Once Within A Lifetime

by Rose, Phyllis Georgina

  “Did you know they were planning to marry here?” queried Esther.

  “Not until the other day when they called us over and showed us the garden and told us. We were very surprised but so pleased for them both.”

  Triessa returned and told them that Nancy would bring the dessert right out. She made the seating arrangements and they got settled. When the dessert arrived, they enjoyed it and all got better acquainted. After they finished, they thought about going to the garden again.

  “Why don’t we wait a while?” suggested Triessa. “We can do it later.”

  Triessa’s mother looked at her and felt tension in the air and wondered what had happened. The excitement of the situation had died down a lot so she asked to be excused and asked Triessa to come help her with her something in her clothing. Triessa followed her mother into the bathroom and before she could ask anything Triessa began to sob.

  “Oh, Mother, I am so afraid. Esther is upset about the way we told them and wants us to wait until the end of the summer. What is going to happen? I am afraid.”

  “I don’t know, dear. I guess some people just do not like to get news in such a quick fashion. All we do right now is go along with her and work it out somehow.”

  “She does not want us to go back with them when they leave tomorrow. Can you please call Reese and Deanna and ask them to not come right now? Do you think you can reach them before they leave? Things are a little confused right now.”

  “Surely, Dear, I will try. I will call them right now. Go back out so they won’t wonder where you are. I will be out in a minute.”

  She went back outside, joined them, and Todd put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. He knew she was upset and afraid and could not wait to talk with her mother about this. He was glad she could confide in her honestly.

  His mother had been concerned about Triessa and her mother going out together and asked, “Will you please excuse me? I want to lie down for a while. I am getting a slight headache.”

  They stood up as she left. She met Sheila as she got inside and told her she was going to rest a bit and was glad to have met her.

  When Sheila got out to the table, Triessa was crying and Todd was trying to comfort her. Spencer put his hand on Triessa’s and told her not to get upset, that Esther would come around and things would work out just fine.

  “Meanwhile,” he said, “Wait a while before discussing plans further. I will go see if Esther needs anything. Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Noble. I am truly sorry about all this. You have a lovely daughter.”

  Triessa was still crying and they all tried to make her feel better.

  “I was so excited about making plans and now I do not even feel like talking about it at all. It is as if there were not going to be a wedding at all. How could this happen? Everything was so beautiful. Do we have to wait until the end of the summer to get married?” Looking at Todd, she asked, “Did you not have a clue this might happen?”

  “Not at all,” he replied. “I am as surprised and shocked as you are. Please, Honey, try not to worry about that right now. Things will change soon. I am sure Mother will soon get accustomed to the idea. She is not against it or you, just surprised. It’s been a shock to her. I guess we should have thought about it a little more before springing such a surprise on her. Every mother reacts differently to such things with their children. It did seem like such a nice idea. I am afraid in our excitement we went overboard.”

  “Yes, Dear. I understand, but I am very disappointed and afraid. What if she does not like me and does not want us to marry?”

  “I don’t really believe that will happen,” he told her. “I will marry you.”

  “I think she will be all right soon,” Sheila joined in. “She is very nice and it was a long flight for her. I am sure she was very tired and it hit her too hard. Give her some time to get used to it.”

  “I, too, feel it will be all right with just a little more time,” said Triessa’s dad. “I did not think of getting upset. I was so very happy for my little girl to have found a wonderful man to care for her. It is a dream for all dads, I believe. We were hoping it would happen soon.”

  “Let us walk out into the garden,” suggested Todd. “I think it will make us all feel better. I guess Dad is going to stay up with Mother in her room for a while. I will go tell him where we are so he will know if he comes down here. I will be right back.”

  So when Todd came down they all walked out to the garden to look around. Lincoln stood in the middle of the garden to see how much space there was and what would be needed in the center for everyone to walk around.

  “We need to know the size of our guest list before anything is going to make much sense. This may take a little while longer under the circumstances. Presently we can count up family members as a start.”

  They all tried to imagine how they wanted the tables to be arranged.

  “We can get some lovely table cloths to put on them. It will be good to see what I will get for a gown. I may possibly go with a color and we can coordinate it with that. We should have a punch bowl on two tables, one at either end of the space. Each table will need some floral arrangements. I think seven tables may be enough. Two on each of the two longer sides, one on each of the other two and one in the center. How does that sound to you, Mom?”

  “It may be enough. It will contain enough for quite a few guests. Of course, they will be passing by the tables and helping themselves; they will not need to be seated at them. We can find some ladies from the group to help with any serving or questions at the tables. I think it will be just perfect if we can get some kind of ice sculpture on the center table. Triessa can tell us what she’d like to have as soon as she thinks about it for a while.”

  About this time Spencer came out to join them.

  “I am sorry, but Esther really has a headache. She gets them easily. She begged to be excused and will try to meet us at dinner time.” He walked over to join them and smiled.

