Mary and Alvin Ch. 28

"Well, shouldn't you wait for that?"

"Okay, but he better not be tricking me."

"Sweetie, your Papa might tease you, but when he promises you something, he means it." She squatted down to look at her daughter face to face.

"You know what? One time Papa and I stayed in this hotel, and on that day he made me a promise. The best promise ever. Do you know what it was?"

Hannah shook her head.

Mary put her hand on her daughter's cheek. "Baby, he promised me you."

She saw the flash of headlights from the doorway, stood up and handed Hannah her juice. "Your Papa keeps his promises," she said as they crossed the lobby.

There was a little nip in the air, and swirls of ground fog spread before them as they made the drive up Cadillac Mountain. When they reached the summit, though, the sky was clear, and the landscape still lit by the last light of the setting moon, hanging just over the western tree line.

"The Wabanaki called May the Flower Moon," Alvin said.

"Well, that certainly makes sense," Mary nodded as she helped Hannah out of the car. Alvin took a blanket and his big flashlight from the trunk. He came around to the side and took Hannah's right hand, while Mary held her left. Together the three of them stepped over the curb and on to the granite face of the mountain. There were only a few cars in the lot, but they could hear the soft murmur of voices here and there in the dark.

Alvin shone his light on the ground in front of them and they carefully walked out on the gentle slope. Finding a flat, smooth spot, Alvin took the blanket from under his arm and laid it out on the ground. He sat down and pulled Hannah into his lap. Mary sat next to him and wrapped her arm around his back. When he turned off the flashlight, they could see a soft glow on the horizon.

"Now what?" Hannah asked.

"Now we wait for the sun to come up," Alvin told her.

Mary took her hand. "Honey, this is where your Papa asked me to marry him."

"Well, over that way a bit," Alvin said.

"Hard to tell, it was light out then," Mary said. "Anyway, we came up here and this is where he proposed."

"What did you say?"

"I said, yes, of course, silly."

"And then you got married and I was born."

"Well, something like that. So, after he asked me, the next morning we came up here and watched the sun come up. And I told myself that someday we would have a wonderful child and we would bring them up here and we would all watch it together."

"Okay. Is it soon?"

"If you look close," Alvin told her, "it's already started. See how those clouds are turning pink? They didn't look like that a few minutes ago, did they?"

"They're pretty," Hannah said.

"My life is jammed full of pretty," Alvin said, kissing the back of her head.

Mary snuggled closer and rested her head on Alvin's shoulder. The sun slowly rose and streaks of rose and magenta decorated the clouds. The fog melted away from the surface of the ocean, and light glistened off the water. For a moment, Mary felt a flush of melancholy, thinking of the scene at the end of Rachel's book, when the princess stood and looked out across the sea, longing for her lost love.

She looked at Alvin, reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.

"If I ever lose you," she said softly, "I will come and find you here."

Alvin gazed at her with a puzzled expression. "I an't going anywhere without you," he said.

"I'm getting hungry," Hannah interrupted.

Alvin hugged her tightly. "We will watch until the sun is all the way above the water, alright? Then we will get you your pancakes."

"With chocolate chips."

He kissed her forehead. "With chocolate chips."

The sun slowly rose and illuminated the silver water and the dark green islands. When Alvin felt it's warmth on his face he decided that Hannah had been patient enough.

"You ready to go get breakfast, sweetheart?" he asked Mary.

She nodded and stood up. Alvin lifted Hannah off his lap and began to get up, but faltered.

"Are you okay, love?" Mary asked.

"Just a little stiff," he said, rising to his feet. "Don't be concerned."

"It's my job to be concerned."

Alvin took Hannah's hand as they walked back to the car.

"I wonder if Walter and his wife were here last year," Hannah said.

"Who's Walter?" Hannah asked.

"A nice man we met the first time we came here," Alvin told her.

They got back in the car and drove down the mountain road. When they reached the turnoff for Bubble Pond, Alvin slowed the car. "You got anything you want to tell me, I can pull off here?"

Mary laughed. "No, I think we are all good.You've kept your promises so far."

"Well, I have one to fulfill to the lady in the back seat," he said. He drove back to Bar Harbor, to Jordan's restaurant, where he bought his daughter a big stack of chocolate chip pancakes.

***

Mary and Hannah were both sound asleep when Alvin turned into the driveway. He smiled when he saw the blue Honda with Pennsylvania plates parked in the dooryard.

