Hidden Scars (15 page)

I scanned the room then focused on him. “I thought
this
was my surprise.”

“It’s one of your surprises. I’ve contacted a pastor in Vernon, Alabama. We had a nice talk, and he’s agreed to marry us.”

I sucked in a huge breath. “How did you manage that?”

“Marybeth, my sister. The one who works at the courthouse, contacted someone in Vernon. She got the name and phone numbers of Baptist pastors in the area. Anyway, after talking to a couple of them, I made the arrangements. We’re getting married as planned, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.”

My insides tingled. “What time?”

“One o’clock. I figured if we left here around seven we could drive to Danville to pick up my father and still have plenty of time to make it by then.”

My stomach quivered. “You’re sure your dad won’t say anything?”

“I’m sure.”

The waiter brought our salads and poured iced tea. Chuck thanked him and waited until he walked away. Then he reached across the table for my hands so we could bless the meal. An object pressed between our hands. My fingers itched to explore the strange item, but Chuck tightened his hold. I raised my head and peeked at him, but with his head bowed, he’d already begun the prayer. “Lord, thank You for this day, a special day for both of us. Be with us as we plan our journey in this life together. May our love continue to grow strong, and may our faith never waver. Direct our paths and protect us. Thank You for this meal, may it nourish our bodies. Amen.”

At the end of the prayer, he gave my hand an extra little squeeze before removing his from mine. I stared at the item that remained. A ring. “What in the world?” I picked it up for a closer inspection then raised my eyes to meet his, too dumfounded to speak.

He grinned. “I’ve had it for weeks.” Chuck placed the ring on my finger. “Aren’t you going to say something? Do you like it?”

I gasped and nodded. “Yes…It’s beautiful.” I tipped my finger. Six brilliant-cut round diamonds surrounded a larger princess diamond. All sparkled reds and blues in the candlelight. Tears blurred my vision, casting an aura over the stones. My chin quivered. “It’s perfect.”

We leaned across the table. Our lips almost touched.

“Excuse me.” The waiter cleared his throat. “Is everything all right, sir?”

We both laughed before Chuck answered, “Everything’s fine.”

During the slow drive back to the dorm, I rested my head against Chuck’s shoulder. “I’ll remember this night for the rest of my life.”

“I know there have been times when neither of us thought this day would get here. And it’s not been easy. Especially for you.” He kissed the top of my head. “But we have a new life ahead of us now. Things are going to be better.”

I didn’t want to spoil the moment, but now was not the time to let our guard down. I knew my parents better than he did. I’d have to tell him about my mom’s letter, but not tonight.

“You’re too quiet, Morgan. What’s wrong? What are you thinking?”

“We’ve still got two more weeks.”

“Your parents can’t stop us from getting married, and after we’re married, they’ll accept our marriage. You’ll see. They’ll have to.”

You don’t know them
.

“Look what I have,” I sang as I strolled into Jennifer’s room, gripping a box with both hands.

Wendy hopped from the edge of the desk and trotted over. “I hope it’s something to eat. I’m starved.”

“Well you’re in luck. It’s chocolate on chocolate.”

“Chuck got you a cake?” Ann squealed.

“He sure did.” I wanted to scream “that’s not all!”, but I decided to see how long it would take one of them to notice my beautiful engagement ring.

“What are we waiting for?” Wendy took the box and placed it on Jennifer’s desk. She folded back the tabs and lifted the lid. A big gob of icing perched on top of her finger for a split second before she popped it in her mouth. “Mmm. Yep, it’s chocolate.”

Jennifer pushed herself off her bed. “Oh, for pity sakes, somebody sit on her while I go get some paper plates and utensils from the lounge.”

“Morgan, we don’t want to eat up your cake,” Becky said.

“If she didn’t want us to eat it, she wouldn’t have brought it in. Right, Morgan?”

Before I could answer Wendy, Mimi Clair yanked my hand up. “Where did you get that?”

Eyes turned from finger-dipping Wendy to Mimi and me. The room grew quiet. A slight twitch tugged one corner of my mouth before I squealed.

Mimi yanked my hand around to show everyone, snatching so hard I stumbled forward from the force. “Would you look at this!”

