The next courting date he took her bowling. Though Jason was a golfer like his dad he enjoyed bowling now and again. There were a few guys there who flirted with her pretty boldly over on the next lane.
She tried not to notice, but couldn’t help it, they were so blatant with it. Jason got angrier and angrier with the three men. His eyes glared at the men and it got so bad Jenny feigned a sore arm muscle so they could leave early. She was afraid Jason might lose it and take a swing at one or all of them at any moment.
With his arm wrapped around her back and a concerned look on his face he asked, “How’s my babe’s arm. Do we need to put some heat or ice on it?’
“It’ll be fine when I rest it a while,” she answered. Looking into his loving eyes she said, “Jas, you know I love you now, don’t you?”
He nodded.
“Well, I wasn’t flirting with those men. When they asked if I was married, I wasn’t gonna lie, though I probably should have. So I just ignored them and they took that for a no. I’m sorry, Jas. I didn’t mean for it to spoil our whole evening.”
Giving her a hug he said, “You didn’t spoil a thing. They were just trying to make me get physical. Some guys simply like to fight. They were sure pushing it!”
Jenny looked into his eyes and stroked the side of his face. “Jas, don’t worry over me. I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me. And I don’t ever want you getting physical with any of those brutes!”
Jason leads them to a bench under a tree in the adjoining lot. Looking directly into her eyes he asked, “Jenny, do you think you could learn to love me forever?”
“Without a doubt, big guy, you’re so easy to love, I’m having no problem.”
“Then wait here.” He turned and hurried to his car. Jenny admitted to herself for the millionth time as she watched him, even his walk was sensuous to her. He opened his trunk and got something from a briefcase, closed the trunk and returned to her side.
He squatted down in front of her and said, “Jenny, please allow me to finish before you say anything, okay?”
She nodded. For the first time ever, ever she noted his voice had a slight tremor and his hands were trembling a little. This was certainly new for her to see and it touched her heart in a way nothing else on earth could.
“Jennifer, I have already told you how much I love you and for how long.” He paused, so she nodded. “My life is simply incomplete without you. You are my soul mate - I’ve known it for over two years. I understand this is still sudden for you and you should probably want to wait or simply to tell me no. I will accept your answer no matter what it is and give you all the time you need.”
Taking a really deep breath and letting it out he looked into her eyes and asked, “Jenny, would you give me the greatest honor a man can receive from a woman - your agreement to become my wife? I will do everything in my power to make you happy. Really, I will. Will you marry me, please?”
In horror he saw her face color change. “Breathe Jen, for Heaven’s sake, breathe!”
“I am breathing, Jas. You just took my breath away, is all,” she replied with a loving smile. “Jason,” she began with her hands also trembling while again gently holding the sides of his face, “you are the most wonderful person I know. And if there is a soul, like you believe, then yours is the brightest and most pure. For that reason I’m not good enough for you to marry!”
In embarrassment, she found herself crying. “You deserve a good woman. Not me. Besides, your God doesn’t even know me yet. He might punish you for marrying me. You should marry one of those pretty girls with the perfect faces and such.” That thought plainly made her mad. “No, don’t you dare marry anyone else but me. I love you too much and I’m too jealous for anyone but me to be your wife.”
“Is that a ‘yes, Jason, I will marry you’?” he asked with a smile as his handkerchief wiped her tears again.
“Yes! Yes! Oh, Jas I’m so honored, beyond anything I could ever dream, that you would consider me to be your wife.”
Opening a box he had in his pants pocket he presented her with an engagement ring. Jennifer’s eyes grew large as he slid the ring on her finger. It was a large beautiful round diamond with diamond baguettes trailing down each side. Never had she seen anything sparkle so brightly, it made her finger look like it had mini lights on it, it glowed refractive light so perfectly, even in the night.
“Jason, it’s the most beautiful ring I’ve seen. Wow, now that’s a big diamond! Had to cost a fortune.” Looking up into his eyes she offered with sincerity, “I don’t expect or need something this extravagant, Jas.”