Mary sat up and stretched. She looked around. "I thought Robby and Carm and my Mom might be here by now," she said. She took her phone from her purse and checked her messages. "Oh, their connector was delayed in Memphis. They'll be landing in Portland in about an hour."

"So, they'll be here this afternoon." Alvin said as he parked near the porch. He got out and deftly lifted Hannah from the back seat without waking her. Mary ran ahead of him and opened the door. He carried Hannah inside and upstairs to her bed. When he came down, he saw Charlotte and Seth walking up the lane from the new house. He stepped out on to the porch.

Charlotte was carrying her baby in her arms. "Your namesake has come to see you," she said.

Alvin came down the steps and took the baby. "Hey, Lil' Alvin, how are you, chummie? Ain't seen you since Christmas."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Daddy," Charlotte said, kicking at the ground. "It's just that we are both wicked busy."

"I understand," Alvin shrugged, "And roads run both ways." He put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her.

They went into the house. Mary had flopped down on the couch and gone back to sleep. Alvin sat in the rocking chair, bouncing the baby on his knee. Seth sat in the recliner while Charlotte squeezed on to the end of the couch, lifting Mary's feet into her lap.

Mary stirred and stretched.

"He wear you out last night?" Charlotte asked her with a sly smile.

"No, he got me up before dawn to watch the sun rise," Mary replied, yawning.

"Well, join the club. Alvin 2.0 over there doesn't think I should ever sleep."

"Believe me, I know what that's like." Mary sat up and put on her glasses. "What do you think?" she asked Charlotte.

"They look great on you. You aren't self conscious about them, are you?"

"Only a little bit," she shrugged. She stood up and started toward the kitchen. "I need coffee, who wants some?"

They spent the remainder of the morning chatting and catching up. Hannah came downstairs, with Buster close behind. Alvin handed the baby to her. She sat down on the floor and carefully held him in her lap. Little Alvin laughed and cooed at the puppy.

"Now you have a niece and a nephew," Mary told Hannah.

"I know, and I am very good being an aunt."

"Meaning she likes to boss Bonita around," Alvin told Charlotte with a wink.

"I do not. But I am older than her, so I can."

"You are three weeks older."

"That's still older," she said, and turned her back on him to concentrate on playing with the baby.

Jennifer and Bonita joined them for lunch. Bonita was carrying Moosie, who squirmed out of her arms and began scampering underfoot with Buster. They gathered around the kitchen table, eating sandwiches and potato chips and dilly beans. With the arrival of the baby, Charlotte and Seth had decided that they wanted to buy a house.

"Kids should have yards to play in," Seth said. "That's my personal and professional opinion."

Alvin nodded in agreement. "Comes the time, we'll be down to help you move. Hell, if you don't find a house you like, Jen and Danni can come down and throw one up for you."

Jennifer laughed and agreed, but Charlotte shook her head. "I want an old house. Like this one. Well, without the friggin' barn attached."

A car horn tooted from the driveway and Alvin looked out to see Audrey pulling up in her van.

"Here's Audrey to set up," he called, and everyone went outside to help. As they began unloading tables and folding chairs from the van, another vehicle turned in from the road.

Mary shielded her eyes from the sun. "It's my Mom," she said.

"Grandma Jean!" Hannah cried and ran toward the car.

"I can't get over how she loves her grandma so much, when she only sees her a few times a year," Alvin said. He remembered his promise to Jean, that despite the distances between them, he would ensure she had a relationship with her grandchild.

Mary laughed. "Sweetie, they skype at least three times a week."

Well, that makes thing easy, he thought. He went back to unloading the car, while Mary greeted her mother, Robby and Carmella.

When all the tables and chairs had been unloaded, Audrey climbed back in the van to drive back to the diner to pick up the food. Alvin picked up a stack of chairs, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me have those," Seth said to him.

"That's alright, I've got them."

"No, Alvin, you're one of the guests of honor. Let us do the work."

Reluctantly, Alvin handed him the chairs. Jennifer walked past him, carrying a stack of her own. "Go inside and visit, Daddy, we've got it." Robby and Carmella each took the end of one of the tables and followed her down to the grove. Alvin watched them for a moment, then shrugged and went into the house.

Mary sat at the kitchen table with her mother and Charlotte. Jean was holding baby Alvin. Hannah and Bonita were sitting on the living room floor, watching TV, while their puppies slept on the couch.

