FIVE:
"Are you two ready yet?" Cary asked impatiently. I was braiding May's hair, and I was all ready to go myself. He had appeared in the doorway of her room, where he lounged against the doorframe. We were about ready to go to Kenneth and Holly's place on the beach where they were throwing us an engagement party. I hadn't been planning on having one, but Holly wanted to organise one for us since she and Kenneth hadn't had one for their wedding the other month!
"Almost." I replied.
"How come women always take twice as long as men to get ready? And then, when there's somewhere important to go, they take three times as long?" Cary grumbled, sounding exactly like his father!
"It's called pride Cary Logan, and you could do with some of it. Straighten your tie!" I told him.
He glanced down at his crooked tie with a shrug, and he fixed it. "That better m'lady?" He asked me.
I smiled. "Yes. You look fine now." I said.
"Just fine? And when you look so beautifully ravishingly stunn-" He began, but I interrupted him with a laugh.
"Okay, I get the point!" I said.
He smiled too. "But seriously Melody, you do look beautiful. I sometimes can't believe my luck that you agreed to marry me!"
"I feel pretty lucky too!" I assured him, and over the top of May's head we exchanged a brief loving look. Then his face turned sober.
"Ma's downstairs waiting. I don't suppose either of you have noticed anything strange about her, have you?" Cary asked, signing so that May and I could both understand.
"Strange how?" I asked, thinking about her sudden memory the week before about my Mother's phone call.
"Well she called me Jacob the other night, and Samuel tonight." Cary admitted, clearly not wanting to admit that there could be something wrong with his beloved mother.
May signed to us so fast that I had trouble understanding. Cary, however, was an expert and had no such problems. "The other day she called me Laura! And then I saw her sitting on your bed Melody and she was crying, but it looked like she was speaking to someone and nobody was there!"
Cary and I exchanged worried glances. "We'll have to keep an eye on her." Cary said. "She's just grieving over Dad of course, but we don't want it to go too far!"
*****
"Wow!" Cary said, whistling as we arrived at Kenneth and Holly's place. "This must have cost a fortune. I thought you said it was only a relatively small thing?"
My breath was taken away, so I couldn't reply for a moment. Holly must have spent hours decorating the place, so that streamers and balloons hung everywhere. There was an area set up with food, and there was also a dance floor set up near where the band would play. "That's what Holly told me!" I replied, as we got out of the car. There were a few other cars around, and a few people milled about. I thought I noticed the Judge's car there also.
Barking madly, Prometheus and Neptune, Kenneth and Holly's two dogs were running around like crazy. I saw Holly emerge from the house and she scooped Neptune up into her arms. "You two might have to be kept somewhere out of the way so you don't get underfoot!" She told him. He licked her face in response. Then she saw us and waved "Hi!" She called.
"Holly I thought you said it wasn't going to be a big deal." I said, as we reached her.
She laughed as she hugged me. "It wasn't going to be, but then I started thinking about the engagement party I'd want if I was your age, and I decided since you don't get married every day, why not make it a big one?" She explained.
"I like the color scheme you used. Laura always loved blue." Aunt Sara told Holly.
Holly looked puzzled for a moment, and then smiled "Thanks." She said. Then she linked my arm through one of hers, and Cary's through the other. "Well, come and greet your guests!"
"My guests?" I repeated, still a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. I saw May bend down to pat the dogs, and Aunt Sara wander off in the direction of the house.
"Sure, they're here to congratulate you and Cary aren't they?" Holly asked.
"Or they're here for the free food and music." Cary offered, and Holly shot him a dirty look.
"Ignore him." I said airily. "He just likes to try and annoy you."
Holly pulled Cary and I over to an elderly couple. "Cary you know Mr. and Mrs. James right?" She asked.
Cary nodded. "I met you at my Grandmothers on a few occasions. You and Grandpa Samuel used to fish together." He said to Mr. James. "And you and Grandma Olivia used to.." He trailed off.
"Gossip together." Mrs. James admitted with a laugh. And then she turned to me. "I'm very pleased for you dear. Olivia talked about you often, and she was always very proud of you! It's a pity she couldn't be here tonight."
'I don't know about that!' I thought. 'If Grandma Olivia was still alive she'd be determined to stop the wedding between Cary and I!'
"She's very beautiful, you're very lucky." Mr. James told Cary, who grinned in agreement.
I turned around to see Theresa Patterson smiling at me. She was the daughter of Roy Patterson, whom Cary had given most of the control for the lobster business too, and perhaps my closest friend at school.
"This is an amazing party." She told me, when I reached her.
"I know, Holly's a champion!" I said.
"I didn't expect you to end up marrying Cary you know. I thought you would go off to college and end up far away from here!" Theresa told me.
"I always planned on college. It was part of the deal Grandma Olivia and I made before she died. But you know what they say about the best laid plans." I grinned ruefully, and Theresa laughed.
