A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.
Chapter Summary: George and Louise prepare for their special wedding in Haven Lake – and for saying goodbye to the small town they love.
Chapter 14: Renewal
The next several days were emotional for everyone. Naturally, Lionel and Jenny were ecstatic when George and Louise told them everything the next day. And when the whole truth of Louise's life story got out and all of Haven Lake learned that she and her husband would be having a special wedding there, renewing their marriage vows before leaving for New York, the town was thrilled for them. But it was harder for Melissa and Angie because even though they loved George and wanted him to adopt them, they were dreading leaving behind their friends, Cindy and Kimmy. And it was also a lot harder for Frank, Heather, Leah, Estelle, and especially Mark. But even though they knew they would miss Louise so much, they were truly happy for her. After surviving the hellhole and raising two children on her own for so long, Louise more than deserved this, and they knew it.
The days leading up to the big wedding very busy and hectic for everyone to say the least. Frank, Heather, Elizabeth, and even Florence worked overtime with Louise to prepare the wedding cake and many of the refreshments for the reception. And Leah, Estelle, and Jenny helped Louise with all the invitations that needed to be sent out, not to mention lots of other odds and ends. They also helped Louise pick out the loveliest champagne-colored, long-sleeved lace bridal gown for her to wear on the big day. And on the day before the wedding when George took Louise out to shop for a new engagement ring for her at one of the classiest jewelry stores in Boston, naturally, he wanted to buy her the biggest diamond engagement ring he could find. It was a huge square diamond on a white gold band that was surrounded by smaller diamonds all around the band. But the moment Louise saw the price tag, she objected, and truth be told, she actually felt it was rather garish. Instead, she chose a slightly smaller square diamond on a simple white gold band that was more reasonably priced. And the wedding rings they picked were beautiful but simple white gold bands that went with the white gold band of Louise's new engagement ring.
But it wasn't the size of the diamond of her new engagement ring that meant the most to Louise. George was obviously a very wealthy man with a lot of powerful connections, and he used all of them to cut through the mountains of red tape involved, and he made certain that his adoption of Melissa and Angie would become official on Saturday, the second of June. The same day that he and Louise would be renewing their wedding vows. It was on that day that Louise Wood would officially begin going by the name 'Louise Jefferson' once again, and it was on that same day that Melissa and Angie would also legally receive the last name of Jefferson. The fact that George went to so much trouble to make sure they would all legally receive his name on their wedding day meant more to Louise than anything. She and her girls were all joining George's family together, and that meant everything to them and especially to George. George had done the same thing for Lionel and Jenny, using his connections to speed up the long adoption process of Aaron and Adam. And now, doing it for himself with Melissa and Angie filled all of them with joy.
When they returned to the bakery that evening, all of Louise's friends surprised her with a going-away party. With a goodbye party. Louise was shocked that they were able to put a special party like that together in the midst of all the wedding preparations, but they did indeed pull it off. Louise showed off her new engagement ring to all the ladies there, and everyone let her and George know just how happy they were for them. Then moments later, Louise decided to go back and get something from the kitchen. But the instant she pushed the door open, she stopped dead in her wheelchair tracks. Mark and Leah, thinking that they were alone, were giving each other a very long kiss. A big smile lit up Louise's face like a Christmas tree in that moment, and blushing a bit, she closed the kitchen door and quietly wheeled herself away from the kitchen to give Mark and Leah a little privacy.
About an hour later at the party that night, shortly after Louise sent the girls upstairs to bed, she announced that she was giving the bakery to Frank as a way to thank him for all his years of good work. Frank had let Louise know a couple of times that week that he was interested in buying the bakery from her, but now with Louise being a millionaire in her own right, she had decided to give it to him as a gift instead because she knew she certainly didn't need the money. And she really did want to reward him for all his years of diligent service at her bakery. She had been planning on giving him the deed and the keys to the bakery after the wedding, but now that her friends had given her this special surprise party, it seemed like a better time. After Louise gave him the deed to the bakery and the keys to it (and after he hugged her forever and fought off tears), she informed him that she would also give him the key to her apartment after the wedding tomorrow. He then hugged her once more and kissed her cheek, and he thanked her over and over again.
