Chapter 40

I was sitting and sipping my coffee when Kat came in, looking as fresh as the morning. She had on a summer dress that took my breath away. When she sat down after getting a cup of coffee, she looked up at me with a mischievous grin on her face before speaking rather loudly, I thought.

"What happened to you last night? I was all ready for some night time activities, but all I heard all night was snoring."

I must have gotten red in the face, because she and Myrna looked at each other and cracked up laughing. I did notice that Carver ducked his head as if not to draw any attention to himself. Hmm, I thought, no way was he gettin' out of this one.

"Oh, I guess I must have had too much to drink, but then again, I wasn't the only one who didn't live up to our ladies' expectations."

Myrna immediately looked at Carver with a grin on her face. Kat must have caught on, because that little girl laughter I loved so much broke out along with Myrna's guffaws at his red face. He was wise enough to just keep his head down while they had their laugh. When he was able, I got the finger and broke out in laughter myself. It was in the middle of all of this that Sally came into the kitchen looking like death warmed over. She plopped down in the first chair she came to, holding her head in her hands.

"What happened last night? I feel terrible and my head is killing me."

I almost choked into my cup to keep from laughing at her obvious misery. If she felt anything like she looked, she was more miserable than I had been when I first got up this morning. Thankfully, Myrna went on to tell her about what happened to her and Judy, and why they felt so bad. Now I had seen my daughter get upset before, but when Myrna finished, her eyes were blazing through the bloodshot look in them.

"You wait till I get back to school. Judy and I are going to make his life miserable. If any of the other girls feel like I do, we will have plenty of help. He will regret the day he made me feel like this. Myrna, can I please have some coffee this morning? I don't think tea is going to help my aching head any."

Myrna immediately poured her a cup and gave her three aspirins, along with two slices of dry toast. Sally at first refused the toast, but Myrna said it would help her feel better and settle her stomach down if she ate them. To my surprise she did as Myrna asked. When Myrna set hers and Kat's breakfast down, I almost lost it. Now let me explain that one a little. I like my eggs over easy, and Kat loves them sunny side up. I took one look at the slimy eggs, and my stomach revolted. I quickly got up, refilled my cup, and retreated to my study. I did not want to start the morning out, worshiping at the ceramic throne.

I had just settled behind the desk when Carver came in and sat down, looking a little green himself. I just smiled and sipped my coffee.

"God, Jon, I don't know how many beers we drank last night, but I haven't felt this bad since my retirement party. I thought I was ok until I watched Kat break that egg, and I knew then and there it was time to bail or end up being sick all over again. I am really hoping they don't expect us to celebrate our weddings with some local concoction they have on this island of yours. If they do, I am hiding, whether Myrna gets mad or not. I don't think I can handle another morning like this one again tomorrow."

I just chuckled at him, and then reached into the drawer and pulled out a bottle of hundred year old bourbon. I poured some in my coffee and offered him the bottle. He smiled at me and poured a stiff jolt into his cup like I had. We sat back sipping the coffee, and slowly I felt my headache going away. After the last sip of my coffee, I sipped a little of the bourbon straight. I did notice that Carver was following my lead and doing the same thing.

"Jon, I would suggest doing this with Sally, but I'm afraid it would just make her drunk all over again. I think the dry toast will work better than the hair of the dog for her."

Since I had never heard this phrase, I had to have him explain it to me. After he did, I realized we had almost the same saying in French, but it meant something entirely different.

"Jon, can I ask you a question without it sounding like I was sticking my nose into your business?"

"Sure Carver, ask, but I reserve the right to refuse to answer if I don't want to."

"Ok, why did you put your medal on Bill's coffin? I mean I know what it was, and how hard it is to get one, so why have it buried with his coffin?"

"Carver, that was the ceremonial ribbon, which is strictly used for the public ceremony and presentation when you first get it. I had the real one pinned to my uniform where it belongs. That one you can only have replaced if you have the original order awarding it to you. They keep no record, and it's up to the individual to keep the original order so he can have it replaced it he should lose it for some reason. I respected Bill, and since he served in France and Germany in World War 2, I felt he deserved the medal for his bravery. You know it was presented to a lot of the American Forces by unit over the course of the war, and it is a great sense of pride for the French that Americans fought for them during that time. To me, I was showing a friend the ultimate respect I had for him, and the help he gave me over the years I have been here. Hell, without his help and guidance, I wouldn't have Sally nor would she now be legally my daughter. Nope, the medal was only a small part of the debt I owed him."

We sat and chitchatted for another half hour. Myrna came in and said we should start getting packed and ready to leave for the airport, since Tiny would be coming with his family in about an hour. I got out the pistols I was taking and took them to my room. This time, it was my turn to get a cold shower. This morning, although I hated it, I had to admit I felt a lot better when I got out. My headache was gone, and my queasiness was missing, not like earlier when my stomach was revolting. I packed my one pistol with five extra mags in my suitcase, and put the other one on in its customary shoulder holster. Kat was watching me, but just smiled at me when I caught her watching. I finished packing and set my suitcase by hers at the door. I asked her if she had her passport in her purse. She just smiled and nodded yes. I walked over to where she was sitting on the bed and kissed her, getting weak kneed as usual by the time it was over. I got down on one knee and looked up at her with a smile on my face.

"Kat, will you marry me?"

I opened the box and offered her the ring as I finished. She took one look at it and started crying, but she took it from my hand and slipped it on her finger.

"Oh yes, Jon, I love you so much and I wondered if you would remember to get the rings for our trip."

She jumped up and told me to bring the luggage down, and out the door she went yelling for Myrna and Sally. I got back up shaking my head and wondering why she was so excited; because that was the reason we were going on this trip. I grabbed both suitcases, feeling a little let down because I hadn't got a chance to explain about the ring I had given her. I went down the steps and set the suitcases by the front door. I needn't have worried about explaining about the ring, because I had forgotten about Myrna's steel trap mind. By the time I got to the kitchen I was resoundingly kissed and hugged by my daughter and my future wife to be.

"Oh darling, I am so honored that you would give me your mother's ring for our engagement."

I must have looked a little shocked, because Myrna immediately spoke up and filled in the gap.

"Jon, I recognized that ring immediately. I didn't even know you had it. I was there the night your father gave it to your mother, and she was as happy as Kat is right now. I know how sentimental that ring is, and for you to give it to Kat shows how much she means to you."

I was poured another cup of coffee, and Sally came over and sat in my lap and hugged me. She whispered in my ear; "I love you Dad, and I hope we are all as happy in the future as we are today. I love Kat too, and I think she is just right for you."

I was hugged and kissed again, and I had to admit I liked all the attention from my daughter. When the door bell rang, she was off my lap and out of the kitchen before I could even react to the sound of it. I looked at Myrna, and she was shaking her head again. When Tiny came in, I noticed that he and Sally weren't their usual selves, and then I saw the reason why. He was accompanied by his wife and daughter. I had to look at their hands to see which was which, because they looked like twins. Myrna immediately came around and hugged them both, introducing them to the rest of us. His wife was smaller than Kat and almost as beautiful, and his daughter was almost the spitting image of her in all respects. Myrna said the women needed to talk, and for us men to go to my study and give them some time to plan. We still had about an hour before we should leave for the airport. I grabbed another coffee and cleared out of the kitchen, but not before getting another kiss from Kat.