“Oh, Katie, I could never be mad at you. And you know that, don’t you?” she asked.
“I guess I figured if you wanted me to know, then you would have told me,” she told her.
“I wanted to tell you, but this is really hard for me to talk about. Especially to you. Little kids shouldn’t have to worry about grown-up stuff. Maybe I was wrong,” she told her.
“Mom, I went with you to all of those doctors. And even while I waited for you while you talked to the doctor, I knew something was wrong,” she replied.
“Just how bad do you think it is, dear?” she asked her.
“Bad enough that I think you’re going to go where Daddy is,” she answered her.
“Oh my god, all this time you knew that I was really sick? And you kept it all to yourself? My God, I should have known that you would sense something was wrong,” she told her daughter.
“It’s all right, Mom. But you are going to go see Daddy, aren’t you?” she asked.
Elizabeth took her daughter in her arms. She was trying not to cry, but it was a losing battle. Katie cried too.
“It’s all right, Mom, I already know the answer. I may be only ten, but I’m pretty smart,” she told her mom.
Elizabeth pulled away from her daughter’s hug and looked at her straight in the face. “You’re not only the smartest girl I know, but you’re also the bravest little lady that I know,” her mother told her as she tried to wipe away the tears from her daughter’s face.
“I guess I had a pretty good teacher. Didn’t I?” she asked.
“I’m thinking that I might have been the one that had a good teacher. And you’re still teaching me things. God, I love you so much, and I’m sorry you had to go through this with me,” she replied as she tried to fight off another onslaught of tears.
“Mom, you’re treating me like a kid again. Just where else do you think I should have been? I belong with you. That’s what daughters do,” she told her.
“And where did you hear that, I wonder?” she asked.
“Katie told me that,” she answered.
“You love your uncle and cousin, don’t you?” her mother asked.
“Oh, yes. I love them a lot,” she replied.
“Well, you know that after I’m gone, you’ll be living with them, right? And you’ll still have to go to school and get good grades and all. Right?” she asked.
“Something tells me that Uncle Grady and Katie won’t let me do bad in school—ever,” she told her mom.
“Elizabeth, can I say something here, if you don’t mind?” Grady asked.
“Sure, Grady, go ahead,” she replied.
“Katie dear, while you might know that your mom is really sick and sooner or later she is going to be with your dad, I would prefer that you do not go into her room to wake her up. You let Katie or I do it. Okay?” he asked her.
“I don’t understand, Uncle,” she told him.
“Well, if your mom was to leave us in her sleep, which could indeed happen, I’d prefer that you not be the one to find her that way. It could do a great deal of harm to you at your young age. I know that you act and talk like someone a lot older than ten years old, but you’re still a ten-year-old girl. And ten-year-old girls don’t need to go through that. Okay?” he told her.
“Okay, Uncle Grady, I understand now. I wouldn’t want to find her like that anyways,” she responded.
“That’s good. Any more questions?” he asked her.
“Do you know when?” she asked her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I don’t have any idea as to when. Okay?” she asked.
“Will you be buried next to Daddy?” she asked.
“Yes, sweetheart. Anything else?” she asked.
“So I can talk to you when I talk to Daddy then?” she asked her.
“Excuse me? You talk to your father?” she asked her.
“Well, not yet. But Katie told me that she talks to her mom all the time. And she told me how to talk to Daddy. So I guess it will work so I can talk to you too,” she replied.
“Oh, I see. Then the answer would be yes, of course, I’ll talk to you. Anytime you want me to,” she replied as she glanced over at her niece.
“Well, I know that God will have you doing some stuff too, so if you can’t talk all the time, I’ll understand. Okay, Mom?” the little girl told her mom as she held her hand.
Elizabeth just stared at the bright-eyed girl before her. And any questions about her ability to raise Katie as a single mom without the assistance of a father figure in her life were answered right then and there. She reached out and took Katie into her arms and hugged her. The love that she held for Katie was unmistakable. No parent could ever be any prouder of their child than Elizabeth was of Katie at that point in time. And while their time together may have been limited to whatever time Elizabeth had left, their love for each other had no limits.
Grady looked around, and to his surprise, he noticed that most of the guests had already left. And the table that they were seated at was the only one left.
“Uh, I hate to break this up, but let’s move this into the house, so the caterers can finish cleaning up,” he told them.
Katie looked around and saw that everyone had pretty much left already. “Gee, how long have we been talking? I didn’t even know that everyone was leaving,” she asked.
“Well, time flies when you’re with friends and family that you care for,” Elizabeth answered.
“Katie, can we have a word with you for a second?” Rick asked her.
Katie walked away from the main group and stood there before Melissa, Mike, and Rick.
“What’s up, guys?” she asked.
“It’s your aunt. We didn’t know that she was sick. Is there anything that we can do to help?” Rick asked her. And while he might have been the one to ask, she knew that he spoke for all of them.
“Thanks, guys, really. But there’s not much that any of us can do other than making her as comfortable as possible,” she told them.
“Can we ask what’s wrong with her?” Melissa asked.
