Laura's Big Win (41 page)

“Nope, no trouble. It’s fine that you
dug the hole. I look forward to having some of senor hog later
today, and if I remember, I’ll tell Dennis to repair the hole so
it’s permanent and easy to uncover next time you want to use it. I
think Windmere just added a menu item. Have a good day, Fernando.
Marie did the right thing.”

Ryan moved on through the kitchen,
after making sure Laura was not there, then headed for his quarters
for what would be the last time as a widower, to change clothes and
return to the White House to wait for the appointed
time.

Judge Harry Comstock and Father James
Jesse were enjoying the day, to say the least. After a leisurely
breakfast, by late morning they were on their way to Windmere to
get the lay of the land, and do a last minute practice run. Fr.
James had officiated at weddings both large and small in his years
of office, but this was only his second one with Harry Comstock at
his side. It was an unusual experience, that first one, and this
time around, while supposedly better organized, apparently had
quite a few of the same players. He did recall with fondness the
food and drink made available. ‘A few more of these gigs and I
could retire’, he caught himself thinking, and indeed at a later
time he would recall that thought as a turning point in his
retirement plans. Arriving at the gate, they were waved though by
the off-duty deputy who saluted as the judge passed by. Franz
returned them to the kitchen from the car parking area, and the two
took in some lunch, chatted with Doris and Marie, checked out
Fernando’s fire pit, and then headed for their duty station. They
were having a rather great day.

Surveying the interior of the tent,
both men were well pleased with what they saw. In many respects, it
made some church weddings look rather plain, but the real key was
that the place looked warm and inviting, more like being in
someone’s parlor than in a tent. The plan was pretty straight
forward, following the details on the program. The only surprise,
and a pleasant one at that, would occur after Ryan and Laura were
officially wed. Both men were prepared to handle that turn of
events, and looked forward to it. Retiring for the moment to the
White house, they took a seat, Les brought them coffee, and the two
waited for the appointed time.

The clock hands, seeming to have
dragged along all morning, suddenly were at 1:30, time to finish
dressing and take positions. Ryan knotted his tie expertly over the
white shirt and Brooks Brothers medium gray pinstripe suit; Roger
would be similarly attired. The two met in the White House at 1:45
as agreed, greeting Harry and Fr. Jim as they entered. The pieces
were falling into place smoothly.

Alice found Laura at 1:30 in the Ladies
Lounge of the big house. In short order the dress was on, hair
finalized, and the ladies sat for a moment. If there was any final
discussion to be had, Alice cut to the quick:

“Laura, you know it isn’t too late.
How’re you doing with all this? It’s been pretty quick for you the
last few months; I know that.”

“It is too late Alice. I can’t go
another day without being married to this man. I want to be so good
to him, if he ever looks at another woman, he won’t be able to
remember why. And Alice, I know he’s marrying me, not for what I
am, or what I do, or anything like that. He isn’t doing this
because married men do better in business than unmarried
men.”

“And he wants kids. You have two, so he
knows your fertile. And, I’ll bet he likes to wrestle; you know
what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, but the
man has a will of iron. Truthfully, I point blank told him I’d go
to bed with him anytime, anywhere. He didn’t turn me down; he just
said he loved me and that part would happen when it was the right
time. To say I was a little surprised would be an understatement.
There I was, ready to do anything to keep him, and he said he
wanted me for who I am, not for what I could do. I have never felt
so loved at any time in my life, and Alice, I’m going to prove that
tonight, just for him.”

“You might be in for some surprises
yourself. This is one smart man, and a gentleman. Don’t hold back.
No doubts?”

“Nope, no doubts. I think it’s about
time. Ready?”

“Ready, Mrs. Williams
almost.”

The big tent was SRO, sold out, when
Harry and Fr. Jim entered from a side flap. Both had expected a
full house, but this was really impressive. Taking their positions
on the dais, Fr. Jim leaned toward Harry and in an aside said:
“Wish I could pack ‘em in like this on Sundays. Maybe I need to do
a little recruiting.”

Harry responded quietly, but very much
on point: “Do a good job here today and you just might get some
recruits. Anyway, I think we’re going to get some more jobs if this
goes well….Show time.”

Right on schedule the music swelled. In
the time honored prescribed order, in they came: groom’s mother and
father, bride's mother with Jack and Amanda in tow, Alice from the
back meeting Roger entering from the side, Ryan from the side, and
finally, Laura on her father’s arm. Aside from her sheer natural
beauty, it was clear this was not a dewy eyed young bride with no
real clear vision, but an adult woman with the maturity to fully
understand what she was doing, and why. As they paused at the
forward end of the aisle, Fr. Jim stepped forward and the ritual
continued.

“Who gives this woman in
matrimony?”

Well coached and prepared, Jack and
Amanda rose, and in unison said “We do.’”

And so it continued. It was the ritual
familiar to many if not all, although exactly what Judge Harry
Comstock was doing there was a little unclear. Those who had
attended the abbreviated wedding of Alice and Vinnie knew that
Harry had played a more significant part in that event. This time,
Fr. Jim handled the majority of the ritual. Ryan and Laura had
decided to go with the standard rites, not alter them as is
frequently done by younger couples. Fr. Jim understood and
addressed that point during his brief homily, noting that it is not
what is said that makes a marriage work, but the two persons who
want to make it work. It was not a long service, and the
traditional ending was soon at hand. Pronouncing them husband and
wife, Fr. Jim directed Ryan and Laura to turn and face the
assemblage of friends and relatives: “Ladies and gentlemen, I
present to you Mr. and Mrs. Williams. Sir, you may kiss your
bride.”

