We’ve been having sex for hours now.
I pull out without using my hands on account of I’m holding her face to ask, “You okay?”
“Little sore.”
“Let’s stop.”
“Is that alright?”
“That’s always alright, May. This is for both of us to feel good.”
“I know but I just…is ‘came’ the proper way to say it?”
“That’s right.”
“I just came, and you haven’t.”
“But I did before, remember?”
Her eyes are big, uncertain. “Doesn’t it have to be even? Sable always says everything needs to be balanced.”
“And it is, by both of us enjoying ourselves. I can’t enjoy myself if you’re in pain.” I kiss her and she yields to me, relaxing completely.
We snuggle and doze off until awakened by another knock. Neither hesitates in jumping to our feet this time. We near ‘bout hit the ceiling.
“Who is it?”
“Walter!”
“Are you alone?”
“I am.”
Hopping into my pants I wave May out of sight. She wraps the blanket around her, and runs to hide behind the door. The bed is in plain view and her looking all sexy like that is for my eyes only, nobody else’s.
Opening the door about a foot-wide, I greet him with, “Are they here?”
“They are, and they asked for your room number. I said I’d have to look it up, and suggested they might make themselves comfortable, that I’d send you on up to them. The long journey made that seem the better option.”
My lungs lighten their load. “Thank you.”
“Just had to put myself in your shoes.” He stares at me with the unsaid in his eyes. He’s imagining if it had been him and Patty, what he would’ve wanted someone to do for them. “But I’d hurry up if I were you.”
He heads off and I shut the door, now face-to-face with May. She touches my bare chest. “Why don’t you just wear this?”
I grab her finger, pull her closer. “I will if you stay in that blanket. You can wear my belt.”
This image sends her into a fit of giggles as she hurries to the clothes I carefully removed earlier and hung up to avoid wrinkles and hide how we’ve spent our afternoon.
When she turns to me and asks, “How do I look?”
Fixing my last button, I smirk, “Might need a hairbrush for those knots we made.”
Her hand flies up. “Oh!”
“I don’t think the courthouse is open this late,” I chuckle. “And I want to live through the night.”
50
MAY
We were given one room number. Chief Gibbons wasn’t sure which couple took which room. They’d arrived together, everyone talking over each other and he could barely make heads nor tails of what they were saying.
Jerald is holding my hand as we use the stairs. “Nervous?”
“No.”
“Lying?”
“Yes.”
He stops and faces me, calming my heart by opening it with, “It’s you and me now.”
A deep breath later and I’m watching Jerald knock. The door swings open and Mrs. Cocker hurries us inside, “Come! Come! Well now, you two have given us quite a scare, haven’t you! You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
Mother turns from the window, her frown deep as blue eyes drop to our clasped hands. “May, how could you?”
The door shuts, and both walk forward, talking to each other, Mother first. “Did you see them?”
“No, just the kids.”
“Fred wasn’t in the hallway?”
“Raymond must have him under lock and key. It was a wise decision to bring the whiskey!”
“Fred doesn’t normally drink it.”
“All the better! Let’s hope it knocks him right out!”
Jerald asks, “What gives?”
His mother says, “Your father and Fred are in another room down the hall where the two of them will remain until morning. That’s the plan we’ve all agreed on after much debate! Dot and I are staying here with May. And you will stay in yours, alone.”
I argue, “But we’ve already…”
“Hush! Tomorrow you will be married, and until then there is nothing more to say! Jerald, be gone with you. I can’t bear to look at your face.”
“Ma, I…” He turns to me, unused to her being so angry at him. “I’ll bring your suitcase up.”
“Will you have something to eat?”
“I’ll find dinner someplace.”
“Perhaps Walter will know.”
“Good idea. I’ll ask.” He heads for the door, glancing back at our mothers. “I love her, just so you know. I love her with all of me.”
He disappears, leaving three women staring at the closed door.
Our mothers rush to pull me far away from it over to the farthest window, mine speaking first. “How could you do this!”
“Did you think we’d not want to be here?”
I stare, confused by the second question. “Mrs. Cocker, I don’t understand your meaning.”
She blinks and waves her hand. “Not here for that! For the wedding! Dottie and I would have been so angry had we missed it!”
“I should say so,” Mother mutters.
“You knew we came here to get married?”
They stare at me, both exploding at once, “Of course!”
Mrs. Cocker explains, “That’s why we devised this plan.”
“Frances telephoned and pretended to be beside herself with worry that Jerald was ruining your reputation. I pretended to be distraught.”
“And I miraculously thought of the solution of marriage! Raymond latched onto the idea immediately, never knowing it was what you two had schemed all along!”
“I covered the mouthpiece and told your father marriage was the only way.”
“Raymond all but ran to his office to call his judge friend for help in the matter.”
“Your father had a fit. But agreed.”
“We hung up and here we are!”
My mind is boggled trying to keep up. “Forgive me, but…you knew we’d come here to get married and you helped on purpose so you could be here with us?”
Mrs. Cocker smiles with mischief. “Oh child, not only that! We knew when
