A May-September Wedding

by Bill Sanderson

  "Yes, I do. After all, Erica is going to live with all of us. She needs to meet her auntie Beast again." Cal grinned to try to reassure her. "Felicity, she's a sweet six year old and she's scared because her grandmother is very ill and she doesn't know any of us well. That's why we're here, so she can get to know us better."

  Phyl gave Felicity a hug. "I know it will be hard, but your Dad is right, she's probably more nervous than we are. But she really liked you and Tim."

  Cal pulled into the driveway of Grace's small two story house with the mature oak tree in the front yard. The lawn was a bit ragged, probably because Grace wasn't able to keep it trimmed anymore.

  Erica and Grace were sitting on the porch in the cool November weather. Cal got out first and walked up to the porch. He crouched down and asked, "Do you have a hug for me, Erica?"

  After a brief hesitation, Erica threw herself into Cal's arms. Grace sat quietly with a big smile. Phyl and the rest of them got out of the car as Cal picked up his granddaughter who was clinging to him for dear life.

  Phyl came forward first. Cal said, "Grace, I'd like you to meet my fiancee, Phyl Schuyler."

  Grace gave Phyl the once over and said, "I'm sorry, Phyl..."

  "I know, you were expecting someone older. Cal and I have been friends and neighbours for years and after our spouses died..."

  "You did favours for each other and one thing led to the next." Grace seemed satisfied. "Happens all the time, although my second guy passed on the year after my husband before we could get married. Anyway, it will be good to have someone with enough energy to keep up with Erica."

  "Grace, these two are mine, Lydia and Tim, and that one is Erica's aunt Felicity, Cal's youngest." The girls waved hello and everyone stood around awkwardly for a while. Erica lifted her head out of Cal's shoulder and asked, "Auntie Flisty?"

  Cal put Erica down. "And these two will be sort of uncle and aunt next month when Phyl and I get married."

  "Phyl is a funny name for a girl, Mrs. Schuyler." Erica got a puzzled look.

  "It's short for Phyllida but when you come to live with us, I'll be your other grandmother."

  "You look like a Mommy, not a Nana."

  "You're right, but I can be both. Maybe you can call me what I called my grandmother Dordie from Norway. I called her Bestemor."

  "Bestemor? That sounds funny."

  "It's Norwegian for grandmother."

  "Mum, you can't be serious." Lydia was rolling her eyes.

  "Well, she can call me Mum if she wants to. It will take a while for me to answer to Bestemor. Elaine thought it was cute when Emily tried to say it."

  Grace said, "Erica, why don't you show the girls your bedroom?"

  Erica had recovered her usual high spirits and said, "Come on Auntie Flisty. I want to show y'all my dollies."

  Felicity grinned at her niece's enthusiasm and allowed herself to be towed inside. Grace said, "Tim, there's a batch of cookies on the table in the kitchen and some soda in the fridge. Y'all can help yourself."

  At the thought of food, Tim went quickly into the kitchen while the adults went into the living room to talk.

  Cal looked lovingly at Phyl. "Bestemor?"

  She pulled him down beside her. "Sure. The grandkids need to call me something. Jason and Eric can keep calling me Phyl and Brenda calls me Mum, but the rest of them..."

  Cal shook his head. "Bestemor. Oh well, I wonder how long it will be before the rest of them call Felicity 'Flisty'?"

  Grace spoke. "If the glint in Tim's eye means anything it could start in under an hour."

  The adults spent a good hour getting to know each other better before they all went out for supper. Erica was sad when everyone had to go to the hotel for the night but brightened up when they promised to go to church with them and spend the afternoon with her before flying back to Ottawa.

  As they took their leave on Sunday, Grace took Phyl aside. "I am so glad that you two agreed to take Erica. She took to her Aunt Flisty like a duck to water. She couldn't talk about hardly anything else when she got back from Ottawa in July."

  "Lydia thinks she's pretty special, too. They'll be more like older sisters than aunts but that will be good for everyone I think. And Tim thinks she's more fun that his twin sisters."

  "You're a pretty special lady yourself, Phyl, and you caught yourself a wonderful man."

