Teacher's Aide

"Okay. You should know I don't like math. I never have and probably never will."

She smiled at him then said, "But I love the analogy."

"And I love...that...you and I found each other."

Chelsea still had her arms around him, and she pulled him close, or more aptly, she pulled herself closer to him. When he wrapped his arms around her she felt small and tiny but no longer felt insignificant.

For the first time she could ever remember, even early on with her former husband, she felt loved. If this wasn't love, Chelsea wanted whatever it was to continue every day of the rest of her life. She knew that realistically that probably wouldn't be the case, but for now the thought of it made her happier than she'd ever been.

"I'm glad you came over, and I'm glad you and my dad talked," she told him when she pulled back a little.

"Same here," Pete told her. "If you're up to it, I'd love to have you and Bryce come to my house next weekend. Or earlier if you're not too tired."

"I'd like that," she said sweetly before kissing him again.

They agreed they would be completely professional in the classroom, no matter how difficult that might prove, but they also agreed they wouldn't hide their relationship from anyone. So the following morning they asked if Diane had a minute, and when she invited them in, she told them she was happy for them and agreed with their plan.

"Well, that was easy," Pete said as they left her office.

Several teaches were standing around, and no one thought it was unusual that Chelsea had her arm in Pete's. But when they got outside and held hands, Pete was pretty sure there were some 'oohs' and 'aahs', and a lot of gossip. And although he didn't look, he was right.

Doug happened to be walking by and when he saw them holding hands he just smiled and said, "Nice!"

"What did he mean by that?" Chelsea asked.

"I'll tell you once we get to the room," Pete promised.

After he explained their recent conversation, Chelsea said, "I owe him big time."

"Yeah. Me, too," he said before kissing her while it was just them.

"I'm not sure that'll hold me until the end of the day," Chelsea told him.

When Pete did a Groucho Marx thing like he was holding a cigar and said, "Then I guess I'll have to hold you all day," she laughed so hard she had to sit still and catch her breath.

"It wasn't that funny," he told her.

"Oh, yes it was. Because...you were...awful!"

"Hey! Wait a minute here," he said. He went to lean down to kiss her when the door opened.

"Can we come now?" two young girls asked.

"Oh. Um, sure. Come on in. Mr. Harke was just um, helping me with..."

She gave up trying to explain and just smiled. Pete smiled back then took his place at the desk in the back of the room.

As September became October, every adult on campus knew about the budding romance between the much-older teacher's aide and the young teacher who could barely walk. Even the kids picked up on the little signs until one day they told each of their classes in very simple terms that they 'liked' each other. There were no additional questions, and with that, all of their worries were laid to rest.

Even Trevor accepted his dad's decision without hesitation, knowing his father had been a miserable wreck since his mother's passing. The age difference was huge, her 'disability' was obvious, and it had the potential to mean becoming a dad again in his 50s. But because Trevor only wanted his dad to be happy, he told him he was just fine with it.

"But if you end up marrying her, there's no way I'm calling her 'mom'."

His dad laughed then asked if he'd like to 'meet' her. Chelsea was sitting next to him during their video chat, and when they saw each other for the first time, both of them smiled happily.

They talked for a couple of minutes, and Trevor promised to get home soon and meet her. He was only across the state in Pensacola, but he hadn't been home in quite a while, and when his dad took the phone back, he found out why.

"I've...I've kinda been seeing someone myself, Dad," he said before explaining who she was and how they met.

Pete told his son he was happy for him, too, and asked him to bring her home as soon as he felt comfortable doing so. He promised he would just before the call ended.

And it just so happened that shortly after that call, Pete made love to Chelsea for the first time. He expected difficulties, but other than some shortness of breath and an inability to hold her legs up, both of them were thrilled to learn everything still worked as advertised—on both of them.

It was around that same time that Pete began reaching out to anyone he'd ever known that could possibly help to see if there was some form of therapy or surgery or some new treatment that could help the young teacher he was falling in love with.

One of his closest friends from his past was a Navy doctor who had a good friend who practiced at Johns Hopkins. He promised Pete he'd ask around and get back to him.

In the meantime, Pete mentioned the Marine Corps birthday that was coming up, and Chelsea wanted to know all about it. He explained the significance, then also explained another tradition known as the Marine Corps Ball.

"That sounds wonderful. I love pageantry, and you know how much I respect our military," she told him.

"Then would you go with me?" he asked knowing she would.

"Yes, but I don't have a gown, Pete," she said knowing he would insist on buying her one.

She still felt uneasy letting him spend money on her, but each time she brought it up Pete reminded her that she was the only thing in life that made him happy, and it gave him real joy to be able to do so. So she always ended up reluctantly letting him, and she also knew this would be no exception.

