by A. American
“Give it a little time, man. Things will get back to normal,” I said. Then I asked, “You don’t have any kids do you?” He shook his head. “I didn’t think so. Fred’s going to need you around.”
“Welcome to crazy town,” Mike said as he stuffed a spoon into his mouth.
Aric looked at him, “Fred’s not like that.”
Sarge, Thad and I all laughed. “They’re all like that when they’re pregnant,” I said.
“And in this heat?” Thad added. “Yeah. You gonna have your hands full.”
“We’ll see about that,” Aric replied. Once again causing us to laugh.
“Let’s take care of cleaning up the supper so the ladies can continue on with their planning over there,” Danny said as he stood up.
I looked over my shoulder at the table of women and said, “Plotting. I think the word you’re looking for is plotting.” This again got a laugh.
Perez walked up to the table. He’d been on the far end of the porch. He tried to keep away from the kids when he smoked, and he was always smoking. He looked at Sarge and held out a cigarette, “When you go to Eglin, find me some of these.”
“Are you trying to smoke yourself to death?” Doc asked.
He shrugged. “Every boy needs a hobby.”
He held his hand out to Aric, “Congratulations, my friend.”
Jamie left the table of chattering ladies and walked over. Perez looked at her and asked, “So you next? When you get a bunch of women together, these things seem to happen at the same time.”
“Fuck you, Perez,” she replied.
“Where is Ian, anyway?” Sarge asked.
“Fuck you too,” she replied before storming off.
Watching her go, Mike said, “You sure she ain’t pregnant already?” Getting another laugh out of us.
Thad and I collected the dishes from the porch. “Well, look at you guys being all domestic,” Mel said.
“Maybe you should get Aric out here so he can start learning how to be domestic too,” Bobbie said, getting the ladies to giggling.
“He’s inside washing dishes,” That replied with a smile.
“He’s learning already!” Jess shouted.
“Oh, leave him alone,” Fred said, feigning sympathy.
“You gals keep on with whatever it is you’re doing. We’ll clean everything up,” I said.
“I see you have him trained too,” Kay said with a smile.
“I beg to differ!” I laughed. “Keep it up and we’ll go find something else to do!”
“No, no. You just keep at it,” Kay replied. Looking back to the conversation at hand on wedding planning, she added, “We have important things to do here.”
Thad was smiling. “We’ll take care of it, Miss Kay. Ladies, thank you for supper.” He looked at Fred and added, “And congratulations again, Fred. I’m really happy for you.”
She smiled back and I saw Thad make eye contact with Mary, who had been quiet all through dinner. But she was always quiet. Mary smiled when he looked at her and quickly looked away. As we carried the bowls into the kitchen, I glanced up at him and asked, “Is this going to be a double wedding?”
Thad was such an incredible guy. I loved him like a brother. His natural response to everything was to smile. And here again, he smiled. Big, warm and infectious. “Morgan, you a mess!” He replied laughing.
I shrugged. “Just asking.” I said as I set a stack of bowls on the counter. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing, ya know.” When he looked at me, I added, “Or wrong.”
His smile faded. I could see he was thinking about it. He glanced around at the other guys.
“What wouldn’t?” Danny asked.
“A double wedding,” I replied with a grin.
Danny was obviously surprised. “What?”
“Jus’ sayin’,” I replied.
“Of course, it wouldn’t be bad. It’ be awesome!” Aric added. “Did you ask her?”
Thad was embarrassed, something easily done. He shook his head. “No. No, I didn’t ask her. I don’t think it’s right.”
I shook my head and gripped his enormous shoulder. With a little laugh, I said, “What in the world would be wrong about it, old buddy?” He lowered his head and looked at the counter, fumbling with the bowls. I leaned down and looked him in the eye. “You deserve to be happy too, my friend. You wouldn’t be dishonoring them. You know that, right?”
A tear ran down his cheek and he wiped it away. Looking up, he said, “I really care for Mary. But I feel so guilty.”
“I’ve asked you this before, but I’ll ask it again. If things had been different, would you want Anita to spend the rest of her life alone, feeling guilty? Or would you want her to find happiness?”
Wiping his eyes again, he said, “I’d want her happy. More than anything in the world. I’d want her to be happy.”
I smiled and said, “Then honor her the same way.”
He looked up and was met with a face smiling back at him in anticipation. He looked back down at the counter again. “It would make you both happy,” Danny added.
“More than just the two of you,” I replied with a nod.
He looked up again and smiled. “I know you’re right. But I don’t have a ring, an—“ he paused and looked down again.
“And you’re embarrassed,” Aric said.
Thad shrugged. “Kinda.”
“Sure, it’s scary, brother,” Danny said as he went to a small cabinet in the dining room and took out a small wood box. “When we left here for the river, I took this with me. It isn’t a practical thing to keep in today’s world, but it meant a lot to me.” He carried it back over to the counter and set it down. Opening it, there was a piece of silk rolled up inside. He took it out and handed it to Thad. “But just like Miss Kay holding back some flour for reasons she didn’t understand, I also kept this.”
