“We’re still out in the field, I’m so sorry you have to be alone,” he said, “don’t cry Baby, I will try and make it up to you somehow when I see you. Sorry I have to go. I love you, I wasn’t even supposed to make this phone call, but I had to.”
Betty looked over at Amelia, saw her crying, and knew Chad wasn’t able to come to the ceremony tomorrow. She broke stride and called to Shelly and they went to her. They hugged and all three were in tears. It would be so sad no one would be there for her, thought Shelly, after everything she had to go through to get to college now for her victory of graduation no one would be there for her.
Amelia said, “I’ll be alright, although I sort of knew he wouldn’t be able to come, I was still hoping. I don’t want to think about it, it’s making me sad, I know how bad Chad feels he was in tears on the phone.”
Secret thoughts: (I know I’m just feeling sorry for myself, after all I did finally get to college and now, I’m graduating. In my mind I guess I thought all my family and Ida and John and most of all Chad would be here to cheer for me knowing how I feel inside. I do have Betty and Shelly and I should be grateful, but God I feel so lonesome and hollow inside, it’s like having a dead spot in your heart. I hope I don’t start crying at the ceremony because I may not stop.)
Graduation day was finally here, and the weather was perfect. The ceremony started with the class marching to Pomp and Circumstances played by the band. The last speaker was finished, and the presentation of the diplomas began.
Secret thoughts: (Here I am on stage at my graduation that I thought was just a dream and now my dream came true. I’m waiting for my name to be called. I should be so happy my wishes for college have been fulfilled but not having my family and especially Chad here makes me wonder if it was worth all I had to do to get here.)
Amelia heard her name called and she got up and walked to the center of the stage. As she put her hand out to shake hands, she saw something out of the corner of her eye and heard distant sirens. The audience heard the noise too and it caught their attention. The sound got progressively louder and everything seemed to stop. Amelia turned her head, to see where the noise was coming from. Some people stood up to see what was going on as the noise got louder.
Approaching the road next to the football field was a police car, a huge Army truck filled with soldiers, and another police car in back. Their sirens were blasting. The vehicles stopped near the middle of the field and one figure stood up and jumped out of the army truck, vaulted the low chain-link fence and began sprinting across the field toward the stage. People turned to one another to ask what was going on. Amelia was curious too and put her hand up to her eyes to shade them from the sun. Then she heard it and her heart stopped, no way could this be happening. The giveaway was the chant, she heard, Go Lieutenant Go, Go Lieutenant Go, Go Lieutenant Go, and Amelia immediately knew who it was. The crowd turned to watch, all eyes focused on the figure racing toward them, Chad raced across the field and the crowd all stood up anxious to see what was happening. Chad ran up to the front of the stage and Amelia jumped into his arms. He was in his camouflage fatigues, his face was covered with black and green war paint and he had dirt on the knees of his pants and his butt, he had little twigs and grass on his cap and on his uniform, his combat boots were muddy and he had a pack on his back. The audience and all the graduates began cheering and clapping. The chant Go Lieutenant Go, was still heard as the truck rumbled by and blew its deep foggy sounding horn as Chad’s squad drove away still singing their mantra. Chad and Amelia kissed and hugged, and he threw his backpack off and then rummaged in his shirt pocket. He got down on one knee and said, “Mellie, my darling will you marry me?”
With her face covered with what were now happy tears she said, “Yes, yes, yes! He put the ring on her finger, he kissed her again, and the audience and the new graduates on stage all went crazy clapping and hooting. Amelia’s face had spots of green and black war paint on it now too, her mortarboard fell off, and she looked so ecstatic. People all around started taking their picture. The Dean was still standing on the stage, all the graduates were on their feet and had come to the end of the stage laughing, clapping, and shouting their approval. The Dean took the microphone and said, I don’t know if there are other graduation ceremonies that you will remember, but I know you’ll remember this one. “Soldier my we borrow your fiancé now for a few more minutes until the graduation ceremony it over and then she will be all yours,” said Dean Stanley James.
Chad looked up at him and said, “Thank you sir I’m sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt your ceremony, I couldn’t wait a minute longer.”
“Amelia, who was standing next to the Dean now, after being lifted back on to the stage by Chad, said to Dean Stanley, “Chad is Ida’s son.”
The Dean said, “Your Ida’s son?” Chad shook his head yes.
“I forgive you son; I would do anything for Ida.”
When the ceremony was over Betty and Shelly gathered around Amelia and Chad and they all hugged and laughed. “You sure know how to surprise a girl,” said, Shelly, “I thought we were being invaded when I saw that huge Army truck coming up the road.”
“And the chanting,” Betty said, “That was perfect. Amelia really needed you to be here today on her day.”
Chad laughed, “We have been on our best behavior since the Philadelphia caper and they knew how upset I was that I wasn’t going to be here. The sergeant arranged all this. It was the fastest way I could get here. I think the driver went through every red light in town, at one point we got stopped by the cops, but when he heard my story, he called a second car and motioned us on. They lead us through the red lights and put on their sirens, my squad thought it was a hoot! He looked at Amelia and wiped some of the green paint from her nose; sorry I got your face dirty. I hope I didn’t embarrass you.”
