Tommy - The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl? - Chapter 08

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Tommy
The Trials and Tribulations of a Girl?

A Novel By Teddie S.

Copyright © 2017 Teddie S.
All Rights Reserved.


Chapter 8

A first and a question.

We’d parked the station wagon, and walked separately to the student union. I was getting nervous. I had the feeling that if I talked to Al, that what I’d say wouldn’t come out right. But I’d promised Maria that I’d do this, so ...

I walked into the student union with Amy not too far behind me. I then walked to the lounge, which is a large room that has food service, and a lot of tables. It’s used by students to eat, play cards, talk, and sometimes even study. And here I am trying to find one guy in this place.

Now, of course, I was getting the once over by most of the guys. Some of them even when they were with their girlfriends. That didn't help my nerves. We'd been there a little while when I spotted someone that I thought was Al. But as I worked my way closer it wasn't.

I was about to give up when I saw him. He was sitting in a corner, and he wasn't alone. He was sitting with another guy, and they were in a deep conversation.

As I worked my way towards them, I spotted a table that was close to them and unoccupied. So, I walked over to that table and sat. It was a little noisy, but I could still hear what they were saying.

What I was hearing wasn’t what I was expecting. It surprised me. So, I just sat there, pretended to study, and listened. The more I heard, the more surprised I was. Finally, the guy that Al was talking to left.

Amy was sitting where we could see each other, and she motioned for me to go and talk to Al. I shook my head no, gathered my books, and started to walk out of the lounge. Amy caught up with me, and in a whisper asked, “Why didn’t you go and talk to him?”

“What I heard them talking about surprised me. I decided that it wasn’t a good idea to go through with it.”, I whispered back.

“What were they talking about?”

“Not here.”

We walked out of the student center, and toward the car. Amy said, “So, what happened?”

“Not yet.”

“Please tell me.”

“No. Not right now.”

“That bad.”

“I’m still trying to think this through.”

“Oh!”

As we drove towards the house, Amy said, “Are you going to tell me?”

“How long were Maria and Al dating?”, I asked.

“Six or eight weeks.”

“Do you know if they’ve ever ... ever, went all the way?”

“I don’t think so. Maria would have probably said something to me about it.”

“So, there’s no secrets between girlfriends?”

“Almost no secrets. Tammy was a secret until last week.”

“I noticed that Maria wasn’t sure whether we’d done it or not.”

“I’m a little more private than Maria is in certain areas. Especially that one. She did know when we first kissed.”

“Why?”

“Because I was so excited.”

“Excited?”

“Yes.”, Amy said. Then she became very quiet, looked down, and in a whisper, she said, “Excited. Excited, because I was finally able to kiss the boy, ... now the man, that I fell in love with that day I saw him in that hospital bed.”

I found a place to park the car, I looked at Amy, and there were tears in her eyes. I'm glad that there wasn't anyone around, because I lifted her chin with my fingertips, wiped her tears away, and kissed her. A long kiss.

When we broke the kiss, we just looked at each other. There were still tears in her eyes. Again I wiped them away. She smiled. I smiled. Then I said, “You fell in love with me that day in the hospital?”

She just nodded yes.

Then I said, “I didn’t know what I was feeling back when we were that young. I do now. I loved you back then too.”

With a little smile, she said, “I know.”

“You did?”

“Yes. I could sense something between us. Something special.”

I smiled at her. Then she looked at me, took my face in her hands, and kissed me. Just a short kiss. Then looking me directly in the eyes, and still in a whisper, said, “And I want that man to make love to me.”

“Right now that man looks like a girl.”

“I don’t care. I know who it is. It’s the man I love. The man I want to be with for the rest of my life. The man I want to take me to bed and make love to me.”

We knew that my parents wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours. So we drove back to the house. And I insisted that Tammy disappear. And that didn’t take long. In the following two hours, we both enjoyed something beautiful. We made love for the first time. We were both nervous. But we didn’t rush. And we started to learn how to enjoy each other.

Afterward, we laid in her bed holding each other, kissing, and saying sweet things to each other. I could get used to this.

“Honey.”, Amy said in her shy way.

“Yes.”, I replied.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Really?”

“Sure.”

“Have ... have you ever … ever done this with another girl?”

I smiled at her as I said, “No. Have you ever done it with another guy?”

She smiled as she shook her head no, and quietly said, “No. I saved myself for someone very special.”