The girls closed in around, buzzing excitedly. My face hurt from smiling and laughing as they took turns admiring the ring.

“It’s gorgeous. Look how it sparkles in the light,” Paula said.

“Okay, you vultures, here’s everything we need to devour—what are ya’ll doing?” Jennifer’s voice rose above the clamor.

“We’ve forgotten about the cake.” Paula motioned Jennifer over. “You’ve got to come see this.”

“I haven’t forgotten about anything,” Wendy shouted. “Give me that knife.” She removed the harmless, plastic device from Jennifer’s hand.

I shared the night’s events as Wendy and Jennifer cut the cake and passed slices around.

Wendy stopped licking her fingers long enough to say, “Just think, in less than forty-eight hours, you’ll be a married woman.”

My smile faded. I took a deep breath and hoped they’d understand. “Not really.”

“Um…” Paula swallowed. “What do you mean?”

I settled onto the foot of Jennifer’s bed. “I’m not getting married this Friday. We’ve changed the date.”

“Why?” Several of them chimed in unison.

“Remember me telling you about the phone call from Janet and her mother?”

Heads nodded. Others answered yes.

“Chuck and I didn’t want to risk having our wedding plans spoiled or our marriage annulled. So, if my parents or someone
is
watching us closely, we’ve decided to wait them out.”

“For how long?” Mimi Clair spoke around a mouthful of cake.

It was a legitimate question, but why did Mimi have to be the one asking? I pushed my scowl upward. “We’ve set a new date, but I don’t want to say anything about that right now.” I scanned a hodgepodge of expressions. Some stared at their plates and pushed crumbs of cake around. Others stared at me with their head cocked, wide eyed, or an eyebrow raised. “If Mom asks questions, I don’t want any of y’all lying for me. She’s also been known to call Mrs. Henderson. I don’t think our dorm mother would, but if she does ask, it’s best you tell her the truth: you don’t know.”

“You’re not going to tell us, are you?” Mimi planted her hands on her hips.

I whirled toward her, anger rising to the surface. “No.” It was beginning to look like my suspicions about her were dead on. “Not right now.”

“Do you really think your parents would stop you from getting married if they knew how much y’all love one another?” Ann stood and gathered the plates. “I mean, it doesn’t make sense. They can’t stand guard over you for the rest of your life.”

Knots twisted my stomach. “I have no doubt. They’ll do whatever they feel necessary to keep me from marrying Chuck.”

“Can’t you even give us a hint of when or where you’ll be getting married?” Mimi Clair whined.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep a lid on my anger. Her persistence seemed more than normal curiosity, even for her. But I didn’t want anything or anybody spoiling this night.

Jennifer interrupted, “She said she didn’t want to take any chances, so give it up, Mimi. Enough with the questions.”

“Thank you,” I mouthed the words to Jennifer then glanced at the clock. “Oh no. We’ve got less than fifteen minutes to clean this mess up and be in our rooms for bed checks. Everybody grab something and get out of here.”

The next twelve days felt like twelve weeks. But finally, on November 25, I sat at my desk addressing an envelope to the girls. On the note inside, I’d written:

November 26

Gone to get married.

Morgan

After printing the last girl’s name on the envelope, I turned my hand and mind toward a blank sheet of paper. The words didn’t come easy. No matter what I wrote, it wouldn’t change anything.

Dear Mom,

By the time you get this note, Chuck and I will be married. We married November 26, in Alabama. The marriage is very legal.

I think every girl must look forward to sharing the dreams of her wedding day with her mother. I’m sorry that wasn’t the case for us.

I wish you could be happy for me.

Love,

Morgan

I sealed it and wrote Mom’s name on the envelope. Almost everything had been taken care of, except how to stop Richard from driving up on the twenty-seventh. If I contacted him before Wednesday morning, it might cause suspicion. And then there was the matter of how to get the note to Mom so she and Dad wouldn’t worry when I didn’t come home. Mailing it was out of the question, it might not make it in time, and Kyle already refused to hand deliver it. I couldn’t blame him, and even though Becky would be going home Wednesday, I wouldn’t think of asking her. Oh, well. I opened my top desk drawer and placed the finished envelopes inside. I’d think of something.

