I laugh, shaking my head, overwhelmed as I turn to my husband and confess to them all, “I already got my wish.”
They whoop and holler as he kisses me, pulling back to smirk at the crowd, “Alright now, calm down. It’s just a kiss that’s legal. Not that exciting.”
“Oh, I’ve got one!” I take a deep breath, bend over and blow as hard as I can. The candles fight back, so I cheat and blow once more as friends and family either object or cheer, depending on who you’re looking at.
The final flame turns to smoke and Sable shouts, “What’d you wish for?”
“If I tell you it won’t come true!”
“Looks like it might not anyhow, with how you had to try again!”
“Sable!”
“What?”
Lily rolls her eyes, muttering, “Do you really need her to explain it to you?”
“Explain what?”
“Forget it.”
Mother announces, “I’ll cut the cake for everyone,” lifting her masterpiece and privately asking me, “What did you wish for?”
“I’m not telling!”
“Fine, be that way!” She heads off and I turn to Jerald, seeing the look in his eyes, too.
“I said I’m not telling. And you’re included!”
“But I’m your husband.”
“Oh I know!”
As the older folks and young children occupy each other, discussing cake, coffee, and what games we should play next, our friends join us away from the crowd.
Gertie lifts my left hand. “It’s just the prettiest ring I ever saw, May!”
Sable leans in to whisper, “I still can’t believe you eloped!”
“Shhh,” I remind her. “Not everyone here knows that!”
Peter grins, “That’s right. Her father’s factory buddies think this whole thing was planned!’
“And we’re keeping it that way,” Jerald warns him.
“I’m not giving it away!”
“Maybe pipe down?”
“Alright, alright!” Peter throws his hands up, a charming smile dazzling Lily who’s hanging on his every word.
Darren asks, “You tell ‘em?”
“Not yet,” Peter says, turning to the circle.
Gertie’s eyebrows fly up with interest, hands clasped behind her dress so she won’t bite them.
Sable pushes her glasses higher.
Marvin watches her do it.
Jerald’s resting one hand on my back, the other sliding into his pants pocket.
And I’m tilting my head, waiting for the news, feeling like it’s all coming to an end. Or a beginning. I guess those travel in pairs.
We’ve all graduated and it’s time to start our lives.
Sable starts at Vassar during second semester. She postponed a bit with the war ending, and her desire to make sure Lily had a home.
Marvin is hoping to follow but she insists that’s not her plan. I think that’s his only aspiration.
Darren’s taking over his father’s car dealership in about ten years. Until then, he’ll work and learn the business, and meet as many lady customers as he can manage.
Gertie, too, is leaving to become a teacher, as she got accepted into a small university in Ohio where she grew up. I know she hopes Hank will return soon, and when he does, she’ll show him what winter is really like. I told her I’m not sure he’ll think that’s a good thing, and she said he’d expressed interest. The debate was over, that was plain.
Keeping my volume just for our circle of friends I interrupt, “Everybody, since it’s my birthday, I’d like to announce our news, first.”
They look at me, and Peter says, “Sure May, you go on ahead.”
I look at Jerald, “Do you want to tell it?”
He kisses me, and turns to tell them, “We’re moving.”
“Where to?”
“Atlanta.”
Everyone reacts in their own ways, and Gertie smiles, “Atlanta, really? The big city! I’ll come visit you and we can go shopping!”
Peter laughs, “Okay, okay, but we’ve got you beat! We’re moving to New York!”
Nobody expected that!
Especially Sable. “You are? Why didn’t you tell me? What part? I’m Upstate!”
“We’ll be in Manhattan. I’ve been offered a job!”
More reactions all around.
I’m so happy for them. Jerald and I both are.
He squeezes my waist as he asks, “When are you guys heading up?”
“Soon. Real soon.” Peter smiles at Lily.
The look in her eyes as she scans the group quiets every single one of us. Sable looks over the top of her glasses to demand, “Lily Marie Marlow, what have you got cooking in that devilish mind of yours?!”
None of us notices that the entire party has silenced.
Mother is holding two plates of cake.
“You’re going to have to call me Lily Marie Tuck soon. I’m pregnant!”
The whole room gasps.
Mother drops the plates, crash echoing.
For years.
The End.
And an unplanned beginning.
T urn the page for:
A Note from me
Glossary of slang words
Links to Cocker Brothers Books
For free Bonus Scenes visit:
www.AuthorFaleenaHopkins.com
Did you enjoy their story? If you’d like to share a review on May and Jerald Cocker’s page on Amazon, that would be wonderful.
GLOSSARY
1940’S WORDS & PHRASES
Y ou might know or could guess many of these, but I’m covering as many as I can think of, whatever might be fun for you. And yep, there were TV shows in the 1940’s, though the radio was still more common. A Congressman like Ray definitely was one of the first to own a television set.
Q UOTES FROM THE BOOK IN ITALICS — WORD/PHRASE IN BOLD — EXPLANATION LAST
...filling the dance cards of dozens of girls who believe you’re a legend: girls literally had a dance card where boys would write their name next to the dance they claimed.
…as if khaki-wacky dames were at this very moment swooning on our family’s front lawn: girls hot for men in uniform.
“Hank, you’re a devilish good salesman.” : the “ly” is dropped a lot, like “I’m awful tired.”
“We’ve got gin.”: Gin used to be THE alcohol. Martinis were only made with gin, originally. It was when people’s tastes changed over decades that vodka replaced it. Now in most places you have to specify if you want gin, rather than the other way around. However Gin has made a comeback as of late, too, with specialty tonic waters on the rise.
Pops’ ticker : His heart, bless him.
Dress-blues : Navy men wore work uniforms when on the boats. Their dress