"Don't I ever!" she said. "Dad was telling me that you're going to get everything Olivia had!"
"He's right. We've got the house up for sale, and we've already had a bit of interest in it, since it really is such a nice estate. And then the money is going into Cary's boat making business. And until I'm twenty-five the money is held in trust for me." I explained, and her eyes widened.
"So when you're twenty-five you're going to be as rich as Olivia and Samuel were!" She said impressed.
"Money isn't everything Theresa." I told her, and she sighed.
"Have you ever noticed that it's only the very rich who say that?" She asked me, a little bitterly. Theresa's family were what was known in the Cape as "bravas"- half black, half Portuguese- and she lived with her father and her two sisters and brother in a fairly small house.
"Until I get the money left for me I'm going to be living on the proceeds of Cary's business only Theresa." I told her. "And I can tell you this now: I don't care. As long as I have Cary I don't need money. I'd be poor as long as I was with the one I loved!"
She looked impressed, and then she smiled and hugged me. "Well congratulations. I hope you and Grandpa are very happy!" Unlike the other girls in the school Theresa used Cary's nickname in a friendly manner.
*****
Much later that night Cary and I were dancing together, aware that the eyes of the entire party were on us.
"I hate dancing. I swear I've got two left feet." Cary grumbled to me.
"Well you're doing alright for someone with two left feet." I assured him.
"This has been some heck of a party hey?" Cary asked.
"It sure has. It's funny though. I knew some of the people here to smile at as we passed on the street, but I didn't realise the extent of Grandma Olivia's influence." I said.
"Yeah, well she had her finger in every pie!" Cary admitted. "I'll have to give her that-everyone knew her, and even though she could be so darn cold- hearted about business and things, everyone still liked her, and admired her!"
I was about to reply when Holly called for everyone's attention. "I want to propose a toast!" She called. "To the newly engaged couple."
Everyone was silent then, and Holly grinned around at everyone. "Firstly I want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. I'm sure it means a lot to Cary and Melody that you could all be here to celebrate their engagement. I haven't known Cary as long as most of you, and of course Melody hasn't been here as long as anyone, but I see the look in their eyes when they speak about each other, and I realise that it doesn't matter how long you've known someone. It's what you know. And I know this: I know that Cary and Melody are a great couple, and getting engaged was the best idea they've ever had! I want you all to raise your glasses and wish them the best of luck! To Cary and Melody!"
"To Cary and Melody!" The crowd echoed raising their glasses.
"And we'll see you all again at the wedding in a few months time!" Holly said with a grin. "Cary, Melody, do either of you want to say a word?"
Cary shook his head, and then whispered to me "You're the one with the speaking talent. I heard your valedictorian speech remember!"
I whispered back, "And did you see how long it took me to write and rewrite it?" I demanded. But he was having none of that, and he pushed me up towards the front.
With everyone's eyes on me I felt a little embarrassed. "I don't have anything prepared of course since I had no idea how big this party was going to be. Holly told me it was only going to be a small one, but I guess coming from New York her idea of small is a little different to most of Provincetown!" Everyone laughed, and I felt a little braver. "I know most of you have known Cary since he was a little kid, but I've only been here a little while, so the fact that you would come to support us at our engagement party means double to me. Thank you all for making me feel welcome, and part of the town! And like Holly said I'll see you all at the wedding!"
Everyone clapped and I hurried back to Cary who put his arm around me.
"Okay everyone, go back to having fun!" Holly called, and Cary led me off the dance floor.
"We've already proved I can't dance." He told me. I leant against him, and sighed. The dance floor was crowded with Cary's and my schoolfriends, even those who had teased us in high school. The older people milled around the edges, happily talking and drinking. In the course of the evening I felt as though I'd had a crash course in the who's who of Provincetown. And they all felt compelled to mention that it was such a shame that Grandma Olivia couldn't be here to join in. I saw Cary purse his lips at the comments, but he was on his best behavior, and said nothing. I'd spent awhile speaking to the judge, my grandfather, who pointed out various business people, and told me that once I came into all the money I would when I was twenty-five I'd be glad to know this. Of course I wasn't thinking that far ahead at this stage!
"Are you happy?" Cary asked, bringing me back to the present.
"Of course!" I said. "It was a great party."
"Yeah, Holly really outdid herself." Cary agreed.
"I wish Mommy had replied when I sent her the invitation to come. She didn't even say she couldn't come!" I said with a sigh. "I wonder if she will turn up to the wedding?"
Cary frowned, but before he could speak Holly came rushing over to us. "Cary, Melody, can you come with me for a moment? It's very important-it's Sara!" She looked very worried.
"Ma? What is it?" Cary demanded, instantly worried, but Holly didn't answer- she had turned and hurried off. We raced after her, our hearts in our throats.
