Promise To Keep

by Rainwater, Priscilla Poole

  “Yeah, well, if I had gotten there two days early, I would have gone insane with impatience. This way, it at least it kept my mind occupied somewhat, and I did get to take in a lot of scenery.”

  “Yeah, I suppose.“ Suddenly remembering the letter Harriett had given her from Max, she pulled the envelope out of her jacket pocket and opened it, instantly recognizing the expensive stationary embossed with his family company name across the top, Gioardano Industries. She began to read.

  My Dearest Aisha,

  Words cannot express how sorry I am for hurting you with my selfishness, and my rash, foolish decisions. You may not believe this, il mio amore (my love), but I acted so foolish because I never wanted you, the one decent person in my life, to think less of me by not being able to give you the only thing you ever asked me for: A child.

  I realize you have good reason and just cause to never believe anything I say, ever again. But I beg of you, if you are to only believe one other thing I ever say in this life, my wish is that you would believe this: When were both a bit younger, and still together, if it had been possible, I would have gladly given all my money, all my power, and all my worldly possessions away gladly, if it could have given you that would-be child (of mine) that you wanted so badly.

  I was foolish to think my lie wouldn’t come to light some day. My only defense is to say I thought we could eventually get back together, and somehow I could find a way to give you those children. Over the years I’ve squandered literally hundreds of thousand of dollars seeking the help of some of the world’s finest fertility experts, but it was all to no avail. Our creator, it seems, had deemed from the day I was born that it was simply not to be for me. I never discussed the possibility of adoption at the time because, like I said to you earlier, I didn’t want you to think of me as less than a man. Foolish, I know, but when it came to you, I always wanted to be the perfect man in your eyes.

  I stand by my statement that I truly don’t understand, even myself, why I ever left you to begin with. My only defense as far as that goes is: Millions of decent people, all over the world, make foolish decisions everyday, it happens all the time. I’m not perfect, no one is. In the end, mistakes don’t make those same people any less decent, it simply makes them human.

  Il mio innamorato (my sweetheart), I know you are hurt and angry with me now, but I sincerely hope that some day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Hearing the words “I hate you” coming directly from your lips was the most horrible punishment you could have ever inflicted on me, believe this.

  Even though you don’t wish to speak with me now, I want YOU to know if you ever need me, I’ll be there. Just call me, and immediately I’ll move both heaven and earth to get to you, no matter what I’m doing at the time.

  I won’t bother you further, as I realize I’ve upset you enough already. But I just want you to know, as always, I’ll be watching over both you and your children.

  Amore Sempre Massimo (Love Always Max).

  Looking from the corner of his eye, Connell could see a frown on her face. Curious about what she was reading, he asked, “Whatcha’ got there, luv?“

  She glanced at him and bit her lower lip. She had told him earlier about Max’s confession, and to say he had been livid was putting it lightly. Not wishing to begin their young marriage with a lie, she decided to tell the truth. “Uh, it’s from Max. He gave it to Harriett to give to me.”

  Growling, he pulled the letter from her hands. Glancing back and forth between the letter and the road for a moment, he finally grunted loudly in disgust and rolled down the window. Crumpling the paper into a ball, he angrily hurled it out the window. “That flowery fuck better hope I never lay my eyes on his smug puss ever again, because if I do, I’m gonna’ knock all his teeth out, then knee-drop him and rupture his spleen! I sure as hell don’t need him watching out for my kids and MY wife” he huffed.

  My Wife…. the words echoed in her head, causing a big smile to spread across her lovely face.

  “If that no good shithead ever…..” He stopped mid-rant when he glanced over to see her big, goofy smile. Frowning, he growled, “What, you think this is funny?”

  She did the sweetest thing he had ever seen a woman do, she covered her mouth and let out a girlish giggle. “You called me ‘your wife.’ I guess it’s still hard for me to believe. You know, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that.”

  Smiling, he reached for her hand. He raised it to his warm lips, kissing her knuckles lightly. “Well, you better get used to it. You ARE my beautiful, FINALLY, I might add. And I plan to spend the rest of my life proudly telling the world. I’m shouting it out morning, noon, and night.”

  The rest of the drive was spent with her talking about how she planned on turning the guest bedroom into a nursery. He simply smiled and nodded the entire time, making her wonder if he was even listening to her grand plans.

  *************************************************

  When they turned finally turned onto the road that led home, he could sense her apprehension and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “There’s nothing to worry about. Everyone’s here to celebrate our union, to support us. All it is is family and friends, darling, not the Manson family reunion. And keep in mind what I promised you back at the hospital in DC, no matter what obstacles we face, I’ll be right there beside you.”

