Loves Journey: Chapter 1
Lee's Apartment
Lee awakened to the sound of raised voices outside his apartment door. Lee glanced at the clock to see what time it was. The LCD clock read three thirteen. You have got to be kidding! Lee thought to himself glancing over at Amanda who was still asleep. Lee stood up and walked towards the front door, poised to open it and have a discussion with whomever it was, but the noise stopped. After waiting a few more moments for any further noise, Lee went to the bathroom and then returned to bed. He laid there, his eyes directed upon Amanda, his arms gently reaching out and pulling her into an embrace.
If things went well, this time three weeks from now, they'd be married; staying at a hotel, and laying in abed together just like this.
"Stetson, what are you doing awake?"
"Oh, Amanda, did I wake you?"
"No, hmm, I'm not sure," she rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, well someone was in the hall making noise—"
"Oh, I didn't hear a thing."
"I see that."
"I was having the most amazing dream," Amanda said.
"And what dream was that?" Lee asked.
"That I was going to get married," Amanda answered.
"But we are getting married."
"Well, I know that. But in this dream, there was talk about eloping," Amanda scratched her chin.
"Amanda, don't you remember, we said last night that we would elope?"
"Did we?" Amanda cocked an eyebrow at Lee, but then smiled at the worry lines on Lee's face.
"Amanda?"
"I remember," Amanda said reaching out and rubbing Lee's eyebrow.
"Amanda King, you are—"
"But I am having trouble with some other details about last night…"
"Oh yeah?"
"Something about being in someone's strong arms that were wrapped around me."
"What happened?"
"Well, I can't completely remember," Amanda said as she turned in Lee's arms to face him.
"I might be able to help you with that, remembering I mean," Lee replied as his lips claimed hers, his hands moving down her back.
Amanda returned Lee's kiss as her hands sought to reciprocate Lee's touch. "I figured you could."
Sometime Later, Lee's Apartment
"Lee Stetson, just what are you saying?" Amanda asked as she and Lee sat in the living room drinking coffee. Amanda just finished eggs and toast; they both were on their second cup of coffee. "That besides picking out the place for the reception, I am supposed to do everything else, the food, the flowers and—"
"Yeah, that's right," Lee said with his arm around Amanda's waist.
"Lee, you are going to help with some of the arrangements, aren't you?"
"I'm working on getting the location, aren't I?"
"I thought Billy was taking care of that…"
"Yeah, but I have to oversee things."
"Lee Stetson, you are incorrigible!"
"Besides I'm taking care of the other most important detail of our weekend…"
"And, what would that be?"
"The honeymoon of course," Lee said cheekily.
"Lee, you are driving me crazy."
"I am, am I?" Lee replied.
Amanda grabbed one of the nearby pillows and hit him on the head with it.
"I'm only kidding. Of course, I'll help out." Lee laughed.
"Mother actually wants to do most of it."
"If it makes her happy, why not let her do it?"
"I am mostly, but I'm keeping my eyes on her or our little list of forty people will be four hundred people."
"You're right," Lee replied back.
Amanda's House
"Amanda Jean King, you have to be kidding. You mean to tell me that after being first separated and then divorced all this time, you finally decide to remarry and you decide to elope?"
"Well, Mother, Lee and I really felt as though we didn't want a wedding with all the fuss, that we only wanted something simple."
"What about all my plans? I just can't believe that you and Lee went off and eloped, and got married without telling me ahead of time."
"Mother, what are you talking about?"
"Young lady, I'm talking about your message, the one on the answering machine."
"Mother, you did listen to the entire message?"
"Oh, Amanda, you gave me such a scare when I heard your phone message. I thought you and Lee had run off and gotten married already."
"Well, Mother we haven't eloped yet. We want you and the boys to be there and a few other key people such as Francine and Billy."
"Well, I…hmm…once I heard the words elope I must admit I might have turned the machine off, I actually hit the erase button by mistake."
"Mother, you have to be careful. You might delete something important."
"I know, I know," Dotty said waving her hands in the air. "Well does that mean we can have more people at a reception now?"
"Yes."
"One hundred people then?"
"No."
"Sixty?"
"No mother, probably less than fifty people."
"What?"
"We were thinking forty people, maybe forty-five at the most."
"Amanda, dear, you can't be serious."
"Mother, I am very serious. With other people there, such as Billy, Francine and some people from the agency, the train dining car won't be able to hold many more people than that."
"The train?"
"Oh, yes that was on the machine as well. The reception is going to be on a train."
"Oh my gosh!"
"Mother, we can talk about it later." Amanda kissed her mother on the cheek. "I've got to go."
"But you only just got here."
"I know, Lee and I have an errand or two to run, we'll be back soon. He's waiting for me in the car." With that, Amanda was out the door.
"That girl!" Dotty said shaking her head. "Sometimes, I really do believe Amanda is worse than she was when she was a teenager."