by Niles, Naomi
I hugged Tyler and Maddie one more time and then Dylan helped me into the U-Haul. I waved vigorously as Dylan started driving away. I waved until we turned the corner and lost sight of Maddie and Tyler.
“Are you ok?” Dylan asked as he reached out and took my hand.
“I’m fine,” I nodded. “I’m better than fine actually. I’m with you.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Dylan
We had been driving for only about an hour and a half when I took an exit and turned left on the highway.
“Where are you going?” Lizzie asked frowning as she looked around in confusion.
“You don’t recognize where we are?” I asked.
She seemed to concentrate a little harder and then I saw realization dawn. “The graffiti wall!” I exclaimed. “When did we last come here?”
“My parents took a bunch of us out here in our seventh year,” I said.
“That’s right,” Lizzie nodded. “Oh my God … that was over fifteen years ago.”
“Do you remember what we did?”
“There was a lake out here wasn’t there?” Lizzie asked. “Close to the graffiti wall?”
“A few miles west,” I replied as I turned into the parking lot and turned off the engine. “Are you up for a short walk?”
“Sure,” Lizzie nodded as she smiled brightly. She changed out Elvis’s water, gave him a consolation scratch and then I helped her out of the U-Haul.
Her body had blossomed in the last month. She finally looked pregnant, but if you didn’t look directly at her stomach you wouldn’t know it. She was lean and trim and the only slight difference I could see was a slight fullness about her face. Still, it looked natural on her; it made her seem younger somehow.
“Gosh the graffiti wall,” Lizzie said as we walked towards it. “I can’t believe it’s been so long.”
“Do you remember it?”
“Of course I remember it,” she said and her eyes went warm with the memory. “How could I ever forget?”
“I was so excited the night before,” I told her. “I didn’t sleep because I knew we were taking the trip and you were coming.”
“You sat next to me in the van,” Lizzie said fondly. “And you shared your chips with me.”
“That was a big deal,” I teased. “I never share chips with anyone.”
Lizzie laughed and slipped her hand into mine. We turned the corner and saw it squeezed in between large rock formations. It was so much smaller than my memory of it but that was to be expected. It was a colorful wall, filled with amazing graffiti that comprised of random names, poetry, and amazingly detailed images.
“We wrote our names on the wall,” Lizzie said in excitement as she ran straight to the wall. “I think it was the bottom right hand corner.”
“Here,” I said spotting Lizzie’s name first. “Here we are.”
My name was just next to Lizzie’s and right above Maddie’s. It was like a picture postcard of our childhood and a promise of the future to come. I stared at the sight of it. It was like my life had been categorized into parts. There were the Lizzie years; the Navy years and now the enlightenment era which found me back in Lizzie’s arms.
Lizzie was staring at the wall in delight. “This is amazing,” she said. “I never thought I’d be here again.”
“Do you remember what happened after we wrote our names here?” I asked.
She looked at me for a moment and then it hit her. “You took my hand and pulled me around to the other side,” she said. As she said the words, she grabbed my hand and pulled me around to the other side where the rock formations for more and more elaborate. “And when we were alone … you kissed me.”
“Our first kiss,” I smiled. “I didn’t know if I would have the courage to go through with it …”
“What made you do it?” Lizzie asked.
“I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” I admitted. “And I knew that if I didn’t do it, I would always regret it.”
“You knew that at thirteen?” Lizzie asked in amusement.
“I did,” I nodded. “Do you remember what happened after I kissed you?”
Lizzie’s smile got wider. “We carved our names into the stone,” she said turning around searchingly. “Just yours and mine.” She was so engrossed in the search that she didn’t notice what I was doing at all. “I found it,” she said excitedly. “Dylan … I found our names.”
When I didn’t respond she turned back to look at me and then she froze in place. She turned her whole body to face me as I lay on one knee waiting for her patiently.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a small smile.
I reached into my trouser pocket and took out the little, Tiffany box. “I have a gift and a question for you,” I said.
Lizzie broke out into a smiling laugh that lit up her entire face. She came towards me and cupped my face in her hands. “I thought we were going to wait,” she said and I knew she was close to happy tears. “There’s so much going on already.”
“To hell with waiting,” I said passionately. “I’m tired of waiting; life is not made for people who wait. I love you. You are the only woman I have ever loved and you’re the only woman I will ever love. Marry me.”
Her eyes were bright and blue and shining with tears that held my reflection. She could have said a million different things in that moment. She could have told me she loved me, kissed me, and asked me to promise her a million different things, but she didn’t. She stared into my eyes and said the one simple phrase that was more important than any other words she could have said in that moment.
“Yes, Dylan,” she said. “I will marry you.”
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
Elizabeth
I couldn’t help but take a peek out the window. The lake looked pristine and just underneath the shade of the oaks I could see the simple white arch that had been placed a few feet from the banks of the lake. I could see the pattern of ivy and lilacs that had been woven through it. The flowers looked like they were dancing every time the wind brushed past.
