[2016] Alone and Pregnant

by Christian Michael

  “I do know of that wedding, and it’s a good thing you got here when you did. That wedding is going to take place at the North Chapel tomorrow afternoon, but I am afraid I don’t know where you can see him before the ceremony.”

  June’s heart thudded in her chest, and she smiled. She remained as calm as she could, and asked for directions to the chapel. The man scrawled down directions on a piece of paper, and handed it to her. She smiled again and thanked him, hiding how much jubilation she felt as she left the store.

  Once back on the street, June clutched the note to her chest. She knew she was on the right track, and she felt so incredibly close. All she needed to do now was find a hotel to stay in, and wait for the next day. June scanned the street, looking both up and down, trying to find a hotel that looked fancy.

  If she found a hotel that was more upscale, she thought she would be more likely to run into Jacob before the wedding. She finally decided to head in the direction of the chapel, and find a hotel on the way. The closer she was to the chapel, the easier it would be to find it in the morning.

  Perhaps I ought to look for the chapel before the streets get crowded. I can find some easy landmarks to follow, then when the wedding is closer I can find it easily.

  June was pleased with her idea, and proudly walked up the street heading for the chapel. Suddenly, she heard a voice calling out, and she turned around in surprise.

  Behind her an older woman was hurrying over to her, waiving her hands in the air and calling for her to stop. June was confused, she didn’t know anyone in this town, and she didn’t recognize the woman. She looked down to see if she had forgotten anything in the store, but seeing all of her things at her side, she decided to wait for the woman to catch up to her.

  “Can I help you?”

  She spoke before the woman reached her, and the woman stopped in the middle of the street, placing her hands on her hips.

  “Are you June?”

  June cautiously nodded, and started to reply.

  “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say!”

  The woman snapped at her, and June took a step back in surprise. She still didn’t recognize the woman, and she was curious as to how the woman knew who she was. There wasn’t anyone back home who had known where she had gone, and she certainly didn’t know anyone this far west.

  “Who are you?”

  She didn’t care if the woman wanted to listen to her or not, she deserved to know who this was confronting her.

  “My name is Mrs. Grendal, and I am the mother of the bride.”

  Chapter 7 – The Threat

  June’s heart sank and she thought she was going to be sick. She felt the color drain out of her face, and her heartrate pick up. She tried to speak once more, Mrs. Grendal put her hand up.

  “I said I don’t want to listen to you! You have no business being here, and you best go back to where you came from. My daughter is going to marry Jacob tomorrow, and nobody… I mean nobody… is going to ruin this. I have spent too much time setting this whole thing up for some stranger to come in and ruin it all.”

  June felt humiliated, and furious. She wasn’t going to stand here and be scolded by a woman she didn’t know, let alone a woman that only cared about money. She loved Jacob, and she hoped he felt the same about her. Nobody was going to keep her from telling him how she felt, not even the mother of the bride.

  “I can go where I please, and I am going to talk to Jacob. If your daughter loved him, and he felt the same about her, I wouldn’t say a word, but I know that is not the case, and I am going to say my piece!”

  Mrs. Grendal’s face changed to a scarlet red, and she formed her lips into a tight smile. She made her way forward, walking towards June with quick small steps, and June fought the urge to run. She held her ground, and even stood tall as Mrs. Grendal leaned in towards her, so no one on the street would be able to hear what she said.

  “If you come to that wedding tomorrow, I will have you arrested on the spot. Like I said, nobody is going to ruin tomorrow for me. Nobody!”

  With that, Mrs. Grendal turned on her heel, and walked away, leaving June standing on the street, feeling humiliated. June felt her breath catch in her throat, and she gasped to keep herself under control. She wanted to cry, and yell, and tell Mrs. Grendal she couldn’t arrest her, as she had done nothing wrong.

  That’s just it. I haven’t done anything, so what is she going to arrest me for? You can’t arrest someone for going to an open wedding, and you can’t arrest someone for speaking their mind. I am going to that wedding tomorrow no matter what.

  June tied her broach up against her throat, and looked at herself in the mirror. She had spent a sleepless night tossing and turning in her bed, wondering what she was going to say to Jacob. She worried about what would happen when she reached the chapel, but she reassured herself that she couldn’t be arrested.

  June had gone to the chapel the night before to see when the wedding was to be, and learned it was going to take place at two o’clock that afternoon. She could hear the clock on the bank down the street chime the noon announcement, and she felt butterflies form in her stomach.

  I can do this. I’m not going to let some crazy old woman scare me off. I’ve come clear across the country. Nobody is going to turn me back now!

  June finished buttoning her long, maroon dress, and gave herself a final look over in the mirror. She didn’t think she stood out from the crowd too much. All of these people had money, and though she didn’t think she had as much money as they did, she knew she held her own in the group.

  When the time drew near for the wedding, June made her way down to the street. She scanned the people on the walkway as well as in the street itself, but she didn’t see any faces she recognized… or the sheriff.

