Sylvia 8/10

A thunderstorm is brewing as the Ingalls sit down for dinner. Charles is looking forward to the rain as there has been a bit of a drought recently. Albert is falling asleep at the table, either because of the dullness of the conversation or because of all the work he has been doing the last couple of days. “Pa, how old was grandpa when he got married?” Albert asks. Pa thinks about it for a second before Ma interjects that he was fourteen. Pa agrees with that answer, though he doesn’t seem to be picking up what Albert is laying down. Caroline seems to have read between the lines and looks none too pleased with where this conversation is headed. “Charles, can we talk about it later?” she asks, but he wants to talk about it now, oblivious to what the actual subject is. Albert drops the bomb about getting married and Charles does not take it well. Caroline asks to delay the conversation again, but Pa is riled up at this point. “You’re not going to become a doctor working at a livery stable, ya know.” Albert whines that he doesn’t have to be a doctor. This does not end the argument.

After he sends Carrie to her room, Pa asks Albert if he really thinks Mr. Webb would allow Sylvia to marry Albert. “Yes, I do,” asserts Albert. I suppose if you operate under the theory that Mr. Webb has been acting rather irrationally of late then, yes, he probably would consent to this marriage proposal. I don’t think that’s the smartest course of action for anyone at this point. “Just what makes you think that?” demands Pa. “Because,” starts Albert, pausing as he completes the thought, “I’m going to tell him I’m the baby’s father.” Ma and Pa let the words sink in a bit before Pa asks if what Albert says is true. “No, but I might as well be,” replies Albert. Since he loves Sylvia, and the baby is part of Sylvia, he would be able to love the baby as if it were his own. “It’s not the same,” says Pa. “Then you lied to me,” Albert responds. “I’m not your son either, but you told me you love me just the same.” I guess you can be a lawyer if you work at the livery stable. This stops Charles dead in his tracks, so he goes into the kitchen and asks his wife to talk some sense into the boy. “A boy your age has no idea,” she begins, but Albert cuts her off. “Ma, please don’t tell me I’m too young to know how I feel,” he whines. Caroline gets that look in her eye that she had when she dealt with Mrs. Oleson earlier. She warns Albert not to raise his voice like that again. Dude, do not mess with Caroline Ingalls. That’s all I’m saying.

Ma’s sweetness face returns as she tries to explain the caveats of love. She focuses on how love is big at the beginning, when it is easiest to ignore or push away all the glitches and imperfections and problems that real life has to offer. “Facing those problems can be painful,” she points out. Basically, love is denial. Albert is in denial about this assertion. Caroline realizes she still isn’t getting through to Albert, so she tries a different approach. “How does Sylvia feel about the baby? Have you asked her?” Albert hasn’t. “The child,” continues Caroline, “was not conceived in love. It was a brutal thing. It won’t be easy for the girl to forget.” The two of them hug.

As Pa walks back from the kitchen to watch this scene unfold, Mr. Webb barges through the front door with his shotgun in his hands. He demands to know where his daughter is. “How dare you come in my house with a gun?” demands Charles. Webb says he’ll leave once he gets the truth out of Albert. Charles doesn’t take kindly to this and lunges for Webb, knocking him to the ground outside. Albert grabs the gun as he watches his father punch Webb across the face to calm him down. “Albert,” Pa yells, “tell him the truth! Tell him the truth, NOW!” Albert takes a moment then says he is NOT the father. “Swear it,” Webb calls out, “swear it to God.” Apparently that holds a lot more weight back in 1870 then it does now. I remember in first grade the class trouble maker always saying “honest to God” whenever he got busted. And he got busted a lot. Webb believes Albert and collapses into Pa. Pa tells Albert to hitch up the team so they can take Mr. Webb home.