When Tomorrow Comes (8 page)
“So I’ve been told.”
“Henry already warn you?”
Christine nodded, then began to laugh. “I consider myself thoroughly warned. I’ll depend on you to steer me through the menu.”
“Well—you can have peppered scrambled eggs or peppered stew or super-peppered chili. Take your pick.”
Christine laughed more heartily, and the young officer joined in.
They were halfway through the meal when Henry made his appearance. He didn’t even bother with an apology. Christine was feeling more relaxed as she chatted with her lunch partner. She did, however, give Henry a look of relief.
“So what’s for lunch?” he asked as he took the chair next to her. With a quick glance at the menu, then a look at Christine’s toast and tea, he asked, “Is that all you’re eating?”
Christine nodded, then lowered her voice. “With double warning about spice, I decided to play it safe.”
“It’s not that bad,” he whispered behind the menu. “What are you having, Laray?”
“Laray?” Christine raised an eyebrow.
“You haven’t met?”
“Oh yes. We’ve met. I just haven’t been told who it is I’ve met.”
Laray flushed. “Sorry,” he stammered. “I just never thought—”
But Christine waved his apology aside. “It’s okay. I should have known. You’re the one who took on the bear.”
“Actually—it was the bear’s idea. I gladly would have passed up the experience.”
Christine turned sober. “How is your arm?”
“Gets a little better all the time. Soon the fellas won’t be able to use it as an excuse to make me do all the office paper work while they cruise around in the squad cars.”
Henry laughed.
“You decided?” asked a young waitress, setting a cup of coffee in front of Henry.
“I’ll have what he’s having.” Henry nodded toward Laray and handed the menu back to the girl. “What are you having?” he asked Laray when she was out of earshot.
“The lasagna.”
“Any good?”
“Yeah, if you like spice.”
Henry took a swallow of coffee. “One thing you’ve got to say for Jessie,” he said as he put down the cup. “She’s sure not stingy with the coffee beans.”
Laray nodded. “But I sometimes wonder just how long she uses the same ol’ ones.”
“Stop it, you two,” Christine said, giving Henry a playful kick under the table.
“I forgot,” said Henry. “We’d best mind our manners.
There’s a lady present.”
Laray shot him a glance. “You told me she was your kid sister.”
“She is. My kid sister.”
“She’s hardly a kid.”
“I also told you she was to be Amber’s maid of honor— didn’t I?”
Laray shook his head. “I don’t recall anything being said about the maid of honor.”
“Well, then—meet the maid of honor.”
At Laray’s look of surprise, Christine remembered that he was the one to be Henry’s best man. It seemed they would be seeing more of one another.
For a moment Laray appeared at a loss for words. He flushed slightly, then recovered with a wisecrack. “At least I’ll be able to escort you on my good arm.”
Christine felt her own face flushing.
“Hey,” said Henry as though suddenly thinking of something. “We’re having supper with Amber tonight to go over wedding plans. How about joining us, Laray?”
Laray shifted his feet. “I think you’d better check that out with the little lady first.”
“Amber won’t mind. I’ll give her a call as soon as I get back to the office.”
“I wasn’t talking about Amber,” mumbled Laray, giving Christine a sideways glance.
Henry turned to Christine, a frown creasing his forehead. It was clear he thought of no reason for her to object.
“Fine,” she said with a lift of her shoulders. “If it’s okay with Amber, it sounds fine with me.”
Christine walked over to Amber’s barbershop that afternoon to offer to help with the supper preparations. On the way to Amber’s home, they stopped at her folks’ to pick up Danny. He lost little time in expressing his feelings over the coming marriage.
“Mama says you will be my new auntie,” he said, skipping alongside Christine.
“That’s right.”
“And I get another grandpa and grandma too.”
“You do.”
“Did you know my dad got dead?”
She hardly knew how to respond. Apparently Amber had thought it important to tell Danny the truth about his father’s logging accident and death. Christine nodded.
