Going Home - The Proposal

I fell forward against the wall, breathless. My knees on the verge of folding under my weight, I reached down and grasped Gwen's shoulders for support. When the strength returned to my legs, I took Gwen's hand, pulled her upright, and embraced her. I could feel her legs shaking as I held her. When she leaned against me, I lost what little sense of balance I had and stumbled backward. Gwen followed. We barely managed to stay upright until we tumbled onto the bed where we ended up in each other's arms.

We stayed there for long, eternal minutes. We held each other tightly, Gwen against my left side, head on my shoulder, leg draped across my left hip, kissing and caressing while we recovered. Gwen sat up first but didn't get up immediately. She stared out the window for a moment and then nudged me, indicating I should look out the window.

I sat up and leaned to see out the window. There was a field of snow leading to a pond. Across the pond was a large weathered red barn. The corner facing us was all window. My old bedroom had a view of Gwen's father's studio. We looked at each other and laughed.

'I'm beginning to think we may have known each other as little kids,' I said.

Gwen looked at me with a big smile. 'You think? There's just too many coincidences today to believe otherwise. My family knew your grandfather. I've known Mr. Purdy for as long as I can remember. You lived here with your parents for a while. My parent's place and your grandfather's property are adjacent to each other. I think it's likely we met as little kids.'

'Maybe that's why we felt comfortable so quickly after we met. There's something else I hadn't mentioned. When I first got to your house, it felt familiar, like I'd been there before.'

Gwen smiled. 'Add to that the feeling Mike and I had that we somehow knew your father . . .' she added.

After we composed ourselves, we went to the kitchen. I checked for something to eat. There was nothing in the kitchen cabinets but coffee, tea, and sugar. The refrigerator held only ketchup and mustard, an unopened jar of olives, and a couple of Cokes. We refueled on the Cokes and the olives.

Gwen found some paper bags under the sink. She retrieved a small bag and set it on the counter top. She lifted her dress and unhooked the clips on her garter and took off her shredded panties. After putting them in the bag, she refastened the clips to her stockings. The paper bag was folded neatly and stuffed into her purse.

We locked up and got into the car. We didn't see Mr. Purdy and didn't feel the need to bother him.

Gwen stuffed the paper bag under her seat. 'We need to dispose of these where my parents won't find them,' she said.

When we got back to Gwen's house, her father was in his studio working. Edith was working on a white dress in her sewing room. She pulled Gwen into the room, shooed me away, and closed the door.

I was still hungry and asked if I could get a snack.

Edith answered through the door. 'Of course. Help yourself to anything you'd like. If there isn't anything else, go away.

There was some muffled conversation I couldn't make out. Then I heard Gwen through the door. 'I'll be right back, Mom. I have pee.'

Gwen opened the door only enough to wriggle through it. 'My mother wants me to try on her wedding gown,' she whispered.

'OK.' I understood why I wasn't welcome. 'Why are you whispering?' I asked softly.

'I don't want my mother to see I'm not wearing any underwear.' She whispered, clearly thinking me addled. 'Hasn't any blood returned to your brain yet?'

I grinned. 'Oh, yeah. You better put some on.'

Gwen punched me in the arm. 'Get away from me before Mom get suspicious.'

I grabbed a bite to eat and a glass of milk then found my way into the living room and looked through the book case. I found a volume of short stories by Raymond Chandler and occupied myself until Gwen and Edith emerged a while later. They joined me in the living room.

'Mom, did you know Jonas used to live nearby? Mr. Bailey was his grandfather.'

Edith's jaw dropped. 'You're little Jonas Taylor?' she asked, stunned.

'I thought we had already established that I was Jonas Taylor.' I grinned.

'Oh, my! Taylor is such a common name. And Jonas isn't unheard of. It didn't even occur to me.' Edith said.

'So, you knew Jonas's parents a long time ago?' Gwen asked.

