama at the train station and you know what the first thing she says is?" I swallowed what was in my mouth and interjected, "Say it in the voices you do!" He complies by continuing, "Vere is she? And I was like, what do you mean? I'm right here Mama. But she insists, no vere is your Rachela? She wouldn't stop asking about you until we got to your door." I realized he got the voices from his Mama when she told her side. "Not true! I speak her three time and you say, are you excited to meet Rachela? Don't embarrass me in front of Rachela, Mama! I told him that I don't have to, he walks on land and he embarrass himself! So I make fun of him for being embarrassed about his Mama meeting you. Gwyneira, how you meet Izzy- tell me whole story!" I took a sip and wiped my face with a napkin. "I went to the butcher shop for my boss to place an order and your son almost didn't notice that I was in the room." She smacked Izaak and scolded him about manners, but I stopped her and recounted, "I just walked in and didn't say anything. But when I did, he shook my hand and got animal blood on me. He helped me clean up and we talked. He said he'd not been around the town and so I took him on a tour. It was when we had a meal together that I learned of his massive appetite." I looked to him and Mama chimed, "That's almost Izzy said, but vat caught my heart he said that you fearlessly lead him, a stranger, by hand like nobody's watching. Practically girl after his own heart." Izaak blushed and got up to fill glasses. "Mama, stop. You are not just embarrassing me at this point, but being ridiculous." She threw her hands up in the air and yelled back, "I have right to, I your Mama! Besides, you and I both know she never going to know how you feel you always inside your head." I placed a hand on her shoulder and calmly said, "I know, Mama. We are good friends, and that is special. Thank you for making dinner, I will make dessert, okay?"

The evening ended up being a little tense after dinner, but I understood why Izaak left his family. They are too hard on him, and I feel that with me there, she was less than she could've been. Once Izaak got his mom in the carriage, he came to me and apologized. "I'm sorry about all that, I don't know what else to say." I squeezed his giant hand and stood over by the door. "You don't have to be, she is a mom, I have one too. I just hope that you are going to be okay being at your family's home for a week. I worry that the sliver I saw here will be worse there." Izaak kissed my forehead and smiled. "If I return to you after a week in an awful condition then you can set them straight for me." "Just come to me in one piece and we can go fishing or something." He walked halfway down the steps before coming back up and giving me a hug. "See you in a week or so, I will miss you." He ran back down the steps and got on his horse. "Bye, I will miss you too," and rode away.