Chapter 1

I turned and looked back down the aisle at the beautiful woman walking slowly toward me, her father on her arm. She was radiant in her lovely white bridal gown, and her father was handsomely attired in his formal tuxedo. The organ music played the traditional theme in the background while everyone in the church watched in anticipation. I glanced quickly at Frank and Mom, sitting in the front row, smiling happily at me. Mom's cheeks were streaked with tears, but I knew they were the tears of her happiness.

Today, my dream would come true. I felt like I had been waiting for this moment since I was a kid when I first met my future bride. Penny Lane was only a few feet from me now, and in a very short time, we would be man and wife. I was rigid with both excitement and raw nerves. I had come through some harrowing scrapes in my flying career without feeling quite as uptight as I did at this moment. I knew my nervousness was a sign of just how important this moment was to me. I looked down to make sure my dress whites were perfect and that my fly wasn't open. I looked up and she was there, in front of me, smiling through her tears.

I was about to enter a whole new world. I reached out to hold her hands as the minister conducted the ceremony. I don't think my eyes left her for the entire time that he read the well-known script that would confirm our commitment to each other. When we had parroted the words, answered the questions, and said our "I Do's," I pulled her gently to me, wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her with all the passion I felt for her. A life-long desire had now come to pass, and I was the happiest man on earth. It hadn't come easily, however.