Better Than New Ch. 05

"Time enough to worry about that tomorrow, dear," Doreen said. "Let's order a light meal and get ready to go. It's a long drive for you."

My father said, "You folks go ahead and we'll see you tomorrow. I think I'll have a nap before we have supper. That all right with you, Warren?"

"Excellent idea, Dave. Why don't we meet for dinner at eight? I'll make the reservation."

We parted with the usual handshakes, hugs and kisses.

"You think they're really going to have a nap?" Doreen asked as they left the table.

I shrugged and smiled at her. "I think Dad and Warren are a bit worn out from today, so I wouldn't be surprised. But ... then again ...."

Saturday, August 28th, 2:00pm

Frank Gordon and I were sitting in the bar at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in downtown San Francisco, killing time over a glass of cabernet.

"Thanks for making the effort to be here, Val. I thought it was the best opportunity for Doreen and her mother to get together by themselves before the wedding."

"I agree, Frank. I wish it could have been a long time ago, but better now than not at all. I'm really grateful that you stayed in touch with her, though. I think that meant a lot to her. At least she had her father to connect with."

"Sandra and I planned this Alaska cruise some months ago, and I switched the airline tickets to San Francisco from Vancouver after you met with us earlier this spring. I don't know what's going on in that hotel room right now, but it's been over an hour so I guess that's good."

"I think so, too. There's over ten years of heartache to get over, and that won't happen in a few moments. If they can just get the healing started, I'd be happy."

Frank nodded his agreement as he sipped his wine.

As I looked over his shoulder, I saw Doreen and her mother walking towards our table. I was trying to read their faces, but having no luck at all. I nudged Frank to let him know they were coming, then stood.

"Thank you for being so patient with us," Sandra said with a slight smile. "We had a lot of ground to cover, but ... I think things are going to be much better in the future." This time the smile was broader and mirrored by Doreen. I could see puffy eyes on both of them and suspected there had been quite a few tears shed in the past hour.

"I've apologized to Doreen for being so selfish and stubborn."

"And I've apologized for causing Mom the hurt that I did," Doreen added.

"The rest of the time we spent talking about you, Valentine," Sandra grinned. "You get quite a high rating from my daughter, Frank, and me. She made me realize just how special you are and how much she loves you. I think she's a very lucky young woman."

"And I think I'm a very lucky guy," I replied.

"We're going to really enjoy our cruise, aren't we dear," she said, turning to Frank. "All the worry and upset are past now. We'll be truly looking forward to your wedding ... and ... future grandchildren."

"Spoken like a true future grandmother," I laughed.

The tension was gone, and although Doreen had said little, the expression on her face was one of both relief and happiness. When Frank had called me to suggest we bring the two together I thought it was a great idea, and I turned out to be right. Being welcomed into the Gordon family was important to me.

"I'm looking forward to you coming out a few days early so that we can show you around and you can meet my parents. The weather is usually pretty nice in September, so you should have a pleasant stay."

"I'll let you know what our travel plans are, Val. Sandra and I will probably rent a car for our stay. I've never been to Monterey and Carmel and I know we both want to see it."

"Great ... it's settled then."

After a few more hugs, kisses, and handshakes, Doreen and I made our way out of the bar and down to the parking area. She had a vise grip on my hand and I wondered just how wound up she was. I found out when the elevator doors to the parking levels closed. She almost jumped on me, kissing me and holding me tightly to her.

"Thank you, Val. Thank you so much. I feel so much love for you right now, I don't know how to tell you or show you. I'm only just starting to breathe now."

"Was it that difficult?"

"Yes. I was frightened of what might happen. I wanted it to be over ... I mean ... the anger and the disappointment. I wanted us to be mother and daughter once more. Neither of us knew what to say or how to say it. Finally, I just broke down and told her I was sorry. I had never meant to hurt her. That seemed to be the right thing at the right time. Mom broke down too. She was sorry that she was so hard and so unforgiving. She knew that it was for all the wrong reasons.