  Stop it. You aren’t doing anything wrong, and you can’t get arrested for it. Just stay calm, and act like you know what you are doing.

  June slowly made her way towards the chapel. There were people all over the street, going both towards and away from the chapel. June still didn’t see Mrs. Grendal, but she kept an eye out nonetheless. She settled in behind a small group of young women all heading for the church at the same time.

  It was easy to slip inside with the group, they were all talking amongst themselves and didn’t pay any attention to her. There wasn’t anyone at the door to greet them, so June simply walked in and sat down in the pew. There were people all over inside the church, some looking as though they were there to admire, and others helping set the place up.

  You should try to talk to someone. Sitting here all by yourself is a sure giveaway you weren’t invited.

  June scanned the room, looking for someone who looked friendly. The problem was, she wasn’t sure who was there for Jacob, and who was there for his bride. Perhaps that crazy old woman had even told people to watch out for her and send her away.

  Thankfully, more people started filing in and sitting down, so June felt as though she fit in more. She tried to stay calm, and rehearse what she was going to say to Jacob, but nothing seemed to be good enough.

  I guess you will just have to say what comes to mind when it happens… if it happens. Who am I kidding? You could very well lose your nerve when he walks in… or when she does.

  June could feel her nerves getting the best of her, but she told herself to stay strong. In just a few minutes, the wedding would begin, and June would make her move. Suddenly, the organ started playing, and June felt her stomach flop around inside of her.

  It was now or never.

  Chapter 8 – A Wedding Intervened

  June was so nervous she felt sick as the progression started. She almost lost her nerve and ran out of the chapel, but suddenly, Jacob appeared. He looked so refined, and so elegant in his suit. The sight of him was enough to strengthen her resolve and keep her in her place.

  June didn’t know what she was going to say or do, but she knew there was no way she was going to leave without saying what she wanted
to say. She was just on the verge of standing up and calling out his name, when the bride appeared. All of the company rose, and June bit her tongue as the bride took her place in front of Jacob.

  June didn’t think, she couldn’t leave any time for it. Before anything else happened, she was going to say her piece. She pushed her way into the aisle, and tried to run to the front. Before anything could happen, she felt a hand fall on her shoulder.

  She turned to see who it was, and to her horror, the sheriff had his hand on her shoulder.

  “I am sorry, but I am afraid I have to ask you to leave.”

  June yanked away, and tried to make her way up the aisle, but she was pulled further away. All she could think to do was yell, so she called out as loud as she could.

  “Jacob! Jacob!”

  “Quiet! Remove this nuisance from the wedding!”

  Mrs. Grendal stood forward, and started coming down the stairs toward her. June kept yelling, but she was being pulled away. Suddenly, there was another voice that rose above the rest, it was Jacob’s.

  “Jacob! What is this?”

  Jacob ignored the protests and walked down the aisle. June pulled away from the sheriff, and stood in front of Jacob.

  “Jacob, I just want to say something to you. All I want you to do is listen, and when I am done, you can tell me how you feel about it.”

  She waited, and Jacob nodded.

  “Since that few minutes we spent together, you are all I have been thinking about. I have never felt this way about anyone, I have never loved before, and I love you. I think it is silly and foolish for us to marry people we are supposed to marry, when we don’t care for them. I care for you, and I want to be your bride.”

  She wanted to continue, but nothing was coming out. She wanted to keep telling him how much she cared about him, and how she wanted to be with him. She wanted to prove to him that she would be a better wife for him than this other girl whom he didn’t care for.

  He put his finger to her lips, and brushed the tear from her cheek. June didn’t even realize she was crying before he did that, but now that he did, she felt so at home, and like this was so right.

  “Jacob!”

  Jacob turned and held up his hand, then turned to address the entire crowd.

  “My family, and my friends, I have some news to meet. You are now seeing for the first time in my life a woman who loves me. Giselle…”

  He turned to face the bride at the altar.

  “I am sorry I brought you all the way up here to tell you I can’t marry you. You look lovely in your dress, and I can’t tell you how much I wish you are going to be happy with whoever you marry, but I can’t marry you.”

  Giselle opened her mouth, then shut it and stormed out. Her mother yelled how she couldn’t believe Jacob or how he could do this to her and her family, but Jacob didn’t care. He scooped June up in his arms and held her close.

  “I have to tell you something. Since the day I left you on that platform, you are all I have been able to think about as well. I wondered what it would be like to be married to a woman that cared about me, and one that was willing to think for herself and make her own decisions.

  I wished there was a way I could see you again, but I figured you were gone. You were going to marry the man you were set to marry, and he was going to be the luckiest man in the world.”

  June could feel the tears rushing down her face the more Jacob spoke, and she was so happy she had made the decision to come this far. Yes, it had been crazy, and yes, she knew she would shock her parents and her friends with what she did, but she didn’t care. She had found the man she was going to marry, and she loved him.

  For the first time in her life, she was truly happy, and she couldn’t wait until the next day. From now on, her life was going to be happy and exciting. There was going to be a reason for her to wake up and a reason for her to get dressed. She wasn’t going to be a picture for the family, she was going to be part of her own family.