"Louise, what are you going to do about all your furniture in your apartment?" asked Leah, who was now standing in the dining area of the bakery beside Mark with everyone else, Mark's arm lovingly wrapped around her shoulders.
"I'm leaving that to Frank, too," Louise answered with a smile.
"You're kidding! I get the furniture, too?!" Frank cried out, unable to believe his ears. He'd hit the jackpot beyond his wildest dreams that night.
"That's right. George and I really don't need any of the furniture from my apartment. And the furniture in George's high-rise apartment in New York is beautiful. He's shown me pictures of it. I did want to pack up all the furniture in the girls' bedroom and bring it with us, but George insists on buying them brand new furniture for their bedroom."
"That's right because from now on, all three of my girls ain't gonna have nothin' but the best that money can buy. Because that's what they deserve," George said seriously as he lovingly gazed down into Louise's eyes.
"Aw," everyone said in the next moment as George bent down and gave Louise a big kiss.
Several minutes later, Louise noticed that Mark appeared to be pretty emotional, and she saw him sneak off into the small hallway where the elevator was. Louise then wheeled herself back there to join him.
"Mark," Louise called softly, and Mark quickly wiped a stray tear from his eye and turned around to face her with a smile. "Is everything alright?"
"Oh yeah, everything's fine," Mark insisted, but Louise knew better.
"Come on, Mark. You and I have been best friends for eight years now. I know you. I can tell that something's bothering you."
"What you said just now is true, Louise. You and I have been best friends for eight years. You and I have been a very big part of each other's lives for eight years. Eight years, Louise."
"I know."
"With two people being as close as we've been for eight years, it's not that easy to let go."
"What do you mean 'let go'? I may be moving to New York but that doesn't mean that you and I are letting go of each other. That doesn't mean our friendship is ending."
"Come on, Louise. You know how it is. Oh, people say, 'Oh, we'll call.' They say, 'We'll write.' They say, 'We'll get together for lunch the next time I'm in your town.' But ninety-nine percent of the time, whenever one person moves far away from a close friend, they never see each other again. They get caught up in their new lives. And that's what you should do, Louise. You should get caught up in your wonderful new life out in New York. You should enjoy your husband and your children. You should relax and have fun and enjoy your new life as a wealthy socialite. No one deserves it more than you do."
"Mark, just because I'm going to be married to a rich man and just because I'm going to be living on the East Side in Manhattan, it doesn't mean that I'm going to suddenly change into some snobbish socialite who forgets about all her friends. No matter where I live or how much money I have, I'm never going to stop being the person I am right now."
Mark nodded then and admitted, "I know that."
"And no matter how busy I may be with my life in New York, I will never stop keeping in touch with you. Never. I will never forget about you, and I will never allow our friendship to die. Ever."
Mark smiled and took Louise's hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze, and then he told her, "You're right, Louise. I guess I'm being silly."
"Yes, you are," Louise playfully scolded him, and then they laughed and hugged.
"It's still going to be hard, though," Mark told her after their embrace ended. "Not getting to see you all the time. You not being here at the bakery anymore. I'm really going to miss seeing you around here. I'm going to miss seeing you so much."
"Come on! You'll be so busy spending all your time with Leah that you won't even think about missing me."
"Leah? How'd you know about that? We haven't told anybody yet."
"I was going to get something from the kitchen earlier and when I opened the door, I saw you two kids in there smooching."
Mark laughed, and then he told Louise, "We just started seeing each other last week. I was going to tell you but then you and George decided to have the wedding and–"
"You don't owe me any explanations, Mark. I'm just so happy for you. I know that you've had feelings for Leah for a long time now."
"Yeah," said Mark. And then in the next moment, he suddenly started laughing.
"What's so funny?" asked Louise.
"The thought of you and me actually falling in love with someone. The thought of you and me, of all people, having romance in our lives. Can you believe it?"
"I know," said Louise as she laughed with Mark.
"After losing my Becky…and then going through everything in the hellhole…I don't know. I guess I just figured I was done with having a woman in my life."