"Anyway, we're going to be okay now. I think we both know we screwed up and lost more than a decade of our lives. We have some catching up to do, but I think we'll be okay. She had a lot of nice things to say about you, you know."

"That's a surprise. I only talked to her for a few minutes when I was there."

"It wasn't how long, it was what you said. You broke the log-jam in her head. After I told her what kind of guy you are, she realized how important family is to you and why you took the trouble to fly all the way across the country just to talk to her. I think when she put all the pieces together, she understood."

"I'm glad. You're right ... family is important to me. I'm just happy that we're on the way to putting yours back together again."

"It was definitely worth giving up our golf game," she grinned, poking me in the arm. It was good to see her smiling. Another step along the way, I thought.

Friday, September 10th, 5:15pm

"Two weeks tomorrow and you join the not-so-exclusive club of married couples," Paul said, raising his beer mug. Carolyn, Doreen, and I all followed.

"Can't wait," I said, turning to Doreen and kissing her cheek. "It's not like we aren't keeping house already, but when it's official, I'll feel like it's real."

"Have you decided on your honeymoon yet? Time is getting short, you know," Carolyn chirped.

"We're going to delay it for a couple of months. Val booked us a nice beachfront place on Maui for early December. Two weeks, and home for Christmas. Mom and Dad are coming out for the holidays. Who knows, maybe I'll be pregnant by then," she giggled.

"Well ... you guys are too late in the baby-making sweepstakes," Carolyn said happily. "I'm expecting in late May."

"Oh ... that's wonderful!" Doreen exploded. "Congratulations!"

"That's great," I agreed. "I should have guessed when you ordered a diet cola instead of your usual."

Doreen had gotten up and gone to hug Carolyn as I shook Paul's hand. We were genuinely happy for them, if not a little envious. Both Doreen and I wanted to start on a family right away. She had gone off the pill when her parents left on their cruise, knowing then that everything was going to be all right with them. It took away the stress, and we both agreed that the timing was right.

Saturday, September 25th, 2:00pm

"You nervous?" Paul asked.

"A bit. I don't want to fluff my lines ... that's all."

"Yeah ... I know what you mean. Anyway, I don't have to ask you if you're serious about this. When you make your mind up, that's it."

"It's the easiest decision I ever made. This one is for keeps, Paul. I've made my one mistake. This one is forever."

"I get that feeling from both of you. Just like Carolyn and me. You can sense that it is just exactly the way it was meant to be."

I heard the organist start the wedding march and we turned to look as Frank guided my bride slowly up the aisle to my side. She had chosen a white dress with the agreement and support of both me and her mother. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

I heard a sniff from nearby and saw Sandra holding a handkerchief to her nose while tears streamed down her cheeks. I knew this was a happy moment for her, so I wasn't in the least concerned. I turned and looked at my mother, and she and Dad were a little misty-eyed too. They'd been through this before, but I think they realized the difference between my first attempt and this one.

"It was a lovely ceremony, Val," Mother said afterwards, still a little weepy. "She's such a beautiful bride. I think she's just what you need."

My father was nodding his agreement, along with Warren. I had been shaking hands and pecking cheeks for the past half hour as we arrived at the reception hall. I was surprised at the number of people that had attended both the ceremony and had come to the reception. When I looked at the faces, I knew them all, and they all belonged. It was a great day.

"Don't Mom and Dad look great, Val?"

"Which ones?" I kidded.

"Yeah ... I get it. Both of them do, don't they."

"I just got myself a new family. I really like your parents, and they seem to be getting along great with my folks. So, what more could we ask for?"

"I can't think of anything. I'm so happy. You don't know how good it feels to have Mom back in my life. You made that happen, husband, and I'll never forget that. I am so damn lucky."

"Funny ... I feel the same way. We both came from different directions, but the main thing is we found each other. All it took was one game of golf."

END

Editing by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks for their thoroughness and helpful suggestions. Any errors are mine.