We told them about the confrontation with Pine City, and the Lebowskis and Kim told them how she died saving her life. That brought tears to all of us.
I then told them how Carmen bugged me and even conspired with Kim and Mia to get me to allow them to patrol the farm. I’ll never forget the look on Bill’s face. It had sadness in it of course, but it also had a little pride. Pride in his daughter for wanting to contribute and be a part of everything. I know it had to be really hard for him to sort out.
That’s when Pat asked where we buried her. I told them we buried her in the wildlife area and explained how that was one of her favorite spots as she loved watching the deer and turkey. Brandy started telling how everyone showed up to the funeral and how sentimental it was. At that point, I broke down a bit with Kim starting in pretty heavily herself. I excused myself and went to the bathroom to get myself together.
When I returned, I apologized and told them how I knew that I was responsible for Carmen’s death and I begged them for their forgiveness.
Bill told me not to think that way and how, by what they had heard, if it wasn’t for us, the girls may not have ever left California which would’ve been sure death or worse for all three of them. Seeing the sincerity in his eyes really made me feel better.
I noticed Pat kept looking at me with a strange look which I couldn’t put my finger on. It wasn’t a bad look, it almost had some sweetness in it but it was enough, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
Then, that’s when she asked if they could see Carmen’s grave. I said sure but then realized how everything was set up for the wedding, so I glanced at Brandy which had already picked up on it.
She cleared her throat and grabbed Mike’s hand, “Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you. I probably should’ve told you before now, but I wanted you to get to know everyone.”
Her mom seemed to pick up on it, but her dad just asked, “Well, what is it?”
“Mike and I are getting married today. Now before you say anything, I want you to know that I really love him and he loves me and ……”
Bill held his hand up telling her to stop, which she did. “Brandy, I can’t say that this isn’t a surprise, and it seems as though it happened pretty quickly but I trust you, and I know you’d never make the same mistake that you did when you got married at 20. If you two say you love one another, I believe it, and it’s your decision. Mike here seems to have chosen a life of service, and it seems like his parents are good people. You’re not going to get any grief from me. I support you 100%.”
It turns out that when Brandy got married to her first husband, she ran off to marry him as neither Bill or Pat cared for him at all. Bill could tell that he was just a leech, even though he was attending law school at the time. Due to their disapproval, Brandy married him while her parents were out of the country. About a year after the marriage, he dropped out of law school and constantly made statements that neither one of them needed to work, due to Brandy’s trust fund. Brandy continued her education though, and of course, became an RN. She hung on to her marriage as long as she possibly could, but finally, she had to end it.
Brandy got a sweet loving smile on her face and went over and squeezed in between both of them, and when she hugged her dad, she said, “Thank you, Dad.” Then hugged her mom, somehow knowing she had approved.
Brandy is 32, and this would be her second marriage but getting her parent’s approval was very important to her. I had seen it in Carmen as well when she would talk about her parents. They were both very independent, and they made their own decisions, but the idea of real disapproval from either one of their parents would seriously bother them.
“I love you, baby.” Then stood and shook Mike’s hand, “Take care of my daughter. As long as you do that, we’ll get along great.”
Then Pat stood and gave Mike a hug and whispered to him, “I can see the love in both your eyes; that’s all I care about.”
We talked a bit about what we had planned for the wedding when it hit Bill like a light bulb coming on, “That’s why a Chaplain was in the helicopter. I was wondering why she was coming out. The only thing I could figure was she was going to provide counseling for someone or something, but I was baffled why she would do that for a bunch of civilians. Then when I heard that Kim was the Colonel’s cousin, I thought maybe that was just a courtesy or something.”
“Well, Bill, it was a favor alright but not for counseling. I asked Jim if he could fix us up with someone that could legally marry them. They didn’t tell you as they knew Brandy wanted to surprise you.”
After a short time, Bill mentioned Carmen’s grave again but then Pat requested, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Vince and Kim for a moment.”
Bill gave her a strange look as he could tell she wanted to talk to us alone but Bill didn’t question it too much, and Brandy asked if he’d like to look at how we had the outside set up.
You could tell that Bill was in charge of his corporation and everything else in his life. I’m sure everyone jumped when he spoke. But you could also tell that Pat wasn’t one of them. They seemed to be a close couple and very much in love, but I had the feeling that when Pat wanted something, she got it.
Everyone went outside except for Pat, Kim and myself. She sat there and stared at both of us for a moment and had that same look that I had been trying to figure out. Kim finally asked her if she could get her something else to drink, but she declined.
Just about the time the stare and silence became very uncomfortable, she spoke, “I just wanted to meet the man, the married man by the way, that my daughter adored so much.”
Both of our mouths had to have fallen open, and I asked very timidly, “You knew about it?”
“Yes, Carmen told me about a year ago. I also wanted to meet the woman,” while looking at Kim, “that must have a heart of gold to have that much trust and understanding.”
“Well, we loved Carmen very much. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but if you really knew the situation and how it went down and how much trust I had for Carmen and my husband, I think you would understand.”
