A Picture – Worth A Thousand Words Pt. 02

"Jack," she started, "I'm really in shock. The last thing I expected was for you to propose. That and the car, I don't think I'll get over it."

"Joyce, I think I've loved you for years. I just didn't know it because of what happened with my ex. I was gun-shy and it took my trip in the Rockies to see what was in front of my face. I'm just relieved you at least nodded yes, even if you didn't say it," I laughed.

"No I didn't say it, did I? Jack, officially, yes, a thousand times yes. I'll marry you. If these seats were closer together you might have a difficult time driving," she giggled. "Look, I don't want to sleep in that apartment all by myself. Let me get some things together, and I'll come back to your place."

I thought I'd tease her a bit, "Well, you can't come back to my place." Her face fell, not really understanding what I was saying. "Sweetheart, it's our place, not just mine. I know we're not married yet, but that's just a formality. You can move your stuff whenever you want. You can sub-lease the apartment, or buyout the remainder of the lease. It's up to you."

"Damn you Jack. You're gonna tease me to death one of these days," she laughed. "Wait here while I pack a bag. We can get the rest of it some other time." She was back in the motorhome in fifteen minutes, pulling a fair sized bag behind her. "I thought I could start filling up my side of the closet," she giggled.

"Whatever you want sweetheart. Let's go home." I started up the motorhome and drove towards the house.

"Jack, did I ever tell you your wife, ex-wife, was a fucking idiot?"

"I think you mentioned it once. I hope that's not what you're thinking you are." I knew it wasn't, and she had told me that once before.

"Of course not. I think I'm the luckiest woman on the planet right now. It's like a dream I don't want to wake up from." She sighed contentedly and was quiet the remainder of the drive to the house.

I drove into the backyard where we were temporarily parking 'Maxine". After parking the beast and making sure everything was secure, I carried Joyce's suitcase to the house. She waited on the deck while I went around to the front so I could open the patio doors from inside. I found her on a chaise lounge, curled up in a ball and crying.

"Joyce, sweetheart. What's the matter? Are you okay?" I couldn't keep the worry from my voice.

Through her sobs she said, "Yes, I'm fine. It's just everything, everything that happened tonight. It's a bit overwhelming. I've never gone through anything like this before. It's almost more than I can handle."

I just sat on the chaise lounge and held her, not saying a word. She'd let me know when she had settled down. It took awhile.

Eventually she said, "You know, you have to phone Colleen and Jamie, or did they know about all this?"

"No, sweetheart, the only one that knew was me, at least about the proposal. Gloria told me about the car, but I didn't tell anyone about proposing to you."

"I hope I don't have to go through this again," she said. She had finally stopped the tears but made no attempt to wipe them off her face.

"Why, do you want me to propose at another birthday party," I teased.

"God, you're such a brat," she punched my arm. "I must be a mess. I've got to go clean up. You call your kids and let them know. I want, no need, a nice cold glass of Chardonnay."

"Go. I'll bring your bag in. Your wine will be out here when you're ready." I carried the bag into the master bedroom, our bedroom, and went to pour the wine. I picked up the phone on the way out to the patio and hit Colleen's speed dial number.

We chatted for awhile. She was happy, for me and Joyce, and yes she and David would definitely be there for the wedding, whenever it was. I handed the phone to Joyce and she and Colleen talked for awhile. Finally that call ended and I called Jamie. He was surprised at first, then happy for both of us. Yes, he and his family would certainly be down for the wedding, and maybe come down soon so the kids could meet their new Grandma.

Chapter 10

We decided that we'd get married at the house. The back yard was large enough to hold quite a few people, and there would be room for the kids to run around. She hadn't had a church wedding, so we arranged for the minister of a local church to officiate. We set the date for three months from the day I proposed. Our honeymoon would be a trip in 'Maxine'. I especially wanted to go back to Riverside; for that matter, I'd be happy to spend the whole honeymoon there and just take day trips to sight see.

Once Joyce, Gloria, Jen and Colleen started planning, I just stayed out of the way and answered, "Yes dear," whenever I was asked. Thankfully it wasn't often. I thought I might need to find a couple of large contracts to pay for this, but I wanted Joyce to have her dream wedding.

Joyce decided that Gloria would be the matron of honour; Jen and Colleen would be bridesmaids. I decided that Jamie would be my best man. Jeff and an old friend, who was one of my first customers, would be groomsmen.