“It fits well, doesn’t it?” he inquired while turning it on her finger, as she nodded, before bringing it to his lips to kiss. “For years I’ve planned this whole perfect setting for asking you to be my bride.” He laughed happily. “Now I end up doing it under an old oak tree, in a vacant lot, beside a bowling ally, with cars whizzing by. Not exactly what I had planned. I couldn’t help myself, Jen. I need you so much. You’ve made me the happiest man on earth right now!”
To Jennifer’s utter amazement her perfectly proper Jason let out a Rebel yell that did the South proud. Okay, others would say it was a cowboy whoop, but not to her and her Southern soul. The man had exuberance!
They had so many things to discuss and plan, but he wanted to get her off the ground, for an ant had already bitten her on her ankle, and where one is a million will follow. Looking at his watch he realized it was getting late all too quickly.
Jennifer felt like she was floating. Her feet might never touch the ground again, she thought with joy. The hole of longing in her heart was not as big now she realized with surprise, it felt partially healed.
They discussed when would be the best time to tell their parents - which made Jennifer so nervous she had to remember to breathe several times to keep her vision clear. The idea of being his wife felt like the most wonderful warm blanket wrapping her up. It felt so good, so perfect!
While Jason drove he explained how he had adequate funds for them to live on. There were annuities to handle both their college fees, and significant trust funds for living expenses so they wouldn’t have to touch the structured payments from his portfolio, like poor Thomas was having to do.
The next hour Jennifer discovered there was going to be at least one fire ant in her and Jason’s newly created Garden of Love, a gigantic fire ant, as far as she was concerned.
“But, Jen, babe, Father Jose and most all priests, who are worth their salt, always encourage and some insist upon the Marriage Preparation Program! It’s only a couple of months, but we’ll learn so much and it’ll help us be better prepared for our life together,” Jason explained to Jenny’s growing irritation, but his thrill.
“Jason, your priest might tell you no, you can’t marry me, because I’m not a believer like you are,” she said with a pout and truly feared that was what would happen.
He grunted. “Nah, Jen, it’s not like that. Besides,” he said with a sidelong glance at her worried face, “Who’s to say you won’t be a Believer before it’s all said and done?”
“Yeah, right!” she shot back at him.
“You promised me!” he warned her, “You’re to pray every day for two months. That’s all I ask of you. Just do that for me and for you.”
“I said I would and I will. Been doing it for more than six weeks already.” Without waiting for another second, she decided to ask the biggest question, to get it over with at last. She wanted to find out how many years she’d have to be tortured by them not sharing their selves bodily with each other. She’d been feeling of late that she needed him physically to feel whole. That ache was still inside and she was pretty sure Jason’s passion would fill the bill. “If your priest doesn’t throw me out of your life, when would you want the wedding?”
“There will be no throwing you out of my life, sweetheart. Not ever! But, as to when I want us to get married . . . how about the week of finishing the counseling,” he admitted
, hoping against hope she wouldn’t object to it being so soon. “The very next day?” he asked hopefully with a large flirty grin.
She grinned back at him feeling relief and comforted that he was as anxious for them to start their lives together as she was.
“Your mom will hate me,” she decided aloud.
“Why would you think that?” he asked, looking puzzled as they sat in his car watching the ocean waves as they rolled up to the beach. It was way to cold tonight to get out in the wind, so they sat together in the warm car making plans and enjoying each other’s company.
Jennifer explained about his mom asking about her feelings for him to her mom way back when.
He laughed and assured her his mom will feel relieved that his love was finally being returned in kind.
This had been a normally happy day gone fantastic. She now hoped her own parents would take the news of their actual engagement with the joy she was feeling. She knew this was right and very good.
After some more talk they’d decided to wait a few days before they told her parents. Actually, Jenny is the one who insisted they wait, Jason wanted to tell the whole world, he was so thrilled. She did too, but honestly, she was afraid her dad might have a heart attack.
