Chapter 15

Kim's turn:

Naturally I was going to talk to Tim's mom about the wedding.

"Mizz Duncan," I said, "it's not going to be fancy. It's me and Tim, not British royalty."

"That's going to disappoint my grand-daughters," Mizz Duncan said. "But they need to see something that doesn't look like a Disney movie for a change. I'm sure it'll be beautiful. My son's in it. And a very pretty bride."

"Awwww, thank you," I said. I never considered myself 'pretty'. I thought I was pretty solid in the 'adequate' range, but Tim acts like I'm a goddess, and I'm happy with his assessment. We can be that to each other. "We have arrangements at the Unitarian Church in town. The minister will do the service and we can use their activity building for the reception."

"Who's doing the planning?" she asked.

"Right now, me. I think that Aunt Jenn is going to take over as soon as I tell her what my plans are. We'll cater some finger foods and such."

"Dress?"

"I'm not going to do that 'bridal gown' thing. Again, it's me and Tim and in another age we'd stand in front of an itinerant preacher in our every day clothes." (Later, Tim told me that his mom related this comment to him. "She's got a level head, Tim. And a sense of tradition and history. Why didn't you get one of those the first time around?")

"I'm not going be in my jeans either, though. I will wear a nice dress. Tim's got a suit I like. It's going to be sort of non-traditional, at least as far as clothes are concerned. The friends and family thing, that's pure tradition."

"Your Aunt Jenn and her friend are going to be there?" Mizz Duncan asked.

"Yes. Aunt Jenn is going to be the matron of honor and Laci is Tim's choice for best man." I said that and immediately thought I might have made a mistake, but hey!, Tim's idea.

Instead of outrage, I heard a giggle. "That's cute! Is she going to wear a tux?"

"Oh, I don't know," I said. "I've seen Laci in a dress. I think that's as far as it will go. They're not going to get all radical and campy. They have good sense about all that."

"I suppose," she said. "I've heard that females are less likely to be overt about things."

"They're just good people, Mizz Duncan. Aunt Jenn stepped up for me without a second thought. And she likes Tim. They both do."

"And then your honeymoon?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said. "We're kind of up in the air there. We could do the whole week, but Thanksgiving week is supposed to be hell for travel, so our other option is to go up the road someplace and spend a few days and get back in time for Thanksgiving."

"And naturally, if you do that, then you drag my son here for family Thanksgiving dinner."

I heard Tim's dad's voice. "You're talking to Kim?" he asked Mizz Duncan.

"Yes I am." To me she said, "I'm putting you on speaker phone. Back to her husband, "Now be nice. We're talking with Kim about wedding plans."

"I'll leave that to you and Kim," he said.

"We're past that. All wrapped up. They're talking about coming over here for Thanksgiving dinner."

"Short honeymoon," he said.

"We'll make up for it in the summer," I said. "I don't want to interfere with my schooling."

Mister Duncan laughs like his son. "Yeah ... One of the disadvantages of marrying while you're in high school, I guess."

"Yessir," I replied. "At least I graduate in May. I could have two more years."

"But you and Son are coming to dinner, then?" he asked.

"Certainly."

"What about your aunt?"

"Aunt Jenn? I don't know what she and Laci have for plans."

"Bring 'em," Mister Duncan said.

"But they're ... you know..." I said, in case he forgot.

"I know. But they're YOUR family. Bring 'em."

"Are you sure, Mister Duncan? I mean, they're..."

"So I've been told. Do you love 'em?"

"Yessir. They're my family."

"Then we married into 'em, didn't we? Bring 'em."

I was surprised. Startled. Flabbergasted. "Mizz Duncan?"

"Bring 'em. Warn them ahead of time about the rest of this gang, but we'll be happy to have them."

I squealed a little. "Oh, thank you! You have no idea how happy this makes me."

"Hon," Mizz Duncan said, "we want you to be part of this family. Families merge. And we got some relations with issues that make being lesbian look really good."

Mister Duncan laughed. "Tim says they're good people, and quick witted ones at that. I'll be happy to have them here."

"Well, let me break the news to Tim," I said. "He gets so nervous about this part."

"Tim needs to lighten up," Mister Duncan said. "He keeps worrying that we're all sensitive and we need protection from the real world." He snorted. "But we'll let you tell him."

At school the next day I talked Casey into helping me. She's quite a bit more artistic than I am, and I wanted a nice wedding invitation.

"We can totally do this," she said.

"Can you come over after school? Tim's got a computer system you wouldn't believe. Graphics out the kazoo. HUGE monitor. Latest Photoshop."

"At HIS house?"

"Don't get weird. I have a key. It just as well be MY house." I hadn't told anybody at school that I was living with Tim. This was pretty close, though.

