Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Sixty-Four

Scarlett usually took the boys to visit their O'Hara relatives once a week. She did this so they could talk about things that her parents or sisters may not want to talk about in front of the Butlers. That day in September Suellen had excitedly told Scarlett, "Sam and I have set the date. We are going to get married on October twenty-second."

"No, you can't get married on that date. That is the date I am going to host Kenny's first birthday party. Pick another date."

"No, Scarlett. That is the date that Sam first took me for a walk in the park."

"That can't be true. The twenty-second is a Sunday. So, you and Sam must have first gone walking on the twenty-third."

"It almost is the day of the first official day of him calling on me. Just have Kenny's party the Sunday before his birthday."

"No. I'm going to have his party…." Scarlett stopped speaking. Why was she making a big deal out of this? Kenny wouldn't know any different. It wasn't like Suellen was wanting to get married on Kenny's birthday. She smiled at her sister who had so much less than she did. She could give Suellen this. This was extremely important to her sister.

"Please, Scarlett, change the date of Kenny's party."

"I will."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you."

At seeing Suellen's utter happiness Scarlett felt a little petty about not immediately letting her sister have the date she wanted. Scarlett said, "What have you got planned so far? Is the priest going to marry you?"

"He won't because Sam isn't Catholic. Sam is Baptist and his minister has agreed to marry us."

"Will he come to my house?"

"Yes."

"How many people will stand up with you?"

"Just you and Careen."

"Are you wanting just a reception or a sit-down meal?

"Just a reception."

"Do you have a dress?"

"Mama's wedding dress."

"You still have that! How?"

"I made sure it fit in my trunk. Careen put some of my stuff in her trunk so the dress would fit."

Scarlett smiled and said, "I guess it was important to you both."

"Wasn't it important to you when you married Charlie?"

Scarlett smiled again and said, "Yes, it was. What time?"

"It has to be in the afternoon because the minister still has to hold church services in the morning."

"Let me know what is convenient for the minister."

"Of course. Thank you, Scarlett for letting me have the service in your home."

"You're welcome. How many people are you going to invite?"

"We don't know that many people. Just people we have met through the church, but Sam knows quite a few people so together probably around thirty people."

"Don't forget, you have to invite the entire Butler clan and the Wilkeses."

"Yes. I will."

"What kind of food do you want to serve?"

"I guess finger foods mostly."

"Anything in particular?"

"Popcorn with butter and salt."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Of course."

"Fruits, nuts, berries, and those pigs in the blanket."

"Of course. Do you want alcohol served?"

"Of course! I want everyone to have a good time."

"Even your father?"

"Especially my father."

Scarlett looked at her father. She had never been ashamed of him. She wondered if Suellen could say the same. She shook off those thoughts. She marveled at the man who was carrying Kenny and Wade around the store. He was playing some kind of game with them which they both must have liked because she could hear them laughing. Scarlett said, "You and Sam need to give him some more grandchildren or he will spoil my boys beyond repair."

"Between him and Mama they will. I never thought Mama would be that interactive with her grandchildren, she certainly wasn't with us."

"I think she was so busy running the plantation, she didn't have time to have fun."

"She does now."

"At least, one positive aspect of the destruction of our world."

"Not the only positive. Both Careen and I enjoy not having to always act like a lady."

"Me too."

A customer entered the store and Suellen said, "I have to get to work."

"Yes, Pa let me have the boys. I will take them upstairs to visit with Mama."

"I will take them upstairs for you."

"Thanks."

After Scarlett, Gerald, and the boys got upstairs, Ellen took the boys to the parlor and started playing with them and the toys they had there for them. Gerald sat down and played with the boys also. He looked at Ellen and she smiled a sad smile. She said, "Us having sons wasn't meant to be but we have three wonderful daughters."

"Indeed, we do, Lassie." Gerald stood up and said, "Let me return to the store."

"So soon?"

"I don't want Suellen to get in a snit and think she is the only one doing any work."

Ellen laughed. She said, "Do you know she still feels obligated to tell me every time you take a nip of whiskey?"

Gerald roared with laughter. He said, "That girl is so prissy."

"She is prissy but no longer over the top prissy. Her no longer being a lady is a good thing."

"Indeed. Give me a kiss."

Not only did Ellen give her husband a kiss but so did their grandsons. As Gerald was walking down the stairs, he thought, 'It doesn't get any better than this.'

When Scarlett had entered the apartment, Careen had motioned her over. Careen said, "Come into the kitchen with me?"

"Alright."

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes."

"Clyde is going to ask Pa for permission to marry me."

"Congratulations."

"We will have to live here until we save enough money to buy our own home."

"I will get Rhett to lend Clyde the money. You can just pay Rhett back just like his relatives do. Ten dollars a month."

