Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One: Honeymoon Day Six: A Night of Laughter
Nathan and Elizabeth had been in bed for about an hour, when both clearly heard the collective mewing of tiny kittens, in tandem with the louder meows of Esmeralda needing her food.
"I'll go, Love."
"I'll come, too," insisted Elizabeth.
They jumped up and as they put on their robes, Elizabeth had an idea.
"Why don't we just take our pillows and quilt with us and sleep on the floor. If we get any sleep, that is!"
"Lisbeth, why don't you grab that other quilt from your side, too? I'll carry everything!"
Nathan knew by now, a second quilt, in the bedroom or living room, was the only way he'd end up with any cover at all!
As soon as Esmerelda saw them, especially Nathan, she knew food was coming, and immediately calmed down.
Elizabeth quickly went to the kitchen to scour for something the new mother would eat.
"She likes the salmon best," called Nathan, as he added another log on the fire.
"How are you, Esmerelda, and how are your tiny babies? They look like they sure are sleepy little things! Doesn't seem like it's fair that you can't sleep, too! Oops, is that you, Pluto? You're way too far away from your Mama! Let's scoot you closer!"
Nathan lifted the tiny thing, without Esmeralda making as much as a blink, and placed him closer to her, so he could nurse.
Who knew the Mountie was meant to play nursemaid to new kittens, and on his Honeymoon, no less?
But Nathan was the only one Esmerelda currently trusted, because they had bonded when he, along with Newton, saved her babies, from the cold of the barn!
Little Pluto latched on almost instantly and nursed determinedly.
"We don't have a lot of salmon left. You think she might take the sardines?"
"Let's give it a try, Lisbeth."
At first Esmerelda sniffed and sniffed, but she finally took a bite into her mouth, and then very quickly wanted another!
"Seems like Esmerelda has a non-discriminate palette. If it remotely resembles fish, she likes it!"
"Some better than others, though!" laughed Elizabeth.
"Salmon definitely rules as favorite!"
"As long as she's eating! I'm at the point I don't care what it is. I feel bad she won't take the food from me, though. That leaves you doing all the work!"
"No problem, Love. You just can't refuse to kiss me because I smell like sardines!" he grinned.
"Eww! Do I have to?"
"Come here, my Little Pretty!" he teased, holding his hands out as if he was going to grab her.
"Okay, okay! You get a kiss! But only if you keep your hands off me!"
"Well, that's no fun. My sardine oiled hands happen to be the very best part of my kisses! Oh, well, Mrs. Grant, you miss out!"
Nathan chuckled and went to wash his hands in the sink.
"Hey, I still want my kiss…" called Elizabeth.
"I don't know. Love me, love my sardine hands," he called. "Besides, what if the mood's passed?" he smiled, glancing away from her, with a grin.
"Oh, I think we can get it back…"
"I don't know…you have an awfully lot of faith!"
"Yes, Husband, I do!"
Without her realizing it, he slipped up behind her on the sofa and bent to kiss her from there.
She pulled his face down to hers with both hands and laughed.
"Uhm, I like your upside-down kisses!"
"You'd better like all my kisses, Wife! Each…and…every…single…one!" as he tested several new ones.
"Hurry, come over here to me, Love!"
He did, and immediately wrapped her in his arms, then released one arm long enough to masterfully cover them with one of their quilts.
"I'm deliriously happy…" she mused looking into the fire. "I don't think I could possibly be any happier!"
"Is that a challenge?"
"Maybe..."
"Seriously, I've never been so happy either, Darling. It almost feels surreal. I've struggled my entire adult life, alone. And now to have you, and our family, is more than I could have ever imagined," he bent to kiss her. "I love you so very much, my beautiful Wife!"
"I love you completely, my most handsome Husband."
He grinned that lop-sided grin of his, and she thought her heart might stop.
"Sing to me," she begged.
"Are you sure?" he questioned, with a gleam in his eyes.
"I'm sure."
"Just a second," and he walked to the gramophone, shuffled through a few records, and walked back to Elizabeth, bowing low.
"Mrs. Grant, my I have this dance?" he asked formally, offering his hand, with sparkling eyes and a grin clear across his face, for Mrs. Grant had no idea what was in store for her!
"Wait a minute! We're dancing, when I specifically requested singing?" teased Elizabeth. "Now I know just how important I am!"
"Oh, we're doing both, my Darling," he winked. "We're upping the romance factor, and we're going to have a little fun doing it!"
"Hmm…" she looked at him skeptically, through narrowed eyes. 'But I have to admit, your selection of music is quite peppy and fun!"
The song was a familiar one, at least the chorus, but the words of the verses for more vague.
The melody was also unusual as it was written in 2:4 time for the verses, but handily switched to 3:4 time, or waltz time, for the choruses.
