Indelible Love - Emily's Story

by D. W. Cee

  Sandy and Bobby were more than thrilled with the news of us living with them for a year and Nick said he might move back into the house as well since school was done.

  We walked hand in hand to Jake’s car and dark clouds grew bigger with each step. With a huge sigh, I step into his open arms and dreaded our separation. It reminded me of my empty days in Japan.

  “I’m sad to see you go,” I whimpered. “How am I going to go the whole day without you? When will you come home?”

  “Probably not till late – maybe sometime after midnight. I’ll know better as the day progresses.”

  “Midnight?” My whine became even more pronounced.

  “The Chief told me I’ve got a tough three weeks before the wedding. You’re okay taking care of this wedding without me?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ll just miss you!”

  “I know, Love. I'll miss you too.” He kissed me a long good bye and unwillingly we parted. I, too, had a long day of wedding preparations.

  Bobby, Sandy and I left the house early with the intent of getting everything started today. Our first stop was to the print shop to pick out wedding invitations. We thought these should go out immediately since many guests may go out of town on a holiday weekend. Sandy had already contacted all the family members to let them know of the impending wedding. I didn’t have much of an opinion on the invitation and Sandy had such impeccable taste, I let her make most of the decisions. I would only assert myself if I really didn’t like something she picked out. The designer would send a proof via email later today and they promised to print all the invites as soon as we accepted the copy. Sandy and I, in turn, promised to send addresses so they could label and mail our invitations for us. Our first stop was successful.

  From here we went to the florist. This was really Sandy’s area of expertise. The florist had worked on the house before so she already had a layout of what she wanted to do. We explained that we wanted to get married inside the house and then hold the reception in a tent out in the vast back yard. The floral designer named off all the flowers that she would use in different parts of the house and Bobby and I just listened as botany was never my strong suit. My job from here was to email a picture of my wedding gown as well as the bridesmaid dresses and she would email back sketches of bouquets. Email was a wonderful invention. It saved so much time for everyone.

  Next we headed to the department store to pick out bridesmaids’ dresses. Both Sarah and Jane would stand as my maiden and maid of honor. I thought picking out a dress from a large department store would be easy for Jane since she could pop into the Manhattan one for a fitting. Sandy and I easily found a cute green summer dress - formal but not so formal where they couldn’t wear it again. I took a picture of the dress and sent it to Jane and Sarah. They both gave it a thumbs up so we bought two dresses, one here and one in Manhattan.

  Not having consumed anything since six in the morning, the three of us were ravenous. Lunch was next on the list before another fitting at the bridal shop.

  Finally, Jake called.

  “Hi Honey!” My voice bubbled with enthusiasm.

  “Hello, my love. What are you and my parents up to right now?”

  Even with Sandy and Bobby by my side, I felt such a void without Jake.

  “We are eating a grilled veggie salad and after lunch we’re going to the dress shop for another fitting. Your tuxedo is here and they want you to come in for another fitting as well.”

  “I probably won’t get there till the week of the wedding.”

  “Okay, I’ll stop by the store and let them know.”

  I proceeded to tell Jake all that had been accomplished today and he told me about his day thus far. I excused myself from the table and went outside briefly to finish our conversation.

  “Jake?” I bemoaned.

  “Yes, Love. What’s the matter?” he asked in a comforting voice.

  “I really miss you. Can’t you come home any earlier than midnight?”

  I could almost hear his smile over the phone as he said, “I miss you too. I’ll be home as soon as I can but don’t wait up for me. It will probably be very late.”

  I told Jake how difficult it had been today without him by my side. He had spoiled me the last week with his constant attention. Who would have believed that I had spent five months apart from him by the sound of my wimpy confession? Of course, I heard the pager go off and we said goodbye. I went in to finish my lunch.

  The fitting went well and Sandy and Bobby both loved the wedding dress.

  “Emily, you will be the most beautiful bride,” Bobby said.

