Blossom and Married Life

After we had our cake and coffee, Alexander and I showed his family around the house. Mrs. Armsworth just loved the rag rugs we'd put down, and Lucille couldn't say enough about the furniture Miss Dabney had left behind for us. Mr. Armsworth tried again to talk us into remodeling the kitchen, but we managed to convince him we weren't ready to do that yet.

Minerva stayed out of sight while the Seaforths and Armworths got their tour, which was a good thing. I'd never have been able to explain Minerva to Mrs. Armsworth. She don't hold much with the spirit world.

Alexander's family had one more piece of cake each, finished the last of the coffee and finally left. I looked at Alexander as he shut the door. I was still filled with wonder. I looked down and began to admire my wedding ring.

"I can't believe it's over! I can't believe the judge just had to say a few words, we had to sign a paper, and that meant we were married. It took us longer to decide what we wanted to eat at the restaurant than it did to get married."

He gave me a long look. "Blossom, are you regretting that you didn't get a big wedding? Because it's a fine time to be changing your mind about that."

I laughed. "No, I am not regretting that. I just don't feel married. I feel the same way I always feel around you."

"Why don't you come upstairs with me, and I'll see if I can make you feel married. It might be different now that it's legal."

"Alexander, you're just terrible!"

"Does that mean you aren't coming?"

"Certainly not," I said primly, and sailed up the stairs feeling like a queen. I knew Alexander was watching the swing of my hips in that cream colored dress all the way up, and when we got to our bedroom, as much as I liked seeing myself in it, in the full length looking glass that Miss Dabney had put up on the closet door, I wanted it off at the same time. Alexander had no qualms about taking it off me, either, and let me tell you…he managed to prove to me, in the most primitive way possible, that I was really his wife.

He was much better at undressing me than he had been at first. His fingers were still slow, but more sure, and could unbutton a button as lightly as a spring breeze, and now when he slipped out hairpins, they hardly ever got caught.

The sun was just setting when he lowered me to the bed, and the room was filled with a golden glow. It was the same as it had been the other times, but different, too. The desire was there, the impatient hunger, but along with that was the knowledge that we belonged together, the wonder of the feelings we understood in each other, and the needs that we could meet.

Being able to make love to him, and then spend the night with him was one of the fine points of marriage, but there were other advantages. I knew after only two days that I liked having him come home to me. Within a week, we had a morning routine down. I'd come down and start the coffee, and he'd get dressed and go out onto the porch and get the paper. I liked it when Alexander would read it, picking out certain things to read aloud, giving us a chance to discuss the high points of the news. After Alexander went to work in the mornings, I liked rearranging things in the house, tidying up and going out to get the mail, finding letters addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Armsworth.

While he was at work, I found myself thinking of things to talk about with him when he came home. He was always good natured when it came to my stories about how my tatting was going, or what the butcher had to say when I called him out on a mistake in his prices. Alexander was always full of stories about the men on the crew, what the manager of the lumber mill had to say, or what jobs he and his father were trying to land.

We went to Alexander's parent's house for dinner at least once a week that first month, and when I got tired of cleaning house and didn't feel like shopping or reading, I used to go call on Mrs. Armsworth. She was always glad to see me, but I was starting to get nervous. I'd already had to move the buttons on my skirts. Soon the baby was going to really start showing, and she was going to realize that Alexander and I'd had an ulterior motive for out quick wedding. We were going to have to tell her and Mr. Armsworth soon, but Alexander and I just didn't know how.

I dropped in for lunch on a Monday just over a month after the wedding, and Mrs. Armsworth put out quite a spread. I was eating for two, and so I was glad to have it. We had just finished our coffee, and were getting ready to sample some sugar cookies that Gladys had brought out, when one of Mr. Armsworth's foremen came pounding on the door, with a fearful tale to tell. Mr. Armsworth and Alexander had been meeting with all of their foremen, going over the plans for the week's work, when Brent McCallister had forced his way into the office with a gun. He'd told the secretary and the foremen to get out, and they had. Alexander had refused to leave his pa, and now they were holed up in the office with McCallister. The last thing the foremen had heard was Brent yelling at Joe Armsworth that he had nothing left to lose, and if he was going, he was going to take Joe and Alexander with him.

Mrs. Armsworth and I dropped our cups and went with the foreman, who drove us down to Eldorado Street. The whole area was blocked off and the sheriff and his men were outside the building, but they were afraid to go in, in case Brent started shooting. They were also afraid not to go in, in case he started shooting. It was a sorry situation.

I stood on the street with Alexander's mother, who was weeping like a crazed woman.

"My husband! My son! Oh, Lord, am I going to lose them both? I can't bear it. I can't bear to lose them and have nothing left of my only son. Oh, Lord, what will I do?"

I gently drew her back. The tears were sliding down my own cheeks. The time had come for drastic action. I held her in my arms, and said softly, "Mrs. Armsworth, we have to pray that they'll be fine. It may still work out all right. We don't know any different, but you can't lose Alexander, not really." I swallowed hard and gave her the truth. "We wanted to tell you and Mr. Armsworth when you were both together, but now I don't know how long it will be until you are both together, so I'll tell you now. I have part of Alexander with me. There's going to be…a child."

She stared at me transfixed.

"A child? So soon? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I'm nearly four months along. I know most folks will say it was wrong, but I believe things happen for a reason. Brent McCallister can't take all of Alexander away from us, even if he tries. I have Alexander's child, and I pray you'll forgive me for the way things turned out."

She held me close and pressed her wet cheek to mine. "Oh, Blossom, that does comfort me. You are my daughter now and always will be. No matter what happens, we'll be family."

"Yes, Mother!" I whispered, and I never called Luella Armsworth anything else again.

We continued to stand in the street, looking up at the building, thinking of the father and grandfather to be, and praying that we'd see them alive again. Lowell and Lucille showed up. A newspaperman to the bone, Lowell had alerted his reporters first, and then gone to get his wife. Alexander's mother told them what I had told her, and they both looked solemn.

"It will be all right, Blossom," Lucille said, joining in our hug. "I can't believe God will take them away from us when we need them so much."

"I hope not," I said wearily, and wondered what was going on inside those rooms above our heads.