It was an order quickly and gladly
carried out, to a standing ovation from the crowd. Laura was
experiencing an emotional rush at a level she had never before
attained. In spite of her plethora of negative experiences, she was
feeling an urgent and nearly overpowering urge to become one with
this man. The other feeling intermixed in her emotional being was
of being safe and secure in this man’s arms. It was almost with
reluctance she again turned to face the crowd and the continuing
applause. When things had quieted down a bit, Judge Harry stepped
toward the front of the dais, and in solemn tones started reading
from an official looking bi-fold. It clearly was a legal document,
the meaning of which became obvious rather quickly. After intoning
the document as legally required, Harry leaned down and addressed
Jack and Amanda directly. That part was not actually legally
required, since they clearly were minor children, but it allowed
Jack and Amanda to vocalize their say in their future; buy-in to
the maximum. Judge Harry was not only a legal scholar, but an
excellent read of people as well, and he wanted these two kids to
be fully vested in this family.

“Jack and Amanda, do you understand
that Ryan here wants to adopt you as his own children?”

“Yes, sir, we do.” came the rehearsed
response.

“And do you understand that when I sign
this paper, he will officially be your legal male
parent?”

“Yes, sir, we do.” The lines had
purposefully been kept simple, but direct. At that point, Fr. Jim
produced a sterling silver fountain pen, and with a flourish, Harry
signed the document, then announced to the crowd: “And may I
present to you the Williams family: Ryan, Laura, Jack and Amanda.
Kids, you may join your parents.”

That was all they needed to bolt from
the front row, and leap on the single riser in one bound. Jack
proudly stood in front of his mother, with her arms around him from
the back, while Amanda jumped into Ryan’s waiting arms to be picked
up. The crowd reaction was to again burst into applause, a standing
ovation that went on for some time.

When near normalcy had returned, Ryan
invited the crowd to both the reception and the on-going dinner. It
was a party that would last for hours, into the late night, not to
mention the poker game that had just resumed in the carriage house.
Some charities would do well before the weekend was out.

As the wedding party retired from the
tent, they made their way across the short distance to the White
House. Laura was already experiencing a near euphoric high, walking
arms linked with her husband of a few minutes, toward a place she
knew was etched in his heart. Remembering something from a few
minutes previous, she turned toward Ryan slightly and asked: “In
all the noise in the tent, I couldn’t hear much, but did Amanda say
something to you when you picked her up?”

“She did, and I almost lost it in spite
of myself. She whispered in my ear: ‘Now when I call you daddy I
won’t have an accident’…..I know, I know, but I knew what she meant
anyway. It’s a rather big ‘first’ for me you know.”

Laura noted the somewhat husky sound
now in his voice, and it confirmed for her his deep attachment to
these children. The emotional impact was nearly as great on her as
it had been on him. But even more experiences were in store, as
Ryan reached for the handle on the front door of the White House.
Holding it open, he invited her to enter first the house that Mary
envisioned. Laura’s reaction was much the same as she had first
experienced when they had landed in Suite A for what was to be a
few nights of respite. That all seemed so long ago and far away
now. The understated elegance of the White House didn’t awe first
time visitors; it reached out to them, drew them in, and made them
feel welcome at a comfort level of a family home. Laura loved it in
an instant, and with her husband at her side, the euphoric feeling
grew, if that was indeed possible given the already high level.
Kids in tow, they did a quick tour of the ground floor, then let
the kids head off hand in hand to be with their own friends. It was
less of a formal reception and much more a meet and greet style
assembly. Ryan and Laura made their way around the room person to
person. Meeting her sister for the first time in several weeks,
Laura just opened her arms and hugged her. There was little that
was said, or needed saying.

By early evening, they had met
virtually everyone on the grounds, both in the White House and in
the great room of the original house. Laura had made a quick side
trip to change, the two of them saw Jack and Amanda into the care
of Marie and Fernando for the next few days, and Franz came in to
announce their ride to the airport was ready. Their departure was
not without notice, and they were given a rousing sendoff. It was
only when they got outside they realized the big Duesenberg was
awaiting them. Franz informed them that the Collin’s family had
sent him funds and insisted the car be used for the start of their
honeymoon, a sendoff hard to beat.

And so it was that Laura and Ryan
Williams departed the confines of Windmere for the first step in
the rest of their long life together.

Chapter 22 -
Sleepyhead

Laura had asked about the plans for the
honeymoon, but got no farther than: ‘Sorry, but we agreed that was
my job; trust me with this, okay?’ and she did trust him, without
reservation, in this and everything else that would come along in
their lives. She knew in her heart he would always put her and the
children above himself; it was a feeling she had not experienced
before, but was savoring the meaning of the feeling now in this new
life. If she had a doubt at all, it was not about Ryan but about
herself and her ability and desire to please this man in every way.
She knew that what she had experienced in marriage before wasn’t
love; it was a business deal, and while she was so very sure she
was deeply in love with this man, there remained doubts in her mind
about her own abilities. In her memory she heard the caveat that
had served her so well in all of this wild, improbable ride, from
her arrival at Windmere to this moment: ‘Give it time.’ ‘Well,’ she
thought to herself, ‘I’m in it for the long haul now; we’ll see
what happens.’

The Duesey rolled easily through a side
gate held open by a guard at the airport, coming to a stop beside a
small twin engine corporate jet. One engine was already idling in
readiness. The second pilot ushered them aboard, then retracted the
ladder into the fuselage as he welcomed them to the passenger
cabin. He informed them they would be off as soon as the ground
crew had loaded the minimal luggage, which put them on the runway
in less than five minutes, engines blasting and reaching for the
sky.

“Ryan, this is too much, our own
private plane? I know, I know; if I trust you, you’ll take care of
it, but this, well, I love it and I know the company books hours,
and I know we’ve made trips before, but a whole plane for two
people? Did Roger approve it?”