"OK," I said and she kissed my lips before taking me in her arms.
The warning bells were going off inside me and I knew everything was about to go up in smoke. I had no choice but to trust that Kathy wanted our relationship so badly that she would find a way to mend the broken pieces.
Chapter 10
Kathy did not wait for the opportunity to pass, and two days later, we were on our way to her parents. She decided to drive instead of having her chauffeur take us, so I got to sit in the front of her Mercedes and watched as she maneuvered the vehicle with such grace. She was a stunningly beautiful woman and I was extremely proud to have her as my girlfriend, despite having her a secret from my family, my boss, and my friends.
We drove into the vast driveway of her parents' vintage-looking home that was nestled on a large, magnificently groomed property with a water fountain at the front of the building. Kathy parked her car then turned to look at my nervous face and tried to reassure me that everything would be fine.
"Honey, I'm here with you. You don't have to worry. I just want to know that we did the right thing by introducing my family to the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Whether they accept that or not, we are getting married," she said.
"So now that's a possibility?"
"I don't expect that to happen, but I'm saying, even if it does happen, it will not stop our plans."
"OK, honey," I said and gave her a smile that I didn't feel deep inside.
"Come on," she said and exited the car.
I joined her and she held my hand and took the few steps to the front door. She entered a code then opened the big oak door. We entered the vast living room and the first thing my eyes went to was the spectacular chandelier in the dining area. It was a magnificent piece, however, I could not admire it for long as Kathy's mom walked into the room with a big smile on her face.
"Darling!" she cried with open arms as she walked to her. "I'm so happy to see you."
The woman who decided to keep her natural greys was familiar to me as she stood out among Kathy's supporters in the courtroom. I could not help but notice the pain on her face as she watched her daughter go through the worst days of her life. The hug she gave her now was probably what Kathy got when she was acquitted and the family celebrated.
"Mom, I would like you to meet someone," Kathy said as she untangled herself from her mother's arms.
Mrs. Poland looked at me with a smile and my entire inside started to go weak when I noticed the smile disappearing from her face as her brain recognized who I was.
"No….no...Kat," she whispered. "What's...what's going on?"
"Mom…"
"Will!"
"Mom...please…," Kathy held on to her mother's arm. "Just hear me out…"
"Mel!" A man's voice called as he rushed into the living room.
Mr. Poland ran to his wife who was holding her head and shaking it from side to side.
"What happened?" he asked his wife but she was unable to answer. "What's wrong with your mother?"
"Nothing...I don't know... she just…"
"What's this? Who is...what's going on here?" he asked as he just realized that I was standing there.
"This is River…"
"Why is she here?" her father asked and his face told the story. I was not welcome in his family or even the neighborhood.
"I wanted her to meet my family and…"
"She already has. In the courtroom."
"Dad, please…"
"Come on, honey," he said to his wife. "Sit down."
Kathy walked over to them, leaving me rooted to the spot as I saw my greatest fear played out before my eyes.
"Daddy," Kathy said in desperation. "River and I met on the plane on my way to Florida and we started talking."
"And?"
"And I realized that I fell in love with her the first time I saw her…"
"The first time you saw her, you were on the verge of going to prison!" he roared.
"Dad…"
"You are free! The nightmare is behind us! Why would you bring her into our lives?"
"She is not guilty of anything, Dad. What happened to me had nothing to do with her," Kathy said and I could not see her face, but I knew she was crying. "I have thought about her for a whole year, and when I saw her again, I knew she was the one. It was meant to be."
"So were all the others."
"This time it’s different."
"It is! This time it’s stupid! You end this right now, Kathy," he said pointing his finger at her. "I’m not interested in meeting her. You stop this right now because you know this is a fucking mistake!"
"What?" the question came out in a whisper as Kathy was shocked at her father's response, although I had warned her this would happen.
"Listen," he said and walked over to me. "I am not angry with you. You have done nothing wrong here, and I am grateful for your role in freeing my daughter, but this is too much for us to handle. We have put it behind us and you will be a constant reminder…"
"But I love her," was all I could whisper as the tears gathered in my eyes.
"I understand, but this cannot happen. I cannot support it. I'm sorry," he said and walked over to his wife.
Mr. Poland helped his wife to her feet and led her out of the room, leaving his daughter standing in shock in their living room. Kathy's back was to me, and she was afraid to turn around to face me.
"Kat," I said.
"I'm sorry, Riv."
"It's OK. Come on. Let's go home," I said and held out my hand to her.
"No...I need to talk to my parents. They need to understand…," she said and headed to the room her parents had entered.
"Kathy!" I called to her, but she kept going.
I stood there but felt like I was outside of my body. A nightmare situation that I tried to avoid was playing out in front of me. I knew this was going to happen, but I was hoping it would happen after we got married. Now I was terrified that Kathy might not want to be with me after her parents' adamant objection.
