Radio Days Pt. 04

"Two things ... marriage and kids," she said succinctly.

"Yeah ... that about covers it," I said, nuzzling into her neck.

"You haven't asked me," she said with a phony pout.

"OK. Will you marry me and do you want kids?" I blurted out as I nibbled on her earlobe.

"Oh no you don't. You're going to do this properly. I've waited a long time for you to come along and I'm going to get a proper proposal and then we're going to have a proper discussion about our future. Understood?"

I knew she wasn't angry or upset. It was a bit of play-acting, but I dared not treat it frivolously. I slipped off the sofa and with one knee on the carpet and holding both her hands in mine, I said the words I knew she wanted to hear.

"My beautiful, lovely Leticia, I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?" I didn't think that was too bad, all things considered.

"Well, that wasn't the most creative proposal, but ... seeing that it's you ... and seeing that I'm in need of a white knight, I suppose ... I suppose I can see my way ...."

She couldn't carry it off. She started to giggle and then as I joined her, it turned into outright laughter. We both ended up on the floor, holding each other as we laughed uncontrollably. With all the internal tension we harbored, it took a while for the laughter to subside, but when it did, I pulled her to me and we kissed with the passion both of us felt for the other. There was no mistaking the message.

She pulled her head back and gazed at me, her eyes searching mine.

"If you hadn't told me you loved me tonight ... I think I would have died," she moaned. "I've been waiting and waiting for you to tell me what I know you felt, but ... it took you a long time to get it out, didn't it?"

"Yes. I admit ... I didn't really know what to expect. I've just recently realized that I had never been in love until I met you. Certainly not with Martha. You were a surprise. A wonderful surprise. You arrived just in the nick of time. Tish ... I'm so happy, I can't tell you how I feel. It's confusing and exciting and a bit frightening and ... every good emotion that it's possible to have."

Our foreheads were touching and I could see tears trickling down Tish's cheeks as I spoke.

"You don't really need me to tell you how I feel, do you?" she whispered. "You know. I know you know. The whole world knows."

"I just need to hear you say it. I guess I'm a bit insecure that way."

"I love you, Oswald Charles Hanswatter. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. I want to be your wife and have your babies and live with you forever."

"OK, that's good for starters," I kidded. My reward was a stinging knuckle-punch on the bicep in payment for my cheekiness.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make light of your admission. It was everything I ever wanted to hear. I don't think I can quite believe my good fortune. I'm not even sure if I've really understood what happened here tonight. But I wouldn't change it for anything," I said softly as I pulled her to me again and wrapped her in my arms.

Now, under normal circumstances, you might think this story ends here and they live happily ever after. Who said this story was about normal? Lots of other neat and weird stuff happened, so you might as well hear about that too.

By coffee break on Monday, everyone in the county office knew we were engaged. I was surprised and pleased at just how many people came up to me and congratulated me and wished us well. I know Tish got a lot of the same, even though she'd only been there a little over a month.

A month! We'd only known each other a month and we were engaged. That was something that set me back on my heels. How had all this happened so quickly? Did I have second thoughts? Not a one! And trust me, I examined my motives and my feelings and all the things that made me tick and when all was said and done, I was absolutely convinced it was the right thing for me. I wanted this woman as my wife. Period!

I kept probing Tish to make sure she was just as convinced and couldn't find a hint of doubt. That Monday, we used our lunch break to make a quick trip to the jewelry store and look for a ring. I think I'd have given Tish the Hope Diamond if she'd asked for it, but in fact, the ring she was looking at was so modest, I was almost embarrassed for her.

It took a bit of talking, but I finally convinced her of something a little more elegant and expressive. When she asked me for the umpteenth time if I was sure and I once again assured her I was, she agreed. She picked out the wedding bands and I was quite happy with simple gold bands for both of us.

The jeweler promised them ready for Friday, and that timing was perfect. I had suggested to Tish that we travel to Spokane to see her parents. I had it in mind to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage, even though their approval wasn't going to change our plans. It seemed like a small courtesy.

