Til We Meet Again (14 page)

Chapter 13

The next morning was filled with the hustle and bustle of four people getting ready to go to church.  Katie’s parent’s dragged their feet about the idea of going to a different church than their own.

“Then why don’t they just drive back and go to their church?” Katie asked Dean as they were getting dressed and she stood in the bedroom, hands on her hips wearing a bra and half slip.

“I don’t know sweetheart,” Dean replied, uncertain about what else to say.  He wanted to take her into his arms but knew if he touched her they would never make it to church.

“I don’t want them there if they’re going to be this way,” she said as she pulled a dress over her head.

“Maybe they want to see it since that’s where we’re getting married,” Dean replied as he tucked his shirt into his pants.

“Maybe,” was the only reply Katie could muster without making herself more upset.

The service went a little overtime and Bruce took no time in grumbling about how their church was out in one hour every Sunday.

“Oh dad, most of the time we are here too,” Katie told him.  “It’s Thanksgiving, there’s a little more going on.  Why did you come if you didn’t want to?” she asked finally.

“We wanted to see where you would be getting married,” Maggie piped up.

“So what do you think?” Katie asked but the question was drowned out as the organ began playing the postlude.

They drove back to the house and were having lunch when Katie’s brothers finally showed up with their wives in tow.

Everyone shared hugs.

“It’s great to see ya sis,” Tom said.

“You too, what have you been doing?” Katie asked.

“The same,” Tom replied with a shrug referring to his work at the school board.

Katie turned and hugged her sister-in-law, Stephanie, and turned to Steve.  “What have you been up to?” she asked.

“Same here too,” he said referring to his finishing university.  He had just married his long time girlfriend, Beth, in the spring before Katie had moved.

After everyone had finished hugging, introductions were made for Dean’s sake and the men went and sat down while the women retreated to the kitchen as always.  It was the first time Stephanie and Beth had been in their husbands’ grandmother’s house and they gushed over the large kitchen but didn’t hide comments that it was ‘so old’. 

“It
is
old, but I still love it,” Katie replied.  “There’s lots I want to do with it,” she told them.

They worked together getting the turkey cleaned up and making stuffing so they could get the bird into the oven.

After they had done that, they joined the men in the living room where the conversation turned to Katie and Dean’s upcoming wedding.  Beth and Stephanie were eager to offer their assistance with anything that needed to be done—in the city.

“I could use your help right now with something actually,” Katie said, suddenly realizing that she had yet to try on the gown. 

“What can we do?” they said in unison getting up.

“Come with me,” she said.  She turned and winked at Dean before she led the two women up the stairs to the room where the gown lay on the bed still wrapped.

“I need some help trying this on,” she told them as she closed the door behind them. 

She pulled the gown gently out of the wrapping and held it up for them to see.

“It’s gorgeous!” Beth exclaimed.

“Where did you get it?” Stephanie asked as she ran her hand over the fabric of the skirt.

“I found it in the attic, it belonged to my great-grandmother,” Katie told them.  “I found a number of items up there belonging to her and so far we seem to be the same size so I’m assuming this will fit, I just can’t try it on myself because the ties in the back make it impossible for one person to put it on,” she finished.

“We’ll help,” Beth said looking at Stephanie who nodded.  They set to work opening the ties while Katie slipped out of her dress.  For some reason she was grateful she had pulled on a slip so she wasn’t completely bare. 

“I think the best way into this thing will be for you to step into it.  There are too many petticoats for it to go over your head,” Stephanie said looking at it as Beth continued to fidget with the ties.

“You may need to have these replaced,” Beth said as she fought to gently untie them and found them knotting up on her.

“I hope not but I will if I have to,” Katie replied.  “Might be something I need you to look for in the city,” she said and they all laughed.

“Okay, let’s get you into this thing,” Beth said as she finished untying the last one. 

Katie lifted her leg high over all the fabric and into the skirt, followed by the other leg.  “Wow, that was like something I did in high school phys. Ed,” she joked.

Both girls laughed at her.

“I just can’t believe how many layers of petticoats there are,” Beth said.

Katie pulled the bodice up and slipped her arms into the sleeves while Beth began to gather the ties again and pull them tight so she could do up the back of the gown. 

Stephanie stood before Katie admiring the dress some more.  “You’re going to look like you’re floating down the aisle,” she said.  “I don’t think your dad is going to fit down the aisle beside you.”

“Or Dean for that matter,” Beth piped up.  “These ties are stronger than you might think,” she said.  “There, done.”

Beth moved to join Stephanie in front of Katie and they both looked on in awe. 

“It’s breathtaking,” Beth said.

Just then there was a knock at the door. 

Stephanie opened it just a crack to see who it was first.

“Can the mother-of-the-bride have a peek at what her daughter might be wearing?” Maggie asked. “I assume that
is
what you three are up to.”

“Certainly, but you didn’t bring any men with you did you?” Beth questioned.

Maggie looked up and down the hallway.  “Nope, all clear,” she said.

They let her into the room and she stopped, stunned when she saw Katie.

“Wow, that
is
quite the dress,” she said.

“Isn’t it gorgeous?” Stephanie asked.

Maggie could only nod her head.  “When you said you were wearing Grace’s gown I thought it would be something old and plain,” she admitted when she could find the words to speak again.

