Locomotive to the Past by George Schultz (iphone ebook reader .TXT) 📕

come up with such a cockamamie scheme! But, it’s a logical one! And she’s the only one… who could make the damn thing work! Make sense of it! But, now that I see the way Jason and Valerie have responded… the way they are responding… I’m really touched! And, let me tell you: I’m absolutely convinced that Susie knew… exactly… how this whole thing was gonna turn out!” He tipped an imaginary hat—to his wife! “Exactly . . . how it was gonna turn out!”

“Well,” acknowledged his spouse, I had a hunch! But, we owe a big debt of gratitude… to Father Benjamin! Without him… none of this would’ve been able to happen! Getting the license? That was a real problem! A really big problem! No identification, for the groom, and all! Fortunately Father Benjamin was able to use his… ah… massive powers of persuasion.”

“Well,” confirmed the priest, “I’ve got a few… ah… connections, down at City Hall. They turned out to be… ah… very cooperative. Finally, they did!”

“And,” summed up Susie, “we were lucky enough to get Alberta, here… if we can ever get her, to quit bawlin’ . . . and joyful old Nick, as necessary witnesses. And so… ta-DAH . . . here we are!”

Fifteen minutes later—there they were! Mr. and Mrs. Jason Rutkowski!

Yes—they were now Mr. and Mrs. Jason Rutkowski! After the first kiss, to climax the “service”—one much more passionate than Our Hero would’ve imagined—the newly-minted groom turned, to his former landlord, and asked, “Eric? You’ve met the missus?” Then, turning to the assembled party at large, he grinned and announced, “And they said it’d never last!”

The abbreviated ceremony was certainly far from being the pomp-filled celebration—for which crown princes would cross oceans to attend (as would be the case, a decade or two in the future—when Princess Elizabeth would marry Lord Mountbatten). But, to Jason’s mind, the just-concluded “ceremony” was every bit as spectacular!

Immediately after Father Benjamin had pronounced them man and wife (“Man and/or Wife”—as the groom had later recalled it), Jason took Valerie’s head, in his hands. With one palm on each of the bride’s cheeks, he said:

“Valerie? Valerie, there’s a hokey old Viennese operetta… where the leading man sings a song to the woman he loves. Well, it’s an aria, I guess. And I don’t know all the words. But, one line says, ‘Would I not die for you, Dear… if I could?’ Another one says, ‘My love and my bride’. And… on the recording I’d heard… he sings it so passionately. But, he also sings it… with such tenderness. And, I’d always thought, ‘Dear Lord, if I could ever feel that same way! About any woman! Find someone like that! If, as, and when, I ever would get married’! And… would you believe it? It happened! It has happened! I do feel… exactly . . . that very same way. The song also sings of, ‘My life and desire… setting my being completely on fire’. I… well, I… I feel that way too,”

The recitation from portions of Vilia—from Strauss’ The Merry Widow—had especially touched Susan. This lyric was her very favorite aria, from her most-cherished operetta. She’d attended three different productions, of the melodic operetta.

A tear trickled down both of her cheeks. But, her liquefied reaction was nothing—compared to the flood, cascading from the eyes, of the bride. The person shedding the most tears, however, was the lovely, and beautiful, Alberta.

“Oh Jason,” Valerie sobbed. “I love you! I love you… so much! So much!”

Father Benjamin—who’d had to overcome massive waves, of reluctance, in order to have “gone along with this cockamamie plan”—seemed to have been (by far) the most relieved, at the couple’s display of love, devotion, and tenderness! On the surface—given his stature, in the Catholic (and the non-Catholic) community—the priest certainly had the most to lose, had the project turned out to be a total disaster! (As it very well could have—in his troubled vision, of the affair.)

Even Nicholas Stainback—“hard guy” that he was—sniffed a little. And—nonchalantly—brushed aside the cursed, vagrant, tear!

Alberta—who’d remained silent throughout—had, as indicated, never stopped crying! Jason could feel the upper part of her body—shaking (substantially)—as she’d bent over, to kiss him! Once she’d released Our Boy from her tear-filled embrace, she hurried—immediately—to Susan, and clung—tightly—onto her friend!

In other words, despite the fact that a person could have drowned—from all the tears (“fanny-deep”, they were—as described by Eric)—a good time was had by all!

Thursday April 23, 1942! Not “A Day That Will Live In Infamy”! But, pretty memorable—for one Jason Rutkowski! It turned out to be his wedding day!

THIRTY

The weekend—the first one of Jason’s and Valerie’s “grandiose” marriage—went much easier, than either of them had anticipated. Much easier!

Each of them had not looked forward, to the prospect—of the new bride, having to assist the equally-new groom, when it came to “taking care of delicate business”, in the bathroom. But, after the first two or three such visits—the ritual seemed to come naturally.

As for their lovemaking, they’d had to make a few “adjustments”—from a geographical and strategic standpoint—but, they’d “adapted” to the various obstacles, in a, surprisingly-quick, period of time. Well, maybe, not so surprisingly.

Valerie not only did not have a driver’s license—but, had never been behind the wheel, of a motor vehicle. That presented a problem. She called Susan—and asked if she and/or Eric could bring her bicycle, over to the apartment. The many stores, at Oakman and Grand River, were located a mere five or six blocks away—although none of them were major grocery outlets. Still, to pick up a few miscellaneous items, the wire basket—positioned, in front of the handlebars—would accommodate such a trip. For groceries, she’d had to pedal up, to the A&P—on Davison and Northlawn. The round trip was about a-mile-and-a-half—well within reason.

It was curious, though, mused Jason, that his wife would have—without any hesitation—called Susan and/or Eric. Rather than her own parents. It was, of course, the Krenwinkle residence—where the bike had been domiciled.

The Atkinsons had come through (of course)—the following day! With a flourish!

Not only