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After the Wedding

By Carol Voss

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Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
~Psalm 139:7-9
 
Chapter One
“Just pack twelve of everything.”
“Twelve of everything?” Mary plopped the pile of sweaters on the bed beside stacks of her jeans and tees and her parents’ two huge, half-filled suitcases and looked at her husband…
Yes, husband.
She could still hardly believe it. She thumbed the gold band on her ring finger as if it might have disappeared or something. Nope, still there.
She really was Mrs. Richard Thomas Reynolds—Mary Louise Reynolds. And she was almost as in love with her new name as she was with the most handsome, kind, thoughtful, smart, totally amazing man in the whole universe who’d given it to her. She drew in a breath of awe mixed with a ton of excitement and a smattering of nervousness.
Well, a bit more than a smattering maybe, plus a whole lot of confusion.
It was totally weird to stand in the middle of the lavender-scented bedroom she’d lived in for eighteen years surrounded by cheerleader pompoms, track trophies, her collection of Breyer horses, and posters of Jennie Simpson and decide what to take with her and what to leave behind. How should she know what she’d need now that she was supposed to be a grown-up?
Which was why she’d asked Rick to help. He had been packing for four years while he went to college, hadn’t he? But twelve of everything? Was he really paying attention to her, or was he still playing with his smartphone?
Phone nowhere in sight, he met her eyes. “Any fewer and you’ll have to do laundry way too often.”
She hadn’t given laundry a thought. “Where will we do our laundry?”
“I saw coin-operated machines in the basement. Going to a Laundromat is the pits.”
“So we have to pay to wash our clothes?”
He nodded, a smile curving his oh-so-kissable lips.
She melted the same way she’d been melting ever since they met at their younger brothers’ track meet when they were both sophomores. Rick at the university in Eau Claire, she at Noah’s Crossing High School.
She gazed into his dreamy hazel eyes and seriously considered throwing herself into his arms and forgetting about packing. She was his wife, after all.
Trouble was, the packing would still be waiting. And if they were going to get on the road early tomorrow as they’d planned, she was pretty sure the mature thing would be to follow through with the packing as they’d planned, too.
She tossed him a little smile and packed a black cardigan that would go with everything, then threw in the cream one as well. “It’s June. I shouldn’t need more than two sweaters.”
“We’re not just taking a trip, Mar. We’re moving.”
“But the apartment is so small.” She wasn’t convinced he fully understood how ridiculously tiny it was.
“You wanted the cute one, remember?”
“It is so cute, isn’t it? And it almost fits into our budget, too. Plus being on a bus line and close to campus. It’s perfect.” She realized she was gushing, something that always seemed to baffle him, and did her best to dial it back. “But it is tiny.”
“With a good-size storage locker.”
“I’m not storing my out-of-season clothes in the basement. I saw spiders.” She shivered.
“We’ll spray insecticide.”
“Are you serious? We don’t want our things anywhere near insecticide. That can’t be healthy. And do you really want to reek?”
“I have a fan. We can air out the place after we spray.”
He always had a practical answer when she started to freak out about something, one of the countless things she loved about him. But spiders and insecticide near their clothes? Not happening.
Leaving the final sweater decision for later, she thought about shoes and moved to the beautiful oak library card index that took up an entire wall in her bedroom. She slid open a drawer, took out a gray pump she’d bought for their graduations just weeks ago, shut the drawer, opened the one below it, and took out the other shoe to the pair.
“Ah, you keep your shoes in that index thing.” He sounded as if he’d solved a mystery.
“Skinny ones. I can’t fit most of my shoes into the drawers.”
“How many drawers are there?” He began counting.
“A hundred and twenty.”
“That’s a lot of skinny shoes.”
“Most of the drawers are empty.”
“Why empty?”
“The only things that fit are socks, makeup, hair stuff, and jewelry, which I don’t have very much of.”
“Don’t forget, skinny shoes.”
She took a plastic bag from an index drawer.
“And plastic bags…” He pointed at the one in her hand.
She put the pumps into the bag, then laid them in the suitcase. “Gray’s neutral, should go with just about everything. You know, in case I need to dress up for something.”
“Why don’t we take that big index? It will come in handy for storage.”
“Are you kidding?”
“No. Why?”
“It’s too big to get into our apartment.”
He gave the index a onceover. “No, it’s not.”
“Even if we get it inside, the bedroom’s too small.”
“We can put it along the wall you see when you first walk in.”
“In the living/dining/kitchen room?”
“Yeah. It will look nice there, don’t you think?”
“Where will we put the couch?”
