Chapter 5

Kyle spent August at Fort Leonard Wood Missouri attending his ROTC summer camp training instead of going to Fort Benning as he had done the previous summers. Once again his leadership skills and military presence enabled him to be named the Outstanding Cadet which assured him of a regular commission once he graduated, a designation highly desired and prized by his fellow cadets. It virtually assured him of a career in the Army if he so chose. It also made the General very pleased. The schedules were such that he was only able to spend three days at home in Stillwater with his parents before needing to return to the campus for the start of his senior year. He dropped by the Meyers' residence to say hello and pay his respects to Melody and Sue-Ellyn. Stephanie had already returned to her apartment at the University.

The fall term started and once again, Kyle's schedule allowed for little social life or free time. He was still ranked among the highest in his class overall, and was second in his engineering class among a field of nearly three hundred engineering seniors. If he maintained his grade point, he would graduate with the highest honors, something that made everyone who knew him very proud. His relationship with Amy Wagner seemed to deteriorate with each meeting. It was warm at the beginning of the term, but by Thanksgiving it was beginning to match the outside temperature. She invited him to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving, but he was behind on projects and had to decline so that he could work in his lab to get caught up.

"I suppose that 'she' is going to stay here as well," she said, referring to Stephanie.

"I don't know what 'she' is going to do, nor does it matter. I must stay here to finish this work, and I will probably end up spending all night and all day in the lab."

Frustrated with her inability to win his heart exclusively, she continued, "Do you sleep with her, too?"

He chose to not answer that question but responded in a frustrated tone, "Amy, I do not know what has caused you to become so bitter and so possessive of me. I am no psychologist or anything like that, but it appears to me that you have allowed jealousy to cloud your good judgment and your actions. For a year or more, instead of trying to build up our relationship, you have spent our every moment together trying to tear down another one. We talked about it last Spring, and I really hoped that you would see the error of your efforts, but it doesn't look like you have. I am really sorry to say this to you, but it's simply not fun anymore to be around you. Instead of feeling better when I am with you, I become more stressed and tense. That's not good for either of us, and I am not going to allow it to continue. I'm sorry, Amy, but I am not going to see you anymore. Goodbye."

He turned, walked out of her room and closed the door behind him. Amy Wagner chose not to return to school following the Thanksgiving break.

During the Christmas break, Stephanie invited him to go skiing in the U.P. It had been many years since Kyle had been on skis, or even had time to think about skiing, but it sounded like it would be a good time and a great way to exorcise his stress. The snow was dry and fresh, the trails well groomed and the air cold and crisp. Those were ideal conditions for skiing and they had a wonderful time. Off the slopes, in the chalet, they met many other young people and spent most of their evenings sitting around the large fireplace drinking and talking about college, life and whatever. Stephanie's beauty had been well established since before Kyle had met her in high school, but the fresh air and exercise gave her face a special radiance. Her smile was genuine, and she mixed well with everyone there. Kyle, sitting with some other guys at the bar, watched Stephanie as she chatted with several girls, completely comfortable in the presence of relative strangers. It occurred to him as he sat and watched her just how much he admired her, how happy he was when he was with her, and now today he finally realized how proud he was to be with her.

"Kyle! Kyle! You still with us buddy?" One of the guys sitting next to him at the bar with him asked. "Are you off in 'La La land' or something? We've been talking to you and you haven't said a word."

"Oh, sorry. I guess I was deep in thought about something else."

"What's so serious?"

"I was just watching Stephanie, how she talks to everyone and smiles all the time and how pretty she is and how much I enjoy being with her and..."

"Sounds to me like somebody's in love. What da ya think fellas?"

"Yup!" one of the others teased, "He's completely hopeless now. Gone forever. Another bachelor bites the dust. He just hasn't tied the knot yet."

"When are you going to ask her?" another chimed in.

"We're not ready for that yet?" was this only thing Kyle could say.

"Oh, right! He's not ready fellas. Nope! Not him."

"Kyle," the most serious of the guys said, "If you think you're not ready to ask her, you're the only one in this room, guys and girls combined, who thinks that. Everyone here has commented at sometime this week about you two as a couple. She may as well wear a sign that says 'I'm his' around her neck, and you, ya big dummy, walk around in a daze whenever you're with her."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Gee, is there snow outside?" which brought chuckles and laughter from the others.

Thankfully, somebody changed the subject and the conversation moved away from marriage.

Kyle could only grin, but their words started him thinking. His life had been so intense since joining the army and beginning college that he had never allowed himself the time to relax or the mental space to think about anything other than the immediate task at hand. This vacation, and especially the ski break with Stephanie, was really the first time in years that he could actually relax. He began to reflect on the past four years and on what may lay ahead. That night, as they lay in bed, Kyle's thoughts wouldn't allow him to sleep.

"Stephanie, have you ever thought about what you want to do after you graduate?"

Alarms bells went off in her head. Just seconds ago she had been drowsy but her feminine instinct said it was time to wake up and be alert.

