Follow your Dreams chapter 3 part4

Follow your Dreams chapter 3 part4


"Come on, we're having fun." I smiled, trying to downplay the headache. Lucia just flexed her fingers, still demanding the keys. I sighed and gave them to her and we headed to the car.

Lucia had me lay my head in her lap as she drove. She had one warm hand over my eyes to help block out the light. It was wonderfully relaxing and lessened the pain. She talked quietly, telling me about all the people she had run into and how they connected to her past. Her voice was always just one hair above a whisper. It never irritated the headache, and was soothing to listen too. Nothing she said required a response. I just had to lie there and try to calm my brain.

The ugly curtains Lucia had hung in the bedroom now made sense. She closed them and the late day sun was completely blocked out.

The room became a soothing darkness. She had been preparing for this. She pulled back the blankets and had me lie on the cool sheets. She removed my shoes, then hers and lay next to me. You really don't realize how powerful love is until someone gives you all of theirs. We simply held each other for hours as my head complained. Lucia didn't fuss and didn't cry, she was simply there with me to make sure I wasn't alone and all was quiet. Sometimes love means doing nothing.

We spent the next day tiling the kitchen floor. We had watched YouTube instructions and read a few pamphlets from the store. We solved the debate about whether to lay the cabinets directly on the plywood or on top of the tile. It seems cabinet companies prefer the first option and tile layers normally choose the latter. We chose the latter since it meant less tile cutting. It also meant the floor had to be very level since shimming the cabinets on top of tile would be sloppy.

All the videos and reading in the world would not have prepared us for what we had undertaken. There is a reason professionals get paid well to lay tile. No one ever told us to prepare for crooked walls. It looked like the corner was ninety degrees. You had a right to assume it was ninety degrees, but it wasn't. The corner was a little less than perfect. We made the mistake of laying tile along the short wall first. We realized this would cause the error to run along the whole long wall, giving the tiles a crooked look. We ended up tearing out the initial run of tiles.

Lucia took it well and rallied into the afternoon. I was more frustrated with the mistake and the time we had wasted. A few kisses and some good-natured teasing got me back on track. That, and she looked really good bent over in those jeans.

We were finishing the part that would be covered by the new cabinets when I asked Lucia to marry me. For some reason, it didn't make sense to get all romantic about it. If it wasn't for my time constraints, I would have waited several months and spent days planning before asking.

"I want us to get married," I said conversationally. It sounded kind of ridiculous coming out of my mouth more of a business relationship than a proposal. It wasn't even a question.

What for? Lucia asked as she leaned on a newly placed tile to seat the glue, you don't need a piece of paper. I'm not going anywhere, Todd. She, of course, misunderstood my feeble intent. She wasn't angry; it just seemed a waste of time to her. I was already on my knees so I attempted to rephrase.

"Lucia, will you marry me?" I asked in all seriousness. She looked over and laughed. It wasn't an insulting laugh. She had assumed I was joking. Her humor petered out when she saw my expression didn't change.

"Todd, are you afraid I am going to leave you?" Lucia asked with concern on her voice. After last night, that was the furthest thought from my mind. I had obviously bungled the delivery.

"I'm worried about when I leave you," I informed her, "I want to leave you all this." I gestured to the house, "I can give you choices. I can sort of be there after..." I let it trail off, unable to say the obvious. I can admit it to myself, but I still have trouble saying it out loud. Lucia's eyes got all glassy.

"I am here for you, not for this," Lucia responded, holding up a tile. She was taking it all wrong. I almost sensed she felt insulted.

"I know," I stated clearly, "I'm saying it all wrong. I am certainly not trying to buy what you have freely given. I wouldn't want it that way." I shook my head trying to find the words. I closed my eyes and began again, "If there was time...if I had met you sooner...I imagine us as a family, you, me, Sophia and her brothers and sisters. I would have had plans in place. I would never have left you destitute." I opened my eyes and looked at hers, "I want to be part of your future, any way I can." Lucia choked up a bit.

How many kids? Lucia asked with a little sniffle. She had her own dreams.

