Excerpt:
After another
fifteen minutes had crawled by, Livy forced herself to accept the likelihood
that Robert—for whatever painful reason—had chosen to spend her birthday with a
bottle cradled in his arms instead of her. Hot tears of anger sprang up behind
her eyes and no amount of blinking could keep several of them from leaking onto
her face.
“Are
you all right?”
Livy
whipped her chin up and found herself peering into eyes more brilliantly blue
than she’d suspected from her seat across the room. Their clear depths exuded
friendly concern in a way that made her feel immediately safe, though she
didn’t know anything about this young man. Up close, his Sunday shirt and
pressed trousers, though worn, accentuated his strong-looking physique.
She
blinked, trying to remember what he’d asked her. Something about her being all
right? “Yes. Thank you. I’m just fine.”
She swept away the
salty drops from her cheeks. Of course her first real cry in ten years would be
witnessed by a stranger, and yet, his self-assured, compassionate manner made
her suspect he didn’t find her silly.
“You look like you
could use a dance.” He crouched down in front of her and held out his hand.
“How about it?”
Livy darted a quick
look at the entrance again. “I’m . . . um . . .waiting for my boyfriend.”
“Ah.” He let his
hand drop to his side. “Seems to be a bit late.”
She blushed. Who
else had noticed her sitting here for over an hour? “I’m sorry,” she offered
lamely.
“No, it’s all
right.” He got to his feet and started to walk away.
Who was she
kidding? Robert wasn’t coming. If he happened to, he’d likely be drunk and she
didn’t want to be around him .
“Wait.” Livy jumped
up. She could at least have one dance on her birthday. Why should she spend the
whole evening hurt and angry over Robert’s absence?
The young man
slowly turned back around.
She attempted a
genuine smile. “I’d love a dance.”
His face lit up as
he smiled in return and held out his hand a second time. Setting her hat on her
chair, Livy placed her hand inside his larger one and allowed him to escort her
onto the dance floor. The band began to play a fox trot—one of Livy’s favorite
dances. She and Joel had become fairly adept at the steps before he’d left for
the war.
It felt strange, at
first, to be in another man’s arms, but the feeling soon left her. The way he
held her hand in a confident but gentle grip, his hand warm on her back, helped
Livy relax. He led her around the floor, their feet walking or spinning in time
with the music. He was as skillful at the fox trot as her brother, and Livy
relished the chance to do more than just sway to the music.
“Are you from
around here?” he asked her after a minute or two of dancing.
“About an hour
away. And you?”
He shook his head.
“I live outside of Hilden. In the county north of here.”
Livy vaguely
recalled hearing the town name. “You drove all the way down here, just to go
dancing?”
“We don’t have a
public dance hall in Hilden. So we have to come here, or head farther north or
drive all the way to Sioux City. Do you come to this one often?”
“I used to, before
I went to college in Cedar Falls.”
With slight
pressure to her back, he expertly led her through a spin before he picked up
their conversation again. “What did you study in college?”
“Teaching.”
“Are you a teacher
now?”
Livy frowned, doing
her best to tamp down the seeds of resentment the question unearthed. She loved
her family and wanted to lift the burden her brothers’ absence had created, but
she missed college and the chance to pursue her own dreams.
“I was only able to
attend for a year before I was needed here.” Her words drew a look of sympathy
from him.
“I know what that’s
like,” he murmured. Before she could ask what he meant, he poised another
question. “Would you still like to be a teacher?”
“Very much. I’m
hoping someday I’ll have the chance.”
The understanding
in his blue eyes changed to enthusiasm. “That might be sooner than you think.
The teacher at one of the township schools outside of Hilden was recently . . .
.” He shot a glance at the floor, his jaw tightening. Livy wondered at the
change in his mood. Then he guided her through another spin and his expression
relaxed. “Suffice it to say, she’s gone now and I don’t think they’ve found a
replacement. It’s a little far away, but you might want to inquire about it.”
A possible teaching
job? A flurry of anticipation set Livy’s pulse moving faster at the
possibility. She tried to squelch it with the reminder she wasn’t likely to be
hired with only one year of schooling completed and no teaching certificate,
but she couldn’t destroy the hope completely. How wonderful it would be to be
on her own again, and not learning how to teach this time, but actually being
the teacher.
Livy met his open
gaze and found her thoughts moving from his idea to the man himself. She didn’t
even know his name, and yet, she felt comfortable enough in his presence to
share some of her regret at having her dream of teaching cut short. She hadn’t
even voiced those feelings to Robert yet.
“Thank you,” she
said, hoping he sensed how much she meant it. “I may look into it.”
“I hope you will.”
He smiled in a way that made her stomach twist with unexpected pleasure.
She searched her
mind for a more neutral topic, one that wouldn’t mean spilling more of her
secrets to this stranger. “Do you live with family, up there in Hilden?”
He nodded. “I’ve
got my father, stepmother and two half-siblings. What about you?”
“I’ve got a few more
than two siblings.” Livy laughed. “I’m the third of seven. Five boys and two
girls.”
She studied the
firm shoulder beneath her hand. He appeared quite fit and healthy, so why
wasn’t he a soldier? “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“How come you’re
not wearing a uniform?”
Livy wished the
question back at once when a shadow passed over his face, erasing the easy
camaraderie between them. Before he could answer, the song ended. He released
her hand at once, though he didn’t join her or the other couples in clapping.
She gnawed at her
cheek, embarrassed at her apparent mistake. He’d been so kind to notice her
distress earlier and suggest the teacher position in his town, and she’d repaid
him by bringing up something he clearly did not wish to discuss.
“I’m sorry. It’s
none of my business,” she said, rushing her words in an effort to keep him from
disappearing into the crowd. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
He watched her, his
expression guarded. What could she say to erase the awkwardness her inquiry had
caused? They’d been having such a lovely time talking and dancing.
“I appreciate the
dance. You see it’s my birthday and I adore the fox trot. So you’ve saved my
evening, Mister . . .” She waited for him to fill the pause with his name.
The corners of his
mouth worked up into a smile. “How about you call me ‘the birthday rescuer?’”
Livy chuckled. She
wasn’t sure why he refused to give his name, but she wouldn’t press it—not
after her blunder about the uniform. His kindness had completely changed her
botched evening. “Thank you for the dance, birthday rescuer. And for telling me
about the teacher position.”
“You’re welcome. Do
I get to know the name of the birthday girl?”
Two can play at his game, Livy thought
with a smirk. “How about ‘the girl I danced with once?’”
HOPE AT DAWN Reader Discussion Questions
1.
Friedrick resents the language law, which he
sees as a threat to maintaining his family’s ties to their German heritage.
What traditions, religious or cultural, would you find it difficult to give up?
2.
Elsa often talks about how things are darkest
right before the dawn. How is this true for both Livy and Friedrick? Has there
been a time in your life when you’ve felt this way?
3.
Faced with similar prejudice as the
German-Americans during WWI, would you choose to stand silently, as Friedrick
feels he must throughout most of the book, or would you take
a stand, regardless of the consequences?
4.
Both Friedrick and Livy react with prejudice
toward each other at their second meeting, only to learn later the error of
those impressions. Have there been people in your life whom you perceived to be
a certain way but later discovered your initial judgments were wrong, for good
or ill?
5.
Livy worries constantly about her brothers and
their safety. Have you ever felt that way about a loved one who’s moved away or
left home for military service or college?
6.
Having lost her childhood friend at a young age,
Livy becomes extremely close with Tom and Joel. Are their family members you
share a special bond with?
About Cassie Shine