"That's kind of strange," Casey said.

"Oh, it's not. His computer ... I like working on it. Beats my laptop." Mentally I was running inventory of our apartment, trying to remember what might give away the fact that I was living with my Tim. I'm thinking that we don't leave clothes hanging around, but there ARE two toothbrushes in the bathroom.

Then Casey says, "I'll come over after school. I need to run home first, though."

Reprieve. Not that it would be THAT big a deal. I mean, in a week or so Tim and I would be married anyway, but ... Why am I worrying about this?

"We'll knock out a sweet invitation pretty quick," Casey said. "I know some tricks."

"I know," I said. "I've seen your stuff." Casey was who you went to for flyers and ads and whatever in school. She had an artistic side, a flair, that I really envied.

The ringing of the bell jarred us both into activity and we parted ways to our separate destinations. I spent the rest of the day alternating between brief periods of attention to classes and day-dreaming about things. This isn't unusual for me. I don't really have to pay a lot of attention to things in class. I get the assignment, a quick overview of what the expectation is for the next day or two, and then I can read the stupid book. No challenge, not much, anyway.

Lately I've been looking at the online courses that some colleges offer. I started with some of the first-year things, freshman classes. No hurdle at all.

"Tim, are these the courses the news says high school kids aren't prepared for?" I asked him one evening.

"Those are the ones: Math 101, English 101. Entry level. Stops a lot of high school grads in their tracks." He sighed. "I knew a lot of 'em. They thought that college was going to be like high school where they could show up, smile, and sidestep the work and they'd get a passing grade just to move 'em on. There was a lot of disappointment."

"They dropped out?"

"Some did. Some woke up, too."

So I'm sitting in the classroom sort of viewing my fellow students and I know who's got college aspirations because 'College, yaknow!' and who's serious about learning. When you know what to look for, it's easy to see the difference.

I made it through the day, went to my locker, dropped off a few books, shouldered my backpack, and went looking for Aunt Jenn. She was in her classroom, wrapping up her own day. She looked up when I walked in, but didn't say anything, so I kept quiet while she worked on things. I whipped my iPhone (Tim got me an iPhone!) and popped off a warning text to Tim. This is the first time I've had Casey over after school, and it was HIS, no, make that OUR house. I hit 'send'. A few minutes later my phone tingled.

"I shall be the paragon of restraint while your friend is here," it said.

Like I was worried. Tim is a great guy around strangers.

When Aunt Jenn and I got home, I went straight to our (that's mine and Tim's) apartment and did a quick sterilization. Unless Casey opened closets or peeked into drawers, there is no evidence that I live here. Again, I'm not ashamed of moving in with Tim, it's just that such news would be unpleasant if it was common knowledge.

In a week? No biggie.

Phone rang. Casey. "Hi," I said. "Where are you?"

"In your parking lot. I'll be there in a minute."

"I'm standing outside the door, waiting on you." Well, I would be in a bit. I opened the front door and looked up the sidewalk. Casey strode up purposefully.

"This is it," I said. "Tim's apartment."

"And you have a key," Casey stated.

"Of course. He's my fiancé and he has a much better computer and printer. Come see!" I led her inside.

"Hmmph! Doesn't look like a den of iniquity."

"You've been reading the wrong books again, haven't you?" I laughed.

"You KNOW how everybody talks."

"Boy, don't I?" I laughed. We walked into Tim's computer room.

"You weren't lying," Casey said. "That's a huge monitor."

"He does – well – he used to do design work on it. You need a big monitor for what he did."

"This is a printer?" She was touching that big printer.

"Uh-huh. It'll do a twenty-four inch wide drawing. Engineering stuff. Like those." I pointed to some rolled drawings.

"Let's boot it up. I wanna see this," Casey said.

We were just starting to get to our task when my phone rang. I kind of squeaked, "That's Tim!" I punched the display. "Hi, baby!"

"Hey, cutie-pie," He answered. "I'm on the way. Is your friend there?"

"Yep," I said. "We just started on the invitation."

"I'm on my way. I'll talk to you when I get home. Love you, baby."

"Love you too, my guy," I said. I ended the call, turned to see Casey eying me. "What?"

"You sound so natural when you talk to him."

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked. "He's IT! And he's the same way about me."

I can read Casey's face sometimes. She's pretty obvious in her expressions. I consider it to be part of the honesty that made her my friend at school.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't confuse Tim with those guys we see at school. There's a wide gulf between them, Casey."

"We've been friends for a year, Kim," Casey said. "Of course I worry."

"You're gonna meet Tim. He's so different."

I heard 'different' unlock the front door and walk in.

"Angel?" he called.

"We're in here."

His head came in the door. "Hi, baby!" he said to me. "I guess you're Casey, then?"