"I know what you mean. I certainly never dreamed that I would end up falling in love. Planning my wedding."
"And your honeymoon. Leah tells me that her cousin in Rhode Island has a friend who owns several cabins there and lets tourists rent them for days and weeks at a time while they're there on vacation. According to her, that's where you and George will be spending your second honeymoon over the next two weeks."
"That's right. Leah and George and I got to talking about how much I love it at Haven Creek, and she says that the area around her cousin's friend's cabins has creeks and streams that are even more beautiful, and she suggested that we go there for a second honeymoon."
"You think you'll be alright going into another cabin?"
"Oh yeah. This cabin won't be anything like the disaster-cabin that the hellhole was. Leah assures me that the cabin where George and I will be spending our honeymoon is absolutely beautiful. And besides, I'm not going to let that snake ruin all cabins for me forever. There isn't a snowflake's chance in hell that I'm going to let that snake stop me from enjoying my honeymoon with my husband."
"Good girl!" Mark said aloud as he gave Louise a good pat on the shoulder. "Who's going to look after Melissa and Angie and the cats for you two while you're on your honeymoon?"
"Florence. She's going to be living with us as our live-in maid, and she'll be taking care of the apartment for us while we're gone. And she's agreed to look after Melissa and Angie and the cats for us until we get back from our honeymoon. And George's mother is going to be looking in on them as often as she can as well."
"That's good. I know Melissa and Angie have always needed a grandma. And definitely a father."
"Yes they have. And I know I could never hope for a better father and a better grandma for my girls than George and Olivia."
"I know how much we're going to miss each other, but I want you to know, Louise, that I am so proud of you, and I am so happy for you. In all these years that I've known you, I've never seen you more joyful than you are now. You and George belong together. You really do."
"I think I can say the same about you and Leah. You are such a wonderful man, Mark. And you deserve all the joy in the world," Louise told him as he hugged her tightly. When the embrace ended, she told him, "Enjoy your life. Enjoy Leah. Remember to take care of yourself and be good to yourself."
"And you do the same."
"I will."
"You enjoy your husband and your children and your grandchildren," said Mark as Louise nodded. "And all your cats," he added, and Louise laughed.
"I will," Louise said in an emotional whisper, knowing what this was. This was their goodbye right here and now. They both hated long emotional goodbyes, so they were saying their goodbyes to each other now. That way, they wouldn't have to say them after the wedding.
Mark then gave Louise another big, long hug, and the two of them just clung to one another and cried for the longest time.
When the embrace finally ended, Mark looked down into Louise's face, took her hands in his, and said, "I love you, my friend. I always will. Always."
"And I will always love you," Louise gasped through her tears.
"Godspeed, Louise," Mark whispered.
"Godspeed, Mark," Louise whispered in return. Mark then gave her hands a good squeeze and left.
As Louise was sitting at the vanity mirror in her champagne-colored wedding gown, arranging a white tulip in her hair, there was a knock at her bedroom door.
"Come in!" she called.
Lionel opened the door and came inside, now wearing a tuxedo for the wedding. He then went over to his mother and bent down and kissed her cheek.
"Hey there, Mom. You look beautiful."
"Thank you," Louise said softly as Lionel sat down in the living chair near her. She then wheeled herself closer to her son so they could talk face to face.
"I just want you to know that I'm so happy for you and Pop. Pop's not the only person who's been dreaming of this day for a long time. I have been, too. And so have Jenny and her folks."
"Thank you for telling me that."
"It's the truth, Mom. You know, it feels so good, calling you 'Mom' again. I like saying it."
"Not half as much as I like hearing it. It feels wonderful to know that I have such an intelligent, fun-loving, compassionate son. But there's one thing I feel so awful about."
"What's that?"
"Not remembering you. What kind of mother forgets her own child?"
Lionel scooted up closer to his mother, laid his hand on top of hers, and told her, "Come on, Mom. You're being way too hard on yourself. You're not being fair to yourself at all. It's not like you chose to forget me. It's not like you did it on purpose. You suffered severe head trauma. Anybody who's suffered head trauma like you have would've lost their memory and maybe even worse. I just can't thank Jesus enough that you're still alive. And I can't thank Him enough that we've finally got you back. And when it comes to all those memories of you and me that you lost, don't worry. I'll remember for both of us. Okay?"
