When You Least Expect It

by Sandra Leiper

  “I do deserve that honor, and I’d love to.”

  She hugged her son. “It means so much to me that you’ll be there.” She held her cousins hand. “Both of you.”

  Blossom cleared her throat. “So, have you told the family?”

  Amanda groaned. “Here we go…”

  Blossom went to her phone, dialed Leeza’s number, and handed it to Amanda. “You might as well start with the head cousin.”

  Rolling her eyes, she waited for her to answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Leeza, it’s Mandy. How are you?”

  They continued with the usual formalities. Blossom was poking her in the ribs, wanting her to get to the point.

  “How’s Ray?”

  “Well, he’s good. In fact, I have a surprise for you. I’m moving to Maine.”

  “Really. Wow. That’s a radical decision. Are you marrying Ray?

  “Yes.”

  “Well that’s good. I would hate for you to go all the way across the country without getting married.”

  Amanda was stunned. She waited for more. There was none. She couldn’t contain herself anymore. “So you’re not upset.”

  “Why would I be? I’m happy for you if this is what you want.”

  “I guess I imagined you getting upset because I met Ray on the Internet.”

  “So what? He’s a nice guy, you love him, that’s the part that matters. Meeting people on the Internet is the newest technology of dating. It’s no different than meeting someone at a bar and giving him your phone number. Only, in your case, you communicated with Ray for a year before even meeting him, so in a sense, you already knew him. I don’t think anyone is so old fashioned that they can’t see that for what it is.”

  “Wow, Leeza, thank you. I’m so happy you’re taking this so well. I hope the rest of the family does too.”

  “They will. Everyone just wants you to be happy, Mandy. You have gone through so much, you deserve a good man who is going to give you a good life, and love you for you. Ray is the epitome of a man in love. I wish Jerry would look at me the way he looks at you, just once. If it feels right; go for it.”

  “I am. Can you tell everyone for me? Blossom already knows though.” She stifled a laugh at the look of sheer panic on Blossoms’ face. “In fact, she’s known for awhile.”

  “What? That stinker. Tell her I’ll be giving her a piece of my mind later. You take care, Mandy, and congratulations, cuz.”

  As soon as she hung up the phone, Blossom came unglued. “Are you nuts? What did she say?”

  “Take it easy there. She was happy for me!” Mandy felt as if a thousand pounds was lifting from her shoulders. She looked at Blossom. “I’m getting married.”

  Blossom lifted her glass in a toast. “May this time, you live happily ever after.”

  ~~

  Alex had unpacked and was hanging up his posters in his room. His mom and Aunt Blossom had gone to the store to pick him up a little fridge and some stuff to keep in it. His mom looked so sad today, even though she was doing her best to be brave. Alex knew how hard this was for her; he knew this because he felt the same way.

  Ever since his dad left when he was seven, he felt it had been his duty to be the man of the house. He remembered when his mom had told him that his dad had left, of course, at seven; his first instinct was to cry. The hurt had been deep, but he’d quickly brushed his tears away, feeling he had to be strong. His mom needed him to be, and he would never let her hurt as she hurt on that day.

  It had been a tall order for a little boy, but he did the best he can. Sometimes it was impossible, because she was still the grown-up and at times, made horrible decisions that he couldn’t change. But, he still stood by her, and helped her in anyway he could.

  He lay on his bed and threw his football around, worrying about what would happen to his mother with him gone. Would she be okay? What if this Ray was a psycho and she was there alone with him, with no one there to protect her? He shook his head. Ray seemed like a nice man, a good man, not like Peter. He trusted him with his mother, and had to trust that his mom knew what she was doing.

  “Okay Alex, one dorm refrigerator, as ordered.” His mom burst through the door. “Wow, you’re all unpacked. The room looks great.” She looked around at the big room with two beds. “Have you met your roommate yet?”

  “No, he hasn’t arrived. The fridge is great Mom, thanks.

  She looked at her watch knowing she had to start heading back to El Paso. She had already dropped off Blossom. “You’re welcome. So, how are you feeling about all this now that you’re actually here?”

