Hearts of Grey

by Earl E. Gobel

  “But who then? I mean, if you didn’t do it, then who?” Katie asked.

  Then from the stage where Grady had emerged, out stepped the mayor of Mattersonville, William Scott. “Maybe I should explain all of this to you two. You see, when a city or town such as Mattersonville has two of its favorite ladies getting married, especially in a double wedding such as yours, we just have to take notice. You two ladies . . . along with your dad here and your boyfriends too have done so much for this quiet peaceful town . . . and never have you ever asked for anything in return. It’s always been about helping other people, with no thoughts of yourselves. So when it was confirmed that you two were to be married here in Mattersonville, we held a special town meeting, and everyone in town agreed to chip in and help make your wedding simply the best.

  “Everything that you see here was paid for by the residents of this very grateful town. And for the last two weeks, everyone made time to go over to the Petersen place and help build it. But it was the kids in our schools that did all of the painting. Then this morning, we brought it all over here and reassembled it. So on behalf of everyone here in Mattersonville, this is their way of saying thank you to all of you,” he told them.

  “You mean everyone in town did this for us?” Katie asked.

  “Yes, and I do mean everyone. From the kids in our schools to the firefighters, the teachers, the city workers, everyone did something to help pull all of this together for you all. But I’m warning you, there’s even more surprises coming your way on Saturday,” he told them.

  “More surprises? Like what? I really don’t know what to say,” Melissa told him.

  “There’s nothing to say. But if you really want to say thank you to everyone, then I guess you’ll have to do on Saturday because unofficially, Mattersonville, Georgia, will be closed on Saturday so everyone can be here,” he told them.

  “Everyone? You’re kidding, right?” Katie asked as she looked at the chairs.

  “Oh you’ve noticed that there isn’t enough chairs. You’re right, but we’re taking care of that. More chairs are on the way as we speak,” he told her.

  “Oh I wasn’t thinking about the chairs. I was thinking about how everyone in this town has treated me and my daddy since we moved here. I’ve never seen anyone here with less than a smile on their faces, and they’ve always taken the time to say hi or how ya doing. I knew that we made a smart choice the day we moved into Matterson House, and even if we hadn’t found any treasure, Mattersonville would still be our home. I just love it here,” Katie told the mayor.

  “Well, welcome to the south. After all, hospitality is our trademark, so to speak. But you’re the ones that have livened up this town. From Melissa’s homecoming party to your discovery, it was never about you. It was about everyone else. And you’ve done it time and time again. So how else could the people of Mattersonville say thank you. And, Mellissa, I don’t want you to think that this is all because of Katie. No, sir, you have been the apple of our eye for a very long time even before Ms. Windslow got here,” he told her.

  “I know that, but it’s weird that this is all happening. Just a few hours ago, Katie said that she had a lot of friends in this town, and I told her that she has a lot more than she thought. Gee, I guess I was right, wasn’t I?” she told them.

  “You have no idea just how right you are, dear. In fact, I have something here to show the both of you. I think you’ll get a kick out of this,” the mayor said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out several pieces of paper that had been rolled up with a rubber band around it. He took off the rubber band and handed half of the papers to each of the girls.

  “These were done by, I believe, our fourth grade art class. This alone should tell you how everyone feels about you,” he told them as he watched the two ladies start looking at them.

  As the two women unrolled the papers, they got a very pleasant surprise. The students had drawn pictures of what they thought Katie and Melissa would look like in their wedding dresses. There were roughly twenty pictures in all. And every one of them was signed by the student that had drawn them and everyone also carried the words “We love you, Katie and Melissa.”

  Both girls were lost in themselves as they studied the drawings that they presumed had been drawn by the girl students. Then Katie saw the name at the bottom of one of the pictures. She started laughing a bit.

  “What’s the matter, Katie?” her daddy asked.

  “This one is signed Bobby,” she said as the tears started flowing again.

