Part 38
The Saturday night date came to an end at Anna’s house when John gave her a kiss at the door and then he made sure she was inside before he drove off. On Sunday morning Anna felt giddy and in a daze as she prepared for Mass. The kept thanking God again and again for John, for Katie, for this wonderful gift. Later when it was a decent hour, she’d call her aunt and they’d talk for a while.
Anna sat in her usual part of church and before long John and Katie joined her. Then Janet, her husband all of their kids sat nearby as well as the Liccis. It was so special to Anna who suddenly had this wonderful, big family of people to get to know and enjoy, to love and help.
Katie wanted Anna to carry her up to Communion, and the little girl kept hugging Anna’s neck the whole time. She had penetrated deep into Anna’s heart and although she knew that Katie would never be her daughter in the biological sense, she would become her daughter in love. Anna also knew that she would always want Katie to remember her own mother as best as possible – through videos and photos and family stories.
After church, they all went to the donut store together and that way Katie could get her favorite chocolate donut. Then Janet took Katie home with her and their whole clan as well as the Liccis said their goodbyes and left John and Anna alone.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” John told Anna. “I kept waking up and thinking about you and being so thankful that we found each other.”
“I felt the ring on my finger and woke up looking at it sparkle from the night light in my room. And then I really slept hard. Oh, I needed that so much,” Anna said.
“And that question you asked in the car – where will we live – I couldn’t stop thinking about that either. I think maybe I’ve come up with a solution that might please both of us,” John said.
“Really? What it is?” Anna asked.
“Well, I think that we ought to start fresh. We both give up something and we either buy or build a house for ourselves. We’ll keep your house because it’s what brought us together, but maybe you can rent it out. Katie is so little, she doesn’t remember her mother or her mother being in our house, so a change won’t really be a concern for her,” John said.
“Oh, my goodness. You’ve come up with a plan that is just right. You knew I would be torn about selling my house after growing up there and everything. Thank you, John, for that,” Katie said, her eyes filling with tears. “But isn’t all of this going to be kind of stressful for you?”
“Well, maybe we could just plan the wedding and then afterwards you stay at my house for a little while, and then we start looking or decide to build,” John said.
“That might make things a lot easier for you, John,” Anna said.
“But we’re going to use another bedroom. There is a good sized one that is currently just full of junk. I think that would be the right thing for you,” John said. “I’ll get it cleaned out and fixed up for us.”
It was already May – two months until they decided to marry.
“We have to go see Father right away. They usually make couples wait six months so that might be a concern for us,” Anna said.
“I already called him and he says it’s okay. He’s going to work with us himself. He’s so excited about us getting married. He said he’s watched in the wings as everything was unfolding and he knows what we’ve both been through,” John said.
It was a beautiful spring day and so John and Anna took a long walk in the park. They walked for a couple of hours and then sat on a bench and watched some ducks on the pond. He put his arm around her and drew her close and she put her head on his shoulder.
When John dropped her off at the church parking lot for her car, Anna just hated to leave him. She just couldn’t believe that in just two months she would be his wife.
One month later …
Anna had always been an organized person, and the wedding planning was no exception. She had her dress – a short sleeved, scooped-neck dress in a pale blue; she had nixed a white dress. Katie’s dress was white and came down to her calves, and she got to pick out some big girl sandals to wear which put a big smile on her face. John was wearing a new suit, a blue shirt and a striped tie.
Janet was asked to be the matron of honor and Janet’s husband was asked to be the best man. Janet chose a pretty dress in a darker blue. They decided to have a small reception, but include a great dinner for everyone coming at a restaurant in Addleford with a lovely party room. John’s employees were invited, as was the entire group from the center, Mr. Collins, the LIccis and the kids from the Kentucky trip. Anna’s aunt was coming in for the wedding too. That put the guest list to around 50.
John and Anna were attending sessions with Father at the rectory two nights a week, and Janet’s daughter had been a treasure to watch Katie so they could do this. For flowers, Anna chose carnations tinted light blue as well as white roses and lots of greenery.
The cake was a simple one layer cake but it was coming from the Italian bakery and their cakes were the best – with custard inside.
For his part, John had changed his mind about the bedroom situation since the master suite was so much bigger. But he had the bedroom set he and his wife shared put into storage for Katie for when she got older and he purchased a new set as a surprise for Anna, knowing by now what her tastes were. His crew painted the bedroom a light taupe and he had the carpet company put down a cream colored berber. The one thing Anna picked out was the bedspread and shams. In the master bathroom, John had that painted and he also put down new tile flooring and installed a new sink.
Anna’s Aunt Catherine arrived and Anna picked her up from the airport. She was staying in the spare bedroom at Anna’s house and was very excited about the wedding. She and Anna stayed up later in the evenings talking about everything from Anna’s mother to John’s wife to Katie to the house where Anna would live.
The day finally comes …
Anna and Janet got their hair done in the morning and then came back to Anna’s house to get dressed. Janet brought along a sewing kit which was good because a button on Anna’s dress was loose. Janet’s daughter and Aunt Catherine were watching Katie and they got the thrill of getting the little girl dressed for the wedding. They curled her hair and put in a big light blue bow. For a special treat, they agreed to put a little blush on Katie’s face and a tiny, tiny bit of lipstick.
John and Tony, Janet’s husband, dressed at Janet’s house too. Like guys tend to be, it was a matter-of-fact preparation. John and Tony were driving to the wedding to have enough room for everyone in the cars.
