All Aboard Andi's Dream Ch. 08

After showing the little family where the bathroom was and how it's used, and after Andi corrected whatever nonsense about zombies and outhouses that Dixie's brother Melvin taught the girls, Paul asked Andi, "Is this them? Are these the babies I met in Minnesota?"

"This is Sandy and this is Madeline," said Andi as she remembered the soft, reassuring touch of "the Baby Whisperer" from the worst night of her life.

With John's words from years ago ringing in his ears, Paul served dinner and he couldn't take his eyes off of the tiny doctor he knew. He served up stew that was heating atop the wood stove. The sound of spoons clanking on bowl filled the cabin and drown out Wonka's snoring while outside the Christmas lights strung on the patio roof illuminated the falling snow. In the background, a seasonal piano adagio was played on an unseen stereo.

Paul and Andi's eyes met over and over until Andi said, "eat your bread too girls."

"It's shaped funny," said Sandy, who only saw Wonder Bread.

"The edges are crunchy," complained Madeline.

"How do you make bread that's not sliced? Do you put it together?" asked Sandy.

Andy broke off a piece and handed it to Madeline, her more courageous daughter. "Taste."

"IT HAS A FLAVOR!" Madeline shouted in surprise.

"Let me try," said skeptical Sandy. "IT DOES! IT TASTES!"

"Now eat while Doctor Jarecki and I talk," said Andi. "Paul, you were saying something about a ceremony?"

That was the first time she had used his name, and Paul's heart leaped when she did. He was turning into a teenager! "I was invited out there to a Change of Command Ceremony this spring. I just got an email from a dear friend telling me that she was selected to become the commander of the 91st Strategic Missile Wing. I am so proud of that woman," said Paul. He shook his head and said to himself, 'imagine how much money you would have saved if you had introduced her to racquetball first instead of scotch.'

"A female commander?" asked a surprised Andi.

"Yes, she was a KC-135 pilot before she made Lieutenant Colonel and went into the command structure of the Air Force."

"Here's to the female pilots in our military service," said Andi, as she lifted her water glass in salute.

"And the rocketeers too," added Paul.

After the twins pulled their bags upstairs, Paul said, "I'm going to go clear the driveway," and he hit a few switches on the wall which turned on some flood lights outside, "you gotta keep up with these storms or you'll end up stuck good." The snow was piling up fast out there.

"Thank you so much for everything," said Andi, as she looked into his eyes, trying to read them.

"It's not a problem, I just hope you enjoy my company" he said as he stepped out the door.

"I'm starting to," she said to the air in his wake.

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Seventy hours later, Paul called John. "Hey bro, I'm still alive."

"Hey Paulie! Did you see the game? I love Saturday games, in my profession they're a God send! Go Bills!" There was a football game that afternoon between the Buffalo Bills and Andi's team, the Denver Broncos, but the power went off in the waning minutes of a tied game.

Andi rolled her eyes as Paul excitedly asked, "We won? Ooo-rah!"

"Yes sir-ee! We're going all the way this year!"

"Umm, Ixnay on the ame-gay, on-Jay. I have a Denver fan sitting next to me. Hey - did you lose power in town? Ours went out right before the last field goal. It was out for a couple of hours."

"Nah, we have been good all day. So, what may be the nature of this call, if I may so inquire of youse."

Andi rolled her eyes. Paul's brother does the Damon Runyon impersonation like Paul.

"It's like this," started Paul, "I met the most wonderful woman in the world, she's been snowbound with me since Wednesday and we are discussing marriage one way or another, which means with or without you."

"I find that impossible since the most wonderful woman in the world has been married to me for over 10 years. Let me talk to this imposter."

"Hello John," said Andi.

"You sound wonderful enough, what is your name?"

"I'm Adrianna Roberts, but I prefer Andi. I'm a doctor like Paul and..."

"Andi - run. If you value your life RUN. I've been treating Paul for years, he's dangerous. Grab your coat and RUN!" The phone went silent for a long pause. Then John said, "Is she still there?"

"I'm still here."

"That may not be a good thing," said John. "I'm going to need some alone time with Andi. Paul, go and check on my chickens while I chat with Andi for a bit."

"Ok, I'll give you a half hour or so."

"If she's marrying you she may need longer. Are you gone yet?"

