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1656 Words
He woke the next morning to a gentle breeze lifting the hand-stitched curtains that covered the window. Sighing, he linked his hands behind his head for a few moments, forgetting the loud, raucous city noises to enjoy the nature around him. The distant sounds of birds chirping and the wind rustling the leaves of the trees reached him.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, the bright beams making him smile as the light hit him square in the face. Thinking better of staying in bed all day, he got up and started tidying the room.
Blinking at the analog clock on his phone, he let out a breathy laugh. It was only five-thirty in the morning, and he was already up. Someone knocked on his room door as he tied up his steel-toed work boots. His grandmother poked her nose into the room cautiously.
"Guten Morgen, Oma Marie," he said as she grinned at him. Pushing her way into the room, she brought him over a glass of fresh milk.
"Guten Morgen, Lukas," she replied, kissing his head before handing him a tray of food. "You slept well, ja? Eat your breakfast now."
He smiled, accepting the tray. "I did, thank you. Is there anything that needs to be done besides the wood?"
She stood a little straighter, her face thoughtful as she placed her wrinkled, weathered hands on her hips. "There is a hole forming on the roof over the stove. I haven't the strength I had when I was a young girl to climb the ladder. Your Uncle Kristoph has been trying to find time to do it, but he's so busy lately with his work."
"I can get that taken care of, if you can make me some of those little plum tarts I had last evening," he said slyly.
Laughing, the woman said, "I'll do better than that. Your birthday was last week, so I will make you a cake. Would you like that?"
"Ja, I’d love that," he answered as he followed her out to the kitchen. Looking up at the ceiling, he noted the deep brown stain left by the water leaking through the rooftop. "Is that the only spot?"
She nodded as she replied, "Stephan Lutz is the carpenter that lives down the lane. You can get all the material from him."
Smirking, Lukas nodded as he finished eating and left the house. When he arrived at Stephan's house, three men were working in the shop. As he approached, one of the younger men noticed him.
"Are you lost, stranger?"
"Nein," Lukas replied. "I'm Lukas Roberts, Marie's grandson. I was wondering if there was any way I could get some help fixing up her roof."
"What's wrong with it?" the man asked.
"There's a leak in the kitchen," Lukas explained. "I'm leaving again in a month to go back to Canada, so I wanted to get it done before I go."
The older man stepped away from the planer he was using. "Marie's son, Elias, said the place was good and not to bother the woman."
Laughing darkly, Lukas cursed his uncle. "He's lying. She needs help with upkeep, and Uncle Kristoph is the only one helping her here."
"That boy was never worth his salt for hard work," another said. "You go tell Marie I’ll come help with the roof. Are those fresh eggs?"
"She sent them along to trade for roof slats," Lukas confirmed.
“A good woman, that one.” Nodding, the man took the basket into the house before coming back out. "Boys, get my tools and load the cart."
Half a day later, several men sat around the kitchen table drinking while they talked and joked. Having finished the work on the house, they called their wives to come help with the chores. After that, the women put together a hearty meal.
Lukas smiled over at his grandmother. Meeting his gaze, she returned the smile. Walking over, she placed a slice of cake in front of him. "Thank you, Lukas. You are more like your Vater than you know, mein Schatz."
"That's not a boy you have visiting you, Marie," one of the women said slyly.
Another giggled. "Certainly not. That's a real man right there. Any woman would be lucky to have such a decent one at that."
Marie smiled, smoothing back her grandson's hair. "He is to be wed to the eldest Meyer girl, but he is helping his Oma for now. Isn't that right, Lukas?"
"Yes, ma'am," he replied automatically.
Several of the men and women got quiet at the mention of the Meyer family, and he couldn’t help but notice the tension that surrounded the name. Finishing off the slice of cake, Lukas moved to put the plate in the sink, but he didn't make it past the wall of women. Knowing that this was a traditional town, he put his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, I know when to back off. I'll go get a jump on splitting the wood now, Oma. Thank you for the cake."
