Chapter 7

"We can't very well tell your mother that you're going to be my second wife, so this is how it will go. We'll go to the courthouse and get a marriage license, then we'll get a minister to marry us. We'll go tell your mother once the deed is done, and also tell her that we're leaving on the train for the west. We will travel to Waco where I have purchased the opportunity of a lifetime. I have a large cattle ranch waiting for us. She will be tearful, but she will allow us to go. We will introduce Jackie as my executive assistant ... no, make that my secretary."

I smiled as I continued. "We'll tell her that Jackie will meet up with her husband in Waco. He will be working on the ranch. That's not a lie, after all. We're just mangling the truth a bit. I'll hire the cabbie to take us to the train station once that's done. We get on the train, and once we are out of DC, we get off and transfer out."

Jackie was nodding all the while. I think she knew what I had planned would be the easiest way for us to escape Mama Sunnybrook. We all agreed that the plan was the best we could do, so I hailed a cab and assisted the ladies into it. I sat in the rearward facing seat as my two women looked forward. I gave the driver directions and we were off. We arrived at the courthouse ten minutes later. I paid the man for the ride and engaged him for the rest of the afternoon.

The marriage license was easy. The clerk took my two dollars and recorded our names. That was that. Jackie spotted the First Congregational Church diagonally across the street intersection as we exited the building. We shortly were standing in front of the rectory next to the main building. This is where the minister and his family (if he had one) lived. I knocked on the door to the cottage and was instantly greeted by a bountiful woman of indeterminate age. She brought true meaning to BBW, Big Beautiful Woman. Why, even her curves had curves. She was generously endowed ... all over.

"Yes?" she asked, in a beautiful contralto voice, "How may I help you?"

"Ma'am," I began, "I would like to engage the services of the Reverend, your husband? Or employer, perhaps?"

"Husband it is," she replied, with a laugh. "Although I sometimes feel like he's my employer. Ever since gaining..." She stopped, then continued with, "Oh, never mind about that. I'll get him. You say you want to engage him. May I inquire as to the reason?"

"Oh, a joyous one," Rebecca blurted out. "A wedding!"

"Well who's the lucky bride?" the plump beauty asked.

"ME!" Rebecca fairly shouted.

"My, my. You're an eager one, aren't you?" she laughed, "Well, come in, come in. I'll get George. He's just in his study getting his fire and brimstone ready for Sunday."

She showed us into the bungalow and directed that we take a seat in the sitting room. She excused herself and exited through the same door that we'd entered through. A slight knock was heard at that door moments later. I waited a bit and the knock became more insistent. I rose, opened the door, and gazed down on the form of the minister's wife. Behind her was what I assumed to be her husband.

"I'm sorry," she began, "That door has a tendency to accidentally latch. We are going to get it fixed one of these days when we have the money. It's been such a trial here ever since the assassination and all."

The minister gently nudged his wife out of the way and introduced himself.

"George B. Shaw at your service. I understand that there is a wedding to perform. I see we have a bride and Maid of Honor here. Is there a best man or groomsman, or are we waiting for the groom?"

I happily admitted to being the sacrificial lamb today. Mr. Shaw chuckled at that admission. He asked if we wanted to use the church or if the living area was enough. Rebecca said she didn't care; she just wanted us to hurry. I shrugged my shoulders and told the Reverend to do it right here.

He got right down to brass tacks and we were husband and wife five minutes later. I kissed the bride, Jackie kissed the bride, Reverend Shaw kissed the bride, why even Mrs. Shaw kissed the bride (And she put tongue in it, too). I handed the man a five dollar gold piece and told him to keep the change, as a donation to the good works of the church. His eyes went wide when he saw what the coin was.

Mrs. Shaw handed a small wicker basket to Rebecca. She told her to take her pick. In the basket were rings, plain bands to bands with stones and ornate carvings. Jackie and Rebecca sat down on the sofa and sorted through the basket until they found one ring.

"This one is perfect," she said. She had me slip it on her finger and the fit was really perfect. It had a design engraved into the gold that circled the band. The grooves had been filled with black enamel and the ring stood out in its uniqueness. I really didn't care as long as my wife was happy. Now that has a nice ring to it.

