Master Yoshi

I volunteered to help and "my" girls went upstairs, leaving Tallia and I to clean the kitchen.

As I worked, I started to get an emotional impact from where we were.

This was a giant house, we were small people working in a big place. It felt so huge compared to the mobile home, at least, where we were so packed in. It was also a lot fancier, and it had a ton of knick-knacks just lying around that I worried about breaking.

The girls came back down an hour later; we'd gotten a lot done in the kitchen and we showed off the pile of drying pots and pans we'd washed, but they wanted to show us both what was happening upstairs.

They'd packed the clothes from the dressers in the master bedroom into garbage bags and put them into the room next to the master, put fresh bedsheets on, and emptied a glass-fronted display cabinet that took up half the master bedroom's floorspace.

The figurines were delicate glass ones and I was concerned, but the girls had wrapped and boxed them, they said, pointing to a pile of boxes near the trash bags.

The only thing left was to haul that heavy empty glass cabinet downstairs.

Tallia's normal to smaller-size frame had significant muscles, I'd seen her moving things on our farm, and she'd done 4-H (a farm-themed club that taught and had farm-task competitions). Her muscles helped. The cabinet was Super-Heavy! We managed (the four of us) to take the top section off, get the shelving out, and then negotiate the thing downstairs and (lacking other floor space) out on the porch, facing away from the street.

Back in the bedroom, the soft area carpet had indentations from the base of the thing, but we had a more manageable master bedroom for sure.

Tallia's question was innocent, gathered there and contemplating: "So... you're going to be three to the bed, or... do you each want a bedroom for your stuff? I'm not sure where I'm ...?"

We looked at each other; I didn't actually know. Carrie answered for us, "We're three, in here, at least the first week or two?" Joanie nodded, so she continued, "... but we'll need a study room, probably, for desks, since there's not room for that in here."

I realized Tallia's distance from me growing up had always been both geographical and emotional. She lived "next door" in the main house, though she sometimes brought over food Marta made. I strongly suspected she knew Brenda was a cast-iron bitch because Tallia only did it when Brenda and Zeke weren't going to be around.

Tallia's attitude while dropping off food all those times had been extremely formal and distant, almost shy, but we'd gotten easier with each other once Brenda had moved away and she could move in.

In our New Victorian House, we puzzled it out. Tallia claimed the bedroom with the cupola.

Cupolas are nice.

Plus, it was bigger than almost anywhere she'd ever lived, she said.

We went off downstairs and started boxing up some of the massive numbers of figurines in cabinets near the dining room.

Joanie fixed dinner and we ate heated canned soup, then kept working.

Marta came back about 8 pm and dropped off plastic garbage bags full of both my clothes and Tallia's stuff, with a promise to bring the sewing machine and dressmaking dummies when she could. She sounded harried.

Before she left, she said, "Mack and I will pick you up at school at ten. The county clerk's office opens at 9:30, and if they're like I think, the first half hour on Mondays is always a hassle, so we'll give them a bit. Are we still on for this maneuver, or are we putting this off?"

The girls and I agreed fast.

"Then, you'll need nice clothes on, we'll take pictures. You have ID?"

They looked at each other and sighed, worried. Joanie admitted, "Uh... not really. School ID."

"Then we'll need to bring two of your friends as witnesses. Kevin, you can bring someone but they'll have to drive themselves, we'll be full up, Jane will be with us."

Logistics. Pain in the butt, and Marta's car wasn't great anyway. Mack kept it purring, but any random 15+ year old car isn't going to keep going easily.

She left and we carted Tallia's and my stuff upstairs, then got ready for bed ourselves, amid the trash bags of clothes - either of Tallia's or mine, and who knew. The place was a mess.

Still, it was OUR mess.

Getting ready for bed, the girls came out in long t-shirts that looked like Mack's (though clean!) and I just wore underwear.

Joanie went down and double-checked all the door locks, something Carrie said they took turns doing but Never Failed on. She also put a bunch of cans in the hallway so someone would trip over them walking in and make noise. Her clear thought was, bad things could happen.

I almost missed the idea that where she'd grown up, if they didn't have working door locks, they might have been assaulted.

== ==

There was no time for much of anything, it was late by then. We just laid in bed again. I was feeling decidedly horny from soft leg-skin touching mine, and a novel smell of girl's shampoo from their hair near me.

