Page 43 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04
The sleeveless whitedress Mae wore with a sheer wrap displayed her small waist and narrow hips.Thom, seemingly distracted, opted for a navy suit with a white shirt, versus a black suit.He mumbled something about it being a celebration and not a funeral.He mumbled through breakfast, and at 8:15, he loaded Mae into the Subaru and headed towards the courthouse.
They were second in line when the courthouse opened and first to secure a marriage license.Down the hall on the right, a judge, along with what appeared to be his lifelong assistant, handed Mae a bouquet of plastic flowers spritzed with floral air freshener as the old woman cued up the Wedding March.The judge looked at them both, squinted at Mae, and asked, “You sure about this?”
“Yes, I'm sure,” Mae replied.
The judge looked at Thom and simply said, “Okay then.”
It was barely nine in the morning, and Thom Brown was a married man who needed to get to work.He repeated the words and placed an additional ring on Mae's finger; she did the same for him and he kissed her, then drove her home.
“Thom, are you okay?Having second thoughts about this, about us?”
He turned quickly as if suddenly realizing she was in the room.A wide smile covered his face when he looked at her.He took her into his arms.
“Mary, I am overwhelmed, honestly.You have married me and made my empty days and nights come to an end,” he said.“Now, as your husband, your man, the head of this house, I have to ensure you have everything you need to be at peace here.”
“Thom, that is beautiful, but you didn't mention happy.Are you not concerned with me being happy?”
“Mary, I can't make you happy,” he told her.“Happy has to come from being at peace, not content, but at peace with your choices.I am your choice.Living here is your choice.Now, you will have to work to decide what brings you the most harmony so that you feel at home.You've started making this house feel like a home for our family, and I love it all.”
“But do you love me?”
“Mary, at this point, can you honestly tell me you love me?We have something and it is good, running at a cheetah's pace towards being great,” he told her.“I'm not a hopeless romantic and neither are you.We've made a practical decision, which feels right.If it feels right, then it is right, and love isn't always enough.Understanding is what is needed and we have that.Love will come and one day, we will wake up and burst into tears at the love overflowing between us.I am in a good place in my heart and my head, knowing I can come home to you each day.”
“Come home to me,” she said, looking around the home they were sharing.
“In the next few months, you're going to decide what you want next, whether it is to be a stay-at-home mom or an entrepreneur or start your own philanthropy association,” he stated.“I have some cushion, and we'll be okay.”
“Thom, I'm not broke by any means,” she told him.
“You still making payments on that vehicle, the insurance, the apartment?That is an easy three grand per month,” he said.“Three months and you're down ten grand.How soon is the lease on the apartment up?”
“I have two more months on it,” she said.
“And the vehicle, how many more years on it?”
“It's a lease,” she told him.
“When does the contract end on the vehicle?”
“Another two months,” she told him.
“So, two months and we clear out the apartment, return the vehicle, and look for something else,” he said.“See, the mail-order bride service covers all the financials, so I am aware up front of where you stand on bills, credit cards, and the like.I know none of that with you, so my brain is in overdrive right now.”
“Thom, are you concerned that you didn't just take on a wife but a bunch of debt?”
“Naw,” he said, smiling at her.“Your apartment was frugal.The clothes are expensive but they are mix and match pieces.I learned that from watching Kimbrae over the years.Not worried at all. Are the credit cards bad?”
“I'm good, Thom.I made a nice salary and saved a great deal.I can afford to take a year off if you're okay with it?”
“Baby, I am good with whatever you decide; however, because I am who I am, I would like a budget, groceries, et al,” he told her.“I am semi self-sustained here.Our gas is underground propane and the water comes from a well on the property, but the power is city generated.”
Mae was looking at him with fresh eyes.It really didn't strike her as something she would have imagined discussing on her wedding day, but the man she married was a thinker and a planner.She smiled at him.
“Being your wife is going to be interesting,” she said, cocking her head.
“Don't worry, you will be spoiled and all that good stuff, but I have to get to the station,” he said.“The next few days are going to be hectic.I'll be home for lunch.Don't try to make anything.I'll do a sandwich, but I'm meeting some folks here.”
“Folks?”she asked as the sound of a truck arrived with a portable toilet.Mae pointed at it.
