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come up with such a cockamamie scheme! But, itā€™s a logical one! And sheā€™s the only oneā€¦ who could make the damn thing work! Make sense of it! But, now that I see the way Jason and Valerie have respondedā€¦ the way they are respondingā€¦ Iā€™m really touched! And, let me tell you: Iā€™m absolutely convinced that Susie knewā€¦ exactlyā€¦ how this whole thing was gonna turn out!ā€ He tipped an imaginary hatā€”to his wife! ā€œExactly . . . how it was gonna turn out!ā€

ā€œWell,ā€ acknowledged his spouse, I had a hunch! But, we owe a big debt of gratitudeā€¦ to Father Benjamin! Without himā€¦ none of this wouldā€™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 hisā€¦ ahā€¦ massive powers of persuasion.ā€

ā€œWell,ā€ confirmed the priest, ā€œIā€™ve got a fewā€¦ ahā€¦ connections, down at City Hall. They turned out to beā€¦ ahā€¦ very cooperative. Finally, they did!ā€

ā€œAnd,ā€ summed up Susie, ā€œwe were lucky enough to get Alberta, hereā€¦ if we can ever get her, to quit bawlinā€™ . . . and joyful old Nick, as necessary witnesses. And soā€¦ ta-DAH . . . here we are!ā€

Fifteen minutes laterā€”there they were! Mr. and Mrs. Jason Rutkowski!

Yesā€”they were now Mr. and Mrs. Jason Rutkowski! After the first kiss, to climax the ā€œserviceā€ā€”one much more passionate than Our Hero wouldā€™ve imaginedā€”the newly-minted groom turned, to his former landlord, and asked, ā€œEric? Youā€™ve met the missus?ā€ Then, turning to the assembled party at large, he grinned and announced, ā€œAnd they said itā€™d never last!ā€

The abbreviated ceremony was certainly far from being the pomp-filled celebrationā€”for which crown princes would cross oceans to attend (as would be the case, a decade or two in the futureā€”when Princess Elizabeth would marry Lord Mountbatten). But, to Jasonā€™s mind, the just-concluded ā€œceremonyā€ was every bit as spectacular!

Immediately after Father Benjamin had pronounced them man and wife (ā€œMan and/or Wifeā€ā€”as the groom had later recalled it), Jason took Valerieā€™s head, in his hands. With one palm on each of the brideā€™s cheeks, he said:

ā€œValerie? Valerie, thereā€™s a hokey old Viennese operettaā€¦ where the leading man sings a song to the woman he loves. Well, itā€™s an aria, I guess. And I donā€™t know all the words. But, one line says, ā€˜Would I not die for you, Dearā€¦ if I could?ā€™ Another one says, ā€˜My love and my brideā€™. Andā€¦ on the recording Iā€™d heardā€¦ he sings it so passionately. But, he also sings itā€¦ with such tenderness. And, Iā€™d always thought, ā€˜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 marriedā€™! Andā€¦ would you believe it? It happened! It has happened! I do feelā€¦ exactly . . . that very same way. The song also sings of, ā€˜My life and desireā€¦ setting my being completely on fireā€™. Iā€¦ well, Iā€¦ I feel that way too,ā€

The recitation from portions of Viliaā€”from Straussā€™ The Merry Widowā€”had especially touched Susan. This lyric was her very favorite aria, from her most-cherished operetta. Sheā€™d attended three different productions, of the melodic operetta.

A tear trickled down both of her cheeks. But, her liquefied reaction was nothingā€”compared to the flood, cascading from the eyes, of the bride. The person shedding the most tears, however, was the lovely, and beautiful, Alberta.

ā€œOh Jason,ā€ Valerie sobbed. ā€œI love you! I love youā€¦ so much! So much!ā€

Father Benjaminā€”whoā€™d had to overcome massive waves, of reluctance, in order to have ā€œgone along with this cockamamie planā€ā€”seemed to have been (by far) the most relieved, at the coupleā€™s display of love, devotion, and tenderness! On the surfaceā€”given his stature, in the Catholic (and the non-Catholic) communityā€”the priest certainly had the most to lose, had the project turned out to be a total disaster! (As it very well could haveā€”in his troubled vision, of the affair.)

Even Nicholas Stainbackā€”ā€œhard guyā€ that he wasā€”sniffed a little. Andā€”nonchalantlyā€”brushed aside the cursed, vagrant, tear!

Albertaā€”whoā€™d remained silent throughoutā€”had, as indicated, never stopped crying! Jason could feel the upper part of her bodyā€”shaking (substantially)ā€”as sheā€™d bent over, to kiss him! Once sheā€™d released Our Boy from her tear-filled embrace, she hurriedā€”immediatelyā€”to Susan, and clungā€”tightlyā€”onto her friend!

In other words, despite the fact that a person could have drownedā€”from all the tears (ā€œfanny-deepā€, they wereā€”as described by Eric)ā€”a good time was had by all!

Thursday April 23, 1942! Not ā€œA Day That Will Live In Infamyā€! But, pretty memorableā€”for one Jason Rutkowski! It turned out to be his wedding day!

THIRTY

The weekendā€”the first one of Jasonā€™s and Valerieā€™s ā€œgrandioseā€ marriageā€”went much easier, than either of them had anticipated. Much easier!

Each of them had not looked forward, to the prospectā€”of the new bride, having to assist the equally-new groom, when it came to ā€œtaking care of delicate businessā€, in the bathroom. But, after the first two or three such visitsā€”the ritual seemed to come naturally.

As for their lovemaking, theyā€™d had to make a few ā€œadjustmentsā€ā€”from a geographical and strategic standpointā€”but, theyā€™d ā€œadaptedā€ to the various obstacles, in a, surprisingly-quick, period of time. Well, maybe, not so surprisingly.

Valerie not only did not have a driverā€™s licenseā€”but, had never been behind the wheel, of a motor vehicle. That presented a problem. She called Susanā€”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 awayā€”although none of them were major grocery outlets. Still, to pick up a few miscellaneous items, the wire basketā€”positioned, in front of the handlebarsā€”would accommodate such a trip. For groceries, sheā€™d had to pedal up, to the A&Pā€”on Davison and Northlawn. The round trip was about a-mile-and-a-halfā€”well within reason.

It was curious, though, mused Jason, that his wife would haveā€”without any hesitationā€”called Susan and/or Eric. Rather than her own parents. It was, of course, the Krenwinkle residenceā€”where the bike had been domiciled.

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

Not only

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