Katie slowly stood up and stared up into the sky for a few minutes and then turned to walk back toward the house. She stopped when she saw her daddy watching her from the porch. As Katie came down the ramp, Grady walked down off of the porch.
“So did you say everything that you needed to say?” he asked her.
“Yeah, I did, or at least I think so. So how long have you been standing there?” she asked him.
“Long enough, I suppose. Come on, let’s sit for a spell so we can talk,” he said as he pulled two chairs out from their rows. Katie sat down in one as Grady took the other one.
Grady looked at his daughter. “So are you nervous about tomorrow or what?” he asked her.
“Nervous? Me nervous, are you serious or what?” she asked.
“Well, are you?” he asked again.
“More than you’ll ever know, Daddy,” she responded.
“Well, I guess you have every reason in the world to be nervous. There’s going to be a lot of people watching you tomorrow. And don’t forget the governor will be here too,” he told her.
“Daddy, I really don’t think you’re helping the situation any,” she responded.
“Well, I’m just saying that the little girl that I raised into a beautiful young lady has never let herself down before, and I just can’t see her starting now. You’re one strong woman, Katie. You always have been. That’s your mother’s side of the family that you were lucky enough to inherit.
“But I have all of the faith in the world in you. No father could ever be more proud or confident in their daughter than I am in you,” he told her.
“Really? I mean, you’re proud of me?” she asked.
“You know that I am,” he replied.
“Yes, I do, but I like it when you say it,” she answered with a smile on her face.
“Really, maybe I don’t tell you often enough, but it’s like saying that I love you. I suppose that you already know, and saying it is just a useless phrase. But still a parent tells their kids that just to reassure them from time to time. But you know that I love you, and I’m mighty proud of my little girl. Don’t ya?” he asked.
“Yeah, I do, Daddy, and I love you too,” she answered.
“There’s a phrase that’s somewhat outdated. My little girl. I look at you, and I realize that my little girl is all grown up. And standing in her place is this beautiful, charming young lady. I miss my little girl that used to sit on my lap and laugh when I tickled her. I miss that little girl that used to draw me pictures or sing me songs that she had just made up. I miss that little girl that used to bring me a handful of flowers that she had just picked. But honestly, I wouldn’t trade any one of those memories for anything in the world,” he told her.
“Gee, Daddy, you’re going to make me cry again,” she told him.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with crying, especially when you’re rememberin’ the good things in your life. I still cry when I think of your mother, and I realize just how much I really do miss her. But that’s a good thing, I guess, ’cause it tells me that I still love her. Just like you, I’ll always love you, dear. You may become Mike’s wife tomorrow, and someday you’ll more than likely be a mother too, but the beauty of all this is this, Katie. You’ll always be my little girl. No matter how old you get, you’ll still be my little girl,” he told her.
“Thank you, Daddy dear. I like being your little girl. But what if I can’t be a good wife? Who do I turn to then?” she asked.
“You, Katie Windslow, not being a good wife? Impossible. But whenever you think that you need some guidance along the way, just remember this. There’s a part of your mother inside of you too. And there’s never been a better wife than your mother was to me. You have to have faith in yourself, and you, Katie Windslow, have more faith in yourself than anyone else I know. So I think that you’ll be fine,” he told her.
Katie reached over and gave her daddy a hug. “Thank you, Daddy for everything that you’ve done for me and everything that you’ve ever given me,” she told him as she gently kissed him on the cheek.
“You’re welcome, dear. But I really think that you need to be getting to bed. You have a really big day ahead of you tomorrow. And I wouldn’t worry about tomorrow if I were you. You’ll be fine, trust me,” he told her.
“You know that I do,” Katie told him as the two of them started walking up to the house.
Then Katie stopped at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the porch.
“What’s the matter dear?” Grady asked her.
“What happened to the screen door?” Katie asked.
“Gee, I guess someone must have stolen the darn thing,” he answered.
“Daddy, nobody goes around stealing screen doors,” she replied.
“Yeah, I guess not. Well then, I guess I took it off and tossed it in the trash. Looks a lot better without it, doesn’t it?” he asked her.
“Sure does. I always thought that it was ugly anyways,” she answered with a smile.
“Really? I think you had better concentrate on getting some sleep there, dear. Let me worry about the important stuff like screen doors and such,” Grady responded.
“That’s a deal! Good night, Daddy,” she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Good night, Katie,” he answered as he watched his little girl walk up into the house. She certainly wasn’t a little girl anymore.
The Morning of the Big Day
Saturday was finally here. Melissa had spent the night so she wouldn’t be late. Her parents however arrived at six in the morning so they could help their daughter out. And if Grady needed some help, they would be there for him as well. Melissa was a nervous wreck. Katie, on the other hand, was as calm as she could be.
Vi was there by seven. Paul and Mary arrived right after her.
Melissa looked at Katie. “Aren’t you just a little bit nervous?” she asked her.
“No, not at all. Why would I be nervous?” she answered.
“Why? This is our wedding day. There’s going to be around five thousand people out there watching us today. Why wouldn’t you be nervous?” Melissa responded.