  “I think it’s going to be fun, Mom. I don’t want you to worry about me.”

  Amanda fought back tears. “That’s my job, Al. I want you to promise that you’ll behave just as if I will pop into this room at any minute.”

  Alex laughed. “Whatever you say, Mom,”

  She hugged her son, willing him to be seven again, to depend on her for everything. “I’m only a phone call away. I’ll miss you so much Al, but I’m proud of you. I know you’re going to do great.”

  “I know you’re going to do great too, Mom.”

  They clung to each other, both afraid to let go.

  Chapter 45

  Amanda stood in front of her mirror, admiring the dress she’d picked for her wedding. It was simple, light blue, long and flowing, accentuating all her curves. She’d found shoes to match perfectly, and loved the look she’d created. She planned to wear her hair piled loosely on top, with wispy curls framing her face.

  She got out of it and hung it carefully in her closet. Ray would be arriving tonight from Portland. He’d asked her not to pick him up from the airport, as he was planning to rent a car himself. They planned to drive up to Vegas in the morning, their wedding day.

  Amanda was disappointed that Elisa and Tom weren’t planning to make the trip. Elisa had claimed she was too busy with the wedding, school and work to make such a trip. Amanda, of course, said she understood, but nonetheless, she wished Elisa had wanted to be there.

  A car honking startled her back to reality, as it was coming from her driveway. She looked out the window; it was Ray and his daughters! He hadn’t told her he was bringing them; she was pleasantly surprised as she opened the front door.

  “Hey, it’s the whole crew!”

  Ray hugged his future wife. “Well I thought about what you said about getting to know each other, and it was a great idea, so here we all are.”

  Amanda hugged his daughters, happy to see them. “Welcome to my little home, well, my home for the time being.” She was suddenly embarrassed at all the boxes she had piled up in each room, getting ready for the move. “It’s going to be a tight squeeze, but I’m sure we can manage.”

  “I rented a hotel room for us, Mandy. Since I was surprising you, I didn’t want you to feel too overwhelmed by extra company, especially on the eve of our wedding.”

  Amanda laughed, slightly relieved. “Okay, then I can take my thinking cap off.” Besides for Alex’s room, she really did not have the room for all of them. “Shall we go out to dinner?”

  “Yes, let’s go to Nene’s. The girls love Mexican food.”

  “I’ll call Elisa and see if she and Tom can join us.”

  “That sounds great.”

  Amanda went into the bedroom to make her phone call, with Ray following a few seconds later, enveloping her in a sexy hug. “I couldn’t wait another second to be alone with you. Mandy, I can't believe this is actually happening. I’ve never felt this happy. You’re really going through with this right?”

  “So far it looks that way,” she teased. “If you’re an axe murderer Ray, you better speak up right now, or forever hold your peace.”

  Ray laughed, kissing her. “I promise to not kill you, only to love you, and kiss you, and…”

  “Dad?”

  Ray groaned. “Yeah, I should have thought this through. Some honeymoon we’re going to have.”

&n
bsp; “Well, they have their own room in Vegas, right?” Amanda held her breath.

  “Don’t worry. We might not be having a traditional honeymoon, but you will have your wedding night.” Ray kissed her neck. “I look forward to that almost as much as marrying you.”

  Amanda laughed and whispered, “Good, I wouldn’t want that negligee I bought to go to waste.”

  Ray locked eyes with her. The knock on the door broke his trance.

  “Are we going?” Nikki was knocking on the door.

  “Let me make this call, Ray, go out with your daughters.”

  After his reluctant departure, she dialed Elisa’s number, getting her answering machine. She waited for the beep and left her a detailed message about her surprise guests and asking her to meet them at the restaurant.

  Once they were at the restaurant, the girls talked nonstop. They told Amanda about the plane ride, how excited about going to Las Vegas they were, and about the new outfits, they’d bought for the wedding.

  “So, was your mom okay with you coming to Las Vegas?”

  The silence was deafening. Amanda wished she could take back that last sentence. What had she been thinking?

  Ray finally spoke up. “I guess Carrie was a bit in shock when she heard the news. I was planning on talking to her, of course, to discuss the girls coming out with me, but as it turned out we ran into her at the mall when we were shopping for our new clothes.”

