It Only Took Twenty Years Pt. 06

My father said, "Hey. Here's an idea. How about we get your sisters together and we can all go out to dinner when you get here."

I knew my father's repetition was for Mom's benefit. "Keep it up."

"Alright, your mother and I will need to make some phone calls."

"Love you, Dad. Give Mom a hug for me. I'll see you tonight."

"Love you, too, Son. Looking forward to it."

He hung up.

"We need to move fast," I said before I noticed I was in an empty room. "Dawn? Where'd you go?"

"I'm in the other closet packing," I heard from the hallway. I found her standing in the closet in an adjacent room. Talk about efficient, she'd already half-filled her travel bag with clothes and was adding more.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"I've always kept a bag mostly packed that has all the basics. It's a thing from being called out of town for work on a moment's notice. The only things I add are my toiletry bag and whatever specific clothes I need. What should I wear on the plane?"

"We're going to dinner straight from the airport. I'm going to wear my charcoal suit and that blue striped tie you like."

"Dressed up on a plane? Oh, joy !" she said with sarcasm in her voice.

She pulled a hung dress from a rod. "How's this?"

"A bit too much. How 'bout that one?" I pointed.

"Okay, that'll work."

She hung the black dress I'd suggested from a hook on the closet door.

"I still need to shower and get pretty. Go back to your place and get your stuff together. I'll pick you up so we can go to the airport from there."

"Perfect. See you in a bit."

"I can't believe I'm following you on this crazy stunt!" I heard her call out as I went through her door.

Traffic sucked, which made me a little nervous, but I managed to get back to my apartment where I showered, shaved, and dressed in less than forty-five minutes. Dawn texted to tell me she was on her way as I started packing my travel bag. She arrived in the parking lot as I finished. I made sure everything in the apartment was secured before I headed out the door.

Thankfully, traffic on the tollway was light, and we managed to get to Love Field in about thirty minutes. Security was a little bogged down, so we had barely ten minutes remaining before we boarded the flight.

At 5:37pm, the plane parked at its gate in St. Louis, one hour and forty-five minutes after it'd been pushed back from its gate in Dallas. As soon as the wheels were on the ground, I turned off airplane mode and a text from my father popped in.

7:15pm at Reynaldo's Steakhouse in Chesterfield. It'll just be us and your sisters. Mark is out of town. Tracy and Sara are riding with your mom and me to the restaurant.

Mark was Tracy's husband of nineteen years. Sara had married twice, but neither lasted more than a few years.

Okay. We're just pulling up to the gate. Should have no problem getting there on time as long as Highway 40 is cooperating. See you soon! I replied.

Fifteen minutes after Dawn and I deplaned, we arrived at the rental car lot, and another ten elapsed before we were on the highway.

As soon as we settled into the traffic, I said, "Have I told you lately how stunning you look?"

She laughed. "Not in the last hour. I was beginning to worry."

She did look fantastic, and I realized she'd been holding out on me for a very, very long time. My future bride was wearing a simple black figure-fitting dress. Her hair was loosely braided over her right shoulder. A simple silver chain and bracelet matched her earrings. It was her makeup which set the picture and surprised the hell out of me. She'd always looked naturally beautiful without makeup, even greater with lip color and some basic cosmetics, but looked stunning with her eyes done like those of a fashion magazine's cover model. She looked, quite simply, magnificent. My fiancée . I loved even thinking that word.

"I'm nervous as all hell, Will," she said.

"I know it doesn't help when I say you've nothing to be worried about. But … you've nothing to worry about. That is, unless my dad has too much to drink and starts singing to us in his Frank Sinatra impression. If he does, take it as a compliment."

It was 7:17 when we pulled into the parking lot. I saw my father's SUV in a parking spot and decided to use the valet service since we were a bit late.

"Here we go. They're already here," I said.

My heart was pounding. I could only imagine what Dawn was feeling. A valet opened her door and helped her from the car. I removed my suit's coat from the hook in the back seat and joined Dawn. I handed my keys to the valet and took the offered stub.

"You ready for this, Devo?"

"Barely. How do I look?"

I kissed her hand. "Like a supermodel. This sounds selfish because it is, but I can't wait to show you off."