“Cancer. My aunt has cancer. I was going to tell ya all later, but I actually only found out only a few hours ago myself. But you do have to admire those two. I mean, they’re taking this very well considerin’,” she told them.
“Taking it well, Katie, that’s an understatement if I ever heard one,” Melissa told her.
“Maybe, but, Michael, you and I do need to talk. My aunt has asked me to raise Katie after she’s gone. I wanted to ask you first, but I really couldn’t tell her no, now could I?” she asked.
“Of course not. Katie will be fine. You did the right thing, just as you are now by telling me. Your cousin is always welcome into our home and our lives. But I think you already knew that, didn’t ya?” he asked her.
“Yeah, but we agreed not to make any decisions without talking it over beforehand. Remember?” she asked.
“I do, but this is a little different. This is family that we’re talking about. Besides, where else would she go? I mean really,” he asked her.
“Never thought about it before maybe because I wasn’t given a list of options. I mean she asked me, and I said yes. Not many choices in that scenario, is there?” she answered.
“Of course not, but I think it will be good for you and her to be together,” he told her.
“I feel sorry for you, brother dear,” Melissa told her brother.
“Why would you feel sorry for me, sis?” he responded.
“Simply because you get to live with two Katies, and you thought that one was fun. Buddy, now you have two of them. Lord have mercy on you,” she told him as she started laughing.
“Oh God, I never thought of that,” he answered as he stared off into space.
Four Days and a Wake-Up
Five days away. The wedding was just five days away, and nothing was ready. Nothing! They had no dresses, no cake, and no minister. It seemed as if Father Mathews was going to be laid up in th
e hospital and more than likely would be unable to perform their ceremony.
But they had finished their vows. If nothing else, they had that.
“So what do we do now, guys?” Katie asked them. “I mean it’s just five days away.”
Melissa, Mike, and Rick sat around the table. Paul’s sister, Mary, was there to lend her ideas.
“Katie, you’re getting all worked up over nothing really,” Melissa told her. “You’ll have to trust me about the dresses. They’ll be here, I promise.”
“Okay, so we have two dresses and our vows. But we still don’t have a minister. And the last time I checked, we have to have one. So any suggestions from any of you?” she asked.
“Can I make a suggestion?” asked Melissa.
“Sure, you know a minister?” Katie asked her.
“No, but you don’t have to have a minister per se. I mean, can’t a judge do the ceremony?” she asked.
“A judge? What judge are you referring to?” Katie asked.
“Your judge, remember? He liked you, and I’m sure that he’ll do it.” Melissa answered.
“Yeah, maybe. You and I can go talk to him. Good idea. But I have another bombshell to drop on all of ya. Susie told me last night that she can’t be our maid of honor because she can’t face my cousin. Especially since her dad killed hers. And I have to agree with her. That would be tough. So I can’t say that I blame her. So we don’t have a bridesmaid either,” Katie told them.
“Excuse me, but we do have a maid of honor,” Melissa added.
“And who would that be?” Katie asked her.
Melissa just looked at Mary and threw her a smile. Mary returned the smile as if she not only knew what Melissa was thinking, but more or less expecting it as well.
“Well, what do you say, Mary? Would you like to be our maid of honor?” Melissa asked her.
“I wasn’t looking to be in the wedding party per se, but if you really need me to, I guess I can do it,” Mary answered.
“God, Mary, you’re a lifesaver! Thank you!” Katie told her.
“Well, I’m not going to stand back and just watch your wedding fall apart. But I can tell you this. Paul and I have a huge surprise for all of you, but it’s directed more for the ladies. And don’t ask me for details, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised, I promise,” she told them as she turned to see Grady and her brother, Paul, walk into the room.
“So what are ya all talking about?” Grady asked them.
“Just trying to get this wedding deal all set up. But it’s not looking very good,” Katie told him.
“Excuse me, but I told you that I would handle everything, and I have. Just relax,” he said.
“Excuse me, you have all of this all handled? Are you serious?” she asked him.
“Trust me. Paul and I have everything all done,” he reconfirmed what he had said before.
“You have a cake?” she asked.
“Done. In fact, we have two cakes. Four tiers high, all in white, complete with those cute little bride and groom figures on the top,” he told her.
“You’re kidding? How did you manage that?” she asked her dad.
“We just went in there, and I flashed my badge and told them it was an urgent order, and presto, we have the cakes,” Paul told her.
“You got two cakes just by flashing your badge?” she asked him.
“Yeah, I thought it might have been too much to flash my gun. Luckily, the badge was enough. Anything else you need?” he asked.
“What about the flowers, the chairs and tables, and the food and the drinks, and the music and everything else?” she asked.
Paul looked over at Grady. Grady said, “Go ahead tell her.”
Paul turned and looked at Melissa and Katie. “Done, done, done, and will be done if it isn’t already,” he said as he watched the expressions on the girls’ faces.
“You’re kidding! You guys did all of that? You guys are just too much,” Melissa told them.
“So everything is all done? I can’t believe you guys did all of that?” Katie answered.
“Hey it’s not every day that my daughter gets married. So I figured that whatever it took or whatever needed to be done, might as well do it up right,” Grady told them.