  Amanda’s hand went to her mouth, her eyes wide. “So you told her at the mall?”

  “It seemed safer.”

  “How did she react?”

  “She didn’t. She just looked at me, stunned, with no facial expression whatsoever. We all just stood there in the middle of the mall, speechless. Finally, she just turned and walked away.”

  Norma grimaced. “Yeah, but when we got home, we got to hear everything she thought, and loudly. She was pretty upset. She didn’t want us to come, but we said we had a right to come to our own father’s wedding, so she dropped it. She’s been in a rotten mood ever since.”

  Ray muttered, “She never wanted me when we were married, but I guess she doesn’t want anybody else to have me either. Go figure.”

  “Hi everyone.” It was Elisa. She hugged her mother. “I can’t stay long; I just dropped by to meet everyone. She hugged Ray as Amanda introduced her to the girls.

  “It’ll be nice to have some sisters. Hey, and I’m the oldest still, no fair!”

  The girls laughed. “We think it’s going to be fun to have a brother, too.”

  “Yeah, Alex is a good guy. You’ll like him. I guess you’ll meet him in Vegas. Anyway, since I can’t go tomorrow, I just wanted to welcome you to the family, and ask you to be good to my mom in Maine till I get there. I have a stepmother too, and I know I’m not that nice to her, so I’m hoping that won’t be the case here.”

  The girls promised to be nice to Amanda. Elisa smiled at them, liking what she saw. They were a lot like Ray, gentle and sweet. She hugged her mom and future stepfather. “Have a wonderful wedding! I wish I could be there.”

  Amanda followed her with her eyes as she walked out of the restaurant. “I wish she was going to be there. It just won’t be the same.”

  Ray stroked her hand. “We’ll take lots of pictures, honey. She won’t miss a thing.”

  They left the restaurant and Ray dropped Amanda off at her house. He walked her to the door. “So, I guess this is what it would have felt like if we had ever officially dated.”

  Amanda considered this for a minute. “I guess it is. Do you think we missed too much by starting our relationship three thousand miles apart?”

  “No, I don’t. We have so much more at this point. As soon as you get to Maine, we’re going to go on hundreds of ‘dates’. We’ll make up for lost time, I promise.”

  Amanda smiled up at the handsome man who would be her husband in less than twenty-four hours. “Will you be kissing me goodnight at our door?”

  Ray smiled and brushed back the hair off her forehead. “I will kiss you anywhere you like, Mandy.” He bent and kissed her tenderly on her lips, basking in their softness. “Get some rest, tomorrow’s a big day.”

  Amanda laughed at the understatement. “Yes, it is. Goodnight Ray.”

  She walked into her house and shut the door, trying not to notice how empty it seemed. Tomorrow was the first day of the next phase of her life. She hung on to that thought as she went into her bedroom to get ready for bed.

  She lay there for a while, and not surprisingly was unable to sleep. She got up and logged on to her computer. There were some friends she still had to tell. She found the 40s4fun chat room and was ecstatic that her old chat buddies were on.

  Well shut my mouth! TexasRose! Where the hell have you been, girl?” This came from Hawaiianlover. It’s like you’ve dropped off the face of the earth.

  Texas Rose: I know. I’ve been busy. I popped in to tell y’all something. I’m getting married tomorrow! 

  Hawaiianlover: What? Are you kidding me? Maineman?

  Texas Rose: You guessed it! So tomorrow at nine p.m., we will be in Vegas, in front of Elvis. Then in a few weeks, I am moving to Maine. Can you believe it?

  Kittycat: Congratulations you lucky dog!

  Stargazer: I hope you two will be very happy.

  Texas Rose: Don’t be like that Star…we’ll always be friends!

  Goofy Grape: I love this, my sistah! Woohoo!

  Hawaiianlover: HIP, HIP HURRAY FOR TEXASROSE AND MAINEMAN…ANOTHER MATCH MADE IN INTERNET HEAVEN! GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH!”

