by Emily Woods
“Is that her, Papa?” Karon exclaimed, pointing at a dark-haired woman walking toward them. Lawrence shook his head. “No,” he answered. “She’s walking toward those people over there. See?”
Barbara started jumping up and down. “Papa! Papa!” Barbara cried. “That’s her! Look, Papa! That’s her.”
Lawrence knew in his heart that Barbara was correct as he stared at the lithe, blonde-haired woman walking toward him. “That’s her,” Lawrence breathed, his ocean blue eyes wide at the sight of his bride-to-be.
The young blonde woman shyly looked up at him. “Lawrence?”
Lawrence nodded. “Katherine?”
The woman smiled. “Katie May,” she murmured. “Everyone calls me Katie May.”
“Katie May,” Lawrence repeated. “Katie May, I’m Lawrence Edwards. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
Lawrence watched Katie May blush as he brought her small, delicate hands to his lips. “She’s so beautiful,” he thought. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman…”
“Lawrence!”
Lawrence turned to find an older blonde woman beaming at him. She had the same sparkling blue eyes as Katie May, and he cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Yes?” Lawrence asked.
“I’m Lydia Brooks,” Lydia said, nodding to Lawrence as she lowered herself into her most proper curtsey. “I’m the mother of Katie May, your bride-to-be. It’s so nice to meet y’all!”
Lawrence looked to Katie May, then back to Lydia. “I didn’t realize you would be accompanying Katie May,” he said.
“Our apologies,” Lydia offered. “Your proposal came, and we left immediately. I wish there had been more time to send an explanation, but we had no real choice, Lawrence, dear. My husband and sons were all killed in the terrible war, and Katie May and I are all each other had.”
Katie May agreed. “Yes,” she said to Lawrence, her eyes on her mother. “The South is in a terrible state right now. So many of our men were killed, our towns destroyed, and our land marred by the horrible battles. It’s a different world down there than what we’ve ever known, and I could never have left my mother, all alone, in our empty home.”
Lawrence shrugged. “Well, this is unexpected, but it is not a problem,” he told the women. “My parents have passed on, and I am sure my girls will be pleased to have the attention of a grandmother.”
Lydia smiled. “Your girls! Let us meet your girls, the future daughters of my girl!”
Lawrence beckoned his daughters over. “Katie May, Miss Lydia, these are my daughters, Barbara and Karon. Barbara, Karon, please make the acquaintance of your new mama and your new grandmother.”
Barbara and Karon grinned at Katie May and Lydia, diving onto their legs and holding onto their shabby skirts. “A new mama and a grandmother?” Karon screeched, her eyes dancing with joy. “Oh, Papa! I am so happy!”
“Thank you, Papa, thank you!” Barbara screamed, squeezing Lydia’s thin waist.
Lawrence laughed. “I’m glad to see they won’t have any trouble adjusting,” he said to Katie May and Lydia, a sparkle in his eyes. “Let me take your bag and get us home. There are plenty of people looking forward to meeting you, Katie May, and plenty of people who will be pleasantly surprised to meet you, Lydia.”
Lydia closed her eyes and reached for Katie May’s hand. “We’ve made it, dear,” Lydia breathed as Katie May smiled up at Lawrence. “We’ve finally arrived.”
5
“And he kissed me, Mama! He kissed me as he said good night!” Katie May recounted as she and her mother settled into a narrow bed in Opal’s house. “He leaned in slowly, and he took my chin in his hands. I looked up at him, but then I looked down, thinking I must be dreaming! I wasn’t dreaming, though! He brought his lips to mine, and he kissed me!”
Katie May was aglow with the warmth of new love as she nestled beside her mother in the small bed. The two women had been invited to stay with Opal until after Katie May’s wedding, and as they whispered together in the darkness, Katie May knew that her mother had been right all along. The Lord had been guiding her to Lawrence, and Katie May had never felt more excited.
“After we all shared dinner together at Mary Lois’s house, when Opal brought you back here to rest, Lawrence took me to his home to show me around,” Katie May explained as her mother stroked her cheek. “I felt so bashful at first. I’ve never met such a handsome man, Mama, but once we chatted, I just felt better and better.”