After quickly wiping tears from her eyes with a tissue, Louise nodded and said, "Okay." Lionel then leaned in and gave his mother the biggest, longest hug, and during their embrace, Louise told him, "I love you, son. I love you so much."
Once the embrace ended, Lionel said, "I love you too, Mom."
"I'm so proud of you."
"And I'm so proud of you. You're such an amazing person."
"You'd better cut it out or I'll start crying again and ruin my makeup," Louise teased.
"I've got a better idea. Instead of you and me hanging around up here crying, why don't we all get in that big luxury limo Pop arranged for us and go to the church so you two can have a wedding, huh?"
Louise smiled and said, "You're right. That is a much better idea. You know, I still can't believe your father actually got another luxury limousine for me. You know that he took me back home from Cleveland in one of those huge luxury limos after my heart surgery. And the chauffeur in the limousine right outside isn't just taking us to church. After the wedding today, he's taking George and me to our vacation spot in Rhode Island where we're going to have our second honeymoon."
"You know Pop," Lionel said with a laugh. "He never does anything halfway."
"That's certainly true," Louise agreed as she laughed with her son. "Anyway, I'll go check on Melissa and Angie and make sure they're ready."
"Oh, they've been ready for a little while now. They look adorable," Lionel told her.
"Well in that case, I guess it's time that we all went downstairs and headed out to church and got married."
"It's time, Mom. It is definitely time," Lionel told his mother with another laugh, and then she smiled as he pushed her wheelchair out of her bedroom.
The church was jam-packed when Louise, Lionel, and the girls arrived. And very shortly after they all got there, the ceremony began. George, Lionel, and all the groomsmen (Tom, Bentley, and Ralph) wore matching tuxedos, as did the pastor, his grandson the ringbearer, and George's best man, Mark. Jenny, Florence, Helen, Leah, Suzanne, Heather, and Elizabeth were Louise's bridesmaids, and they all came down the aisle in matching lavender gowns that were absolutely lovely. Naturally, Angie was the flower girl, and she was so very adorable in her lavender dress. The pastor's eight-year-old grandson, Luke, accompanied Angie down the aisle as the ringbearer. Melissa was her mother's maid of honor that day, and she looked gorgeous as she came down the aisle wearing a similar lavender dress, carrying a bouquet of multicolored tulips, just as the bridesmaids did. And when Lionel came down the aisle with Louise, pushing her in her wheelchair, tears of joy came to George's eyes when he saw his bride in her champagne-colored lace wedding gown, holding a bouquet of white tulips with another white tulip beautifully arranged in her hair. When they arrived at the altar, George quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. Then Mark brought over a chair and George sat down beside Louise so that they could be at eye-level with each other.
The pastor, a bald, heavyset black man, stood in front of the happy couple then and said to everyone, "You know, it is such a gift, such a blessing, to get to officiate this wedding today. I don't get to do weddings like this very often with the bride and groom renewing their marriage vows. And that's precisely what today is all about: renewal. And we are all so blessed by God Almighty to get to be a part of it today.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to rejoin this man and this woman in holy matrimony. If there is anyone here with just cause why this man and this woman should not be rejoined today, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace."
It was in that moment that George, Lionel, Jenny, Tom, Helen, and Florence all shot a dirty glance to Olivia, warning her that if she dared to make a sound, there would be bloodshed in the church that day! But of course, she definitely knew better than to act like a spoiled jerk to Louise now, and she quickly put her hand over her mouth in that moment to reassure everyone that she would not be uttering a single word of objection.
"George, Louise, please join hands," said the pastor. Louise then happily held onto George's right hand with her right hand while still holding her bridal bouquet in her left. As they lovingly gazed into each other's tearful eyes, the pastor asked, "George, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you solemnly promise to love, honor, and cherish her in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, 'til death do you part? And forsaking all others, do you solemnly promise to keep yourself only for her as long as you both shall live?"