Elizabeth was surprised and a little perplexed at his selection.
Now the waltz part she could dance to, but she wasn't so sure about the verses!
"We're dancing to this?"
She had never ever seen this song danced to.
"Yes, indeed, Mrs. Grant, we're dancing to this!"
He laughed at her skepticism, and took her in his arms, then begin singing the verse in a low voice to his beautiful wife.
If she wanted him to sing to her, he would, but with a twist, tonight…
When he reached the chorus, he switched to tenor, and swung his bride around their lodge as though it had been an open dance floor, leaving her laughing and totally out of breath!
Of course, her husband was not only dancing and singing, he was pantomiming too, playing the part of Casey!
"Putting on a real show, Constable?" she asked through her laughter.
With each chorus she exploded even more and more into unabashed hilarity.
Which may have been her Husband's intent all along…
Verse 1
Matt Casey formed a social club
That beat the town for style,
And hired for a meeting place a hall.
When pay day came around each week
They greased the floor with wax.
And danced with noise and vigor at the ball.
Each Saturday you'd see them
Dressed up in Sunday clothes,
Each lad would have his sweetheart by his side.
When Casey led the first grand march
They all would fall in line.
Behind the man who was their pride and joy.
For . . .
Chorus
Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde,
And the band played on.
He'd glide cross the floor with the girl he adored,
And the band played on.
But his brain was so loaded it nearly exploded,
The poor girl would shake with alarm.
He'd ne'er leave the girl with the strawberry curls,
And the band played on.
Verse 2
Such kissing in the corner
And such whisp'ring in the hall,
And telling tales of love behind the stairs.
As Casey was the favorite and he that ran the ball,
Of kissing and lovemaking did his share,
At twelve o'clock exactly they all would fall in line,
Then march down to the dining hall to eat.
But Casey would not join them although everything was fine,
But he stayed upstairs and exercised his feet.
For . . .
Chorus
Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde,
And the band played on.
He'd glide cross the floor with the girl he adored,
And the band played on.
But his brain was so loaded it nearly exploded,
The poor girl would shake with alarm.
He'd ne'er leave the girl with the strawberry curls,
And the band played on.
Verse 3
Now when the dance was over and the band played home sweet home,
They played a tune at Casey's own request.
He thank'd them very kindly for the favors they had shown,
Then he'd waltz once with the girl that he loved best.
Most all the friends are married that Casey used to know,
And Casey too has taken him a wife.
The blond he used to waltz and glide with on the ball room floor,
Is happy Missis Casey now for life.
For . . .
Chorus
Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde,
And the band played on.
He'd glide cross the floor with the girl he adored,
And the band played on.
But his brain was so loaded it nearly exploded,
The poor girl would shake with alarm.
He'd ne'er leave the girl with the strawberry curls,
And the band played on. (*101)
The tune was so much fun that even Esmerelda and her kittens had completely stopped meowing and mewing, and Elizabeth couldn't remember a time she had laughed so hard, or had so much fun.
"This just may be my favorite dance tune, ever. And to think I've missed out all these years, by never having once danced to it!"
"Oh, my Darling, we're only beginning!"
And then Nathan held up his index finger to be excused a minute, while still holding her hand with his left hand, as he thumbed through more records, ending on a fairly new super fun tune, that had just been released in 1914.
Elizabeth recognized the song, another honeymoon song, from its first few bars, and knew the words well!
By the time they were a few lines in, she was laughing so hard she was crying trying to sing along with her husband who was acting quite silly:
Way down in the Congoland
Lived a happy chimpanzee
She loved a monkey with a long tail
(Lordy, how she loved him!)
Each night he would find her there
Swinging in the cocoanut tree
And the monkey gay, at the break of day
Loved to hear his Chimpie say...
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the Chimpie to the Monk
"Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the Monkey to the Chimp
All night long they'd chatter away
All day long they were happy and gay
Swinging and singing in their hunky-tonkey way
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Means "Monk, I love but you"
"Baba, daba, dab" in monkey talk
Means "Chimp, I love you, too"
Then the big baboon one night in June
He married them and very soon
They went upon their aba daba honeymoon
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the Chimpie to the Monk
"Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the Monkey to the Chimp
All night long they'd chatter away
All day long they were happy and gay
Swinging and singing in their hunky-tonkey way
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Means "Monk, I love but you"
"Baba, daba, dab" in monkey talk
Means "Chimp, I love you, too"
One night they were made man and wife
And now they cry, "This is the life
Since they came from their aba daba honeymoon
Well, you should have heard that band
Play upon their wedding day
Each Chimp and Monkey had nutshells
(Lordy, how they played them)
And now it is every night
High up in the cocoanut tree
It's the same old thing, with the same old swing,
When the Monk and Chimpie sing...
