Chapter 33

DENNIS STOOD BESIDE TOM and Peg stood beside Dot as Rev. Donnelly conducted the wedding. It was small, but all the couple’s closest friends were in attendance, including Dennis’s girlfriends and their parents or grandparents when they were available. Elsa Brown joined Peg next to Dot and State Trooper Ray Lenin was next to Dennis. Several other members of the State Police and the County Sheriff’s office were also present.

Perhaps the most surprising guests were Dot’s parents, who had managed transportation from their retirement home in Sioux City, over two and a half hours away. Dennis was thrilled to have his grandparents there. He’d talked to them before his graduation and agreed that he’d much rather have them attend his mother’s wedding than his commencement.

The height of the ceremony was Peg singing Ave Maria, chosen because it was her mother’s favorite of all the pieces she sang in church. Everyone in the church stood through the singing, simply because it was so beautiful.

And Peg glowed when she sang. There was never a question about how much she loved singing for Jesus.

“Margaret, I simply had no idea how beautifully you could sing. I was moved to tears.”

“I sing to Jesus, Gramma. He always listens.”

“Yes, my sweet, he does always listen. Come. Do you know ‘Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring’?” her grandmother asked.

“Mmmhmm. It’s pretty.”

“Come and sing with me.” Gramma and Peg went to the piano in the front of the church while people were still gathered at the door to greet the newlyweds. What they soon heard drew everyone’s attention to the front of the church and they all listened in awe as Peg’s voice rose and her grandmother accompanied on the piano and harmonized with the music.

When the music finished, Peg and her gramma sat together on the piano bench and hugged each other.

“I didn’t know Gramma could sing like that,” Dennis said as they sat at the reception in the basement. It was a simple affair catered by the women in the church.

“I haven’t heard her sing in years. When I was little, she would sing all the time,” Dot said. “When I first heard Peg sing, I felt like a little girl listening to my mother again.”

“We learn so much in such strange times,” Dennis said. He looked over to where his grandparents were sitting with Peg and were engaged in a conversation about favorite songs they loved. Occasionally, they would break into a few measures of perfect harmony. Peg was in heaven to be able to share this with her gramma.

“Do you sing, Ms. Dottie?” asked Natalie.

“Oh no, dear. I guess that talent skipped a generation. I sing when I feel my voice will be well concealed by the rest of the congregation.”

“Where are you going to honeymoon?” Brenda asked.

“Well, we’re just going to take a few days and drive up to Minneapolis,” Tom answered her. “We don’t want to be too far away.”

“I’m sure Peg will be fine with the Browns,” Dot said. “But it’s still nice that we won’t be too far away.”

Just then Peg came up to their table, beaming with happiness.

“Mommy/Daddy, Gramma will sing with me in church tomorrow morning!” she exclaimed with glee. “Will you wait to go ‘mooning until after church?”

“Yes, honey. I think we can wait until then. I’d love to hear you sing with Gramma,” Dot said after a quick glance at Tom.

“It’s not even three hundred miles up to Minneapolis,” Tom said. “We don’t need to leave until after church.”

Dennis lost the rest of the conversation as he sank into thought. It wasn’t about the wedding or the honeymoon. His mind was replaying Peg’s greeting. “Mommy/Daddy.” His sister had completely accepted Tom as her new daddy. It suddenly seemed so soon after his father’s death. It had been almost two and a half years, but just now it felt like it had only been yesterday.

He felt a tear at the corner of his eye and took a deep breath to fight it off. Next to him, Lana reached up with a corner of her napkin and dabbed at his eye. He turned and smiled at her. She nodded as if she understood exactly what he’d been thinking.

He thought about his own response to Tom. He hadn’t hesitated to call his stepfather when he was in trouble at the athletic pavilion. But was he really a father figure to him? He respected Tom. He liked him. He was happy his mother had found love and company after the hard life they’d lived, and knew that his father would approve, too.

But when Dennis needed to talk to someone—thought of what man he was closest to—it was Lana’s father, Randy, who immediately came to mind. He stood up.

“I need to circulate around and visit some of the other guests,” he said. His mother smiled at him and nodded her thanks.

He did visit with several other guests, including some of Tom’s colleagues and the deputy who had rescued him at the pavilion when the thug was bringing his gun around to Dennis. Eventually, he found himself standing next to Randy. The Armors were next to him and Natalie’s father nodded greetings as well.

