Donners Bend

by Alexa V James

  Jamie stood up front with the pastor. He wore a classic black suit, and was looking quite dashing, one had to admit. His shoes were shined to perfection and his dark, just about black, hair had been combed tidily. If one had known him well though, as Phillip did, they’d sense the far off look of sadness in his eyes, but Jamie didn’t regret anything he’d done.

  Down the aisle came the flower girls: Gracie, Leah, and Demi. All three had been dressed in little white dresses with violet bows in the back and they wore flowered wreaths upon their hair. Behind them walked little Wesley, the ring bearer, looking quite cute in a miniature suit just like his brother’s.

  Then came the bridesmaids, all friends and relatives of Sarah, and the groomsmen. The best man was Phillip, and he stood beside Jamie once he’d reached him.

  The organist began to play a wedding march and the people looked to the back, waiting for the doors to open and the bride to emerge.

  But they didn’t open, and Sarah couldn’t be seen.

  The silence was quite uncomfortable as the people waited. Slowly, they began to whisper to one another, wondering where the blushing bride was. Jamie held himself up civilly and ignored the puzzled crowd.

  Finally, after enough time had passed that one could assume that not just some everyday accident had occurred, Phillip stepped forward dutifully as best man.

  “Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen,” he said in a loud, yet calm, voice, “Please quiet down for a moment. It seems we’re having a slight difficulty, but I assure you all is well. If you’ll please wait a moment everything will be cleared up and the wedding shall commence as planned.”

  He walked down the aisle, finished with his little speech. The audience looked to him as he passed, and as soon as he’d gone through the large oak doors, chaos broke out. Everyone began talking loudly back and forth, trying to come up with ideas as to why this was happening.

  Jamie walked to the back wall and leaned against it, wondering what was going on. Was Sarah okay? Had her father convinced her out of it? He was standing back there with her, after all, prepared to walk her down the aisle.

  After what seemed like hours, Phillip appeared once more. He walked straight up to Jamie and whispered into his ear, “Sarah wants to see you.”

  Jamie nodded unsurely, “Alright.”

  He found her waiting in the coatroom amidst the sopping coats, umbrellas, and hats. Mr. Walsh sat just outside the church doors, waiting for her and looking quite bored and mournful.

  Sarah looked beautiful, Jamie had to admit, more beautiful than he’d ever seen her before. Soft ringlets had been pinned up fashionably atop her head and a white veil embedded with pearls hung from beneath. She wore a strapless white gown with a large ballroom skirt, and embroidery embellished the bodice. Beneath the dress, a corset accentuated her small waist. On her ears were two pearl earrings. Long, white gloves ran up past her elbows, but she was removing them as he entered.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, taking her hands.

  She looked up, her face quite content, for she’d come to a conclusion, and despite what one might think, it neither saddened her nor angered her. “You don’t want to do this, do you Jamie?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Please don’t lie. Your mouth may say that this is want you want, but your eyes tell a different story, and I can’t deny it any longer. If I did I would live the rest of my life in misery,” she took a quick breath, “because I’d know that my husband loved another.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You love Eliana Henderson, Jamie. Don’t deny it and lie to me, for no matter what you say, I’ll know it’s true.” One would never have thought a girl in her position could speak so understandingly, “To do this would be a huge mistake. Because you love her, don’t you?”

  Jamie finally let go of her hands and admitted, “I do.” Standing up, he rubbed the temples of his forehead in stress, “I love her and I’m sorry that you had to know it. I never meant to hurt you, Sarah. I really didn’t.”

  “I know you didn’t,” Sarah replied, looking at him admirably, but wondering, “What I don’t understand is why you asked me to marry you when you really loved Ellie.”

  Jamie stepped towards the window and laid his hand on the windowsill, looking out at the pouring rain. He mumbled sadly, “I did ask her. She said no.”

  “Why did you give up so easily? Why didn’t you just wait and ask again?”

  Jamie shook his head, “You don’t understand. You didn’t hear her say it. She meant every word she said, and I know no amount of pleading could have changed her mind.”

  Sarah was in disbelief, “Then you’re not the man I thought you were, Jameson Rhodes.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You can’t let her get away that easy. You love her and I know she loves you too. She was just a little confused, is all. Soon enough she’ll realize her mistake. Go to her, Jamie.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, now,” Sarah, a bride on her wedding day, was telling her groom to go to another girl, “Go find Ellie and tell her that you love her! She loves you too, Jamie, I know she does, and she’ll realize it with a little help. So go! Go if you’re the man I think you are.”

  Jamie took a deep breath, realizing she was right, and exclaimed, “I’m going! I’m going! Sarah you’re amazing,” he grabbed her and kissed her on the cheek, “And someday you’ll make some lucky man a wonderful wife. Thank you! I thank you, more than you’ll ever know! Goodbye, Sarah! Goodbye!”

  He raced out of the room with a fire in his heart.

  “Where’re you going, boy?” shouted Mr. Walsh, still sitting in the front of the closed church doors.

