Anna Maria perked up. "Do you think we should arrange for him to meet Catalina again?"
"She is still interested?" Juana asked, a little surprised, given the way Juan had run away from their first attempt to introduce them.
Anna Maria nodded. "Maybe next week . . ."
"No." Juana shook her head. "That is much too soon. No, we need to give Juan time."
"Catalina could lose interest if she has to wait too long."
"Give me a month, with Catalina accompanying you on visits. If during her visits she was to make friends with Isabel and Eduardo, then they will talk about their new friend."
"And then we arrange for Catalina to be at church when Juan takes the children, and they run to greet her after the service . . ."
"That would be a little too obvious," Juana said. "We need to be a little more subtle. The children need to talk to Juan about their new friend."
"And then we arrange for Catalina to be at church when Juan takes the children and they run to greet her after the service."
Juana grinned at her friend. Once she had an idea in her head she hung onto it like a dog with a bone. "Something like that."
****
As Ye Have Done It Unto One of the Least
Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Amideutsch Lunch Counter
Grantville, Early December 1632
Johannes Vorkeuffer squirmed uncomfortably from the examining gaze of Louis Garrison, the restaurant owner. Why did the Americans from the future have to be so big? A man that size should be a blacksmith or laborer, not a tavern keeper.
"How old did you say you are?" the big man asked.
"I am sixteen, Herr Garrison."
The man frowned at him. "You should be in school then, not out trying to get a job. Do your parents know you're here?"
Johannes felt the grief rush through him. "My parents are dead, Herr Garrison."
The big man's expression instantly became compassionate. "I'm sorry. Do you have any family here?"
"I have an older sister and a younger brother and sister."
"Who takes care of you?" Garrison asked.
"My sister, she works at the laundry; but it does not pay enough. So, I look for work so I can help."
Johannes sat quietly; he could see the big man was considering him.
Finally, Garrison smiled. "I'll tell you what, Johannes; I think I can find some work for you."
Johannes felt both joy and relief. "Thank you, Herr Garrison; I will be a good worker; I promise."
"Hear me out first. I can only give you a few hours a week and it will be simple work to start, mostly labor around the building. I can't afford to pay you a lot, but it's the same starting wage I give everyone. You will also stay in school; your work hours will only be scheduled after school. Plus, I want to speak with your sister. I won't be hiring you unless it's cleared with her first. Do you understand?"
"Of course, Herr Garrison; I will tell her you want to speak with her."
Garrison smiled at him. "Good. I also provide a meal every time you work." He stopped and looked Johannes over. "When was the last time you ate, Johannes?"
"I had a small piece of bread this morning," he answered truthfully.
Garrison's smile turned into a frown. "Tell you what; some of the sidewalks around the store still have snow on them. Why don't you take a shovel and clean them off? Then you can come back in and get that meal."
Johannes felt his stomach rumble in anticipation. "Of course, Herr Garrison; I will get it done very quickly."
****
Andreas Muller watched as his partner, Louis, handed the shovel to the boy before turning back to the counter. "Another foundling you're taking in, Louis?" he asked.
"You saw him, Andreas, how thin he is. I'll bet he hasn't had a decent meal in months, maybe longer."
Andreas acknowledged the question with a nod. "Yes, that is probably true, just as it is true for half the people you have hired here. The world is full of hungry people, Louis. I think it is a very charitable thing you do for them, but this is a business, not a charity. You cannot afford to feed everyone who comes through the door with a sad story."
"No, I can't Andreas, but I will help those I can."
Andreas examined his partner for a moment. "Louis, you are a good man, but why do you do this? You know that many of them only come in for the free meal; they only want to take advantage of your generosity."
"Yes, Andreas, I know; but at least I get a few minutes or hours of work from them first. Besides, I guess you could call what I do a family tradition."
"Your family did the same thing?"
"As far back as I can remember," Louis answered. "My father and his sister and brothers all did it. I asked my father about it and he said it was because of what his father had done."
"Did your grandfather own a restaurant as well?"
Louis shook his head and smiled. "No, Andreas. My grandfather was a farmer and not a very prosperous one either, especially during the Great Depression."
"Great Depression?"
"It was a terrible time in my country's history. At its worst, one of every four Americans was out of work and many had trouble feeding their families. My father grew up during that time and he told me stories of only having watered-down soup to eat at times. But he also told me of how my grandfather never turned anyone away from his table. People would come by his farm looking for work, but, of course, my grandfather could not afford to pay them. What he did was offer to trade a meal for work. Sometimes the person would chop wood, fix a fence, or even just sweep off the porch, but my grandfather would always find a job for them so they could have a meal."
"Your grandfather was a good man."
"Yes he was, a great man. And he did all that while raising a family and putting them through school. Every one of his children finished high school and was successful. I wish I had known him better, but he died when I was very young."
Andreas could tell his friend was feeling the sadness of lost family. "So, it is because of your grandfather that you take in those in need?"
Louis shook his head slowly. "He sparked the tradition in my family, but that's not the real reason I do it. The reason I do it is because of something that happened to my father."
"Your father took in the less fortunate as well?"
Louis nodded again. "In a way. He often let people work for a few hours to earn a little money. Sure, many of them were only looking for a few dollars so they could buy their next drink, but my father never judged them. He told me he got honest work for honest pay; what they did with the money wasn't his business.
"But there was one time in particular that will always stick out in my mind," he continued. "It happened not long after I was out of high school and starting to make my own way. A young man named Bobby Washington, came into my father's furniture store looking for a job. Now Bobby was pretty well known in the area. Although he was only eighteen, he had been in trouble with the law for years. He was a known gang member and had committed many crimes."
Andreas interrupted. "If the boy was so bad, why was he not in prison?"
Louis shook his head. "That's not the way our justice system worked. Bobby had been underage when the crimes were committed, so he was treated differently. He had been in jail a few times, but as a minor his punishments were not as severe. Besides, although he committed many crimes, none of them were very serious, mostly breaking into buildings, vandalizing cars, that sort of thing. Anyway, when Bobby applied for a job, everyone tried to tell my father not to hire him."