Alexandra didn't want me to marry Jean Graham. For one, she was from Montgomery; a city girl. My sister has always felt that girls brought up in small towns had been brought up on the best of values where as the city girls were always questionable at best, no matter which daughter's father was a member of the country club. Jean is a very attractive woman and while I wouldn't call her vain or conceited, she didn't try to hide it, either. That was another thing that rubbed Alexandra the wrong way. She always believed that a woman, no matter how ugly or pretty, should be demure. Back to family upbringing, her family background is a rather liberal, progressive one; so much so, that they believed that their only daughter should have an education as well as her brothers. Alexandra sneered at the fact that Jean was a college graduate. She wondered what in the world she could learn about life at school that she couldn't learn at home.

I married her anyway. We got married in the backyard of Finch's Landing just like many generations of men in my family had done before. It was a beautiful day with the hot sun beating down on the weeping willows that gave the stale summer air a hint of sweetness and helped turn the lazy river into a shimmering turquoise blue. My bride shocked my conservative family by wearing a white flapper-style dress. The moment she walked to me was the moment I looked over at my brother Jack and gave him a wink. He would have liked to have had someone like her but he doesn't have any hard feelings over her choosing someone like me. I kissed her cheek before the minister began and I just knew I wanted to get this over with because I couldn't wait to kiss her again. We said what we needed to say, I slipped the ring on her finger, and then she was mine. The kiss I had been wanting to give her at the end told her everything I should have said instead of those tedious, ruly vows.

Our ceremony was one o'clock in the afternoon but from two o'clock on, it was one big party. We danced, we talked, we laughed, we ate, we cried; everything. With every passing emotion was tied with one constant emotion which was overwhelming exhaustion. Planning this special day is a special kind of stressful and as much as I love my wife and my family, I just wanted to be done. Yet, when the sun went down, and the stars came out, and everybody started to go home, I didn't know what to do. It was still hot outside and my starched tuxedo was starting to wilt and dare I say smell. When it looked like all was clear, I had decked out and made my way to the lazy river. I stripped down to nothing and took a dive into the warm water. I swam the breaststroke for what seemed like good five minutes before I came up for air. I let a breath of relief out when I heard something get in the water. I whipped my head around to see my wife swimming her way out to me.

"Want some company, Mr. Finch?" She asked with a devilish grin.

"Mrs. Finch," I said. It felt good to say it. "How did you find me here?"

"I like to think I know my husband," she replied as she wrapped her arms around my neck and wrapped her legs around my torso. She, too, was as naked as a jaybird. I began to laugh.

"What is so funny?"

"What if we get caught?"

"It's our night," she scoffed. "We can do what we want."

"You're right."

I spun her around gently and enjoyed the sensation of her body against mine. I've wanted this for a long time.

"I've never felt so good," Jean said, sleepy.

"I'll say."

"Atticus Finch!"

"Hey, I'm just agreeing with you," I told her as I kissed her neck. She giggled.

"We're going to have the best life."

"We'll make it the best."

"You know what makes me happy?"

"What?"

"That we don't even have to wonder if we are happy."

"Then we're off to a good start."

So that was the real beginning of our marriage: We were newlyweds, skinny-dipping in my family's riverfront property, and we were blissfully happy. If only we could have stayed that way for the rest of our life...