Chapter 13

When I awoke the next morning, Dana was not in bed. I listened, but I couldn't hear the shower or any other sounds of her in the apartment. I jumped out of bed and went looking for her. I found her on the living room sofa, curled up in a ball, a small blanket covering her shoulders, her eyes closed in sleep. I had no idea when she had left the bed, but I knew this was a sign of her being upset. I needed to do something. In my restless sleep, an idea had come to me and I latched onto it. We would go to Hawaii now ... get away from here now ... let the pros Tom had hired look after her father. I needed to get her out of harm's way. I didn't think her father had the resources to get to Hawaii. She would be safe there.

I must have stood gazing at my beautiful Dana for some minutes before I moved. I didn't want to wake her. She needed sleep and she needed safety. I went to the fridge and pulled out the apple juice carton and poured myself a glass. I found the coffee and set about making a fresh pot. I checked on Dana again and she was still asleep. I was hungry and downed a banana while I scrounged around looking for some cereal. I was halfway through my cereal when Dana appeared in the doorway. She looked like she had suffered a bad night. I stood and went to her.

I held her for a few moments, not saying anything. She had her head on my shoulder and was quiet as well. I didn't detect any tears or sobs, so I guessed that she was just waking up. I felt her move and stepped back to look at her.

"You okay?" I asked quietly.

She nodded with the slightest of smiles. "I just needed some time to think. I'm okay now."

"Good. Let me get you some breakfast."

"Thanks, I didn't sleep very well. I haven't got a lot of go-power this morning."

"The usual?"

She nodded again and sat at the kitchen table.

I poured her an apple juice, put two slices of whole wheat in the toaster, and took the margarine and preserves out of the fridge.

"Coffee?" I asked.

"Please ... black."

I poured the coffee and sat down at the table with her. "I was thinking, Dana. I want to give you your Christmas gift early. I was planning to take you to Hawaii for ten days. I think we should go early. Your dad can't bother us there," I explained.

She looked up in surprise. "Hawaii? You're serious? You were going to take me to Hawaii?" I saw a lovely big smile cross her face and knew that Jenny's suggestion had hit the target.

"Yep. Just you and I and sun, sand, surf, and sex."

"Oh, Vin. That sounds wonderful. "When?"

"How about next week?"

"But ... next week is Christmas. We can't go then. Your parents ... your family." She was obviously upset. She was putting my family ahead of her own safety.

"Dana, your safety is more important to me than anything. It's a small thing to sacrifice a Christmas for that."

"No Vinnie ... No! It's not a small thing. Not when it's family. That's more important. Don't you see?" she pleaded.

I looked at her carefully and she didn't appear to be giving an inch. If it was that important to her, then I'd have to make sure she was safe until we could leave. I would have to talk to Tom and see what we could do to protect her.

"OK, Dana, you're right. I owe my family a lot. Besides, I haven't told Mom and Dad about us and I think that's the next thing we should do."

"Yes, and then ... after that ... well?"

I knew I was supposed to be getting a message here, but it wasn't coming through loud and clear. Then, the light went on.

"Oh ... yeah ... a ring," I said sheepishly.

"Yeah ... right ... a ring."

"So ... what do you say we play hooky for a couple hours and go see my parents and then go look for a ring?"

She smiled. "I think you're finally catching on."

I was both excited and nervous as we drove to my parents' home. They weren't expecting us, but I knew they would be home. I wasn't nervous about Dana simply because my family had made it plain they approved of her. I was uncertain because I didn't know quite what to say. At the same time, I had no intention of telling them about the danger to Dana from her father. Tom and I could handle that, but I'm not sure Mom or Dad could. I wasn't about to find out.

I rang the door chime, and I could hear Mom coming across the slate floor at the entrance. She could see out the glass panel beside the door and probably recognized Dana and me before she opened the door.

Mom gave me a quizzical look. "Good morning, Dana ... Vincent. This is an odd time for you to visit." "Come in, please."

I saw Dad standing in the living room with a funny look on his face and I wondered what that was about. We walked to the kitchen and Mom offered us coffee. We both accepted – anything to give me more time to think of what to say. Finally, I couldn't stall any longer.

"Uhhhmmm ... Mom ... Dad ... I uh ... I wanted you to know ... I uh ... asked Dana to marry me and she said yes," I finally blurted out.

The look on my mother's face was priceless. It was shock and joy and tears and surprisingly, wordless. She just walked to Dana and hugged her and whispered something to her and then came to me and hugged me and whispered congratulations. The look on my father's face was inscrutable. It was like he knew and it was old news. Had Tom told him? There are times when my Dad might not be the most aware guy, but in this case, I had my suspicions.

Anyway, it was a time for happiness and I could see that Dana was relieved that she had been so completely accepted. I think she wanted this family to be hers as soon as possible. It was something she had done without for a very long time, and something she wanted very badly.

We sat and talked about when the wedding might be. At that point, I knew Mom would take over and she and Dana and probably Jenny would start to plan everything. I assumed that I would just have to show up. We had just gotten to that stage when the door chimes rang again. It was Jenny, making her usual twice weekly visit. It took about ten seconds for Mom to spill the beans, followed by cries from Jenny of "What!" and "Really?" as she hurried into the kitchen.

"Oh congratulations, you guys. This is great news. I'm so happy for you both," she gushed, wrapping her arms around Dana and then me.

Pretty quickly, the conversation deteriorated into 'girl talk' and I headed for the living room with Dad. I was curious just what he knew and when.

"So, Dad ... you don't seem surprised," I said.

"I know youuu, Vih ... nnee," he began laboriously. "Whannn youuu reeely wan sum ... thing ... youuu doann quit." He said it with a smile. He had been watching my pursuit of Dana, and when we came to the door together today, in the middle of a work day, he figured it out right away. His stroke hadn't dulled his mind at all.

"Immm veh ... ree happ ... eee for youuu boa ... th," he said with his lopsided smile.

I walked to him and embraced him. As much as I knew I had to please Mom, I was even happier that Dad thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't have to worry about Tom or Jenny because I already knew they approved. Now it was just a matter of finding out when I was getting married. I was sure either Dana or Mom would tell me.

Mom wasn't in any rush to have us go, but when I explained that we had to go shopping for a ring, and that we were stealing time from our company, she reluctantly agreed after extracting a promise that we would come for dinner that night. It would be a family gathering with Tom and Jenny and the kids, and we would all celebrate welcoming Dana into the Blanton family. Dana had a smile as big as all outdoors and it hadn't left her face the whole time we were in the house.

I was informed that it was going to be a proper church wedding, and the reception would be at Mom and Dad's house. The ceremony would be in May, and I gathered that it would be in the same church where Tom and Jenny got married.

Dana was just bubbling after we left my folks' place. She was on a high from my family's easy acceptance of her and we were off to find a ring to make it all official. In the back of my mind, I wanted to talk to Tom about her father and what we might do to protect her from him. I would have to find some time to talk to him tonight without arousing suspicion of either Dana, Jenny, or my folks.