I held the door open for her as we walked into the restaurant. I saw my father standing across the wide expanse of the foyer with my sisters. He had a glass of something in his hand, and my sisters each held a glass of wine. My sisters noticed my entrance and waved but paid no attention to Dawn. Perhaps they assumed I was simply holding the door for some random woman who happened to be walking in at the same time. But when I put my hand on her shoulder and guided her toward the group, my father's jaw went slack. I smiled and gave him a wink.

"Billy! Oh, my god!" Tracy, my eldest sister by six years yelped as she ran to me to give me a hug. She knew I hated that nickname but used it anyway. "Jeez, bro, you're looking good! All CEO-like and everything."

"Hey, Trace. Where's Mom and Mark?"

"He had to go to DC this morning. Government business," she said. "Mom went to the ladies' room just before you walked in."

"Heya, Sara! Howsa you?" I said in a fake Jersey accent we'd practiced since childhood when we were goofing around. I gave her a hug. "Missed you last Christmas."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I nevah cowall, right ?" She smiled, bringing forth a laugh from me.

"Christmas in Cancun was horrible, by the way. Just horrible!" she laughed sarcastically in response before her eyes moved to Dawn standing a short distance away.

I stepped to my fiancée and drew her into the group.

"Dad, Sara, Tracy, please allow me to introduce Dawn Vo." I made the introduction deliberately brief.

Sara was the first to shake hands with her.

"And …?" she prompted, not letting go of Dawn's hand.

Dawn answered, "Will and I met on the high school alumni Facebook group. Did you two go to the same high school as him? We've been getting to know each other over the last year or so. I told him if he was ever in town, he should let me know so we could meet up. He called me this afternoon and here I am!"

Dawn looked at me and gave me that smile. My sisters looked wary. Dad looked at me with a curious expression.

"Would you girls mind keeping this young lady company for a few minutes? Will needs to go to the bar," he requested.

My father tugged at the elbow of my suitcoat, so I followed him to the bar where I ordered two Gentleman Jack's on the rocks.

"Alright, what was all of that about?" he asked.

"That's not how we met. I guess she's just buying me some time."

"I'm not calling you a cradle robber, but isn't she a bit on the youngish side?"

"You're not going to believe me, Dad, but she and I are the same age. She's actually three days older than me."

"Holy cow. You're a liar," he said, visibly stunned, studying Dawn anew.

"Easy there, Dad," I chastised with a chuckle.

"It's a good sign that they seem to be getting along well," he said, pointing toward the trio who were chatting and smiling.

I was amazed how Dawn, as nervous as she'd said she was, appeared so completely comfortable amid total strangers. She was smiling naturally, had comfortable body language, and had my sisters listening intently to whatever she was telling them. I caught her eye and smiled at her. She winked back.

My mother arrived just then. She pinched my arm and pulled me down for a hug.

"Hi, Mom," I greeted her.

"It's so good to see you, Son! You always look so handsome dressed up like this," she said, flattening the lapels of my suitcoat with her palms.

"Oh, this old thing?" I vogued for comic effect.

Mom laughed at my display then looked over at Tracy and Sara.

"Who is that little girl your sisters are talking to?" she asked.

Little girl ? I had to swallow the laugh. "Let's go find out."

Dad laughed at my response and patted me firmly on my back.

I faced the three ladies I'd held dear for decades as I prepared to deliver the reveal. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted when the hostess approached my father and told him our table was ready. My mother was visibly confused and concerned when I handed "that little girl" an obviously potent drink, put my hand to the small of her back and escorted her with us.

Agita was plastered on my mom's face as we all took our seats. I saw her whisper into my father's ear. He shrugged then grinned at me, even though his wife's discomfort was as apparent as thick fog.

"Will," he said, "your sisters and I have already met her, but your mother hasn't. Please introduce this young woman before your mom becomes unhinged."

"This is Dawn Vo." I said.

My female family members stared blankly, and my father leaned back in his chair with a grin on his face, watching Mom, and preparing for the show.

"Dawn told Tracy and Sara a hell of a whopper. We didn't go to the same school. She lived in Florida, and we didn't meet online. I've known Dawn since I graduated college. We've worked together at Extecha for twenty years."

I noticed disbelief in several sets of eyes.