"I will tell Clyde about your idea and see what he says. If he says yes that would be wonderful. Why would Rhett do that?"

"Because he is a kind and generous man."

"That's true."

Scarlett knew her husband wasn't a kind or generous man. Although he was always kind and generous to her. Well, maybe not always kind but he was always generous. He was also annoying, mocking, and sanctimonious far too often. The worst time to live with him was when he was proven right about something.

Scarlett spent another thirty minutes with her mother and sister. She then returned to her home. As Scarlett got in her buggy with her sons, she thought, 'Although the driver is nice, I wish Rhett would go ahead and buy us a carriage.'

When Elizabeth and Gertrude got back from their sales trip, Elizabeth was happy and excited to tell the family all about the trip. She could hardly talk about anything else for the next week. She had enjoyed everything about the trip. She had even enjoyed making the sales calls. She bragged, "Every person we called on schedule some items to ship with us."

It seems that Elizabeth had never been anywhere except Charleston, Middleton Acres, and Galveston. Because of the nature of managing the plantation she and Marshall had never been able to get away for very long at all.

Elizabeth talked about what it was like to sail on the ship. She said to Rhett, "I know now why you love to go sailing. There is nothing more beautiful than looking at those miles and miles of ocean."

"I agree, Mother, it is invigorating Maybe someday I will be able to talk Scarlett into sailing with me to Europe."

"Scarlett, you just must. How exciting that would be to see all the landmarks of Europe."

Rosemary said, "Maybe we will have to send you and Miss Stein to Europe to get us some customers from foreign countries."

Elizabeth said, "Slow growth. We are not going to bite off more than we can chew."

Rhett said, "If we decide to expand to foreign markets, it will not be simple. Because of the expense of the trip, we would always have to have a cargo both ways."

Rosemary said, "With the extra business we picked up from Simmons customers we are in a comfortable position. Miss Stein said you were quite the salesperson, Mother."

To all the adults' amazement Elizabeth blushed at the compliment. She finally said, "I am surprised at how proud that statement made me. While at the same time realizing I shouldn't be proud to be good at a masculine skill."

Rhett said, "I don't think being able to sell is a masculine or feminine skill. I think it is a trait that anybody would be happy to possess."

"Also, Miss Elizabeth it is a skill that is coming to the surface at a very opportune moment. When we need to sell our service the most you can sell … Rhett?"

"Ice to Eskimos."

"Yes, it sounds like you can sell ice to Eskimos and Rosemary has told us on many of occasion what a great salesperson Miss Stein is therefore between the two of you the Eskimos will have more ice than they will ever need.

"Indeed, my dear."

"I will continue to go on sales calls with Miss Stein while she is in Galveston, but we certainly need you to travel with her and go on sales calls while you all are out of town."

"Of course."

"Suellen has set the date for her wedding?"

"When?"

"October twenty-second."

"I thought that was the date you were going to have Kenny's first birthday party."

"It was but Suellen wanted to get married on that day for sentimental reasons, so I let her have the day." Rhett's eyebrow went up like he was doubting the sincerity of her statement. Scarlett went on while ignoring Rhett's nonverbal commentary, "We will have Kenny's party on the fifteenth."

"How wonderful."

The conversation moved to what the family had read in the Charleston Daily Reports. Wade and Meg joined in the conversation. It was a pleasant meal for everyone.

On the last day of September over supper, Elizabeth said, "Eulalie wrote me."

Scarlett said, "Is this unusual?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. This is the first letter I have gotten from her since I left Charleston."

"Did you send her your address?"

"Both when we moved in with you and when we moved into the little purple house."

"Go on."

"She expressed her sorrow over Marshall's death. She also told me how wonderful things were in Charleston now. She suggested I move back."

"And?"

"I would never move back to live amongst those judgmental hypocrites who act like they have never done anything wrong."

"That's good to know, Mother. I would miss you, if you weren't living right down the street from me."

"I would miss everyone but what I am afraid of is that they are going to ask if they can move in with me now that Marshall has passed away."

"Tell them no. Lie to them. Tell them that you are living on a small insurance payout that is barely enough to support you and Rosemary."

"I can't lie."

"Why? They will never know. It isn't like anyone else is going to give them money to move here. No siree Bob, they aren't.

"Do you think I will be able to get away with it?"

"Yes, Scarlett's mother who is their sister doesn't want them here anymore than you do. Mama certainly will not give them money to move here. And I sure know that Scarlett isn't going to give those condemning old hags any money. If she did it would be our first marital crisis."

"Miss Elizabeth, just blame everything on Rhett. That is what my mother is going to do blame everything on Pa. Stand behind Rhett and let him protect you."

"Thank you, Dears. That is what I will do."

Wade said, "What is wrong with these old women?"

Scarlett said, "In twenty years I will answer that."

Everyone laughed and the conversation turned to other subjects.