A May-September Wedding (11 page)

"Anyway, to
continue with my day, around two I sent out about a hundred
invitations for the retirement shindig at Le French Quarter next
Friday. By the time I got home I had sixty people accept and
another twenty people who I should have invited ask if they could
drop in along with suggestions for another forty or so people. Do
you want to come? You could bring the kids after school and we
could stay for a celebratory dinner in the main restaurant."

Phyl looked
very pleased and said, "That sounds great. So what are you going to
do for the next week?"

"I think I'm
just going to put my feet up and enjoy my freedom. I have a couple
of things in the shop that were unfinished when Brenda died. I
think I'll finish them and then start figuring out what's
next."

"Mr.
Richardson? This is Dierdre from the office of the Minister of
Public Works and Government Services. Do you have some time to
discuss that very interesting report you sent to the minister?"

Cal asked for
her to email him a copy at his home address for his reference
because he hadn't been allowed to take a copy when he left the
office. Dierdre thought that was a bit strange until Cal pointed
out that he was on administrative leave until he officially
retired, so his last work day had been the previous Wednesday.

When she
emailed him a copy, he opened it and began to explain certain
points that he had thought were clear. It was obvious that either
the minister herself or a very senior adviser had penned in a
number of the questions because they were more on the political
implications than the technical problems. After an intense two hour
conversation, Deirdre thanked him for his time.

Over the next
two days, a staffer from the chair of the Defence committee called
and so did a senior manager from the Comptroller General's office.
Deirdre phoned back to thank him for the report and to pass on the
Minister's thanks.

Phyl walked
into the banquet room of Le French Quarter to find it packed. There
was a set of microphones set up in one corner. Cal was standing
near the podium with Elaine and his Aunt Rosalind. Felicity wiggled
through the crowd to stand near him.

Cal spotted
Phyl and immediately relaxed. Phyl could see relief in his eyes as
she made her slow way over to him.

At four
o'clock the crowd hushed as a familiar face came into the room. The
Minister, trailed by a young redheaded woman, made her way toward
the podium and stepped in front of the microphone. "Ladies and
gentlemen, it is my unfortunate privilege today to say goodbye to a
faithful public servant, Commander Calvin Richardson, who served
our country for twenty-one years as a naval officer and then joined
our Department to use the knowledge he gained as a naval engineer
to help us buy and build world class ships for our Navy."

She gave a
precis of his career and accomplishments, noting his contributions
to the Patrol Frigate program and the many upgrade programs
currently underway. Deirdre handed her a framed certificate. "On
behalf of the Department, I would like to present you with this
certificate recognizing thirty-five years of faithful service along
with my regrets that we are losing your passion for public service
and your expertise."

She shook his
hand for the photo opportunity and finished. "But for each of us
there is a moment when it is time to pass the torch to the next
generation. I wish you well in your retirement."

The Minister
then had a brief private conversation with Cal, thanking him for
his service and his integrity, then she took fifteen minutes to
work the room before leaving for her next appointment.

The young
redheaded woman was Deirdre. "When I told the Minister you were
retiring over this, she was pretty angry. There will be some
changes soon." Then she smiled, showing her dimples. "I convinced
her that the changes would be more effective if she came to give
you the official thank you from the Department and she cleared her
schedule so she could be here. And I wanted to meet you. Most of
the complaints we get are pretty whiny. Yours had some substance
and your idea for an independent review panel is a possible
solution to the problem."

Phyl and
Elaine were standing at the back, still a bit shocked at what had
transpired. Elaine spoke first. "I knew that Dad was held in some
esteem by his colleagues, but this is way more than I expected.
They must be at capacity for this room."

Phyl replied,
"I overheard someone say that there were almost two hundred people
that came and went before I got here." She looked and saw Cal take
the podium.

"I've never
been one for long speeches. I can still remember the September day
in Esquimalt when I and seventy one of my fellow ensigns swore our
allegiance to the Crown and promised to serve her faithfully. I did
my best to keep that promise over the past thirty-seven years and I
don't consider myself released from it, even though my active
service has come to an end."

"It is a great
privilege to serve our fellow Canadians. They rely on us to provide
faithful and honest service to them and our reward is knowing that
they are benefiting from that service in many ways. To my fellow
retirees, thank you for the privilege of serving alongside you and
to those who will be returning to the office on Monday, keep up the
good work knowing that even though they complain mightily about us,
the public relies on you to do your job faithfully and
honestly."

"It was a
pleasure and an honour my friends. I'll see you around and I'll
keep praying for you all."

There was a
round of applause and then the room began to clear a bit. They
stayed until half past five to speak with the stragglers and the
people who had late meetings.

Aunt Ros
stayed for supper and the mood was pretty festive. Cal only had
mild regrets at retiring so early, but managed to stay positive.
Felicity, in her perceptive way, caught the undercurrents that were
raised by the Minister's presence. "Dad, is it usual for the
Minister to present long service awards?"

Cal was still
pleasantly surprised by the Minister's kind words. "No, Beast. It
is very unusual for the Minister to attend one of these retirement
celebrations for anyone except a Deputy Minister or someone who
works for them directly. It's rare enough, in fact, that one of the
newspapers might have a reporter dig into it a bit."

Lydia raised
her eyebrows, "If it's that rare, why you?"

"Because I
spotted a problem with the way we were doing things and I let her
know about it. She was there more to send a message to the rest of
the Department that she expects people to do their jobs properly
than it was to thank me for my service. Although it did feel pretty
special to get the certificate from her directly, instead of
Paul."

Phyl smiled
and said, "Well, you are a pretty special man." Then, realizing how
that might sound, she blushed.

Aunt Ros and
Lydia both nodded knowingly and Cal began to blush, too.