“And then what happened?” Lydia sleepily inquired as Katie May stirred. “What happened next?”
“I heard him humming a tune under his breath as we walked through the house. When we reached his kitchen, I asked him what the song was, and he began to sing it to me! I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest, Mama! Handsome, strong, beautiful-eyed Lawrence was singing to me! He took me in his arms, and he began to sway. We were dancing in his kitchen, Mama! Dancing!”
Lydia smiled at her daughter’s joy. “Is that when he kissed you?”
Katie May shook her head. “No, the girls came downstairs, and we talked to them for a bit. They are both so excited to stand up with us tomorrow during the wedding ceremony, and I told them all about our life in the South. They are such dears, Mama, and I am so pleased to have little girls to love!”
Lydia rolled over. “So, when did he kiss you?”
Katie May sighed. “It was getting later, and he put the girls back to bed and brought me here. Before Opal answered the door, he kissed me! That’s when I knew that nothing would ever be the same!”
Lydia laughed as Katie May fluttered her eyelids. “I did not realize my daughter was such the romantic,” Lydia exclaimed. “You’d best be careful, my dear. Your wedding is tomorrow, but a kiss before the ceremony seems a bit improper. I know you are excited. Lawrence is quite a handsome fellow, and I can see how much you have both warmed to each other this evening! We just want to make a good impression here, Katie May, and a good Christian girl—a good pure Christian girl—must be mindful of her reputation.”
Katie May rolled her eyes. “Oh, Mama,” she replied. “It was a chaste kiss! I wouldn’t ruin my reputation, I promise.”
Lydia raised an eyebrow. “Dancing alone in a man’s kitchen—even if he is your betrothed—does not seem like the best idea, my dear. I shouldn’t have let the two of you wander off unchaperoned. Well, thankfully, the wedding is tomorrow! I’m so happy you two have decided to make things official quickly. Come tomorrow, the pair of you can do whatever you’d like, whenever you’d like together, chaperone or not. But, for tonight, your last night as a single woman, it is your mama who will keep you warm. Come, dear. Close your eyes. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life.”
“You kissed her?” Mary Lois screeched as Lawrence grinned. “Lawrence! You are thirty-one years old, and she is just seventeen! She will be your wife tomorrow, but in the meantime, you need to respect her!”
Lawrence blushed as his sister chastised him. “It was a very respectful kiss, Mary Lois,” Lawrence protested. “I could hardly help myself. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I didn’t expect to feel this way about her, especially not so quickly!”
Lawrence thought back to the moment he first laid eyes on Katie May as she walked to him in the train station. “She looked like an angel,” Lawrence had thought as he stared down into her pale blue eyes. “A pure, perfect angel!”
Lawrence was immediately drawn to his wife-to-be, not just because of her physical beauty, but because of her intellect and caring spirit. She was able to carry on a spirited conversation about the war with Lawrence and his sisters, but she was also tender-hearted, as demonstrated by her clear devotion to her mother, as well as her interest in her future stepdaughters.
“I just hope she feels the same way about me,” Lawrence worried as Mary Lois shook her head. “You’re right. I am older, and I have been married before. I have experiences that she doesn’t, and I know how difficult it can be to adjust to
married life. I hope she feels as attracted to me as I do to her, and I hope that we can build a good life together.”
“Oh, Lawrence,” Mary Lois giggled, tucking a loose strand of brown hair from her eyes as she chuckled at her brother. “I think anyone can see that the girl is drawn to you. I watched her looking at you as we all shared dinner together, and I think it’s fair to say that she is smitten! She is a smart one, too, Lawrence. I think you will both be very happy together.”
Lawrence beamed, but then, the happy look vanished from his face. “I never imagined we’d be here,” he whispered, slowly bringing his hands to his face. “I never thought you and Opal would be young widows, or that our brothers would all perish together in the war, or that I would be raising my girls all alone.”
Mary Lois reached for her brother’s hands and brought them to her heart. “You haven’t been alone,” she said comfortingly. “We’ve been here for you, Lawrence, and tomorrow, you will never be alone again.”