"Yes, you heard me. And before you ask, she and I are the same age. She's my closest friend. She's my world. I adore her beyond my ability to describe. I love her so deeply it comes out of my pores. I'm pretty damned sure she feels the same way about me because she said 'Yes.'

"Dawn is my fiancée," I concluded, looking into her eyes.

All three of the other ladies shrieked simultaneously. Dad slapped the table and started laughing, probably relieved that his difficult task for the day was successfully completed. Numerous sets of curious eyes in the dining room shifted our direction at the ado.

"Get out !" Sara yelped with wide eyes staring at Devo with a huge smile on her face. "You, girl, are a phenomenal liar!" She laughed and looked at me.

"And you, you little twerp, are a jerk for not telling us sooner! She told us a hell of a tale while you and Dad were at the bar. She had us convinced that you'd graduated before she started high school and you'd never met in person until tonight! I even thought I remembered seeing her on that alumni group!"

"I'm sorry!" Dawn said meekly with a sincere look of concession on her face.

"Let me see the ring!" Sara demanded.

Oh, shit!

Dawn raised her left hand and showed it to the table.

"William, why is there no diamond on her finger?" Tracy whispered loudly.

"That's a story for another day," I offered.

Mom was the first to leave her seat. Dawn stood and Mom gave her a hug, held her at arms-length, and looked her up and down.

"You are just positively adorable. Will, she's beautiful! Isn't she just beautiful ?"

I laughed. "I noticed that a long time ago."

I had risen when Dawn had, and Mom hugged me tight. Dad and each of my sisters followed suit in giving each of us a congratulatory hug. He ordered a bottle of champagne.

After we returned to our seats, Dawn was suddenly the center of attention. The conversation was bright and lively. My sisters spent a good while grilling Dawn with questions, mostly around the manner in which I proposed. She managed to answer them all honestly while still preserving our modesty. Questions about the "When and Where" of the impending nuptials were waved off as unknowns. Sara asked to see Dawn's driver's license to prove her age. I was surprised that she complied with her request.

The ladies were suddenly interested in Dawn's appearance. Compliments gushed.

"You look half your age. You're so tiny! Do you work out? Where'd you get that dress? Can I find those shoes on Zappos? How much time does it take you to do your hair like that? How long is it when it's not braided?"

I loved every second of it. My sisters acted like they'd adopted a new sibling just like that. Dad pulled me into a sidebar.

"Son, be honest with me. Where'd you find that woman?"

"Really, Dad. I've worked with her for twenty years. Remember me telling you how Extecha policy prohibits any kind of romantic relationships with coworkers in the same business unit? That kept us at bay, and we never realized how close we had become.

"She decided back in June to go work for the company Extecha spun off, so the policy didn't matter anymore. We finally just … clicked. It didn't take us long to realize that ours was far more than a close friendship. When we could finally talk about it, we realized we were deeply connected with each other, and had been for a long time. There had just been no way to express it and still keep our jobs.

"When she resigned, we were freed. Just between us for now, I asked her to marry me this morning. That's why she doesn't have a ring."

"Look at your mother. She's impressed. I can tell. So am I. You done good, kiddo."

"Yeah. I did. It only took twenty years for me to figure it out."

Throughout the evening, we enjoyed sumptuous steak with a variety of shareable sides. We enjoyed several bottles of a really fine red wine suggested by the sommelier. The food and drink certainly added lubricity, and I enjoyed watching how quickly my family accepted the idea of their seemingly permanent bachelor son or brother settling down with the woman sitting beside me.

As the night went on, we said our farewells and headed to the hotel, despite my mother's insistence that we stay at the house. I accepted the invitation to come the next morning and spend some time there before we headed back to the airport that afternoon.

When we arrived, I gave Dawn the nickel tour of the house. Mom, of course, dragged out the photo albums, forcing me to endure the laughter of a very entertained fiancée when certain embarrassing pictures were shown such as my naked four-year-old self in a bubble bath, or my skinny-ass nerd picture from the computer club's yearbook page. It was torturous for me, but Dawn seemed quite content to listen to the countless tales my mother told of my upbringing.

Dad took pity on me and invited me to sit on the porch to enjoy a cigar and chat about my future life. It'd been years since I'd had one. One question caught me by surprise because I hadn't realized I'd said the name in public.