“First off, there’s only thirty-five hundred people in this town, so there ain’t going to be no five thousand people out there, and if there is, so what? I know what I have to do, and I have all the faith in the world that you all know what you’re supposed to do, so what is there to be nervous about?” Katie replied.
“What? Last night you were shaking and everything, and now this morning you’re as calm as calm can be. Have you been in your daddy’s whiskey again?” Melissa asked her.
“Heavens no! I just talked to my mom last night, and then I sat down and had a heart-to-heart talk with my daddy, and this morning, I feel fine,” Katie responded.
“Okay, Katie, you know that there’s times like this that I could really hate you, don’t you?” Melissa responded.
“Yeah, maybe, but you could never really hate me. Not for long anyways,” she told her as she put her arm around Melissa’s shoulder.
“God, Katie, do you have to be right all the time?” Melissa said as she returned the hug.
“Yes, I guess that I do at that!” Katie said as the two girls started laughing with each other.
At nine o’clock sharp, there was a knock on the door. Grady opened the door to find three men all dressed in suits standing before him. Grady recognized them at once. It was the three guys from the cave. He couldn’t remember their names, but that really didn’t matter much.
“Well, hey there, guys. Can I help you?” he asked them.
“I know that we weren’t invited or anything, but we thought that we owed it to your daughter, so we thought that we would offer our help in any way we could,” Delroy told him.
“You guys just keep on impressing me, but of course, you’re invited, but I don’t know what you could do, but I’m sure that we’ll find something for ya to do. But you’ll have to excuse me, I don’t recall your names,” Grady t
old him.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m Delroy, and that’s Billy Ray, and he’s Leroy. And our girlfriends are here to offer their help as well,” he said as he pointed to three very beautiful girls standing not more than twenty feet away.
“Those are your girlfriends? Boy, this will knock Katie for a loop for sure. Come on in,” he told them. The girls came in as well.
Grady introduced them to everyone, but decided to leave out the part about how they had met. That wasn’t real important anyways.
“Well, what do you think, Paul? Can we find something for them to do. They’ve offered us their help,” Grady asked him.
“Well gee, let’s see. I can’t think of anything during the ceremony itself, but during the reception, we could use some food servers, and the ladies could walk around getting drinks or snacks. If they want to do that, that would help, I guess,” he told him.
“Well, there it is. You can help with the reception if you like,” he told them.
“That would be great. We’ll do anything to help our friend,” Billy Ray answered.
Grady heard Katie in the kitchen. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll tell her that you’re here,” he told them as he headed for the kitchen.
Grady found his daughter in the kitchen swapping stories with Mary. “Katie, I need to talk to you,” he told her.
“Sure, Dad. If you’ll excuse me, Mary, I’ll be right back, and we can pick up right where we left off,” she told her. Mary said okay.
Katie walked over to the corner of the kitchen with her dad. “What’s up daddy?” she asked.
“You’ll never guess who just showed up and offered their help in anyway that they can. They said that they owe it to you,” he told her.
“Who? They said that they owed it to me? Who is it?” she asked.
“Do the names Delroy, Billy Ray, and Leroy mean anything to you?” he asked.
“You’re kidding! The guys from the cave. They’re here now?” she asked.
“Yeah, and they brought three very beautiful girl friends with them as well. They just want to help, is all,” he told her.
“Well, I’ve got to see this,” she said as she left the kitchen. She recognized the guys at once. She just stopped and stared. Surely, these couldn’t be the same three guys that were in the cave. No way, just no way.
“Hello, Ms. Windslow, I hope you don’t mind us offering our help. After all, we kind of owe it to you,” Delroy told her.
“My gosh! Just look at you three. You guys look great. I can’t believe this,” Katie told him.
“Well, we have some people who are just dying to meet you,” Leroy told her as he pointed to the three women standing behind him.
Katie walked up to the ladies and started to speak, but one of the ladies stopped her. “Excuse me, I really don’t mean to be rude, but a few weeks ago, these guys were pretty much the scum of the earth. They never worked. Hell, they never even took a bath. But then something happened, something that changed their lives forever. It took the three of us weeks of steady pounding and hounding on them until they finally came clean with us. They told us everything. And I do mean everything. And what you did for them that night changed not only their lives but ours as well. Leroy is enrolled in college and works part-time. Delroy works full-time and even started going to church. And Billy Ray and I are getting married next spring. He leaves the following week for Marine Corps. I don’t why you decided to cut them a break that night. I really don’t care. All I know is your act of kindness has touched so much that we all felt that we had to show up today to offer our help to the only person to ever see any good in these guys. And while you may not know us, we really do love you, Katie Windslow,” the lady told her.
Katie just stood there. She was speechless. She didn’t know what to say. As she stood there taking everything in, the tears started forming in her eyes.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I don’t know what to say. That’s the best story that I have ever heard. You’ve caught me totally off guard,” she told all of them.
“There’s nothing more for you to say. You said enough that night back in the cave, don’t you see?” she told Katie.
“I just did what I thought was the right thing to do. And it appears that it’s paid off. You guys did this for yourselves and for your ladies too. You should all be proud of yourselves,” Katie told them.