I turned from the window and moved towards the full-length mirror that had been set up just for me. I stared at my reflection, slightly in awe of my own appearance. The dress I had chosen was a simple, silk sheath that billowed slightly at the train. The tiny cap sleeves comprised of intricate lace detail and a few seed pearls woven throughout. The back of the dress featured a deep neckline with lace overlay.
My hair had been brushed to a glossy sheen and it was draped around my shoulders without any adornments. My makeup was pared back, too, with coal accents on my eyes, blush, and nude lipstick to finish off the look. I had opted out of wearing a veil; I wanted everything to be as simple as possible. For the first time that day, I felt like a bride.
At that moment, the door opened and Louisa walked in. She was wearing a silver dress with a matching dress coat and I could tell that she was happy. I was still getting used to calling her by her first name. Somehow it didn’t feel comfortable yet.
“Hi,” I smiled.
“Oh, Lizzie,” she sighed. “You look perfect.”
“Thank you.”
“Where’s my grandson?”
“He’s sleeping,” I said gesturing towards the little cot next to the bed. “Thank you for taking him last night.”
“Of course,” Louisa nodded. “You needed your beauty sleep.”
We both moved towards the crib at the same time. Daniel was sleeping face up with his chubby, little hands in fists on either side of his head. His hair was a deep brown like Dylan’s, but I knew that the blue of his eyes were closer in color to mine.
“He’s a handsome fellow, isn’t he?” Louisa said fondly.
“He is,” I nodded. “He takes after his father in that way.”
“I would say he’s a pretty good mix of both his parents,” Louisa said gently. She looked towards me and took my hand. “I’m so happy that you and Dylan decided to have th
e wedding in Bastrop and to get married here, in our home.”
“It was the only place either one of us would even consider,” I said. “It’s our home.”
“I only wish that Derek had been alive to see this,” Louisa said with a catch in her voice. “And to meet his grandson.”
“I wish that too,” I nodded squeezing her hand. “Dylan and I tell Daniel stories about his grandfather all the time.”
Louisa smiled affectionately. “I have a few stories I could share with Daniel too.”
Maddie interrupted us as she walked in. She was wearing a lilac, wrap dress and she had white peonies in her hair. Daniel stirred in his sleep and then his eyes blinked open irritably.
“Hey,” Maddie said when she saw us. “It’s almost time.”
I nodded to her as Daniel let out a little cry. I reached for him immediately. He clung to me, but a few short seconds later, he quietened down. He looked at me intently as though he could barely recognize me.
“Hi, little man,” I said as I rocked him back and forth. “I know mama looks a little different today; I look different to me too.”
Maddie came forward and ran her fingers through Daniel’s soft, brown hair. “He is such a little cutie,” she sighed. “He’s enough to make a girl start thinking things.”
I winked at Maddie as Louisa extended her arms to take Daniel. “I’ll get him dressed and bring him down,” she said. “Why don’t you take a moment before Maddie brings you down?”
I sat down on the bed and Maddie came to sit beside me. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
I laughed. “Is it crazy that I actually feel a little nervous?”
Maddie smiled. “A little … especially considering how perfect you and Dylan are together. I mean seriously, that boy is amazing.”
“He really is isn’t he?” I nodded. “He’s made these last few months so easy on me. He changes diapers, he gets up for the three a.m. feedings, he sings to Daniel every night before bed, and he still manages to make me feel like the most precious thing in the world.”
“That’s how you know you’ve got a good one.”
“I didn’t really need the proof though,” I said. “I knew that years ago.”
“Does that mean you’re ready?” Maddie asked with raised eyebrows.
I smiled excitedly and took a deep breath. “I am ready.”
We walked down the stairs where my parents were waiting to walk me down the aisle. Maddie gave me a kiss on the cheek and then rushed off in the direction of the lake. My parents kissed me on the forehead and then I heard the music start up.
With another deep breath, I started walking with my father on one arm and my mother on the other. There were no more than twenty people sitting in front of the arch but I couldn’t focus on anyone or anything. All my nerves melted away as my eyes fell on the man standing just underneath the arch.
Dylan looked so handsome that I forgot about everything else. His black tuxedo made him look like he had stepped out of a James Bond film. He came forward and extended his hand to me in a gesture that conveyed more than it appeared. We stood opposite one another under the arch with our hands joined and our eyes fixed firmly on one another.
I didn’t hear the priest’s words. All I was aware of was Dylan’s blue eyes fixed firmly on mine. The only words that did register were the ones I had been waiting for this whole time.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Dylan pulled me to him forcefully and kissed me so hard that I felt that kiss all the way down to my toes. I heard the small gathering erupt into laughter and applause but Dylan didn’t let go of me.
“We did it, Lizzie,” Dylan whispered to me. “We made it.”