Kathy and her parents were talking, but I could not hear what they were saying...then I did.
"Over my dead body you will!" shouted her father.
"It is not up to you!"
"You are making a horrible mistake and I’m trying to stop you. Why can't you see that?!"
"I love her!"
"So what?!" This time it was her mother. "You will love again. This is not a good decision."
"There will be no wedding!" her father roared as they walked out into the living room.
"I did the right thing. I came to you when I didn't need to because I want River to be a part of our family…"
"Good thing you did because I get to open your eyes to what will be a huge mistake!" he said then stopped and turned to his daughter. "I have no doubt that she is a wonderful woman. I’m eternally grateful to her for seeing your innocence and setting you free, but you have to close that chapter of your life. This is not good for you or for her. You can't marry a member of the jury from your trial, Kathy Mae! The DA could call for a retrial because your case was compromised due to a relationship with one of the jurors!"
"No! We had no prior contact before that and they would have known that. I'm sure that River had to declare under oath that she did not know any of us," Kathy pleaded desperately.
"Good luck proving that," her mother said.
"I swear to God...you end this right now!"
"No one will know…," Kathy tried.
"Yes, they will! My family and I, including you, have been featured in the papers a lot of times. Your mother is known all over. You get married and it will not be a secret, Kathy! You fucking end this right now! You hear me?" he said through gritted teeth and could never be more serious in his life.
Her parents were literally terrified of a relationship between us and were visibly shaken at the idea of us getting married. I had started to give up on Kathy because I felt like having her parents' support would never happen and
it was very important to her. I wanted to cry, but I bit the inside of my mouth and held the tears back. I knew that we would be in this position if we weren't married first. Even then, there were no guarantees that her parents wouldn't demand that the marriage be annulled.
"I have to go," Kathy said and walked towards me, absolutely broken.
"Did you hear me, Kathy?"
"I did, Dad," she said and held my hand and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind us.
She squeezed my hand as we walked to the car. She opened my door and ensured that I was properly seated then slammed it shut before entering and speeding out the driveway. She was so angry and hurt that she could not control the pressure of her foot on the accelerator.
"Kat...slow down," I said and she ignored me. "Honey, stop the car. Kat!"
She obeyed and pulled over to the side of the road. I put the car in park and asked her to let me drive. She did not object. I decided to use the GPS to get home because she didn't seem as if she was in the mood to be asked for directions. I could tell she was extremely angry and embarrassed, and I could feel the pressure in my head from the silence that was way too loud. I was happy that she chose to not talk until we got home because I needed time to come to grips with what was happening. I missed my grandmother, and wished I could talk to her about this but she was barely speaking to me. Having Kathy as my girlfriend made me feel like I didn’t need anyone, but now that our relationship was in jeopardy, I missed my grandmother and even my overbearing family members.
I was happy to be home because a conversation needed to be had about a way forward for us, either alone or together. I parked her Mercedes in the garage and looked at Kathy as she played with the diamond ring on her finger. She was still visibly upset, and I just wanted to get her inside so that I could make her a cup of tea. I got out of the car to get her, but she met me halfway.
“May I have the key?” she asked and held out her hand. I handed it to her and she kissed me on the lips and went to the driver’s side of the car. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Where are you going?” I asked, but she was already backing out of the garage.
I walked into the living room and looked around at the magnificent detail of the furnishings, trying to create memories of the place I called home for a short while. I sighed and walked into the elevator and I could smell her perfume. I slowly closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, filling my lungs and my memory of her because when we finally sat to talk, it could be the end of our relationship. It was clear that her family's blessing was very important to her and they made some very convincing points about the risk of us being together. I wouldn't want her case to be retried because she barely got off this one. If I wasn't there to knock sense into the jurors’ heads, they would have ended with a guilty verdict. If us being together would lead to that, I would rather walk away because I didn't want her to get hurt.
I was trying hard not to cry even though I knew the tears were inevitable, so I changed into something comfortable and went into the bathroom to wash my face. It was a good thing that I still had my apartment and my job and didn't give then up like Kathy wanted. I would just have to move on...and I could not imagine how when I have fallen head-first in love with her. The cries burst through the barrier I had built inside me, and I fell to the floor and wailed. My heart was broken into a million pieces because I knew it was over. Even if she didn't want to leave me, I had to do it to protect her and her relationship with her family.
I felt like I was not meant to be happy. Of all the people in the world that I could love and could be perfect for me, why did it have to be Kathy Mae Poland? I cried, pouring everything into the plush, white rug on the bathroom floor before dragging myself into the bedroom. I managed to get on the bed and curled myself into a ball as I cried myself to sleep, missing the comfort and calming feeling of Kat's body against mine. I needed her, and prayed that when I woke up she would be beside me.