'Oh, yes. We were friends. But we lost touch when they moved away. I used to ask Mr. Bailey about you and your parents. He was always a little evasive. I mean, he told us you were all well but no more.

I watched Jonas all summer when he was two while his mother was writing her dissertation. He came here every day for several months. You were quite the handful, young man. You made some mischief.' Edith told us.

Gwen wore a big smile. 'Jonas made mischief? Tell me more, Mom. He's always so responsible and well-behaved. I can't imagine.'

I almost choked. I doubted Edith would consider me well-behaved if she knew what Gwen, Mike, and I had been up to.

'We had a fenced-in area just outside the kitchen sink window when you were little. It had a sandbox and a swing set. We kept all kinds of toys out there for you. The tree that used to be out there kept it shady all day.'

'I remember the play area,' Gwen said.

'It was nice. You could go outside and play and I could easily keep an eye on you while I did whatever I had to do. The only way in or out was through the kitchen. You couldn't wander off.'

'Mom, what kind of mischief did Jonas get into?' Gwen persisted.

'Just the usual little boy stuff.' Edith responded.

'Like what?' Gwen wouldn't let it go.

'The two of you played together all that summer. You were always into the same mischief.'

Gwen was getting exasperated. 'OK, what kind of mischief did we get into?'

'It seemed Jonas hated wearing clothes when it was warm. The minute I turned my back, he was naked as the day he was born.' Edith finally spilled the beans. 'And after I got him dressed, he stripped down again the minute he had a chance.

Even though I understood I was just a little kid, I felt myself flush a little, knowing Edith had seen me without a stitch of clothing. Gwen laughed heartily at my embarrassment.

'You were just as bad. Every time I went out to get Jonas dressed, I had to dress you, too.' Edith continued. 'I swear, the two of you together were just too much. Some days, I just gave up and let you run around in the yard butt-naked.'

Gwen turned beet red. I didn't entirely understand the reaction, but there it was. I stifled a laugh but I couldn't repress the grin.

'How are Harold and Evelyn, Jonas?' Edith asked.

'My father is well. My mother is gone. She was killed in Italy in 1943.'

Edith looked stunned. 'I'm sorry, Jonas. I didn't realize. She was in Italy in 1943?'

'She was working with the Italian partisans. She was captured and executed. That's as much as I know. My father may know more but he's not talking.'

Edith tried to hide her tears. There had been so much heartbreak during the war. She excused herself and went upstairs. When she returned later, she was composed again but there was a telltale puffiness around her eyes.

When Ian came in from his studio workshop, Edith and I filled him in on my grandfather and my parents.

'I wondered if you were little Jonas from long ago but it seemed so unlikely I never asked. I'm sorry to hear about your mother.'

'I didn't know I'd lived here until this afternoon when we stopped at my grandfather's house.' I told Ian.

'But you knew your parents' names. If I asked, we'd have figured it out.' Ian pointed out.

I turned to Gwen. 'I'll bet my father knew when we ran into him the morning we hiked the canyon.'

'He made that comment about my name. I bet he did know who I was.' Gwen replied.

Edith left the room and returned holding a small box. 'You might enjoy seeing these, Jonas. We have some photos of you and Gwen in the yard and some from a Fourth of July week we spent with you and your parents at your grandfather's cottage in Wellfleet on Cape Cod.'

We went through the photographs one by one. There was one of my father and Ian posing with two large tuna they had caught on a deep-sea fishing trip.

'Daddy has this on the shelf in his workshop!' Gwen said.

'Not anymore.' Ian said. 'It fell off the shelf last summer while you were in Italy. The glass broke and I haven't fixed it. It's in a drawer under one of my benches.'

There were numerous photos of our families from the Cape Cod vacation. When we got to the bottom of the box, we found photos of Gwen and I playing in the yard. There were even a couple of us in our birthday suits. I was over the embarrassment. Gwen was not. She snatched the photo and held it to her chest, refusing to let me look at it. Ian and Edith laughed.