Jason decided she was right, besides it would give him time to talk with Thomas and get his take on how it might go. He desperately wanted to maintain his friendship with him. They’d become really good friends even after Jenny had stopped seeing him. He hoped their sudden engagement wouldn’t anger him.
It was the following Saturday afternoon when Jennifer’s father yelled, “Have you kids lost your minds? You’re both too young right now! You’re just graduating high school for goodness sake. Your whole futures are ahead of you. We can plan a marriage for a few years down the road, but that’s the end of it. The answer is no!” He looked like a stroke was emanating for a while.
Jason placed a short call, said a few whispered words then put his phone away.
Suddenly Thomas called.
Jason sat on the couch beside Jenny, holding her hand. Her dad paced the great room floor and her mom sat on a chair dabbing her eyes, but she kept smiling at the couple. Her mom wasn’t upset at all, she was happy, basically because she liked his mother as well as him and knew Jenny had a crush on Jason for years but refused to acknowledge it, even to herself.
“Tom,” everyone could hear her dad on his cell phone, “Do you have any idea what this crazy sister of yours thinks she’s gonna do?” He was quiet for a while, stopped his pacing and muttered, “What? You’re joking. Yes, I think so too, but . . . he did that, huh? We’ve always known she’s had a bit of a wild streak now and again . . . but this . . . .” He suddenly stared into Jennifer’s eyes, nodded his head at the phone while continuing, “I understand your take on the situation, but . . . but . . . . Guess that might be for the best after all. Sure, sure, I’ll tell them hi for you. Thomas, please call your sister!” Click. The phone was closed.
“Oh, for the love of gravy, Dad. You know we’re old enough to marry today without anyone’s permission. But Jason insists we ask for your blessing, and I want that too. We even have to go for his church’s counseling for two long months Dad, before we can marry anyway. Two long, long months!”
That part still got her riled. What did they think they could teach them that a few R-rated movies couldn’t or in their case the Walton’s?
Jason was all excited about his denomination’s Marriage Preparation Program thingie and Jennifer wanted to make him happy. She wanted him to be the happiest any guy could be with his future wife. Really, she did. So their first counseling session was to begin in a few days. That made more days to wait for heaven’s sake, she kept reminding herself.
Jennifer had already decided that it seemed this particular batch of religious folks who didn’t like fast marriages or divorce and such - sure knew how to put a strain on two people who were in love. It was kind’a almost driving them to sin what with all the infernal waiting and all. She’d come to this conclusion an hour ago when Jason kissed her so longingly in the car. The crazy man had actually said, “Sorry Jen, I can’t do that again. I have to get a grip on my emotions.”
And she’d responded, “No you don’t! I like your emotions just fine and dandy.” He’d laughed at her and winked then hurried out of the car before she could say or do anything else.
Huh, she was learning quickly he wasn’t all old and stuffy like she’d once thought. He was a real man, full of all sorts of things that were driving her to complete and utter distraction. This is gonna be a lot harder than you think, Jason Zonelli, she’d thought to herself with a wicked smile as he took her hand and escorted her to the front door of her house to face her parents.
Jennifer’s mind was brought back to the present when Jason squeezed her hand. Glancing at him he nodded toward her dad.
“A half year, huh? Well, that would allow you both to be a little older and perhaps have a more mature idea of what a marriage is all about. It’s not just sunshine and periwinkles you know,” he exclaimed. His skin color was slowly returning to almost normal.
Jennifer quickly corrected, “Not a half year dad, two months, no longer!”
Jason added, “As soon as we’ve completed the Church’s Marriage Prep counseling and barring no problems,” he looked at Jennifer, “we want to be married then. It will have to be a civil ceremony. The Church will only allow a Sacramental Wedding if both are practicing Catholics. The day that happens, if it ever does, I want Father Jose officiating that ceremony too. Until then, I won’t be able to receive Communion. But, we will be together.”