The next morning, bright sunlight streamed through the windows in Opal’s guestroom, waking both Lydia and Katie May early. After sharing breakfast with Opal and her family, Katie May and her mother retreated upstairs to begin preparations for the wedding ceremony.
“I can’t believe it’s my wedding day, Mama!” Katie May cried as Lydia brushed through her daughter’s long, blonde hair. “And after the baths we had last night, I feel like a princess!”
Lydia smiled. “It was so kind of Opal and her children to bring that tub inside so we could wash up,” she agreed. “You will feel and look like a princess today! Sit still, now. I don’t want to tear out any of your hair!”
After two hours of careful preparations, Lydia nodded in satisfaction at the sight of her daughter. Katie May had transformed into an elegant, stunning bride, and Lydia had never seen her daughter look so happy.
“I look like you used to, Mama!” Katie May said as she studied her appearance in the floor-length mirror Opal had tucked into the guestroom. “In this beautiful gown and with my hair clean and shiny, I look like a proper southern belle again!”
“You do,” Lydia murmured. “I am just thrilled that the dress fits you like a glove. It’s perfect, Katie May. You look perfect!”
Katie May was dressed in an old frock that Lydia had painstakingly altered during their journey to the Midwest. The pearl-colored wedding gown had a full skirt with a satin bow on the bustle, and two thick, puffy sleeves that could barely fit through the doorway. The v-shaped neckline was just high enough to be modest, but it still showed off Katie May’s creamy skin and delicate collarbone. Lydia had stitched a hem of antique lace on the bottom and around each sleeve, and a trail of tiny white buttons lined the back.
Katie May spun around, admiring the bow on the bustle. “I look like a present!”
Lydia laughed. “You do, my dear! You will be a present for your future husband, just as precious as the lace and satin on that dress of yours!”
Katie May grinned and turned back to stare at her reflection. She smiled in the mirror, admiring the way the rouge on her cheeks gave her pale skin a healthy glow, and the intricacy of the curls Lydia had spun and pinned at the back of her blonde hair.
“Oh, one last touch!” Lydia declared as she dashed to their carpetbag. “I brought something special for you, Katie May. I know that your wedding gown is an old dress that I altered, and that if things were different, it would be something fancy and new…”
Katie May frowned. “It’s new to me, Mama, and it’s the most lovely dress I have ever seen!”
Lydia’s eyes began to fill with tears as she retrieved a small satchel from the carpetbag. “Anyhow,” she continued. “This is something very dear to me, Katherine Brooks.”
Lydia turned to her daughter and revealed a white, lace snood with pearls stitched all over it. “I wore this on my own head on the afternoon I married your father,” Lydia said, securing the snood onto the crown of Katie May’s head. “This goes along with it.”
Lydia pinned a white lace veil to the bottom of the snood and adjusted its folds. She draped the veil behind Katie May’s back, and Katie May gasped. “Oh, Mama! Your snood and your veil!”
Lydia pulled her daughter in for a hug. “You have been so strong and brave over the last few years,” Lydia whispered as they both began to cry. “You have lost your home, your father, your brothers, and your beau, but you have retained your grace and good heart. I hope that beginning today, you will never have to be brave again, that Lawrence will provide for your body, spirit, and heart forever!”
“Oh, Mama,” Katie May wept as she leaned into her mother’s arms. “He will! I just know that he will!”
“Shhhhh,” Lydia comforted her daughter. “I know he will, too. The Lord brought us here, Katie May, and He is watching for you always, especially on a happy day like today—your wedding day! Now, wipe those tears, my dear. You are a beautiful, perfect bride, and brides do not glide into church with tears on their cheeks!”
The Connersville Methodist Church was a red brick building that towered over the small town. “It’s nothing like we have in the South, Mama,” Katie May said softly as she and Lydia walked arm-in-arm to the wedding ceremony.
“It isn’t,” Lydia agreed. “But what is waiting inside for you is better than anything that’s left in the South. Open your heart, my dear. This is your precious day, and you must listen to Him.”