"Why do you call her Devo ?"

"Email addresses for most employees at Extecha are first initial, last name. Like mine is double-u richards. Hers is, well, was , dee vo. Devo. I probably called her that a few times when we first started working together, and it sort of stuck. I never thought about it before … she didn't seem to mind when I addressed her by that nickname, but she'd give a ration to anyone else who tried, so I stopped saying it around other people a long time ago, or so I thought. When did you hear it?"

Dad smiled. "You said it when you told her you love her when you were waiting at the valet stand when we left the restaurant last night."

I looked at my fiancée through the window. She was chatting with Mom.

I smiled back at him. "Oh. Well, don't call her that. She might not like it."

When Dawn came to the patio to fetch me to leave for the airport, I approached her for a quick kiss. She pushed me back.

"Huh-uh, buddy, I'm not kissing you until you brush your teeth and change that shirt!" She fanned her hands at me.

My mother laughed hard at her directness. I went and changed into my spare t-shirt and brushed my teeth.

All in all, as fast as the impromptu journey was, it was still very fulfilling. We said our goodbyes and left for the airport.

Chapter 22: November 2016 ⁠– November 2017

Dawn and I deliberated for several weeks about an appropriate engagement ring. I particularly favored a three-carat solitaire, but she insisted on something more understated. I felt I'd cheated her that it was appraised at less than $5,000, but she was thrilled with my choice. I realized that my preference was similar to hers; I wanted her to give me a simple gold band on our wedding day. Nothing fancy.

A month after our visit to Missouri, we made a similar pilgrimage to Miami where I was introduced to Dawn's aunt and uncle. Though Dawn had informed them by phone much earlier than our trip, I thanked my lucky stars that they, at least outwardly, appeared happy with the news of their surrogate daughter's impending nuptials.

I was equally entertained when her aunt produced photo albums. One contained a photo which amazed me. It was a photo of the three of them at her high school graduation. Dawn had short hair! I knew for a fact that I would have had a major crush on her if we had gone to school together. Her hair was the only indication in my mind that time did, indeed, pass for her. It made me wonder if my love had somehow encountered the fountain of youth at some point early in her life.

Her aunt flipped through several more pages of the album. "This is Vinh Nhung when she was just a few months old," she said in heavily accented but passable English.

I was stunned motionless as I stared at the picture. Surely Dawn's aunt was mistaken because I was looking at a picture of Dawn holding an infant.

Her aunt must have noticed my expression. "That is her mother holding her. She was my sister's miracle child. She was told by many doctors she was …" she paused for a moment then spoke to Dawn in Vietnamese.

"Infertile. Barren," Dawn offered.

"Her mother is forty-six years old in that picture," her aunt added.

I couldn't believe what I was being told. I looked up at Dawn.

She nodded at me with moist eyes. "My father died in a construction accident before he knew my mother was pregnant. My mother was struck and killed by a careless motorcycle driver when she was walking across the road to my school. That's why I came to live here."

The woman in the picture was ageless. Just like Dawn. Her uncle must have noticed my eyes alternating back and forth from Dawn to the picture. I was comparing eyes, cheekbones, ears, and other features.

He said, "They look the same, yes?"

"No," both ladies said in unison. Dawn's uncle chuckled and shook his head at their disbelief.

My word, did they ever. The fountain of youth was astounding genes.

"She was a beautiful woman, Dawn. Just beautiful. I am a very lucky man to have been blessed by her giving life to you."

Dawn squeezed my hand as she wiped a tear out of her eye.

I was offered another cup of hot tea, but declined because the day was running long, and I was afraid additional reminiscing would make us all maudlin. Dawn was the one to suggest we make our departure, and I followed her lead.

As we drove back to the hotel, I asked Dawn, "Well? What do they think?"

"They're a bit uneasy," she answered.

"Really? That surprises me. I thought we got along fine."

"They think you're the bee's knees. The cat's meow. The icing on the cake."

"Are you deliberately trying to confuse me?"

"Yeah." She smiled at me. "Seriously. They think you're great, and they're very, very happy."

"Dawn, stop messing around. Why are they uneasy about me?"

"They're not uneasy about you. They're uneasy that I'll be taking your name."