We thanked Mr. Shaw and went on our way. The cab was close at hand and we were on our way once more. It was a twenty minute ride to Sunnybrook farm. It seemed the traffic was against us as we wound our way through the snarls to Rebecca's home. At long last the carriage pulled to a stop. I got down and assisted the ladies. Rebecca excitedly took my hand and dragged me to the door.

She threw it open calling out "Mother! Mother! Come quick! I've news for you!"

Her mother can scurrying from the back room "What's happened, are you hurt? Have the British returned? Has the South risen again? Have they killed Mr. Grant?"

"Oh, don't be silly, Mother. I've gotten married!" she gleefully proclaimed.

"WHAT?" she screamed. "Behind my back, and without a by your leave? How dare you?"

"Calm yourself, Mother, It's that nice Mr. Fonzarelli! You remember him. He took me to the theater on that night. He came back, said he couldn't live without me, he swept me off my feet, and we were hitched before I knew it."

"Oh," she said, "I remember you. Yes, well ... I guess it's all done, anyway. So where will you be staying and where are you going to live?

"We won't be staying. The train leaves in two hours. My secretary is here, and she will help your daughter pack. The train is scheduled to leave Union Station at 5:30 sharp. I have booked a sleeper to Omaha, and then the regional lines on to Waco."

"Waco?" she asked.

"Waco, McLennan County, Texas. I've purchased a cattle ranch there, and we will be going there to operate it. It's the future for us. I will be a cattle baron. With the country moving west, we'll be there first!"

I was even convincing myself! Maybe I should buy land there. Something near the Ranger's spread. There was a good parcel just west of where they were. I'd have to look into it. It might be a better base of operations than the house where we were now. And Rebecca wouldn't be so far out of her element.

"You girls get a move on then. You've got a lot of packing and not much time. Can I get you some tea, Mr. Fonzarelli?" Mrs. Sunnybrook asked.

"Certainly, that would be delightful," I responded.

It only took them an hour to get all her stuff together. There was a handmade cedar lined hope chest that contained the articles of her dowry. She had her clothes packed into three suitcases and a valise. There were several boxes of her personal items also. I called the coachman in to load it on the carriage. Everything soon was loaded and we were ready to go.

Rebecca tearfully bade her mother goodbye. They cried crocodile tears and hugged each other. Mother demanded she write and Rebecca said she didn't know if there would be time, etc. I just stayed out of the way. The protracted goodbyes went on and on.

It got to the point where there was a time crunch, and we managed to break away. We were finally headed for the station. We got there with about ten minutes to spare. I had gotten us a private coach, so I wasn't worried. I did give the coachman quite a big tip for all the extra duties I'd assigned him. He took it in stride and asked me to ask for him at the Acme Cab Company the next time I was in DC.

We boarded the train bound for St. Louis. It would take us almost three days to get there, but hey, why not. It might be exciting. The train pulled out precisely at 5:30. We had changed our minds about the train ride by the morning. It was uncomfortable, the train stopped and started so often that we couldn't get any sleep. Well, I mean after we consummated the wedding, that is. All I'll say is Rebecca was a virgin. She was now totally sold on married life.

Food on the train, even with a private car, was up to the passengers. I had hired a cook in Philadelphia and had him purchase food. It was the best twenty dollars I'd spent to date. The food was excellent, and I knew we'd survive, but the comfort level still left a lot to be desired. Of course, we did spend a lot of time in bed on the trip, too, newlyweds, and all that. We reached St. Louis on the morning of the third day. I had decided to not use the train again.

We offloaded our stuff into a wagon cart I'd purchased. The ladies were on the cart, along with all of Rebecca's stuff. We traveled west until noon. There was a copse of trees to pull into that provided shade. A small fresh stream of water bubbled up from a pipe driven into what appeared to be a spring. I took a chance and tasted it. It was cool and clean tasting. Rebecca showed me how to unhitch the mule and hobble him. She also tied him to a picket line stretched between two trees. There was plenty of fresh grass for him to eat.

"Sweetheart?" Jackie called, "I think it's time we took a little 'time' with Rebecca."

