Hearts of Grey

by Earl E. Gobel

  “Oh, brother dear,” she called him.

  As he turned around to see what she wanted, Melissa pushed the piece of cake into his face. Mike was in total shock. He couldn’t believe that his sister had nailed him so damn easily.

  “That, my dear brother, is for messing up Katie’s makeup,” she proudly told him. Katie was laughing her ass off. She couldn’t believe that Mike had been so stupid to turn around in the first place.

  Melissa turned to look at her husband’s reaction just in time to see a piece of cake crashing into her face. “That’s for messing with Mike,” Rick told her. Now Mike was laughing at his sister. Katie was laughing at everything.

  “All right, you clowns, that’s enough. You all keep this up, and there won’t be any cake for our guests,” Grady told them.

  “But, Daddy, we haven’t gotten Rick yet. I mean it hardly sounds fair not to spread the cake around evenly,” Katie pleaded with him.

  “I’m sorry, but I guess Rick gets a break here,” he answered.

  “That’s not fair, Grady. You just wait, Rick. When you least expect it, expect it!” Melissa told him.

  “I don’t know if I should thank you or curse you, Grady,” Rick said with a smile.

  “Well, before this day is over, you might be doing both, son,” he replied.

  Katie just stopped and looked at the cake. “Now how in the world did they do that?” she asked.

  Everyone stopped and looked at what Katie was looking at. In all of their nonsense, they had been too busy stuffing the cake into each other’s face to notice the hidden beauty within the cake. The cake itself was a white cake, but baked into the middle of the cake was a red outline of a heart done in some other cake mix. The heart ran all the way through the cake. So no matter where you cut it, your piece of cake had a heart in it. “My God, that’s simply breathtaking, isn’t it?” Melissa asked.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it before. Whoever baked this cake is a wizard in the kitchen,” Katie added.

  While they were busy admiring the cake, Paul moved the microphone to the edge of the dance floor in front of the main tables that was reserved for the two married couples, their parents, and those in the wedding party. Right off of that table, another reserved table was set up for the governor, his wife, and their fellow dignitaries.

  Grady walked up to the microphone that was wired to every speaker that had been hung around Matterson House and the seating area. “Excuse me, please. If I could please have your attention, please?” he said as most of the people turned to listen to him. “On behalf of the newly married couples and their families, I’d like to welcome each and everyone of you to our home. Words will never express just how grateful we all are for your unfounded response, your support, and for everything that you the people of Mattersonville have done to make this ceremony what it is. You will forever be in our hearts. But for now, we ask that you join us in celebrating the marriages of these two couples. There’s plenty of food, and there should still be enough cake left for everyone. The band will be playing music throughout the day and into the night. You’re all invited to celebrate with us just as long as you want to. There’s no time limit here.

  “If you haven’t noticed, we have some very important guests here today. And I’m not talking about the governor and his wife or the two senators or the three congressmen. No, the very important guest that I’m referring to is you. Each and every one of you are just as important as the governor today. So again, let me welcome you to our home. So please let the party continue,” he said. There was a large outburst of applause from the crowd.

  The two newly wed couples slowly made their way to their table and took their seats, followed by their parents, and everyone in the wedding party.

  Just as they were seated, the governor himself stepped up to the microphone. Everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to what he had to say. “Hello, everyone, my name is George Wilson, and I am your governor,” he said before he paused for a few seconds. The audience went wild with cheers and clapping. “First off, I’d like to offer a heartfelt congratulations to all of the newlyweds. May your lives together be just as exciting as this day is for you, and may you wake up more in love with each other than you did when you feel asleep.

  “But to all of you, the people of Mattersonville, my hat goes off to you. I’ve been told that every residence here donated their time, their money, and so much more to make everything that you see here possible. This is just amazing. To think that a small town like Mattersonville, Georgia, could do something for one of their own. Now that’s southern hospitality at its best. You all deserve a hardy round of applause for your hard work and your very generous donations,” he said as he started clapping, and then everyone at the wedding table stood up and started clapping, and with that, everyone was clapping and cheering. It lasted almost three minutes. As the cheering and the clapping slowly receded, the governor continued. “But I owe all of you an apology. Sometimes in the world of politics, you miss the little things. And I’m sorry to say that’s exactly what I did. I missed you. Several weeks ago, I received a letter from Washington telling me that the treasure of the South had been found here in Mattersonville. But frankly, I have to admit. I didn’t know you were here. Never heard the name of Mattersonville before that day. But now, suddenly almost overnight, every memo, every letter mentions Mattersonville in one way or another.

  “Now you can say that the people who made the discovery here are responsible for this sudden interest in your great little town, and for the most part, you would be right. But as you may or may not know, this giant house that you see behind you is soon to be a national historic site, and the entire grounds are now a national park. So in the near future, Americans by the carload will be visiting Mattersonville, Georgia, to see these new parks. And trust me, they will come. But it will be your generous southern hospitality, just like you’ve showed us here today, that will be responsible for bringing them back again and again. And that makes me proud to be an American. And I’m mighty proud to be the governor of the great state of Georgia. God bless America and God bless the great state of Georgia, and most of all, God bless all of you. And I make this promise to all of you, I will never forget you again. Thank you,” He said as he stepped away from the microphone.