“But you guys do have one hurdle that you’ll have to overcome all on your own because Grady and I have decided to stay out of this,” Paul told them.
“Really? And what hurdle is that?” Michael asked.
“Well, it would seem that your aunt wants to be a part of your wedding. So you’ll need to find a spot for her that requires very little energy and no walking,” Paul told them.
“Yeah, she told us to tell you that she has to do this. We tried to talk her out of it, but you know how stubborn your Aunt Elizabeth can be. So I would suggest that you find a spot for her,” Grady added.
“That’s easy,” Mary told them. “I mean, if you each were to have your own maid of honor. I’ll be Melissa’s, and your aunt can be yours, Katie. After all, a maid of honor doesn’t do that much.”
“What an excellent idea! What do you think, Melissa? Would that be too much for her?” Katie asked.
“Actually, I think it’s a grand idea. And it’s our wedding, so we can decide the actual duties of the maid of honor. So she wouldn’t have to do anything, but she would be right up front in the spotlight so to speak, you know, her moment to shine,” Melissa answered.
“Great! But will we be able to get matching dresses for both maids of honor in time?” Katie asked them.
“You ladies just leave that up to me, okay? You decide the color, and I’ll do the rest,” Mary told them.
Katie just looked at Mary, and a smile soon started to form across her face. “Okay, Mary, I’ll let you handle it. Something just tells me that everything will come out perfectly just like we all planned it,” Katie told her.
“Great!” Mary said with a smile.
“All right then, so we have two ring bearers, two flower girls, and two maids of honor. Sounds like we’ve got it all covered then,” Melissa said with a smile.
“May I ask a question if ya all don’t mind?” Paul asked.
“Sure, Mr. King, go ahead,” Melissa answered. “What’s your question?”
“Okay, I know where the grooms are supposed to be, and in a normal wedding, the bride would walk down the aisle with her father to meet the groom. But it seems to me that in this wedding, you would want the brides to enter in a much grander entrance, am I right?” he asked them.
“Just what are you suggesting, Mr. King?” Katie asked him.
“Well, if you recall that I told ya all that my sister and I had a big surprise for ya, well, I think this might prove to be the best time to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak,” he told them.
“Okay. So what do you have planned for us? I mean we’re not going to jump out of a plane or anything like that, are we?” Melissa asked.
Paul just laughed. “No, you’re not jumping out a plane even though that would be a grand entrance indeed. Can I see that paper and pencil, and I’ll show ya,” he asked.
Rick slid the paper and pencil over to Mr. King. Everyone was leaning over to not only hear, but they also wanted to see what he was talking about. He drew a rough drawing of Matterson House and laid out where the wedding ceremony would take place.
“Okay, this is what you have planned now, right?” he said as he drew two lines that showed where the two brides would simply walk out of the house and straight down the aisle.
“Is that pretty much what ya all have planned?” he asked them.
“Yeah, I would say that’s pretty close. But what are you suggesting?” Katie asked.
“Well, nothing personal, but that’s rather boring in my opinion. What I suggest is this?” he said as he drew two lines, one on the right and the other on the left. But these two lines started at the far side of the house itself, totally out of sight from any of the guests and the expecting grooms. From there, the lines came around
the front of the house and ran all the way around the back of the ceremony where they would pass each other, and then the lines came down on the opposite sides of the ceremony, ending right where they would have been if they had just walked out of the house. “So what do you think?” Paul asked them.
“Wait a minute. You want Melissa and me to walk all that way in our wedding dresses. I don’t think so. I mean, the dresses would be all dirty, and we’d be all sweaty,” Katie told him.
“Yeah, and if we had to walk that far, we’d be tired. And we do have the honeymoon to think of. I mean our menfolk might not appreciate us if we couldn’t stay awake. If you know what I mean,” Melissa answered.
Grady and Paul just laughed.
“Very funny, dear. But I promise you that your dresses wouldn’t be all dirty, and you’ll still have enough energy for your honeymoon,” Paul told them.
“And how do you figure that? I mean that seems like a long way to walk, especially in a dress,” Katie told him.
“Excuse me, but whoever said anything about walking?” Paul asked them.
“Well, if we’re not walking, how are we supposed to do this?” Katie asked.
“Why don’t you ride in?” he asked.
“Ride in. Like on a horse? Are you out of your mind? No disrespect intended, sir,” Melissa answered.
“Why don’t you all just walk outside and see what I’m talking about before you start jumping to conclusions,” he told them as he stepped out of the way.
All of them ran to the front door and stood there on the front porch. But there was nothing there. Nothing.
“I don’t see anything,” Mike said out loud.
“We can see that. I mean we can see that,” Melissa told her brother.
Mr. King walked out onto the porch followed by Grady and Paul’s sister, Mary. “Well what do you think? Pretty sharp don’t you think?” he asked them.
They all turned and looked at him.
“But there’s nothing here,” Katie told him.
“Oh, I’m sorry, can any of you whistle?” he asked.
“I can,” Rick answered.
Hearts of Grey Page 40