We kissed and hugged, but it was mostly cursory, we were all really tired. Still, I imagined.

Sleep came fast, but I kept getting bumped in the middle of the night as one or the other of them turned or shifted.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, I realized we hadn't traded up to better rings yet. Huh.

Tucked in beside one another, I felt good, but also really worried about what was coming up, so my mood was only half restful despite feeling the warmth and GOOD that comes from people I cared about being warm and next to me.

== ==

The next morning was Monday morning. The high school was far closer than any of us had ever lived to it, only six walking blocks. As we gathered in the kitchen eating bananas Marta had gotten, we debated a worry over what the reception would be.

Neither of the girls had a cellphone, the standard mode of 'learning everything' (social media). Mine was old but functional, and I stayed off social media for Brenda and Zeke reasons. My phone was good for texts and calls, but not any real games like my friends. As it was, there were ten bazillion texts since I'd turned it on DND mode all weekend.

Carrie suddenly asked, what do we do if someone from the Kylor family shows up with a gun?

We'd better tell the school administration for sure, so we headed for the front of the building instead of the side.

The front was a better plan anyway - We Had Friends!

Coming around the corner, we saw a group of mostly track and cross country friends, but also some of people I knew from Chorus, standing with a sign (bedsheet with paint-pen) saying, "Congrats! / Kevin Carrie Joanie!" and the date.

We walked up and got hugs and handshakes. People were really happy to see us, which kind of surprised me since I didn't know how much of a big deal the 'bigamy' thing was going to be.

Being a little hurried, we thanked them a minute or two, then got past them and in the doors.

Mr. Rocknit, the principal, was standing by the front door as he usually did, so we walked up and asked if we could chat, it was important.

He looked at us like we were interrupting his ritual, which we kind of were. Still, he had to know what was up.

In the office, there were plenty of people there, but he wasn't going to go anywhere private. Getting a cue from Carrie to take lead, I described what had happened over the weekend in general terms, which he already knew about.

The idea that there might be a threat against us, though, made him think twice. He called over to one of the secretary ladies and, ignoring us, said, "Get these three schedules. Walk around to their teachers today, let them know there're potentially going to be out for anywhere from a day to rest-of-year, so pull together assignments for remote learning."

To us, he said, "Get that stuff, and be ready to boogie. If I have a threat at this school, I can suspend or expel you, even if it's not your fault. Remote is your better option. If this is anything more than a rumor, you'd better come to me - if I come to you, you're not going to like it."

We nodded and he let us go so he could stand by the door again.

== ==

First period, I got lots of handshakes and congrats, but more than a few stares, too. I actually had two "friends" (guys from Chorus - I accompanied piano as well as sang) come up to me in the hallway and kind of loudly say, "HEY, Cooper! You on that honeymoon yet? Wedding nights!" I ignored him, but it rankled.

Second period, and I walked into the classroom and saw Rob, a sophomore I knew from running, sitting there with his two friends Dalton and Bill, looking kind of smarmy. The classroom was halfway filled, I came and was going to sit, and Rob looked over.

"Yo, Kevin! Wedding night! Wowzers! Two! Way to go! Honeys-moon!"

I broke.

I hung my head. The class went silent, and turned to him, and to me.

I just looked at him, confused, but my ire was rising and something had to come out. "Rob. Dalton, Bill, Read the Fuckin' Room."

He was startled. He should have been, you're Really not supposed to swear in school.

My mood changed slightly. "I'll have some compassion on you now, Rob. I guess. So. I know you, you're okay-smart, I guess, I'll give you that... But... that's a Seriously Fucked up thing to say... More than that, it's... Okay. So..." I sighed. Ug.

My head tilted sideways looking at him, them, in a kind of half-scornful lecture mode.

Pinching the air towards him, several rows away, I said with some intensity, obviously from my body language, posing a scenario. "You. Rob. You're at home. Someone calls you, a friend, says, come over, right away! As you are! Super-quick, emergency, need some quick pics for the newspaper, like, deadline's now, can you get here fast? What do you say? You say, Sure, right?"

He head-tilted, uncomfortable in the spotlight.