Three or four plus Sophia, I answered. My impossible dreams were greedy. I saw a tear start down Lucia's cheek. She tackled me, smothering me in kisses and dripping a few tears. She felt so, good in my arms as I tried desperately not to move the newly-set tiles beneath me.

It would have been such a wonderful family, Lucia said.

"Marry me. Let me take care of my family," I whispered in her ear. Lucia nodded and hugged me tighter. I felt some to the tiles shift and I realized I didn't care if I had to redo the entire kitchen. Lucia had said yes.

It took us a few more hours to finish the tiles. Impending death has a way of changing priorities. I took Lucia out to dinner to celebrate the kitchen floor, not our impending nuptials. The marriage seemed more like a legal formality, which I guess it was since a future life together was just not going to happen. I offered for Lucia's sake. Lucia accepted for my sake, and possibly for Sophia's. Love has a way of crisscrossing our reasoning.

"How am I going to tell Mama?" Lucia asked after we ordered. Rusty's was pretty busy so I had ordered my pie early. They had run out one night and I wasn't going to let that happen again. Someone else would have to be disappointed tonight.

"She already gave me her blessing," I replied. I was sitting high in my seat, trying to see if anyone was securing my pie from the glass display cabinet. Diana was hovering near the display, but not actively slicing.

"You asked her permission?" Lucia inquired with a huge smile.

"Mm-hmm," I responded. I wondered if it would be rude to ask Diana to get the slice now. I ordered it, but maybe she thought to wait until after we finished eating. I knew it was a risk to wait, having lost that gamble once before.

"Is there heroin in those things?" Lucia asked.

"Mm-hmm," I answered, not really listening any more. One of the other waitresses pulled out what might be the last pie and cut a slice. I had to rate the risk of embarrassment against the lack of pie. It's not like I had a normal lifetime to eat pie. Every missed opportunity was lost forever. I was just about to speak to Diana when Lucia suddenly got up and went over to the display. She returned a moment later with a whole pie and wearing a smile. I was sure my relief was visible on my face.

"You asked her permission?" Lucia inquired again. Realizing she had asked about Mama earlier finally registered in my brain. I smiled with apologetic eyes.

I talked to her about it after dinner, when you were with the doctors, I answered properly, and she said I would make a wonderful son.

Lucia was beaming. "How did you know I wanted the pie?" I asked. She leaned over and kissed me.

Because I will make a wonderful wife, Lucia replied. You talked to Mama, she repeated with an incredulous, glowing smile. I guessed it was the right thing to do. I had a happy fiancée and my own pie. Life was good.

We were married a week later. It was a very small ceremony at the courthouse, presided over by a very fat judge. He was jovial and seemed to get a kick out of marrying us. I guess listening to people arguing all day makes you thankful to deal with two parties who are in total agreement. He used pleasantly casual words, but made us say our 'I do's.' It was witnessed by Mama, Doctor Collins, Doctor Pierce and Bob and Cathy Thompson. Bob and Cathy were made aware of the whole situation, which I really disliked sharing.

My lawyer recommended we have multiple disinterested witnesses to avoid any legal challenges from long-lost relatives. It took a few minutes for Bob and Cathy to get past the pity. They promised to keep the secret so the whole town didn't become a pity party. During the ceremony, Cathy cried a little which made Lucia cry, followed quickly by Mama. I was just thankful they were happy tears.

We brought everyone to our house. During the week we were able to complete the kitchen and the downstairs bath. Mama, Cathy and Lucia took over the kitchen and the guys set up folding tables in the unfinished future dining room. I broke out the beer, turned on some music and we celebrated.

Doctor Pierce admitted he was freeloading. He understood Mama would be involved in cooking dinner and decided to tag along with Doctor Collins. I smiled, completely understanding life as a bachelor, having spent all but half a day as one. Bob stated loudly that I needed a belated bachelor party.

Too late! Lucia yelled from the kitchen. I laughed at her bullet-like response.

"Bob just wants a reason to see strippers," Cathy chided loudly. I went silent, realizing they probably didn't know how I met Lucia. I was hoping Lucia wasn't feeling uncomfortable with the comment. I wondered how Mama was taking it.


To be continued