No one ever said married life would be easy, but Meg did not expect it to be so challenging.
John was a kind, loving husband who helped Meg in every way possible, for which she was truly grateful.
Still, Meg found the little chores in everyday life that she had taken for granted at home were now a huge challenge for her.
Then of course there were new issues that Meg had never experienced at home but had to learn to deal with as a married woman.
One day, as she was doing the simple act of preparing a meal, Meg felt dizzy and sick to her stomach.
Fortunately, John was in the kitchen at the time and carried her to the sofa.
"Can I bring you anything? Water? A blanket?" he asked in a concerned voice.
"Just some hot tea, thank you," Meg said faintly.
By the time John brought the drink to her, Meg had gotten worse.
"Darling, I feel very ill," she told her husband.
"Shall I fetch Dr. Bangs?" he asked, squeezing her hand tightly.
"No," Meg said. "I need my mother."
John raced out of the house and down the street to get his mother-in-law, who, along with Beth,
was in the process of giving each window in the house a good shine before the winter set in.
"John! What's the matter?" Mother asked him when she saw his worried look.
"It's Meg," he said, gasping for breath. "She's not well and I don't know what to do."
Throwing down her cloth, Mother wiped her hands and said, "Let's not waste another moment while the poor girl lies sick."
When they got to Meg and John's house, Meg was sweating and looking very pale.
Mother put her hand on Meg's forehead, over her heart, then down on her stomach. Then, surprisingly, Mother smiled.
"What's the matter with her?" John asked, his voice trembling. "Is Meg going to be all right?"
"She's going to be fine," Mother replied, nodding. "Meg isn't sick—she's pregnant."
Upon hearing those words, John collapsed into a heap on the floor next to his wife.
Meanwhile, Jo, who was not yet aware that she was soon going to become an aunt,
spent her days content to be a governess and her evenings very happy to be with a friend.
"Jo, this week you must try to read this thrilling adventure that will take you across the seas,"
the Professor said, handing Jo a thick, old book from his own collection.
Since their first encounter a couple of weeks ago, Jo found that she had a lot in common with the Professor.
They both loved to read and write, though she preferred writing fictional stories and he favored poetry.
When he had moved to America, the Professor was forced to leave behind many of his possessions
but he could not bear to part with his beloved collection of books, which he now displayed proudly in his personal library.
Jo considered it an honor that the Professor wanted her to read some of his dearest treasures
(though at first when he offered her his favorite book, she did not have the heart to tell him that she could not read German).
Fortunately, the Professor owned a series of books translated into English that Jo was able to enjoy thoroughly.
On the weekends, the Professor would invite Jo to go with him and his nephews to the park
or to take a carriage to Coney Island, an amusement park where children (of all ages) could go on rides.
Jo noticed that the more time she spent with the Professor, the broader her horizon became.
There seemed to be no end to the amount of knowledge to be learned.
Because the Professor was teaching her so many new things, Jo wanted to show her thanks but she couldn't find a way to do so.
Then one evening, the opportunity arose as she was washing her clothes.
She happened to find two pairs of his socks, which he had probably dropped without realizing, on the floor of the laundry room.
They were still damp and as Jo laid them out to dry, she noticed they all had holes in them.
Smiling to herself as she recalled the first time she met him,
Jo was about to leave when it occurred to her that perhaps she could help the Professor by mending his holey socks.
"I'll bring them back here after I do it so he won't know it was me," Jo thought to herself.
Putting the socks into her laundry basket, she quickly climbed the stairs to her room and took out her sewing kit.
While Meg had just found out she was soon to be a mother and Jo was experiencing feelings she had never felt before,
Amy was also discovering something new about herself.
She sensed that any day now, Fred was going to propose to her and she was prepared.
Sure enough, one chilly evening, Fred made an unannounced visit to Amy and her aunt.
"Why, Fred," Aunt March said fondly, for she was sure that he would be a perfect match for her grandniece.
"What a pleasant surprise! To what do we owe this honor?"
Amy sat quietly clasping her trembling hands while she waited for the now inescapable question to fall from Fred's lips.
As he spoke to Aunt March, revealing his love for Amy, she watched him,
feeling horrible about what she was going to do but at the same time knowing it was the right thing.
Before she knew it, Fred was on bended knee asking, "Amy March, will you be my wife?"
Aunt March relaxed in her chair, absolutely certain what Amy's answer would be.
"I'm sorry, Fred, I can't marry you," Amy said clearly.
"What?" Aunt March's eyes bulged in shock.
"Amy, did you hear what Fred said? He wants to marry you!"
"I know, Aunt March, but I don't want to marry him," Amy said respectfully.
"But why not?" demanded the old woman.
Poor Fred was in a state of such shock that he was speechless.
"Because I don't love him," Amy admitted honestly.
"And I must marry for love or I won't be truly happy. I know that now."
If only Jo could have heard Amy's admission at that moment, she would have marveled at how her sister had changed.
And if Amy, for her part, could have seen Jo secretly smiling as she tenderly placed the mended socks back in the laundry room,
Amy would have been shocked at the difference in her sister as well.
Winter was coming to an end, which meant that this chapter of Jo's journey would conclude shortly too.
Jo's stay in New York had exceeded all her expectations and more as she looked back on her six months away from home.
Feeling stronger, more mature, as well as more fulfilled, Jo readied herself to make the trip home.
At the same, she felt a dull ache in her heart because that meant she would have to say good-bye to a dear friend.