The Unexpected Shelter

by Abby Tyler

  But it was just the groom coming out the open door, looking fine in a dark gray suit. Behind him was Jeremy Banks, one of the law officers in town. They closed the house, and the dogs dropped in volume again. As they made their way up the aisle to stand in front of the arch, T-bone took his place next to his son. It seemed that he would be the best man. Must be a mighty fine day for him, going from not even knowing he had a kid to getting to be here for his wedding.

  I cleared my throat a little, not out of any sort of emotion, and certainly not out of thoughts about never having my own children. Or my own wedding. But something in the air. Pollen, probably.

  I shifted my gaze back to the musicians. Alfred was playing a tricky bit, his bow moving back and forth with a speed that straight up boggled the mind. How did anybody learn to play with such precision and skill?

  The sound of the dogs grew again, and once again we all turned to look.

  This time it was Anna, who’d gotten married a year ago. Then Candace, a local teacher. Must be Savannah’s friends. I didn’t always keep up with the circles of the young people.

  A few people in the know shifted around to look at Jeremy as he watched Candace come up the aisle. Those two had been sweet on each other in high school, but something had fallen apart. I’d never seen two young people fight so hard to avoid the inevitable.

  But that was old news.

  Alfred Felmont looked up again, his eyes keen on the back door. Then he looked over at the arch. The minister gave him a nod. He tapped the backside of his bow on a little music stand three times and they brought the song neatly around from whatever they were playing to the wedding march.

  Everybody stood up.

  I wondered if Boone would get to walk his daughter down the aisle. And if he did, if he would even know what was going on. On the outside edge, I couldn’t see a blessed thing as far as the progress of the bride, so I stood with my head straight, pretending I was looking at the arch. But really, I was watching the musicians out of the corner of my eye.

  I knew something bizarre was happening when a chorus of titters cut through the crowd. It had to do with dogs. I just knew it.

  It wasn’t long before I got my answer. I saw Fanny first, then Gayle, longtime residents of Applebottom who helped at the shelter. Both of them wore pants, not dresses, and they had leashes in their hands.

  When they got to the front, they split apart and moved to either side of the stage. The first two dogs came into sight, one a black Labrador, but the other one was so mixed that I couldn’t tell what he might be made of.

  The leash had more than one component, because next came slightly smaller dogs trotting along, a collie on one side and a boxer on the other.

  Then even smaller dogs, a cocker spaniel on one side, and another indistinguishable mutt on the other. At that point there were two more helpers, both twenty-somethings I didn’t know.

  The dogs got smaller, and a good deal wigglier with a wiener dog and a Basset Hound. A Chihuahua and a miniature poodle finished out the leashes, and all the dogs were collected on either side of the stage, each group monitored by two volunteers. At least they weren’t barking now.

  Still, what a crazy thing to have at your wedding.

  But apparently that wasn’t all.

  The next dog was unleashed, a squat little pug that trotted right up to the stage. His pudgy little body struggled to make it up the stairs, and Luke kneeled down and clapped his hands to encourage him.

  He faltered on the last step, but finally scrambled his way up to reach Luke. The crowd broke out in applause.

  The dog flipped over on his back to get his belly scratched, and laughter rippled across the rows.

  Next came a regal German Shepherd, walking along the aisle with a basket in his teeth. He paused every so often to shake his head, spilling rose petals out onto the ground. The guests gasped and clapped with delight at the dog’s antics. He might have been the only thing taking this wedding seriously, so far.

  He set the basket down on the edge of the stage and walked over to one side, then the other, nudging any dogs acting out of line. Then he jumped up onto the stage and took his place opposite of Luke, between the two bridesmaids. Anna reached down to pet his head.

  It was a long wait to see Savannah. There were murmurs in the crowd, and I wondered if maybe the girl had taken off. I’d never been to the wedding of a runner.

  Then Boone’s tall gray head finally appeared, next to Savannah’s short one. As they slowly made their way to the front, I picked out the details of her dress.

  It was simple, white satin with short lace sleeves and a square neckline. It came to just below her knees, and her veil just reached her elbows. Her hair was a riot of curls spilling down her back.

  She looked concerned, as she kept glancing over at her father, who was taking awkward shuffling steps toward the front. They did not walk up onto the stage together, but she settled him down next to his sister Flo on the front row, and finished the rest of the journey on her own.

  Maude was already dabbing at her eyes. I knew what she was thinking. That soon, the life Savannah started with Boone would have to be continued without him.

  In a rare moment of commiseration, I leaned over to say, “She’s got Luke now.”

  Maude nodded and dabbed even harder at her eyes.

  The pollen got me again. I remembered my own father. And even moreso, my grandfather, who’d taught me everything about pies. They’d never seen me get married, never tossed my kids in the air. Hadn’t been in the cards.

  It’d been forty years since I’d seen a member of my own family. I’d certainly had to carry on without them. Savannah was lucky, but she probably knew that. Having someone to lean on makes all the difference.

