Ray Gorham - Daunting Days of Winter

Spencer wrinkled his nose. “What’s cute at first sight?”

“Cute at first sight is what most people experience, but they call it love. I was definitely smitten with Charles. He seemed so wonderful to me, and I did think it was love at the time, but so did a lot of other girls, which didn’t make him very popular with the boys. Anyway, somehow I won the Charles lottery, and before I graduated from high school, we were engaged.”

“Oh, my,” Jennifer said. “You two didn’t waste any time, did you?”

Grace blushed a little. “By today’s standards, we didn’t, although Sean and Rose make us look sloth-like. But back then, we weren’t too far out of the norm, especially for small towns. And I might say, marriages back then lasted a lot longer than they do now, so it wasn’t bad.”

“Guess I’ll give you that. How long were the two of you married?” Jennifer asked.

“Fifty-two years,” Grace answered with glistening eyes. “Fifty-two wonderful years. And when we married, we both expected it would last. Divorce wasn’t really an option. I’m not saying it was a walk in the park. My dad was pretty upset about our romance. Charles was from far away, he was three years older than me, and he wasn’t of our faith, so my family tried really hard to discourage me.”

“Did you guys elope?” David asked, also drawn in by Grace’s experience.

“Oh, no. Nothing like that, though we did talk about it a couple of times. No, my dad realized my mind was made up, and he kind of liked Chuck anyway, so he convinced my mother that they should give us their blessing.”

“Did they come to your wedding?” Emma asked.

“Did they ever. We got married at the end of June, just after I graduated, and my parents planned the biggest wedding you could imagine. I thought they might do something little because I was being a bit of a rebel, marrying an outsider and all, but it was just the opposite. I think it was the biggest wedding Grace, Idaho had seen to that point.”

“If your parents weren’t real happy, why’d they do it? That doesn’t make sense.” David pulled his knees up close to his body and wrapped his arms around them to keep warm.

“I asked my dad that before our first daughter got married. He laughed and said it was to keep us on our toes.”

“Why did he want you on your toes?” Spencer asked, looking puzzled.

“It doesn’t really mean to be on my toes. He just wanted us to be thoughtful about it. He said he wanted everyone to know who had promised to take care of his daughter, and he wanted us to know that everyone knew. Said a marriage vow isn’t just to one person. I thought about that a lot as my own daughters married off, and it makes a lot of sense. You see, when people marry, it’s not just something you do on a whim because you like someone, though that’s what a lot of people seem to think. Marriage is a promise you make to the person you marry and, almost as important, to your community and the families, that the two of you have committed to supporting each other and your children.”

“Why do they care?” Emma asked, leaning forward and resting her chin in her hands.

“Because back then, who do you think would take care of me if Chuck didn’t?”

Emma shrugged, but David answered. “Probably your family and your neighbors, wouldn’t they?”

Grace nodded. “Back then, it was pretty important to the community that there weren’t very many single women, or orphans, because the community would have to help take care of them. So, as you can imagine, there was a lot of pressure for families to stay together. My dad wanted to make sure Chuck understood the family’s expectations, so he made sure everyone in town knew who was committing to his daughter. “

“Good thing it’s not like that anymore,” David said. “The government helps with that.”

“But it is like that again, isn’t it, David,” Jennifer said, rubbing his shoulders. “We’re back to where we where a long time ago. I think that’s why I worry about your father so much. If he doesn’t make it back, we’re…” she started to choke up and paused for a second to compose herself. “We’re going to have a hard time.”

“Dad’s coming back, Mom. Stop worrying, please. Plus, I’m still here.”

“Yes, David, you are. But at some point, you’re going to get married and have your own family, and you won’t want to still be taking care of your old mother.”

Grace tapped the table gently with her hands. “I didn’t mean for this to become a downer. Like I said, marriages are good for the community, both for the reasons we talked about and because they’re a celebration. It’s a happy time. I think this wedding will be good for us, especially coming out of winter. There’ll be dancing, and food, and everyone can come together and celebrate.”

Carol stood up from the table and grabbed her plate. “Yes, it will be good for us. As the designated doctor in this town, I can assure you that people need something to celebrate. I’m no psychiatrist, but it can’t do anything but help. Now, on that note, it looks like everyone is done. Whose turn is it to help me with the dishes?”

Emma stood grudgingly and picked up her plate. “It’s my turn, again. Boy, do I miss the dishwasher.”

“We have a dishwasher, Sis,” David said, smiling. “It’s named Emma.”

Emma glared at her brother and was about to throw a fork at him when Jennifer grabbed her arm and stopped her.

Spencer laughed, then grinned at David. “Tomorrow the dishwasher’s named David,” he said, then tried to dodge as David grabbed him and began to tickle him. “Stop!” he shrieked, fighting back against his brother.

David wrestled Spencer to the ground, tickling him as he shrieked uncontrollably. “Tell me you’re sorry,” David demanded.

“I’m sorry!” Spencer cried, as he tried to peel David’s fingers from his side. “I’m sorry,” he repeated when David didn’t stop.

“Hey! I thought I heard someone say I’m sorry!” came a deep, male voice.

Everyone stopped and turned.

“Kyle!” Jennifer cried, dashing across the room and throwing her arms around her husband.

“Dad!” the kids cried, running to him as well.

“Don’t squeeze too hard,” Kyle said. “You don’t want to break me right off the bat.”

Jennifer released her grip and stepped back. “You’ve had me worried to death,” she said as she looked him over. “What happened to your jacket? It looks like it’s been through a paper shredder.”

Kyle smiled at her as he hugged the children. “I missed you, honey. It’s good to be back.”

“I missed you, too, Kyle,” she said, then kissed him tenderly on the lips. “What happened to you?”

“It’s nothing to be worried about. Let’s just be happy we’re back together, alright?”

Jennifer was about to respond when Madison began crying in the next room. “David, can you go get the baby?” she asked, then turned back to Kyle, who was staring at her wide-eyed.

“What did you just say?”

Jennifer laughed. “Oh, congratulations. You’ve got a baby girl.”

Kyle shook his head. “Something’s not adding up here.” He looked at Carol for answers.

“Congratulations, Kyle. You should be very proud,” Carol said, grinning widely.

David returned carrying Madison. “Do you want to hold her?” he asked, extending the baby to Kyle.

Emma pulled the blanket away from Madison’s face as Kyle took her gingerly in his arms. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she Daddy?”

Kyle nodded. “I think I need to go back to Idaho and apologize to Roman.” He looked at Jennifer. “How?”

Jennifer stepped back to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. “I’ll tell you my stories, if you tell me yours.”