“I don’t remember him . . . but if he was still alive, he’d remember me.”
“I’m sure he would.”
“But he’s not—so I’m gonna get a new dad.”
“Yes, I know.”
“He’s real nice. Mom and I like him. Lots. That’s why we’re gonna marry him. I’m gonna be ring—ring what, Mom?” He stopped abruptly in front of his mother.
“Ring bearer.”
“Ring bear,” he repeated, picking up the pace again. “That’s a funny name. It just means I carry a ring on a pillow. Ring bear. I saw a bear one time. It was sorta black and sorta brown. It ran into the trees. Mom said it was scared. I couldn’t hurt a bear. It’s too big.”
Christine couldn’t help but smile. She wondered if Danny was always as excited and talkative, or if the coming wedding was making him extra energetic.
“Did you know there’s a war someplace? They’re fighting over there. With real guns. Teacher showed us on the map.”
Oh my,
thought Christine.
Why would a teacher inflict that
news on her students? Little children shouldn’t have to face such
tragedies. . . .
“Two people have gone from here,” Danny was explaining, gesturing with his hands. “Sam somebody and—and I don’t know his name. They were cowboys, but they have gone to the war. But they aren’t over in that place yet. They still have to learn how to be soldiers. To shoot their guns and things. When they learn all that stuff—then they will go to war.”
Christine inwardly cringed. Was there no way to get away from it? Did even the young have to be dragged into it? It didn’t seem right that a child had to learn so much about the wickedness of war at such a young age.
Amber must have been thinking the same thoughts. “Mrs. Wilbur told you all this?”
“Na-uh,” he said shaking his head. “Tommy did. Tommy told all us kids about it. Rebecca was so scared she started to cry. I think she thought the war was going to come here, so Mrs. Wilbur showed us on the map. It’s a long, long way away. Even over the ocean. But Rebecca says she’ll have bad dreams anyway. She always has bad dreams about something. Snakes and mean cats and even spiders. She always has bad dreams.”
Christine and Amber exchanged bemused glances over Danny’s head. At least it was a relief to know it wasn’t the schoolteacher who was filling little heads with scary stories.
“What do you think we should have for supper?” Amber asked. Christine recognized the diversion. “We’re having guests, you remember.”
“Pancakes,” cried Danny, clapping his hands.
“I’m not sure our guests would appreciate pancakes for supper. They’re better for breakfast.”
Danny looked surprised.
“I think they would rather have something more . . . more meat and potatoes.”
“Would you?” Danny turned a quizzical face to Christine. She hated to be the one to deny him his pancakes.
“I think pancakes are just fine. But I agree with your mother. Sometimes working men do like their meat and potatoes.”
He looked up at his mother. “Then if we need meat, let’s have fried fish.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have any fish right now.”
“What do you have?”
“Chicken.”
“Okay. We’ll have fried chicken,” he agreed, but less than enthusiastically.
The three entered Amber’s neat kitchen and deposited bags of groceries they had picked up on the way. Danny began to unload the contents. “Hey,” he called. “This is good.” He waved a package of marshmallows.
“Now, don’t you get into that. I need it for the dessert I’m making,” cautioned his mother.
“Not even one?”
“Not even one.”
Danny started to the cupboard with the package.
“No need to put it away. I’m going to use it as soon as I change my dress and wash my hands. Why don’t you get yourself a cookie and some milk, then you can go play with your truck.”
“Do I need to change my clothes too?”
“Please.”
“I’ll change first—then get the cookies.”
“Cookie,” corrected Amber.
Danny ran off to change.
Chatting as they worked, the two cooks in the kitchen did not take long to have the meal well under way. Christine felt she finally would have the sister she had always longed for. She wished their lives were not to be lived so many miles apart.
“You did meet Laray?” Amber wondered.
“I did. Henry invited me to the cafe
for lunch, but he stood me up. Guess Laray drew the short straw.”
“He’s a great guy. Henry really likes him.”