Then we heard the garage door go up and we had to rush to get dressed. Either my mom or dad had just come home. But we’d used mom’s car. So, it was probably my dad. I was dressed first and walked down the hall and into the kitchen just as my dad walked from the garage. Then I saw my mother sitting in the kitchen. I said, “Hi guys.”

My dad said, “Hi.”

My mother just looked at me.

Amy then walked into the room, my mother looked at her, and said, “Good. You’re both here. Have a seat you two.”

Amy and I looked at each other. Then we sat down.

My mother looked at my father, and said, “Chuck. You may want to sit down too.”

Without a word, my dad sat.

My mother looked at Amy, then at me, and then said. “I came home almost an hour ago, and I didn’t think anyone else was home. Then I heard noises coming from Amy’s room. And I knew what I was hearing.

“You two were having sex. I shouldn’t be surprised, especially knowing how you feel about each other.”

“Mom. Mrs. Young.”, Amy said. “It was my fault. I’ve wanted Tommy to make love to me since I’ve been back, and we resisted it. I just couldn’t wait any longer, so today I just asked him to. I know, we broke the house rules. I’ll find some other place to live.”

“No, you won't! I'm surprised that this hadn't happened before now. You two are eighteen, and both Tom's dad and I know that you love each other. Amy, not doing this for as long as you've been back here has taken some real willpower for you both. And you are still welcome to stay here.”

“Really?”

“Yes, honey. We love you as much as we know Tommy does. We just ask you to take precautions. You're too young to be parents. And we're too young to be grandparents. And you did break two house rules. Bedroom door open, and four feet on the floor. So, there will be punishment.

“Go and get changed for dinner. Your good clothes. We’re going out to dinner.”

My dad looked at my mother, and said, “We are?”

“Yes. And you’re buying.”

As Amy and I were walking down the hall to our rooms, I said, “I don’t believe it. The first time we do anything, and we get caught.”

“I know.”, Amy replied. “I was scared that I was going to get thrown out of the house.”

“I don’t think that would ever happen. Mom likes you. Speaking of protection, we didn’t use any.”

“I know.”, she replied. “Things just happened too fast.”

“Oops.”

“We’ll know for sure next week if it’s the big oops.”

“Next week?”

“My time of the month.”

We went to a nice restaurant for dinner. And as we were eating our dessert, my mother said, “Well that's your first punishment.”

“Huh?”, I said.

“Getting dressed up to go out to dinner.”

“Oh.”

“There’ll be another punishment for breaking the second rule.”

“What?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet.”

Amy and I had driven separately from my parents because we needed to go and talk to Maria. We thanked my dad for buying dinner. Said goodbye to my parents, and called Maria from the restaurant's pay phone to see if she was home. She was, so we told her that we'd be over to pick her up.

After we were in the car, Amy said, “You never told me what was going on with Al?”

“I know.”, I said. “There was something more important going on.”

“Yes, there was. So, what's with Al?”

“You know that guy he was talking to?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re lovers.”

“What!?”

“Al’s gay.”

“You are kidding me?”

“No. Some of the things they were telling each other would be things you and I would tell each other.”

“Why would he date Maria?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Al was trying to prove to himself that he wasn’t gay.”

We stopped at Maria’s, picked her up, and headed to someplace where we could talk in private.

As she sat in the car, Maria asked, “So, did you find out anything?”

“Yes.”, I said.

“So tell.”

“We’re going someplace where we can talk.”

“Oh.”

We drove over to the Parking lot for the big pavilion at the park, parked the car, and walked over to a park bench. Maria sat between us.

Then I told Maria, the story of my trip to the student union. And when I said that Al was gay, her face went white, and I thought she was going to pass out. Amy put her arm around her. Thank goodness she didn’t pass out.

It took her a couple of minutes for her to recover, then she asked, “Tom. Are you sure?”

“As sure as I can be.”, I replied.

“You know. This explains some things. Al was a lot of fun to be with, but he didn’t like to kiss that much, and he didn’t want sex. He even was standoffish when I tried to start it. But why did he want to date me?”

“Maybe to put up a front for other people so that they wouldn’t figure he was gay. Or, maybe to try and prove to himself that he wasn’t gay, and found out that he was.”

“God. Why me.”

We talked for a while longer. Then Amy said, “There’s still a lot of great guys out there.”

“I know.”, Maria said. “And you have one of the best.”