  “Thank you,” I answered, embarrassed by the compliment.

  Our stop at the caterer took the longest of all of our stops. The caterer would not only take care of the food and beverages, but they would also provide all the rentals - tent, tables, chairs, linen, and of course the cake. We tried many flavors and since we were going to have a four tiered cake, each one of us chose a flavor. I chose one for Jake in his absence. The caterer would send linens over to the house tomorrow morning so we could pick out color schemes.

  The three of us had accomplished much today with the time allotted. Sandy and Bobby dropped me off at the restaurant just in time for my dinner with Sarah, Charlie, Peter and Max.

  “Thank you for all your help, Mom and Dad. I’m honored to be joining your family,” I said giving each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “We’re really happy to welcome you into our family as well,” Bobby and Sandy agreed with a hug and kiss in return.

  We parted and I walked into the restaurant bearing gifts for my closest friends.

  “Em, over here,” Max said as I searched for them. They were hidden away in a corner table.

  I ran over to them and gave them all a big hug.

  “Let’s see the ring,” Sarah exclaimed. “OMG! Why is it so big?”

  “I know, I said the same thing to Jake when he gave it to me. It’s almost embarrassing to wear this ring, especially with the band on the other hand. Jake says I have to wear both and I told him I’m asking for a mugging.”

  They all laughed.

  “Hey, where’s Peter?” I asked surveying the dining hall.

  “We have this tough doctor who’s been working all the students. Peter got called in right as we were headed out the door,” Max explained. “He should be at General Hospital by now.”

  “That’s where Jake is today. Maybe they’ll run into each other.” Of course my face lit up talking about my fiancé. I didn’t want to appear too giddy so I turned to all of my friends and announced, “Presents!”

  Sarah opened her gift and her face immediately turned red.

  “You like?” I asked.

  “I really like!” Charlie affirmed.

  Charlie thought his architecture book paled in comparison to the lingerie gift that was more for him than for her.

  “Max, this is for you,” I said handing him his gift.

  He opened it and flipped through the book realizing that it was Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities from 1918. He read my inscription on the second page

  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me four wonderful years of your life. You challenged me to grow as a person and I hope I made you as happy as you made me. I will never forget your love. You will always hold a special place in my heart.

  Love,

  Em

  Max turned and hugged me. I knew he understood how much he meant and still means to me.

  During dinner, I told everyone about Paris and how Jake proposed. Max showed a sadness that made me conscious of my glow. Rather than continue with wedding talk, I turned the conversation on my dear friends and asked them about their lives. “What are you and Peter doing during your summer vacation?” I asked.

  “What summer vacation? Only the teachers get time off. We are in the hospital working every day. In fact, I have to go in for a midnight to 6:00am shift.”

  “What a bummer. I thought
that everyone was off during the summer time.”

  “No. I wish. I’ll probably see Jake if he’s at GH the whole time. I’m sure they’ll send me up to OR at some point.”

  Charlie talked about the newest house that he was designing. It was for a big movie star whose name he couldn’t reveal. We all begged for a hint. Even Sarah had no idea who he was working with.

  Sarah’s advertising firm kept her busy all the time. I seemed to be the only one with not much to do on a daily basis.

  “Oh, Sarah, I brought your dress.” I interrupted Charlie’s flow. “The hostess is holding it for me in the front so you need to take it with you, okay? Also, can you come by Jake’s parents’ house? I want to show you where the wedding will take place.”

  “I can come by after work,” she answered.

  As soon as dinner was done, my head started nodding and I kept apologizing to my friends for falling asleep on them. We decided to part and Max drove me home before his midnight shift.

  “Thanks for the book, Em. I really love it.”

  “You’re welcome. Jake actually wanted to buy the book for you but I didn’t let him. I wanted it to be a gift from me.”

  “Tell Jake I said thanks, as well.”

  “You tell him if you see him tonight. Also, if you see him, tell him that I’m pining away for him at home.”

