A Place to Call Home Pt. 04

"Then that's what I'll do!" Jill said emphatically. "You said there were some sports cars too. Was any of them a Porsche, by any chance?"

"Hmm, let's see... nope. They were all really exotic brands. The cheapest one was a Bugatti SUV. There's a nice Lamborghini Countach though. Damn, there's an Excalibur in there too. This cat had one hell of a collection going!"

"Oh well, if I sell it all, I guess I can afford another Porsche." Jill said. "Maybe I'll hang onto some of it."

"Why do you want another Porsche?" I inquired. "I thought you said you didn't want any part of all of that."

"I don't" she replied sweetly. "It's for you, Darling. You have made me so happy. I want to give you something back that doesn't involve sex."

"And on that note, I'm outta here!" Mike exclaimed. "Too much information about to start flowing from this money spring. Hit me up when you're out this way, and we'll grab some Jack in the Crack for lunch."

He ended the call, and I stared at Jill.

"You'd really buy me a Porsche?" I asked in disbelief. "I mean, that was just a childhood fantasy. I don't even think the roads here could even handle a Porsche."

"And one day meeting my knight in shining armor was mine." Jill replied. "I'm going to take that inheritance, Jack. I'm going to liquidate all of it and start a foundation in both our names, to help young runaways and give them a chance, so that they don't end up the way that I did. But I'm also going to keep some of it. You were going to share your life with me; what little you had. Now, I'm going to share some of mine with you.

"We're going to have a family, Jack. And we're going to give them a good education and we are going to take them all across this wonderful country of ours. There's so much to see out there. I want to share those wonderful views with you and our kids. What do you say, Jack Laporte? Will you marry me?"

I smiled, and nodded in reply.

"Of course I will." I answered.

"Then let's elope." Jill urged. "I don't know anyone, and do you have enough relatives and friends to make it worth a huge wedding?"

"I do not!" I stated emphatically. "Okay, as soon as your purse gets here, we'll get hitched!"

Two days later found us at the court complex for the county. While the title sounded huge, it was all crammed into a single two story building that housed everything from the Sheriff's Office and jail, to the tax office, to the magistrate; which is where we found ourselves early on the following Friday morning.

We entered the "complex" and passed by the Sheriff's Office, just as the door opened and the sheriff exited.

"Morning, Sheriff." I greeted her enthusiastically.

"Hey Jack!" she replied just as enthusiastically. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in three or four months. You hiding from me?"

"No." I laughed. "I was just busy getting the latest novel out. You know this time of year... it's hard for me."

"Yeah, we all still miss her too, Jack." the sheriff replied. "She was such a part of this community. So, who's your friend?"

"This is my fiancee, Jill." I replied. "We're actually on our way to the magistrate's office to get married."

"Really?!" she burst out. "Jack, I didn't think you'd ever get married again. Hot damn! I'm so happy for you! You too, Jill!"

"Would you witness us?" I inquired. "I know it's just a formality, but it would make her feel so much more at home if you were there with us."

"I would be honored!" the sheriff exclaimed. "By the way, Jill. My name is Sharon."

"Nice to meet you, Sharon." Jill said with a twinge of trepidation to her voice. "I've never met a sheriff before."

Sharon laughed heartily.

"Welcome to small town America, Jill! Where are you from?"

Jill looked at me for a second before answering.

"Nebraska." she replied. "Bellevue, Nebraska. It's outside Omaha."

"Well, welcome to Pitcairn County!" Sharon exclaimed. "So tell me, Jack... how'd you two meet? Internet?"

"Actually, it was somewhere along the road." I replied. "She had some issues, and I found her looking for help at the end of my drive."

"Well, you just take your car to the G&G Garage." Sharon said confidently. "They'll get you all fixed up."

By this time, we were standing outside the magistrate;s office, and we filed in.

"Hey Sheriff! Hey Jack!" he called out. "What brings you in here? Who's your friend there, Jack?"

"Hey Dave." I responded. "This is my fiancee. We would like to get married, and Sharon is here to witness the event."

"No problem!" Dave responded enthusiastically. "I just need to see both of your IDs and birth certificates."

