Ray Gorham - Daunting Days of Winter

Saturday, April 7 th

Deer Creek, MT

“I don’t think they could have picked a better day,” Jennifer said, squinting in the sunlight.

Kyle nodded. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” He looked around at the gathering crowd, with everyone wearing the best they had and carrying lawn chairs as they filled the field for the wedding ceremony. Emma, David and Spencer were all seated nearby.

The wedding had originally been scheduled for inside the town meeting hall, but with such pleasant spring weather, the site had been changed to the town park, a grassy field on the edge of the newly filled reservoir, lightly shaded by a row of freshly budding cottonwoods that towered over the creek. David, Emma, and some of their friends had brought the Shipley’s goats, along with shovels, to the park during the past few days to eat the grass down, creating a nice, green, if slightly irregular, pasture for the ceremony to take place.

“You want to hold Madison?”

Kyle nodded and took the baby from Jennifer. He smiled and made faces at her, eliciting a smile. “She smiled!” he exclaimed excitedly. “That one was a real smile; I’m sure of it.”

“Spencer got her to smile yesterday. I thought I told you that?”

“I don’t think so, or maybe I don’t remember. I was so tired when I got home.” He gently rubbed Madison’s cheek. “She sure is a pretty baby, isn’t she?”

Jennifer nodded. “It’s such a tragedy her mom is gone. She’d be so proud.”

“At least Madison’s alive and healthy, although I think she made goat noises at me when I fed her her bottle this morning.”

Jennifer slapped him on the shoulder. “She does not make goat noises, and thank heavens we have access to those animals, or she might not be alive. Have you seen Rose yet today?”

Kyle shook his head.

“She’s beautiful. She modeled her dress for me yesterday and she looks absolutely stunning.”

“I still can’t believe she followed me here. I think I was more surprised by Rose than by Madison when I got back.”

“Are there going to be any more women from your travels showing up this summer?”

“Maybe one.”

Jennifer turned to look at Kyle, her eyebrows raised.

“If the wife of that black bear tracks me down.”

Jennifer laughed out loud, drawing the attention of the family sitting in front of them. She elbowed Kyle in the ribs. “Probably just as well I didn’t know about Rose. It would’ve put a worry in my head that didn’t need to be there.”

Some of the wedding guests turned to look beyond the seating area, and Kyle and Jennifer did the same. “I see her,” Kyle said. “She’s on her horse.”

Jennifer stood to watch as the wedding procession moved towards the guests, while Kyle bounced Madison on his lap. “Did I tell you when I went to Frank’s yesterday that we got ahold of Roman,” Kyle whispered loudly.

“No, you didn’t. What did he say?” Jennifer asked as she watched the bride approach.

“He just laughed at me. Told me that I need to be more willing to trust a Polack.”

“Sounds like he’s a nice guy.”

“He is, but he seemed lonely. Not sure how many friends he has. Must be hard for him, being isolated and with no family around.” Kyle stood as the wedding party reached the guests.

“This all seems so surreal, don’t you think?” Jennifer asked as two ladies helped Rose, dressed in a white wedding dress donated by a neighbor and modified for the occasion, down from her horse. Sean followed close behind his bride on his own horse, dressed in a gray suit that hung loosely on him, a bright red necktie adding a splash of color.

Kyle bounced the baby in his arms. “First wedding I’ve heard of in the last seven months. Can’t imagine it’s a regular occurrence these days. It feels good, though, like we’re not in such a crisis anymore.”

“Rose is beautiful, isn’t she?”

Kyle paused. “Is it safe for me to agree?”

Jennifer laughed. “Yes, you’re allowed to agree.”

He nodded. “She looks very beautiful today. I think leaving her house was the hardest part of my trip from Texas.”

“I said you could agree. No need to add that last bit.”

Kyle laughed this time. “But I did leave, because you weren’t there.”

Jennifer smiled at him. “Brownie points.”

Kyle nodded at Sean as he walked down the aisle between the groups of chairs. Gabe, clean-shaven and dressed in a loose, black suit, waited at the front of the gathering on a platform that had been built for the occasion. He smiled broadly as he watched the couple approach.

Rose, escorted by Sean’s niece, and Sean, escorted by his son, stopped in front of the platform and Gabe stepped forward, clearing his throat. “Friends,” he began, “This is truly a special occasion, not just for this couple, but for our community as well. We’ve been through an awful lot these past few months. Many times we probably wondered if we would make it this long, if we could ever be happy again, or if life would ever regain some semblance of normalcy. Today is an assurance that all of those things are happening. There is life, happiness, and some normalcy.

“Sean and Rose’s union, and the fact that we’re all here to celebrate it with them, tells me that we still see a future, one filled with hope and better days. It’s much like the world of nature we see around us, coming back to life with the buds on the trees, the green grass growing beneath our feet, the calves we’ve been blessed with on the ranch, and the warm weather we’re enjoying. It all reinforces the same message – that life renews, that after seasons of cold and hardship there is a newness of life, a reassurance that things will improve, and today, that renewing is taking place for the couple you see before you.

“Before they exchange rings, Sean and Rose have asked to share their vows.”

Gabe motioned to Sean, who stepped onto the platform and pulled a piece of paper from his suit pocket. He smiled at the crowd, making eye contact with many of the wedding guests, then turned to face Rose, drinking her in with his eyes. After looking down at his notes, he began. “Last year at this time, I was a single father, lonely and struggling to survive in an indifferent world that rushed by and left me exhausted. The first week after everything collapsed, with all the chaos, I didn’t think I would live to see another year. For a while, I tried to make things as normal as I could for my son’s sake, but I was in a world I didn’t want to be in. We escaped the city and came to live with my brother, Craig, and his family and found a community that welcomed us in and put us to work. It was, and is, wonderful, and we are very grateful.

“Here, I wasn’t as lonely as before because I had friends and family surrounding me. I didn’t even know I was missing something until I met you, Rose.” Sean wiped at his eyes and nose, and cleared his throat. “When I first met you and you smiled at me, I thought my heart was about to fail. I now know it was something inside me that stirred back to life that day – the desire to have a companion and a best friend, someone to share my life with, to help me through my struggles, and someone who I can help with theirs. I know things won’t be easy, but I pledge my love, my life, and everything that I am to you.”

Sean stepped down and embraced Rose before helping her onto the platform. She wiped her own tears away and smiled radiantly at Sean. After taking a minute to compose herself, she began to speak. “I think I should have chosen to go first,” she said as she fought her emotions. “I want to tell all of you how grateful I am to be here. You’ve taken me in and accepted me under such difficult circumstances. I can’t express what that means to me.”