  But Jamie didn’t answer, and without grabbing a coat or hat or anything, he ran out into the rain and hopped on a horse. It wasn’t his horse, but he didn’t have the time to linger around and ask permission to use it. Kicking the sides of the great animal, he set out at a gallop and faded into the distance until he was no longer visible to Sarah, who was watching from the window.

  “Goodbye, Jamie,” she whispered with a smile as he raced away, “And good luck.”

  Chapter 25 - No Ordinary Rainy Day

  The rain poured down harder than it had in weeks that day as Jamie rode through the hills on horseback. Just minutes before, he’d been preparing to wed Sarah; now he was racing off to find Ellie. His appearance, once fit to perfection, was now soaked to the bone. As he rode, sopping black locks fell into his face and he continually had to push them out of his view. The rain flew into his face, causing him to squint, but those sparkling brown eyes couldn’t be deterred from looking ahead to their destination.

  The journey to Ellie’s little house from the church seemed to take forever. Above Jamie, the deep gray clouds filled all of the sky and dumped their contents onto Donners Bend’s countryside. A strong, swirling wind blew the leaves and branches of the trees until they shifted back and forth with the insistent breeze.

  As he rode, Jamie’s thoughts focused only on Ellie and how he was going to reach her. He couldn’t believe what a big mistake he’d made, and if it hadn’t been for Sarah, he may have made an even bigger aberration, one that he would have regretted the rest of his life.

  He was about half way there before he suddenly realized he had no idea what he was supposed to say to her when he arrived. Would she even want to see him? He didn’t know. He hadn’t even really talked to her since the day he proposed: how long ago that day seemed now. All those days he’d spent with Sarah preparing for the wedding seemed wasted; oh how he’d wished each and every one of those days that he could have just gone out and played a game of pirates with Ellie and the children, or Peter Pan. He would have given anything to just play Peter Pan one more time.

  How was he to know that she wasn’t angry with him? What would he do if he found out that she truly did hate him now, just as she’d pledged she did that snowy Christmas night? Everything was so uncertain. As her lit
tle cottage neared and he could just see its hazy outline in the distance, Jamie only hoped that when he reached her, the words he’d been searching for would come.

  Suddenly his watch seemed to have sped up, for in an instant he and his horse were cantering up to Ellie’s front yard. Letting go of all his uncertainties, Jamie jumped off, still completely soaked to the bone and wearing his expensive suit. He wiped the black hair out of his eyes and called out as loudly as he could through the pouring rain, “Ellie! Ellie!”

  Inside, Ellie sat on the ground next to the warm fire, thinking. She wondered what was going on across town at the church at that very moment. I suppose they’re man and wife by now, she thought to herself, I suppose it’s all over now, but then she heard a voice from outside. A man’s voice. Jamie’s.

  “Ellie!” she heard it call, “Ellie!”

  But it can’t be Jamie. He’s at the wedding. Maybe it’s Jon, Ellie pondered.

  But the voice called out again, “Ellie!” and she knew it must be him.

  Since her wheelchair was across the room, she just decided to leave it be and managed to stand up on her own. Straightening out her simple yellow dress, Ellie prepared to meet him. She hobbled across the room to the door, holding onto tables and chairs to steady herself, and then, without preparation for what was to come, Ellie opened the door.

  Staring up at her from the front lawn was Jamie. Her heart seemed to melt at the sight of him and she didn’t know why. Something must be wrong, she determined, for he hadn’t even taken the time to change out of his expensive black suit. It was filthy now. Bits of dirt and mud had splattered up upon it during the ride and she was sure all that rain couldn’t be good. Black hair fell down into his face along with raindrops, but he didn’t bother to brush them anyway anymore. Ellie had never noticed how earnest his eyes looked, but maybe it was because they’d never looked that way before.

  Clutching onto the doorframe for the support to stand, Ellie looked down at him sadly from her front porch.

  Jamie gulped, “Hello, Ellie!”

  “Hello, Jamie,” she called back rather quietly. There was a moment of silence before Ellie disrupted it asking, “What are you doing he-?”

  Before she could finish, he interrupted, shouting out loud and clear, “I love you, Ellie!” As he said it, a huge weight seemed to be lifted off his shoulders and he repeated, “I love you and I always will love you, no matter what you say or do! There’s no changing that!”

  Ellie didn’t know what to say, so she uttered the first words that came to her lips, “But what about Sarah?”

  “She-” Jamie began, but this time Ellie interrupted:

  “What about the wedding, Jamie?” she shouted out. They both had to practically scream their words if they wanted to be heard over the thundering sound of the rain.

  Jamie shook his head, “It’s not going to happen and it never will. Sarah called it off.”

  Ellie couldn’t hide the little smile forming upon her face.

  Jamie smiled as well, “I don’t blame her. Do you?”

  Ellie shook her head.