Katie May smiled, and the two women walked into the small vestibule in the back of the church. Opal and Mary Lois were waiting for them, both with enormous grins on their faces. “You look so pretty!” Opal gushed as Katie May beamed. “You look like the southern belles we’ve seen in the magazines, Katie May! What a beautiful dress!”
“Mama made it for me,” Katie May explained, twirling around to show off her full skirts. “The fabric was from some christening dresses she kept from when my late brothers and I were children, and she fashioned those garments into this lovely gown!”
Mary Lois gasped. “Lawrence is going to faint when he sees you!”
Opal nodded. “He’s never looked more excited, Katie May. He’s only known you for a bit now, but you’ve made quite the impression.”
Lydia held her head high. “Lawrence is a lucky man to be marrying my wonderful, Godly daughter,” she declared. “Now, I am going to take a seat. You two take care of my daughter.”
“We will!” Mary Lois and Opal chimed in unison as Lydia slipped into the church.
“Is it almost time?” Katie May eagerly asked. “Is it almost time for the ceremony to begin, y’all?”
Mary Lois grinned. “As soon as the bells begin to chime, that’s when we’ll walk in!” The door to the vestibule suddenly opened, and Karon and Barbara were ushered inside.
“Katie May!” Barbara cried, dressed adorably in a little lilac gown with matching flowers in her hair. “You look like a princess!”
“It’s not Katie May anymore, Barbara,” Karon corrected her older sister. “It’s Mama! She’s going to be our new mama as soon as she marries Papa!”
Katie May knelt in front of the girls, taking one of their small hands in each of her own. “Girls,” she said softly. “I am so thankful that I am marrying your papa, and I am also thankful to become a mama to you! You are both very special to me, and I hope that we make many happy memories together.”
The girls jumped and squealed as the church bells began to ring. “It’s time!” Karon shouted. “It’s time!”
Opal lifted a finger to her lips to shush her nieces, and then the large, thick oak door to the church opened. Katie May could hear the whispers of a crowd, and she took a deep breath.
“You’ll be just fine,” Mary Lois assured Katie May as Karon and Barbara began their walk down the aisle toward their father. “Just breathe! We were all nervous on our wedding days, but it will all be worth it. Lawrence is a good man. He is a wonderful father, and he was a good, faithful, loving husband to his late wife. You will be good together, Katie May. I just
know it!”
Katie May nodded, and Mary Lois turned around and walked down the aisle. Finally, when it was only Katie May left in the vestibule, she began to pray. “Lord,” she began. “Please let this marriage with Lawrence be something special. It has been a difficult journey to get here, but I trust that You will keep us united in Your name and Your cause. Please, Lord. Please let this be everything.”
Lawrence’s hands were shaking as the oak door opened and the congregation rose. His nerves softened as his daughters appeared from the back vestibule. Karon and Barbara looked thrilled to be skipping down the aisle in their matching lilac dresses, and they stood proudly next to their father. Opal was next down the aisle. Dressed in her Sunday best, a gray dress with white buttons down the front, she looked hopeful as she took her seat next to Lydia in the front pew. Mary Lois came next, in a dark blue gown, her countenance was peaceful as she settled next to her sister in the front row.
Finally, it was the moment Lawrence had been waiting for since the moment he met Katie May. There was a long pause, but just as Lawrence’s heart began pounding in his chest, Katie May stepped out from the back vestibule. Lawrence felt hot tears brimming in his eyes, and he could not tear his gaze from the stunningly beautiful woman floating toward him.
“Thank you, Lord,” Lawrence prayed as Katie May drew closer and closer. “She is an angel from Heaven.”
When Katie May reached the altar, the minister beckoned for the crowd to take their seats. Lawrence stared into Katie May’s bright blue eyes, and she bit her bottom lip as her face melted into a smile. Lawrence could see the two deep dimples on her alabaster cheeks, and he imagined leaning in to kiss each one of them later, during their wedding night.
The ceremony was quick, and before Lawrence knew it, the minister was instructing him to take his bride’s hands. “Lawrence Edwards, Katie May Edwards, under the eyes of the Lord, I now pronounce you man and wife! Lawrence, you may kiss your lawfully wedded wife!”