"Are you two ready yet?" Cary asked impatiently. I was braiding May's hair, and I was all ready to go myself. He had appeared in the doorway of her room, where he lounged against the doorframe. We were about ready to go to Kenneth and Holly's place on the beach where they were throwing us an engagement party. I hadn't been planning on having one, but Holly wanted to organise one for us since she and Kenneth hadn't had one for their wedding the other month!
"Almost." I replied.
"How come women always take twice as long as men to get ready? And then, when there's somewhere important to go, they take three times as long?" Cary grumbled, sounding exactly like his father!
"It's called pride Cary Logan, and you could do with some of it. Straighten your tie!" I told him.
He glanced down at his crooked tie with a shrug, and he fixed it. "That better m'lady?" He asked me.
I smiled. "Yes. You look fine now." I said.
"Just fine? And when you look so beautifully ravishingly stunn-" He began, but I interrupted him with a laugh.
"Okay, I get the point!" I said.
He smiled too. "But seriously Melody, you do look beautiful. I sometimes can't believe my luck that you agreed to marry me!"
"I feel pretty lucky too!" I assured him, and over the top of May's head we exchanged a brief loving look. Then his face turned sober.
"Ma's downstairs waiting. I don't suppose either of you have noticed anything strange about her, have you?" Cary asked, signing so that May and I could both understand.
"Strange how?" I asked, thinking about her sudden memory the week before about my Mother's phone call.
"Well she called me Jacob the other night, and Samuel tonight." Cary admitted, clearly not wanting to admit that there could be something wrong with his beloved mother.
May signed to us so fast that I had trouble understanding. Cary, however, was an expert and had no such problems. "The other day she called me Laura! And then I saw her sitting on your bed Melody and she was crying, but it looked like she was speaking to someone and nobody was there!"
Cary and I exchanged worried glances. "We'll have to keep an eye on her." Cary said. "She's just grieving over Dad of course, but we don't want it to go too far!"
*****
"Wow!" Cary said, whistling as we arrived at Kenneth and Holly's place. "This must have cost a fortune. I thought you said it was only a relatively small thing?"
My breath was taken away, so I couldn't reply for a moment. Holly must have spent hours decorating the place, so that streamers and balloons hung everywhere. There was an area set up with food, and there was also a dance floor set up near where the band would play. "That's what Holly told me!" I replied, as we got out of the car. There were a few other cars around, and a few people milled about. I thought I noticed the Judge's car there also.
Barking madly, Prometheus and Neptune, Kenneth and Holly's two dogs were running around like crazy. I saw Holly emerge from the house and she scooped Neptune up into her arms. "You two might have to be kept somewhere out of the way so you don't get underfoot!" She told him. He licked her face in response. Then she saw us and waved "Hi!" She called.
"Holly I thought you said it wasn't going to be a big deal." I said, as we reached her.
She laughed as she hugged me. "It wasn't going to be, but then I started thinking about the engagement party I'd want if I was your age, and I decided since you don't get married every day, why not make it a big one?" She explained.
"I like the color scheme you used. Laura always loved blue." Aunt Sara told Holly.
Holly looked puzzled for a moment, and then smiled "Thanks." She said. Then she linked my arm through one of hers, and Cary's through the other. "Well, come and greet your guests!"
"My guests?" I repeated, still a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. I saw May bend down to pat the dogs, and Aunt Sara wander off in the direction of the house.
"Sure, they're here to congratulate you and Cary aren't they?" Holly asked.
"Or they're here for the free food and music." Cary offered, and Holly shot him a dirty look.
"Ignore him." I said airily. "He just likes to try and annoy you."
Holly pulled Cary and I over to an elderly couple. "Cary you know Mr. and Mrs. James right?" She asked.
Cary nodded. "I met you at my Grandmothers on a few occasions. You and Grandpa Samuel used to fish together." He said to Mr. James. "And you and Grandma Olivia used to.." He trailed off.
"Gossip together." Mrs. James admitted with a laugh. And then she turned to me. "I'm very pleased for you dear. Olivia talked about you often, and she was always very proud of you! It's a pity she couldn't be here tonight."
'I don't know about that!' I thought. 'If Grandma Olivia was still alive she'd be determined to stop the wedding between Cary and I!'
"She's very beautiful, you're very lucky." Mr. James told Cary, who grinned in agreement.
I turned around to see Theresa Patterson smiling at me. She was the daughter of Roy Patterson, whom Cary had given most of the control for the lobster business too, and perhaps my closest friend at school.
"This is an amazing party." She told me, when I reached her.
"I know, Holly's a champion!" I said.
"I didn't expect you to end up marrying Cary you know. I thought you would go off to college and end up far away from here!" Theresa told me.
"I always planned on college. It was part of the deal Grandma Olivia and I made before she died. But you know what they say about the best laid plans." I grinned ruefully, and Theresa laughed.