"What are you watching, girls?" he asked.

"Dora the Explorer," Hannah told him.

"Jeezum crow, ain't that kid already explored every place? That was Jen and Charlotte's favorite when they were your age."

"I think it's repeats," Hannah said.

"New for us," Bonita added.

Alvin stepped into the kitchen.

"Come sit with us," Mary beckoned him, "Have some ice tea."

He sat and poured himself a glass from the pitcher.

"You get everything set up already?" Mary asked.

"Nope," he shrugged, "I got told to go away. Guess they think I'm getting old."

"No, Daddy," Charlotte said, "They want to do things for you. For chrissake, let them."

"You need to learn to enjoy the perks of age, Alvin," Jean added.

"I suppose you're right," he said. "I sure do like watching the young ones grow and become who they were meant to be." He looked over his shoulder at Hannah and Bonita. "Hope to stick around and see more."

Mary put her hand on his arm. "You promised me you'd live to be an old man, honey, don't think I'm going to let you out of it."

Alvin laughed. "I've got no plans to depart. Just a day for looking back, I guess, and wondering what lies ahead."

"Well, what lies ahead right now is guests starting to arrive in about an hour, so why don't you get cleaned up and change your clothes?"

"Yes, Miss Mary," he said, standing and kissing her forehead. He went up stairs, shaved and showered. When he finished he went into the bedroom to dress. Mary was standing in front of the full length mirror. She wore a knee length blue and green floral dress. Alvin stood and looked at her. How the hell did I get so lucky, he asked himself.

"You are even more beautiful than you were ten years ago," he said.

Mary turned to face him. She smiled and said, "Wait until you see me ten years from now."

"I intend to."

"Good. You seem down. This is supposed to be a happy day, love."

"I am very happy. Just...reflective. I was talking to Yusef yesterday, and he asked me if I realized what a lucky man I am. That's been on my mind."

Mary sat on the edge of the bed and held out her hand to him. He took it, and sat beside her.

"He's right, I know that. And I just...sometimes I wonder if I deserve it."

"Oh, honey," she rested her head on his shoulder. "There won't be one person at this party who wouldn't say, unequivocally, that you do."

Alvin kissed her cheek. "I can't imagine how I could be good enough to deserve you."

"Well, baby," she said, kissing him back, "That's the lucky part."

She stood and kissed him again. "I need to finish getting ready."

She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him. "Oh, and by the way, you should expect to get very, very lucky after the party tonight."

When they had both finished getting ready, Mary and Alvin went back downstairs to find the house empty.

"I guess everyone but us is already at our party," Alvin said.

"Well, then, let's join them." Mary replied, starting toward the door.

"Hold on a second."

Mary turned to face him. He reached into his shirt pocket and took out a rumbled piece of paper. He unfolded it and began to read.

"Mary, you have brought love and joy into my life in a way I would not think was possible. I promise you, I vow to you, that I will return it to you will all my might, from this moment until my dying breath. Whatever the future might bring, there will never be another day when you do not know that you are loved."

"That was your wedding vow."

He looked up at her, his eyes moist.

"I mean that now more than ever," he said.

"Oh, sweetheart." She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "And I said that it was my destiny to find you and that I would sail with you to the farthest horizon."

"Been a wicked good voyage so far."

She raised her face and they kissed, as deeply and lovingly as they had on their wedding day.

Hand in hand, they walked down the path to the grove. When they entered, they saw that it had been decorated with colorful paper streamers and strings of plastic lanterns. Jean and Jennifer and Carmella were helping Audrey set up trays of food on one of the tables, while Seth, Robbie, and Danni, still in her uniform, stacked wood in the fire pit. Hannah and Bonita were running and playing, their puppies at their feet, while Charlotte sat on the far side of the clearing, nursing her baby.

"Look around," Mary whispered to Alvin, "This is the family you created. I think you deserve everything you've got."

Tim and Molly came into the grove just a few minutes after Mary and Alvin.

"Theo coming?" Alvin asked.

"Sure, You didn't think he'd come with the old folks, did you?" Tim replied. "Soon as you gave him your old Subaru, we seen the last of him."

Theo was not far behind, though, arriving a few minute later with his girlfriend, Olivia. As Alvin watched family and friends join the party, he reflected on Mary's words. Maybe I earned all this, he thought; hard to believe, but maybe I did.

Diana and Bob came into the grove, and Andrew and Jessica. Andrew carried toddler Emily in his arms while Jessica's son Jimmy ran to join Hannah and Bonita.