  “Bobby? Oh that little boy that you danced with, the one that has a crush on you?” her daddy asked.

  “Yeah, my little Romeo. But just wait until he meets little Katie. He’s going to fall head over heels for her. That’s for sure,” she said as she went back to looking at the drawings.

  “These are simply remarkable. I’ve been caught totally off guard. I mean, first by all of this stuff that they’ve built for our wedding and then by these drawings,” Melissa told him.

  “Well, all I can say is you’re welcome. It’s the town’s way of saying thank you to all of you,” the mayor told her.

  “Well, we’re honored for sure, but they didn’t have to do all of this really. A simple card would have said just as much. All of this is so nice, but I think it’s not that they actually did it. It’s just the fact that they thought about doing it. That’s the part that brings the tears to my eyes,” Katie told the mayor.

  “Well, your dad here knew about all of this back when it was on the drawing table. At first, he told them no thanks, but after he heard the townspeople’s arguments, I guess he gave in and said okay,” the mayor told her.

  Katie turned to look at her daddy.

  “You knew about all of this? Wait a second. Of course you did, didn’t you? That’s why you offered to handle all of the wedding plans, isn’t it?” she asked him.

  “Well, I guess you’ve found out my little secret. But really you have no idea, no clue at all, as to what this all consists of. There’s so much more that you won’t see until Saturday. Trust me, the townspeople have exceeded even my wildest expectations,” he told his daughter.

  “You’re kidding, right? What more could they possibly do that they haven’t done already?” she asked.

  “Well, all I can say if you let your imagination go, you’ll still be impressed. But I will tell you this, Mike and Rick are getting the treatment too,” Grady told his daughter.

  “Mike and Rick? That reminds me, where are they?” she asked.

  “Yeah, do the guys know about all of this too?” Melissa asked.

  “Nope, they haven’t a clue. But in regard to as to where they are, they’re with Paul and Mary. And you will be surprised come Saturday, trust me.”

  “So let me see if I understand all of this. The townspeople have pretty much taken over our wedding, and we’re supposed to sit back and do nothing and put our wedding dreams into their hands? Is that it?” Katie asked.

  “No, not at all. This is your wedding, and all the townspeople have done is taken your dreams, your plans, and added something to it. You all still have the final say-so, but when you see what they have done, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” the mayor told her.

  “Oh, don’t think for one second that I’m ungrateful ’cause you would be mistaken. But it’s just so much to take in . . . the stage . . . the woodwork . . . all of those beautiful flowers, and then these fabulous drawings . . . I’m just so taken in by their efforts. To simply say thank you could never be enough. Ain’t that right, Mel?” she asked.

  “I don’t think I could have said it any better than that. And you said that you didn’t have any friends in this town,” Melissa answered.

  “Yeah, but you’ll have to admit it. You never expected all of this, did ya?” Katie asked.

  “No, I didn’t, not even in my wildest dreams,” Melissa responded.

  “Well, would you like to take a guess as to who came up with idea in the first place?” the
mayor asked the two girls.

  “Yes, I would. Whose idea was this?” Katie asked.

  Grady put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “This all is the idea of one of your friends that you used to hate, then you became friends with, and then she decided that being in your wedding wouldn’t be the best idea. This was all her doing,” her daddy told her.

  “This was all Susie’s idea? You’re kidding?” she asked both her daddy and the mayor.

  “Exactly, and when she first approached me with the basic idea, I thought that she was just a bit crazy. Then I started thinking about it and decided to take it before the town council, and well, the rest is history,” the mayor told the both of them.

  “Susie Barnes? Gee, did I underestimate her,” Melissa told them.

  “Well, when little Katie came into the picture, Susie told me that she couldn’t face her, knowing that her dad was responsible for her daddy’s death and all. So she pulled herself out of the wedding party to avoid any ill feelings. She told me that she would make it up to me, but I never expected this. Never,” Katie told them.