Jackie put a strong emphasis on the word 'time' and I knew exactly what she wanted. I smiled and took Rebecca into an embrace. We kissed and I felt Jackie join the embrace. I activated the watch and we were in the attic at the house again. Only fifteen minutes had passed since we'd left. Rebecca didn't notice that we'd moved at first. She jerked with a start when she did.

"Oh," she said in a small voice, "We traveled, didn't we?"

Jackie and I laughed compassionately.

"Yes, Darling, we traveled. We are now in my time. I'm not telling you exactly when that is yet. We can work up to it. Let's just say it's in the future for now. Come with me, I want you to meet someone."

Jackie and I stayed in costume and I led her down the stairs. I was also directed in the letter to tell Mom soon. I guess there was no time like the present. I had noticed the number of trunks in the attic had more than doubled. I guessed that they were for Mom and Rebecca, so I decided to break the news to Mom.

We entered the hallway from the closet. I was leading Rebecca, with Jackie behind her. Jackie closed the closet door. We here just descending the stairs as Mom was climbing its mate to the second floor. We met at the landing.

"Oh, I didn't know we had company." Mom said.

She was dressed in her 'hippie dress' as she called it. It was long and sort of old timey looking. She wore it because it was comfortable and she could move free in the loose confines of the cloth. It didn't register as being that much different than the costumes Jackie and I were wearing or the clothing Rebecca had on.

"What's with the getup?" she innocently asked.

"Mom," I began "We have to talk. Can we go to your room?"

She nodded and we followed in a line. Mom's bed was huge and we all found a spot to sit.

"First off," I began, "I want to introduce you to Rebecca. Rebecca, this is my mother. Brace yourself, Mom, Rebecca is my wife."

It was a good thing we were on the bed for Mom's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell over on the bed. Jackie was on that side and she caught Mom and guided her limp form down. Rebecca used her hands to fan air on Mom's face and I just sat there like a bump on a log, not knowing what to do. The fainting spell fortunately didn't last long, and Mom soon came around.

"Waa, what?" she incredulously asked.

"It's a long story, Mom. It starts with the good fortune I had the day of the auction. You need to make yourself comfortable and relax. It's a long story, and I have to tell it all. There are parts of it that neither Rebecca, nor even Jackie, has heard. So, you two also need to get comfortable," I said, indicating for my wives to join Mom.

With pillows propped up and one on each side of Mom, I began the tale from the very beginning, starting with mapping out that fateful day's events. Jackie had to go pee somewhere along the way. She went to the in suite bathroom and did her business. She flushed and returned.

Rebecca had the queerest look on her face. Jackie recognized the problem right away and took the bewildered Rebecca to demonstrate the modern convenience of indoor plumbing. Mom and I just sat quietly and waited. I knew Mom had questions, but I had prefaced my talk with a promise to tell everything, and asked to be allowed to reveal it in chronological order.

Rebecca was awestruck by the toilet. She babbled on about it for several minutes until I had to resort to the only thing that would quiet her. I embraced the girl and kissed her. She quickly responded in kind. I broke off the kiss before things got too heated up and out of control, and she returned to her place beside Mom. For her part, Mother placed her arm around the young woman and pulled her close to her bosom. She did the same for Jackie who was on her other side.

I continued with my tale of adventure, not skipping or leaving anything out. I told of the letter that I said I would fetch afterwards so she could see it. I revealed its contents and told of how we had to remove Rebecca from the time line and of my decision to marry her was based on the future information in the letter. I then revealed the rest of the epistle, giving insights to my girls as to what was in store. I won't go into that here, as some of it is very personal and private. Suffice it to say that I was looking at three true believers by the time I finished.

The three women held their arms out when I was done. I crawled over the bed and into their waiting embrace. Jackie took the honors of kissing me first, thanking me for revealing what she hadn't read, and for filling her in on some of the things I'd left out before. Next came Rebecca, my wife. She passionately kissed me with a short, tongue-filled kiss, and she was the one to break in off. I was surprised and a little shocked when Mom joined in and also kissed me, full on the lips with a searing kiss. Her tongue forced its way into my mouth and she battled valiantly with mine. My two vixens were whispering encouragement into my ears all the while. Their hands were stroking my body and hers. Things were heating up in a wicked, profane, sort of way.