+++
I woke up and saw that there was a dim light in the bedroom which meant that Kathy came home and decided not to wake me. I looked around the room to see if she was there but she wasn't. The bedroom door was open, so I decided to go find her. I stepped down and my feet were covered in red rose petals! My mouth flew open in surprise. I followed the trail that led outside the bedroom door and down the corridor to the balcony where candles flickered from the light cool wind. A bottle of champagne was on ice and two wine glasses waiting to be filled. Then there she was sitting in a corner.
"Kat! Oh my God...what's this?"
Kathy got up and walked toward me with a wide smile on her face.
"Hi, baby," she said and touched my face. "I have been waiting for you my whole life. I didn't know then, but now that you're here, I feel in it every fiber of my soul. It's impossible for me to live a day without you, and I would be the luckiest woman on earth if you would be my wife."
One hand was touching my face, but I didn't realize that the other was holding a diamond engagement ring. I was still in shock that I would wake up to this, and before I replied, I wiped the tears that were running down her cheeks. The last thing I wanted was to break her heart, but I was no longer sure if marrying her would be the best thing for her. A day ago, I would have accepted before the question was completed, but it is different now.
"Kat...I'm sorry…"
"No! No. Don't you dare say that," she said gripping my jaws with her fingers. "You can't do th...please."
When an answer did not come, she released my jaw and buried her face between my breasts.
"Kat…"
"No," she cried and I caressed her hair. "I don't want to hear anything except that you will marry me. I love you, Riv."
"I love you too...but…"
"No!" she shouted and pushed me away. "You can't do this to us!"
"Do you think I want this, Kat? I told you to let us get married first! I saw this very thing coming and I tried to warn you!"
"I'm sorry. I should have listened, but I wanted everyone to celebrate with us because I know in my heart that I’m meant to be with you. Everything that I have been through was to get me to this moment, and I am not going to let anyone, including my parents, keep me away from you!"
"So you want to marry me despite the fact that your parents object?"
"Yes!"
"Did you miss the little part that your case might be retried?" I reminded her of her father's warning.
"When I drove out this afternoon, I made 3 stops. First to the police department, second, to the jewelry store, and third to a marriage office…"
"Police department?"
"Yes. I asked if there was any legal objection to me dating a juror from my case and if I should be concerned about any retrial," she said and I was shocked that she went to such lengths.
"And what did they say?"
"He told me that there is only a problem if we knew each other before the trial or started dating during the trial. He said for a retrial to be approved, there would have to be proof that there was a relationship before. No one can prove that because it never happened. So you let me put this ring on your finger and we are getting married tomorrow," she said with no room for negotiation.
It was meant to be a very romantic and happy proposal and it ended far from what Kathy had in mind.
"I will marry you, Kat," I said and held out my fingers to her.
She gave a big sigh of relief then held my hand and slipped the beautiful diamonds onto my finger. It glistened with love, and a smile crept onto her lips.
"It's beautiful, babe," I said.
"Not as beautiful as your wedding ring," she said on my lips.
"Oh my God...can I see it?"
"Nope. Not until you say 'I do'."
"I do," I said and she laughed. It was wonderful to hear her laughter after all we went through today.
"Nice try," she said and pulled me into her arms. "So tomorrow you'll be my wife?"
"One hundred percent yours, babe."
"We stand a better chance with your parents," I said, and she laughed.
"But they don't know who I am."
"No, but we know who they are. Babe, no one will know until after we are married."
"I agree," she said as she filled our glasses with champagne. "Let's get married."
"Let's get married, baby," I said and took her lips in mine, sharing the champagne she had in her mouth.
I was happy that Kathy was willing to defy anything and anyone to spend the rest of her life with me and that made me confident in her love that this was the real deal for us. I was excited to start my life with her and to work on having the family we so desperately wanted. I knew I would have to tell my family that I got married to a woman, and that would be an epic event, in addition to Kathy telling her parents that she went ahead and married me anyway, despite their objection. We will have to be prepared to go this alone because our marriage was shaping up to be the undoing of our relationship with our families. It was inevitable.
Chapter 11
I had no idea that Kathy had arranged for the whole wedding package that included a massage, hairdo, makeup, wedding dresses and a photographer. I thought we would stand in front of the marriage officer and tie the knot so we could move on with our lives as a married couple. However, Kathy arranged a whole package, and the only things missing were our families. We were supposed to not see each other on our wedding day, but we did everything together and by the time we stood before the marriage officiant, we were beautifully clad in our wedding dresses.
I had no idea that a place like that existed. They had everything including private dining rooms where we sat and had dinner. It was amazing that they were able to put the whole thing together in just two days. I tried not to think about how expensive the whole arrangement was because I bought an eternity wedding band for Kathy and it took almost my entire life savings to do it. It was the most meaningful thing I had ever done in my life because I loved her so much. She was the air I breathed, and I was filled with immense joy each morning I woke up and she was beside me.
The Juror Page 11