Jacob's Way (40 page)

Thirty-Three

I
t was generous of Ben's family to invite us all to their home for Christmas,” Jacob said. He was sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea while Sam and Phineas busied themselves cleaning up the house.

“Well, I reckon they're so happy to have Ben back,” Sam replied, “that they want to let everybody know how grateful they are.”

Reisa was washing dishes, and she looked over her shoulder. “Pru and all her family will be there. It will be good to see them again. Ben says that they're going to move here, and her husband will be a doctor in Richmond.”

The talk went on for some time, mostly about the Christmas celebration. It was the twenty-fourth, and they were due to go that day and spend the night.

Dov had said little during this time. Seated at the table, his huge fists almost swallowed the large coffee mug that he used for tea, and now he cleared his throat and said suddenly, his deep voice cutting through the others, “I must shave.”

Everyone turned to stare at the big man.

“Shave!” Sam exclaimed. “Why, you ain't never shaved!”

“Well, I think that's a wonderful idea,” Reisa said quickly, having some idea where the idea had originated.

Sam persisted, however. “What do you want to shave for? It's just a pain in the neck!”

Dov became more embarrassed than ever. He stared down at the cup and mumbled, “Hilda say I would look more better.”

Phineas suddenly grinned. “I think she's showed a little sense there. You look like a grizzly bear. Come on over here. I reckon I can do the job.”

“You are a barber?” Dov asked with surprise.

“I shaved half the fellows in my company through the whole war,” Phineas said. “Now, you come here and set.”

Soon the water was heated, and the scissors and Phineas's razor lay on the table. Taking the scissors, he grinned, saying, “Say good-bye to this mess. It looks like you have enough to stuff a mattress.”

Reisa watched with interest as Phineas performed the operation. He proved to be quite an apt barber, as he had boasted. With the scissors he trimmed the beard down as close as he could to the skin, then he took his brush and shaving mug and worked up a rich lather. Dov watched him cautiously as he dipped a towel into a basin of boiling water. “What that for?” he demanded.

“Soften up them whiskers of yours. Now just lay your head back there.” When Dov docilely obeyed, Phineas carefully lowered the hot towel, leaving just room for his nose. As he waited, Phineas remarked, “He ain't shaved in so long them whiskers are probably about like wire. But I got a razor that will do the job.” He plucked up the razor, tested the edge on his own arm, then said, “She'll cut right through.” Removing the towel, he lathered up the face again, then put his hand on top of Dov's head. “Don't you move,” he said. “I'm liable to cut your throat.” Expertly he drew the razor down the side of Dov's left cheek, leaving a clean track.

Reisa exclaimed, “Why look, his skin's so white!”

“It ain't never seen the light of day,” Sam grinned.

They all watched as Phineas worked carefully. Finally he was finished. Taking the towel, he cleaned Dov's face. “Well, look at that. You ain't scary enough to frighten the young 'uns now.”

“No!” Reisa exclaimed. “You look so—so
different
, Dov! Let me get a mirror.” She dashed away and soon returned. Dov, still sitting, stared at his reflection. He had not seen his face in so long without whiskers that he could hardly believe it. He drew his fingers across the tender skin. “Burns like fire,” he said.

“You look wonderful,” Reisa said. “I can't believe a beard makes such a difference.”

“You do look very good, indeed!” Jacob said, staring at Dov. The big man had looked rather fierce ever since he had known him, and now the missing beard revealed a face with a mild, rather gentle expression. “People won't know you,” he remarked.

As Dov stood, towering over the others and stroking his face, he said, “It feel funny.”

“Dov, when you're ready to go, Hilda and I finished that suit. Go put it on and see if it fits. I may have to take a few more stitches.”

Dov followed Reisa into Jacob's room, and there on the bed lay trousers, a new white shirt, and a coat. The coat and pants were made of a light gray woolen material that Reisa had bought at a bargain. She and Hilda had made the garments together. She shook her head. “It's the first suit either one of us ever made, but put it on, and we'll see.”

She left the room and found the men laughing about the change in Dov. “Don't you laugh at him when he comes out. If that suit doesn't fit, it won't be his fault,” she said.

But when Dov came out, once again, they were all rather shocked. The suit did fit reasonably well. They had never seen him in anything but the huge loose-fitting trousers and the shirt that he simply pulled over his head. Now he looked somehow smaller.

“You look beautiful, Dov!” Reisa exclaimed. “But where's your tie?”

“Tie?”

“Yes, the tie.”

“Oh, I forget him.”

“I'll get it.” Reisa went and got the tie, and since she had trouble reaching up to Dov, she made him sit down. Carefully she tied it, and then said, “Now, stand up and turn around.”

Awkwardly Dov stood up and turned around, and Jacob nodded. “You look very much like a gentleman, Dov.”

Dov felt the material of the coat and stretched his arms. “Thank you, Reisa.”

“It was mostly Hilda. You'd better let her see it.”

Dov seemed anxious to get away. “Yes, she is going to the Christmas party. I drive her in wagon.” He started for the door.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Sam said, “Well, ain't he a caution now. He don't look like the same feller.”

“I hope Hilda will like him,” Reisa remarked.