  The crowd erupted into a frenzy of applause and whistles that lasted a very long time. The governor then walked over to the wedding table and shook each of their hands. Katie and Melissa had tears in their eyes—again.

  All around the outer rim of activities, there were fires burning as volunteers slaved to prepare enough food to feed this robust crowd that had gathered there for this event. The volunteers had been there long before sunrise preparing and cooking a wide assortment of food. And it was the smell of all that great food cooking that filled the air. There was never a rush on any one serving center, but there was a very steady flow of people that took their turn at getting some of the great food, and soon the massive rows of tables started filling up as everyone sat down to eat. The musicians continued to play as everyone ate.

  Katie glanced down toward the end of the table to where Bobby and Katie were sitting side by side eating. She just smiled at them. What a cute little couple those two made, she thought to herself.

  Nobody made any more speeches for the next hour or so as everyone enjoyed the best food in the entire state of Georgia. And the cake, that beautiful great big cake, well, let’s just say that it was almost gone.

  Grady walked up behind Katie. “Here, this is for Rick,” he said into her ear. Katie looked down at her daddy’s hand. It was a fairly large piece of cake. Rick, who was sitting next to Katie, was busy talking to Melissa and never thought for one minute that he was about to receive his just reward.

  “Oh, Rick dear,” Katie said as she held the piece of cake at face level.

  “Yes, Katie?” he said as he turned around to see what she wanted only to have the cake hit him square in the face.

  “That’s for
messing up Melissa’ makeup!” she said as she pressed the piece of cake into his face.

  Melissa started laughing her ass off. Rick didn’t say anything. What could he say? Katie had gotten back at him fair and square. Everyone in the crowd was clapping and whistlin’. Grady handed both of them a damp towel.

  Rick just looked at Katie. “Touché, Katie, I knew that it was coming, but I didn’t know when or how,” he told her.

  “Well, I guess you know now. Don’t ya?” she asked as she gave him a peck on the cheek.

  “Yeah, I guess I do at that,” he said with a smile as he finished wiping the cake from his face.

  “I think you should have used a bigger piece of cake,” Mike told Katie.

  “I was planning on it, but Daddy didn’t know my plan, I guess. Anyways, Rick got his just desserts anyhow,” Katie answered. Katie signaled for her daddy to come over to her.

  “What’s up dear?” he asked her.

  “Can you hand me the microphone please. It does come off of that stand, doesn’t it?” she asked.

  “Well, I think so. I’ll check. Give me a minute, okay?” he told her.

  “Okay, Daddy, and thanks for the cake. He had it coming,” she told him. Grady just smiled at her as he hurried off to fetch her the microphone. A few minutes later, Katie stood up with the microphone in her tiny hands. The crowd grew quiet as they waited for her to speak.

  “Hello, everyone, my name is Katie Windslow and—” she stopped as Mike tugged on her dress. She glanced down at him and realized her mistake. “Am sorry everyone. My name is Katie Gibbes. I guess that’s something that I’ll just have to get used to, isn’t it? Anyways, as I stand here in this beautiful dress and I look out at you and I see thousands of faces, I realized that I am very blessed to have each and every one of you as my friend. And while I may not know your names, you still have a place in my heart. And I do mean that seriously. You will never know what I felt when I first saw all of this today from my seat up in that carriage. My heart felt like it was about to explode. Really. You know, throughout my life, I’ve always believed that you get more out of life when you give to others. And all of you here today have shown me that I was right. A little kindness toward your fellow man will only return to reward you ten times over. And that’s exactly what happened here today. But there are a few people here today that I would like to thank personally if I may.

  “All of this and all of your sacrifices would have never happened if it wasn’t for the unselfish ideas of a very close friend. She came up with idea in her head and don’t ask me why ’cause I really don’t know, but she came up with this idea in her head, and she took that idea to the mayor who in turn took it to the town council, and well, the rest is history, isn’t it? Remember what I said about it coming back to you ten times over? Well now it’s her turn. Susie Barnes, where are you? Well, stand up so everyone can see ya, dear,” she said as she waited for her to stand up. Susie slowly stood up.

  “Let’s all give her a big Georgia round of applause. I think she deserves it,” Katie said as the crowd erupted. When the crowd finished, Katie continued. “And then there’s this lady that I’ve come to admire. You see, these dresses that Melissa and I are wearing. She sewed these gowns by hand, just for us. And if you ladies want to know what it really feels like to feel like a queen, you should try on one of her dresses. Violet, where are you, dear?” Katie asked, and Vi stood up.

  “Let’s hear it for her,” Katie said as the crowd erupted again. “And then there’s these two people who entered our lives just a few weeks ago, but through their undying devotion to all of us and to my late Uncle Jack, they have earned the title of aunt and uncle, but not only from me but from all of us as well. They were responsible for those magnificent horse-drawn carriages that we rode in today. Uncle Paul, Aunt Mary, where are you? There you are. Come on, stand up!” Katie yelled. Once they stood up, the crowd automatically went wild.

