The Wedding Party

“I don’t imagine you were.” He had no trouble envisioning her as she jumped out of his car and, furious, walked the rest of the way in the rain. “Just tell me one thing. You didn’t suggest we get married because Jake made you feel fat, did you?”

“No,” she said. “But by the time I got here, soaked and mad, I realized that the one thing in my life that I have always been able to count on is you. And I’m stupid not to tie you down and get you off the market.”

“Charlene, I’ve been off the market for five years.”

“And I’ve been crazy to let you run around loose. Dennis? Do you think it’s a bad idea? Because—”

He covered her hand with his. “I think it’s probably about time.”

She sighed in relief. For some reason, all she wanted was to have this one part of her life settled. Mapped out, covered, secured. Done.

“Why don’t you take a soak while I clean the dishes,” he said. “Then I’ll start the bedroom fireplace and meet you in there.”

She had a moment’s hesitation. “Dennis—”

“It’s all right, Charlene,” he said, reading her mind. “We’ve both had rough days. I’m thinking along the lines of a little CNN before sleeping.”

By the time she got out of the bath, he had already nodded off on top of the comforter. At 5:00 a.m. she felt his lips touch her forehead as he prepared to leave for his early start in the emergency room. She could smell the coffee he’d made, and although he was clean shaven, there would be no evidence that he’d used the bathroom sink; Dennis was as immaculate as she. She couldn’t have asked for a better night’s sleep, all her worries and anxieties put to rest by the best companion of her life.

Yes, it was probably about time.

Three

When Charlene entered her office, Pam London was taken aback. “Wow,” she said, her mouth dropping open in surprise. “Look at you.”

“What?” Charlene asked, but she smiled because she knew what Pam saw. She’d seen it herself in the mirror that very morning.

“You look ravishing. You haven’t looked this good since you got back from Mazatlan.”

“Ravishing?”

“My, my, yes.” Pam squinted a bit, studying Charlene’s face. “What is it? New makeup?”

“Not exactly. Come into my office, will you?” Pam followed, notepad in hand, and shut the door behind her. “Dennis and I have decided to get married,” Charlene said, skipping any preamble.

Pam didn’t make it very far into the spacious office before she sank into a deep and comfy leather chair. Speechless.

“This can’t possibly be a surprise,” Charlene said.

“Can’t it be…?”

Charlene, businesslike, began taking papers out of her briefcase and placing them in separate stacks on the desktop. “To the contrary. Some would even say this is way overdue, that we should have done it years ago. After five years, it seems almost like a mere formality.” Indeed, on the very night they had made the decision, nothing special set it apart from any other night they spent together. Except maybe the changing of a tire in the rain, which Dennis accomplished while Charlene held the flashlight.

“I guess I thought—” Pam didn’t finish.

“You thought we didn’t need marriage?”

“Well…that’s what you always said.”

“And it’s still true. We don’t need marriage, but wanting it is a different story. To make our commitment complete.”

“That’s lovely.”

“You are the absolute first to know. I haven’t even told Stephanie yet, or my mother. Lois thinks I’m completely hopeless, so she’s going to flip, and Stephanie…Well, I haven’t talked to her since yesterday.” And in thinking about that conversation some of the glow threatened to fade from Charlene’s features. She would have to call Stephanie and tell her about her grandmother; they were very close. But as for the marriage plans, she could wait. In fact, Charlene was still smarting a little from Stephanie’s words and didn’t look forward to calling her at all. “But I wanted to tell you immediately,” Charlene said to Pam. “Because I’d like you to stand up for me, if you will.”

“If? Of course I will! But what about Stephanie and Lois? Won’t they get their noses out of joint if I—”

“No, no, no,” Charlene insisted. “This is all going to work out fine. And I want you with me on this. Like you’ve been with me on everything. I couldn’t have built this practice without you, Pam.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you will.”

“Of course,” she said, flattered. “When is this going to happen?”

“I don’t know. In a few weeks. I have about four major crises to work out before I can think about the actual event, but once I get things under control, I’ll make some arrangements. Something very small, very quiet, very quick.”

Pam smiled lazily. “Quick? Are you pregnant?”

“Ha-ha.”

“And you are doing this quickly because…?”

Charlene stopped shuffling papers, put her briefcase under her desk and took a seat. “Now that we’ve decided, we’re anxious to have the formalities out of the way. But there is another matter that concerns me. My mother is experiencing some memory problems. Some confusion. I’d hate to call it dementia, but until she sees a doctor, I have no other terminology.”

“So the call from the grocer was the real McCoy,” Pam observed.

“I didn’t want to admit it. I was hoping he was just overreacting, but she was confused. It’s possible she really couldn’t find her way home from the store and had to be rescued by a bag boy. I have no better explanation because she can’t remember much about the incident.”

“My goodness, how scary,” Pam replied, as surprised now as Charlene had been yesterday.

She nodded. “I owe Mr. Fulbright an apology. And a debt of gratitude. I hope these aren’t the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s.”

“And that’s why you’re going to hurry and—”

“That’s a factor, not a reason. My mom has a problem, and I don’t know how serious it is, but before things get any worse, if they’re destined to get worse, and while everyone in my family and in Dennis’s family are all relatively healthy and alert, we’re going to have a small, pleasant ceremony.”

“Well, this must be the right decision, it sure has worked wonders on you. You look positively radiant. How do you feel?”

Charlene folded her hands together on top of her desk. “I can’t explain it, but if I’d known I was going to feel this great, I’d have accepted Dennis’s proposal years ago. I’ve never felt so comfortable…so serene. I have total peace of mind.”

Pam leaned back into the folds of the chair, stretched her long legs out in front of her and admired Charlene’s shimmer. “You’re glowing. It’s amazing.”

“I can feel it.”

“You and Dennis must have had some romantic night last night—the sparkles are still floating all around your aura.” Pam’s eyes became moist. “I’m so happy for you, Char. No one deserves this more than you. I’d be honored to witness for you.”

Pam stood, dropped her notebook on the ottoman and moved toward Charlene. She opened her arms to embrace her, tears glittering in her eyes.