by L. M. Reed
Chapter 15
“Mrs. Fowlkes I don’t know how to thank you,” I dabbed at my eyes with a tissue, wishing I knew how to shut off the waterworks, “for everything.”
I had spilled more tears since meeting James than all the rest of my years put together.
“By the end of the summer you’ll probably be cursing my name,” Mrs. Fowlkes said smiling, “instead of thanking me.”
“I doubt that,” James returned her smile.
“There will be a lot of work involved,” Mr. Fowlkes warned. “Our gardener is getting up in years, but we just don’t have the heart to let him go. What we’re asking you to do will be full time and very tiring.”
“I don’t want you to lose your scholarship,” Mrs. Fowlkes frowned in concern. “Are you sure you’ll be able to start part time in March?”
“I’ll have evenings and all day on Sundays after we get home from church,” James assured her. “If need be, I can get up early in the mornings to get some things done.”
“Glad that’s settled,” Mr. Fowlkes said in a pleased tone. “We’ll get the guest house repainted and ready for you by the first of May, and then you can begin working full-time.”
“Could I do the painting?” I asked uncertainly.
“My dear,” Mrs. Fowlkes responded kindly, “we don’t mind paying a professional to do it.”
“I’ve done a lot of painting,” I quickly assured her. “Hannah and I helped Yvonne paint her whole store before she opened, and I learned a lot. I was hoping you would let me pick out the colors and whenever we move out, I could repaint it whatever colors you choose.”
“Do you have time?” Mr. Fowlkes asked doubtfully.
“I spend most of my afternoons here with Elsee anyway.”
The thought of turning the guesthouse, however temporary, into a warm and inviting home was too tantalizing to resist.
“Alright,” Mrs. Fowlkes nodded, “but if it gets to be too much for you, you must promise to let us know.”
“I promise,” I said with barely contained excitement.
“And we will pay for the paint,” Mrs. Fowlkes added. “I will set up an account at one of the local paint stores and you can buy whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” I breathed, my eyes shining.
“Now about the wedding,” Mr. Fowlkes said clearing his throat. “I would suggest you marry as soon as possible. Your father is sure to get his appointment by the end of summer, perhaps earlier, and we don’t want to get caught with our pants down, so to speak.”
“We have a little over three months until Allison graduates,” James said thoughtfully. “Since we’ll have a place to live and I’ll have a job I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t marry the weekend after her graduation.” Turning to me he asked, “Is that enough time for you to plan the wedding?”
“There won’t be much planning involved,” I assured him. “I don’t care what my father told the Fowlkes, I am not turning the most important day of my life into a circus. He just wants a publicity coup, and I’m not giving it to him.”
“What do you have in mind?” Mrs. Fowlkes asked.
“I just want to find a place big enough for our closest friends to attend and everyone will need to be ready on short notice, because I am not risking my father finding out and showing up,” I said adamantly.
“You don’t want your parents there?” James asked in surprise.
“My parents ruin everything,” I said bitterly. “I will not allow them to ruin this.”
“I’m afraid I have to agree with Allison,” Mrs. Fowlkes said gently. “And with that in mind I would like to offer my home as a possible location for your wedding as well as the reception afterwards. With Elsee in charge of the house, I would have no qualms about giving you carte blanche.”
“But you’ve done so much already,” I protested. “I’m beginning to feel like we’re taking advantage of your good nature. You’re furnishing us with a place to live, utilities paid, at so low a rent it is ridiculous, you’ve given James a job, and most importantly you have my father on a leash; you’ve done more than enough to help us.”
“Everything we’ve done,” Mr. Fowlkes said putting an arm around his wife, “is to our mutual advantage. The guesthouse is sitting empty, we would have to hire help from somewhere, and you furnished me with a good reason to bring your father down a peg or two. I must say I enjoyed that last one the most,” he grinned and winked at me.
“And offering the house is my selfish way of making sure I’m invited to the wedding,” Mrs. Fowlkes added, lips twitching.
“You are at the top of the guest list,” James laughingly assured her.
“Well since that’s the case, it would make it so much easier on me to attend if the wedding were held here,” she said solemnly.
“You win,” I surrendered without much of a fight. “And thank you…again.”
“You’re welcome…again,” she returned lightly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with Mr. Sandman. I seem to be having difficulty keeping my eyes open.”
After the Fowlkes had departed, James and I stared at each other, speechless. I firmly believed that Elsee was right when she said that her coming to work for the Fowlkes was not an accident. I couldn’t help but trust that God was taking care of us by sending us to them. We had our own special guardian angels.
“So I guess we’ll be married by the middle of May,” James stated in a stunned voice.
