Little Spouse on the Prairie Ch. 01

*Note: I am a great fan of these books but those who have read the series know that Laura is a child at the beginning of the series. I have taken the liberty of making Laura eighteen years old so that she can tell her story of learning how to become a loving wife on the prairie. I am also using the visuals of the actors that portrayed the members of the Little House community in the television series.*

*

Laura blinked her eyes and stretched in her cotton nightgown. Her sister, Mary, still lay sleeping next to her and she carefully slipped out of the bed, throwing her thin robe on and hurrying out to meet the newness of a spring day. She turned backwards and started down the stairs that connected the loft with the main part of the house, hesitating when she heard a strange noise. It was the voice of her father, Charles, his deep, masculine voice softly encouraging his wife, Caroline.

She had never heard her father's voice like that before. It reminded her of how he would speak to her when she was sitting on his lap in the rocking chair, telling her stories. It was low, soft, husky and filled with emotion, but it affected her differently than usual. For some odd reason, the hairs on the back of her neck arose and her skin suddenly felt hot, as if she'd been running outside in the full sun without her bonnet on. Quietly, she made her way down the ladder and stood still at the bottom.

"Oh, yes, Caroline. Just like that."

Laura quietly gasped at the heat that rushed to her face at the sound of his words and she crept closer to the cold fireplace, peeking around the corner into the sun-mottled space that her parents shared. Her father was sitting upright in the bed. His beautiful dark brown hair fell in waves over his bare shoulders and framed his handsome, sun-baked features. A soft brown field of hair covered the flat planes of his chest, then tapered into a trail that led down to the waist of his pajamas.

This morning, there were no pajamas on his body. His hard body was blessed by the morning sun and her mother's hands were caressing his chest and stomach. She took a tiny step to the side, allowing more of their bedroom to come into her view and she raised her hand to her mouth, biting her knuckle in an effort to keep quiet. Her mother's face was buried in her father's crotch and her head was bobbing up and down. She couldn't quite see what she was doing so she silently pivoted, heading to the opposite side of the fireplace and approaching the bedroom on the side that her father was facing.

From this vantage point, Laura could see her mother's nightgown-clad body positioned between her father's legs but the most shocking thing she could see was her father's penis! Girls at school had whispered about what a man's private parts looked like but their descriptions did not match what Laura was seeing. Her father's stalk rose proudly from a thatch of dark brown hair and it glistened in the sunlight. She only caught sight of it for a second before her mother's open mouth descended on it, wrapping her lips around the hard flesh and sucking with sounds she could hear from her hiding place.

Laura was upset. At first, she was distraught, thinking that her mother was injuring her father. The expression on his face was one that she'd only seen when he was hurt and her heart pounded in her chest as she watched his eyes close, the grimace softening as his head tilted back. She didn't know what happened but his expression changed, a pure smile of joy crossing his face as his toes curled. Her mother whimpered, remaining bent over his body until he relaxed.

"That was beautiful, Caroline."

"That's what a good, loving wife is for, Charles."

Laura watched her parents kiss for a moment, then stole outside, trying to hold the tongue-and-groove latch down to keep her escape quiet but her mother had heard. While she stood outside, admiring the beauty of the morning, Caroline joined her daughter, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Ma." Laura embraced her mother with a smile.

"Do you feel any different?"

"A little. I guess it's all in my mind."

"This is an important day for you, Laura. You are an adult today."

Laura mulled over her mother's words, understanding but not attaching the same weight that Caroline felt. "I guess so."

"And that doesn't make you feel any different?"

"No, not really."

"Well, from now on, you will feel different."

"Why, Ma?"

"Because it's time for you to learn how to be a loving wife."

"A loving wife?"

"Yes. You have to learn how to please your husband. It's very important."

"But, Ma, I'm not married!"

"Yet." Caroline took a final look at the sunrise and turned back toward the house. "One day soon, you will be and it's time for you to learn."

Her mind filled with questions and reeling from her parents' behavior, Laura followed her mother in, wondering what was in store for her on this auspicious day.