Becky and I planned to be up by four thirty and out the door to meet Chuck and Kyle as soon as Mrs. Henderson unlocked it and turned off the alarms at six.

Throughout the night, all kinds of emotions coursed through me: joy, love, happiness, giddiness, and yes, some fear of how my parents would react. I couldn’t sleep. By four, I tossed back the covers and bounced out of bed. I grabbed the tote bag packed with everything I’d need for the day, including the dress from Janet and her mother, and my coat. The corners of my lips curved upward as I hurried to the shower room.

I sang “The Wedding Prayer” softly while showering and enjoyed the sound of my own voice sending a personal petition to God. After drying off, I held my wedding dress and fondled the detailed stitching and beautiful material. I hugged it and thanked God for my lifelong friend, Janet.

I eased my feet into my shoes and tugged my coat over the white outfit in case someone walked in. After brushing my teeth and fixing my hair, I removed my makeup kit.

The door opened, and Jennifer sauntered past me yawning, scratching her head, and sliding her slippers against the floor with every step. She reached for the stall door, then stopped and did an about-face. Without saying a word, she closed in on me and began circling, forcing me to step back. Again, she circled. With her hands on her hips and stifling laughter, she scanned me from head to toe. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Just getting an early start on the day.” I couldn’t contain a smile any longer.

She snorted and inspected my feet. “This is it. You’re getting married today.”

“Why would you think such a thing?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she glanced down again, “maybe it’s your shoes.”

“What’s wrong with my shoes?” I stuck out my foot.

“They’re white, honey. Nobody wears white shoes after Labor Day. Unless, of course, they’re getting married.”

“Okay.” I lowered my voice as if others were in the room. “Today’s the day. I was going to leave a note for y’all, letting you know.”

She focused on my head and shook hers. “We’ve got to do something with that hair.”

I glanced in the mirror and back at her. “It’s fixed already.”

She lifted a strand here, another there. “Maybe for school, but not for today. No way. Trust me. I’m not
about
to let you go off and get married with your hair looking like that.”

“Jennifer, if anyone comes in here and catches you whipping up one of your stylish dos, we might as well announce my plans over the intercom.”

“Get your stuff and come on.”

I picked up my tote bag as Jennifer grabbed everything else. “Where are we going?”

“To the lounge. No one ever goes in there this time of morning.”

I’d hardly walked through the lounge door, and Jennifer pushed me down in a chair and went to work. I watched in a small makeup mirror as she teased, sprayed, lifted, and molded my hair into the picture of perfection, with a bold side fringe that swept my left cheek. “Go stand over there, and let me survey the finished product.”

I stood and sashayed over to the window and struck a pose.

Jennifer laughed. “I sure wish the girls could see you.”

“Wait right here. I’ll be back.” I opened the door to leave.

“Morgan.”

“What?” I asked over my shoulder.

“Don’t forget your penny loafers. Those shoes you have on are a dead giveaway.”

I slipped out of my shoes and ran down the hall in my stocking feet, retrieved the envelope addressed to the girls from my desk and loafers from my closet, then rushed back. I handed the envelope to Jennifer. “Will you read it whenever you’re all together?”

“Sure, and I’ll tell them what a beautiful bride you made. Oh, honey, that Chuck’s a lucky guy.”

My smile widened. Luck had nothing to do with me and Chuck. God had answered our prayers.

“Thanks for everything, Jennifer.” I gave her a quick hug and turned to leave, hiding my white shoes under my coat. Becky would be waiting for me on the first floor stairway.

“We’ll miss you.”

I smiled. “You won’t have a chance. I’ll be back before bed checks.”

From the stairwell, Becky and I listened to Mrs. Henderson fiddle with the door. We waited for her retreating footsteps before Becky walked into the hallway and signaled. When we opened the side door, Chuck stood there, tall and proud in his brown pinstriped suit. He grabbed my hand and raced toward a blue Chevrolet.

“Whose car?” I scanned the parking lot for anything or anyone out of the norm.

“Marvin’s. We swapped. I thought in case your parents had someone keeping an eye out for us, they might not recognize his car.”

Becky jumped in the front seat with Kyle. Chuck and I climbed into the back.

I shed my coat and snuggled next to him.

He touched the side of my face with his left hand. “You’re beautiful, your dress, your hair…”