"You get there, she's there with her sister, friends of yours, she says in a totally guarded and fearful way, 'LIFE OR DEATH, help me.' What do you say?" I shook my hand to stop him answering, "No, no, no... I remember, seriously here, I'll answer that for you, saw you last year at the Coburn's barn-fire clean-up, you were there - longer than anyone. You're a stand-up guy, you're good people. You'd say what I said: LET ME HELP. Name it."

"So, Carrie and Joanie, we did this dance of pretend. Had to keep her wacknuts mom at a distance. We made a plan - she went in and superglued the drunk violent abusive guy's hand to the floor. Delayed him. Saved their lives. So, we book it back to my house, I realize, hey, they've got __Guns__. Plan A is out the window. Plan B is gone. It's plan C. Plan C is, crazy relatives are coming, they know who I am. Her mom had recognized me. So, new plan? New plan is, if they don't get us today, they'll get us tomorrow. We've got to think fast. So life becomes Life and Death Simple. Either we get married, or they die. Simple math."

"So, I said: LET ME HELP."

"Amazingly, the pastor gets there fast, marries us. Solemn deal, too. Real stuff, no pretending about a _Life Event_. Sign a paper... Just then, In scoots her family, loaded for bear. Trying to pull out long guns and screaming seriously-fucked up racist crap at us. Me?"

My hand motions showed I was incredulous at what had happened.

"So now, lots of yelling, but then sheriffs are everywhere, we're cool. Still, there's more wacknut relatives out there. If our marriage isn't legal, Joanie or Carrie or really, my whole family, they're gonna get disappeared, in a ditch somewhere. Me, too. Focuses the mind. So. What do I have? Do I have a honeymoon? No. I have: Two of the smartest, most capable, slam-damn-toughest people I know. You're effing sure I'm standing up, we're IN this. Sure," I shrugged, "we could go live somewhere, separately. Am I? And risk them?!?! NO. LET. ME. HELP. Name. It."

Rob looked about 3 feet tall.

I looked down. The rest of the class was there, and I saw someone had a video going. I took a long slow breath.

"Rob. You're good people." I said it slowly, I meant it. "I know this, we all know, you care about your friends, you're a standup-guy. Sometimes you say stupid shit, but I'm not holding it against you." I half smiled, glancing over, "Dalton, though, I might have to challenge you to a hot-chili contest."

Dalton half-smiled, he was feeling really stupid, too.

I walked around a chair towards Rob, friendly-like. "Rob. I'm _married_ now, man. Don't make fun of my... my core. A Wife (I used air quotes but with knife-hands, a definite thing) is Permanent. On the other hand... and happily for you, I think your dumb is temporary."

Holding out my hand for him to shake it, I said, "Dude."

Instead of taking it, he stood out of his chair, his eyes kind of tear-filled, he did a bro-hug with me and slapped my back.

The class erupted into chatter, and the teacher, Mrs. Parn-Ass (okay, 'Parnas', but she had a Very Fine Ass) told us to settle down and we'd get to work.

Looking around as I went to sit down, I was getting the kinds of smiles from girls that they usually did after watching a puppy video or some romantic couple kissing or something.

I didn't feel overly romantic, just protective.

== ==

Instead of third period, I went to the office (by the front door) and met up with Joanie and Carrie. They'd changed into long skirtS and the Sunday white-blouses and handed me a bag. I ducked into the bathroom and changed and came out to find Mack was there waiting with Marta and Jane. Just as I got up to the, two girls from cross country, Jo and Dana, walked up.

They were dressed nicely, too.

"We can go."

Dana's mom was waiting in front and took them and the girls; Jane, Mack, Marta, and I piled into Mack's extended-cab pickup he used for tractor-parts delivery.

We drove across town to the courthouse. We didn't have a big town, but it was the county seat.

We stopped in the parking lot, but Mack said, "Kevin. Gotta thing here for you."

Handing me a box (I was in the backseat with Jane), he put the car in park, turned it off, and they both turned around to me.

I opened the box to find it was a jewelry box, and inside it were... 4 rings?

One was really old, a man's ring, a simple gold band with some scratches and wear. The other three were also simple gold bands, but newer, shiny, and with small diamond shapes embossed into the surface.

I was confused but happy. "What...?"

"Your father and mine were best friends and unfortunately, drinking buddies. When your father passed, we kept his wedding band for you, when you got old enough." Macks' voice broke a little, and I saw emotion cross a face that didn't normally appear there.