I was more worried about trying to explain the fact that Tish was still legally married to butt-head and our wedding was dependant upon the finalization of the divorce decree. According to the documents, that should come sometime near the first of October.

Tish assured me that her parents knew all about Terry Parmeter and his behavior and that they were just as anxious to see her free of him and safe as well. One thing was certain, there would be no mention of my inheritance or my experiences with Mr. Snipe.

I had been lobbying Tish to move in with me. It just seemed the logical thing to do. She hadn't agreed yet, but I figured maybe I could get some of her friends (Julia, Tommie and Pearl) to convince her there was nothing wrong with it.

In the meantime, we had thought about a small civil ceremony with just a few close friends in attendance. The Timely's, the Hashimoto's, The Gent's, and Tish's parents. Nice try! Before I knew it, there were plans afoot for something a good deal more elaborate than that. On top of that, it was going to be catered and the bill was going to be picked up by ... wait for it ... DMH!

I guess I had mentioned to Felix Bindle that Tish and I were getting married and he was enthusiastically supportive. Now, if you knew Felix, you'd know that enthusiasm is not something you'd immediately think of as a personality trait. But, to my surprise, he was determined to make this the wedding of the season, even if the season was fall.

By the time we saw the guest list, I almost fell over and I think Tish was just as surprised. The list included almost everyone at the county office, Sheriff Carbutt and his wife Ramona, and Bindle's secretary; surprise, surprise. It turns out she was Felix's girlfriend and they had been going steady for several years. I didn't see Snipe's name anywhere on the list, but that wasn't a surprise. Holograms hardly ever have any fun at wedding receptions.

There were also a few names on the list that looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite put a face with any of the names. Little River didn't have that many big social events and Felix and our friends were determined to turn this into one.

I think the thing that surprised me more than anything was the good wishes and congratulations that I kept getting from so many people. People I hardly knew in some cases. I tried not to let it go to my head and I kept questioning it with Tish. I think she got a little fed up with my humble attitude and told me to "put a sock in it!" I did. Remember, "just go with the flow" was my new mantra.

The trip to Spokane was long, but important. We left Friday after work and headed for Pendleton, Oregon. The short way to Spokane from Little River was actually the long way. Better roads and fewer towns made it faster. Still, it was a six hour drive non-stop, and Pendleton was a nice half-way point. We had a light meal late at the hotel and retired early. We'd be up at eight and on the road by nine with arrival at the Darling home by noon.

I was anxious about meeting Tish's parents, but I shouldn't have been. They welcomed me and made me feel right at home. Within a few minutes of my arrival, Mel Darling and I each had a beer in our hand and had tuned in the Orioles-Yankee's game on Fox. The only thing missing was the popcorn, but that was because Muriel was busy with daughter Tish in the kitchen putting together a big lunch. I could see myself working extra hard at the gym for the next few weeks.

When things calmed down after the lunch and the ballgame, I got around to asking Mel his permission for his daughter's hand. He got a real serious look on his face and I thought for a minute I was in trouble.

"Son, there's only two things that I want you to solemnly swear to me that you will never do. First, you will never hurt my little girl the way that asshole Parmeter did. Neither physically nor mentally. Can you promise me and Mrs. Darling that?"

"Yes sir. It's written in stone. It will never happen," I said with as much emphasis as I could.

"Good. The second and just as important. I don't ever, ever want to hear of you rooting for them damn Yankees. Can you promise me that?"

I nearly bust a gut. "Yeah ... ha ha ha ... no problem. I'm a Red Sox fan from away back. You're daughter's in safe hands with me."

He gave me a big smile and looked furtively around. "Don't tell anyone around here, but I'm a Red Sox fan too. Most people around here are Mariner fans, but I'm staying in the closet, if you get my meaning."

"Gotcha ... your secret is safe with me," I laughed.

Without thinking, I handed Mel my camera and asked him to take our picture. I wanted Tish to be showing off her ring. This time, there was less hesitation on her part. She was smiling as her father took several pictures of us in what I could only describe as loving poses. It reminded me that I needed to resolve what caused her earlier reaction to my photo taking.