The dress that Hilda had made for herself was of a soft blue, almost the color of her eyes. She and Reisa had picked out the material at the store, and for days now she had worked on it. She stood there for a moment in her petticoat, held it up, then quickly slipped it on and fastened it. She turned to the mirror and anxiously surveyed her image. A smile came to her lips. “It's such a pretty dress,” she said. “I hope Dov likes it.”

She had bought a pair of new shoes as well, made of soft black leather. She slipped her feet into them and buttoned them up and stood. They were the first high heels she had ever bought. Before, she had always worn flat-heeled shoes to make her height less noticeable. Reisa, however, who had helped her choose the shoes, had said firmly, “These are beautiful, and you must have them.”

Going to her room, she pulled out a carved walnut chest, opened it, and pulled out a smaller box. Opening it, she looked down at the blue earrings and the matching necklace on a fine gold chain. She put the earrings on, fastened the necklace, then moved back to the mirror. They were very old stones, having come all the way from Sweden. They had belonged to her grandmother, and her mother had given them to her when she was seventeen. She had worn them only once, and since then they had lain in their case in the same chest. Now she stood looking at herself nervously.

The invitation to the Drivers had been a surprise to her, but Ben, who had delivered the invitation, would take no protest. “We're all going. You make Dov shave that beard and dress up, and you put on that pretty new dress that Reisa's been telling me about.”

Even as she stood there, Hilda heard the sound of a voice. Flushing slightly, she replaced the chest and moved quickly to the front door. It was very cold outside, and snow was expected. For one moment she felt so nervous she could hardly stand. Being a woman of firm word, she thought,
Stop acting like a baby, Hilda. It's only Dov.
She opened the door and looked up at the big man waiting for her, who stood looking down at her.

“Dov!” she exclaimed. “You shaved!” Involuntarily she reached up and touched his smooth cheek. With embarrassment she giggled and drew her hand back. “I can't believe it's you! Come in and let me see your suit.”

Dov stepped inside the door and stood there as she moved around him admiring the workmanship of his suit. “You look very good. I want you to always shave.”

Dov did not speak, for he was taken aback by the woman before him. His usual picture of her was of a woman in overalls and men's shoes. On Sundays to church she wore the same gray, faded, and rather shapeless dress. But this was changed now! The woman who stood before him was feminine beyond any vision he had had of her. The dress revealed the mature curves of a woman in the prime of her life. He was almost shocked to see that her waist was so small. The curves of her upper body thrust against the dress, and as she turned around, Dov shook his head. “You look ver' pretty, Hilda.”

“Oh, Dov, do you think so really? I'm so embarrassed to go to the Drivers'.”

Dov shook his head, still staring at her. “You look pretty,” he said. “I never saw woman look so pretty.”

These words fell on Hilda's ears and brought a strangeness to her. It was the sort of thing that she knew men said to women, for she had heard other women talk, but except for the one time in her life, just before she had been jilted, no man had ever called her pretty. Her pale skin suddenly glowed, and her lips made a small change at the corners and became soft with the interest of a mature woman. She held her head still and looked straight up at Dov, not smiling exactly, but the thought of a smile was a hint at the corners of her mouth and the tilt of her head.

As for Dov, he was always a silent man. He struggled to find words. The fragrance of her clothes came powerfully to him. She was, he saw, not what he had thought. He had not cared whether she was attractive or not, but now she stood before him, a well-shaped woman, her features quick to express her thoughts, and the love of life lying impatiently behind her eyes waiting for release.

Finally Dov took a deep breath and said, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes. Let me get my coat.” She turned to go, but suddenly Dov caught her arm. Surprised, Hilda turned around and looked up. “What is it, Dov?”

“You know me well, Hilda.”

“Do you think so, Dov?” Hilda was pleased at his remark. Indeed, the two had become very close. “And I suppose you know me, too.”

“Do you remember once I tell you, right after your mother died, when you cried—and I say you never be alone as long as Dov was here?”

The memory had never left Hilda, and she nodded. “Yes, Dov,” she whispered. “I remember.”

Dov had no words, but he put out his hands suddenly and placed them on her shoulders. Startled, Hilda looked up and saw something in his face that caused her to tremble. The face was unfamiliar, but the eyes were always the same—always kind—and now they glowed with something she had always longed to see in a man's eyes. She saw, however, that he could not speak and knew that she would have to take the initiative. “Do you care for me, Dov?” she asked quietly.

“Yes! I always have—and I always will.”

Hilda Swenson then reached up and put her arms around Dov. She pulled his head down and kissed him on the lips. She clung to him, pressing against him, and as his strong arms went around her, she felt small and fragile against his mighty strength. His arms closed in on her, and when he finally lifted his head, he said, “I want us to be together always.”

Hilda instinctively realized what he was saying. “Shall we be married then, Dov?”

“Yes. We will be married.” Suddenly relief seemed to wash through him. He swept her off her feet as easily as if she were a child and danced around the cabin.

For Hilda this was a miracle. She had never had this sort of attention, but this big man had come to fill a place in her heart that had long been hungry.

“Put me down, Dov,” she laughed. And when he did, she reached up and put her hand on his cheek. “We will be married in the church. Now, let us go.”

As they left, she said, “You must tell everyone tonight while we are at the Drivers' what has happened.”

Dov laughed. A sense of freedom had come to him. He nodded. “Yes. I tell them in the church we will be married.”