“Oh, we’re proud all right. We’re proud to say that you’re a very close and dear friend, Katie Windslow. And if you ever need anything, anything at all, we want you to know that you have six friends here that are ready to help anytime you need us,” Leroy told her.
Katie put her hands over her face and started crying. The girl that had done the talking came over to her and gave her a hug. Katie returned the hug. The other two ladies came over and joined in the group hug.
“I’m sorry, I’m just so happy for all of you,” Katie told them.
“You’re happy for us? This is your wedding day. We’re happy for you. And on behalf of all of us, we’d like to wish you and your husband-to-be the happiest and most romantic marriage ever. You’ve earned it,” the girl told her.
Katie didn’t answer. She was too busy crying. More now than ever.
Mary walked up to Katie. “Come on, dear, it’s time to get ready,” she told her.
“Did you hear what they said?” she asked. “How sweet!”
“Yes, I did, every word. You all are our guests. Please make yourselves at home,” she told them as she led Katie away.
Susie Barnes was outside overseeing everything. She had taken it upon herself to see that everything was in its place. And she was doing a great job at it. Grady walked up to her and smiled at her. “Susie, I’d like to say thank you for all of this.”
“I didn’t do anything? Really,” she answered.
“We all know that this was all your idea, Susie. And I have to admit, I was wrong about you, and for that, I do apologize,” he told her.
“No you were right about me, back then anyways. But your daughter showed me a better way to live my life. And for that, I’m very grateful. This is the least that I can do for the only person ever to give me a chance at redemption,” Susie answered.
“Well, just let me say this. We all like the new Susie Barnes. You should be proud of yourself for turning your life around like you have. I’m just sorry that your father brought all of you into this. He seemed like a nice man at one time. I hope that he too can change his life around for the better,” Grady told her.
“My father shot and killed your brother. I don’t think there’s any hope of redemption for him, not anytime soon anyways. But your words of kindness are very much appreciated just the same,” she replied.
“Well, maybe your dad will find redemption within himself or with God. We can all use a little God in our lives,” he told her.
“That we can. But if I may be so bold as to ask you a question,” she said.
“Sure, ask away,” he told her.
“Well, my father shot and killed your brother, but he was also responsible for the death of your wife as I’ve been told. But you all keep treating my mother and I like nothing ever happened. How can you do that? I mean considering everything that has happened and all?” she asked.
“Oh, that’s an easy one to answer. Well, as I see it, we could take it out on you and your family I guess, but it won’t bring my wife back or my brother. Would it? No, it wouldn’t. So why would we go around blaming those that had nothing to do with what happened in the first place? It would be a total waste of time and energy, wouldn’t it? It would prove to be far more productive to judge each and every person on their own merits in life. Now granted that what you had planned for my daughter that night in the cave was very sick and twisted to say the least, but it didn’t happen, did it? Had it had happened, I couldn’t swear to you that we would be here talking now, could I? But Katie had her reasons for doing everything that she did, and as her father, I have to respect her decisi
ons. Right or wrong, I have to respect them. But in this case, I have to admit that while my daughter’s actions were, well, unfounded, I guess, her decisions were very well justified. I mean just look at you now. Who would have guessed all of this? Katie, that’s who,” he told her.
“Well, I’m glad that it never happened, and I apologize for ever thinking it up, but you’re right about your daughter. Katie is one in a million. But I do have to say thank you anyways. It’s an honor for me to be helping with your daughter’s wedding. I owe her so much more than I could ever hope to repay,” Susie told him.
“Well you just keep on being the Susie that we all love, just like you’re doing, and I’m sure that it will be payment enough,” he told her as he gave her a slight hug and a fast peck on the cheek.
As Grady started making his way back to the house, he glanced down the driveway. He was expecting this, but the mere sight of it still shocked him. There was a steady line of cars entering the driveway, and the line of cars that followed stretched well beyond his line of sight.
Everywhere he looked, people were running around trying to get everything into place. The chairs alone numbered up into the three thousand mark. Endless rolls of tables stretched out as far as he could see through all of the people. And the cake, the wedding cake, that was a story in and by itself.
The cake was so big that they had to build a special table just to hold it. It measured in at four feet long, three feet wide, and nearly five feet tall. It was a masterpiece all by itself. First off, there were four four-layer cakes placed in the corners of a square with another four-layer cake serving as the middle support. Ten-inch white plastic pillars rose up from the center cake to support another four-layer cake and then another. The top of the cake was topped off with two grooms standing by their respected brides. Four eight-inch white plastic bridges were placed from the four outer cakes connecting them to the center cake. But what caught everyone’s attention other than the size of this cake was the very well-done decorating that adorned the finished cake. The frosting was done in white with very fine flowers of soft pink, purple, and yellow, encircling each cake. The flowers matched the flowers that covered the stage and handrails. The scrollwork that surrounded each cake was as precise as precise could ever be. It was a true work of art. You could smell the aroma of the creamy frosting from a few feet away. A small card lay on the table in front of the cake. It read, “Courtesy of the Mattersonville High School, Home Economics Class.”
Hearts of Grey Page 50