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the Chimpie to the Monk
"Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the Monkey to the Chimp
All night long they'd chatter away
All day long they were happy and gay
Swinging and singing in their hunky-tonkey way
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Means "Monk, I love but you"
"Baba, daba, dab" in monkey talk
Means "Chimp, I love you, too"
Then the big baboon one night in June
He married them and very soon
They went upon their aba daba honeymoon
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the Chimpie to the Monk
"Baba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Said the Monkey to the Chimp
All night long they'd chatter away
All day long they were happy and gay
Swinging and singing in their hunky-tonkey way
"Aba, daba, daba, daba, daba, daba, dab"
Means "Monk, I love but you"
"Baba, daba, dab" in monkey talk
Means "Chimp, I love you, too"
One night they were made man and wife
And now they cry, "This is the life"
Since they came from their aba daba honeymoon. (*102)
By the time they had gotten to their last "Aba Daba" and "Baba Daba," they had gotten really good, harmonizing together!
So much so, the danced and sang it again!
The kiss they ended their song and dance with, left them only wanting more!
Much more…
"Please don't dare stop!" begged Elizabeth through her tears of laughter.
She was amazed to see that her Husband had such a playful side, but she was loving every single minute, and didn't want it to end!
And she didn't know how her husband had done it, but yes, she was even happier!
Nathan laughed too, as he kissed her again, smiling from ear to ear, running his fingers through her hair, tousling it just like you'd do a little chimp!
Then he grinned as he shuffled through a few more records.
"Are you ready to sing some more with me? Here we go…"
"Oh, I love this one! And I know all the words!"
Nathan started in a rich tenor voice, on a bit of a more serious note after the 'Aba Daba, Baba Daba,' but still light and airy!
Elizabeth followed in her beautiful soprano, then they joined together in perfect harmony for the duet parts:
By the light of the silvery moon
I want to spoon
To my honey, I'll croon love's tune.
Honey moon, keep a-shinin' in June
Your silvery beams will bring love's dreams
We'll be cuddlin' soon
By the silvery moon.
Place, park, scene, dark
Silvery moon is shining through the trees
Cast, two, me, you
Summer kisses floating on the breeze.
Act one, be done
Dialog, where would ya like to spoon?
My cue, with you
Underneath the silvery moon.
By the light of the silvery moon
I wanna spoon
To my honey, I'll croon love's tune
Honey moon, keep a-shinin' in June
Your silvery beams will bring love's dreams
We'll be cuddlin' soon
By the silvery moon.
Act two, Scene new
Roses blooming all around the place
Cast three, You me
Preacher with a solemn-looking face,
Sings, bell rings
Preacher, you are wed forever more
Act two, all though
Every night the same encore,
By the light, not the dark but the light
Of the silvery moon, not the sun but the moon
I wanna spoon, not croon, but spoon
To my honey, I'll croon love's tune.
Honeymoon, honeymoon, honeymoon
Keep a-shinin' in June
Your silvery beams will bring love's dreams
We'll be cuddlin' soon,
By the silvery moon
The silvery moon. (*103)
He brought his lips to hers, with both feeling the fire in their touch.
From their 'dance floor,' he scooped his wife up, and carried her to their makeshift bed on the floor by Esmerelda and the kittens, who were now fast asleep from the music.
The roaring fire, warmed not only the kittens, but them too.
The music still softly played on in the background, wafting over the couple, enfolding them in a cocoon of pure love!
Their bodies were trembling.
Their breaths were spotty.
Their longing immense.
They unbelted each other's robe, her desiring her beloved husband, him desiring his beloved wife, both loving each other, needing each other, and wanting each other, more than ever before...
Nathan and Elizabeth had arisen early, fed Esmerelda, checked her "solar system" (i.e. slew of kittens), finished a very quick morning ride, and even checked on the sailboat, to make sure all was well!
Now, they were just relaxing, after their long night of dancing, singing, laughter and love.
Perhaps an ususual Honeymoon Night, 'sleeping' on the floor with a hungry meowing cat, nine mewing kittens, coupled with the most fun singing and dancing ever!
But also, another wonderful memory they'd never forget as long as they lived!
Elizabeth was reading, but had fallen asleep, on the sofa, while Nathan sat at the kitchen table, working on a special project.
He had used his time alone to do something that was needed, something he desperately wanted to do for Allie and Jack.
"What are you doing, Love?" asked Elizabeth, as she came up behind him, still a bit sleepy from her sleepless night and nap.
"Bookends for Allie, and a Wagon for Jack. They've both been wanting those two particular things, and I thought it would be great for us to have them as gifts when we see them."
She kissed the top of his head.