  “We can build an arbor for each of the entrances,” suggested Lincoln. “What do you think, Spencer?”

  “That will be fun. I would like to be able to help you. We can drape them with some flowers to make them truly festive. It will look delightful.”

  They heard someone coming and looked up to see Reese and Deanna.

  “We always know where to find you these days, this place seems to hold some sort of fascination,” teased Reese. He went over and gave his sister a big hug.

  “Hi,” said Triessa. “This is Todd’s dad, Spencer. Spencer, this is my brother, Reese and his wife, Deanna. Esther, Todd’s mother, is lying down. She has a headache so we came out here to make it quiet for her and we can get some more sunshine.”

  “How are we coming? We have to get this together for when you want it. It is now just three weeks tomorrow, right?”

  “Oh, I think we can do it but we will certainly need to all get right at it.”

  Triessa told him, “Todd and I were leaving tomorrow for Geneva for a few days to look for my dress but plans have changed. We will go a little later. It seems too hectic to make it myself which I had always dreamed of. You know, I just remembered; I designed a beautiful wedding dress last year. I may search to find it and take it with me. Possibly I can find one of them made up. At least it will be my design almost as if I had made it.”

  “What a lovely thought, my dear,” answered Todd. “Do you think Phylicia may be able to help on that end before we get there? Let’s give her a call. Do you think she will know what you are talking about? She will have a little more time now to look. It may work out for the better.”

  “Yes, I think so, and it could even give me more time to make my dress. It can keep my mind busy and help me get through this. That may be just the thing if I have not outgrown my design. We will call her this evening when we know she may be at home. She will be very happy to help us in any way she can.”

  “Well, looks like things are coming together,” sighed Sheila. “We wil
l come back after Todd’s folks leave and see what else we can come up with. While you are gone we will see what we can do here. And that includes a list of guests.”

  “Yes,” added Lincoln, “You will need a canopy overhead to protect from the sun but we will not want to add it until close to the event because we want to have the rain and the sun to keep the garden moist and healthy. Maybe the gardener can give it some extra special care. I will talk to him about it. Has anyone told him of our plans?”

  “No, I am afraid we had not given it a thought to this time, Dad. Thank you for bringing it up. I would appreciate it if you take care of that for me.”

  “I will be glad to, Dear, and I will come up with a sketch for you so you can have a picture in your mind. How does that sound?”

  “Perfect, you are truly a precious Dad. I love you so much.”

  “I am sure Esther will have many ideas and can help with food and light entrees. She is very good at that sort of thing,” said Spencer. “We have a list of wonderful little delights that go very well in such occasions and they are great crowd-pleasers.”

  “That sounds like a great plan,” smiled Triessa.

  Spencer said rather sadly, “I am so sorry I will not be here to get in on the physical side of things but how about if I order and have some special champagne shipped in for the big day? Do you have a place to keep it?”

  “Yes, we have a lovely wine cellar” replied Lincoln. “When we go back to the house why don’t I show it to you?”

  “Now that is a thought,” Spencer replied.

  “I will go along with you,” agreed Todd. “These are men things and we can let the women have some time to themselves. They need to talk about the women things they want to do.”

  “Why don’t we go back to the house now?” stated Triessa. “We will need to do some things there too because some of the people will, no doubt, end up there at some point.”

  “Why don’t we plan the reception at the house?” suggested Sheila. “You have a large area in the entrance and living room. How does that sound to you, Triessa?”

  “Sounds wonderful. What will we have to do to decorate? We could stream some garlands across the room and have some roses in large vases at special points. Let’s go and see what we can imagine.”

  They all went back to the house. The men went to look at the wine cellar and the ladies went into the entrance to check out any and all possibilities. It was getting to be a lot of fun for everyone at this point. It was always fun to plan something festive. They were all catching the fever now. They looked and planned and made notes. Soon Nancy came in and checked on the arrangement for dinner, how many, when, and the like. Sheila went over to her and talked about getting some things together for the tables in the garden and for the inside area. They talked a while and Nancy nodded her head and went back into the kitchen.

  Reese and Deanna had to go home to get things ready for the children who are at a friend’s home today. Her parents planned to go home but they would come back in a few days and talk some more.

  “So it looks like the four of us for dinner as it stands,” said Triessa, “Which may be best for now.”

  They left and asked Triessa to let them know when she wanted them to come back and get together to do all they could to help.

  They ate dinner in the dining room and went out on the patio to enjoy the lovely evening. They sat and talked a while before retiring. They had to get finished with packing to be ready for the trip tomorrow afternoon.

  Morning had dawned beautifully, and after a lovely breakfast on the patio, Todd asked his parents if they would like to do some sight-seeing and they agreed. They went up to the hill to show them the view and the gazebo. They would not stay long because they would have to have an early lunch so they could get his folks to the airport for their trip. At the top of the hill, Triessa swept her arm in a circle and told them that this was all her land and how she planned for the house from this spot. It looked perfect down there snuggled in the garden and trees. It is truly a joyous spot but they had to leave to go back to the house.