“Don’t even think about it. He’s all mine.”

Maria grinned at me, and said, “Tom. When you get tired of her, come find me.”

We dropped Maria off at her house. Then as we headed home, I said, “She took that better than I thought she would.”

“Me too. We knew that something was going on, but had no idea that it was what you found.”

“I hope she’s going to be all right.”

“She's tough and has had a number of boyfriends. She’ll find the right guy someday. She may not have met him yet, but then again she might have.”

“I wonder if it might be me.”

“Don’t even go there. You’re all mine.”

To change the subject, I asked, “What kind of protection should we use?”

“For what?”

I just looked at her.

“Oh. For that.”, Amy said. “Well. There’s ‘The Pill,' but you have to be married to get it. Besides, I don’t know if I want to take drugs. Then there’s the rhythm method, which isn’t very good. Or, condoms.”

“I guess I’m going to have to make a stop at the drug store.”

“Your parents aren’t going to mind?”

“Well. Did you hear them tell us to stop?”

“I guess not. They only said to take precautions.”

We stopped at the drug store. When I was back in the car, I handed Amy the little brown bag, and said, “Boy that was embarrassing.”

“What was?”

“Having to ask the pharmacist, that you’ve known most of your life, for those.”

“Now we have to figure out how to do it without breaking the house rules.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Doing it while keeping the door open and four feet on the floor. I don’t want to be punished again.”

“You’re funny.”, I said. “But if dad’s going to buy dinner. I’ll break the rules, and get dressed up.”

A week later, Amy had her period.

Thanksgiving was fast approaching, and Amy's parents and brother were coming to celebrate with us. They were doing that and looking for a new house, as Amy's dad had received the promotion. They were flying in on the Monday before Thanksgiving, staying at a local hotel, and flying back the following week. Of course, Amy was excited.

Our classes were going well. I was taking one computer class as an elective, and I was very interested. Tammy was around quite a bit, and Maria even saw her a couple of times. Amy and Maria kept trying to get Tammy to go out shopping with them, but she wouldn't. Amy and I did enjoy each other every once in a while. We wanted to make each time special, so we'd wait until we knew my parents weren't going to be there for a couple of hours.

Today is Friday, November 22, 1963. Amy and I met in the student union at around two in the afternoon to grab something to drink, and then head home. We were hearing rumors that President Kennedy had been shot. And no one could believe it. Someone turned on a radio, everyone close by listened to the news broadcast, and it was real, the President was in Dallas and had been shot. The whole place was in shock. I looked at Amy, and she was in tears as were a lot of other people. I held her for a few minutes, she stopped crying, then she whispered, “Please take me home.”

On the way home we listened to the car radio, and at a little, after two-thirty they announced that President Kennedy had died. I looked over at Amy, and she was in tears again.

Dinner that night was very subdued. No one said very much. Amy and I spent the evening cuddled together on the love seat in the den and watched the television coverage of the President’s assassination with my parents. And we couldn’t believe that they had already arrested the guy who they say shot him.

We went to bed fairly early, after learning that Saturday would be a National day of mourning. That weekend things were very quiet around the house. We found out that since the burial was going to be on Tuesday that there wasn’t going to be any classes at the university on Monday or Tuesday, which meant that there wouldn’t be any classes that week because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

I had been planning something special for Thanksgiving, and I wasn’t sure, with everything that had gone on, if I should go through with it or not. I had originally planed on doing it on Christmas, but with Amy's family being here on Thanksgiving and being that I just couldn’t wait any longer. I had decided to do it on Thanksgiving. But should I still do it?

I thought long and hard about it and finally decided that life goes on.

Amy’s family arrived on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, and they rented a car for the time that they’d be here. So, there were seven of us for dinner on Monday night, at our house. And of course, the topic of the conversation was Kennedy’s assassination.

After dinner, I asked, “Mr. Grant. Would you like to take the ‘57 Chevy for a ride?”

“Sure Tom.”, he replied.

“Would you like to drive.”

“Yes! But I haven’t driven a stick for a long time.”

“It’s like riding a bicycle. Once you learn, you never forget. And I’ll help you.”

“Daddy.”, Amy said. “He hasn’t been able to teach me to drive it yet.”

“I’ll give it a shot.”, Amy’s dad said.

“Can I go along?”, Amy’s brother Billy asked.

