The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2009, Blaðsíða 32

74
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 62 #2
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“Nels”, Andy was saying “you ever
notice we’re not gettin’ younger?”
“Yah” was Nels steady reply. There
was a quiet, pensive moment before Andy
continued.
“So.... Ya’ ever think about the young
people? How they’re gonna’ take over?
Run these things when we can’t.”
“You mean, like my old truck and
»
my...
“No. No. No.” Andy interrupted.
“Things like all these here museums. Like
the creamery. And Fensala. Who’s gonna’
look after 'em when we can’t?”
Nels paused for a minute. “Ya’ know,
Andy. I thought about that when we were
fixin’ the hall and I was nailin’ down the
ridge cap. I had a real good view of the
whole town. ‘What are we doing all this
here for?’ I said to myself. ‘Do you sup-
pose the younger generation even cares?’
Then it hit me. Do you tink for a minute all
those old Icelanders gave it a second
thought about the next hundred years. No!
All they thought about was how they could
make things good for themselves and better
for their kids. That was it! So, that’s how I
got it figured. The gift those pioneers gave
to us in these buildings, we’re just passing
them on to the next generation just as that.
A gift! What they do with it.... Well, I sup-
pose that’s up to them.”
Andy sat, staring off in the distance.
After all, sitting and thinking was one of
the things he did best. “Ya’ know what I
think, Nels. When all is said and done,
nothin’ good ever gets started by thinkin’
there won’t be people to carry it on.”
Nels said “Yah, that’s right. “We just
need a little fate.”
Andy paused in puzzlement. “Don’t
you mean faith, Nels.”
“Yah,” Nels replied indignantly in his
thick Swedish accent “that’s what I said.
Fate! Ya gotta’ have a little fate!”
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