As the big day rolled around, Chelsea was wearing a gorgeous dress with matching shoes and a clutch, but her biggest surprise was seeing the man she loved in his evening dress uniform. It was black with scarlet and gold trim with a white shirt and red cummerbund, and Pete looked so handsome it nearly made her swoon.

But an even bigger surprise came when someone opened his front door an hour before they were supposed to leave for the ball.

Chelsea was startled when the front door opened, but Pete just smiled and said, "Hmmm. Must be someone I know pretty well."

Moments later, a younger version of Pete Harke walked in wearing a different, but equally-dashing uniform. On his arm was a beautiful young woman also wearing a formal gown; a woman Trevor introduced as Angela. There were hugs all around followed by talk about the upcoming event, which was also Angela's first.

"I'm hoping it won't be her last," Trevor said when Angela mentioned that.

"Same here regarding my date," Pete said, causing Chelsea to smile happily.

Both women spoke at the same time and said, "I wouldn't mind that."

Loud laughter followed by 'JINX!' ringing out which caused even more laughter.

The ladies sat and talked while Pete and Trevor moved into the kitchen so they could talk, as well.

"So...what do you think?" Pete asked his son.

"She's great, Dad. I'm glad you warned my about how thin she is or I might have been worried. But you're right. She really is pretty in that understated kind of way."

"Thanks. And Angela's beautiful, by the way. And she seems very intelligent and considerate."

"Yeah, she's pretty amazing, and we've really gotten close. Who knows? This might just get serious."

"Speaking of serious, I want to run something by you," Pete said.

"Is this the reason you twisted my arm so hard to come home for the Ball?" Trevor asked. Pensacola had one that was much larger than the one in the Jacksonville area.

"Uh-huh. Because I want you be okay with what I'm thinking. Or rather...planning."

"Dad? Are you gonna..."

There was a small pocket on the inside of Pete's uniform jacket. As he reached into it he said, "I had a talk with Chelsea's dad a while back. Two of them, actually."

Trevor just stared when he saw the huge diamond ring between his dad's thumb and index finger.

"Holy shit that's big!" Trevor said as he looked at the ring.

"I love her, Trev. I know we've only known each other a little over three months, but...I just know."

"Yeah. Okay. Sure."

"No, really. Are you okay with this?"

"Dad. All I want is for you to be your old self again."

Trevor laughed then said, "That was an age joke, Colonel."

When his father laughed, too, it reminded him of how things used to be, and any small doubt Trevor may have had disappeared.

"Go for it, Dad. Ask her."

"Ask who what?" Angela said just after Pete slipped the ring back inside the jacket.

"Oh, I was just wondering if we're taking two cars," Trevor said as though that's what they'd been discussing.

"The Jeep's more than big enough for all of us," Pete said.

"Is that okay with you, Angie?" Trevor asked.

"Sure. The extra leg room will be nice," she told him. "I was just checking to see when we'll be leaving. I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

"We can leave now," Pete suggested without responding to her concern about having interrupted. "I know the G.O. at the Ball, and I'd like to say hello."

Trevor saw the confused look on Angela's face and explained.

"G.O. stands for General Officer. Not every ball held everywhere can have a general officer in attendance, but if you request it early enough, well, sometimes it happens. Even with just a few Marines in attendance."

"Don't forget we've got all the local reservists, too, Trev," his father said.

"Never mind. This could be a pretty big event then," he said with a wink to his father indicating the bigger meaning.

The three of them walked back into the living room where Chelsea was waiting.

"You ready, beautiful?" Pete asked as he helped her up. "You really do look amazing."

"Thank you, but I still can't get over how great you and Trevor look," she told him. "And Angela is the beautiful one."

"No argument there," Trevor said as he took his date's hand.

Both Chelsea and Angela were in awe at the pageantry Pete took for granted but yet appreciated more with each passing year. Trevor had been to one ball, but still got chills when the Marine's Hymn was played as well as during the moment of silence for fallen comrades. He had no fallen comrades while his father had too many, but that wasn't the point. It was taking the time to honor them and their ultimate sacrifice for the country they loved.

The last event of the evening before the ball itself began was the playing of Anchors Away and the Marine's Hymn again. But rather than concluding the evening, the narrator said there was one event left causing every Marine in the room to start looking around to see what could possibly be happening to break protocol.

That's when the guest of honor, the two-star Marine general who'd known Pete for nearly 30 years said, "Ladies and gentleman, we've reached the end of our formal program, but I'd like to take a moment and ask an old friend of mine to come up here and say a few words. So if you'll bear with me..."

He smiled then called out, "Colonel Harke. Front and center!"

Pete sprang up, marched to a point three feet in front of the general and stopped. Marines never salute indoors unless 'under arms' and Pete was not so he stood at attention and reported to the senior officer.

"Sir, Colonel Harke reporting as ordered."

"Pete, the floor is yours," the general said with a handshake and a smile as he handed the microphone to his old friend.

Pete turned around then looked over at Chelsea and smiled.