"Well, yes, Kyle, I want to teach school somewhere."

"Any place in particular?"

"No, I haven't decided that yet."

"I mean, do you want to go back to Stillwater and teach or what?"

Oops, trap question. Better not answer that one, she thought. "What brought this up?"

"Well, I know what I am going to be doing after I graduate. I don't know where, just yet, but I know it won't be Stillwater."

"Yeah, and so?"

"Well, I was thinking that I was going to miss being with you next year, I mean, with you being in college still and me being in the Army."

"There are times, Kyle Monson, when you demonstrate just how clueless you are about some things. Has it ever occurred to you that for the past three summers, I have been in summer school and that every term, I have taken extra hours just to catch up to you? I will graduate this June with you."

"You will?" he said, truly astonished. It was just another example, he thought to himself, of how immersed in his own studies that he had been that he was almost oblivious to the others around him.

"Yes, I will. What brought this on?"

"I was sitting there with the guys at the bar, and I was watching you..."

"Okay."

"and I watched how you seemed to be having such a good time with the other girls, and how comfortable you seemed to be with them, and how pretty you looked."

She knew just the right moment to say nothing. The silence was deafening, but she waited for him to continue. Kyle was thinking about how to continue this conversation.

"The guys started teasing me abut being in 'La La land'. Did you know that everybody here talks about us?"

"No," she said questioningly. "What do they say?"

"I guess just comments about how nice a couple we are and things like that." He wasn't going to tell her that they thought he acted as if he was in a daze when he was with her.

"We are a nice couple, Kyle."

"And that made me think about next year, and how much I was going to miss you and stuff."

"Miss me, or miss sleeping with me?"

"No! No! Miss you. Miss being with you and talking to you and just holding your hand and seeing you and all kinds of things."

"You know, we don't have to be apart, Kyle."

"That's what I was beginning to wonder about. Of course, I didn't know about you graduating this year, either. That changes a lot of things."

"How so?"

"Well, now I don't have to worry about that anyway."

"You're not making any sense."

"Well, I'm a bit confused myself. Have you ever thought about getting married?"

She had to be careful here. "Certainly. Every girl thinks about getting married."

"No, I mean to me."

"Are you asking me if I will marry you?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"No guessing. That's a yes or no question sir."

He sat up in bed, looked at her seriously and said, "Yes, I am asking you if you will marry me after we graduate this Spring. Stephanie Meyers, will you marry me?"

"Yes, Kyle, I will marry you whenever you want, in the Spring or right now." She threw her arms around him and kissed him so hard she almost pushed him out of bed. Their lovemaking that night was particularly exuberant.

When they awoke in the morning, Kyle kissed her tenderly. "Do you remember our conversation last night?"

"You mean when you asked me to marry you and I said yes?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Yes, I remember it well, why? Are you going to back out?"

"No! No! I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't dreaming."

No, you didn't dream it," and she started on him again. When they finally emerged from their room about noon, Stephanie was having quite a hard time walking, and an even harder time sitting. For the first time with Kyle, she had offered, or more less insisted that he avail himself of all of her opportunities. It had been years since she had felt that; perhaps she was not as relaxed as she should have been. For most of the afternoon she quietly complained about her sore bottom.

At dinner that evening, the discussion was more practical. "I suppose I should buy you a ring, huh?"

"That is the tradition."

"Should we get it in Stillwater or go into the city or what?"

"I don't care, but I think we can trust the jeweler in Stillwater to treat us fairly and honestly."

"Okay, we'll do that when we get home."

That evening, their last at the slopes, Kyle stood up in front of the group and announced to one and all that he had asked Miss Stephanie Meyers of Stillwater, Wisconsin to be his bride, and that she had graciously accepted his offer. On their way home, they stopped at the Stillwater Jewelers and selected a solitaire ring for her finger. The owner of the store remembered Kyle from his picture in the news article about his medal. He was, he said, honored to be selected as the store to provide the perfect ring for her finger. The jeweler, without being asked, offered a much larger stone to replace the one they had selected.

"The difference in value will be the evidence of my appreciation to you for what you did for those other young men." he told Kyle.

They went first to her house to tell her sister and mother and then to his. Everyone was thrilled for both of them. Later that evening, in her room, Melody Meyers said a series of prayers of thanks for blessings received. Perhaps, she thought, he has forgiven her as well. It was the first time she had prayed since the funeral.

Their final semester went quickly. Stephanie went home many weekends to plan the wedding and buy a dress, but was unsuccessful in that effort. Finally, during the spring break, the three Meyers women flew to New York, traveled the avenues and found the absolutely perfect dress for her.

Kyle had written the General to tell him of his engagement, and the response was a hearty congratulations and a promise of a drink when they were next together.

On the bottom of his note was a post script which said, "I know it is traditional that your wife pins the bar on your shoulder at commissioning, but I wondered if you would be too embarrassed if this old general asked if he could pin on the other one?"

Kyle immediately called Stephanie. "The General wants to come up for my graduation and commissioning." He was ecstatic!