  “Remember what I told you about your ability of turning a turd into a diamond? Boy, did I get that one right! Or what?” Melissa asked her.

  “I would say that you hit that one right on the mark,” Katie answered.

  “Oh, by the way, I did do something that you both should know about I guess,” Grady told them.

  “And what would that be?” his daughter asked.

  “Well, it dawned on me that you needed some type of practice, you know like a rehearsal of some type, so I took the liberty of inviting everyone over here tomorrow at ten if that’s all right?” Grady asked.

  Melissa and Katie just looked at each other. Then Katie turned to her daddy. “You read our minds. Ten o’clock will be just fine,” she answered.

  “But if you don’t mind me asking, Grady, where or how did you come up with the names of everyone in the wedding party?” Melissa asked.

  “Well, that was actually easier than I thought that would be. Mary, it seems, takes very good notes,” he answered.

  “Good ole Aunt Mary, I should have guessed,” Melissa responded.

  Katie was looking around at the stage area, and she noticed that there were about ten chairs that had a red ribbon across them. None of the other chairs had this. So she turned to the mayor.

  “What’s the deal with the red ribbon? Who are they reserved for?” she asked.

  “Well, actually we had just finished putting that there when we saw you drive through the gate. It would seem that a certain judge had to cancel a golf game with a certain someone. Well, I guess right after you left his office, he sent a messenger over here to tell us that his golf partner would like to be included on the guest list, so those are for him and his family,” he told her.

  “You’re kidding! The governor is coming here? To our wedding?” she asked.

  “Well, I don’t know about that. But if that’s who Judge Harlow was supposed to play golf with, then I would have to say yes,” he answered.

  “Oh my God, the governor is coming to our wedding!” Melissa said out loud.

  “Okay, relax, girls. After all, he’s just another guest,” Grady told them.

  “Just another guest? Are you serious? I mean, he’s the governor. He hardly rates as just another guest. God, I hope I don’t do anything stupid like tripping or falling. How tragic would that be? It was bad enough when it was just all of the townspeople, but now it’s the governor too,” Katie said as she got this mental picture of her falling off of the stage on her head.

  “Relax, Katie, you’ll be fine. Trust me,” the mayor told her.

  “That’s easy for you to say. After all, you won’t be the one that will have ten thousand eyes fixed on you. It will just be me and Katie up there. And I’m nervous already. I hate to see how nervous we’ll be on Saturday,” Melissa responded.

  “Well, a couple of shots of some good ole Kentucky whiskey will calm you both right down,” Grady told them with a smile across his face.

  “Oh, yeah, we’ll be nervous wrecks as it is, so why not make us two drunk nervous wrecks?” Katie replied.

  “Well, at least you wouldn’t feel it if you should fall off of the stage,” Grady added.

  “Daddy, you’re not helping. Really!” Katie told him.

  They all turned toward the driveway as they heard a car entering the drive. It was Paul’s car. Mary and Paul were in the front seat with Mike and Rick taking up the rear seat. As the car came to a stop, all four of them got out and stared at the massive structure before them. Paul and Mary both knew what was coming but never dreamed it would be anything like this. But Mike and Rick had no knowledge of anything before now.

  “Where did all of this come from?” Mike asked.

  “Me and Melissa built it. Do you like it?” Katie asked him.

  “No, seriously. Where did it come from?” he asked again.

  “What? You don’t believe the two of us could build this? Why? Because we’re girls?” she asked.

  Mike just looked at her. “Oh, you could of . . . if you would have had the time . . . and maybe some help. But this is just too much for the two of you to do so quickly,” he told her.

  Rick never said a word. He just walked quietly by everyone. When he got to the base of the ramp, he turned and looked at his future wife. “Honey, what’s going on here? Where did all of this come from?” he asked her.

  “Well, it’s kind of like a giant gift,” she told him.

  “A gift, a gift from who?” Mike asked.

  “Well, it’s kind of hard to explain. But basically, it’s from everyone,” Melissa told the two of them.