"I promise to make this short," he began. "I've been retired for several years now and when I left active duty, my wife, Gayle, and I, moved here to the Jacksonville area with plans to spend the rest of our lives here together. But Fate or something else had other plans, and Gayle passed away after a short battle with cancer. I've never been a quitter—at anything—but I have to admit I often felt like quitting after losing her."

Pete began walking toward the table where Chelsea, Trevor, and Angela were sitting as he spoke.

"I loved my wife more than I can put in words, and when I lost her, I wasn't sure I could go on. I was really just marking time until...well, I had no idea what the 'until' might be. And then I decided to try something completely different. I took a job working as, of all things, a teacher's aide."

He stood right next to Chelsea, smiled at her, then continued.

"The principal told me I'd essentially be the legs for a young teacher who nearly died herself during childbirth. I had no idea who she was and didn't know anything else about her. But my life changed the day I met her."

"What's...what's going on?" Chelsea asked quietly as she leaned toward Trevor.

"I think my dad has something to ask you," he replied quietly without taking his eyes off of his father.

Chelsea's tiny body began trembling as the man she loved continued talking.

"In a nutshell, this teacher—this beautiful, young teacher—changed my life. She gave me a reason for living again. And to my complete surprise, I soon found myself falling in love with her."

He looked down at her again, and saw tears in her eyes as he set the microphone down.

His voice boomed loudly enough for all to hear as he said, "And now I can't imagine living without her in my life. So..."

He reached into his pocket again as he got down on one knee in front of her and held up the ring.

In a loud, clear voice that everyone heard, Pete said, "Chelsea? I never thought I'd ever love again. I didn't really know if I'd ever even be happy again. But because of you, I am as happy as I've ever been, and I can honestly say that am I deeply in love with you. So will you make me even happier and marry me?"

Angela had her arm around Chelsea who was opening crying as she listened the man who'd also made her life worth living again say those very words to her.

There was absolute silence in the large room until a weepy Chelsea Tanner found her voice and said, "Yes. Of course I will marry you!"

The room erupted in loud, "OORAHS!" from the Marines in attendance followed by other loud calls of 'CONGRATULATIONS!' and other such things as Pete placed the ring on her finger then helped her stand up without her cane.

The general pointed to the band which began playing a slow, romantic song Pete had requested. He took Chelsea's hand and said, "May I have this dance, honey?"

Chelsea couldn't speak but she nodded and let Pete support her weight as they danced alone together for a minute or so with a large spotlight on them before the floor was opened up to everyone else.

As Chelsea clung to his neck, and while he mostly carried her, she whispered in his ear.

"In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined anything more romantic."

She pulled back a bit, smiled at her new fiancé then said, "Nor could I ever have imagined being so in love with anyone."

Pete pulled her close as they finished their first dance together which marked the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Chelsea moved in with Pete during the Thanksgiving holiday two weeks later, and just after their first Christmas together, his Navy doctor friend called with some promising news. There was a new treatment available if Chelsea would be willing to join a trial at John's Hopkins in Baltimore. There would be no cost for the trial, but she would have to again take a leave of absence, and it would cost a lot of money for Pete to live there with her.

He dismissed her concerns as quickly as she raised them, and the first week of January they were living in an upscale apartment in Maryland where Chelsea completed the trial and to their great delight saw a 30% increase in her mobility and a huge reduction in the pain caused by walking.

The improvement was substantial, and more than enough to allow her to walk down the aisle that summer with just a small amount of help from her father who gave her away knowing this time it was for life. She never regained full use of her legs, but she able to walk nearly pain free making the time spent in the trial more than worth it.

Chelsea returned to teaching the following year but Pete didn't go back. Just four months later, she quit for good when days before their second Christmas together she learned she was pregnant again. Just two days after their first anniversary, Chelsea gave birth to a beautiful baby girl without any complications.

Although Pete initially resisted, Chelsea insisted they name their daughter, Gayle.

"I never knew her, sweetheart, but she was the love of your life, and I want you to know I know you'll always love her. And just because I didn't have the chance to meet her, that doesn't mean I don't love her, too."

So Pete and Chelsea Harke, with an 'e', brought Bryce's baby sister, Gayle Ann Harke, home with them, where both parents devoted their lives to each other and their two children.

Trevor married Angela six months after his father remarried, and after getting orders to an east coast duty station, the two of them made the trip home to Florida twice a year to spend time with their parents in Jacksonville and Pensacola.

Lastly, Chelsea eventually settled her lawsuit for a substantial sum of money. A large portion of it went to pay her medical bills, another chunk fully funded both kids' future college educations at today's rates, and what was left went into a joint account where it sat until they needed it to travel or upgrade their home.

Serving as a teacher's aide may have been below the dignity of a retired Marine colonel, but the decision to do so was by far the best decision Pete Harke ever made.