“He seems nice enough.”
“It was such a shame—that accident with the bear. But he’s coming along really well. Henry says he has almost all the movement back in his arm again. Not quite the strength, but that’ll come.”
Amber tasted the gravy, nodding her approval. “Not even lumps,” she said with satisfaction.
The doorbell rang, and Danny rushed through the house.
“It’s your friend, Mom,” he called.
Amber smiled. “It has been a bit of a problem deciding what Danny should call Henry until after the big day. We didn’t think ‘Dad’ was appropriate yet. And we didn’t want Henry—but anything else sounds so formal.”
“Well, it won’t be long now until ‘Dad’ will be just right.” Christine smiled at the thought of her brother as a father.
“Eight days. Can you believe it? Only eight days.”
Danny led Henry in by the hand. “He brought the other guy too, Mom,” he announced with a wave toward Laray.
“Come right in, ‘other guy,’ ” invited Amber with a laugh. “We are just dishing up.”
“I can’t wait,” said Henry taking a deep breath.
“Go ahead and be seated. It’s going to be a little tight around our small table—but we’ll manage. Laray, you can just take one of those back chairs.”
Laray thanked his hostess and slid in as directed.
All gathered around the table, and Laray was asked to say the grace. The food and the laughter and banter passed easily around the table. Even Danny was outtalked.
Christine could not remember having such a relaxed, fun evening for a very long time. After Danny was tucked in bed, the four began serious talk about wedding details. Amber pulled out a sheet of paper and drew little diagrams with stick men as she explained how she wished the entrance to the altar area to be arranged.
“Dad will not be giving me away this time. He’s already done that. He and Mom will be seated here before the ceremony begins.” She turned her eyes to Henry. “You and the minister will come in from the study door, here.”
He nodded, looking serious, Christine thought.
“Then Laray and Christine will walk in from the back— here.”
“You mean I won’t have him to prop me up?” Henry’s little quip seemed to relax him a bit.
“I thought it would be nice if they’d walk in together.”
Henry conceded.
“Then Danny and I will walk in.”
“Together?”
“He might do something—well, silly, if he comes in alone. Besides, I might need him to hold my hand.”
“That’s cute,” said Christine.
“Truthfully, I do want him with me. It’s just . . . well . . . things will change . . . after. It’s been just Danny and me for so long. One last time—the two of us. Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” Henry quickly assured her. He reached out and took her hand. Christine saw Amber’s fingers curl tightly about Henry’s. “From then on—it’s the three of us,” she promised.
Amber pulled out another list. “Here’s where I’m at. The organist—Mrs. Claire. The soloist—Clarice has agreed to sing the two songs we’ve picked, Henry. The decorations—Mrs. Boone will do them, but she’d like to have some help.”
“I’ll do that,” volunteered Christine.
“Would you? Thank you. It will really free up my day if you could help her. The cake—Mrs. Dickus is providing that.”
“Sounds like you have things pretty well worked out.”
Henry sounded impressed.
“There’s lots to do yet,” Amber sighed.
“I’ll be glad to help in any way I can,” Christine offered.
“That is what I’m here for.”
“I’m so thankful for another pair of hands—or another head,” she added with a chuckle. “The reception will be in the church hall. It’ll be a rather small affair, but there is the setting up and the arranging of the cake and the decorations and all. We’ll move the flowers from the sanctuary, but someone will need to be in charge of getting that done.”
“I can do that,” said Laray. Then with a quick look to Henry, “Okay? You’ll not be needing me then, will you?”
“Not once the photographer is done.”
“It should work,” Amber said, chewing on the end of her pencil. “We aren’t having too many pictures taken.”
On they went through the list, ticking off items one by one. By the time they had finished it was after ten. Christine was feeling very glad she had come early to help. She made her own list of the duties she had volunteered to carry through. Laray asked her to write down his jobs as well. Then Amber put on fresh coffee and served another helping of dessert, and they talked of other things.