Remember Joy

by Ginny Sterling

  “You are my world, my universe, and I want everyone to know that you are mine. Will you marry me?” Mike said reverently and released her hands to yank his dog tags out of his shirt. On the simple shot bead chain, she saw the two metal discs along with a simple tiny gold band.

  “This was my mother’s,” he admitted, pulling it off the chain and setting it down on the pew beside her. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she heard the emotion in his voice. It wasn’t a diamond ring but obviously it was infinitely more precious to him. “We can pick out something nicer for you but I…”

  “Stop,” Cora blurted out. “This is perfect.”

  “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you see if they’ve got something to slip me out from between the pews? I think my legs are going numb,” he blurted out in utter relief and wiped a tear from his eyes. She saw his hands shook with emotion and knew that he was cracking jokes to keep himself together emotionally. He was such a tender-hearted man – her man.

  “In sickness and in health, right?” she quipped, feeling tears roll down her cheeks. She couldn’t help but feel blessed right now to have him in her life. He was truly the best person she’d ever met and the more she was around him, the more she loved his very essence.

  “See you… already know… the words,” he said with effort as he managed to extract himself from the pew only to sit right next to her, pulling her into his arms. His lips touched hers for several moments before he broke the kiss as he smiled down at her.

  “Cora?”

  “Mmm?”

  “I’ve got to move.”

  “Are your legs still numb?”

  “No, but my dog tags are really poking me,” he admitted, pulling her into a hug as he laughed in her hair. “I can’t believe I actually forgot and sat on them. I’ll admit – you’re beauty distracts me and makes me do stupid things.”

  “Don’t blame this on me,” she laughed, “It’s about time you got up anyhow. You owe me another dance, wild man.”

  “I prefer the term ‘fiancé’.”

  “Honestly? I do too - but ‘husband’ has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

  “Just so long as I am yours,” he said, getting to his feet.

  “You certainly are,” she promised.

  Chapter 11

  The next two weeks flew by rapidly at a pace that was terrifying. There was so much to do and time seemed to be against them. They didn’t announce their engagement at the wedding or even afterwards. It was almost as if Mike was giving her time to process what she was committing to and he was afraid she might change her mind. Trust and relinquishing control of her life was a huge hurdle for her. Mike seemed to understand that and was trying his best to reassure her everything was going to be alright. She found herself staring at the tiny band on her finger repeatedly throughout the day and thinking about how far they had come in the short time she’d known him.

  Every day seemed to be a surprise too, another unexpected thing that he did to remove any possible issues for her. Today was no different. He was waiting at her apartment when she got off work, surprising her as he stood there on the curb with his jacket on. She saw his breath escape in little tendrils of fog from the temperature difference.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “W-wanted t-to s-see you,” he shivered, grinning. “It’s a-a l-little c-colder than Afghanistan.”

  “How long have you been out here?” she gaped, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up to the front door. She hurriedly unlocked it and ushered him inside first.

  “B-bout t-twenty m-minutes.”

  “Are you kidding? Wait,” she said suddenly. “Don’t take off your jacket. Let me get you some hot tea. Sit down.”

  Cora urged him to take a seat in the worn-out recliner and draped a crochet afghan over him. Dino immediately jumped onto Mike’s lap as if the dog knew he was chilled. Dino had a really bad habit of appearing in her lap when she was alone in the evening. She didn’t mind it at all, but unfortunately the sixty-pound dog thought he was barely over ten pounds in his mind. She loved having him around and his loud bark was a comfort as it alerted her when someone was nearby. Hearing the microwave beep, she ran over to drop teabag in the hot water as Dino began to bark several times, causing her to glance up questioningly as someone knocked on the front door.

  “S-surprise,” he stammered sheepishly, getting to his feet.

  “What did you do?”

  “H-have I told you I l-love you today?”

  Cora smirked at his earnest expression and opened the door a crack, peeking outside. John, Lily, Ethan, Colin, Ava, and Daisy were all crowded on the front stoop of her apartment wearing cheap Santa hats.

  “Merry Christmas!” they shouted in unison.

  “What is this?”

  “We are celebrating early so we can all be together,” John said, grinning. His weathered face crinkled at the edges of his eyes. Cora saw that they each held a bowl and had gift bags looped over their wrists.

  “Are they here?” Mike asked from behind Cora.

  “Who?”

  “They were right behind us,” John said, not answering her question as he looked at Mike over her shoulder and nodded.

  “Okay – let’s get busy.”

  “With what?”

  “How attached are you to this chair?”

  “It’s mine,” she sputtered in surprise, “Why?”

  “I need to make room.”

  “For what?”

  “My present,” he said evasively as everyone filed in the house. They were all smiling and immediately started taking over the place. The breakfast bar for her tiny kitchenette was immediately laden with the covered dishes. Lily picked up the leash that hung on a hook on the wall and hooked it on Dino’s collar.

  “I’ll be right back while you get started,” she said in a sing-song voice and headed out the front door. Daisy picked up Aurora out of her carrier and set her on her hip as Mike and John picked up her recliner and carried it out of the apartment. Stunned, she saw Colin and Ethan were picking up her twin-sized mattress and box-spring in the corner.

