she’s pretty good at figuring things like that out.” He watched Shawn for a minute. “Rose thought you loved her?”
Shawn nodded. “She assumed I loved her. I didn’t tell her I did. I wouldn’t lie to her, which is part of the problem. She thinks I should tell her I love her. She thinks I should love her, because everyone else did?” He shook his head. “She wanted to marry me because I wasn’t like all the other men, but is mad because I don’t love her like they all did.”
Max watched the younger man and the confusion on his face for a minute before his chuckles started. After a moment, they grew into a full blown laugh. He laughed so hard, he had to catch his weight by putting his hands on his knees and he finally just collapsed on the ground, still laughing.
Shawn watched Max and wondered what was wrong with him. Why were his marital troubles so amusing to Rose’s uncle? Did he have some mental troubles? Finally, after what seemed like an hour of watching the other man laugh, he said, “I can see I’m going to get no help from you.” He turned to go, disgusted with himself for asking for help to start with.
Max struggled to catch his breath. “No. Wait.” He calmed down as best he could, but the amusement was still obvious on his face. He took another deep drink of water, fighting the laughter. “Sit with me, and we’ll talk.”
Shawn collapsed on the ground beside him, wishing he had some idea what the other man found so funny. “Okay, talk.”
“When Rose turned fourteen, her parents let her start being courted by boys. From that day on, their house was filled with young men. They told her she had to wait until she was sixteen to marry, but she could work on choosing the boy she wanted until then.” He drank again, swallowing hard. “I would go visit , and there would be four or more young men there at the same time vying for Rose’s attention.”
Shawn stared at him in surprise. “Her parents allowed that?” He could picture the scene. Rose in the middle and all the young men sitting on the floor at her feet as if she were a princess.
“They didn’t know how to put a stop to it. She was so happy to be surrounded by boys. They sat at her feet and composed love poems to her. Very bad love poems , usually. They all brought her roses of every color. One boy brought her a lily once, and she threw it back in his face, telling him that if he liked lilies he should court her sister, not her. They all put up with everything she did, because they all wanted to marry her.” Max watched the younger man as he told the story. “I got married two years ago when Rose was sixteen. My wife talked her parents into putting a stop to the endless parade of men. She talked to them about how she would be willing to investigate each man interested in courting Rose, but she needed to wait until she was eighteen if they wanted her help. She had run a mail order bride agency, so they believed her and took her advice. They agreed that one month before Rose turned eighteen, she should supply Harriett with a list of twenty young men she was interested in. Harriett would investigate the men on her list and choose the best three, and then Rose could choose from those three.”
“Was I on the list?” Shawn asked in surprise. He couldn’t imagine how he could have been, because he hadn’t known Rose for a full month before she turned eighteen.
Max shook his head. “You weren’t put on the list until later. My wife had just finished investigating and was about to narrow it down to the final three when Rose met you in the park and declared you were the only man she wanted to marry. She said to throw out the other list.” His eyes met Shawn’s. “She had you investigated just like the others. She even sent telegrams to your dental college.”
Shawn’s eyes widened. “I had no idea.” He wasn’t sure
Shawn nodded. “She assumed I loved her. I didn’t tell her I did. I wouldn’t lie to her, which is part of the problem. She thinks I should tell her I love her. She thinks I should love her, because everyone else did?” He shook his head. “She wanted to marry me because I wasn’t like all the other men, but is mad because I don’t love her like they all did.”
Max watched the younger man and the confusion on his face for a minute before his chuckles started. After a moment, they grew into a full blown laugh. He laughed so hard, he had to catch his weight by putting his hands on his knees and he finally just collapsed on the ground, still laughing.
Shawn watched Max and wondered what was wrong with him. Why were his marital troubles so amusing to Rose’s uncle? Did he have some mental troubles? Finally, after what seemed like an hour of watching the other man laugh, he said, “I can see I’m going to get no help from you.” He turned to go, disgusted with himself for asking for help to start with.
Max struggled to catch his breath. “No. Wait.” He calmed down as best he could, but the amusement was still obvious on his face. He took another deep drink of water, fighting the laughter. “Sit with me, and we’ll talk.”
Shawn collapsed on the ground beside him, wishing he had some idea what the other man found so funny. “Okay, talk.”
“When Rose turned fourteen, her parents let her start being courted by boys. From that day on, their house was filled with young men. They told her she had to wait until she was sixteen to marry, but she could work on choosing the boy she wanted until then.” He drank again, swallowing hard. “I would go visit , and there would be four or more young men there at the same time vying for Rose’s attention.”
Shawn stared at him in surprise. “Her parents allowed that?” He could picture the scene. Rose in the middle and all the young men sitting on the floor at her feet as if she were a princess.
“They didn’t know how to put a stop to it. She was so happy to be surrounded by boys. They sat at her feet and composed love poems to her. Very bad love poems , usually. They all brought her roses of every color. One boy brought her a lily once, and she threw it back in his face, telling him that if he liked lilies he should court her sister, not her. They all put up with everything she did, because they all wanted to marry her.” Max watched the younger man as he told the story. “I got married two years ago when Rose was sixteen. My wife talked her parents into putting a stop to the endless parade of men. She talked to them about how she would be willing to investigate each man interested in courting Rose, but she needed to wait until she was eighteen if they wanted her help. She had run a mail order bride agency, so they believed her and took her advice. They agreed that one month before Rose turned eighteen, she should supply Harriett with a list of twenty young men she was interested in. Harriett would investigate the men on her list and choose the best three, and then Rose could choose from those three.”
“Was I on the list?” Shawn asked in surprise. He couldn’t imagine how he could have been, because he hadn’t known Rose for a full month before she turned eighteen.
Max shook his head. “You weren’t put on the list until later. My wife had just finished investigating and was about to narrow it down to the final three when Rose met you in the park and declared you were the only man she wanted to marry. She said to throw out the other list.” His eyes met Shawn’s. “She had you investigated just like the others. She even sent telegrams to your dental college.”
Shawn’s eyes widened. “I had no idea.” He wasn’t sure
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