At the church, Fr. Jim had everything in readiness, and at around ten, they all got there. Anna didn’t care if John saw her before the wedding; they had discussed all of that, but when he saw his bride-to-be, his face flushed.
“Anna, you look so beautiful,” he told her. She felt him staring at her.
Fr. Jim’s homily was short but it was excellent. Some there said it was the best wedding homily they had ever heard.
“We have come here today to witness the wedding of John Peters and Anna Smithson. These two people have both been through their share of heartache, but today is a celebration. A celebration of their love, their commitment, their family, and their future. We’ve been meeting a lot in order to prepare in just two months for this wedding. I got to know John much better and I got to know Anna very well. They are ready for this important step in their lives.
As those of you who have already been down that path, marriage is not for the weak; it takes strength, determination, and a willingness to bend in order to make it work well. Jesus says that the love that two people have for each other is like God’s love for the church. And those of us gathered today; we are church.
For Anna and John, I would wish three things on this special day – three things for them to focus on and tend to regularly:
The first is to appreciate one another – daily. Don’t let one day go by without recognizing something that the other person did to make life a little brighter and more joyful. And then to take the extra step of thanking them for it.
The second is to stay in God’s word. All of you probably know about John’s fall some months back, and his sense that his fall was broken, that he was caught in midair. And who could do something like that? Who can defy the laws of nature? God, of course. Nothing that God’s angels and saints do is without his knowledge and approval. God wanted John to be well and whole and in that sense he sanctioned and blessed this coming together today. Remember that not because God needs it, but because couples need it, to read the Word of God even if it is just a paragraph each day. And ask His mother, Mary, to pray for you as well.
The third is to live the Christian life in your work, in your home, and with your child, Katie. Raise her up in the life of the church. And if God blesses you with other children, bring God into your home for them. Make God real for them, and show them the way to heaven by your actions, your words, your love.
May God bless these two people and increase their love for each other through the bonds of marriage. Amen.”
After the last prayers were said, after Communion, John and Anna kissed at the altar, and then turned to face the group assembled. They were both beaming.
Katie and Janet walked down the aisle hand-in-hand, and then John and Anna followed behind. Katie greeted each person with the words she had learned, “Hi, I’m Katie. What’s you nem?” When some of John’s workers came through the line, Katie said, “Hi Bill. How eryou?”
The dinner was wonderful; everyone had a great time and the wine flowed for the guests and the happy couple. Katie danced around among the tables, followed closely by Janet’s kids who kept an eye on her.
John had one last surprise for Anna – he had arranged for Janet to watch Katie so he and Anna could have a proper honeymoon. He had spoken to Mr. Collins about Anna having a week off and he heartily approved. For their first night together they stayed at John’s house in the newly refurbished suite. Sunday after Mass where John and Anna took some ribbing as the newlywed couple, John drove to Anna’s house and showed her some luggage.
“How about I help you pack? We’re going to New England for a week. What do you say?” John asked her with an almost shy, expectant smile.
“What? Oh, my goodness. Can we really do this? What should I take?” Anna said gasping. “I can’t just leave work.”
“Mr. Collins gave it his full blessing. I can help you if you want. My bags are already out in the car. I figure we could leave in the morning,” John said. “I’ve never been to New England before, you?”
“No, I always wanted to though,” Anna said.
“And we’ll have another night here, just by ourselves,” John said looking at her intently. “But if you don’t want to go … I’d gladly stay here for the week.”
Anna laughed. “Let’s do it!! You are going to change me from being that person who plans everything to someone who throws care to the wind, aren’t you? Is that your goal?”
“No, didn’t think about it that way, but there’s nothing wrong with a little spontaneousness.”
The doorbell rang. Who would be coming by at this time?
John answered the door and she heard him say, “Thanks, man. That’s perfect.”
He came into the kitchen with a box of donuts from their favorite place.
“Who was that?”
“Tony … I asked him to bring us some donuts this morning. So we could keep up with the tradition, even on our honeymoon,” John said.
Epilogue ---
Two years later, Anna and John celebrated their second anniversary together. It was a little hectic, what with Katie going through the terrible “fours” and with 22-month-old Luke and Anna pregnant again and due in about three months.
John’s business had skyrocketed. He had hired more people including an on-the-job manager so he could focus on working with clients, on getting plans approved, and on doing the purchasing.
Anna and Mr. Collins remained close friends and they had come up with an arrangement. After the new baby came, Anna was going to stay at home. She would continue doing the Center’s books, that is, the accounting, but they had hired someone to take over the day-to-day operations of the Center. Katie was already four and Anna wanted to spend more time with her before she started Kindergarten. Katie and Luke were close and played together, and then at other times Katie got frustrated with her little brother.
“He’s messing with my things again, Mom,” she’d call to Anna.
She started calling Anna “Mom” when John and Anna had been married for about six months. It just started out of the blue one day, and “Kiki” was no more.
John’s three-bedroom house was starting to feel a little crowded, and now that they knew they were having another little girl, there were going to be some decisions to make. Anna’s house was rented out to a nice couple who had just joined the parish.
And so life goes on, and the minutes turn to hours and the hours turn into days. Anna really took Fr. Jim’s homily to heart – she tried hard to do the three things that he mentioned. And she especially thanked John for all of his kindnesses, but at the end of each day when everything got quiet and the kids were asleep she always said a special prayer to God, thanking Him for John. John, the love of her life.
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