I didn’t want him along right now, so I said, “Tell you what Billy. I’ll take you out tomorrow all by yourself. Besides, your dad shouldn’t have any distractions right now. Okay?”

“Okay. That’s cool.”

Amy's dad and I took the Chevy out. I drove first and showed him how to shift the four-speed transmission. I also had to caution him that it was very easy to peel the tires in first gear. We changed places, and he only stalled it a couple of times and peeled the tires only once. Then he learned the shift timing and did a good job.

As we were driving past a restaurant that was closed on Mondays, I asked him to pull into the parking lot and park for a minute.

He parked the car, I turned, looked at him, and said, “Sir. First, I know that this is a sad time for the country. And I had thought about waiting. But I thought about it, and decided that life goes on.”

Amy’s dad didn’t say anything. He just nodded his head.

So I continued with, “I think that you know that your daughter and I love each other very much. We know that we belong together. And I’d like to have your permission to ask her to marry me. I know that we would probably wait until we graduate from college to marry.

“So, could I please have your permission to marry your daughter?”

“Tommy.”, Amy’s dad said, “I appreciate you asking me. It shows respect for her mother and I. Her mother and I have known of your love for each other for a long time. And we’re glad that you just didn’t elope after getting back together earlier this year.

“I had a long speech for you when this time came. But I don’t think that it’s necessary.

“And Tommy, I’m more than happy to give you my permission to marry my daughter.”

We shook hands, and I said, “Sir. Thank you very much. Did you expect me to ask you?”

“Her mother and I have talked about this a number of times. We expected you to ask her sometime soon.”

“I was originally planning on doing it on Christmas. But, I just can’t wait, and I think she would love me to do it while you and Mrs. Grant are here. That would make it special. So, if Thanksgiving day is nice, I’ll take her for a walk in the morning, to a special place, and ask her. And if it isn’t nice I'll figure something else out.

“And I’d like to keep this between you and me until I do ask her.”

“I won’t say anything until you do.

“We may be back here by Christmas, or shortly afterward if we find a house that we like, and get moved into it.”

“That will be great. I know Amy will be happy to have you close.”

“Maybe she’ll move back in with us.”

“Maybe.” But I sure hope not.

“But I’ll bet she won’t.”

“Sir?”

“From what I hear, she loves living with your mom and dad. Besides you’re close to the university.”

“I think she does like living with us. But you’re her family.”

“One last question Tommy.”

“Yes, sir.” Here comes the, ‘are you having sex with my daughter' question.

“Is Tammy still a part of your life?”

“Ah. Yes, sir.”

“I see. I think she will be for a long time. Won’t she?”

“Ah. Yes, sir. I think she will.”

“I know my daughter is aware of her. Is she all right with this part of you?”

“Yes, sir. She is.”

“Well. I guess to each his own.”

When we were back at the house, I tried to act like I wasn’t walking on cloud nine.

Tuesday the seven of us watched the funeral. And when John John saluted his dad’s casket, it brought tears to all the ladies.

It seemed like it took a year for Thanksgiving day to finally arrive. I didn't sleep much on Wednesday night and was up early on Thanksgiving morning. And leave it to Amy to sleep in, and then take her time eating breakfast.

We were eating our big meal at two in the afternoon, and my Aunt Linda and Uncle Richard were also coming. So, was my Cousin Mary and her husband, Jim. At about eleven, I asked Amy if she’d like to take a walk with me. She said, “I think your mom needs help.”

My mother heard us, and said, “Go with him, honey. Most everything is cooking, and your mother, Linda, and Mary will be here shortly.”

Just before we left, I made a quick phone call.

The morning was a little chilly, so we dressed for the weather, and headed for the park. As we started out, Amy asked, “Why the walk this morning?”

“Oh.”, I said. “I just felt like it.”

“You’re silly.”


We walked over to the park and took the lake trail. Thirty minutes later we were sitting on our bench, watching the birds. I put my arm around her, pulled her close to me, and said, “Amy. I love you so much.”

She looked at me, and said, “Tommy. You make me so happy. I’ll never, ever, stop loving you.”

I moved down in front of the bench and onto one knee. I looked up at her, took a ring box out of my jacket pocket, opened it, and as I offered her the ring, I said, “Amy I love you more than you will ever know. I love you more than life itself. Amylin Elizabeth Grant, I can’t wait any longer, will you do me the honor of being my wife.”