  “What is going on?”

  “Cora,” Mike said, taking her by the hand and walking her outside. “I mean to take care of my soon-to-be wife and part of that is making sure you don’t need a thing. We are also going to have Christmas with everyone, so we needed a place to sit. I thought I would combine the two and surprise you. I hope you aren’t mad?”

  “Mike, is that…”

  “I bought you a desk, baby,” he said tenderly, taking his jacket off and putting it on her shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head near hers. “I also got a couch so we can sit together with our friends and a bed for when I come home… Oomph!”

  Cora elbowed him lightly in the midsection. He let go and she turned to look at him. His dark eyes were full of doubt. “Are you mad?”

  “Not at all - but I can’t do this if you are holding onto me,” she said, launching herself into his arms. She was so grateful that he was such a thoughtful and considerate man. Mike picked her up and spun her around slowly, kissing her tenderly.

  “That’s enough you two,” Colin called out, “Cora, can you unhook your computer so we can use the table?”

  “What? Oh yes! Don’t touch, Bessie,” she announced, racing into the house to preserve her ancient computer. Within minutes, she had the computer taken apart and they were moving the table across the emptied room. A large couch was brought in, along with a desk and hutch, and a full-size bed with frame.

  Daisy walked over and dropped a large plastic bag on top of the bed, pulling out the contents. Inside were sheets and a comforter. Mike had thought of everything apparently, and it was a little overwhelming to have someone simply take over. She’d never had anyone bring her stuff; it was always taken away in the past, making her feel so very special to know that this was just another way he was taking care of his girl.

&nb
sp; The delivery crew finished up and Mike signed the invoice. Ava darted back inside with Dino now that he was out from underfoot. He went immediately to his bowl, ignoring the new items, and began to drink like there was nothing noticeable around him.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Cora breathed, still stunned by the thoughtfulness and planning that had to have gone into this.

  “Let’s eat!” Colin and Ethan said at the same time, causing everyone to smile and chuckle. The two men were tall and seemed to always have room for food in their stomachs. The lids were removed from the bowls to reveal pistachio salad, a macaroni salad, a bowl of dressing, and a pan of chicken casserole. The last airtight container contained a small frosted cake dusted with white glittery sugar that glistened. Everything looked utterly amazing.

  Cora was glad for the distraction. They were supposed to go to the justice of the peace tomorrow and Mike had to fly out in the evening. He’d purposely postponed their wedding till just before he left. Mike had said he wanted her to be sure of what they were doing.

  He was still concerned she might be afraid to trust him and he vowed to keep his word to her. He’d given so much of himself in an effort to show that he meant what he said. She’d been stunned when she checked the mail yesterday to see that a box of checks with both of their names had arrived. He’d taken a cue from her, hyphenating everything, in case she had problems and he was on the other side of the world. She’d seen their names together and felt her heart overflow with love for the man that was trying so hard to win her over.

  Her house was full of laughter, love, and friendship – something she’d never dreamed of a month ago and was now something she didn’t want to give up. They were all squeezed on the large sofa while a few sat on the two dining room chairs. Mike brought more to her life than she’d ever expected.

  “I love you,” she said suddenly, smiling at his joyous face. He beamed up at her from where he sat on the floor right beside her. The Santa hat was flopped over, making him look completely precocious and adorable.

  Colin was apparently quite a shutterbug as he got out his phone and took photos of everyone together. He carefully propped his phone up and with a timer set, they were able to get one of all of them together including Aurora, who was falling fast asleep from all the activity around her.

  About an hour later, everyone began to head out due to it getting late in the day. Cora yawned widely, feeling sleepy from having already worked her shift at the claims office. She was really glad she’d put in for a day off and would be able to spend every second with Mike before he left. He seemed to read her mind as he shut the door behind the last person.

  “If you don’t like anything, you can exchange any of it,” he began.

  “Truthfully, it’s all perfect – even if it’s too much.”

  “There’s one more present,” he admitted, grinning.

  “That’s funny, because I have one too.” Cora walked over to the canister set that was on the counter of her small kitchen. She was glad that she hadn’t hidden the gift anywhere else or else it might have been discovered. She’d planned to give it to him tomorrow, but this just seemed to be so perfect right now. Mike was retrieving one last bag from the corner of the room where he’d dropped his jacket down easily. Dino let out a large whuff from his muzzle and promptly went back to sleep where he lay close by.

  “Silly dog,” he muttered as he petted Dino’s head before rejoining her on the couch. As Cora sat there, she glanced at him curiously, trying to see what he had hidden behind him. She saw his eager, mischievous smile and frowned at him.

  “You’ve already done too much.”

  “I’m making up for lost time – past and present.”

  “I’m not ready for you to leave tomorrow.”

  “Lemme tell you – I’m not ready to go either. I promise, I am coming back as soon as I can to the States.”

  “I know.”