She then smiled, “I think I do. To be honest, when she first told me about it, I wasn’t very pleased, but if you know my daughter as much as you appear to, she soon had me understanding. You know how convincing Carmen could be when she wanted to make a point?”
I had to smile, “Believe me, I do.”
We all got a sad but loving smile on our face, and Kim stated, “I want you to know that Carmen was very special. I can also tell you that if it had been anyone but Carmen, I would’ve had a problem with it. It was just a very special situation with a very special person.”
Pat’s eyes were full of tears, but she didn’t allow herself to cry.
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m kind of shocked that Carmen brought it up to you,” I remarked with surprise.
Pat smiled, “Well, she didn’t. I brought it up to her in a sense. I could tell there was someone special. Every time we saw her, she was floating around on cloud nine and it was always when she had just seen you or was on her way to go see you. I knew whoever it was, had to be here in Missouri. So I started questioning her. She tried sidestepping the question several times, but Carmen wouldn’t lie to me. After a while, she broke down and told me.
When she first told me, I was upset because I thought she was ruining someone’s marriage, even though I knew deep down she would never do that to someone.”
Kim chuckled a bit, “No she wouldn’t. I don’t know if she told you, but she came to me first, well kind of but I knew long before he did.”
“What do you mean, kind of?”
Laughing a bit, Kim said, “Well, I walked in on her staring at a group picture of us and somehow knew it was Vince that she was really looking at. She panicked at first but not once did she try to deceive me and she could of very easily because of my trust for her, I would of believed anything she told me.”
“Well, all I know
was for the first time in a couple of years, she was happy and relaxed. Once she told me what she decided, I worried that she was setting herself up to be hurt, but she seemed content with the restrictions she said that she knew she had to accept.
I just wanted to meet both of you and talk.”
Talking about of all of this brought the memories flooding back to me, and I think the sadness was starting to overwhelm all three of us when Pat finally asked again if we could take them out to her grave.
Kim felt she needed to explain what she was about to see and how Brandy’s wish was to have the wedding at the gravesite as she wanted Carmen to be a part of it and how Carmen, in spirit, was going to be Brandy’s Maid of Honor.
This is when Pat finally broke down and started to cry, and Kim went over and gave her a hug.
“Brandy asked me if I thought it was too bizarre, but I thought it was a wonderful idea. I just wanted you to understand so you wouldn’t be too confused when you see the setup.”
Pat smiled, “Thank you, and I think that’s a wonderful idea also. I know Carmen would’ve loved it.”
As we stood, I asked with a little bit of apprehension, “Pat, uh….. can I ask you, does Bill know all of this?
She smiled, “No. I never told him. Even though Bill has taught the girls to be very independent, this is something I wasn’t sure he would understand, so that little secret stayed between the two of us.”
I have to admit; I was relieved as I’m not sure if I was in Bill’s place, how I would handle such bizarre information.
As we walked out to find Bill to take them to her grave, he noticed that Pat had been crying and asked her if she was ok. She explained what Brandy had requested and arranged, and soon sentimental tears formed in Bill’s eyes as well.
We made arrangements with John to use his Mustang to drive Bill and Pat down to the wildlife area and as soon as we approached the car, one of the security personnel asked Bill what we were doing. Instantly, he called on his radio, and the two personnel that were assigned to the Chinook ran into the wildlife area to secure it, and quickly Jonas was firing up his Apache and flew to check out the area as well.
Finally, I had to ask, “Bill, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but for you to be able to make arrangements for all of this, you have to know someone significant.”
He laughed and then replied, “Well, to be honest, yes. I went to college with General Raymond Trowbridge who is currently serving as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for President Hatch. We’ve stayed in contact over the years, and we’ve done a few favors for one another, now and then, so when we found out about Brandy being here, I made a couple of calls to track him down, and he ended up making a few calls to the right people and the Army has been very cooperative ever since.”
I chuckled, “Yeah, that explains a lot. Especially under the circumstances, I’m sure a call from the Chairman opened a few doors.”
He laughed again, “Knowing the right people can come in handy now and then.”
I have to admit that the security team he had hired were dedicated. Even though they were private contractors, they acted like secret service agents as one of them ran alongside the car all the way to the wildlife field.
As we drove by the Chinook, I could see the guys and a few crew members loading the trailer and the jeep with several boxes, some of them quite large. Obviously, Bill had kept his word to Brandy and brought us quite a few supplies but this wasn’t the appropriate time to ask about it.
When we drove in, I was very reluctant. To be honest, I had avoided the wildlife field due to Carmen’s grave. I had a hard enough time not blaming myself for her death, and it was hard enough for me to get over it, so seeing her grave again would’ve been a constant reminder.
As we drove up, I have to admit the wedding site was set up beautifully. Mia, Brandy, and Kim had been keeping her grave up, stopping every time they were on patrol.
As far as the set up for the wedding, it couldn’t have been better. Even though we both let Bill and Pat approach her grave alone, I could see our favorite 8 x 10 picture of Carmen mounted on the top of the grave marker.
