Arlington Part 13
"Lee, I need my best man, you, all healed as you stand next to me when Dotty and I get married." Colonel Robert Clayton announced and Lee never thought he had ever seen his uncle smile as brightly as he was at that moment when Dotty held up her hand showing them the diamond ring she was wearing.
"Married? Mother, what is this all about? You two can't get married?" Amanda said standing from her position on Lee's lap to face her mother.
"Why not; it isn't like we are some underage teenagers that need permission."
Standing Lee said, "I don't think that is what Amanda meant. I think she just meant that…"
"Don't tell her what I mean, Lee; I am capable of saying what I mean. Mother, this is crazy."
Dotty looked at her daughter and laughed, "Crazy, she says; coming from a woman who puts her life in danger every day."
"That is completely different; I have been doing this job for three years; you have known him three days!"
"Three days or three years, love is love, Amanda. How long did you know Lee when you knew you were in love with him?"
All eyes were on Amanda as she looked at Lee and said, "Mother, we are not talking about me or Lee. We are talking about you and Robert."
"That is right, Amanda; it is about me and Robert, it has nothing to do with you." Dotty stormed out of the room toward the stairs as Amanda stormed out to the backyard; slamming the doors behind them and leaving Lee and his uncle alone in the living room staring at each other.
Robert looked at Lee and said, "I didn't expect that."
"Really; in three days you figured out you were in love but didn't expect shrapnel from this bombshell?" Lee said as he looked at his uncle.
"I just didn't think that Amanda would take this as a bad thing." Robert said as he sat down.
"She was blindsided; how did you think she would take it?" Lee asked.
"I thought she would be happy for her mother to be honest." Robert said as he paced needing something to do. Lee watched his uncle pace and wondered if that was where he picked up the habit of pacing. "Well, I know Amanda and I know that you need to go talk to her."
Robert looked at Lee and said, "Son, I have already survived wars; why would you send me to my doom out in that back yard?"
"Hey, you declared this war; I just think you should go and approach the enemy to see about a truce or at least a treaty." Lee said hiding a smile as he slowly made his way toward the stairs to talk to Amanda's mother.
Robert took a deep breath as he made his way to the back door. Holding his hand over the door knob he walked back into the kitchen shaking his head. Lee saw this and said, "I am here to tell you the backyard is safer than if she comes back I here; there are no weapons out there. Why do you think I always talked to her out there; safety first, Colonel." Lee began his slow assent up the stairs as the Colonel went outside to find Amanda crying in the gazebo.
"Am I the worst person you could think of as a husband for your mother?" He asked as he sat next to her.
She looked at him and said, "No, that wasn't what I meant."
"Lee was right; that is a new one."
"This doesn't have anything to do with Lee. He is right more often than wrong. This is about only knowing a person for three days and deciding to make a lifetime commitment to that person. You have never made a commitment to anyone before in your life and now you choose my mother to experiment on?"
"That isn't true; I made a commitment to my nephew in there. Just for the record, young lady, I have been married before, albeit a short marriage but nonetheless a marriage. We were actually sixteen when we married before I enlisted. We married for the wrong reasons, she was pregnant. I loved her though and was ready to be a father; I lost her and the baby during her delivery of our daughter. I enlisted not long after that and decided that I would never put myself through that hell again. The Air Force was going to be my wife and family. Lee's dad use to tell me that I shouldn't close myself from love; I told him that was perfectly happy not having a woman in my life on a daily basis."
Amanda looked at him and said, "I'm sorry."
"Why; you didn't kill my wife and daughter, you didn't close me off to real emotions, you didn't help destroy a little boy's trust in family, but like you breaking all that pain in Lee; your mother broke that in me as well. Actually, she bulldozed though smashing it to pieces, but unlike nephew I don't have the time to waste on waiting. I know how I feel, no matter how sudden, and I plan on spending the rest of whatever life God has for me on this Earth with your mother as my wife. I am the one that is sorry because this upsets you, but she was correct in letting you know that this is between us. I want you to be a part of this wedding, to be a part of our lives; I love your mother, she is not an experiment."