It was a great weekend. I guess Tish had paved the way for me, making me out to be some kind of saint or whatever. Her parents accepted me and Saturday night, her dad and I spent a lot of time talking politics and such. I got the impression he was pretty disillusioned with the current system and I can't say I blamed him. We both agreed there had to be a better way to run the country.

We left for the long drive home just after lunch on Sunday. We made a pit-stop for a light meal in Baker City and then made the last leg to Little River. We arrived at my house just after 9:00 pm. During the drive I remembered the pictures and I wanted to know what her reaction was all about.

"Tish ... when we were up at Rocky Point, you were very uncomfortable when I took your picture. What caused that?"

She was silent for a while, but then turned to me.

"There's something else I haven't told you, Ozzie. Something about my past. Something I'm not very proud of," she began.

I looked at her briefly and could see the worry written on her face. I waited silently for her to continue.

"I told you I was a bit wild in my early college days. I was having a good time being popular and like I said before, some of the guys took advantage of me. One time, I got involved in ... in a sex party." She was cringing, waiting for my reaction.

"It was ... terrible ... but I was a full participant. I won't make any excuses. I behaved like a slut." Her head was bowed and she couldn't look at me.

"But ... how does that relate to the camera ... the pictures?"

"One of the guys was taking pictures. I'd had a few drinks and I guess I never really paid any attention to him. A couple of days later, I got an envelope in the mail with some pictures of me at the party. They were pretty ... raw. I was ashamed of myself. There wasn't any note with them. Just the pictures. I didn't know what to do."

I felt my hands tightening on the steering wheel. My guts were churning as she told her story.

"I was a wreck. I went to Julie and Tommie and told them what had happened. I told them who was at the party. I showed them the pictures. I know they were horrified, but they said they would try and help."

"Is that when you guys first met?" I asked.

"Pretty much. They were friendly and I didn't know anyone else that I could trust. They were my only hope," she said, still unable to look at me.

"And?"

"They did. Somehow, they got the guys to admit they had the pictures and they threatened them with turning them into the campus police and telling them what was going on and who was involved. I guess one or two of the guys panicked and handed over the rest of the pictures. They also admitted that someone had put something in my drink. They wouldn't say who or what it was, but they didn't want the police to get involved."

"So ... you were drugged?"

"I think so. I was pretty reckless, Ozzie, but I never thought I would do anything like I did that night. I was sick to my stomach when I remembered it the next morning."

"Yeah ... I can imagine," I said absently.

"Do you hate me now? Is it over for us?" She looked terrified.

"No ... no Tish ... I don't hate you. I love you. Whatever happened then, that isn't the Leticia Darling I fell in love with. I love the woman you are now. I'm marrying the woman you are now." I had pulled the car over to the side of the road and stopped.

"What happened to you happened over ten years ago. If anything was going to come back and haunt you, it would have shown up by now. On top of that, you have two very good friends that helped you when you most needed it. We're very lucky in this life if we can have just a couple of friends like Julie and Tommie.

"I don't want you to think about that night again. It's behind you. I'm going to be taking ten thousand pictures of my beautiful Tish. You'll just have to get used to it," I smiled tenderly.

She undid her seatbelt and slid toward me. I held her in my arms and then we were kissing. I could feel the trembling subside and after a few minutes, we broke.

"Tish ... I don't want you to beat yourself up about this. As far as you and I are concerned, it happened in the past, before we met. You won't have to worry about it coming back to haunt you from me. I love you and nothing is going to change that," I said in as firm a voice as I could without frightening her.

She nodded silently, tears streaking her cheeks. I felt my stomach muscles unclench and I began to breathe a bit more normally. In a few moments, I started the car and we resumed our homeward trip.

Tish slept for the last couple of hours and I kept glancing over at her, telling myself that she was mine and I wasn't dreaming all this. Despite her confession and my shock with the revelation of her youth, it hadn't changed anything. I loved her and that was that. The acceptance by her parents was just the icing on the cake. My life couldn't be better.