  There was another silence. Of course, it wasn’t really silence because of the rain, but neither Jamie nor Ellie spoke. She stood on the dry porch near the house’s warmth; and he stood in the middle of her yard, getting wetter and wetter by the minute; but by this time he was so wet he couldn’t really get any wetter.

  “So what now?” Ellie finally called out.

  Before he knew what he was saying, Jamie shouted, “Marry me, Ellie!” But once he’d said it he didn’t regret it.

  Ellie didn’t know what to say. She really was completely and utterly speechless.

  Jamie faltered a little in his stance and repeated, “Marry me, Eliana Mae Henderson!” One could see by now that he was beginning to grow a little worried. What man wouldn’t?

  Ellie finally answered, with tears in her eyes, “You’ve already asked me this once, Jamie.”

  “I know and I’m asking you again.”

  “But I told you no.”

  “I know that too,” Jamie sighed, “But I also know that you didn’t really mean it. I mean, you meant it when you said it; but if you really thought about it, you’d change your mind.”

  Ellie shook her head, brushing away a tear quickly and trying to hide it from Jamie, “I don’t understand.”

  “You love me, Ellie! You know you do!” Jamie shouted, taking a bigger chance than he ever had in his life, “Don’t you remember how happy we were? Don’t you remember playing pirates? And Peter Pan? Don’t you remember the night you camped out with us in the parlor?”

  Ellie shook her head, the tears flowing freely now.

  “Don’t you remember the lake, Ellie? And the kiss? What about Christmas? Don’t you remember Christmas, Ellie? The pearl earrings? How you said you hated me when we both knew it wasn’t true?”

  “Stop it, Jamie, stop,” Ellie whispered, though she didn’t know why.

  “Don’t you remember when you were sick in bed with pneumonia? And you thought that it was Jon who cared about you the most? Everyone thought it was Jon, the whole town did; but it wasn’t, Ellie! It was me! I was here the whole time, though you may not have known it! Do you know how worried I was? I thought you were going to die, Ellie, and I didn’t know what I’d ever do without you. Do you know how many sleepless nights I’ve spent over you? Do you, Ellie? Do you?”

  Ellie shook her head and wiped away some tears.

  “Tell me you don’t remember those times, Ellie! Tell me!”

  “I remember,” Ellie admitted in a whisper.

  “And I know I may not seem like I’d be a perfect husband at times! I know about all the schools I’ve been kicked out of, and how my father has no faith in me! I know that sometimes I swear too much when I’m not in a good mood! I know I need to cut out some of my smoking and I know that I’m certainly, by no means, perfect!” his voice suddenly cracked as he said, “But I love you. I love you with all my heart, Ellie, and I’ll love you till the end of time no matter what happens to either of us.”

  “I… I,” Ellie began, but she didn’t know what to say. All the memories he’d brought up seemed to swirl around in her head as she recalled how many wonderful moments they’d shared together, but she just didn’t know if it was enough.

  “Don’t say anything!” Jamie called back up to her, running a hand through his sopping hair, “Not yet, at least! I know you’re probably confused right now, and I’m not surprised,” he paused and explained, “We never courted, and I’m sure that’s what you’re thinking about right now.”

  He was right.

  “But I don’t think that really matters,” Jamie went on, “People make up all these silly rules in our society nowadays that don’t really even make true sense. Why should a man have to be a woman’s beau before he asks for her hand? It’s nonsense! I love you and I don’t need to go through months of courtship to know that!”

  Ellie brushed away some more tears, still not finding her voice.

  “Tell me you don’t love me, and I’ll go away and leave you be. If you can honestly speak those words to me, I’ll trust you, but just know that no matter what you say and no matter how far apart we may be through the years, I’ll never stop loving you, Ellie!”

  Ellie couldn’t deny that she loved him, though she’d been able to when he first proposed. No matter how hard she tried, the words just wouldn’t come. It was in that moment, she believed later, that things changed. It was in that moment that her previous mistake became apparent, and she knew how she really felt about James Robert Rhodes.

  “So, I suppose this is the last time I’ll ever ask this,” Jamie said, getting down upon one knee, and in doing so completely ruining his suit pants and covering them in mud. Without any faltering or hesitation in his voice, he called over the pouring rain, “Will you marry me, Eliana Henderson?”

  As she looked down into his earnest eyes, Ellie knew what her answer would be. She slowly nodded and took a s
tep forward, holding onto the porch rail for support, for she still felt quite weak.

  “Yes,” Ellie whispered. Tears ran down her cheeks as she repeated in a shout, “Yes, Jamie! Yes!”

  No words can describe the bright smile that came over Jamie’s soaked face as he rose from the ground. All within a moment, he ran up the front steps and wrapped her in his arms, lifting her off the porch and down onto the grass with him. Encircled in his wet arms and standing beneath the pouring rain, Ellie became soaked almost instantly as well. Both were smiling and laughing uncontrollably, and Jamie continually covered Ellie in kisses. He kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her eyes, her hands, and finally, her lips.