"Yea I'm gone. You can start," said Paul as he zipped up his parka.

"He's not gone," said Andi.

"I could tell by the tone of his voice," said John. "GO old man!"

"I'm going, I'm going," and Paul slipped out the door with a smile toward Andi.

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Andi was in shock, she was just shown the house of her dreams and Paul had said it would be all hers in a few short weeks, he also mentioned that he had a maid service, and he reluctantly let it slip that he owned ten Ford Dealerships. This can't be true. She's lived from paycheck to paycheck (barely successfully) most of her life and Paul is admitting in bits and pieces to being a millionaire.

"After I reunited with John my dad put me in charge of the family business, several car dealerships. I was able to cut through the red tape that was strangling dad and more than double the number of dealerships."

"Wow. How did you do it?"

"Dad liked to build a new dealership from the ground up. That's a lot of work and a whole lot of money. I prefer to buy an existing dealership and stamp my brand on it, then watch it like a hawk and slice away the deadwood. Right now I have a list of four dealers that want to franchise the Jarecki brand."

Paul pulled into a parking spot in front of Springville Congregational Church, hopped out of the truck, and helped Andi down. They unbuckled the twins and led the twins through the parking lot to the church.

As they turned up the walkway, a beautiful, tall, slim, black woman with long, flowing raven hair came out of the church. A huge smile glowed on her face, and she held her arms wide. "Is this her mon frère?" (my brother) she cried to Paul in a delightful French accent. When he nodded in the affirmative, she threw her arms around Andi and gave her a huge, warm hug. "Ma belle-sœur!" (My sister-in-law) she cried.

"Andi, this is Macy, John's wife."

"We talked last night," gasped Andi. Macy's hug was tight and loving and Andi was having trouble breathing. Andi rarely judges people at the first meeting, but she really felt a love toward Macy.

"It's so good to meet you!"

"And these are my Love Bugs, Sandy..."

"Bug bug."

"And Madeline..."

"Bug bug."

"Oh they're so cute!" Macy crouched down and hugged the twins, who were reveling in the attention. "They're so tiny!" Macy mouthed up to Andi.

"There wasn't room in mommy for two of them, so they moved out at 28 weeks." Andi didn't add that her ex-husband Frank's slapping her around for being fat as the babies grew put the babies at more risk than her own tiny body.

Macy walked with them up to the church door. "Sorry you ended up in a Lake Effect storm, especially down here in the Snow Belt. How was being holed up in the cabin for a long weekend?"

"Well..." Andi was blushing furiously.

"Oooo girl!" Macy grinned. "we'll talk later." Macy was in heaven. She grew up in a tiny house full of big men. Macy never had a girlfriend and now she felt an immediate attraction to Andi. She finally has a sister!

As they entered the church, Paul introduced Andi to everyone. So many names! There was no way she could keep track of them all. "Darling, here's the shepherd of this flock, my baby brother John."

John was a shorter, younger version of Paul and had a smile as big and as bright as his wife Macy. John's eyes popped wide open. "Hello Andi! You didn't tell me how beautiful these girls are!" He crouched down, "You must be Sandy and you must be Madeline!" He got an appreciative giggle with each correct identification.

"He's lucky," Paul whispered to Andi. "He's always been lucky. See how he got the girls names right on first try?"

"I told him about the freckle," Andi whispered in reply. Madeline has a small freckle on her neck below her left ear.

"Wait, what freckle?"

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John stood before his flock, the farmers and laborers and businessmen of Springville. The Christmas Eve service just ended and now begins something that he, Macy and Paul had waited for breathlessly for years. Paul and John wore maxing tuxedos. John's tuxedo had green lapels and bow tie, Paul's had the lapels and bow tie in red. Macy wore a beautiful green off the shoulder floor length dress that had white lace trim up top that plunged between her breasts in an inverted bustier. The same lace became half sleeves which emphasized her beautiful black skin, and the green of her dress perfectly matched the green of John's bow tie and lapels.

"You were right," said Paul in a quiet whisper.

"Right about what?"

"You said, 'when she comes you'll know her and she'll know you, and God will bless your union.' We knew each other before we got back to the cabin and somehow I knew I was not going to emerge alone ever again."