  Breathing a little easier, she knew he meant every word he said. As they drove onto the property he pointed out and explained all the changes that had taken place in her absence. He, Ben, and Jonus had all installed lighting around the fringes of the heavily wooded areas in all directions, lights that would automatically activate at dusk. Additionally, he explained that they also contained solar powered battery back up, in case of a power outage. There was no way anyone could sneak onto the property again using the cover of darkness, unless they shot out all the lights first, in which case, would alert all of them long before they could do anything else. Oscillating security surveillance cameras had been installed at the front, rear, and sides of the house, four in all. A monitor had been set up in the tiny office, and he had installed a heavy-duty metal door with a deadbolt. He had bought a brand new cell phone specifically for use in the office, in case of emergencies. She also noticed that where the narrow, beaten path to the pond once was, was now paved, wide enough for a large vehicle. “Why the extra….driveway thingy? What on earth is it for?” she asked.

  “Just easier on the truck and equipment, that‘s all.”

  Finally pulling up to the house, he said, “Alllrighty, we’re here! Home sweet home.“ He gave the truck’s horn a couple of blasts to let everyone know they had arrived. Leaping out, he jogged around to her side and opened the door for her. Taking her in his arms, he gently lifted her out and set her on her feet.

  She had only taken a few steps when he suddenly swept her up in his arms from behind, just as family members and friends came pouring out onto the porch and down the steps. They cheered loudly, throwing pink, white, and lavender confetti on her and her husband both.

  “Laughing in embarrassment, she yelled, “Connell, you Devil! I was kind of disappointed there for a minute, I was expecting a surprise party or something, and my feelings were hurt when I didn’t see anyone’s car! Where are all the cars and trucks?”

  “We really wanted it to be a surprise, so Mr. Ted offered to use his contacts at his old school to borrow a bus! He picked everyone up and drove them all here. He’ll be back to get everyone later tonight.”

  “He couldn’t stay?”

  “Afraid not, had to go back home and take care of Miss Sarah, she’s not feeling well.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame, I’ll have to get down their way and see her tomorrow.

  “That would be a thoughtful gesture.“

  She buried her face in his neck as everyone made a path for him to go up the steps, then carry her over the threshold.

  Once inside, he placed her back on her feet as everyone else came ru
shing back in.

  Abby ran to them both excitedly, with her arms outstretched. She was dressed in a frilly blue dress, and her long hair was adorned with white bows. As she jumped up and down with impatience she gave them a dazzling smile that revealed yet another missing front baby tooth. Somehow, it made her look more adorable than ever.

  Megan walked in from the kitchen, holding Shawn in her arms. As soon as the baby saw Aisha, he gave her a big smile and held out his chubby arms.

  Walking to Megan, Aisha took the toddler in her own arms and began rocking him back and forth and cooing.

  Scooping Abby up, Connell said, “Honey, Aisha’s shoulder is still a little too sore to pick you up and hold you, you’ll have to give her some sugar and a hug when she sits down.”

  “Can I just go talk to her?”

  “Sure you can.” he replied, then put her down.

  Running to Aisha, she tugged at the hem of her skirt and said, “Grandma said you and daddy are married! She said we’re having another baby!”

  Looking down at her and smiling, she replied, “That’s right, we got married. And yes, you’ll have another little brother or sister by late this summer, is that alright with you?”

  The little girl nodded her head enthusiastically. “Sure it is. But I wanna’ order a girl, cause Shawn don’t want to learn how to play with dolls. All he ever wants to do is slobber all over them.” she replied solemnly.

  Aisha burst out laughing with the rest of the adults, and barely managed to say, “Well, I’ll see what I can do about ordering a girl, but no promises.”

  Looking Aisha in the eye, Megan muttered, “Well…uhhh.. welcome to the family, I guess.”

  “Thank you.” she replied with a neutral expression on her face.

  When Connell cleared his throat, Megan turned to him and gave him a meek smile, “Congratulations, hon, on your marriage. And the baby, of course.”

  Smiling inside, Aisha thought, Yeah, that’s right. You’ll either respect me in MY house, or you’ll never be over for Sunday brunch again!

  Wrapping his arm around his wife’s waist in a show of support, Connell said, “Thank you, mom. She’ll make us all very happy.”

  Make ALL of us very happy? Well, I think I know of at least ONE person I won’t be making happy! Aisha thought, and had a sudden, hysterical urge to giggle.

  “Ahhhh..come on now, enough of this messy stuff! We have a lot to celebrate!”

  Aisha turned and saw Helen standing there, then grinned. A person could always count on Helen to liven things up. Handing Shawn over to Connell, she gave her friend a big, one-armed hug, and for the first time since Jenny’s death, she saw Helen openly weep, but with tears of joy this time around.

  “You’re not taking your butt out of this county, ever again, let alone the country!” Helen cried. Pulling back, she tried to glare at her friend, but failed miserably. “See what happens when you run off gallivanting around like you did when you were twenty? You almost get a boob blown off!”

  Aisha couldn’t help but laugh.

  Connell’s twin cousins, whom she had never met, stepped up to introduce themselves. Their names were Eric and Kane, and they were almost as large as her husband.