  “Let’s not think about that right now. Let’s just enjoy our first Christmas together. Which of us is going to go first?” Mike asked.

  “You first,” she said nervously, knowing that her gift was personal. Mike slid out from behind his back a flat box with a large bow on it. He handed it to her and smiled shyly.

  “What did you do?” she asked hesitantly at seeing his expression. Cora pulled away the wrapping paper and stopped, feeling tears well up. She set the box down and immediately covered her face to hide the overwhelming emotions she felt right now. He was truly so good to her and she felt so undeserving right now.

  “I love you, sweetheart,” he whispered, putting his arms around her and cradling her to his chest.

  “You shouldn’t have,” she cried out tearfully against his shirt. He’d bought her a brand-new laptop for her fledgling business she was trying to build. It was an incredible gift that told her that not only did he listen, he cared, he understood, and wanted to support her. He was truly unbelievable.

  “Do you like it?”

  “I freakin’ love it,” she laughed tearfully against his chest where she’d tucked her head. Wiping her eyes, she tenderly kissed him and nodded happily. “This is perfect, and I can’t wait to set it up.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “But I will do that in a few minutes – it’s time for your present.”

  “You didn’t have to get me anything,” he said tenderly. “Just having you in my life is enough.”

  “Stop that or I will cry all night,” she warned, smiling tremulously as she pulled a tiny box out from behind her. He looked at her curiously as she handed it to him.

  “It’s a little something that I saw and needed to get. It just hit me and well…” Cora explained shyly. She didn’t want to admit that she’d seen the display and had been completely bowled over. Mike opened the box and didn’t move. He sat there frozen with his head bent for several moments making her wonder if she’d made a mistake. When he looked up at her, she knew that her gut instincts had been right on the money. Mike’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as he smiled at her.

  “I seriously love you woman,” he admitted thickly, slipping the matching wedding bands out of the box. He held the smaller of the two up and held out his hand. He took the ring and hesitated before slipping it onto her finger.

  “I like the shape. They remind me of little matching crowns. It’s kind of fitting because you make me feel like a king when you smile at me.”

  “Actually, I saw them and realized it was perfect for the prince of my heart,” I had them engrave our initials together on the inside of each band,” she confessed. She’d taken her computer money that she’d saved and bought the set as soon as she’d seen them.

  “With this ring, I thee wed,” he said huskily, slipping it onto her finger and kissing it as if to seal it in place. “I will never forget this moment as long as I live. You are my everything, my soulmate, sweet Cora.”

  She felt almost a sense of relief mingled with joy as she slipped the ring onto his trembling finger. She loved him more than life itself and would wait for him to return until the end of time if need be. He was right – they were everything to each other. There was no Mike without Cora – and no Cora without Mike. With him leaving tomorrow would be like saying goodbye to her very soul. Her world would darken at three fifty in the afternoon when his plane departed.

  They cuddled on the new couch for hours as the Christmas tree glowed from the corner of the small apartment. The faint sounds of his heartbeat under her cheek was so comforting. Neither one of them wanted to part, knowing what was coming. Instead, Cora draped a throw over herself and gave one to Mike as they simply lay there on the couch together. She didn’t want to miss a second away from him. At some point, they both fell asleep on the couch.

  The sun streaming through the blinds the next morning served to be nature’s alarm clock as they woke early. Time seemed to go by so quickly, and before she knew it, they were standing in front of the judge at the courthouse saying their vows. Sliding the ring onto his finger o
nce again, she realized that in her heart she’d married Mike last evening when they’d done this very thing. Smiling up at her new husband, she saw that he was grinning.

  “A little de-ja vu, sweetheart?”

  “Quite a bit.”

  Jamie had come to witness their wedding since he was also flying out soon. It was as if he could read her thoughts, causing Jamie to glance at Cora sadly.

  “Mike, we are going to have to go.”

  “I know. Cora, are you going to be okay?”

  “Is ‘no’ an option?”

  “You know I don’t want to leave my little bride right now.”

  “I just want you to be safe and come back as soon as you can.”

  “Nothing could keep me away – part of the reason we waited to do this.”

  “The honeymoon?”

  “Our wedding night,” he said tenderly, smiling. “The thought of you being my wife will keep me motivated in finding a way to return to you. The worst case, if they deny me a transfer, I can get out in four years.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “I wish I was.”

  “You could have shared that before you married me,” she said painfully and saw him wince. The thought of not seeing him again except for his military leave hurt too much.

  “It’s not going to be four years,” he breathed, pulling her into his arms. “I promise you.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  “You can trust me, sweetheart,” he vowed, kissing her tenderly on her brow as Jamie interrupted again.

  “I hate being the bad guy – but we really have to go or we might miss our flight.”

  Cora nodded and pulled away from Mike, her emotions on overload right now. She’d just gone through the greatest high in her life, marrying the man of her dreams, to crashing down to the ultimate low… saying goodbye. She was numb to the very core right now simply to keep from breaking down. They loaded quickly into her car where their large canvas duffle bags were still waiting. When she got to the airport, Jamie put his hand on her shoulder and looked at Mike.