Now, just because things were going so well, didn't mean there weren't any complications. No, my world doesn't revolve that way; at least not lately. On the Tuesday after we got back from Spokane, I got a call from Sheriff Carbutt asking me if I would be able to meet with him on Wednesday evening around eight pm. I told him sure, but asked what the meeting was about. He seemed reluctant to tell me much, but indicated it was nothing bad or threatening to our wedding.

So, at eight the next night, I arrived at the Little River Golf and Country Club and looked for the Rapids Room. I found it and stepped inside to find Sheriff Carbutt and several other men, all seated at a round table. I could see that one of the men was Ernie and I immediately wondered if this had anything to do with the army.

They stood as I entered and I went around the table as I was introduced. The sheriff and Ernie just stood and watched as I met four men I had only a passing acquaintance with. One was a real estate broker, another a banker, the other two owned businesses in Little River. The last man was a well-dressed man in his early fifties, I thought. He was very distinguished looking and seemed out of place in our little town.

"Ozzie," Sheriff Carbutt said, I'd like you to meet Elijah Mellor. Mr. Mellor is from Sacramento."

We shook hands, but I'm sure my mouth must have been open and a look of shock on my face. I knew his name. It had been one of the ones I had 'Googled' when I first had the little radio. He was smiling and didn't seem the least put out by my show of surprise.

"I gather you recognize me, or at least my name," he said in a kindly, mellow voice.

"Yes ... yes I do. You're about to run for office, if I remember right," I managed.

"That's right. California State Senate," he smiled.

"You're a builder and a philanthropist?" I tried again.

"Very good. You are very well informed. How do you know so much about me?" he asked evenly.

"Uhmmm ... I guess I saw it in the paper ... or something," I mumbled.

Mellor's eyebrows rose in interest, but he didn't quiz me any further. The sheriff offered me a drink and I chose a coffee. I suspected I was going to need my wits about me tonight. One too many coincidences for my liking. I decided to let them do the talking and took an open seat beside Ernie. He just smiled that relaxed smile of his. It helped a bit.

"I know you're curious why we asked you here tonight, Ozzie," the sheriff began. I'll try and make this short. All these gentlemen around this table belong to an organization called the League of Independents. It's an association formed to promote the nomination and election of independent candidates throughout the U.S.A.

"I know from talking to your friends that you, like us, are pretty fed up with the partisan politics that seems to put party ahead of anything else. I know I am and so are all the gentlemen around this table. Our ambition is to find suitable candidates to run for office at the county, state and federal level as independents. Candidates who are beholden to no one but their own ideals and their constituents.

"I think if we'd tried this ten or twenty years ago, we would have fallen flat on our faces. The country wasn't ready for it. But things have changed and we can thank the more recent administrations for that. Neither party can agree on the sun coming up in the morning, much less on important legislation. We get a hell of a lot of finger pointing, but not much action. Everyone is out for themselves.

"It may come as a surprise, but the country is more ready for change than most people realize. The ordinary people are just as fed up with the current system as anyone, but there hasn't been an alternative. That's where we come in. We are the alternative.

"The most important thing we can do to make our group successful is to find good candidates. I mean good, moral, upstanding citizens; men and women. People who don't owe favors to anyone or any party. Mr. Mellor, here is a good example. He's a successful builder who truly believes in providing homes for the homeless. He uses his own money to back that up."

The sheriff stopped for a moment and I was sorely tempted to ask some questions, but I chose instead to remain mute.

"There's another factor that is going to make our organization unique. We aren't trying to win the next general election. We know that we will have to make inroads at all levels of government and it could take fifteen or twenty years to have a significant impact. But if we do nothing, then nothing will be done. Someone has to shout it from the rooftops. Someone has to tell the people that the emperor has no clothes."

I didn't have to be a genius to see where this was headed. I had been invited to this meeting because they wanted me to join their League. They were recruiting people just the way Snipe was recruiting people for his army. As sympathetic to their ideals as I might be, one organization was enough for me. I had agreed to work with Snipe first and that's where my obligation lay.