“If anyone’s making decisions, it’s me! Stop insinuating yourself into the situation. Did Fred call you? No, he called me!”
“We are in this together!”
“Hey Pops!”
“If you’re threatening to make calls and decisions while I go to my office for privacy, then that’s not ‘together’ in my book!”
“And this is?”
“Pops!” I yell.
He yells back, “Jerald, hold on! I’m arguing with your mother!”
I hang up, and look over to Walter who’s watching me from over his glasses, chin tucked in and doubled.
“Seems my folks are having a fight.”
“Mmm. Happen often?”
“Afraid not, no.”
“What’s it about? Or is that too personal a question to ask?”
I whistle an uneven tune as I think a minute. He goes back to his numbers but I know his mind is half occupied with curiosity.
“Jerald?” May calls, and I step out to get a better view of her walking up the hallway, hair brushed and everything in place again. She looks cute as a button. “Who was it?”
“My father. And Ma made sure she was heard, too.”
“Oh no! What do they want?”
“What do you think they want?”
May stares at me. Her mouth twists to the side and she blinks at the options. “We’d better get married soon, then.”
I hear the fountain pen drop, and close my eyes.
We look at Walter’s disapproval.
May whispers, “Uh oh.”
“Petty Officer Cocker, what’s the meaning of this?”
“Now, listen, it’s not what you think.”
May interjects, “We came here to get married!”
“That’s right, it’s not like this is our second choice or anything like that.”
“It’s the sole reason we came to Atlanta!”
I touch her back. “I was in Norfolk.”
“So was I! It was my first plane ride! See, you can’t make that up!” She pauses. “Well, you could, but I’m not! I went with his folks to pick him up the moment he landed, isn’t that right?”
“Yes, that was just on Saturday.”
“Jerald has been away for a year and we’ve been waiting until he returned so we could get married but then…”
“We didn’t want to wait.”
“That’s right!” She looks at me.
Walter is watching us, unsure. I don’t want him to kick us out, or call the police, or…who knows what a man would do when he believes he’s been made a fool of?
I hold out my open palm. “You know how it is, don’t you, Chief Gibbons? Coming back from war and realizing what really matters? May and I are in love, the real kind. The lifelong kind! I brought her to Atlanta to elope so we didn’t have to wait months to be together. We’d already done that. Time is too precious to waste, that’s what I learned. Didn’t you? When you were at sea and days stretched into years? It’s time to build a home together. A family!”
He sighs, removes his glasses and taps them on the ledger, staring into his thoughts. “I had a girl. Her name was Patty. She waited for me as long as she could, I imagine. I’d like to think so, anyhow. When I got back she’d moved away with some fella. Her mother told me what a good match they were, and that I should be happy for her. I tried to be, because I loved her so much, and I suppose I was for a while. Later on, that feeling faded and I just missed her. Couldn’t do anything about it, but I missed her just the same.” Returning to present day, he looks at us. “Well, I suppose you’ll need a license.”
48
JERALD
T he phone rings.
I point at it, and Walter nods. Chances are it’s not a customer. In fact, we’re all surprised it’s taken this long for Pops to call back, though none of us needs to say it.
Leaning her hip on the counter, May’s blue eyes are big with worry as I answer, “Hello?”
“Jerald, it’s your mother!”
“Hey Ma,” I mutter, rubbing my face. “You won, huh?”
“Won? Oh…you heard us arguing.”
“Couldn’t miss it.”
“She didn’t win anything!”
“Quiet, Raymond, it’s my turn!”
“I conceded!”
“Yes, your father gave me the phone because it was my idea what we need to do next!”
I cover the mouthpiece, “They have a solution.”
“Oh no!” May moans, closing her eyes. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Listen Ma…”
“Jerald, I cannot believe you pulled a scheme like this. I would expect this of your brother, but never you! Have you any idea what an uproar you’ve caused? I just got off the phone with Dot. We called her and she is in complete agreement. But I must say, she’s beside herself and feels the two of you should be ashamed of yourselves!”
As Ma berates me, I cover the mouthpiece again. “It’s not just them. They’ve got your parents in on it, too.”
May spins around, “Oh no!” stamping her feet once and throwing her arms over her head to hide.
“Here we were, happily awaiting your return home, and now it’s ruined!”
“Come now, Frances, it’s not ruined!”
“It is ruined, Ray, don’t tell me how to feel!”
“Ma…”
“This does not take away from our happiness that Jerald has returned!”
“Raymond, don’t be silly! Of course it doesn’t take away from our gratitude in his well being, that’s not my point!”
“Ma…”
“Then don’t say it if you don’t mean it!”
“But I do mean it!”
“Ma!”
“What, Jerald, why are you yelling?!!”
I take a deep breath. “What is your solution?”
“Oh that! There is only one thing that can be done in a situation like this. You must marry the girl!”
I blink, and lock eyes with May.
She steps closer, mouthing, What?
Walter is holding the desk with both hands, his jaw tight.
For their benefit I repeat, “You’re saying I have to marry her?”
May silently claps her hands and bounces backward.
Walter exhales.
“Jerald there is no other way around it. I know you fancy the sweet girl, and probably expected a long courtship — to get to know each other, determine if it’s a good match for both of you — but I’m afraid that won’t do at all!”
“Say now,” I begin, raking