  Phyl's gaze rested on Cal as she replied, "It took him some convincing. He still thinks he's too old for me. But I'm betting we'll have more time together than I had with my first husband."

  "That's all in God's hands, girl. Now, you have a plane to catch. We'll see you next week when y'all come to get us." Grace pulled Phyl into a trembling hug.

  Phyl checked her bag again. Passport and custody documents. Wallet, US cash and a map with directions to Ashland. Cal was waiting at the front door with her suitcase and new parkas and boots for Erica and Grace.

  Cal asked, for the twentieth time, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

  "I'm sure, my love. Both our names are on the custody documents, so either of us can do this. And I need to get to know Erica better."

  Cal drew Phyl in for a long kiss. "Drive safe and don't worry about being late."

  Phyl melted against him and said, "I'll miss you."

  "It's only three days, maybe four. But I'll miss you, too."

  After he loaded the bags into the van, he checked the booster seat again. Then he came around for a last hug.

  There was a dusting of snow on the medians all the way down to Syracuse, where she stopped for supper. It had been many years since she'd spent more than eight hours without someone else to look after but she knew she would be much happier tomorrow when she had company again.

  She never could understand how Harry could do this for weeks on end, driving to see customers and spending evenings in the hotel room reading or watching television. If it wasn't for Erica at the other end of this drive, she would have brought someone to keep her company on the trip.

  The hotel in Harrisburg was reasonably well appointed, but there was no need to do anything more than sleep and have breakfast. She let Cal know that she had made it safely that far and they talked for half an hour while she basked in the warmth of his voice.

  The seven o'clock wake up call was not needed. Phyl was on the road by six and pulled into Grace's drive at eleven to see a For Sale sign on the lawn. Erica came bursting out the door and bounding down the steps to greet her. A medium tall slender blonde with immaculate makeup and expensive designer jeans followed Erica onto the porch with Grace not far behind.

  "Bestemor!" Erica called as she launched herself at Phyl.

  "Erica!" Phyl swung her around into a hug under the wary gaze of the blonde woman.

  "Bestemor, you have to meet my Mommy." Erica tugged at Phyl's hand to move her to the front porch.

  Phyl examined Jeanine as she walked up the stairs and realized in some surprise, that they looked very similar, although Jeanine was almost ten years younger. Fixing a polite smile on her face, she held out her hand and said, "I'm Phyl Schuyler. You must be Jeanine."

  Jeanine put on a practiced smile and said, "I'm pleased to meet you," in a polite tone.

  "Likewise."

  Grace prodded her daughter. Jeanine responded with a flash of annoyance but the polite smile returned. "I want to thank you and Cal for taking Erica in. I recently got engaged and my fiance is not good with children. Or at least with the thought of raising Erica." Jeanine looked at her mother who nodded a grudging approval.

  Phyl took the excuse in stride and smiled sympathetically. "Erica is a treasure, Jeanine. We'll do our best to make sure she's loved and happy. You're welcome to come any time for a visit. We'll have lots of room. Cal and I just bought an older seven bedroom house on the river near our girls' high school." Phyl tried to project warmth.

  Jeanine thawed a bit. "Maybe in the summer. I don't handle the cold very well."

  Grace said, "Well, ladies, we have some fetching and
carrying to do."

  Phyl walked in to see six boxes labelled 'Erica' along with three large suitcases. Grace said, "Jeanine is going to supervise the house sale while we're up north with y'all. My stuff is already in storage at the home in Richmond. There's a lovely one bedroom suite coming available on December 4th."

  Jeanine looked nostalgically at the bare living room walls. "If there's anything else Erica wants from here, I can arrange to have it shipped."

  Phyl asked Erica if there was anything more, but she said that all her special stuff was already in the boxes. It was a matter of fifteen minutes for all of them to put the suitcases and boxes in the van then drive to the Cracker Barrel for lunch.

  While they had some time alone, Jeanine admitted that she had a few regrets about the way she'd handled the situation. Phyl listened attentively as Jeanine spoke of her life in a paid off house but almost no income after her father died when she was fourteen.