George had already started lovingly squeezing Louise's hand the moment the pastor said, "in sickness and in health." And he continued squeezing her hand in that moment as he gazed into her eyes and said, "I do. With all my heart."
"Louise, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you solemnly promise to love, honor, and cherish him in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, 'til death do you part? And forsaking all others, do you solemnly promise to keep yourself only for him as long as you both shall live?"
Louise squeezed George's hand then and answered in an emotional voice, "I do. With all my heart."
"The rings, please," he said as his grandson came forward with the wedding rings on a red velvet pillow, and Louise then handed her bridal bouquet to Melissa, and she and George took the rings.
"George, please place Louise's wedding ring on her left ring finger and repeat after me: 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"
In that moment, George gently slipped the wedding ring on Louise's left ring finger and said in an emotional whisper, "With this ring, I thee wed."
"Louise, please place the wedding ring on George's left ring finger and repeat after me: 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"
Louise then slipped George's wedding ring onto his left ring finger and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."
"By the power vested in me by God and the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife once again. George, you may now kiss your bride."
George immediately leaned in, put his arms around Louise, and gave her the longest, most passionate kiss he'd ever given her in all their marriage, while everyone rose to their feet and loudly applauded and cheered.
When everything quieted down a little, the pastor said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present once more, Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson." As soon as he said that, naturally, the church was again filled with joyous applause. A couple of moments later, he motioned for Melissa and Angie to come closer to him and he put his hands on their shoulders. He then said aloud, "I would also like to announce for the very first time, Miss Melissa Rose Jefferson and Miss Angela Hope Jefferson."
Everyone in the church cheered at the top of their lungs in those moments while Louise, George, and all their children hugged and kissed and loved on each other.
Saying goodbye to all their dear friends in Haven Lake that day was difficult. And when Louise and George changed out of their wedding attire into more comfortable clothes and got into the luxury limousine and began their trip to Rhode Island, they were both drained. But George was especially concerned for Louise because he could easily tell just by looking at her how tired she was. Just a few moments after they got into the limousine, Louise curled up next to George and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Baby, I think you need to lie down. You want me to get some pillows and blankets out for you?"
"No thanks, George. I just want to stay like this," Louise said contentedly.
"Why don't you lie down here on the seat and rest your head on my lap? I think that'd be more comfortable for you."
"Thanks," Louise said with a smile, and then she lied down like George said and rested her head on his lap. In the next moment, she asked him, "You remember what Pastor Peterson said at the wedding about today being a day of renewal?"
"I sure do."
"I think the word 'renewal' really is the perfect word to describe today. Don't you?"
"Absolutely. It feels like I'm renewed; like I'm gettin' a second chance. And it feels wonderful," George said happily, and then he bent down and gave Louise a kiss.
"George, there's something I've been thinking about."
"Tell me, sweetheart. I'm all ears."
"I know that when we first started seeing each other in Haven Lake a year ago, you said that you didn't want me to worry about us having sex."
"That's right."
"But I've been thinking. Now that we've renewed our vows, gotten married again…now that we're going away for our honeymoon…maybe we should change that policy. Sex is difficult for me, but if you want me to try now, I will."
"Absolutely not, Louise. Absolutely not. After everything that your poor heart has been through, that is way too risky. I ain't never gonna play Russian roulette with your heart, baby. Ever. You just forget about that. You stop worryin' about that. You just rest and relax now, sweetheart. Okay?"
Louise smiled and squeezed George's hand, and she said, "Thank you, George."
George then kissed Louise on the forehead and tenderly stroked her cheek while she fell into the sweetest sleep. And as George sat there in the limousine with his wife, he realized in those moments just how much he loved watching her sleep. It was one of so many things he'd taken for granted before, but George Jefferson was never, ever going to take his priceless wife for granted again. Not for a nanosecond. George couldn't thank Jesus enough for bringing Louise back into his life, and it was a blessing he knew he would remember to thank Him for every day for as long as he lived. It hadn't been an easy road, but it was more than worth it now, and George couldn't wait for the rest of his life with Louise, Melissa, and Angie. He couldn't wait for every single day that he would be spending with Louise and their girls.
To Be Continued…