  When Savannah made it to the arch, Luke immediately took her free hand in his. They looked good standing up there together. Not too fancy, but ordinary folks on a special day. I liked that, and getting married in their own yard. Even if they did include the dogs.

  “Dearly beloved,” the minister began, “we are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Luke Southard to Savannah Perkins.”

  I couldn’t help but glance back over at Alfred Felmont. He sat as I had seen him before at weddings, his violin in his lap, his face serene as he calmly watched the proceedings.

  I wondered what he thought about at times like this. He’d been married once, and she had died young. I’d never known the woman. His life as a married man had taken place far away from Applebottom. He’d only returned well after the fact, alone. He’d left the raising of his three children to her parents.

  Nobody knew why he’d left them behind. There were rumors, of course, that Alfred struggled too hard over the loss of his wife to manage small children. The man himself had never spoken a word of it to anybody in town, not as far as I knew. And I knew pretty much everything there was to know about Alfred Felmont. All that could be known.

  Those kids had never stepped foot in Applebottom. Somebody would’ve known it. But given as Alfred disappeared for stretches at a time, it was assumed that he went to visit them.

  But nobody knew for sure. If he ever confided in the other members of the quartet, they sure weren’t talking. But I had a feeling that he didn’t. Alfred struck me as the sort of man who kept his business to himself. And I could certainly respect that.

  Savannah turned to pass her bright red bouquet, anemones by the look of them, to her maid of honor. She patted the German Shepherd on the head. When the little pug saw that, he flopped on his back again, causing another titter to go through the guests. I swear, dogs were worse than little children at weddings. Stealing all the attention from the rightful stars.

  But nobody asked me about these things and they weren’t gonna.

  I had heard the preacher speak about love and devotion dozens of times, and this one didn’t sound all too different from any of the others. I more or less tuned it out, and watched Fanny and Gayle handle the dogs. There were still a few muf
fled barks from the house behind us, so not all the dogs had been promoted to wedding guest.

  But the ones in the wings more or less behaved themselves, so I supposed it was no big thing.

  The preacher told Savannah and Luke to face each other, and that’s when I sat up to listen carefully. I always loved the vows. It was the best part.

  “Luke, repeat after me,” the preacher said. “I, Luke Southard, take you Savannah Perkins to be my lawfully wedded wife.”

  Luke repeated the words in a strong, unfaltering voice, his eyes on Savannah.

  “For richer or poorer.”

  Luke’s face quirked in a little smile that Savannah quickly shared. Must be some little joke between them. Maybe they’d already encountered some of the poorer parts.

  Savannah had said herself when she ordered Boone’s pie that Luke would be moving out to the house. Not much else to be done really, seeing that she had to take care of Boone, and Luke had been living in some ramshackle trailer out at the RV Park his father owned.

  That might be a tough go, come to think of it, having your father-in-law in the late stages of dementia under the same roof. I glanced back at the house. At least it was a good-sized place. Hopefully the newlyweds would have a little space to spread out.

  The vows had continued while I wasn’t paying attention. They were already at the as long as we both shall live part. Dang it.

  The minister switched to Savannah. She repeated her lines. “I, Savannah Perkins, take Luke Southard to be my lawfully wedded husband.”

  Maude sniffed and began searching around in her purse. She’d already gone through her first tissue, and we weren’t even through the first set of vows.

  Instead of a unity candle, which would’ve blown out in the wind anyway, the couple opted to layer sand in a big vase. They walked together to one side of the arch, stopping by the empty vase.

  Savannah lifted a glass jar full of white sand, and poured it into the bottom. Then Luke added a layer of pale brown.

  I was starting to think this was going to be the dullest colored vase in the history of sand art, when they walked to the other table and half the guests instantly dug Kleenex out of their bags.

  On this table, a big bouquet of pink roses sat by framed photographs of two women. One I recognized as Lena, Savannah’s mother. I assumed the other one was Luke’s mom, since she was also gone from this world.

  Two bottles of sand rested beside the pictures, and Savannah and Luke each picked one up. Quite a number of sniffs could be heard among the guests as they simultaneously poured two shades of pink into the vase at the same time to layer on top of their base of white and tan.

  T-bone approached and added his, a good amount of rust-colored red.

  The couple carried the vase together down to the front row, where Flo helped Boone add his color, a slate blue the same as the sky above.

  Then the two of them sat on the edge of the stage, the vase between them. Savannah called the German Shepherd toward her and removed a little vial of sand from the collar around his neck. She gave it to him and the crowd collectively sucked in a breath as the German Shepherd grasped it in his teeth and turned it to dump a cool green bit of sand into the vase.

  Savannah kissed the dog’s nose, and the pug jumped up, nuzzling her belly. I swear, those dogs were going to get pawprints all over her dress.

  But this girl didn’t think of things like that, ruffling up the pug’s ears and taking a vial from his collar. This dog was clearly too wiggly to handle his own sand, so they dumped it in for him, adding a touch of yellow to the vase.

  Gail and Fanny moved forward, each holding three more vials of sand. I supposed that was supposed to represent all the other dogs at the shelter. Savannah and Luke poured those in.

