September: A Love Story That Last Pt 6

    September, 1930. San Diego, California

         William stood in the room holding the empty bottle. His fingers rubbed the glass surface as he looked out the window of the boarding house. The early morning sun stared back at him.  His nerves, unrequested, pinched inside his stomach. Talking to her dad was the hard part. He thought back to the first day he met her dad. Laughing at the memory of himself stumbling over words and saying 'yes sir' a record amount of times, William placed the bottle on the bed. The first talk hadn't gone well as far as he was concerned but with the end result being that Mary's dad agreed that they could see each other, he wasn't going to cry over spilled milk. Besides, today was going to be the biggest day of his life. He reached down and wrote on a small piece of paper, picked up the bottle and headed out the door.

         Mary knew that William would be by to pick her up soon. They were planning to spend a day at the beach and then go to the Aztec Theater to see another picture. Picture shows, beach strolls and dances had made up most of their dating life. With William working in construction once more, some of the tension had eased on both their parts. She glanced out the front of her house again but he still hadn't showed up. She knew he said around noon, it was almost one o'clock. As the thought left her mind, the familiar car pulled up to the house.

         William and Mary walked hand in hand down the shoreline. The tide teasing at their bare feet as they splashed and played back with it. They usually didn't talk during these common strolls. The scenery and warmth between them was the only conversation they needed. William squeezed her hand and leaned towards her and kissed her on the cheek. Mary smiled and leaned back to return the favor.

"We should build a sand castle!" William said like a child.

Mary smiled, then laughed when she realized he was serious.

"Seriously?" she inquired.

William pulled her back away from the water and walked up into the sand and flopped onto his knees.

"Come on! Help me!

Mary climbed down beside him and started digging. William watched her eagerly. His face trying to hide his smile.

         "We need some water." William said getting up and running down towards the ocean. He stopped and watched her as she continued to work her hands through the sand. She stopped. He waited. She turned towards him and held a glass bottle. Mary noticed he was watching and waiting. She removed the cork slowly and let the rolled paper fall out onto the sand. William began to walk back towards her. She unrolled the paper and looked back towards him. Her eyes blurred and her smile stretched, she stood up. He was beside her now. He took her hands and looked at her.

"Yes. Yes!" Mary repeated as her lips met his. She dropped the paper to the sand once more as their kiss became more passionate. William picked her up and swung her in big circles. The paper lay face up on the sand with the words, "Will you marry me?" written across the front.

    April, 1931. San Diego, California

         Mary's white dress stretched the length of her body and down several feet behind her. Her mom stood in front of her and adjusted the small hat and exquisite white netting that covered her face. Mary felt her palms sweating and reached for a nearby towel that was draped over the back of chair near the mirror that faced her. Her mom noticed and comforted her. Mary smiled back at her. She knew William was all she ever wanted. She knew that he loved her. It wasn't a lack of love that scared her, it was that she knew she loved him so much.

         William stood at the altar. His palms also sweaty. His dark suit accompanied by fedora that crowned his head made him look distinguishable compared to his construction attire. He took in the familiar building. The same church that had brought him to Mary would now connect him to her for life.

         The doors opened and his bride to be walked towards him. He felt his heart stop for a second and then regain its rhythm as she smiled back at him. Now facing each other, the nerves subsided. William knew in his mind that there was no other possible meaning to his life, other than to love Mary. As the preacher took them through the dialogue, William reached into his pocket and pulled out a small folded piece of paper. The preacher nodded at him and William began to read.

         "In the presence of God I speak these words." William cleared away an early tear and continued. "Before today I was an incomplete man. I have lived most of my life with broken pieces representing my heart and soul. You are the reason I will be complete from this day on. I give you all of me. In times of plenty and in times of despair. Through your laughter and during your tears. While you are strong and young until you are old and feeble. I have no where else I want to be other than at your side loving you for all of my life." William didn't try to stop the new wave of tears. "I knew the day I saw you, that you were the one. As I sat in the back seat of your fathers car and stared at the girl with the pig tails, I knew then."

         Mary's face twisted and for the first time realized what he was referring too. She felt tears flow too as her hand inadvertently reached to grab her mouth. She looked to where her parents were sitting. Her dad smiled back at her, her mom smiled through tears at her. William continued.

"Mary, you have all of me. For every day of my life, until forever." he folded the paper back up and pushed it into his pocket.

    August, 1932. San Diego, California

         Mary sat at the table, her hands tapping the wood surface anxiously. William should be home any moment. He was finishing a construction job just a few miles down the street. She had left the doctors office earlier that morning and now sat waiting for him. His car slowed and stopped in front of the house. He made his way into the front door and found her at the table.

"Well?" William asked.

Mary looked at him and smiled, "The rabbit died."

         William looked at her, then down to her stomach and walked over to her. He fell down on one knee and rubbed her belly while kissing her cheek. He knew the euphemism and that the test to confirm her pregnancy was determined to be positive. He kissed her cheek again and then bent down and kissed her belly.

PD