When Do Flowers Bloom?

Chapter 1: Good Morning, Mount Carmel!

Twisted in a worn blanket, Caroline Gerthig wearily opened up her eyes and yawned so wide with her arms so stretched and energized. She had a great sleep last night. No wonder she was tired of helping her father in the peach orchard yesterday. The bushes needed to be cleared off before planting the seedlings. Working in the orchard had been their bread and butter even before their grandparents' time. 

The Gerthig family was one of the common-farming people in Mount Carmel. Other households thrived on mining coal, working on the railroad, or store-helpers for some of the well-off families in town who sold general merchandise like cloth, farm tools, and staples like flour, cheese, milk, and bread. 

Caroline jumped off her weary bed, she could see the wears and tears of the linen, which looked a hundred years old already. She sighed as she imagined the time when she could sleep on a warm and fluffy mattress. She can feel the comfort of lying in a cloud-like bed, a dream she always wanted to come true, especially during the winter where the cold gets a little harsher and seeping into her worn blanket doesn't help that much. 

"Oh well, those precious things only happen in fairy tales. Got to get going today!" She murmured as she stared at herself in the mirror. She noticed that she was not that little girl anymore who runs carelessly and fearlessly around the orchard, the little girl who doesn't mind the dirt on her face, the little girl who doesn't have any other dream but just to play, eat, and sleep. 

Caroline drew closer to the mirror, inspected her groggy eyes, big-messy-curly brown hair, ugly spots on her face, and a skinny build. No, nobody would ever admire her. It's only in her dreams! 

She went back to her bed, trying to fold her weary blanket. As she was dusting her two hay-filled pillows, her attention was caught by the lovely rays of the morning sun as it shone through the pine trees in their broad yard. Those trees grew taller as she noticed, their needle-like leaves seemed like they were waving at her, wishing her a beautiful day ahead. 

Then, a group of mockingbirds flew above the evergreens, maybe they were trying to build a nest somewhere. The grayish black-billed birds mimic the sounds of the cricket as if they were singing in harmony. All these wonderful panoramas signal the beginning of spring, the time when farmers get busy tilling the land to dig a peach tree stake at the beginning of spring season. 

"Caroline, you must hurry up. We are going to the orchard today. Get down now and grab that milk canister from the cupboard. We're gonna drop by the herds and go get some fresh milk to bring to the farm so we won't lose our sanity in hunger while working!" Mrs. Amy Gerthig, Caroline's mom, shouted as she hurriedly shoved her two little sons, Tom and Eddie, Caroline's little brothers, into their old wagon. Mr. Adam Gerthig, Caroline's father, sat idly in front of the buggy which is being carried by their hardworking cattle they called Britney. 

"Almost there, mom. Just one second". Caroline shouted from her windows. She hated folding her worn blankets, so she snatched them all together, then left them in one corner of her bed. She knew her mom would reprimand her for not keeping her bed in place. She always said that Caroline must know how to do house chores properly.

Her self-proclaimed "sleeping quarters" were in the attic of their shabby wooden farmhouse so Caroline needed to hurry downstairs to catch up with her yelling mother. She grinned when she recalled sliding down the stairs to easily get down to the front door--but not today. She's almost grown up at 11 years old, so doing silly things makes her cringe. But at the back of her mind, why not do it anyway?

Caroline hurriedly put on her farm working clothes; overall brown clothes with an apron over her old long sleeves and bulky half pants. She grabbed her worn straw hat and put on her weary pair of boots decorated with generous lumps of mud that had dried. 

"Yay, I forgot to clean you guys! Well, it's farm work every day, so what's the difference?" Caroline sighed, looked in the mirror for the last time, and with a grin on her face, she slid down the banister of the stairs. She even raised her arms and cheered while going down. It was so much fun until she saw her mother, arms crossed on her big belly and eyes leering at her.

"Caroline Gerthig! What do you think of yourself? You're going to be a fine lady in a few years, but you still find it funny to slide down the stairs! Lucky, those handrails were smooth even if the steps started cracking. You have to behave like a fine lady. Stop being childish and go get the milk canister I've been calling out for."

"I'm sorry, mom. I'll get it now" Caroline bowed her head and walked timidly to the countertop. 

"Hurry up! We're not gonna get any milk when you walk like that! We might not get any sheep or cows on the hill, they might have jumped from the pens. " Amy Gerthig continued bawling. She has a thick figure, iconic short curly brown hair, short stature, a white face that gets red whenever her children cause her trouble, like what Caroline is doing now, and a tiny yet loud voice that can make you get up from a good slumber. 

Though Amy was really a nagger-mom, Caroline loved her a lot, just like her father. But Adam Gerthig is the exact opposite of Amy's noisy character. Mr. Gerthig is often silent, considerate, and has hands of hard farm labor. He has medium built, almost bald black hair, and a little bit darker complexion due to the daily work at the peach plantation. 

Caroline has two younger brothers, Eddie, 8 years old, and Tom, 6 years old. They both have wavy brown hair, but Eddie is fluffier than Tom. Caroline had been suspecting Eddie of eating Tom's biscuits and drinking his milk when their mom is not watching. She loves both her younger brothers, though sometimes she feels that they get all the attention of their parents--typical sibling rivalry.

Running to the main door, Caroline grabbed the large milk canister and a couple of wheat bread from the cupboard and she put them in her apron pocket. She closed the door and hurried to their wooden gate where her mom was waiting. 

"Come on, get on the buggy, the sun is soaking us up already!" Amy bawled again.

"All right, I'm coming!" Caroline jumped on the back part of the wagon. It was laid with hay and dry leaves. 

"What's up, Eddie, Tom? Old sis has been wandering again." Caroline pinched Eddie's face while Tom chuckled. 

Britney started moving as Mr. Gerthig lightly steered the ranch rope. Mrs. Gerthig sat beside her husband while she held her two younger sons. Caroline, as carefree as a bird, laid her back on the hay of the wagon. She grabbed some wheat bread from her pocket, shared it with her brothers, and shoved a generous piece into her mouth. 

What a wonderful day it was. If she remembered it right, it was past seven on a Sunday morning. Caroline looked up at the blue skies and she couldn't help but be mesmerized by the beauty of nature. A flock of birds flew past them. There were many green bushes along the farm road. If they were not in a hurry, it would be fun to pick cherries and wild berries. Trees with swaying branches seemed like they were dancing. The smell of early spring was evident in the air.

As the wagon kept on moving, she looked back at their place. From afar, it was a beautiful mountain covered in a thin layer of snow and decorated with green pines, tiny farmhouses, and wildflowers laid on a sheet of dew-fresh wild grass. 

Caroline shouted in full voice, " Good morning, Mount Carmel!"