“I don’t care about anything, only that you’re here and I’m going to be your wife.”
“I know we will have a little logistics problem for a while, but I couldn’t wait any longer, you are the only girl in the world for me.”
“When do you want to get married?” She asked.
“Next week, only because we can’t do it right now, if that’s OK with you.”
“Next week? Don’t you have to go back soon?”
“I have a 30-day pass,” he said with a grin.
“You mean we will be together for 30 days if I marry you?”
“And nights, he said kissing her deeply and then for always.”
Chad and Amelia put the phone on speaker and were both talking Ida and telling her they were planning to get married.
“Hi mom,” said Chad, “Hi Ida,” chimed in Amelia, “we’re here at college together, Chad was able to come for my graduation.”
“Oh, that’s so wonderful Amelia, I was so disappointed I couldn’t come.”
“I know,” said Amelia, “I knew if there was any way possible you would have come.”
“Mom,” said Chad, “we have something to tell you.”
“Is it good news,” asked Ida?
“We think so,” said Chad, “we’re getting married next week.”
“Chad, Amelia are you two playing a joke on me?”
“No mom,” said Chad, “we fell in love just like you planned.”
“What do you mean son?”
“We have been comparing notes mom,” he said, with a chuckle, “and we discovered your strategy. You always wrote about me to Amelia and to me piped in Amelia, about Chad.”
“It worked mom we fell in love.”
“Thank goodness,” said Ida, “I don’t know how much longer I could have kept up those emails. Now all I will have to do is cc both of you.”
They laughed.
“Seriously though,” said Ida, “I know your father will be pleased Chad, and I can’t tell you how glorious this makes me feel, I love the both of you
so much. I wish you could be here to get married.”
“We do to mom, but I have limited time and we don’t want to waste any time.”
“We love you,” said Amelia and Chad together, “we’ll send you lots of pictures.”
“Let’s make some plans for the wedding,” said Shelly, when they were all were together at Betty’s party, “this is so exciting and romantic.”
“Ladies,” he said, as he looked at Amelia, “I will go along with anything my sweet lady wants for the wedding, my only request is that it happens quickly so we will have time to go on a short honeymoon and live as man and wife for at least a few weeks before I have to go away.”
Betty and Shelly giggled, “You mean you don’t want to take Gina on your honeymoon?”
“No, no, no, definitely not,” said Amelia.
The night before the wedding, they returned to the apartment after the rehearsal dinner. Amelia said, “Let’s sit on the sofa for a few minutes. I have been so excited and in such a whirlwind, this week went by so fast, I want to talk to you. I probably should have told you this before,” she said looking very serious.
“What is it my sweet you look so serious?”
“No one in the world except one other person knows this about me,” said Amelia, “not even my brothers. The night my mother left the farm, she and my father had a terrible fight. She had been out to a dance and he was upset with her about it. He accused her of seeing other men. She began telling him he didn’t do enough for the family and was not a good provider. She told my father there were no men here on the farm so what was she to do. I heard them arguing and come down a few steps to see what was going on and saw and heard them. Mom was going to hit him with a frying pan and right before she did, she told him that, the boys were all his, but I wasn’t. “I don’t know who my real father is Chad. I’m sorry I waited so long to tell you, but I haven’t really thought about it, I don’t like to think about it, it makes me feel sad. So if that is a problem we have time to” ….
“Stop,” he said, “just stop, Amelia you could tell me that you were a bank robber, or a killer and I wouldn’t care. I love you, for you, and tomorrow I will take a vow in front of everyone to tell the world, that I will love you and want you and care for you no matter what. You had me scared there for a minute I thought you were going to say, all this is nice Chad, but I’m not going to marry you!”
“Babe, I had to tell you before we married just in case. Now my slate is clean, and I have no other secrets, except that I’m so excited and can’t wait to make love to you tomorrow. I guess I shouldn’t say that to you should I, well I should pretend to be the calm, quiet little lady and let the man take over. But,” she said passionately, “I can’t, I have to be honest, I’m so wound up, and I get so hot and bothered when I think of it, my body tingles and I can’t stand it. So, there you have it.” She bent over and kissed him deeply.
“Babe, Oh Lord, I know exactly what you mean, I have to try and turn my mind around every time I think about us making love, I have to stop thinking of it because I get excited imagining it. I almost have to leave the room because I don’t want people asking me why I have a stupid grin on my face.”
“Honey, I want to tell you something I did too, and I hope you won’t be angry with me. “I gave mom the money toward your tuition when the last grant you were expecting didn’t come through. I couldn’t let my mom agonize again and I didn’t have the heart to see you disappointed once more.”
“Chad, you cared for me even then?”
“Back then I hoped and dreamed you would want me one day, even if you didn’t, I still wanted you as my friend.”
“Sweetie, I secretly liked you very much, from the first time I saw you at your mother’s, and I thought you weren’t interested in me, because you were so worldly. I thought you probably had all kinds of girls in all the places you’ve been.”