It was hard to get any work done with all the wedding planning going on. Lisa was able to pick up the slack for Joyce; which was a blessing. Since my input to the wedding was mostly monetary, the techs and I were able to keep up to the necessary work. We decided on putting new contracts on hiatus until Joyce and I got back from our honeymoon. I felt that if we couldn't give 110%, then it wasn't worth the effort. We had enough to keep us going, in any case.

The guest list kept growing. Many of our clients wanted to attend, as well as many of Joyce's friends. Since most of my friends were also clients, that worked out well. As it stood, there would be nearly a hundred people attending the wedding.

The night before the wedding I was banished from the house. I stayed at Gloria's. The women had taken over the house totally, and we men would just have to deal with it.

My stomach was doing back flips with a double twist as I waited at the alter for Joyce. The planners had set up the altar down in one shaded corner of the lawn. Chairs were set up for all the guests, and Joyce and her attendants would walk on a pathway of flowers from the patio down to the altar. It was an elegant setting. They had even arranged for an organ to be played, no recorded music, from the patio. As 'The Wedding March' began, the attendants, male and female, walked down the aisle and took their places.

Joyce looked stunning in a pale blue gown as she walked slowly down the aisle and stopped by my side. I guess the ceremony went okay. I was sort of on autopilot and spoke when prompted, placed the wedding ring on her finger when told to, and of course kissed the bride.

The caterers did a marvelous job. For simplicity, we had them set up a buffet in the house. Tables and chairs were set up outside. There was champagne on each table, as well as several bottles of the Silver Sage Chardonnay that Joyce liked so much. We had set it up so that dancing would take place on the patio. How they managed to book the band on such short notice I never did discover. It must have been someone knowing someone knowing someone, etc.

All in all it was a great day. Exhausted, Joyce and I made our escape in her new Avalon to a nearby resort where I had booked the Honeymoon Suite. We learned the next day that the party lasted until well past midnight. We changed into 'something more comfortable', a phrase that had become a running joke between us, and were content to relax in each other's arms. Eventually we made it to bed and were quickly fast asleep, snuggled together.

The next morning we returned to the house after a couple of hours of lovemaking followed by a nap. The back yard looked like a war zone, and the caterers and their crew were just starting the cleanup. We pitched in to help, and were soon joined by assorted other family members as they straggled in from their various accommodations. Once they had finished and all the chairs and tables loaded and taken away, Joyce and I went and got 'Maxine' ready for our trip.

I had invited George and Selma to the wedding without really expecting they could make it. With the campground open, it was hard for them to get away, but they did appreciate the gesture. I did get them to reserve a site for us, preferably near the main building so it would be easier to visit.

We managed to get out of there by early afternoon. Our plan was to be in Riverside the next day, so our first day's journey would be fairly short. We had Joyce's Avalon attached as our tow. It made much more sense than towing my larger car around. We got to the first campground I had stayed in on my solo trip that seemed so long ago. We didn't bother unhooking the tow, just got parked for the night and made a light dinner. I couldn't figure out why fellow campers were stopping to congratulate us. They didn't know us from Adam and had no reason to believe we were newlyweds; that is until I saw the sign that the kids had managed to affix to 'Maxine' after we had the tow hooked up. The sign read, and we still have it, in big bold letters "Young Newlyweds At 29+". We decided to leave it on until the next morning.

Early the next afternoon we pulled into Riverside. We were greeted and treated like royalty. Jeff had phoned the night before and told his grandparents about the wedding, and my offer to family and staff for the use of 'Maxine'. We decided to stay there for at least a week, using it as our base to travel around and explore. George wouldn't allow us to pay, telling Joyce it was their wedding gift to us. I made it quite plain, however, that if we did decide to stay the extra week, we would be paying for it; no argument. We did end up staying there for the entire two weeks. We could travel further afield another time.

We had a great time exploring the area, hanging out and visiting with George and Selma, and acting like newlyweds. Jeff's mother and her friend Dave came over a few times and we had a great visit. We found a curio shop in a small town nearby that sold magnetic jewelry and bought a bunch of bracelets and necklaces for our assorted grandkids. For the most part, we just enjoyed each other's company and making love for hours whenever the urge took us.

The two weeks was up before we knew it, and it was back to Kent, back to work, and back to start our new lives.