  The couple held hands again as they returned to the center of the stage, in front of the waiting minister. Even T-bone, up there in his black shirt and pants and heavy boots, chains hanging from his waist as if he was still in his motorcycle vest, swiped at his nose as the minister settled the couple back into place and asked for the rings.

  T-bone stepped forward to place the rings on the open pages of the Bible. The minister gave him a little nod and continued the ceremony by giving the first ring to Luke.

  Luke’s voice was as strong as before. “Take this ring as a symbol of my love and fidelity.”

  Savannah had gotten a little more emotional, so her voice wavered a bit as she repeated the line to Luke.

  The minister finished his part with a resounding, “What God has put together, let no man put asunder.”

  An amen drifted out from the crowd.

  He extended his hand. “You may kiss your bride.”

  Luke leaned forward, his hand clutching Savannah’s as he pulled her closer to him. They looked at each other for a hair breadth of a moment before leaning together.

  I never have cared for the kissing part of the ceremony. Maybe it’s because a few couples made a mockery of the whole thing, dipping the bride or creating some sort of spectacle to get a laugh.

  But Savannah and Luke came together gently, sweetly, like they were out of some 1940s romantic movie.

  When they separated, a great cheer went up from the audience, but this set the dogs barking and straining at their leashes. Gayle, who was a bit mesmerized by the kiss, perhaps, didn’t have a good grip on her leashes.

  Three dogs got loose and rushed the stage.

  On the other side, the dogs also strained forward, but Fanny and the other assistant had a good hold on those. The barking became wild as the dogs realized some of the others were free.

  The German Shepherd jumped to his feet and tried to restore order by nudging the dogs and nipping their butts, but there was nothing to be done. The little pug got overly excited, and began running in little circles.

  The shouts began. Savannah, Luke, the assistants. The minister closed the Bible and clutched it to his chest. Dogs swarmed everywhere, as Fanny and the others tried to come forward and collect the loose ones, still holding onto other leashes.

  The chaos might’ve continued indefinitely, but Boone stood up, stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled so loudly and so piercingly, that everyone, man and beast, stopped to look at him.

  “Sit!” he commanded in a strong, loud voice.

  And most all the dogs did, giving a long enough break for the handlers to snatch up all the leashes.

  Savannah was the first one to break out into laughter, followed quickly by the entire party. T-bone directed everyone toward the tent for punch and food. The quartet struck up again, and the volunteers began herding the dogs back toward the house.

  Maude stood up. “You can wait here, Gertie. I’ll get you some punch.”

  “Thank you,” I said. I might be crotchety, but I know my manners.

  She patted me on the shoulder. “I hope that today’s the day you go up and talk to him when he’s done,” she said.

  It wouldn’t be. But I didn’t need to tell her that.

  The quartet played a lively upbeat tune, and I tapped my shoes as the chairs emptied.

  The modest reception moved forward, Luke and Savannah cutting the cake and taking pictures.

  But I stayed where I was. As long as Alfred Felmont was playing his violin, I was perfectly happy to sit right close.

  Around me, the merriment went on, conversation and laughter.

  But I didn’t need all that. For today, I had the satisfaction of knowing we helped a good match come together in Applebottom, and the most interesting man in town got to play his violin right in front of me.

  I might not have a lot in life. But I did have this.

  And even I knew when to shut up and enjoy it.

  You ready for a baby? Luke and Savannah’s bundle of joy convinces Mayor T-bone to clean up his act for that precious granddaughter. He quickly catches the eye of a maternity nurse who has been widowed for nearly a decade. Don’t miss Belated Kiss!

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  Gertrude & Maude’s Lemon Chess Pie

  (With blueberries, just for Savannah.)

  CRUST

  • Any bottom-only pastry crust. Store bought is fine.

  (Maude, don’t tell them to get store bought. That’s like saying you should find your husband on the Internet.)

  (But Gertie, lots of people DO find their husbands on the Internet.)

  (Whatever for? There’s old ladies everywhere to match them up!)

  (I don’t think so, Gertie. I think we’re one of a kind.)

  (But there’s two of us.)

  FILLING

  • 4 eggs, separated into yolks and whites

  * * *

  • 1/2 cup lemon juice

  * * *

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  * * *

  • 1/2 cup melted butter

  * * *

  • 1 tablespoon flour

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  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (If you have to use frozen, make sure they are thawed and remove any that are squished. Frozen blueberries will ruin the pie by slowing down the cooking around them. Squished ones won’t make it through the top crust of the pie.)

  INSTRUCTIONS

  Preheat the oven to 425°F.

  For the crust: Lay a circle of crust on the bottom of the pie pan. Flute or fork the edges for decoration.

  Cover with parchment paper and weight the paper down with dried beans or an oven-safe pot lid. (Gertie, did you know you could buy special weights for pie crust bottoms? What would you buy those for? A pot lid works just fine! Gertie, you really should invest in nice things. I’ll invest in some hearing aids, so I can take them out when you talk about stuff I don’t need!)