Romantic Entanglement

Instead of reading Jeremiah this morning as she had been assigned, she read Forever Young. The more she read, the more she saw herself as the novel's heroine. In the book, Samantha Young never knew her parents, who had died in an Indian raid when she was three years old. The other women in town all made fun of Samantha behind her back because she was foolish enough to think she could manage the old Conner farm on her own. That is except for her chubby neighbor Gertrude, who helped Samantha through the rough first days. This is me! Samantha thought.

Now she heard Miss Brigham snapping her fingers and realized she'd lost focus once again. "I'm sorry, Miss Brigham, I'm not feeling well today," Samantha said.

Miss Brigham put a hand to her forehead, pulling it away a minute later. "You don't feel warm. Is there something else bothering you? Are the other girls giving you a hard time?"

"No, everyone's been wonderful. But I've been here two weeks and I still don't know who I am."

"I know, dear, but it will come back to you. You have to give it time."

"I guess so." Samantha looked down at her lap, where the book rested in her apron. "How did you come up with my name? I mean, how did you know I was a Samantha and not a Gertrude?"

"Oh, I don't know, dear. You looked like a Samantha to me. I can call you Gertrude if you want, although I think Samantha is a far prettier name."