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SEAL's Arrival
By Naomi Niles
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Naomi Niles
CHAPTER 1
Elsa
I was raking the endless pile of leaves when I heard Mama ring the bell for supper. I leaned my rake carefully against a sturdy tree and walked over to my house to join my family at the table. I washed up in the kitchen sink before I ran my damp hands through my Blonde curls that had come loose from my braid before I stepped towards the dining area. I glanced out of the window to see a shiny yellow car parked in our driveway, something you didn’t ever see out here in Amish country. It looked older than some of the cars I sometimes saw when we were going into town. What was happening?
I paused in shock as I took the beautiful vehicle in, at least until I heard Mama calling my name from the dining room. “Coming, Mama!” I called out before I walked into the long room with the massive wooden table and took my seat next to my brother Adam with my father to my left, which was a little different than I was used to. I frequently sat by Mama with Adam across from me, but now they closed me in at the table when there was plenty of seats.
Another meal with my family. It had been this way for so many years, and I had been all too aware that Rumspringa was just around the bend for me for some time now. I’d dreamed of it at night and wondered what I was going to do, and who I was going to do it with. My brother went with some friends, and it was a mystery what they’d done. I knew a few older girls that had left and come back as well, and while they had a few hushed stories to tell when we had a moment alone, they were here now. They came back. Most of the Amish did and settled right back into their lives, even getting married and starting their family.
I felt a presence in the room and lifted my eyes to see my family seated as well as a stranger. He was tall and muscular, gorgeous with dark black cropped hair and intense brown eyes that were taking me in quite intently. He was dressed in a clean white t-shirt and a worn leather jacket and smiled at me as I found myself returning one to him easily. I suspected that he was the owner of that car in the driveway, and everything about him screamed that he was an outsider to me. It was enticing, and the timing couldn’t have been worse, or better, depending on how you looked at it.
I could smell him in the room above the scent of my supper, clean and woodsy as I took a deep breath.
I noticed the scar tissue on his arm where the jacket was pushed up just slightly, perhaps to be easier for him to move. Maybe the feeling of anything on his skin irritated the marred red welts that covered his forearm. It made me wonder what happened, and I took the hands of my family as my Daddy said the nightly prayer before supper.
I was introduced to the man after the prayer was said and the food was being passed around the table. His name was Aidan Wolcott, and he winked at me after the introduction as I felt my body warm up and my cheeks flush pink. I found out from his easy way of talking that he was a veteran of the Afghanistan War. I didn’t know too much about anything other than what little I’d been taught in school and without television or the internet like other folks had there was no way for me to know anymore apart from what he was telling all of us. It was fascinating to hear about life outside of my little community, and his eyes showed that he hid a few details with his storytelling and witty banter that had me laughing all too quickly. I think that my family was even entertained by him as I took peeks at them when I wasn’t staring at Aidan.
There was a large part of me that wanted to go to a modern college during my time away as I listened to him talk and learn everything that I could, though that decision would have to be made at a later date. I hadn’t even left yet though I was feeling a stirring in my belly as I got more and more lost in Aidan.
He was animated and witty, much different from any of the men-or boys-that I’d eve
r met living in this community. They all paled in comparison to him with their awkward ways, and I was hooked on his voice. His banter had me smiling and laughing before I even realized I was doing so, and it took away from the focus on the supper I’d piled on my plate.
Supper was normally a quieter event for my family, and I noticed the looks that my father was giving me as I cleared my throat and looked down as I played with the roast on my plate. The food was delicious as always as my mother was one of the best cooks in the community, but I didn’t have any taste for it tonight. The appetite that I’d worked up outside in the yard seemed to disappear when I saw this stranger at my table, in my house.
My father, Isaac, told me that Aidan was making a cross country drive from Virginia when his car broke down just in front of our farm. He gave me a stern look as he mentioned that he would be spending the night before a repairman came to take a look at the vehicle in the morning and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my older brother Adam was sitting up straighter. I wanted to laugh at him and ask how he could think that he could intimidate a man like Aidan? He was strong and had lived such a life, one that I wanted so badly to know more about. No man here in my community could ever compare to Aidan, and I knew that I would never forget him.
We finished supper, and I cleaned up in the kitchen with Mama as the men sat out on the porch and talked. Daddy liked to have his coffee and relax after he ate and I think my brother went out there just to spy on Aidan. I couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about as we washed and dried the dishes and got the kitchen all cleaned up for the night. She looked at me with the same green eyes that I had and cleared her throat. “You liked that young man, Elsa. I could see it.”
“He’s so different from anyone I’ve ever met here. What’s not to be fascinated by, Mama?” I asked her as I looked at her in wonder. I knew that she was worried about my time away and concerned that I might choose not to return, and the arrival of this man was a little too close to comfort for her. I knew that she had wanted the Amish life and loved it since she’d married my father soon after returning and settling into the family life. Of course, she wanted the same for me, but I’d always wanted to explore and see the world.