“Nope, I think she picked out the best she could possibly find at the time,” Katie replied.

They admired the gown once more as Katie turned slowly in the small room. 

“It’s going to be perfect,” Maggie finally admitted.

Katie let out a sigh of relief she didn’t know she’d been storing.  Her mother’s approval meant a lot and that was the nicest thing she’d had to say about the wedding so far.  They had complained about the layout of the restaurant for the reception that morning at breakfast.  There would be people who wouldn’t be able to see everything that was going on.  Katie had tried to quell those fears saying that there weren’t going to be
that
many people there.

“Now I need to get out of this thing,” Katie said.

“Somebody get Dean in here, he’s going to need all the practice he can get,” Beth teased.

“No way,” Maggie said.  “I’ll do it if I have to.”

Beth moved behind Katie.  “I got her into this thing, I’m sure I can get her out,” she said as she began loosening off the ties periodically making sounds like she was stuck.

“I better get back downstairs and check on that turkey,” Maggie said.  She turned at the door and took another glance at Katie.  “It really is a wonderful dress,” she said before she left the room leaving Katie staring after her.

“Finally something positive about my wedding,” Katie said to them. “It’s about time.”

“Don’t mind her, she’s been having a rough time at home lately,” Stephanie told her.

“Why?  What’s going on?” Katie asked.

“Her job may be cut,” Beth informed her.

“She never said anything to me about it,” Katie said, upset her mother hadn’t shared something so important with her.

“She doesn’t want to burden you with that stuff, you can’t do anything about it anyway.  That’s what she told the guys anyway,” Stephanie told her.

Katie sucked in a deep breath.  She felt so far away from them all yet she wasn’t that far at all.  What could she do to feel closer?  “That’s not fair.”

“She’s not mad at you for moving here.  She just thinks it’s harder for you to be on your own,” Beth said.

Moments later they were leaving the room after carefully re-wrapping the gown. 

“I’ll have to find someone to clean that though,” Katie said as they went down the stairs.

“Oh for sure, get the smell of moth balls out of it,” Beth commented.

“Gee, what took you so long?” Steve asked when Beth rejoined him on the couch.

“We had a large load to handle,” she replied giving a wink to Katie.

Katie smiled and winked at Dean.  She knew he had already seen the dress.

“Hey sis, mind if we have a word with you?” Tom said.

“Not at all, what’s up?” Katie asked.  They ended up going back upstairs into the computer room where Katie pushed aside the clothes before she sat on the edge of the bed and let out a long sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked.

“I’m just tired,” Katie replied.  “So what’s up guys?”

“Well, we want to know we’re extremely happy about you getting married and we think Dean is a great guy,” Tom started. 

“Yeah, and forget mom’s attitude about everything, she’s just being stupid,” Steve said.  His ideas had always clashed with their mother’s and he was often frustrated by it.

“I heard she’s facing a job cut,” Katie pried.

“Who told you that?” they asked in unison.

“Your wives,” she retorted.

“Knew we shouldn’t have let them loose on her,” Tom said to Steve.

They laughed first before Steve got serious again.  “Yeah, but mom and dad don’t need the money.  It’s about time she retires anyway. She needs to spend time at home around the pool, doing all the things she complains she never gets done,” he said.

“Well I don’t know what to say but I can’t wait for her to leave,” Katie admitted.  “She’s been miserable about the wedding.  The only thing she likes so far is my gown,” she said swinging her arm over the bag that sat behind her, “and Dean, thank God.”

“Don’t worry about it sis, she’ll get over it.  Think she’s also having a problem with that woman thing too,” Tom said.

“Menopause?” Katie asked.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Tom replied.

“That can be serious though,” she told him.

Tom nodded.  “Yeah, tell me about it!”

“Listen guys, I want to tell you something too but mom can’t know or she’ll flip her lid, as you well know,” Katie started.

“What is it?” Tom asked.

“Are ya knocked up?” Steve asked.

Katie looked up at Steve.  “As a matter of fact I am, I’m due next April,” she told him.

“Oops, sorry,” Steve said.

“It’s okay.  It’s not like I’m upset about it.  It happened, I’ll assume it was meant to be but mom just can’t know until after the wedding.”

“You got that right,” Tom said.  “She’ll more than flip her lid.  She won’t speak to any of us for a month because she’ll somehow think it was all a big conspiracy or something!”

Steve nodded in agreement.

“So we’re cool with this?” Katie asked.

“You bet.”

They left the room and went back downstairs to join the others and found the women had left the room to tend to the turkey.

Katie was finding it harder and harder to stay awake and keep a smile on her face as they sat down for dinner and Bruce said grace.  She was so tired and could feel a headache coming on.  She was grateful that everyone except her parents would be leaving shortly after dinner and she could get back to not having to hide the fact she was pregnant.  She barely ate her dinner because she was so tired.

“Why aren’t you eating?” her mother asked.

“I’m just not that hungry tonight, it’s been a long, busy day,” Katie replied.

“Well exactly, you should be starving,” her mother chided.

“I know mom but I’m getting a headache.”  That usually shut her mother up in the past.

“You should eat something so you can take something for it,” her mother carried on knowing her daughter could only take some medications with food.

“Oh mom, she’s not feeling well, just leave her alone,” Tom finally spoke up.