  That probably wasn’t the most sensitive thing to ask my ex boyfriend to tell my fiancé.

  “Sorry. TMI, huh?”

  “It’s okay,” he said with an attempt to laugh it off.

  It saddened me to see Max so down. I knew Max was happy for me but I sensed that he hadn’t gotten over me rejecting his proposal. I hoped our encounter in Arizona would become a distant memory and that he would find his happiness soon.

  “I guess I’ll see you at your wedding.”

  I hated it when his face turned somber and he couldn’t look me in the eye. I smiled, hugging him and answered, “We’ll definitely see each other before then. Bye.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and walked toward the house.

  It was near 11 o’clock when I got home and washed up for bed. Pulling an all nighter last night made me extremely sleepy but I tried my hardest to stay up and wait for Jake. My head bobbed up and down trying to watch whatever was on the television. Instinctually, I jerked awake at the sound of the garage door opening and closing. My legs took me as fast as it could downstairs in my pajama excited to see Jake. As he opened the door, I surprised him and jumped into his arms almost knocking us both down.

  He dropped whatever was in his hands, picked me up and started embracing me. I didn’t think twice about the fact that he was carrying me, kissing me and walking up a flight of stairs. What was the worst that could happen? We would fall and break his surgeon hands? We got to his bedroom and lay on our bed. We made out like two hormonal teenagers. For the first time, I didn’t stop him or push him away. I responded to his every move. I let him explore with his hands, his mouth, his tongue and soon my pajama top came undone. As my body continued to reciprocate, Jake paused and stared me.

  “Aren’t you going to stop me?” he questioned. “This is unusual that you haven’t said, no yet.”

  “Um, I wasn’t ready to stop but I guess we should, huh? Sorry I got carried away.” I giggled.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. I stopped us?” He had this incredulous look on his handsome face. “I can’t win.”

  “Yup, I guess I have you trained better than I thought.” I giggled even harder.

  Jake groaned and walked in to take a shower.

  I must have fallen asleep while Jake showered because when my eyes opened, I was alone nicely tucked away in his bed. It was 4:00am and sleep was done for the night. I was tempted to crawl into bed with Jake in Nick’s room but I thought I should be good. There were only a few more weeks left for us to be apart. Instead I drove downtown to the fish market and bought a variety of fish to make sushi today.

  The fish market was bustling with vendors and chefs. It was small compared to the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo but the fish and seafood smelled fresh and delicious memories of Japan paraded through my morning. Mr. Yamaguchi suggestions for the day were tuna, salmon, yellowtail, halibut, sweet shrimp and uni. This would absolutely make a nice lunch for the whole family. Maybe I would surprise Jake and bring him lunch at hospital.

  Once home, I put all the fish away and started making a batter for crepes. All the necessary ingredients for my own version of the Ritz Hotel crepes were found in the pantry. I chopped up bananas, strawberries and peanuts and whipped up some heavy cream with vanilla and confectioner sugar. Sandy and Bobby cheerfully walked from their room ready to be my chauffeur and wedding planner again. Though today, we needed to stay home and work with all the vendors who wanted to come see the layout of the house. Samples of linen would be sent to the house by 8:00am., and Aunt Barbara, the Chief’s wife, offered to be our interior and exterior designer for the wedding. Since I didn’t have much of an eye for design, I was glad she volunteered to help.

  Good Morning. I have strawberries and whip cream crepes or Nutella, peanuts and banana crepe. What can I get you?” I offered.

  “Good Morning, Emily. I’ll take one of each,” Bobby said. “I really enjoy your breakfast in the mornings. I feel like I’m at a bed and breakfast.”

  “Emily, dear, you know that you don’t have to make us breakfast every morning, right?” Sandy looked worried.

  “Oh, I know. It’s not a have to, it’s a want to. Cooking is something I love to do. Plus, I can’t sleep beyond 4:00am so I might as well be useful. Don’t get too used to it, though. Jake will tell you I’m not much of a morning person. Breakfast may soon be a thing of the past so enjoy it while it lasts.”