The loud chatter followed Lukas out of the house as he stopped on the stoop and surveyed the yard. The chicken coop's door was hanging off its hinges, and several wooden slats were cracked and weathered. The chicken wire was loose and sagging in some places, providing easy access for predators. The fence surrounding the yard had several broken slats, and the posts were leaning, giving it a haphazard appearance. The woodshed was cluttered with old tools and firewood, and the roof had a noticeable dip that needed reinforcing.
Heading over to the cut planks and poles left on the lawn, he pulled out a few decently shaped ones and set them aside for the fence. Checking over the smaller pieces, he laid a few out for the coop.
"That should do it," he muttered as he lifted the pieces into his arms. His uncle was suddenly at his elbow.
"Let's get as much as we can done so that I can take you to the pub later," his uncle said with a grin.
"Sounds good," Lukas replied. "The coop's door needs new hinges, and we should replace the broken slats. The chicken wire is loose, so we'll need to tighten it up, too."
His uncle nodded. "We can start with the door. I have some spare hinges in the shed. For the slats, let's use these smaller pieces you've set aside."
They worked quickly, laughing as they pulled up the broken parts of the coop and replaced them before tightening the chicken wire and nailing it in place. The new door swung smoothly on its hinges, and the reinforced structure looked sturdier.
Next, they moved on to the fence. Lukas pointed out the leaning posts and broken slats. "We'll need to reinforce the posts. If we use the larger planks, it should hold up well."
His uncle agreed. "Let's get the pieces we need and start with the posts. Once they're secure, we can replace the slats."
They carried the planks over and began reinforcing the fence. They replaced the cracked slats and tightened the loose poles, ensuring the fence was secure and upright.
After finishing the fence, they tackled the woodshed. Lukas surveyed the cluttered interior. "We need to clear out the old tools and stack the firewood neatly. The roof needs new beams to fix that dip."
His uncle nodded. "I'll grab some beams from the barn. You start clearing the shed, and we'll reinforce the roof once it's tidy."
"Need a hand?" A man's voice called out.
Kristoph looked up at Lukas, a knowing glint in his slate grey eyes. Sending a silent, secret signal to Julian, he excused himself from the confrontation that was brewing. "I'm going in for a drink. Then I'm going to grab a few men to help finish the shed. You have the fence, right?"
"I got it, Uncle Kris. Take a break for a while and let me handle things for a bit." Turning, Lukas smiled at the newcomer. "If you’re offering, I’d appreciate the assist."
The two young men worked in silence for a while, the sun beating down on their sweat-slicked bodies. The rhythmic sounds of hammering and sawing filled the air. Then, as if he’d had enough of the monotony, Lukas groaned. “Geesh, if training back home was this hard, going at it with my brother and Memphis would be like trying to fight a brick wall.”
Julian laughed, his blond hair catching the light like a halo of golden fire. Bracing himself, he dropped his façade. "So, I hear that you're the one set to marry Emilia Meyer? You should know that she's got a reputation."
The smile fell from Lukas's face as he listened to the man. There was something about him, something different. It was almost as though he was afraid that Lukas would hurt him. As if…
An idea hit him, and he sighed quietly. "You're her boyfriend, aren't you?"
“Up until this morning, I was,” the blond confided quietly. He was being careful not to let his voice carry back to the house, back into the ears of Johan Meyer, who would more than likely blame Johanna for the slip of information.
“I wasn't sure what to expect when I came to meet her. Hell, I didn't even know her name until yesterday. But thanks for the heads up."
The man lowered his head guiltily. "I don't want to fight about this. Emilia and I had been together for some time. A few years, to be exact."
"Good to know her father's inside spouting lies. f**k my life," Lukas muttered darkly. "Look, I'm not into ruining relationships. That's not why I came here. I'm not interested in girls whose only concern is how thick my wallet is, either. That's the whole reason I left Canada to find a bride here."
- Writer