  Once there, they got the luggage together in one spot. They would definitely need a larger car to get it all to the airport. They called her dad to ask if he could come over to take them. He had a larger car and could take care of it. He was pleased to help and arrived in a short time. They stowed the luggage in his large trunk and got in for the ride to the airport.

  Triessa looked at Todd, reached for his hand and said, “I am so glad I am not bringing you here to leave without me. That was a very difficult thing to do and I do not want to have to do it again, at least not for a long while.” He nodded and squeezed her hand and they smiled at each other.

  At the airport they said goodbye to his folks and apologized for the problems. They went back to her dad’s car after Todd’s folks left. Todd talked to the man at the desk about canceling their flights and apologized for the late notice, but he did not know beforehand. He made plans for a week later. His folks did not have long to wait before boarding and got ready for the long flight. They arrived at the airport and had called Dirje earlier to meet them there. They were glad to see her again and Esther was very glad to be home.

  After a few days Todd and Triessa decided they should go meet with Phylicia so she could find a dress. Time was going by and they had no idea how long it would take. He called his parents and told them they would be leaving tomorrow and would see them when they got in to the airport. Todd felt his mother should feel much better by now.

  The following day Todd and Triessa got ready for their flight back to see Phylicia. He called his folks and told them they were on their way and that they would call them when they arrived. They agreed that would be fine. When they arrived it was dark and a little misty. They decided to stay at a local hotel and drive back in the morning when it was light and they could see the sights. Todd called his parents to tell them so they would not be worried. They did hope it would be a good, clear day. They settled in and got ready for bed so they would feel fine in the morning.

  The day dawned very clear and beautiful. They met downstairs for breakfast and planned to leave soon after. When they had finished eating, Todd got the luggage and put it in his car, which was stored here at the hotel for him. Triessa went back up to the hotel room to call Phylicia to let her know she was in town.

  “Oh, I will have a wonderful surprise for you. When can we meet?” She asked her to hold and talked to Todd and told him the situation. He told her he felt it would be best to go to his parent’s home, which was not too far away to get settled in and change. Then he would meet her here for lunch so they could look at what she had in mind. Triessa went back to the phone and related this to Phylicia and got the name of the place where they’d meet. Todd called his folks and told them they were on their way. They arrived shortly and the butler came out to get the luggage. They went inside to get their things settled and to change. It was a lovely, large home, strictly European style and decorated elegantly. The Noble’s certainly had great taste. They would see more of the place later after they’d attended the business with Phylicia.

  CHAPTER 11

  So after changing and getting ready, Triessa and Todd left to go meet Phylicia at a lovely restaurant for lunch and learn of her wonderful surprise. His parents decided to stay at home this time. Esther would make some calls while they were gone to get the family together.

  “If you would like we can see if Matt and Dirje can come over this evening and you can meet them,” said Esther. “Should we plan on dinner?”

  Todd looked at Triessa and she knew he was wondering what she thought.

  “Surely, that is a wonderful plan,” she said. “I do believe we will be finished with Phylicia in plenty of time to be back for dinner. It is always so easy to get to know people when you’re sharing a meal together.”

  Esther nodded and said she would work it out. She seemed much more relaxed now than she was before and, no doubt, being in her own home made that
easier.

  So off they went. They reached the place, greeted Phylicia and got seated for lunch.

  “What’s the great news?” asked Triessa. “I am about to die of curiosity.”

  “Well, you will never believe it. I have found a place that has some of the most gorgeous gowns you could ever imagine. Even to you they will be astounding. After lunch I will take you there; I can hardly wait for you to see them. It will be very difficult to choose one, I guarantee.”

  Triessa felt very excited, “I knew you would be able to line some things up. I am so grateful and excited.” Triessa said she had to go to the rest room and asked Phylicia to go with her. After they got in there, she explained to her what had happened at her place with Todd’s mother.

  She began to cry and Phylicia comforted her.

  “Don’t cry, Dear, you will get married anyway, regardless. True, it may take a little longer, but believe me, you two love each other and it will happen. It may take a little more patience.”

  Triessa smiled and they left.

  “I wanted you to know before we sat down so we can know how to carry on with things. Thanks for being here to help me. I need you so badly right now.”

  Todd had felt she was telling Triessa about the situation, but did not mind, for it needed to be considered in the long run.

  Triessa turned to Todd and took his hand, “If we can find something right away I will be able to go with you to your place and spend some time there with you. When are we going back?”

  “I am not sure yet, it depends on what happens here. We can see how things work out and if you want to get back to work on things we can leave soon. We will talk to my parents and see when they want to come back. Maybe they can come for the last week and stay there with us. We will see what Matt and Dirje can do and go from there.”