Chapter 7 - Questions

"You're asking me to marry you?" Morwenna asked, her voice shaking.

"I am." From the look on her face she looked scared. But you know, I was as well. Shakin' in my boots.

"And not just askin' because I'm gonna have a baby?"

"Mor' of course not, but I sorta figured we oughta get hitched up anyway, and not just because of the baby. I care for you and I love you." I thought about my mum and dad; my mum dying when I was a baby. "And maybe there is no right time. Just... oh heck."

She shook her head. "If I didn't think you loved me I'd not have made love to you, Al Large."

I took her hand. "Oh. But maybe you don't love me..." came out in a mumble.

She tousled my hair, saying, "Silly boy. Of course I love you."

"So that's a yes? I mean you will marry me?"

She got down on her knees and wrapped her arms around me. "Al Large, I will marry you." Then she kissed me full on the lips, so I kissed her back. The word kiss maybe doesn't describe it. The joy I felt was only interrupted by the pain my kneecap as it ground into a crack in the slate floor.

"Something wrong?"

I shifted my weight. "No... just I'm breakin' my knee kneelin' down like this."

She laughed. "Then you'd better get up."

We stood up, still holding one another. "I... made us dinner."

She kissed me again, sucking on my lower lip. "Dinner," she whispered.

"Uhm, yeah. Fish, veg, and boiled taters."

Next she nibbled on my ear. "Oh," she said slowly.

"Doc says you gotta eat right."

"So now you're gonna worry about me? What I eat? All that?"

I tried to step away but she held me tight. "I, uhm, only thought... stands to figure... the baby."

Morwenna kissed me again, then murmurred in my ear, "Our baby."

"Right." She sniffled a little so I pushed her away to see her face. "You cryin'?"

Tears were running down her face.

"Morwenner? What's wrong?"

She wiped her eyes. "I wish grand-dad was still here."

"He was a good man."

"I know. Mum and dad, always... you know; their charity work. But grand-dad? He raised me since I was little. Never a word of complaint." She sighed. "He liked you, you know."

"Ah. Didn't know that."

"Grand-dad'd point you out. 'Lookie there, Morwenna,' he'd say. 'There's a handsome young fella. I think he might have a head on his shoulders too.'"

I rubbed my neck. "Well, I try."

She nodded. "And you don't give up." Unlike my dad, she didn't say, and I thanked her silently for not sayin' that.

I touched her face. "Maybe if the baby is a boy we could name him William."

"Or Mary if it's a girl, your mum's name."

I felt a jolt at that. What was my mum like? Gosh how things would have been different if she'd lived. Maybe my dad would have been a lot happier; mkre confident at least. But he never remarried, spent all those years raisin' me.

Morwenna wiped her cheeks with both hands and then laughed. "So, here we are."

"Yeah."

She looked at the kitchen. "I don't smell anything cooking."

"I... I hadn't started dinner just yet."

"In case I said no?"

"I guess."

She kissed me. "Were you that unsure of me? Afraid I'd say no?"

"Uhm... sorta."

She laughed. "Come on then," she said and took a step away from the kitchen.

"Where are you headin'?"

She grinned mischieviously. "You hungry? For fish, veg, and potatoes?" She held out her hand for mine. "I'm not."

I took her hand and she grabbed it eagerly. "Whats goin' on?"

"We can eat later. Come on, Al Large. Let's go celebrate. Upstairs." She had this brilliant smile, and just for me.

"Right."

So we went up to bed. I nervously got into bed with her, not sure what to do.

"Is something the matter?" she asked as she rubbed my back.

"I... I dont wanta hurt you... the baby."

She smiled. "You won't hurt anything, Al. Now give us a kiss."

I learned something in the next few hours. You can't make a pregnant woman pregnant, but we tried to anyway... several times!