As it was Saturday, Mr. Loeb would be taking his day of rest. If Patience did not come across his person another day, she surmised she could catch a milk delivery and relay the note to the deliveryman. She sighed. She hated to wait and do naught but anticipate a meeting. The timing was essential and her mind could not be bothered to complete multiple tasks in such instances. Still, her inconveniences paled in comparison to Schuler’s current responsibility. Perhaps he had a better mind for it, she thought. Arranging musical notes and chords could not be so different from coordinating a travel schedule.

She arrived home to an empty cottage. It would be a while yet before Schuler and Anax returned from Haverston. Patience took the time to start preparations for supper. Vegetables and oxtails were chopped while a cup of tea steeped. A pinch of discomfort had briefly peppered her scalp on the trip from Keaton and she thought it prudent to address it before it worsened. While the meat slowly braised on the stove, Patience sipped her tea at the kitchen table.

It was her time to unwind from the day’s activities, and yet her feet stirred. Breathing in the steam from her cup, Patience’s eyes drifted beyond the window over the sink. Her heart lifted and raised her body from her seat. She dashed to the bedroom.

Perhaps getting a bit ahead of herself, Patience laid out all of the items she planned to take on their journey. In addition to the articles she had Mrs. Laurence tailor, Patience picked out a change of winter drawers and stockings, a nightgown, a knitted combination suit, a woolen underskirt, her bloomers, a blouse, a wool bodice, her wedding gown, leather gloves, and a wrap cape that Schuler had gifted her as a wedding present. She was no stranger to frigid temperatures, but she could only imagine how low the thermometer dropped at the more northerly latitude.

As the items spread out before her on the bed, she wondered if they would fit in their new trunk. She could have practiced packing, but when she stepped to the trunk, it felt sacred. She wished not to lay her clothes upon its untouched interior until the time came. There were Schuler’s belongings to consider as well. It would be a long trip. And with the many layers the cold weather demanded, they would have to bring additional luggage to hold everything that would serve them. She had her carpetbag and Schuler had his own in leather. Patience nodded. Those would suffice and they would still have an extra arm between them to carry whatever else.

This period of planning inspired a bit of pride in the young woman. Everything done now would only simplify future tasks. They would be ready for their adventure. She then folded everything into a tidy stack which she set in the corner of the wardrobe for easy retrieval. With that sorted, Patience proceeded to start on the gifts for her nieces.

After a long day out, Schuler and Anax returned just as the oxtails finished. As her husband settled at the table and told her of his affairs in Haverston, Patience ladled the hunks of meat and braising liquid into dishes. She dressed them with soft chunks of potato, carrot, and cabbage fished from the same broth.

“The booking clerk was so patient with me—spent his whole shift helping me arrange the itinerary. I bought him a beer afterward,” Schuler said. “I told him if he wanted to leave the train depot, he could find work as a travel agent.”

“That’s wonderful he was so accommodating,” said Patience, bringing the dishes to the table.

“We’ll have layovers in Lambert, Minneota and Siahl, Tahoma,” he explained. “I anticipate another layover once we arrive in Gaston, New Georgia since at that point I’d have to find a place to book passage to Yaleton.”

Greatly impressed with his day’s work, Patience gripped his arm. “Fantastic! Oh, I can hardly wait!” Now that the framework for their trip was actualized, a fluttering anticipation crept into her heart. Their expedition was truly under way. Her mind then flashed to the trunk. “You say we have a layover in Siahl?”

“Yes. About two nights if it’s timed right.”

“Uncle Unger is in Siahl, last I heard. Do you think we could visit him?”

“Sure!” A wide smile spread Schuler’s lips. It then waned as the man glanced down at his plate. “Actually, I know someone in Lambert … and if it’s all right with you, I’d like to visit them as well.”

“Should we have enough time, absolutely,” said Patience.

Over supper they discussed more of their plans. But plans only meant so much to Anax. He would wait to live the events. That evening he gained the most enjoyment from licking and savoring the oxtails. The meat was there before him. He did not wish to be caught up in the joy of promises. Still, he held onto his hope for a forest, the taste of home, a lived moment of being a true second-born yaszaha.