  I went to work on my new electric crepe maker I picked up yesterday while registering for my wedding gifts. The first few crepes turned out too thick so I threw them out but after that, I got the hang of using the wooden rabot and perfected the spreading technique. Each crepe after the first few came out perfectly. Aunt Barbara and the Chief came over and I made them each a couple of crepes. The kitchen island simulated a diner and I felt like a short order cook. It was fun.

  “How do you take your coffee?” I asked the both of them.

  “Emily,” Aunt Barbara said, “I’ll get our coffee. Why don’t you sit down and eat with us?”

  “I’ll wait till Jake comes down. Oh... speaking of, there he is.” My mouth grinned from ear to ear.

  I heard Barbara turn to Sandy and whisper, “Look at how her face lights up at the sight of him.”

  Sandy in turn said, “You think that’s bad; my son’s a hundred times worse!”

  Jake ambled into the kitchen and our eyes locked immediately. With his back to the family, he grabbed me and devoured my lips. A bit friskier than I would’ve liked with an audience; I turned crimson but didn’t pull away. I was learning to cherish every touch without being so self conscious about what others might think. Brazen? Bold? Audacious? Whatever it was, I was enjoying it too much to stop.

  “Hi Beautiful. Did you sleep well?” Jake asked with an adoring look.

  “I slept very well, all four hours of it.”

  “You got up at 4:00 this morning?”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

  “You could’ve come into bed with me.” He looked vexed I didn’t.

  “The thought did cross my mind,” I mused.

  As we tried to continue our conversation, Aunt Barbara and the Chief began clearing their throats.

  “Ahem! Hello, nephew. Don’t I get a good morning kiss?” the Chief asked facetiously.

  Startled, Jake turned his body around. “What are you doing here, Chief? Hi Aunt Babs. Good to see you.” He tried to hold me with both arms while leaning over the island to give his aunt a kiss on the cheek.

  “I need a ride to the hospital with you this morning. Your aunt and I have a dinner to attend and she’s going to come pick me up later,” the Chie
f explained.

  I told Jake that Aunt Barbara was here to help us with wedding decorations. Whether or not he was interested, we three gave him a rundown of all the vendors coming to the house and what would be accomplished today. While I gave more wedding details, Jake jerked his head up and startled me.

  “Emi!”

  I jumped and answered, “Yes?”

  “I forgot to tell you, you need to stop by the bank today. The manager is expecting you.”

  “Why?”

  “I sent in the paperwork yesterday to add your name to all of my accounts. I was supposed to tell you to stop by the bank yesterday but I forgot.

  “Okay,” I answered.

  He reached in his pocket and took out a card for me. “Here’s your ATM card. You need to activate it.”

  I sheepishly smiled reading the ATM card. Below the 16-digit punched card, I saw in bold print, EMILY REID. I whispered the name aloud. It sounded even better than I imagined. I saw Jake grinning from the corner of my eyes.

  “Also can you deposit my paychecks into our checking account while you’re at the bank?”

  The words our account sounded so wonderful it gave me goose bumps. I knew it was silly to be so animated over the obvious joining of names and official documents but those chosen word made everything sound so much more real.

  Without thinking, I opened up Jake’s paychecks shocked to find how many digits were in the $ box. I turned to Jake with eyes wide open and said a little too loudly, “Do you really get paid this much? Is this a monthly or every other monthly paycheck?”

  I could hear all the chuckles coming from the left side of the island.

  “Emi, this is a two week paycheck,” Jake answered back in a somewhat offensive tone. “You do know that I save lives by operating on hearts, daily. Sometimes it’s multiple hearts.”

  “Well, you do know that I save lives by teaching children their fundamentals before they can get to their higher medical learning, but my paycheck looks nothing like yours. I probably need six paychecks to equal one of yours,” I responded back.