“Doing okay, son?” Randy asked. That was the key Dennis was looking for. He breathed a huge sigh and nodded. It was all okay. Peg had a new daddy, but in a very real way, so did Dennis. That they weren’t the same man made little difference.

The arrangements were a little confusing. Dennis took his grandparents to his little home and got them settled. Peg had insisted she wanted to be there, too, so there really wasn’t an opportunity for Dennis to have one or more of his girlfriends stay with him that night. He got Peg settled and then found his grandfather looking through the cabinets in the kitchen.

“Whatcha hunting for, Grampa?” Dennis asked.

“I know your mother must have some little something to drink here. Will always had something squirreled away,” his grandfather said.

“Up here,” Dennis said, reaching into the cabinet over the refrigerator where his mother kept her bottle of sherry. He got glasses and poured his grandmother and grandfather a drink. He made tea for himself and joined them in the living room as they watched a Saturday night comedy show.

“So, twelve girlfriends?” his grandfather said.

“Um ... Only five now,” Dennis said, realizing how ridiculous it sounded to use ‘only’ in front of such a statement. His grandfather laughed and his grandmother smiled and shook her head.

“Only five. How will you survive?” Grampa said. “And you have none with you tonight? What’s wrong?”

“Um ... We didn’t want to seem disrespectful. Having Peg decide she wanted to come here instead of to the Browns’ tonight, changed our plans a little. We were going to leave the house to you, but Peg can be a handful if her nighttime routine is disrupted. She’s gotten better, though. I think having Tom around has really helped her settle since Dad died.”

“A sad day that was,” Gramma said. “If I hadn’t been so ill at the time, we’d have been here with you. I hope you realize that.”

“I do. I’m just glad you recovered so well.”

“The treatments still take a lot out of me, but I’m getting stronger all the time.”

“Now about these girlfriends,” Grampa said. “Call them and have them come over. Can you do that? I met so many people at the church today, I’m sure I don’t remember which were your girlfriends.”

“Um ... If you’re sure. I think they are still all over at Amy’s. I’ll call.”

Dennis made the call and fifteen minutes later, even Ardith joined the party at Dennis’s house. So, to his surprise, did Gransy.

“Ah ... Don’t tell me you are a girlfriend, too?” Grampa asked.

“No. I’m more like a den mother,” Gransy laughed. “These six keep me young.”

“I think they’d age me. How do you keep up?” Gramma asked.

“They’re pretty good at moderating themselves. But you know. Sometimes one of them needs a Band-Aid and a kiss to make it better.”

“So, you are all planning to live together, from what Dottie told me,” Grampa said. The girls had all fixed their own evening drinks, ranging from pop to tea to hot cocoa. They looked at Dennis to answer.

“Yes, sir,” he said. He hadn’t anticipated a cross examination this evening and wished he’d poured himself a glass of sherry. “Um ... Ardith and Brenda are already at Salter U. The rest of us will join them there this fall.”

“You’re college girls?” Grampa asked, looking at Brenda and Ardith. Ardith scrunched down a little.

“Um ... Sort of,” Brenda responded. “Well, I’m going to be a junior next year, but with the AA degree Dennis earned at DMACC, he’ll be considered a first year junior, too. Um ... Ardith...”

“I’m a little older,” Ardith finally said. “I coach the women’s basketball team at Salter. I used to be a teacher at Bartley.”

“Ah. I’m beginning to see the situation,” Grampa said. “I suppose that now Dennis and the other girls have graduated, they’re fair game.”

“Grampa, that’s not a good way to phrase things. Ardith isn’t a predator. She moved away to keep any possibility of inappropriateness away. And we still aren’t able to express any affection. Except Brenda can because she graduated two years ago,” Dennis said.

“I didn’t mean that as negatively as it sounded,” Grampa said. “Sorry. Sometimes I let my old man inside do the talking instead of the young man who envies you all.”

“That’s the truth,” Gramma said. “I happen to love the old man, though. He’s a little hard to handle when he forgets his age. Now let’s have no more judgmental comments. We wanted to meet you all because Dottie considers you all her children and that makes you our grandchildren. I love having such a big family at last.”