Her hands went to her mouth, and the tears started. Then, she just nodded yes.

I took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her left ring finger. She slid off of the bench, down into my arms, and we kissed. A very long kiss. When we broke the kiss, I wiped the tears out of her eyes, and she looked at me, and said, “Tommy. You are so special, and I love you so much. I can’t imagine being with anyone else. So, yes, a thousand times yes, Thomas Bly Young I will be honored to be your wife.”

Then we just held each other for a long time. As we finally stood up, Amy looked up, and said, “Honey look.”

I looked up, and the two Eagles were soaring above the lake.

We finished the walk on the lake trail, and she held onto my arm the whole time. Just as we were coming off the trail, Amy asked, “Who knows that you were going to ask me?”

“Just your dad.”, I replied. “I asked his permission when I let him drive the Chevy the other night.”

“That was so nice of you. And knowing my dad, he can keep a secret. I’ll bet he didn’t tell anyone else, even my mother.”

“I guess I’ll get to tell everyone.”

“No, kind Sir. You and I, together, will tell everyone.”

“Yes, dear Lady. We will inform them together. I have a speech prepared for our parents. If you don't mind M’Lady?”

“Good Sir. I’ll be happy to allow you to make your speech.”

“My fair damsel. Then please accompany to my castle.”

“Oh, M’Lord. I will be pleased to accompany you.”

We laughed at our silliness and finished walking home.

By the time we were back at the house, Amy's family, my aunt and uncle, and Mary and Jim were there. We stopped at the door and kissed. Then, I asked, “Well are you ready to do this?”

“Lover.”, Amy said. “I am past ready.”

“Let's do it.”

We walked into the house. And we could hear our mothers, my aunt, and Mary in the kitchen. I figured that our fathers and my uncle were in the den along with Billy and Jim. Amy went into the kitchen to get the ladies into the den, I went into the den, and said hi to everyone. Amy's dad gave me a questioning look. I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled.

Eventually, the ladies joined us, and Amy and I were getting some questioning looks. I took Amy’s hand, we walked over to where the television was, and I turned it off.

My dad started to complain because I turned off the football games. But the look I gave him told him to stop before he started.

Then with Amy at my side, I said, “Everyone. I made a very big decision the other day. On Monday night when I took Mr. Grant out to drive the Chevy, he and I had a very nice talk.

“I told him how much I loved his daughter, and how much she loved me. Then I asked him for his permission to marry his daughter. And he gave me his approval.”

I noticed smiles on our mother’s faces. I continued with, “I had a speech prepared, but to heck with it. This morning, Amy and I took a walk to our special place in the park, and I asked her to become my wife. And without hesitation, she said yes.”

With that, Amy held up her left hand. And we kissed.

Our mothers, my aunt, and Mary almost ran over to us, and they gave both of us hugs. Amy’s mother whispered to me, “I was wondering when this was going to happen.”

Mary, being Mary, whispered, “Little sister. Who’s wearing the wedding gown?”

I whispered back, “Amy.”

“We’ll see.”

Our fathers and my uncle hugged Amy and then shook hands with me.

Amy's brother, Billy, didn't quite know what to do. But when Jim came over to us, Billy did too. Jim hugged Amy and shook my hand. Billy gave his sister a clumsy hug, then shook hands with me.

Amy’s mother looked at Amy’s father, and said, “You knew about this, and didn’t tell me!”

“Tommy asked me not to.”, he replied. “So, I didn’t.”

“Men!”

“Mom.”, I asked. “Do I have time to take Billy for a ride in the Chevy.”

“You have an hour.”, she replied.

Amy with her hands on her hips, and a fake hurt look said, “You're leaving me already!”

With a fake mean look, I said, “Woman. I keep my promises. It was raining the other day when I tried to take your brother out. Now, get to the kitchen and fix a good meal.”

I then smiled at her, walked over, and kissed her in front of everyone. And said, “Come with us.”

Thanksgiving dinner went great, and as usual, everyone ate too much. After dinner, Amy called Maria and told her about getting the ring. I could tell that Maria was very surprised and excited. Or, at least acted surprised. Then, she called a few of her other friends.

On the following Saturday, we learned that the Grants had found a house that they liked. It wasn't next door like their last one, but about five miles away on the edge of town. On Sunday we went with them to look at it, and it was a nice house. It had five bedrooms, an in-the-ground pool, a three-car garage, a large kitchen, and more.