"Never doubt Doctor Jean," whispered Macy.

They were joined by Gus and Andi's friend Lucy, who were followed up the aisle by Sandy and Madeline, who were guided to the front of the church by Paul's best friend, Wonka. When they hit their spot, Melissa Kraft and her sons Damon and Jacob began to joyfully play the bridal march.

The congregation stood and watched the small woman stride forward, clutching a bouquet made of red roses, white lace, and sprigs of holly and pine accented with small red ornaments and red ribbons. Her smile was blissful, and her head held high as she slowly walked the length of the aisle alone. Her brown eyes flashed between the twins and Paul, who both waited breathlessly for her arrival. The spotlights reflected off the hundreds of rhinestones on her white floor length cape, the reflections dancing across the ceiling of the church in a myriad of patterns.

John couldn't help but grin as he said, "Brothers and sisters we celebrate the wedding of our own Paul Jarecki and Adrianna Roberts. Who gives this woman in marriage?"

There was dead silence for a long time. Then in response came Andi's voice. It rang out and was heard clearly throughout the church. "No one. I give myself to this man who risked his life to save myself and my children. I give myself to his love and his protection without qualm or reservation." With that, Andi drew off her white floor length cape to reveal her chosen wedding gown, a mirror image of Macy's dress but in the same shade of red as the twin's dresses. She handed the cape to Lucy, who folded it, laid it on the pew, and stepped up on the podium.

Andi took her daughter's hands and walked confidently up the steps to stand next to Paul. This was a family wedding. They wanted everyone to know that Paul wanted the twins to be part of the family. Paul and Andi turned to face each other and from that moment, Andi and Paul lost track of the entire ceremony.

How is it possible that two people aching from loneliness meet, then reunite half a decade later? They waited long enough to seal their relationship...

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Marrying Andi injected life into a man that had retreated into a shell of despair and misery. John watched in awe as Paul first dispatched Andi's ex-husband. Then he dug into that pool of money that had been accumulating and made life better for Andi and her little girls. He paid off their bills and Andi's student loans and showered them with a life full of joy. The yacht, Andi's Dream, may have been going a little too far, but Paul came up with a way to make money with it when they weren't using it.

After a honeymoon cruise, they returned to Western New York with energy and a love that could be seen from miles away. The happiest day of Paul's life was when Andi told him she would marry him and move to the nest he built for her in Springville. The twins were a little upset that they would have to say goodbye to the friends they had back in Denver. But when they returned to Denver to pack up and move, the twins didn't think about their friends at all. They wanted to get back home to Wonka.

Exhausted, the cross-country trip was finally over and Paul was ready to drop into bed. It was still early in the evening and everybody was hungry, but that was a long demanding trip, from Buffalo to Minot, North Dakota to Bismark, North Dakota, to Mount Rushmore, to Denver, then back to Buffalo. Paul and his co-driver, Kenny Johnson, walked up the driveway and they could both clearly hear one of the twins inside the house shout "MOM! POPPA'S HOME!"

"I guess you're home," said Kenny with a laugh. It was cool, and the house was sealed up. That little girl has a set of lungs on her.

"I guess I am home," said Paul, shaking his head as the icy rain fell from the sky. "Ides of March... yuck. What day of the week is this?"

"Friday," said Kenny. It had been a long haul, and he had to check his watch to see what day it was.

"I could use a fish fry," sighed Paul. Worzil's Friday fish fry was truly a feast.

As Paul entered the house, he found that their friends Gus and Lucy were there and that Andi and Macy had pulled chairs away from the kitchen table and the chairs faced each other. Before Paul could say hi to his friend Gus, Andi pushed him down in one chair. Macy pushed John into the other chair and the two women sat on their husband's laps. At the same time, Andi and Macy handed their husbands a small plastic device. Each device had a little window, and both devices showed two red lines in that little window.

As they kissed their husbands, Macy whispered to John, "je vais avoir un bébé."

Andi said it in English when she said, "I'm going to have a baby."

John cried out in joy, "Dear God! Thank you lord!" while Paul broke down in tears of joy. "It's been so long..." As he kissed Andi he whispered, "Five months ago I was so lonely I was seriously considering suicide. You saved me."

"You can't go now," said a tearful Andi between kisses. "I've got work for you."