“Having second thoughts,” I tried to keep my own voice light, but failed miserably.
If he decided to back out, I would not be able to find it in my heart to blame him, even though it would crush me.
Pulling me into his arms, he said fiercely, “Never.”
“I wouldn’t blame you,” I said in a wobbly voice.
“Life wouldn’t be worth living without you,” he whispered in my ear. “I need you.”
“I love you so much,” I whispered back.
We stayed like that until Elsee came to find us. Clearing her throat discreetly, she smiled at my embarrassment as I sat up and away from James.
“If we expect to be ready for a wedding in May, we should get busy planning,” the joy in her voice was unmistakable.
“You’ve already talked to the Fowlkes, obviously.”
Elsee nodded and said, “Having the wedding here will make everything so much easier. Do you have any idea how many people you want to invite?”
“Besides you and the Fowlkes, I want to invite Mrs. White, my parents’ housekeeper, Yvonne, and…Richard,” I glanced at James, worried about how he would react to Richard’s name being on the list.
Frowning James asked, “Are you sure you should invite the guy your parents are trying to force you into marrying? I’m still not convinced he wasn’t the one who betrayed your confidence.”
“Richard is my friend,” I said stoutly defending him. “I know it wasn’t him.”
“Just in case, I suggest you don’t give him any details until ten minutes before the wedding.”
James wasn’t going to change his mind about Richard, so I agreed to wait until the last minute to invite him. I wasn’t about to tell him I was playing with the idea of asking Richard to give me away. I was afraid James might spontaneously combust.
“Allison, are you sure you want to take on the painting job in the guesthouse?” Elsee asked worriedly.
“I’m positive,” I stated firmly. “We will hopefully be living there for a year, and I want it to feel like a home…our first home.”
“I can understand that,” Elsee said gently. “If you need any help, you be sure and ask.”
“I will.”
“And no climbing on ladders,” James ordered. “Once the Fowlkes open you an account at the paint store, I intend to see that you have long handled rollers.”
“I’ll be fine, James.”
My heart swelled with love. James was protective, but at the
same time allowed me to make my own decisions. He was so different from my father who ruled everyone, even my mother, with an iron hand. Elsee was right, my view of men had been severely warped by the limited exposure I’d had to the ‘outside world’. I could hardly wait until May to become Mrs. James Wilson.
Painting would give me something to do to make the time go faster, and I would be able to spend time in the cottage deciding how to decorate it as well as daydreaming about what life would be like once we were married. I still experienced an anxious dread, a feeling in the pit of my stomach that refused to go away, wondering what my parents might do but, thanks to the Fowlkes, optimism overshadowed it.
“Can we go out to the cottage again?” I asked hopefully. “I want to get an idea of how much paint I’ll need and what colors I want to use.”
“Why don’t you go on out to the cottage and James will join you in a few minutes,” Elsee said guardedly. “Mr. Fowlkes would like to see you in his study, James.”
“Is something wrong,” I asked anxiously.
“Probably just something to do with the new job,” Elsee said reassuringly. “He should be ready for you now.”
“Don’t worry,” James smiled and kissed my forehead. “I’ll be out there shortly. Go dream.”
“Okay,” he knew me well enough to know that was exactly what I would be doing; dreaming of our wedding, our life together, the children we would have.
The cottage was in good repair, and with the right paint on the walls, would be a wonderfully cozy first home. Although it was small, it would be large enough for two people just starting out. The layout was much like a one bedroom apartment. A living room, a small dining area, and a u-shaped kitchen comprised the main living space and the bedroom and bathroom were quite large with a considerable amount of closet storage space. There were no laundry facilities but Elsee assured me that the Fowlkes would not mind if I used their laundry room.
I had some ideas about paint color, but I wanted to go look at samples in order to decide for sure. In the middle of investigating the kitchen cabinets—I would definitely want to buy some shelf paper to line the shelves and drawers—James came in carrying a large golden rod envelope.
“What’s that?” I asked curiously.
“Just something I need to do for Mr. Fowlkes,” James said dismissively. “Are you ready to go?”
“I’m ready whenever you are,” I answered carefully.
Something was bothering James, and I was betting it had to do with the envelope he was carrying, but I could see he wasn’t going to enlighten me so I let it go.
Dropping me at my apartment, James absentmindedly gave me a peck on the cheek and left. That, plus the emotional roller coaster I had been riding for the past couple of days was more than I could handle. As I locked the front door to the apartment, I could feel the sobs rising in my throat. Allowing my keys and purse to fall from my hands right where I stood, I slid to the floor and let the tears take over.