  Never before did June expect to fall in love with the person she was going to marry, and there was nothing in the world that could compare to it.

  Finally, her life was complete.

  THE END.

  My True Love

  Mail Order Bride

  CHRISTIAN MICHAEL

  Chapter 1

  Lloyd Dutton looked down at the child in his arms. She was almost a year old and he was starting to see her mother’s features come out on her face.

  Nell, why did you leave me here? With her?

  He instantly felt guilty. He loved his daughter Josie, but he hadn’t wanted to have children. At least not right away. The Good Lord had decided differently. And then he’d taken Nell away.

  The grief knifed through him, as sharp as when she’d died eight months ago. She’d only had a few months on this earth with her child. How was that fair?

  He closed his eyes, resting his head back against the rocking chair. The faint scrape of wood against wood the only sound in quite room. He had talked with Pastor Peter again that day. Lloyd couldn’t see how a good God would allow such a terrible thing to happen, and yet Peter had pointed out how he had grown closer to his daughter. Lloyd was again reminded that, despite the pain he felt, God was still in control. If only Lloyd could have better prepared for the future.

  He shook his head. Peter had reminded him—again—that he was always trying to plan for things that couldn’t be planned for. His curse.

  Then he thought of the second half of their conversation. About how Lloyd should look for a new bride. As if he could just put his feelings of her in a box and place it on a shelf with the other things of hers that he’d packed away. Impossible.

  And yet the man had a point. Lloyd couldn’t go on much longer having ladies from the church watch Josie while he worked long hours as a ranch hand. It was either find a live in nanny—which seemed expensive and inappropriate—or get married again.

  He almost laughed, though there was nothing humors about the situation. It was just the fact that he was thinking of marriage in such sterile terms. Peter had suggested a mail order bride and Lloyd had taken the Matrimonial Journal with him, though it had mostly been to make Mark happy. If he couldn’t appease him with his views on God, he could at least appear to heed his advice.

  Moving slowly so as not to awaken Josie, Lloyd placed his daughter in her bassinet and opened the journal to peruse the advertisements. He held out little hope, but it he would at least be able to tell Peter that he had tried.

  His gaze scanned down one column after another until he stopped on one that interested him. They listed accomplishments such as cooking and baking, but also referenced childcare experience. He felt underhanded, thinking of this potential wife as merely a nanny in job but a wife in title.

  He paused, reading through the advertisement again. She sounded down to earth and responsible. Maybe….

  Lloyd ran a hand over his face. Was he really considering this? His heart belonged to the woman he’d buried months ago. Was he so quick to fill her spot in his life?

  Then again, he was agreeing to marry—not to love. He couldn’t expect for that to happen again, but he could choose the best mother for Josie. That was all that mattered. He would do anything for his daughter, even if that meant marrying again.

  ***

  Millie Hoff studied her sister’s expression. It was never easy to tell what Morgan was thinking, but today was exceptionally difficult. She kept her eyes glued outside the window of the train but it appeared as if she wasn’t seeing anything.

  “Morgan, what’s going on? Talk to me?” Millie asked.

  After a few moments Morgan turned to look at her. “I can’t help but feel like this was a mistake.”

  Millie’s heart pounded. “It’s not.”

  Many things in their life so far had felt like a mistake. Like a father who beat them, a mother who was out most of the night with men other than her husband, living in a rat-infested apartment. But this—escape from all of
that—was not a mistake.

  “He doesn’t even know me.”

  “Nonsense,” Millie said. “I didn’t share anything about myself that was too personal. We’re practically twins. It’ll be fine.”

  “But what will he say when he finds out…”

  Millie’s heart constricted as her sister cradled her abdomen, the slightest of bulges visible but only to a sister who could tell.

  “He already has a child. He’ll welcome another.”

  Morgan’s face heated. “I don't think that’s what most men would think.”

  Millie swallowed. Morgan had been assaulted a little over two months ago when Millie had been gone to the small seamstress shop she worked in. They hadn’t known until a few weeks ago that she was pregnant. At the time the only alternative Millie saw was to pass her sister off as the one who had been writing to Lloyd Dutton from a mail order bride add Millie had placed.

  She had already negotiated to bring her sister with her, but now that Morgan was with child it only made sense to have her marry Lloyd. Millie was still young and could make her own way in life, but Morgan—an unwed mother—would be ridiculed.

  Their plan, if it could be called that, rested on the good graces of Mr. Dutton, and the sacrifice of Millie, but there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her sister.

  “He’s a nice man Morgan.” But nice was even the beginning to who Lloyd Dutton was. He was kind, caring, funny…

  She thought back to their first letters with fond memories. At that point he had only known her as Miss Hoff. They had made a joke out of being exceptionally formal. She’d been thrilled when he went along with it.

  But, when it became clear that Morgan needed a husband more than Millie did, she had told him her name was Morgan. Her sister had been furious when she found out, but by then it was already too late.