“What? You won’t be able to do your wine and wafer?” Jenny asked, upset for him, knowing that was probably very important to him.
“Jen, it’s alright. I know our marriage is God’s perfect will. So, He’s in control,” Jason stated with a face full of confidence.
Her dad stared at them both for a few long minutes before he asked slowly, “By the way, what’s the hurry? You kids get the cart ahead of the horse?”
“No sir! We simply are anxious to start our lives together,” explained Jason, looking insulted.
Before Jennifer’s father could respond Jason added, “Dad and I talked about it and he feels it’s only fair that he and I pay for the wedding since our family is so much larger than yours and our friends are so many, the cost would be far too unequal for you to bear the burden.”
Her dad’s face blushed, she could almost see him calculating the wedding costs in his head, and it apparently made him ill, because he sat down.
“No, no,” her father began to protest, “We’ll manage it, somehow. It’s our daughter after all.”
“Sir, if I may suggest,” Jason began, realizing his future father-in-law had very limited funds, “Jenny’s gown alone will be quite expensive, I imagine. Most women have dreamed of their wedding dress for years. If you could help her with that cost, that would be far more than enough contribution as far as I can see.”
Before her dad could answer, Jennifer bounced up, went to her dad, and said, “That would be perfect Dad! And I know the store where I’ll most likely pick it out. And you have to buy yourself a new tux, the old one is just old, and there’s mom’s dress,”
Jason cleared his throat. “Huh, Jen, hon, Mom said to tell you she knows a designer who’ll be happy to design your dress and your mother’s as well if you both would like her to.” After casting a glance at her dad he added, “And at a reasonable discount for being so close to Mother. Mom’s sent her many referrals through the years and her work is red carpet quality, so she might do this just for the cost of materials.”
“Design my dress? Are you joking, Jas?” Jennifer asked in awe.
Her mother’s eyes lit up and they grabbed each other’s hands and bounced, just like young teenaged girls will do while actually squealing together.
“Well, if you need help with the expenses, we are more than willing to carry our share, but this is awful s
hort notice. Especially with all the graduation expenses we’ve just paid out,” her dad stated a little hesitantly.
“Got it completely covered, Mister Franks. There will be no problem here,” Jason responded with a smile as his future father-in-law stood and shook hands with him and Mrs. Franks gave Jason a big hug as welcome.
Jennifer’s mom and dad began admiring her ring as soon as Jason replaced the engagement ring on her finger. He’d removed it so as not to upset them, until they could share with them the news. Jenny swore her finger had been crying over the loss of it for the past few days.
Jason asked with a laugh, “Is your finger happy again?” as they headed for his car.
“Much! Don’t ever remove it again!”
“Only once more, to place our wedding ring closest to your heart,” he answered with a happy smile.
11 – JASON’S FAMILY REACTS
They were headed to Jason’s house for his family to officially welcome Jennifer into their family.
Jenny didn’t know what was ahead of her or he wouldn’t have been able to talk her into the car. He laughed aloud with the happiness he was feeling as he closed her car door.
In the car he asked, “Did you really think I would let you buy your wedding gown knowing someone else has chosen the same style? You’re too special for that, Jen.”
“Jason, you don’t know it, but I’m a Thrift store shopper and I go to consignment shops to purchase most of my clothing.”
“Can’t tell it. You always look well put together,” he remarked and dropped the topic.
Jennifer had picked out her clothes for this evening with care. Confronting her parents and then visiting his house for the first time in over two years, she wanted to look extra presentable. She wore a pair of blue slacks with a flowing flower print handkerchief hemmed duster, and a white scooped neck pullover under the duster. She made her necklace and earrings to match. Jason had bragged to excess on her outfit upon seeing her. She’d considered wearing her Alice wig, but decided that too much shock might upset Jason. He told her he loves her long hair, but that her pixie wig looks adorable on her too. Being he liked her real hair sort of settled it for her.
THE DAWNING (The Dawning Trilogy) Page 10