As we were looking through the house, we looked into one of the bedrooms, and Amy’s mother said, “We figured that this would be Amy’s room.”

I saw a look on Amy’s face that told me that she didn’t want to hear that. She looked at her mother, and said, “Mother. I’d ... I’d like to stay with the Young’s’.”

“I don’t know honey. Isn’t that being an imposition to them?”

Amy just looked at my mother, and my mother said, “Betty. She isn't imposing in any way. In fact, she's been a big help around the house.” Then looking at Amy, she said, “Amy, your mother just might want you around. Once you're married, you'll be gone.”

Amy looked at her dad, and said, “Daddy?”

“Honey.”, her dad said. “You will still see Tom every day. We’d like you to be here with us. We won’t be moving in until after Christmas, so you’ll be with them until then.”

With a deep sigh, Amy said, “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

We left our parents, to finish looking at the house, and walked outside. Standing by the pool, holding hands, Amy said, “Honey. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes.”, I said. “I understand. As your father said, you'll see me every day. Just try and stop me. I'll be picking you up every day for school. On the weekends we'll do other things together.”

“I know. It was just so nice to get up every morning and have breakfast with you. Then steal a kiss at night, before we went to our separate rooms. And then there were our special times.”

I smiled at her, and said, “I'll miss stealing that kiss at bedtime too. And we'll still have our special times. And it won't be long until we can kiss at bedtime, and we won't be in separate bedrooms.”

“Oh. I want separate bedrooms when we’re married.”

I was ready to say something, but I looked at her, and she had this big smile on her face. So, instead of saying what I was going to say, I said, “You are becoming a real brat.”

“Love it. Don’t you?”

“No. I love you.”

We shared a nice long kiss.

The following week Amy’s family had gone back to Minnesota, and we met with Maria and her new boyfriend at one of the local hangouts for dinner. After we’d eaten, Maria handed Amy a box. Amy asked, “What’s this?”

“An engagement present?”, Maria replied.

“You didn’t need to.”

“I know. But I did. Go on open it.”

Amy opened it and took out a photo album. She looked at the cover and then said, “That's ... That's my ring.”

“I know.”

“How did you get a picture of it?”

“Don’t worry about it. Look inside.”

Amy opened the album, looked at the first page, and said, “This is a picture of our bench in the park.”

“Yes. Keep looking.”

Amy slowly looked at the pictures, and I saw tears. About halfway through the pictures, she looked at Maria, and said, “How ... How did you get these? They’re amazing!”

“Did you forget that I love taking pictures.”

“No. But you weren’t there. Were you?”

“Silly. I had to be. Didn’t I.”

“But how?”

“Tom and I worked it out. He wanted pictures of his proposal to you. He knew I liked taking them, and that I was good at it.

“He told me where you two would be, and that if it was going to be a nice day, that you and he would be going to the park around eleven on Thanksgiving morning. He called me just before you left his house. Earlier I’d found a good hiding place that had a good view of the bench. So, I went there and waited. And I almost froze. And you know the rest.”

“Maria, this is so wonderful. And Tommy, this is so precious. Now I’ll have something to remember that day by. I love you guys so much.”

“Keep looking.”

Amy kept going through the pictures, and the last one was a picture of the two Eagles. Amy looked at Maria, and said, “You knew about the Eagles?”

Maria just smiled, and said, “It was hard getting them in the same picture. I just had to be patient.”

When we were leaving the hangout, Amy gave Maria a long hug, and a big, “Thank you so much.”

Then Maria asked, “Can I be your wedding photographer when you get married?”

“No!”, Amy said without hesitation.

“No! Why not?”

“How can you be my wedding photographer, and also be my maid of honor?”

“What!?”

“You heard me.”

“You ... You want me to be your maid of honor?”

“Of course. You’re my best friend, even though you and my future husband have secrets from me, so who else would I ask.”

“I’d love to be you maid of honor.”

The two girls hugged again.

We didn't see Amy's family for Christmas, but some great presents were sent both directions. Amy and I picked out nice gifts for her mother, dad, and brother. We signed all the cards, ‘Love. Amy and Tom.' We did the same for my parents. Of course, Amy and I gave each other nice gifts.

Amy’s family moved into their new house right after the first of the year. But Amy didn't move in with them right away.