Thad unrolled the piece of silk to find a diamond ring inside. It was a silver setting with three stones on it. Thad held it up and looked at it. The stones were high quality and sparkled brightly in the light. “I can’t take this,” he said.
“It was my great grandmother’s. But it’s yours now,” Danny said.
“No excuse now,” I said.
Thad smiled and flushed. He looked at us, saying, “I’m scared.”
I gripped him by the shoulders and turned him around, pushing him towards the door. “Best way to handle fear is head-on, brother!”
I could hear the guys in the kitchen scrambling to get out onto the porch. Sarge and the guys were still sitting at the table talking over their plans for the road trip. When I pronounced, “We have an announcement!” everyone stopped talking and looked up. The guys came out of the house, bumping into one another as all eyes were on me. Thad stood there looking at his hands, so I gave him a push.
“What is it?” Kay asked.
Thad looked up, hesitating, so I said, “Thad has something he wants to say.”
He looked at me and I smiled, giving him a nod. He looked at Mary and I could see she knew something was up. Thad made his way around the table to where she sat, all eyes were on him. When he got to her, he took her hand and lifted her from her seat and pulled the chair out of the way.
“What’s this?” She asked.
Kay gasped and covered her mouth as Thad knelt down in front Mary. Realizing what was going on, Mary started to cry. Down on one knee, Thad looked up at Mary. He unrolled the piece of silk and took out the ring. Holding it up, he said, “Mary. I thought I would never find happiness again. But I met Morgan,” he looked back at me and smiled, I returned it and nodded. “And in doing so I found my way here. Then you found your way here.” The ladies were starting to cry, and truth be told, I had to wipe my own eyes. “But I did indeed find happine
ss. That happiness was made brighter when you arrived and has only gotten brighter with every day.” He held the ring up and asked, “I want it to keep getting brighter. Will you marry me?”
Mary dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. Crying, she replied, “Yes! Yes, I will!” Thad took her hand and slid the ring on her finger.
A cheer erupted from everyone as they shot to their feet. I shouted, “It’s a double wedding!”
Little Bit ran over and wrapped her arms around Thad and Mary. “You’re getting married!” She shouted. “I’m so happy! Can I be the flower girl?”
Thad smiled and patted her head, “Yes you can, Miss Ashley.” She smiled and hugged him tight, then hugged Mary as well. They were all smiles.
While everyone was celebrating, I snuck out and went to the house. I grabbed one of the jugs of blackberry wine and carried it back to the porch. “A day like this calls for a proper celebration! I picked this up and I can’t think of a better time for it. Who wants some blackberry wine?”
There was a round of approving shouts and Bobbie went into the house and returned with glasses. I started pouring drinks and passing them out. I handed one to Mike and he started to take a drink from it. Sarge cuffed him in the back of the head, saying, “Wait for the toast, dipshit.”
“I was just smelling it. Calm down, ya old prick.”
After taking a glass of his own, he put his arm around Mike and said, “Sure you were.” They both laughed and walked back to the table together. Sarge got up on a chair and announced, “Everyone get a glass and I’ll make a toast!”
The porch was electric with happiness and excitement. It didn’t take long to get everyone a snort of the wine. I handed a glass to Doc and Taylor stepped up. “You’re not old enough,” I said.
“Oh, come on dad. What’s it matter? Just a sip so we can do the toast.” Lee Ann was standing behind her with an expectant look on her face as well.
I shrugged. “What the hell.” And I poured them about a finger each into a glass. Once everyone had theirs, I looked at Sarge and held my glass up.
Still on the chair, Sarge began. “Alright, everyone, quiet down!” He gave everyone a moment to quiet, and once everyone was looking at him, he started. “With everything going on, today marks a new dawn for all of us. I couldn’t imagine anything better than these two beautiful couples committing their lives to one another.” There were some coos from some of the ladies as Sarge continued. “And the fact that Fred is pregnant is the only way it could possibly have been any better. Aric, you’re a good man and I’m glad to call you friend. Fred, you’re a beautiful young lady and you’re going to make a wonderful momma.”
He looked at Thad. “Thad, you’ve been a friend for a long time and I am so thankful you’re here with us now. It’s an honor to have you in my life.” Looking at Mary, he smiled and said, “Mary, you’re a beautiful person inside and out. I’m so happy to know you and Thad are about to embark on a new chapter in your lives. I couldn’t be happier.” He held up his glass and said, “To the health and happiness of the new couples!”
“Health and happiness!” Everyone shouted back as they drank to the toast. Mary whispered in Thad’s ear. He smiled and nodded and stepped over to whisper to Aric and Fred. Fred smiled and her eyes brightened. They both nodded their heads.
“Before you sit down,” Thad called to Sarge, “we have a request.” The old man looked up and Thad said, “We’d like for you to give both of the brides away at the ceremony.”
The old man paused and looked around at the faces staring back at him. His expression was unlike any I’d ever seen. It was nearly expressionless. But he straightened his back and wiped his eyes, saying, “I’d count it as one of the highest honors of my life.” He looked at Fred and Mary. “I’ve never had a daughter and never imagined I’d give a bride away.” He paused and smiled. “Let alone two.”