  “All right, quit beating around the bush. Who did this?” Rick asked the two girls that stood in front of him.

  “Just like Melissa said, it’s a gift from everyone,” Katie answered.

  Mike turned toward Grady. “Grady, would you please explain just what’s going on here? Where did this all come from?” he asked.

  “Well, why don’t you ask him?” Grady said as he pointed toward the mayor.

  Mike and Rick both turned and looked at the mayor. “Well, can you explain all of this?” Mike asked.

  “Sure, I can. Just like the two ladies told you, it’s a gift from everyone,” he told the two guys.

  “Okay, I get it. It’s a surprise right? And you can’t tell us who did this because?” Rick asked the mayor.

  “We just told you where it all came from. It’s from everyone,” the mayor responded again.

  “We got that part, but who is everyone?” Mike asked.

  “Everyone who lives in Mattersonville,” Katie told him.

  Mike turned to look at Katie. “Excuse me! But are you saying that everyone in town had a hand in this? Are you serious?” he asked.

  “Oh, she’s serious all right,” the mayor told him. And then he started to explain to the two gentlemen the same story that he had explained to Katie and Melissa just a short time earlier. Mike and Rick just stood there and listened as the mayor slowly explained everything. As the mayor explained everything, the two men just couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Their eyes kept darting back and forth, between the mayor and the giant display that stood before them. The two guys just stood there in complete silence for a few seconds after the mayor finished explaining everything.

  “Wait a second, so what you’re telling us is the entire town did this for us?” Mike asked.

  “Isn’t it just too much? I mean, look at these pictures that some of the schoolkids drew of me and your sister,” Katie told him as she handed him the pictures.

  “These are just super. This is just too much,” Mike said as he said as he looked through the pictures. Rick was looking at the pictures that Melissa had.

  “Oh, you haven’t heard the best part yet. Katie, I’ll let you tell them about our special guest,” Melissa told her.

  “Oh yeah, see those chairs over there that have a red ribbon on
them? Would you like to take a guess on to whom they’re for?” Katie asked him.

  “Hell, I don’t know, maybe the president,” he said half laughing.

  “Oh, get real, Michael. It’s not the president. But you’re close,” Katie told him.

  “I was just kidding. I really don’t know who they’re for,” Mike confessed.

  “What about you, Rick? Care to take a guess?” Katie asked him.

  “Not me, I don’t have a clue,” he responded.

  “Well, are you guys ready for this? The governor is coming to our wedding,” Katie told them.

  “The governor? Are you serious?” Rick asked.

  “Yeah, I am. The governor of the state of Georgia is coming to our wedding,” Katie answered.

  “Really? That’s cool, but why is he coming here?” Rick asked.

  “Well, it seems that he was supposed to be playing golf with Judge Harlow, but the judge cancelled the game so he could perform our wedding, and well, I guess the governor didn’t have anything else to do, so he’s coming here,” Melissa explained.

  “Oh, so you got the judge to do it? That’s great. I was hoping you would be able to convince him to help us,” Mike told them.

  “Oh, there’s something else you need to know. You’ll never guess whose idea this was,” Melissa told them.

  “Knowing your dad, it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that he had a hand in this,” Mike said as he put his hand on Grady’s shoulder.

  “Hey, don’t put all of this on me. But you’ll be surprised when you hear who it was,” Grady told him.

  “Can I take a guess at this?” Rick asked.

  “Sure, hon, take your best guess,” Melissa told him.

  “Don’t ask me why, but I get this funny feeling that Susie had something to do with this,” he told them.

  “Susie? That’s the most farfetched thing that you have ever said in the twenty-some odd years that I’ve known you, Rick. Susie Barnes? Yeah that will be the day,” Mike said just as he noticed that everyone was staring at him, including the mayor himself.

  “What? No way. You mean he’s right? I don’t believe it,” Mike told them in his defense.