Marta continued, "And, honey, those are ... three rings. I got them yesterday. I don't know if it's appropriate or not, but I went ahead. See, your father and my husband had an understanding. They said, we'll put Tallia and Kevin near each other, maybe they'll 'take a fancy' [like each other]. They agreed that if there was any way they could make it happen, they'd get Tallia and you married. There was a side agreement about Zeke and Jane, but that ship sailed when Zeke turned out to have a temper like a furnace and zero self control, no matter what we did."

Jane had inhaled with big eyes at the mention of her name and her hands went over her mouth.

"Hank had bought a ring, even, a woman's wedding ring, gaudy, heavy gold and with zero taste, when I wasn't around to stop him spending an entire months' paycheck on it, to give to you so you could give it to Tallia. He was an odd man, but there's no stopping some things."

I had to ask, "So, three?"

"I went to Yenniston's [the jewelry shop in the next town over] yesterday, called ahead and met him there. Told him I needed 2 rings, alike. Well, I get there, and he says he has 3 rings that are alike, women's bands, just like I want, but there's some situation he can't sell them apart, it's a consignment or something, and he'll give me a price break. It's fate, I think. So I say, sure, and here we are. Two rings for your brides." As a throwaway statement, she added, "And, another ring for Tallia, in case my husband's suffering and your joy come together in some kind of universal justice thing."

As she said that, my head started spinning and my vision went zoom-in-out, and flashes of Tallia's face came into focus and out like she was standing in front of me despite me sitting in the car.

The oddness faded, and I nodded. It hadn't been but a second probably but it felt much longer.

My dream's phrase had just popped out of someone else's mouth!

There were things happening in my life... and I could see there might be - complications.

Could I even fight that kind of fate? Did I dare, and if I did dare, would my joy turn to more suffering? My brain wasn't just sort-of preoccupied, it was gobsmacked.

We got out and joined the girls getting out of their car, and another car full of people appeared that turned out to have Brian, Ken (a friend from Chorus), and (of all people) pastor Jergins.

== ==

Our visit to the county clerk's office was far more simple than I thought it'd be. We trooped in, filled out the forms, handed over a form that Pastor Jergins had filled out (and we had to sign), attesting to the marriage ceremony having happened and where.

The girls didn't have ID but that didn't matter in the presence of so many witnesses confirming who and how old they were.

I dutifully lined up in front of Carrie and put a ring on her finger, then did the same with Joanie, and kissed her first, then kissed Carrie. There was a whole who-goes-first thing going on with them and I was glad they had talked it over ahead of time because their chit-chat implied I'd missed lots of conversation about such things.

Lastly, I handed over my ring to Jane to give to them, to give to me.

Jane dropped it.

Tallia picked it up quickly and helped out, holding it for me and letting Carrie and Joanie equally hold her fingers putting it onto my finger.

There was symbolism there, and I liked it, obsessing over the looks of happiness in Carrie's and Joanie's eyes as we did the whole thing.

Mack chipped in for several certified copies of our Marriage Certificate, for each of the girls and me and one to give the school as well.

Ken (one of my friends) got a video of the whole thing, though everybody got lots of still shots, both inside and out on the courthouse steps.

Back in the cars, we headed back to school.

On the way in the building, the group of us had to stop by the office so we weren't marked absent, and handed over a certified copy of the marriage certificate so Mrs. Dawkins (who just HAD to see rings) could add it.

Carrie (being the official bride), filled out an announcement form with the text she wanted read the next day, and we could go on to class.

In that case, it was gym for me, so I just went to the chorus room (unused) and practiced for a while before 5th period.

The music director, Mrs. Huffman, came out of her office (I thought I was there alone) as I was getting going again with the Mendelsohn piece we were doing and just leaned on the piano. I paused and looked up.

"Rumor has it, congratulations are in order, misterrrr-Cooper." She drew out the r. There's no way to switch Mr. to be like Miss vs. Mrs., is what she was trying probably.

I was grinning. I was still reasonably happy. "Absolutely correct, ma'am." I held up my hand with a ring on it. "Freshly minted about an hour ago."

"OOoooooo!" She came over and held my hand and looked at my face with a motherly over-the-glasses thing. "You have your work cut out for you."

My chest exploded in laughter. "Ooooo-BOY do you have that right. This time last week my biggest worry was this piece... and, well, my pre-calc test, but I think I did okay on that."