Kim noticing my look commented, “I brought it down when we put the flowers on the archway this morning. I thought it would be a nice touch.” All I could do is smile and squeeze her hand.
Bill and Pat were standing arm in arm together, obviously expressing a great deal of private grief, then I saw Bill kneel down and run his hand over the inscription that Tag engraved into the marker.
Kim asked, “Can you imagine the emotional rollercoaster they’re going through? Think about it; they’re feeling the pure joy of seeing Brandy again and knowing they’re taking her to where it’s safer. They also get to watch her get married. But at the same time, even though they were already told, they’re having to face the actual reality of Carmen’s death by seeing her grave. I can’t imagine what their emotions are doing to them.”
“I….., I can’t even think about it too much. It’s too much to absorb. I won’t even try to guess what their feeling.”
Soon, both of them were walking back to the car and you could see the pain on their faces. We didn’t really say anything, we just stood, pulled the seats forward so that they could climb in the backseat.
“Who came up with the inscription for her marker?” Bill asked.
“Tag, Michael Tageson. He thought of the scripture and also cut and made the marker.” I replied.
“I know we were introduced to him, but I’d like to thank him for the work he put into it. I want to thank all of you for showing Carmen so much love and respect.” Pat remarked.
“She was part of the family we formed here, and she was very special to all of us,” Kim replied.
On the way back to the house, Bill instructed, “Ok, we need to let this go for now. We’re about to watch our daughter get married. We need to reconnect with that joy.”
Pat smiled, “You’re right.”
When we got up to the house, Wit, Mo, and Tag came up with smiles from ear to ear, and Mo said, “You guys, you’re not going to believe what they brought us. Mr. and Mrs. Melrose, we can’t thank you enough. I don’t know if you realize how much better this will make everyone's life.”
Bill smiled but with a little frustration replied, “We wish we could’ve brought more but supplies are hard to come by nowadays with so much being sent out as aid. If we would’ve had more time, I might have been able to bring more, but I hope this does help.”
When I walked up to the supplies, I couldn’t believe it. There was one more load to bring up, but so far there was two grosses of toilet paper, several cases of assorted toiletries such as shampoo, bar soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, and even tampons. I didn’t even think about what the women had been doing during their monthlies. We had stored up some in our emergency supplies, but they had to have run out some time back. When Kim saw them, she mentioned how all the ladies were going to appreciate it, so obviously they had discussed it among themselves.
There was also twenty cases of Mountain House Freeze Dried Canned Food consisting of breakfasts, a large variety of entrees for dinner meals and freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. There were also six cases of long-term meats, including sliced beef, chicken, and ground beef.
Wit called me over, “Look at this,….. finally!”
He was looking through a case of IV setups, IV saline bags, Vialmates, injectable Ampicillin, Benzathine Penicillin, and numerous bandages and emergency care supplies.
Tag opened another box which was filled with forty-eight Army blankets and next to it was a case of AA and CR123 batteries.
The icing on the cake for me was when Mike yelled out. I walked over, and he was pointing out four pairs of third generation night vision goggles.
Mike laughed, “Now that I’m leaving, we get the night vision.” Then he got serious for a moment, “These are really a Godsend. Do you realize how much safer these are going to make everyone?”
“Oh yea
h,” is all I could say.
I looked over at Bill and Pat that were both smiling, and I walked up and gave them both a hug, which kind of shocked them.
“I don’t know what to say. You don’t know how much we needed all of this. This is going to help out the entire community. Thank you!”
“You’re very welcome. As I said, I wish it could’ve been more.” Bill replied.
Jim and Bob walked up, and Jim said, “And you thought what we brought you was like a Christmas.”
“Yes indeed. I’d say that Mike’s new in-laws took care of you guys.” Bob stated.
“No kidding, I’m a little overwhelmed.”
Brandy walked up and gave her dad and mom a big hug, “Thank you so much. This makes me feel so much better. I love you guys.”
Then Mike, while holding up a pair of the night vision, gave Bill a thumbs up, “Thank you.”
After taking several minutes for everyone to look at everything, I yelled out, “Alright guys, let’s get this stuff stored away. We have a wedding to get ready for.” Everyone cheered and started busting tail, putting everything away, including Brandy and Mike.
Chapter Thirty-One
Within an hour we could hear ATVs approaching and reports coming in from the roadblocks that the guests were on the way. Some rode, but many were walking.
Wit, Red, Paul, and Tag had to run down to the wedding site to set up the large Army tent, that Red and Wit had originally brought with them, as the ladies at the last minute, requested it so that Brandy would have a place to prepare out in the field. At the same time, I took out an inverter and three batteries to the reception area to power the laptop for the background music for Mia’s song.
Even though the world was falling apart around us, the ladies were determined to make this as normal of a wedding as possible.
We were amazed how many showed up. Everyone in our community, plus some of the older couples from Pine City that Brandy had helped with their medical issues.
Into the Apocalypse Page 45