Everyone began to talk and clap at the same time. Sarge sat down at the table and Mike looked at him with a sly grin and said, “You old softy.”
Chapter 3
The revelry went on late into the night. A guitar was produced from somewhere and Mike and Thad took turns at the strings. When Mike started his chords, everyone fell silent. It had been a long time since we’d heard music. Of course, the girls often played music from Jeff’s iPad, but this was different. This was live music and, surprising to all of us, Mike was a skilled player. He started to thumb the strings and we were all surprised again when Thad started to sing, staring Mary in the eye.
“Beauty queen of only eighteen…….” He continued to sing Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” to cheers and catcalls. The rest of us joined in on the chorus. It filled the place with an unimaginable feeling. Gone was our daily reality and thoughts of the recent attack we’d witnessed. The next several hours were filled with a forgotten sense of happiness as Mike and Thad passed the instrument back and forth and requests were shouted at them.
Smiles, laughter and even dancing took over as the sun began to sink. I was dancing with Little Bit and Lee Ann as Mike wore the strings out on a rendition of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. He played the fiddle parts, both sides, like I wouldn’t have imagined. Everyone was singing and stomping on the porch till the entire house was shaking.
When he finished it, he set the guitar down. Everyone was hot and thirsty. Miss Kay carried pitchers of ice water out and we all had a cold drink as we talked even more and laughed and poked fun at each other’s dance moves. It was getting late and I was about to leave when Sarge stood up.
“Alright,” he said as he reached out and gripped the neck of the guitar. “I don’t want to hear any shit. One more song, I think,” he said as he slipped the strap over his neck. He thumbed the strings as he adjusted the tuning knobs. “I’m going to do this for the brides,” he said and looked up, “and the first one of you that says something smart will get this thing over their head.” Silence fell over the porch.
He started into the chords, cleared his throat and began to sing. Everyone fell silent as we watched the old man sing with eyes closed and his head tilted slightly back. He did the best acoustic rendition of Paul McCartney’s “My Love” I’d ever heard. But there was something more than the mere words he sang. Like something lost, but not forgotten. Or something longed for and never found. When the song was nearly done, he opened his eyes and looked at Miss Kay, singing that last line to her. She sat blushing as he did.
Oh I love oh wo, my love
Only my love does it good for me
Yet again, cheers, shouts, whistles and catcalls erupted as everyone jumped to their feet. The old man gently set the instrument down. He motioned for everyone to quiet down, shaking his head, but the applause kept coming. Miss Kay got up and walked over to him and wrapped him up in a hug. This renewed the clapping and whistles. You couldn’t help but smile. Old Linus was very obviously uncomfortable with the attention and I could tell all he wanted at the moment was out. So, I went over and whispered in his ear that I needed a word. He nodded, told Kay he’d be back and followed me out through the front of the house as he was patted on the back and hugged repeatedly.
Outside, I sat in a rocker. Sarge came and fell into another. I sat rocking and smiling at him. “So, we going to make this a triple header? You going to make Miss Kay an honest woman?”
He looked as though he’d just tasted something bad. “You’re as bad as that little asshole Mike, you know that?”
“Hey, hey, hey! I thought we were friends!”
“Stop acting like a dickhead and I’ll stop calling you one.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You feeling alright? You take your Geritol today?”
He pointed at me and hissed, “See? Right there. You’re just like that little fucker. Keep your shit up and I’ll stomp a mud hole in your ass and kick it dry.” He shook his head as h
e sat stewing for a minute. “What’d you want anyway?”
“Nothing. I could tell you wanted out of there.”
He nodded. “I appreciate that.”
“On a serious note though, it really was a good song and I think it’s fantastic the girls want you to give them away.”
“Too many years spent in karaoke bars in Japan. They have the best karaoke over there.”
I laughed. “I could just see you getting shit-faced and singing, It’s Raining Men.”
He laughed. “I saw a big black Marine sing it once.” He laughed again. “It was fucking awful. But no one was about to say anything to him. I think he did it just to start fights. Didn’t get one that night.”
I laughed at the thought. “I could just see Thad’s big ass all drunk up and singing it.” Sarge leaned forward, slapping his knees as he laughed and snorted at the mental image. After we laughed it out, I said, “On a more serious note. You really think we’ll be gone a week?”
Sarge wiped tears from his eyes. “No. I like to under-promise and over-deliver. So, we tell everyone we’ll be gone a week and when we’re back in four days, they’ll all be happy.”
“You really think we’ll be able to just drive up there with no issues?” I asked.
“Why the hell not? Things have calmed down a lot. We’ll need to be on the lookout for commies. But I don’t think there’ll be any problems from the locals.”
I thought about it for a minute. “It used to be a nine or so hour dive. It’ll probably take twelve or better now. What about driving it at night?”
“We could. But it would take a lot longer. You just can’t drive as fast. We’ll start out driving during the day. If things get hairy, then we’ll switch to driving at night with night vision. But honestly, Morgan, I don’t think it’ll happen.” He smiled, “Should be a milk-run.”
“How are you going to convince Sheffield to give you a couple of MRAPs?”