Robert walked back into the house and waited for either Amanda to follow or for Lee and Dotty to return. He wasn't going anywhere and he needed to make sure these women knew it.
Lee made it to Dotty's room and knocked softly on the door; waiting to hear her soft, "Come in." He could tell from the look on her face that she wasn't expecting Lee, but she didn't stop him from coming in and sitting in the chair at the vanity across from her.
"Are you here to lecture me in place of Amanda?" She asked him.
"Oh, God, no; Amanda would kick my ass if she knew I climbed those stairs. I am hoping to be back down stairs before my uncle is done talking to her."
"Talk to her; the most stubborn woman on the planet? He won't get far." Dotty said.
Lee nodded as he spoke, "She is one of the most stubborn women I know, but I think I know where she gets it from."
Looking him in the eyes she said, "Are you saying that I am as stubborn as Amanda?"
"Kind of, you are. Dotty, you raised her to voice her opinion, to speak her mind, and then when she does that you get mad. How is that fair?"
"How is it fair that she treated me like a child? Acting as if I don't know my own mind; you seemed okay with the news."
"I am actually." He said a bit more surprised than he meant to.
"Really, you are okay with us getting married?" Dotty didn't seem so convinced.
Taking a deep breath Lee said, "I have stood in your flower bed for three years listening to you tell Amanda, on more than one occasion, that she needed to find a man. I didn't much care for that advice, rest assure she has a real man now. You told her she needed to find someone that made her happy, that would love her children, and would be there for the good and bad times. I know my uncle well enough to know that if he asked you to marry him; he will do everything he can to make you happy. He will love Amanda and the boys as easily as he does you. I also know that he will be there for you and this family in both good as well as bad times. She may not understand right at this moment, but she will come around. She wants you happy and if the Colonel makes you happy then all I can say is congratulations." Lee leaned forward and placed his arms around Dotty giving her a hug.
Slapping him away while wiping her eyes she said, "You're the reason my flowers won't grow?"
"I'll buy you new ones. Just give Manda some time; just like she needs to give you time to come to grips with her job. Now, I better get back down stairs before she finds me up here."
Standing he turned to see Amanda standing in the door, "Too late, Mister. I need to talk to my mother Lee. I left your medicine on your nightstand; I'll be down in a few minutes." She reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as he left the two women alone.
"Amanda, before you start again, I just want you to know that I am really happy. From that first night when he brought me home and you stayed with Lee at the hospital; we came here and talked. Did you know he was married before?"
Sitting next to her mother and taking her hand in hers she said, "He told me a few minutes ago; I don't think even Lee knows."
"He doesn't."
"In any of these three days, did you two ever talk about how he raised Lee?"
Dotty nodded remembering Lee's version and the version Robert gave her. She remembered also how very similar they were. "He explained that he had made a lot of mistakes with Lee. He said it was one of the things he would change in his life, but since he can't he just wants to make up for it now and try to repair things."
"I know; so does Lee. I also know that other than Lee making him think we were dating, he has been working on repairing their past. Right now, though, I am more concerned with repairing some of the things I said to you."
"Really, what changed your mind?"
"You did, Mother. I know how you feel about marriage. I know for a fact that as much as you love Daddy, you never would ever accept another marriage proposal if you weren't really in love; with Robert or anyone else. I even have something for you, close your eyes."
Amanda waited for her mother to close her eyes then she took the golden locket and placed it on her mother. "Okay, open your eyes, Mother."
Dotty opened her eyes to see the locket she had given Amanda on her wedding day and gave her a curious look, "Why are you giving me this?" Dotty asked.
"I'm not, Mother. I am letting you borrow this for your wedding. You see your ring is something new, the locket covers your something borrowed as well as something old, and I am sure we can find something blue before you and Robert say I do. What do you think?" Amanda asked as she smiled at her mother.
"I think I have the most amazing daughter in the world."
"That is because she has the most amazing mother in the world to learn from. Now, what do you say we go check on those men of ours?"
Hugging Amanda and wiping away her tears Dotty said, "Sounds like a wonderful plan to me."