Let Me Call You Sweetheart Chapter 4, Page 38
Dee continued looking through Dottie's catalog and just couldn't get the dress out of her mind that they had found upstairs. It was such a perfect design that she couldn't find anything like it in the catalog.
"Is this the only catalog you have with wedding gowns?" Dee checked.
"Yes, if we try to order from any other place, it might not arrive here in time for your wedding. Although if you want, we could try to sew you a dress. I'd have to order the material and trim right away." Dottie explained.
"Do you think Henry will let us use that dress for a model? I really would need to have it at my side to be able to sew. Without it for me to refer to, I'd be trying to sew from memory." Rosemary admitted.
"Let me talk to Henry," Dottie advised. "Just keep looking through that catalog." Dottie reached for her coat.
"You're going now?" Rosemary asked.
"No time like the present." Dottie smiled and the little bell rang as she shut the door.
"I better find a dress in the catalog, it'll be easier to just order instead of sewing one." Dee decided.
Dottie knocked on Henry's petroleum office and saw Archie. She introduced herself and told him that it was very important she speak to Henry. "Just one minute and I'll tell him." Archie assured her.
Henry came to the front office and pointed to a seat across from his desk, "Dottie, please have a seat."
Addressing Archie, Henry said, "Archie, I need you to walk over to Dottie's apparel store and go upstairs and see if you can get the window open. If you can, leave it open a crack for a little while, and take a broom and dustpan with you. The room needs a good cleaning. After it's swept, I'll have Mark and Luke go over and wipe down the walls and floor." Henry instructed.
"Sure thing Henry. Good day Mrs. Ramsey." Archie replied as he put on his coat and grabbed the broom.
"Now Henry, I have to ask, if you wouldn't mind, the ladies and I would really appreciate it if you would allow us to see that wedding dress again." Dottie asked politely.
"I thought I made it clear that when I took that dress with me that I didn't want you all handling it!" Henry snapped.
Dottie looked away when Henry spoke so sharply to her. This was definitely not going to be easy. She touched a sore spot and it was deep inside of Henry. She reached over and touched Henry's hand.
After a few seconds Henry pulled his hand away, and his eyes burrowed deep into Dottie's eyes. In return, she could see the pain in his eyes and saw him breathing deeply. He shook his head and his jaw tightened.
"Henry," Dottie biting her lip said softly, "what are you fighting inside? If you don't share, I'm afraid you will explode."
After a long pause, Henry's eyes burned with hot tears and his face reddened. "She left me. We married. She got pregnant right away, and I was thrilled, but she left me," he stammered through clenched teeth. "I loved her, but she told me I wouldn't amount to anything."
Dottie sat there and let Henry talk. She drew closer and listened attentively.
"Nothing I said or did made her happy. She wanted to travel and be a socialite, but instead she was pregnant. The doctor said it was just her pregnancy causing her to be so unhappy and told me it would pass. I tried everything to please her, but it was never enough."
"That must have been exasperating Henry, what did you do?" Dottie sympathized.
"Nothing. She wouldn't let me near her. I went to work, she stayed home, cleaned, cooked, but that was it. She blamed me for her getting pregnant. Even the doctor tried to reason with her." Henry stiffened.
"Didn't she want the baby?" Dottie asked incredulously.
"Yes, she did, she just didn't want to be pregnant right away. She talked about missing out of a life she always dreamed of. Then she had our baby. It was a boy, Christopher," he said as a huge smile broke across his tear ridden face. "I was such a proud dad!"
"I bet you were" Dottie nodded, "go on."
"The doc told me that she would relax and be her old self once she gave birth, but that never happened. All she talked about was leaving and finding a place where she could have the life she deserved. When I would come home from work, I couldn't wait to hold my son. I fed him and played with him. He brought joy into my life!" Henry laughed, but then his laugh grew bitter. "She wanted a divorce."
As Henry's eyes began to well up with tears again, Dottie reached for his hand again, but this time he didn't let go. She felt his chest heave with rapid breaths. Dottie rubbed his back and wrapped her arm around his trembling shoulders.
"One day when I came home from work, she was gone and she took Christopher with her. That day was our first wedding anniversary. I was heartbroken and didn't go to work for a week. The doctor came over to check on us. When he found out what happened, he said some women go through a postpartum depression. He gave me hope that it would be temporary, but she never contacted me until I got the damn divorce papers served to me. My wife was no longer my wife, and my son was gone."
"Oh no Henry, that is horrible. Just horrible." Dottie felt so sorry for him. That explained the wedding dress. It was hers and the trunk held what must have been his clothes. No wonder he was upset when he saw Dottie with the dress. All this time the memories had been hidden away in the attic where he could forget about the pain. That heart wrenching time had taken it's toll on Henry. There was a reason Henry became an untrustworthy man, he reflected what he was feeling himself. Henry couldn't trust anyone. She had taken that away from him. Henry was a broken man.