Kelly Martin and her husband Mike arrived, and Laura with her new boyfriend, Eric.

"Didn't expect to see her with a fella again," Alvin muttered to Mary. "Sure hope it works out."

Yusef and Jamilla walked into the grove and approached Mary and Alvin.

"We are so honored to be invited to your celebration," Yusef said. Jean was standing near by, and Mary introduced them to each other.

"It is very nice that you are here," Yusef told her, "in our culture, marriage is not thought of as the joining of a man and woman, but as the coming together of two families to form one."

Mary heard a screech and turned to see Jennifer running towards the grove's opening. Rachel was coming through it, flanked by a handsome, dark complected young man carrying a large cardboard box.

Mary and Alvin crossed the grove to meet them. As Rachel freed herself from Jennifer's hugs, Mary saw a very confident, self assured young woman, so different from the shy girl she had first met in this same spot.

"That looks heavy," Alvin said to the young man, "let me take it off your hands."

"I brought everyone copies of my new book," Rachel said with a broad smile. Mary hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"I hope I ain't still drowned in this one," Alvin muttered.

"Don't worry, Uncle Alvin," Rachel said, standing on tip toes to kiss him.

"Wow, so you're Alvin and Mary," the young man said, his face breaking into a grin.

"This is them," Rachel nodded, "Uncle Alvin, Aunt Mary, this is my boyfriend, Carlos."

They shook his hand and welcomed him.

"He's a little nervous about meeting the whole family," Rachel said.

Mary laughed. "Sweetie, I first met your family right here, including you. It was Jen and Danni's coming home party." She patted Carlos on the arm. "They'll give you a little guff at first, but by the end of the night, they will consider you part of the family."

"That's just so as to make you feel obligated to help clean up," Jennifer said. She took Rachel's arm and they headed off to introduce Carlos to the rest of the family.

Alvin lugged the box of books over to one of the picnic tables, while Mary made the rounds of the guests, thanking them for attending. When she reached her mother, she wrapped her arms around her and the two of them stood silently and held each other for a long moment.

"You know, sweetheart," Jean said, "there was a time when I worried that you'd never be happy."

"I can't imagine being happier, Mom."

"I know, sweetie."

They stood, arm in arm as Tim and Bob got the bonfire started. As they watched the flames climb up the stacks of wood, Jean said, "Something I had meant to tell you..."

"What is it Mom?"

"You will never guess who I saw at Whole Foods."

Mary frowned. "Oh, I bet I can, just based on the way you brought it up."

"Well, it was Wyatt."

"I figured as much."

"We had a very nice conversation. Did you know he got married again?"

"Mom, I haven't spoken to him in ten years."

"Very nice Asian girl. Korean, I think. Her name is Kim. Isn't that usually a Korean name?"

"I guess so. Well, I hope he's happy. I don't have any hard feelings toward him."

"I thought he was a very nice boy."

Mary sighed. "And I'm sure he still is."

She looked around and didn't see Alvin. She kissed her mother's head, then walked up out of the grove, and saw him. He was standing on the path, hugging a plump blonde woman. Next to them, a slight, elderly man sat in a wheelchair. As she walked toward them, the man turned and smiled at her and she recognized Stanley Pierce.

"Well, here is the beautiful bride now," he said in a weak, hoarse voice.

"Hello, Stanley, I'm so glad you could come." She was startled by how frail he looked, but she managed to hold the smile on her face.

Stanley tugged at the blonde woman's arm. She turned and looked down at him. "Sandy," he said, "here's Mary now."

As soon as their eyes met, Mary realized that the woman was Bonnie's sister.

"I am so happy to meet you," Mary said, extending her hand. Sandy took it and held on.

"You know," she said, "My Dad told me, he said, honey, you know that Alvin had to find someone extraordinary if he was going to replace your sister."

"Um...thank you."

"Shush, Sandy, she don't want to hear that," Stanley croaked.

Alvin pushed the wheelchair down the path and under the trees. Sandy walked beside Mary.

"Are Charlotte and Jennifer both here?" she asked.

"They are," Mary told her.

"I haven't seen either of them in years." She shook her head, looking embarrassed. "And now they have kids of their own..."

"What about you?" Mary asked.

"No," Sandy sighed, "I've never found the right partner, I guess. I keep busy with work and with my cats. And now, with my Dad."