"Don't I ever!" she said. "Dad was telling me that you're going to get everything Olivia had!"
"He's right. We've got the house up for sale, and we've already had a bit of interest in it, since it really is such a nice estate. And then the money is going into Cary's boat making business. And until I'm twenty-five the money is held in trust for me." I explained, and her eyes widened.
"So when you're twenty-five you're going to be as rich as Olivia and Samuel were!" She said impressed.
"Money isn't everything Theresa." I told her, and she sighed.
"Have you ever noticed that it's only the very rich who say that?" She asked me, a little bitterly. Theresa's family were what was known in the Cape as "bravas"- half black, half Portuguese- and she lived with her father and her two sisters and brother in a fairly small house.
"Until I get the money left for me I'm going to be living on the proceeds of Cary's business only Theresa." I told her. "And I can tell you this now: I don't care. As long as I have Cary I don't need money. I'd be poor as long as I was with the one I loved!"
She looked impressed, and then she smiled and hugged me. "Well congratulations. I hope you and Grandpa are very happy!" Unlike the other girls in the school Theresa used Cary's nickname in a friendly manner.
*****
Much later that night Cary and I were dancing together, aware that the eyes of the entire party were on us.
"I hate dancing. I swear I've got two left feet." Cary grumbled to me.
"Well you're doing alright for someone with two left feet." I assured him.
"This has been some heck of a party hey?" Cary asked.
"It sure has. It's funny though. I knew some of the people here to smile at as we passed on the street, but I didn't realise the extent of Grandma Olivia's influence." I said.
"Yeah, well she had her finger in every pie!" Cary admitted. "I'll have to give her that-everyone knew her, and even though she could be so darn cold- hearted about business and things, everyone still liked her, and admired her!"
I was about to reply when Holly called for everyone's attention. "I want to propose a toast!" She called. "To the newly engaged couple."
Everyone was silent then, and Holly grinned around at everyone. "Firstly I want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. I'm sure it means a lot to Cary and Melody that you could all be here to celebrate their engagement. I haven't known Cary as long as most of you, and of course Melody hasn't been here as long as anyone, but I see the look in their eyes when they speak about each other, and I realise that it doesn't matter how long you've known someone. It's what you know. And I know this: I know that Cary and Melody are a great couple, and getting engaged was the best idea they've ever had! I want you all to raise your glasses and wish them the best of luck! To Cary and Melody!"
"To Cary and Melody!" The crowd echoed raising their glasses.
"And we'll see you all again at the wedding in a few months time!" Holly said with a grin. "Cary, Melody, do either of you want to say a word?"
Cary shook his head, and then whispered to me "You're the one with the speaking talent. I heard your valedictorian speech remember!"
I whispered back, "And did you see how long it took me to write and rewrite it?" I demanded. But he was having none of that, and he pushed me up towards the front.
With everyone's eyes on me I felt a little embarrassed. "I don't have anything prepared of course since I had no idea how big this party was going to be. Holly told me it was only going to be a small one, but I guess coming from New York her idea of small is a little different to most of Provincetown!" Everyone laughed, and I felt a little braver. "I know most of you have known Cary since he was a little kid, but I've only been here a little while, so the fact that you would come to support us at our engagement party means double to me. Thank you all for making me feel welcome, and part of the town! And like Holly said I'll see you all at the wedding!"
Everyone clapped and I hurried back to Cary who put his arm around me.
"Okay everyone, go back to having fun!" Holly called, and Cary led me off the dance floor.
"We've already proved I can't dance." He told me. I leant against him, and sighed. The dance floor was crowded with Cary's and my schoolfriends, even those who had teased us in high school. The older people milled around the edges, happily talking and drinking. In the course of the evening I felt as though I'd had a crash course in the who's who of Provincetown. And they all felt compelled to mention that it was such a shame that Grandma Olivia couldn't be here to join in. I saw Cary purse his lips at the comments, but he was on his best behavior, and said nothing. I'd spent awhile speaking to the judge, my grandfather, who pointed out various business people, and told me that once I came into all the money I would when I was twenty-five I'd be glad to know this. Of course I wasn't thinking that far ahead at this stage!
"Are you happy?" Cary asked, bringing me back to the present.
"Of course!" I said. "It was a great party."
"Yeah, Holly really outdid herself." Cary agreed.
"I wish Mommy had replied when I sent her the invitation to come. She didn't even say she couldn't come!" I said with a sigh. "I wonder if she will turn up to the wedding?"
Cary frowned, but before he could speak Holly came rushing over to us. "Cary, Melody, can you come with me for a moment? It's very important-it's Sara!" She looked very worried.
"Ma? What is it?" Cary demanded, instantly worried, but Holly didn't answer- she had turned and hurried off. We raced after her, our hearts in our throats.