Dancing With Velvet (31 page)
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They carried their plates to the porch and sat in the swing. It wasn’t full dark, but the locusts were already whirring, and a few fireflies darted in and out among the irises.
“When we got married, did you think about our golden anniversary?”
Celeste tucked her feet under her. “No. Did you?”
“No, but I knew it would be forever, however long forever lasted.”
“Just about everything’s gone now—the old church, the St. Angelus and the Roof Garden, Woolworth. Cox-Rushing-Greer’s been closed for years. There’s no bargain basement at Hemphill-Wells anymore. I don’t know how people live without a bargain basement.”
“But we’re still here, right in the same house we started in.”
“Buying Coralee’s half made good sense. We’ve owned it for…how long have we owned it?”
“Forty years, maybe. It didn’t take long to pay off.”
“It was the right thing to do, even if we had to add on when Gina came along.”
“It’s a nice house. Homey. You made it home, Velvet.”
“You earned the money for it. You ended up owning the whole plumbing business and gave all of us everything.”
“I had some good luck. Mainly, I made the right decision about not going to law school.”
“Do you ever think about how things might’ve been different if you’d gone to school instead of staying here?”
“Never. Jonny didn’t need to be uprooted, and living here was a lot better than some cramped student apartment. Besides, he went to law school and had a nice career in the Air Force, too.”
“Do you think he regrets turning down that chance for the DNA testing a few years ago?”
Kent shook his head. “You heard what he said when we mentioned it—that it was a little late, we were stuck with each other, and we were so much alike it was downright spooky.”
Celeste laughed. “He’s right. Besides, I don’t think he really wanted to know. Your name is on his birth certificate, and I legally adopted him. He’s always known where he belonged.”
Kent drained his glass and set it aside. “Whether he’s got my genes or not, he’s my son. Sometimes I look at him and wonder how I got so lucky.”
“Gina said the other day if she could’ve hand-picked an older brother, she’d have chosen him. Even with an almost twelve-year age difference, they’ve been close.”
“She sure didn’t come as easy as Jonny, did she?”
“Well, she got here. A little later than we planned, but worth the wait.”
“Worth the wait but not everything you went through.” Kent pulled her against him as if shielding her from the memories of four miscarriages and a fifth pregnancy that risked her life.
“I still wish your mother had accepted Jonny.”
“She never even accepted us, Velvet. I was supposed to be the good son. Stay home and take care of her and all that.”
“Well, both kids have had Neil and Kay and their children. And my family, and even Big Ben and Pearl until Gina finished high school. They didn’t lack for family to love them.”
“Even marrying late, the way he did, Jonny ended up with a real fine family of his own.”
“Those two tours in Viet Nam nearly did us both in. I could’ve done without those.”
“He came home in one piece. We can’t ask for more.”
“It’s been a good life, hasn’t it?”
“The best.”
“You’re the best, Kent. The best husband and father and grandfather.”
“I’ve tried.”
“And succeeded beyond your wildest dreams.”
“We had to work through a lot of things, but I think that just made us appreciate each other more.” Kent lifted her hand to his lips. “I appreciate you more everyday, Velvet. Every morning I wake up next to you and think about how things could’ve turned out so much different and how glad I am they didn’t.”
“I’m glad, too.” She traced the outline of his jaw with the tip of one finger. “Emily says we’re still honeymooning, and that it’s downright embarrassing.”
“What does she know at fifteen?”
“She’s sixteen. And she’s right, you know. We’re still honeymooning.”
****
The mantel clock chimed ten-thirty before they went in. A single lamp burned in the living room. Kent went over to the entertainment center and pushed a CD into the player. The strains of “I’ll Be Seeing You” filled the room.
“Dance with me, Velvet.”
“Didn’t we do enough dancing at the party?”
He took her hands and moved her toward him. “You were the prettiest girl at the Roof Garden that night.”
“You were the man of my dreams. My handsome prince.”
“Well, I turned into a toad for a while, I guess, but it all ended up okay.” He rested his cheek against her hair. “I went back to the hotel that night and dreamed about dancing with the girl in the blue velvet dress. And fifty years later, I’m still dancing with her.” He held her closer. “Dancing with Velvet. All my life. Forever.”
Judy Nickles has been spinning tales since she could hold a #2 pencil. A retired teacher who lives in Arkansas, a state rich in scenic byways and historical lore, she loves to travel and always manages to find a novel idea along the way.
Many of her characters are drawn from family stories culled from years of genealogical research in seven states. She hopes to pass on to her grandchildren her fascination with the past and the drive to bring it to life in the written word.
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