"Thanks again
for agreeing to look after the kids after school, Cal."

"Not a
problem." He gave her a comforting look. "At least it's clear and
cold today."

"I don't want
to do this, but I think I have to, today."

Cal moved
toward Phyl to give her a reassuring hug. "I understand. Drive
safe. I'll have something hot in the crock pot when you get
back."

Phyl briefly
rested her head on Cal's shoulder and fed off his solid presence
for what felt like an hour but was probably only two minutes. She
gave him a peck on the cheek, grabbed her purse and gloves then
walked quickly to the car.

Cal watched
her drive away, praying that everything would go well and that she
would find some measure of peace.

Phyl looked at
the small floral wreath on the front seat of the car with a single
word banner that read "Harry". A year ago she had made the same
drive to Matawa in a light snowstorm to the morgue where Harry's
body was resting and returned to learn her best friend was dying.
Today could not have been more different.

An Arctic high
pressure system had driven the temperature down to minus twenty-six
and the sunlight streaming down was almost blinding, though it held
no warmth at all. As long as the car was working fine, it was a
beautiful day for a drive.

The flowers on
the front seat brought reminders of Harry. The first date where
he'd brought a corsage to the house when he picked her up. The
bouquets of wildflowers he gathered just before heading back home
from a canoe trip. The love he had for the flower beds at the
house, especially his tulips. The roses to celebrate birthdays and
anniversaries. The profusion of poinsettas and Christmas cacti
every year.

She had
managed to survive the entire year since his death. A full year of
holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and special events spent mostly
with Cal instead of Harry. A year of sleeping alone without the
possibility of being woken with nuzzled kisses at two in the
morning when Harry finished a sales trip early. A year with only
neighbourly pecks instead of the mutual passion that she missed so
much.

Each sign and
turn off seemed to bring memories. A very wet camping weekend at
Fitzroy Harbour Provincial Park. Shopping for antiques in Arnprior.
Stopping at the Tim Horton's in Renfrew to break up the trip to
Algonquin Park. A bad case of sunburn at Logosland. The far too
exhilarating white water rafting trip near Beachburg. Watching
Harry's pride in Lydia as she played in a regional soccer
tournament in Pembroke.

Most of these
memories were also memories of Brenda and Cal. They went camping
together, with Brenda laughing at Cal pretending to be an old man.
The way that Cal and Harry wedged an excited seven year old Tim in
between them on the big raft. Sitting with the girls at the beach
on Canoe Lake while Harry and Cal took off for Wolf Lake with Tim
in the centre of the lightweight seventeen foot canoe.

Memories of
picnics and literacy fundraisers, the church dinners at the Reform
Church in Kanata with Harry's parents, potluck carol sings at their
own church – all memories that included Brenda and Cal. Dancing
with Cal while Brenda and Harry floated from table to table telling
jokes and swapping stories.

Until this
past year, she had never truly understood how much the four of them
had meant to each other for mutual support, for friendship and
company. How the adults were as close as the girls and only Tim
seemed to be left out. Except that both Harry and Cal made sure
that he wasn't.

She passed the
crash site before she realized she was there and turned around at
the next safe driveway.

The icy wind
and cold temperature conspired to keep her wreath laying very
short. She climbed the snowbank and hung the wreath on a fence post
that was just sticking out of the snow. The next post downhill was
missing and there were still metallic blue streaks on a boulder
that was sticking out of the snow. Obviously the owner hadn't
repaired the fence since Harry's car took it out.

Saying a brief
heartfelt prayer over the wreath was all she could manage. She
turned around and went back to her car, somewhat lost in thought.
With her hazard lights flashing and the car running for the heat,
she stared at the wreath and let her mind empty.

A knock on the
window intruded into her woolgathering. She rolled down her window
to hear an young OPP constable ask, "Are you all right, ma'am?"

Phyl replied,
"I will be soon, officer. My husband died a year ago today about
where that wreath is."

The constable
put on a suitably sympathetic expression. "I'm sorry for your loss,
ma'am."

"Well, my
mourning year is officially over now, so I guess I should get back
to my regularly scheduled life."

The constable
smiled at her courage and reminded her, "Be careful getting back
into traffic, ma'am. The big trucks are going faster than you
think."

"Can I follow
you out?"

"That might be
safest. But you should go ahead of me."

Phyl watched
the young man climb back into his car and with the lights still
flashing, pulled slowly onto the highway. She pulled out in front
of him and was soon back up to highway speed on her way home.

The thought of
home and Cal puttering in her kitchen making his delicious beef
with barley soup made her mouth water and her heart lighten. She
smiled as she thought about him trying to surprise her with a hot
supper, but she'd seen the big package of oxtails in the meat
compartment, so she knew what was on the menu.

The drive back
seemed to take less time. The sun was at her back and her mood was
lighter for having said a true final goodbye to Harry. Now it was
time to embrace her future and possibly Cal.

She detoured
to stop at the Antrim truck stop for a butter tart and coffee. As
she washed up, she looked at her rings on the counter next to the
sink and decided that it was time to move on. Very carefully, she
put the rings in a zipper compartment of her purse. Maybe Tim would
like to have them when he was ready to propose to his wife,
hopefully in ten or more years.

She dried her
hands and put on her gloves. The uncovered area on her ring finger
felt naked, especially with the sheepskin lining brushing against
the sensitive skin. By the time she got home, she was almost used
to the feeling.

Cal was as
used to Phyl's kitchen as his own after months of cooking for the
combined group. He set the table for five as soon as he heard
Phyl's car pull into the drive.

He caught a
smile and a wave as Phyl took off her boots and coat. She said,
"I'm going to shower and change. I'll be down in fifteen
minutes."