“Not there, unless you want us to hit our head on that slanted ceiling every time we stand up. Anyway, we don’t have a couch, do we?”
“Not yet. But do you really want to sit on the floor?”
“Why not? We can get a couple beanbags. And just get some of those floor pillows.”
“Floor pillows?”
“You know. Like those big ones we used when we read to the kids you used to babysit with.”
“Oh.” She envisioned the Hulk and Wonder Woman. Not exactly the look she was hoping for in their cute little apartment. “Those are kids’ pillows.”
“We’re still kids. At least, you qualify.” He’d always teased her about her “kid status” whenever they’d been tempted to make love before they were married. She gave him a sassy look. “Not anymore.”
He laughed. “Hallelujah.”
She laughed with him and considered throwing herself into his arms again. Same problem. When would they get the packing done?
“Take what you need and what makes you happy, Mar. We’ll figure out where to put it when we get there.”
She eyed the clothes and suitcases on the bed. “But it’s June. I think we need to focus on taking summer things now, don’t you?”
“You’re going to need warm clothes this fall. Madison isn’t that far south of Noah’s Crossing.” He turned to the door. “I’ll get those boxes from the car.”
“Why can’t we bring summer stuff home and take winter stuff back with us when we come home for Thanksgiving?”
“Mary.” He gave her that patient tone of concern that always cued her she was about to receive the benefit of his four more years of experience. “Remember when we talked about the heavy load I’ll be carrying in med school this year?”
“Of course I remember.”
“Well… I doubt I’ll be able to get away for Thanksgiving.”
“You won’t get holidays off?” The idea was ridiculous.
“I doubt it. At orientation, they warned us to count ourselves lucky if we have a few hours to sleep.” He rolled his shoulders as if to relieve stress. “But it’s only a three-hour drive, so unless we have icy roads or a blizzard, there’s no reason you can’t drive home without me for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
“Christmas, too?”
“We’ll have to see.”
“Well, just so you know, I’m not leaving you alone for the holidays.” She moved closer and reached for his hand. “That would be awful.”
He clasped her hand and drew her closer. “You never know. Maybe we’ll even enjoy getting away from each other for a few days by then.”
Taken aback, she studied his eyes for any sign of teasing and saw none. Sometimes, his practical outlook just went too far. “I’ll never feel that way.”
“Oh, babe, I won’t either.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m only trying to look for the positives here. This year is going to be a real juggling act with my summer job and then med school.”
“The summer job you hate.”
He winced. “I need to work all the hours I can get. We need the money.”
“I know, but still…”
“We’ll be together.” His insanely handsome features melted in a smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Me neither. And just so you know, I’m not ever leaving you in Madison without me.”
He shot her a doubtful look. “Don’t you think you’re going to miss your family? And they’re going to really miss you.”
Her stomach hollowing out, she refused to give in to the sadness that had been trying to pull her down ever since they started home from Madeline Island this morning. Sadness made no sense.
Their wedding Saturday had been perfect. Their honeymoon on Madeline Island… a dream come true. Sure, it was too short, but she’d loved every second of their incredible days and nights of being together and loving each other.
None of that awful loneliness of being apart, with Rick in Eau Claire at college while she was still in Noah’s Crossing. None of the dread of having to separate ever again. So what was her problem?
“You’ll need more boxes. It will only take me a couple minutes to get them.” He gave her a quick kiss and strode out.
It looked like packing was going to be more complicated than she’d thought. She sighed, a bit relieved to have a few minutes to get herself together. She loved Rick with her whole heart, was deliriously happy to be his wife, and desperately wanted to be with him.
In spite of them both being too young to get serious, according to parents, relatives, friends. Well, just about everybody.
And she totally agreed.
Pre-Rick.
But nobody knew better than they did that falling in love wasn’t a matter of timing. Or age.
And nobody knew better than they did that love would not wait until she graduated from college and Rick from med school like everybody advised either. Not when every minute apart was a struggle to breathe until they could see each other again.
It was just that whenever she thought about leaving the farm, her family, everything she’d ever known, she felt sick inside. You’d think she was still a little girl.
She wasn’t.
She’d married the love of her life. She had the most wonderful husband on the planet. And on their wedding night, he’d introduced her into full-fledged womanhood, a glorious adventure she was looking forward to exploring forever with him.
Rick was her everything.
And no way could she let him or anybody else see what a baby he’d married.