  Amanda talked to her friend Hawaiianlover for a while, telling her all the details and specifics. She logged off with a smile on her face. It was amazing how close she felt to these people she barely knew. They had filled a void when she was in a bad place, and had become her friends. She knew that many people thought it bizarre, but they were a circle of unseen faces that she had laughed with, and sometimes cried with, and she loved them.

  ~~~

  Today was her wedding day. Amanda couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous. Okay, who was she kidding, she was a lot nervous. She suddenly wondered if she was doing the right thing, getting married for the third time. Who does that? Elizabeth Taylor enjoyed a good wedding. Joan Collins. But Amanda Herrez?

  She’d heard all the clichés by now. Third time was the charm. Third time was like getting her Ph.D. Three strikes you’re out! She laughed. She didn’t care about all the sayings. She only cared that she loved Ray and that he was the answer to all her prayers, everything she had been wishing for, hoping for, in a husband. She had to take this chance.

  She had packed the night before, everything but her dress. She dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. The drive to Las Vegas was going to be a long one, and they were stopping at Hoover Dam. She laughed again. She could hardly wait to tell her grandchildren that on her wedding day, she went on a tour of Hoover Dam. That would be quite a knee-slapper!

  She poured herself a cup of coffee as she waited for Ray and the girls. She looked around her home and wondered if she would miss it. It seemed so empty now. She’d have hated living here alone. There were many happy memories here, but on the other hand, many not so happy memories, too. Her biggest regret about selling her home was the fact that buying it had been her biggest accomplishment, besides for raising her children on her own. It was hers! It had taken months for the loan to go through, but when she had signed those papers, it had been one of her finer moments.

  Amanda looked out the window, wishing they’d get there. She picked up a picture of Alex sitting on the windowsill. It was a picture of her and Alex at his graduation. He looked so handsome and so proud of himself. Her eyes brimmed with tears. Leaving him on this side of the country was going to be one of the hardest things she had ever attempted to do. She may as well gouge out her heart and leave it wrapped up in a box, that’s how broken it felt. Alex was so much a part of her, as was Elisa. They were her heart and soul. She was happy that they backed her, as mu
ch as they could. This was a hard thing for all of them. Ultimately, they wanted her to be happy. It would be easier for them to begin their own lives, she felt, if she also had a life of her own. Marrying Ray benefited them all, and eventually, Elisa and Alex would both see that, and she hoped love him as much as she did.

  The knock on the door brought her back to reality. She put down her cup and stood up, bravely walking to her door, to her new life.

  “Finally!”

  Ray hugged her, smiling from ear to ear. “What do you say we go get married today?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Coffee?”

  “Coffee? No, let’s get going. Las Vegas is not around the corner, you know, and we have a date tonight. If we dilly dally much longer, we won’t get to see Hoover Dam.”

  “Let’s go then. I’m ready, Ray, my bags are in my room.”

  Ray laughed. “I see we’re going to dive right into the role of the wife. Yes, ma’am, I’ll go right now and get your bags.”

  Amanda laughed with him. “And as your tip, you get to marry me.”

  “Woohoo! I’m going to run them to the car. Anything else?”

  She rolled her eyes as she locked up the house, again fighting down the raw feeling in her gut that three times was just too many times to get married.

  ~~~

  Elisa woke up in a funk today. She had gone to school, but her heart wasn’t in it. She had no idea of what her English teacher was saying, and could care less. Her mother was getting married today, what was she doing here? She gathered her stuff and left the classroom, suddenly on a mission. She found the closest pay phone and called Tom at work. “I want to go to Las Vegas.”

  “What? When? Now?”

  “Yes, now, I want to be there when my mom and Ray get married. I was just being stubborn Tom, I should be there!”

  Tom readily agreed. “You were being stubborn alright! We’d have to leave within the hour to get there on time, Elisa. Can you be ready?”

  “I’ll meet you at my house, and will be ready before you get there.” She hung up the phone as Tom muttered something about hoping there was a hotel room available tonight. She knew it was a spontaneous decision, but she also knew it was the right one. She dialed Alex’s dorm room, willing him to be there. She held her breath as she listened to the rings.