I of course had both, but Jill only had her driver's license. We never thought about contacting Bellevue for her birth certificate.

"She doesn't have hers." I explained. "We didn't have time."

"Well, twenty years ago, you would have needed time," Dave said brightly, "but today, we have the Internet!"

He pushed a few buttons and nodded.

"Okay Patsy, are you ready to marry Jack?"

"I thought you said her name was Jill." Sharon said with a frown.

"It is. Well, it will be, once we get married and she has to legally change her name." I stammered. "It's a pet name. Remember, she was on the side of the road. What better than Jack and Jill, right?"

"Jack," Sharon said authoritatively, as she crossed her arms, "is there something I need to know?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. I opened my mouth to answer with some sort of explanation, but Jill cut in.

"My legal name is Patsy Mae Whipple." she stated. "My parents died when I was two years old. I got tossed from one foster family to the next, for fourteen horrible years. I got raped by countless 'brothers' until I finally ran away. I ended up in Los Angeles, but it's a city of no angels.

"I lived on the streets for two years, just trying to stay alive. I turned tricks and ate out of dumpsters, and I got busted for it. Then, some guy posted my bail and I went to work for him, fucking on film for money. Yes, Sheriff, I'm a porn star. My stage name is Sylvia Silverstar. Two weeks ago, there was an explosion while I was at work, and I got blown out the back wall and into a dumpster. I lost my memory, and stumbled out into the real world again. Somehow, I ended up here, and Jack found me on the side of the road.

"He didn't know who I was. You know him. You know how kind he is. He took me in, and he finally found out who I was, but you know what, Sheriff? He didn't care. It didn't matter to him who I was a week before. He loved me for who I was, as a person. I hope that the next time you run for office, you have someone like him in YOUR corner."

Sharon was silent for several seconds, taking all of it in. Any chance for Jill's anonymity was out the window after all of this.

"Both of you have made a lot of decisions lately." she finally stated. "It doesn't matter to me any more than it did to Jack. If you wish to marry him and make this county your home, you have my support."

"Will you still witness us?" I inquired.

"Of course I will!" she exclaimed. "Let's do this Dave. These people have a life to live."

Two minutes later, Jill and I were legally married, but she was still Patsy Mae Whipple in the eyes of the law. It was now a matter of getting her name legally changed, to be my wife. Thankfully, Sharon took charge of the situation.

"Mary! Hey, Mary! Where the hell are you?" she bellowed into the empty office.

"Be right there!" Mary hollered back.

"Sorry." she apologized. "I was filing some paperwork."

"Well, here is some more for you." Sharon stated. "These two just got married, and the lady needs to have her name legally changed. See to it, would you?"

"Of course!" she replied. "I just need your ID and the marriage certificate."

Jill forked over her driver's license, along with the marriage certificate.

"Okay Patsy." the clerk said. "You will be changing your name to Patsy Whipple Laporte?"

"No!" Jill shouted, taking her aback. "I want a new name!"

"A name that will replace the one you just uttered." Sharon said authoritatively. "Consider her on the relocation list. You are never to reveal her maiden name again."

Mary nodded.

"Understood. What then, is your new name?" she inquired.

"Jill Laporte." she answered.

"Okay." Mary noted. "Jill Laporte. No middle name?"

"I'm just Jill, and I married Jack Laporte." Jill replied. "I don't need a middle name."

Mary nodded, and began typing the information in.

"Wait!" Jill suddenly cried out. "I DO want a middle name!"

I turned to her with a stunned look on my face. What in the world of all her previous names, could she now pick as her middle name?

"Okay." Mary responded. "What should I type in?"

Jill looked at me and smiled. She then turned back to Mary.

"Ann." she replied. "Jill Ann Laporte."

I was speechless. My new wife had just taken the name of my deceased wife, as her middle name. I could not have been more humbled, proud or elated. Most of all, I was the happiest man on the face of the earth. We left the county complex and headed home. It was a short drive; less than three miles back to the homestead. As we wound around the last curve of the graveled drive and the log house came into view, Jill leaned over and grabbed my arm. She smiled broadly as she looked at the house, and then at me.

"Finally," she said with a sigh, "I have a man that truly loves me, and a place to call home."