Rick patted Scout’s broad Labrador head as he strode across the Phillips’ June-green lawn in the warm sun. Beautiful day. Too bad he and Mary couldn’t still be soaking up rays on one of the Madeline Island beaches instead of having to drive back to Noah’s Crossing and pack up their stuff.
But packing now would get them on the road early tomorrow and give them time to move into their apartment and get a little acclimated before he had to start his summer job Monday. Then time would be tight. But their budget would be tighter, especially after his work-study project fell through, and he’d had to take what work he could find.
Cashier at a big-box store.
What a letdown after achieving a pre-med degree. At least they’d promised to schedule him for as many hours as possible. He needed to earn as much money as he could this summer. There was no way he’d be able to work once med school started in the fall.
Leaning into the hot interior of the Toyota Camry he’d spent weekends making Mary-worthy, he grabbed a stack of boxes from the back seat. The car turned out pretty awesome for the most part. Sure did beat the old Buick he’d driven back and forth to Eau Claire on weekends all through college. Every weekend after he met Mary.
He loved that car, but he’d pretty much worn it out. He hoped the Camry would span the next few years. Money, time, and peace of mind would all be at a premium. He sure didn’t need any unforeseen surprises leaping out at him. He had no illusions. He was a good student, but not brilliant, and med school was going to require everything he had.
Arms loaded with boxes, he slammed the car door shut with his hip and started back toward the house. He sure hoped he could make it all work. It wasn’t as if a wife had ever figured into his med school plans or even his imagination.
That had changed on a sunny day two years ago when he’d caught a glimpse of a girl across the track field in Noah’s Crossing. He couldn’t help smiling when he remembered the way she’d drawn him to her side, the way she’d looked up at him when he’d reached her, the way she’d smiled that smile that still stole his breath every time.
Nothing was ever the same. Not for him. Not for her.
The only questions between them had involved how they could find a way to be together. He’d asked her to marry him the night of her junior prom. Blurted it out in the middle of the dance floor because he just couldn’t hold the words in any longer.
Thank God her parents had finally given them their blessing. But only if he and Mary would agree to wait to get married until after she graduated from high school.
Turned out, his parents had been trickier. Of course, his parents, professors, buddies, frat brothers had all tried to persuade him that marriage was the last thing he needed. At least, they had before they met Mary. But once they saw how the two of them were together, they didn’t have all the answers anymore. Just like he didn’t.
One answer he did have. He loved Mary. More than the single-guy stuff his friends told him he was going to miss out on. More than travel or adventures with those friends. More than the free ride Dad had threatened to withhold if Rick got married before he graduated from med school. He could feel his blood pressure rising at that thought, so he shut it out. Truthfully, he loved Mary even more than going to med school.
Once he’d met her, there was no way he could live without her. Period. End of story.
He grinned. He couldn’t wait to carry her over the threshold of their place. She liked all that traditional stuff, and he loved to surprise her and watch her light up.
Life with her was going to be a blast.

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