"I love you so very much, Nathan Grant! Only you would think to do this. It's so thoughtful, and just perfect! They will love both gifts. Hey, what do you think about me painting some roses, along with Allie's initials in a fancy script on those bookends, and Jack's name on the wagon, with maybe a horse of two?"
"I think that would make these gifts the perfect Honeymoon gifts!"
"Let me get my paints!"
He smiled as she went after her art supplies.
"We really do make the perfect team," he mused aloud, as he smiled after her.
When she returned, she was as excited as him about the gifts.
"I'm so thrilled you thought of this, Darling. It's genius! And Allie and Jack will be so excited. They'll love them!"
"Lisbeth, I miss those little tykes."
"I do too, Darling. You know we'll only have a week and or so in our new home together, before we head to Hamilton and New York!"
"Yes, but any time at all sounds wonderful. Athough, I'm afraid the time will pass really quickly! I imagine the children are counting the days for their big trip!"
"Oh, I'm sure they are. Allie's so excited to get to travel. And of course, Jack is excited just because Allie's excited!"
"They're quite the pair, aren't they?"
"Two peas in a pod!" laughed Elizabeth. "It's really so adorable! You know in an odd way, because of Allie, Jack's become less dependent on me, which is a good thing. He went through a period, well before you two came into our lives, where he had gotten really clingy, and I really didn't know how I was going to fix it. But Allie took care of that!"
"She definitely loves her brother."
"Yes, she does! And he adores her. But, Darling, I don't want Jack to interfere with Allie's own friends. We'll have to see that she still gets out and does things with children her age, without always taking Jack."
"Poor little guy. He always wants to tag along. But I see what you mean!"
"We'll just have to watch, and make sure we don't let it get out of hand. I don't want Allie to become his constant baby-sitter. How does this look?"
Elizabeth had sketched out what she wanted to paint on both the bookends and the wagon.
"They both are perfect. They'll love them!"
Nathan stretched and covered a yawn.
"Lisbeth, do you mind if I lay down for a bit on the sofa? Every time I closed my eyes through the night, either Esmerelda or one of the kittens got fussy."
"Of course, Love. Go lay down. Get some sleep. I might even join you when I finish!" she grinned.
He bent to kiss her neck.
"Can't think of anything better!" he grinned back.
"Oh, Babe, I forgot to mention it, but I'm sure Allie and Jack would love pictures of Esmerelda and the kittens, too!"
"That's a great idea. I'll take some after I finish this! It's too bad they're too little to move to our house!"
Nathan's eyes widened as he realized the enormity of that suggestion's potential repercussions!
In fact, he couldn't help but take in a quick breath when he got the full gist of what his Wife was saying…
Besides, he was pretty sure Rex and Reggie might have something to say about the addition of one cat and nine kittens into the Grant Household of Hope Valley!
Why it might even prove challenging enough having so many kittens at the Lodge, for all three dogs!
Especially George's dog, Rip; why the poor thing would be there full time with this plethora of inquisitive, furry, little animals invading his space!
All Nathan could see running through this mind, was a cat and nine little kittens running amok, all over the Lodge and Cabin, and then horrors, eventually ten adult cats…
"Oh, my, what have we done?"
"Good grief! We have a herd of cats!" an astonished Nathan realized for the very first time.
He threw his hands to his mouth, but thankfully Elizabeth was busily occupied with her painting, and didn't hear his escaped words.
Upon re-assimilating Elizabeth's thought of wishing to move the little ones, and thankfully realizing she deemed it to not be an option, at least not now, Nathan suddenly found himself feeling the need to mouth a few grateful words to his Maker!
Somewhat relieved, he situated himself on their huge sofa, stretched out in front of the fire, to get comfortable, and pulled the quilt up almost over his eyes, leaving his feet bare, as though if he didn't see them, these darling little kittens would become less threatening!
"Thank You, Lord for small favors! No pun intended. We'll just choose to help these little ones now, and not borrow any future trouble."
"But ten?" he asked incredulously, as an addendum. "You really wanted us to have ten? That's a mighty bountiful litter You've blessed us with!"
Yes, there was a part of him that felt like God might just be laughing at this very moment.
At him!
And with that the Man of the House, er the Lodge, fell soundly asleep, with visions of ten fully-grown cats prancing in his head…
Note: To fully enjoy this chapter, you might want to take a listen to the original versions of these songs; and share in Nathan's and Elizabeth's 'Honeymoon Fun!'
(*101) "The Band Played On," Music by Charles and Lyrics by John F. Palmer, 1895, Public Domain
(*102) "Aba Daba Honeymoon," Arthur Fields/Walter Donovan, 1914, Public Domain
(*103) "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," Music by Gus Edwards and Lyrics by Edward Madden, 1909, Public Domain