  “There’s so many more people that I would love to thank, but I’d be up here all night. But to the governor and your beautiful wife and the senators and congressmen that made it here today, to say that we’re honored, well, I guess that would go without saying now, wouldn’t it? Thank you all for being here today. You will never know what it means to all of us here today to have you all here. Really.

  “But the list goes on and on and on. My daddy who put up with me for the last twenty years. You know that we all love you. To my Aunt Elizabeth and my cousin Katie, we all owe you so much. And we all love you so much more.

  “But there is one more person that I need to give thanks to.

  “There’s a certain gentleman here today that some of you may know. Some of you may not. But by the end of the day, I know that you’ll love him just as much as I do. I met this guy one night outside the movie house where he proceeded to sweep me off of my feet. And from that very second, I knew that he was the one. He has charmed his way into my life and into my heart. And I even got a nice addition to my life in the form of his sister. She is my very best friend in the entire world next to God himself of course. But this guy, he’s just the greatest thing to ever happen in my life. And without him, none of this would have been possible. Would you like to meet him?” Katie asked the crowd as they went wild again.

  “Then let me introduce you to him. His name is Michael Gibbes. Where are you?” Katie said as she looked out among the crowd. Michael stood up next to her. She turned to face him. “Oh, there you are, tricky little thing, ain’t ya?” she said as she acted as if she was surprised to see him standing next to her.

  “Everyone I’d like you to meet the love of my life, my brand-new husband, Michael,” Katie said as she dropped the microphone and hugged her husband. They pressed their lips together in a very passionate embrace. Everyone was cheering and clapping, especially everyone seated at the wedding table.

  Melissa reached over and picked up the microphone. As she stood before the audience, everyone got quite again. “Wow, I don’t know if I can even hope to compete with that, so I won’t even try to. But I do have to agree with Katie on one point. And that would be how I felt when I first saw everything that you have all done for us here today. I too was overwhelmed with emotions when I first saw everything. But what really caught my eye was the mere number of people that chose to make it out here today. It’s just more than I ever thought possible. And it’s funny because just the other day, Katie and I were talking, and she mentioned that fact that she didn’t think that she had that many friends. Boy, was she mistaken,” she said as the crowd before her all started laughing.

  “But seriously, we all have friends, and after today, I think we both might need a bigger address book.” The crowd started laughing again.

  You all have done so much for us, and I will never find the words that express to you all just how grateful we all are for everything that you all have done here. We love all of you, and you’ll all be added to our prayer lists. Of course, with a prayer list this long, we all might have to go to bed a few hours earlier just so we have time to read our list.

  “But to the governor, I really do need to apologize to you, dear sir. It would seem that I might have, well, voted for the other guy,” she said as the crowd started laughing again. “What was that?” she asked the governor. “She turned back to the crowd. “For those of you that couldn’t hear him, the governor told me that we all make mistakes. Well, sir, I won’t next time. If nothing else comes out of all of this, at least you’ve earned my vote,” Melissa said as the crowd laughed again.

  “But seriously, I’m so lucky to be living in the greatest country in the world, in the greatest state in the nation. But most of all, I’m blessed to be living in the town of Mattersonville, Georgia. For only here in this small little town that’s hidden away from the rest of the world could you ever hope to find the love that we all share between us. And if you want to hear something that sounds like music to my ears, listen to this—Melissa Marie McIntosh. Ain’t that the sweetest thing that you’ve eve
r heard? Simply beautiful! God bless you all and thank you again,” she said as she quietly sat down. Again the crowd went wild.

  Michael stood up next and reached over toward his sister and picked up the microphone.

  “Now answer me this. Everyone, have you ever seen two more beautiful women than these two here?” Mike said as he pointed at Katie and his sister. “Now I don’t know about Rick here, but I have to be the luckiest guy in the world right about now,” he said as everyone cheered.

  “But there is one guy here that has been up to now, a lot luckier than I ever was. You see, this guy had the privilege of watching this beautiful lady here grow up from the cutest little girl and into this glamorous young lady that you see before you. And I even have proof of just how cute and charming she was as a little girl. Would you all like to see what Katie looked like as a ten-year-old girl?” he asked.

  The crowd cheered. “Okay, in one second, but first let me explain something to all of you. This is not a trick. Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. What you are about to see is real,” Mike told the crowd as he looked down at little Katie. “Come on over here, Katie, stand next to your cousin so everyone can see you,” he told her. Both Katies stood side by side and laughed as they stared out into the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Katie’s ten-year-old cousin, Katie. Yeah, you heard me right. Her name is Katie Windslow too. Ain’t this like looking at past and present at the same time.

  “And this pretty little thing here is what our host had the privilege of looking at each and every day. God, just how lucky can a guy be. And yet this guy has a sense of humor that will catch you totally off guard if you’re not expecting it. He’s grown into one of my closest friends, and now he’s my father-in-law. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you all to Katie’s father, my new father-in-law and your host for today, Mr. Grady Windslow, but he prefers to be called Grady. Grady, can you please come up here,” Mike said as Grady made his way over to the microphone. The entire crowd was cheering as Grady took the mic from Michael’s hand.