  Erica came back and spent some time happily asking her mother what all of the antiques on the walls were and Phyl saw some of Jeanine's unguarded emotions. With a flash of insight, she realized that she might have turned out exactly like Jeanine if it hadn't been for David's stupid photos. She might have hardened her heart in exactly the same way and been left with an undefined longing for love and stability. She might even have tried to go the single mother route without the capacity to support her child properly.

  She also realized what David saw in Jeanine and in Heddy that was. The fantasy of a no-strings-attached relationship with a beautiful image of a woman. Fortunately, she'd learned her lesson. She was very afraid that Jeanine was going to end up a rich and bitter divorcee in a few years unless she figured out that she could lean on Jesus when the hard times came, like her mother was doing.

  Phyl said a quiet prayer for each of them then asked Erica if she wanted to help her pick some music for the drive home.

  Phyl spent some time browsing the shop with Erica so that Grace and Jeanine could have some time together. As Jeanine hugged her mother and daughter goodbye Phyl saw a hint of a tear before Jeanine retreated to the ladies room.

  Cal was waiting for them in the kitchen of his house, making a macaroni and cheese casserole for lunch. They had decided earlier that Cal's house was better suited for Grace with the main floor guest room.

  Cal excused himself at two to go pick up the kids.

  Grace sat in the living room watching Erica and Phyl explore the house. "Bestemor, will I have my own room?"

  "Yes, Erica. But you'll only be living here for three weeks. Then your grandfather and I will be getting married and we'll all move into one house together. We'll show you the new house tomorrow."

  Erica seemed puzzled. "You don't live with Grampa?"

  "No, sweetie, I live across the street, remember?" Phyl pointed at her house. "That's where Lydia and Tim live, too. Your Grandpa and your aunt Felicity live here."

  Grace asked, "You've called the girls twins a couple of times. I'm sure there's a story."

  Phyl laughed. "It's the reason my late husband and I were such good friends with Cal and Brenda, his late wife. I was five months pregnant with Lydia when we moved in across the street and Brenda was five months pregnant with her very surprising Felicity. Felicity has three brothers and a sister, but the next oldest is Jeremy who is almost eighteen years older." Phyl included Erica in the story.

  "So Brenda, that's Felicity's mom, became my best friend. When it came time to have our babies, we ended up having them at the exact same time. July 4th at 7:22 in the evening. Then we shared a semi-private room in the hospital before we came home. The girls are closer than most sisters so we've called them the twins ever since."

  Grace said, "That's a whole bunch of coincidences, for sure. And next month they'll be sisters for real."

  They looked out the window to see the car unload and Felicity race into the house. Dumping her pack and outerwear in the foyer as quickly as possible, she called, "Erica! Where are you?"

  Erica hopped down from the sofa and ran into the hall, skidding into Felicity's hug. "Auntie Flisty!"

  Lydia, shaking her head, tidied up Felicity's coat and boots then dragged her pack into the dining room. "Hey, Erica."

  "Auntie Lydia!" Erica squirmed out of her hug with Felicity and launched herself at Lydia. Phyl looked at Grace to see her relax into her chair with a sigh of contentment.

  Cal brought up the rear with the first set of grocery bags. "Okay people, tomorrow is Thanksgiving for our guests so I bought enough for a good feast." On his way back from the kitchen, he stopped to give Erica and Lydia quick kisses and said, "Erica, your aunt Elaine and uncle Brian are coming for supper with your cousins Emily and John. Tomorrow, your father and his family will be with us for supper, too, along with a couple of American families from church who couldn't get home to be with their families."

  Erica got excited about meeting her other relatives again. Grace asked Phyl, quietly, "Will it be okay that David's family is here for supper tomorrow?"

  "Cal and I discussed it at some length. If the Raneys and the Beuhlers had declined, we'd have just had David over for supper tonight. But with that many people, Judy's manners will kick in and David will behave. I know that Erica's half-siblings all want to get to know her better, but I'm worried about Jason. He's old enough to understand what his Dad did and he takes his mother's side most of the time. Brenda and Duncan are younger and don't quite understand what's going on so they haven't connected Erica with the fights their mum and dad have been having. The younger kids liked Erica when she came up in July."

