Chapter Two
“Joel Trinity, look at you blushin’!” called out one of Joel’s friends, a lanky fellow by the name of Tom, as he slapped Joel heartily on the back.
“Caught you strollin’ arm-in-arm with one of those girls who came for the dance, we did,”said another, Hank, whose grin spread wide beneath his bushy mustache. The group of men huddled around Joel, elbowing each other with playful camaraderie.
“Aw, stop it,” Joel replied, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth despite his efforts to remain stoic. “There’s no harm in a walk.”
“Walk today, weddin’ tomorrow!” Tom teased, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
“Maybe you’re not too far off,” Joel retorted, tipping his hat back on his head with a confident air. “I’ve got plans to marry that girl.”
The men exchanged surprised glances, their teasing faltering into silence before they all told him she was pretty and would make a good wife.
“Never pictured ol’ Joel settlin’ down,” Hank said, his voice warm with genuine happiness for his friend.
“Neither did I,” Joel admitted, “but Erna... she’s different.”
JOEL EXCUSED HIMSELFfrom the group, scanning the crowd until he spotted Erna standing alone by the refreshment table.Her twin, Faith, was nowhere in sight, likely off charming some other young man with her easy laugh and bright eyes.
“Erna?” Joel called gently as he approached her.
She turned, and in the softening light, her face seemed to glow with a quiet grace that made Joel’s heart beat faster. “Joel,” she said, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Would you honor me with another dance?” he asked, extending his hand toward her.
“Of course, Joel,” Erna replied, placing her hand in his. Her fingers felt delicate yet strong in his calloused grip.
They walked together to the makeshift dance floor where couples were already swaying to a lilting melody. Joel led Erna into a gentle two-step, mindful of the rhythm and of the woman in his arms. As they moved across the floor, Joel couldn’t help but feel that every step was bringing him closer to a future he suddenly wanted more than anything.
“Thank you for the dance,” Erna whispered.
“Thank you for saying yes,” Joel replied.
The warm breeze that carried the sound of fiddles and laughter did little to cool the flush on Erna’s cheeks as she swayed gently in Joel’s arms. The two moved through the steps of the dance, lost in a world of their own in the middle of the jovial crowd.
“Always had a feeling I’d find someone who understood what it was like,” Joel began, his voice low and tinged with the sincerity of shared hardships. “Growing up without a family.”
Erna looked up at him, her smile soft but her eyes shining with a mixture of empathy and strength. “It does shape you in a different way, doesn’t it? Makes you appreciate things more... like finding a kindred spirit.”
“Exactly,” Joel nodded. “And here we are, dancing under the same stars that must’ve watched over us when we were nothing but lonely orphans.”
“It’s funny how life brings people together,” she mused, her hand resting comfortably in his. “At least, I had my twin sister Faith.”
“Twin? Which one is your twin?” He looked around at all the girls who had traveled together from the foundling home. They were easy to spot, since they were the only young, marriageable women there.
“Your smile, Erna,” he said abruptly, as if the words couldn’t be contained, “it’s like the first light of dawn after a dark night. Just radiant.”
Erna’s cheeks reddened further, but her smile widened, unaffected and genuine. “Thank you, Joel. You have a way of making a girl feel... seen. And your kindness, well, it’s like a gentle river that soothes the rough stones over time.”
Joel felt a warmth spread through his chest, a sense of rightness unlike anything he’d known before. As they continued to dance, he knew that this was exactly where he was meant to be – here with Erna, sharing smiles and a dance that felt like a promise of tomorrow.
Music filled the air, a lively tune that seemed to make the wooden floorboards of the church spring to life beneath the dancers’ feet. Erna was in Joel’s arms, and together they moved with a quiet grace.
“Joel,” Erna laughed, her voice light as the skirt of her dress swirled around her, “you sure know how to lead a girl in a two-step.”
He grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling with delight. “Only when the girl is as easy to dance with as you are, Erna. Feels like we’re dancing on clouds.”
The warmth of the summer evening wrapped around them like a soft shawl as they twirled and stepped. The lanterns hung around the room cast a golden glow, illuminating Erna’s face, turning it into something ethereal.