  Laughing in amazement, she looked at Connell and said, “Are there any men in you’re entire family that AREN’T giants?” But they seemed just as warm, just as simple, and just as sincere as her husband, and she like both of them immediately. Although quiet, they both had outgoing personalities. They had everyone laughing, regaling them with stories about the misadventures they had with Connell while growing up. All their stories ended with all three of them getting the business end of a belt from their fathers.

  Helen and the other women had put together a large buffet consisting of cornbread vegetable cobbler, seafood casserole, grilled chicken, roasted leg of lamb, asparagus medley, and a wedding cake for happy couple, Strawberry-Banana Angel Torte. Aisha was touched that they had went to so much trouble. She began to bawl, and she hugged Helen again, telling her how much she appreciated what they had done for her.

  Patting her back lovingly, Helen replied, “There there now, stop all this boo hooing. You know we were all more than happy to do it this for you.”

  Preacher Sun stood on the bottom stair and tapped his glass with a spoon, and a hush fell over the room. He motioned for Aisha and Connell to come stand in front of him. “ Don’t worry everyone, this isn’t going to be a sermon. I just want to say a few words, maybe give some advice to the young couple here.” He looked to Connell for approval, and when he nodded, he asked everyone to gather round. Resting his hand on their shoulders he said, “When I was a young man, before I met my wife, I thought I had my life all laid out. Then one day I was blindsided by fate and fell hard. It was humbling. In the darkest hour of my life I felt that God had left me to struggle alone. Even then I still struggled to do things my own way, make my own plans for the way I wanted life to be. Long story short, I was one miserable human being for years, until I finally learned to give in and accept God’s will, and not my own. Well, that path led me down a wonderful road, and eventually led to me meeting my lovely wife. That was God’s plan for me, and I can tell you brothers and sisters, I’ve never regretted it. What does all this mean? Connell, Aisha, always endeavor to be like two trees in a vicious windstorm: When strong winds blow, bend with the wind, not against it. Practice love, understanding, and patience for one another. And no matter how badly you may want to at times, never look at yourselves as one being the leader, and one the follower. Stand together as partners, as one. It will be an example for your own children to follow, and it’s the way the good Lord intended for both man and wife to be.”

  Stepping forward, he hugged both of them. “I’m so thankful that I’m considered a part of this family, brother and sister. Now, LET’S EAT!”

  ***********************************************

  As the night wore on wedding gifts were opened. From Helen and Ben, a beautiful, homemade wedding quilt. Pastor Sun and his wife Barbara gave them a beautiful bible with it’s own cherry wood stand. Sheriff Berry and his wife Carol, matching robes, but with one caveat, both of them were embossed with the word “Hers”. This cracked everyone up. From Megan, a beautiful, antique rocking chair for the nursery, one that had belonged to her great grandmother. This completely surprised both Connell and Aisha. But the gift that touched her the most was from Connell’s two cousins, a handmade, cherry wood cradle and changing station. Shyly, they explained that they were considered master craftsmen, and when it came to making furniture, several large companies would get them to do custom orders. Looking at the beautiful cravings on the furniture, she didn’t doubt them.

  Jonus finally hugged her and said, “It’s so good to have you back home with us.” He then handed her a gift bag.

  “Thank you Jonus, I promise I’ll never leave like that again. I really missed you, little brother.” She took out the gift. It was a beautiful crystal vase. Giving him another hug, she thanked him again.

  He left her with the women and went to where the men were more or less huddled on the other side of the room, speaking in very low tones.

  Turning to Helen, Aisha thought she saw a cat that ate the canary look in her eyes. “Alright Helen, spill it. You KNOW you wanna’ tell me. What’s going on? Why are the men over there mumbling?”

  Glancing over at the men and then back at her, Helen shrugged and gave her an innocent look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. They’re probably talking about the same dumb stuff all men talk about: Football, monster truck racing, football, fishing, football, who makes the best truck, football, professional wrestling, football, and later on they’ll talk about more football.” she replied airily as the other women giggled.

  With a patient sigh, Aisha said, “Alright, have it your way. Barbara, would you help me put the babies to bed? I can’t lift Abby just yet.”

  “Sure.“ Bending over, Barbara lifted the little girl up in her arms.
Exhausted, she had fallen asleep next to her brother an hour earlier.

  Connell approached, holding an overnight bag and a long scarf. “Uhhh, Helen, would you mind tucking Shawn in? I have a few more surprises for my lovely bride.“ Turning to face Aisha, he said, “You ready to go?”

  Looking at everyone around the room in bewilderment, she noticed an awful lot of cat that ate the canary grins. She suspected it would be one doozy of a gift.

  Handing Shawn over to Helen, she followed him outside. Stopping dead in her tracks, she laughed at the sight that greeted her.

  Mr. Ted and Diamond Jim were both sitting in the driver’s seat of a white, horse drawn carriage. The carriage and horses were decorated with garland made of lavender, pink, and white roses. Mr. Ted was wearing a tux, and Diamond Jim was decked out in an old top hat and bow tie around his neck. The dog yawned and farted loudly, making her laugh.

  “Diamond Jim, why don’t you show a little class once in awhile!“ Ted scolded.