I needed to stop and take a breath. The women also realized it, and we separated by unspoken mutual consent. I could feel the heat of my embarrassment on my face. All three women were also flushed with color when I gazed around at them. There was more than one pair of pinpoints stretching the bodices of the dresses they wore. Most surprising of all were Mom's. Hers were more evident than either of the younger women's. I had never thought of Mom in that light until that very moment. 'Velly interesting, Lucy.' The phrase literally leapt into my mind from some Nick at Night reruns.

Momentarily at a loss for words, Rebecca spoke up. "Just a goll-derned minute, now. Jackie is supposed to be your wife, and you haven't wed her yet. That's got to be reconciled immediately!"

Deer in the headlights moment. She was right. While we had already celebrated our union several times, we never went through the formalities. A huge smile grew on Mom's face. She turned her head and whispered something to Jackie. Jackie, in turn beamed. Her smile considerably brightened the room. Mom turned her head the other way and filled Rebecca in on the secret. Everyone had been enlightened except me. I discovered the wiles of women as I waited. They weren't going to tell me!

"I'm hungry, let's eat!" Mom called out, as she hopped out of bed and scurried from the room.

The other two were right on her heels. Oh well, I guess I'll find out when I find out, and I was a tad hungry myself. There was a flurry of activity when I reached the kitchen. Jackie and Mom were making lunch while Rebecca was marveling at the wonders of a modern kitchen. Hot soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Rebecca was stuck on the idea of pre-sliced bread.

"This is just wonderful. What a novel idea. All the slices are the same size. I don't see how you could do this, but it sure would save on bread. It takes so much to make bread these days..."

She giggled when she realized what she was saying. The laughter was infectious and we soon were all chuckling at her statement. We had been born with sliced bread and never in a million years would have thought of it as a novel idea.

I showed my young bride how to correctly eat grilled cheese sandwiches. I piled the dill pickles on top of the bread one at a time with each bite, so the toasted bread wouldn't get soggy. Rebecca tried it. I had another convert to the Eugene method of Grilled Cheese Consumption. It was a big hit in our household! I barely managed to wolf down five of the sandwiches. The chicken noodle soup (Campbell's, of course) was cooked on the stove. No rubbery noodles for us. That's what the microwave does to it, plus we only add half a can of water to make it taste stronger. We fortunately had one of the large cans, so there was enough to go around.

Mom commented that our grocery bill would be getting larger. We didn't have any worries since we had the lottery winnings AND all the downtime stuff. That reminded me of the Waco excuse we'd used for Rebecca's mother. Our next trip in time would be to Waco, to visit the Ranger and purchase land there. It would be sooner than I thought.

Jackie disappeared for a few minutes when she'd finished lunch. I knew the reason when she reentered the kitchen. The clipboard was in her hand. I'm calling it a clipboard because I don't know the actual term for it. It looked like a clipboard with a fiberboard backing, but this one had two metal rings on the top. The papers were two-hole punched, and you could flip the pages over to see beneath. The stack of papers on the clipboard was about two inches thick.

Jackie handed it to me and I reread the letter out loud so the women could hear the entire thing. I found a new section when I got to the end. It told me not to return to DC in 1865 or the foreseeable future. It must be something we were contemplating. I found out shortly that was true.

"It's time you and Jackie got married, Sweetheart. Let's take a little trip, but I need clothes, so what am I to do?" Mom asked.

"I noticed there were quite a few more trunks when we returned with Rebecca, so I would imagine there are clothes for you up there, too. Jackie can take you up to get changed. I'll stay down here and clean the kitchen up."

The two women left Rebecca and me to our task. I washed and Rebecca dried. I didn't use the dishwasher because there were so few things. We talked about our future while we worked. I assured her that we would always be together and that we would prosper. I knew a lot about history and events that would keep us happy and safe. I knew not to sail on the Lusitania or the Titanic, for example. I knew Secretariat would win the Triple Crown. I knew to by Apple stock when it hit seven dollars in the 1990s. I knew to take all my money out of the stock market in September 1929, and to buy stock in 1933. I knew that Waco would be going through the depression in the US, but that big spreads like the Ranger's place would not have any troubles.