Chapter Fourteen: A Guarantee

Chapter Fourteen: A Guarantee

“John, I don’t need a ring to tell the world that I am yours. Of course I’ll marry you. All you have to do is pick a day.”

“Well, beautiful, how about today?”

“John, what is today? Do you know the date?”

“Well, judging by the desk calendar it is.....the twenty-fourth of April.”

“That seems like the perfect anniversary date to me.” I smiled, and turned to grab a new outfit out of my suitcase. “Just think, in a few hours we will be husband and wife.”

“Honey, how much money did Emma give you?”

“I don’t know, it’s still in my sock. Let’s see.....” My eyes grew wide as I pulled hundred dollars bills out in rapid succession. There had to be over five thousand dollars in my sock alone. My eyes fell back on my suitcase. There, lying on top of my clothes was another wad. This had to have been all the money in the house.

Emma must have planned to help me escape for months if she had squirrelled away this much money. We would be set for months on the amount we had. The first things we needed were outfits for the wedding.

We found a thrift shop within walking distance that looked promising. John found the perfect suit within minutes. I made him stand outside of the store while I picked from their selection of wedding dresses. I tried on the most beautiful lace dress that I had ever set eyes on. It fit me perfectly. The sales girl and I ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ over it for the longest time. She slipped it into a dress bag and I took it gratefully. I stepped onto the street, only to bump into John’s broad back.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him in tighter. He turned around and pulled me in for a long kiss. He then let me go and dropped to one knee. It was then that I noticed the extra bag in his hand.

“I know you said you didn’t need them, but what would a wedding be without rings? Jane, I ask you, and this time properly, will you please marry me?”

The sales girl had her nose pressed against the glass and I heard several people on the street sigh, almost in unison.

“Of course I will.” He slipped the simple solitaire onto my finger, and with that gesture we signified a new beginning.

We asked a couple who had stopped on the sidewalk where the courthouse was. They told us that it was only a few blocks farther, so we set on our way.

There we were married at three o’clock in the afternoon, with the clerk as our only witness. We went through the “will you’s” and the “I do’s”. We sealed our fates with a kiss. We filled out the marriage license and went to have an early supper at a nearby diner.

We went back to the hotel and John carried me over the threshold, kicking the door shut with his foot. As for the rest of the honeymoon? Well, a lady never kisses and tells.