  Phyl saw the sceptical look on Grace's face. "Besides, you'll be here and if things get too bad, you'll be able to help distract Erica. But I'm sure that Judy won't cause a scene and Cal can handle Jason."

  Grace was impressed with the mansion on two acres that Cal and Phyl bought on the Rideau River near Carleton Heights. It was standing empty, so the agent was happy to let them take another tour. They only stayed long enough for Phyl to get some window measurements and to let Erica pick out her bedroom from the remaining three.

  The Beuhlers arrived just after lunch to watch the NFL game on the big screen. Hank brought a big case of Sam Adams Boston Lager, which Cal admitted was okay for an American beer and Lois brought a big tray of Tex-Mex finger food. The Raneys arrived with their three kids at the same time as Phyl returned from picking up the kids from school. By five, the party was in full swing.

  Judy avoided Erica all evening without being obvious about it. David spent as much time as he could in the same room as Erica who flitted like a butterfly from one relative to another. David was mildly annoyed that Erica seemed to prefer the company of her Auntie Flisty and her Bestemor to his.

  Cal cornered Judy in the kitchen after supper. "You look like you need a hug."

  Phyl looked over from the counter to signal approval over Judy's shoulder. Cal moved closer and wrapped his arms around his daughter-in-law.

  Judy hugged him back then took a deep breath. "She's such a beautiful bundle of energy. I wish I could get past what David did."

  Phyl came over and gave Judy a hug. "You will. Eventually."

  Judy turned to face Phyl. "Did you meet her?"

  Phyl nodded. "I did."

  "What's she like?"

  "Jeanine's a lot like I was in high school. Her father died when she was fourteen, so I think she did what I did, which is look for something or someone to replace the loss of that love. David's a pretty handsome guy, not as handsome as his father, but I can see where she'd fall for him. And she looks too much like I did when I was in my wild days."

  Judy acknowledged that with a bleak look. Phyl continued, "so I think she wanted to have Erica, not to try to pry David away from you, although that might have been part of it, but to have someone permanent in her life to love. But unlike me, she didn't find Jesus or a good man like Harry to be part of her life, so she couldn't give Erica all the love she needs."

  "And I can't either. David
will have to be content to let you raise her. I expect that I'll get used to her and accept her as part of the extended family, but I'll always know she's not mine."

  Cal said, "We know, Judy, and we love you. I'm still disappointed with David, but Erica is my granddaughter regardless of how she came about. It's a lot easier for us to love her and care for her."

  "Thank you both. I'm looking forward to welcoming you to the family next month, Mum." Judy's expression changed to a smirk.

  "You're going to do that to needle David, right?"

  "Oh, you bet. Besides, he has to get over his fixation with tall competent blondes and remember he has a short curvy redhead with a temper waiting for him at home. So, even though he gets annoyed when I say it, I'm calling you Mum when he's around."

  Phyl gave Judy another hug. "If Vivian or Elaine starts calling me Mum I think I'm going to freak."

  Cal crossed his arms. "Hey, if I have to put up with people asking me about my granddaughter Felicity, you have to put up with having stepchildren older than you. So there."

  Phyl glared at her fiancee then saw the mix of love and amusement in his face. Her face softened and she sighed as she returned his love in a sunny smile. Judy rolled her eyes. "You are worse than two teenagers. You should have taken Cal up on his suggestion that you get married at city hall so you could get some of this out of your system."

  Erica came bounding into the kitchen pursued by her half-sister Brenda. "Bestemor, can we have some milk? Please?"

  Judy's face went to neutral as she saw her daughter and Erica bouncing around Phyl. Phyl looked suitably chastened and said, "I'm sorry, girls, I forgot that's what I came in here for." She opened the fridge to get the milk out.

  Erica giggled. "That's so weird."

  Brenda asked, "What's weird."

  "That milk comes in plastic bags. It's funny." Erica took a glass from Phyl and sat at the kitchen table across from Judy.

  "Are you Brenda's mommy?"

  "Yes, I am."

  "You have pretty hair. I wish I had red hair, too."