Winter quarter started, and boy was it cold on campus. The wind would howl across the open areas on campus, whip around the buildings, and it could be brutal. On the Friday of the first week of the term, when Amy and I made it to the house, my mom and dad were already home. When we walked into the kitchen, mom said, “Hi kids. Amy has a letter. I put it in her room.”

“Thanks, mom.”, Amy said. “Who's it from?”

“I think it maybe from someone from Minnesota.”

Amy and I went to her room, she looked at the letter, and said, “It’s from Polly Smyth.”

“Who’s that?”, I asked.

“You remember. I told you about her. She was one of my best friends.”

“Oh yeah.”

She opened the envelope, read the letter, and at one point, said, “Cool!”

“What’s so cool?”, I asked.

“Remember I told you that she’d gotten engaged just before high school graduation?”

“Yeah. The guy was like two years older and in college.”

“They've set a date. It's June 22, and she wants me to be a bridesmaid.”

“That’s quick.”

“Yeah. Polly’s known the guy for a long time.”

“Sounds like another couple that we know.”

“Kind of, but her mother doesn’t approve of him.”

“That can’t be good.”

“I know. Want to go with me?”

“Of course.”

“She says, that if I send her my measurements that she’ll order my dress for me. Then if we get there a couple of days before the wedding, I can have a fitting. Then if the dress needs to be altered, they can make some quick alterations.”

“Is that doable?”

“Yeah. As long as I don’t put on any weight, it should work.”

“You put on weight. That’ll be the day.”

That Saturday, we moved Amy into her mom and dad's house. It only took one load in the station wagon to move her stuff. After we had taken everything up and into her room, she looked at me, and sadly said, “This doesn't feel like home.”

“Honey.”, I said. “Give it time.”

“I will. Not having you close all the time will be strange.”

“I’m only a phone call away.”

“I know. You just don’t know how hard it was moving everything.”

“Yes, I do. I've never seen anyone pack so slowly.”

“What about our Tammy time?”

“We’ll have that too. Since I live much closer to the university than you do, I can see you doing a lot of studying with Tammy. I’ll promise you that she’ll go out shopping with you, and maybe even Maria.”

“Really!?”

“Remember that I promised that I’d never lie to you again and that includes never breaking a promise to you.”

“Hold me.”

~o~O~o~

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Comments

Most of us can remember where we were that fateful day in Nov.

Wow, again, Teddy! Flash back a lot of years. I just love this story so much. The promise of things to come for both of them. Powerful. My hope is that seeing he's in college, he's already deferred for the draft. Vietnam is around the corner and most of us vets know what Johnson did. I will keep my fingers crossed in hopes that Tom doesn't ever have to go to war.

As Bob Hope would sing, 'Thanks for the memories'.

Santacruzman

I know, Nam is an un-fond

I know, Nam is an un-fond memory. And Kent State is TOO close, as within 5 miles, to be forgotten. Maybe he'll show up at the draft board as Tammy or maybe even Kai. :-)

Teddie

How nice for Amy and Tom,

How nice for Amy and Tom, they are truly now an item. It is just sad that they can't live together before they get married (although back in those days, that was hugely frowned upon. Would get lots of tongues wagging. Nice that Maria now has a new boyfriend. I do hope she has finally found the right guy for her.

What are friends for. To

What are friends for. To help each other.

Teddie

Awwww

My5InchFMHeels's picture

That's it, plain and simple.... Awwww! Such a sweet chapter. I hope too, that they keep in contact with Al, he'll probably need some support soon.

Sweet!

Jamie Lee's picture

Oops, getting caught by mom has yet to turn out too bad--she still has to determine their second punishment.

And mom is right in that it took great restraint on Amy's part to not get into bed with Tom upon her return; Tom as well. The story never really said, but they had to be real glad when Amy got her period, not that they wouldn't have welcomed a little one.

At the time this story took place asking dad for his daughters' hand in marriage was pretty common. That may still occur today but not as often. Still, it was a very nice gesture by Tom and made a lots of points with Amy's dad. And it's good that Amy's dad isn't upset that Tammy will still be around.

The sneak, getting Maria to photograph his proposal to Amy, but was a very grand proposal gift.

Those two are each half of a whole happiness when they are together. It may have taken longer than was first realized by others, but Tom finally realized the were meant to be together. And together half their love becomes whole.

Others have feelings too.

Right after Tom bought the

Right after Tom bought the protection

A week later, Amy had her period.

Thanks for the comments.

Teddie