“Honey that makes me feel like I’m on top of the world, kind of like I did when you said you would marry me. I’ll let you in on a little secret of mine. I dreamed of you every night even before I ever kissed you. Now I dream every night that I’m making love to you and I’m very excited about that to, but finding you, loving you, and having you love me back and now getting to marry you is the best, it’s the biggest thrill of my life.”
[ Chapter 36 ]
Amelia didn’t want Chad to see her before the wedding, so he dressed in Shelly’s room, and when he was ready, he knocked on Amelia’s door, and told her he was leaving with the Sergeant, who came to pick him up. Shelly and Betty arrived to help Amelia dress and Shelly brought her a garter that was blue. She wore her locket, the first gift Chad ever gave her, and borrowed Betty’s pearl earrings.
The little chapel had only about 30 people waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle, Betty and her parents, Wilson and some students and friends. Shelly was Maid of Honor, Amelia had asked both Shelly and Betty, but Betty said she thought it should be Shelly. She walked slowly ahead of Amelia in a pale blue dress. Amelia looked lovely in a long white, silk chiffon dress that guided gracefully as she walked down the aisle, and she carried a small nosegay of gardenias. She had a short white veil and wore her long dark hair down.
Chad looked very handsome in his dress uniform, he stood tall and proud as he waited for his bride to come down the aisle. Next to him was Sergeant Grant from Chad’s squad he was the best man and in uniform too. When Amelia reached the end of the short aisle, Chad caught his breath he thought she looked so beautiful. He only had eyes for her as he stepped forward and kissed her hand, lifted her vale. They stood facing each other while the Chaplin began the ceremony. He read some Scripture and prayed for them and began the wedding ceremony. They held hands and exchanged rings. The most delightful and pleasing thing to witness was the wedding couple. They saw no one else except each other, and they said their vows with so much sincerity and emotion, Amelia had tears running down her cheeks and Chad eyes were welled up with tears as well. Their looks of cherishment for each other were a thing of reverence and their happiness shined through their smiles. When the Chaplin pronounced them Man and Wife, they said, I love you to each other and he kissed her sweet and gently.
Standing beside them Shelly read a poet she had written for them:
She walks down the aisle, with beauty and grace.
He is waiting and watching, and then sees her face.
A vision in white, she has captured his heart.
Handsome and happy, he’s ready for his part.
Their new life together, they will soon start.
They say their vows, they are very sincere.
If you look closely, you may detect some tears.
The perfect circles they are wearing now.
Will speak to the world of just how
Each was alone, living under the sun.
Man and wife wed, now they are made one.
They had a small reception, wedding cake and champagne for all the guests. Sergeant Grant stood up to give a toast and before he gave the toast, he began telling the story of Chad talking the pilot into making an illegal landing at an unauthorized airport, to see Amelia for twenty minutes.
“The pilot was happy to do this for Chad since he saved his life a few times. I won’t even mention that we all would have been court marshaled if the brass found out.”
He told how them how the men thought Chad was kissing the male equipment operator and how they teased him when he got back on board. How it lifted the morale of the entire squad. The whole group roared with laughter. To say nothing of the fact that Amelia snuck into the airport, got down to the runway and moved a piece of equipment without approval, says to me she was pretty motivated herself, to see Chad.
“I wanted to tell you about that little incident because I think that says it all and shows how much Chad loves Amelia and Amelia loves Chad. May they love each other like that always.”
They were going to the Pocono Mountains for a three-day honeymoon but wouldn’t leave until the next day. Betty and Shelly went to the apartment before Amelia and Chad arrived, they lit candles, had flowers everywhere, and on the dresser perfumed massage oils. They had perfumed the bed linens and piled many pillows at the head of the bed. They had wine and an ice bucket ready in the kitchen and white rose petals all around the bed.
When they got to the apartment Chad picked her up and carried her over the threshold. I know it’s not our threshold Babe, it will work for now. He put her down in front of her bedroom and said, “I’m going to Shelly’s room to take off my uniform, then I will get the wine Betty and Shelly said they left for us in the kitchen, then I’ll come to you.” He brushed her lips teasingly, “See you very soon” he said.
Secret thoughts: (God, my body is already tingling. Everything about this day has gone perfect, I can’t believe I’m married. I’m excited and nervous about making love for the first time I know Chad will be gentle. I love him so much.)
After changing and getting the wine from the kitchen, he went to the bedroom door, tapped lightly, and opened the door slowly. He saw her sitting looking in the mirror and their eyes met. He placed the ice bucket with the wine and two glasses, which began to wobble, quickly on the dresser. Amelia had changed into a white lace and satin nightgown. She brushed her hair and dabbed light cologne in strategic places. Chad looked at her and said, “You are so beautiful.” He bent over and gave her a light kiss on the neck. She turned to face him, and he bent down on one knee, and took her left hand and kissed her wedding ring. He reached for the single red rose that was on the tray and picked it up. He handed it to her. A white satin ribbon was tied into a bow the streamers that hung down were green brown and black in a camouflage pattern. On the end of one was his squad’s yellow, red, white, and black chevron. She inhaled the fragrance of the flower and said, “Thank you Babe, this is so sweet what does the ribbon and badge mean?”
Secrets of Amelia Page 22