Eventually, we put the photos away. The New England pot roast in the kitchen was had our mouths watering. It was dinner time.

Just before we sat down, we heard a car door close. A moment later, Mike opened the kitchen door and walked in. She didn't knock. This was as much home to her as her own, a couple miles across town.

Gwen ran out of the kitchen and hugged her friend. 'I love you but I could kill you for keeping Jonas' secret,' Gwen said. 'You didn't drop a hint. You didn't even smile to yourself once in my presence.'

Mike grinned. She didn't try to play innocent. 'Show me,' was all she said.

Gwen held out her left hand and Mike's jaw dropped. 'It's huge. Did Jonas rob a bank?'

'No, but after I figure out your fate, he may be next for being so extravagant. I tried to pick something a bit more modest.' Mike and Gwen shared a laugh and headed toward the kitchen.

Mike gave Edith and Ian a hug and a kiss and then turned to me. I received a squeeze that threatened to break ribs and a kiss on the cheek.

'Mike, are you staying for dinner?' Edith asked.

'I smelled your pot roast as soon as I got out of the car. No way you're not feeding me, Mom.' Mike said happily.

Ian was also smiling. 'I'm going to go broke feeding these kids,' he complained. 'Gwen is eating enough to feed a platoon. Add in Jonas and Mike, now. I'll be bankru before they leave for school.'

Edith winced. Though Ian didn't see it, I did. It set off an alarm for me. She suspected what Gwen and I were waiting to find out.

Mike's presence raised the energy level at dinner. We all had a great time. Meals with the Kenricks had been pleasant. Mike turned it into a party.

The evening temperatures were surprisingly mild so Mike, Gwen and I went for a walk. The cool, fresh air was invigorating. We told Mike about our discovery of who my grandfather was and that I had lived there when I was a small child. Mike's family hadn't moved into town until she was seven so she wasn't around in those days. But her family knew my grandfather and Mr. Purdy. Mike had been in Ian's work shop. She had seen the tuna photo.

Gwen and Mike made plans to get together and help organize the upcoming wedding. Mike had family obligations. We wouldn't see her for Christmas Eve or Christmas, but otherwise, her best friend's wedding took precedence.

When we got back to the house we stood in the driveway to quietly say our goodnights. Gwen and Mike both wore devious smiles as they looked in my direction.

'I don't think I've overworked him, Mike.' Gwen said.

'Good.' Mike responded. 'We should try not to wear him out before the wedding. He needs to have something left for the honeymoon. It wouldn't fair to you, otherwise.'

'We should go easy on him?' Gwen added.

'Maybe. We'll see how his stamina holds up.' Mike said.

Mike hugged us both and got in her car and left. Gwen and I watched it until she turned the corner at the end of the road.

'You might be in trouble, Jonas. In California, we had things to keep us all occupied. With no school and no work, I know I've been charged up. I bet Mike's fingers have been busy.' Gwen said with a slight grin.

I wanted to stay outside for a few more minutes. Gwen kissed me goodnight and went inside. I looked up at the clear winter sky and stars scattered across it, wondering what they had in mind for me. On the way into the house, I noticed an envelope under one of my windshield wipers. I took it and put it in my pocket. When I got to my room, I opened it. It was from Mr. Purdy.

'We received an invitation to your upcoming wedding from Gwen's mother. Mrs. Purdy and I will be back before the wedding. We look forward to seeing you then. I stocked a few groceries in the house so there will be food if you visit again and get hungry. If you don't the Mrs. and I won't let it go to waste.'

It was signed 'Hollis Purdy'.

'P.S. Next time you and Gwen visit, you might consider drawing the blinds.'

I knew a few things for certain, then. I would soon be happily married to a woman that would not have appeared in my wildest fantasies six months ago. I couldn't let my new wealth ruin my life. But mostly, I knew I would be glad to be back to the routine of seventy hour weeks at school. I was going to need the rest.