A Marvelous Monday Read online

  “I love it,” she said, staring out the window.

  “Glad to hear it,” he said. “I can have a team come to clean it up, but these files are historical documents which have to be cataloged and scanned into the new databases. That is part of what Anna and Pip are working on as well.”

  “Scott, I may be able to use a great deal of them as background pieces for the magazine, you know, historical points of reference to the past, giving shape to the future of ventriloquism and the Berger Vent Company,” she said.

  “Spectacular,” he offered with a smile. “You are truly spectacular.”

  “I bet you say that to all the dust bunny hunters,” she said with a wide smile. Zelda noticed he checked his watch again when it beeped softly with his reminders of time elapsing through the moments. “Scott, is there someplace you need to be?”

  “Yes,” he said, reaching for her hand. “There is someplace we have to be in the next twenty minutes. I will send someone over to get this started, organize the files, and get this clean. How soon do you want to get started?’

  “In two weeks. I still have to close out the conference this weekend, write, edit, submit the articles, those kinds of pesky details,” she said.

  “That is more than enough time,” he said, offering her his arm. “We need to get moving.”

  “Yes, Sir, lead the way,” she said, offering small words to the staff of the museum as they made a hasty retreat to the car. Pip called after her.

  ‘Zee, will we have lunch or something next week,” she said. “I want to show you around town and things. Places to shop, you know.”

  “Sounds good,” Zelda said. “Call me.”

  In the car, Scott was nervous, which in turn made Zelda nervous. Whatever he had planned made the man jumpy. She didn’t like jumpy. She didn’t like nervous.

  “Scott, nine times out ten, I’m going to love what you have planned,” she said, touching the strong thigh. “I’m not hard to please.”

  He said nothing but fidgeted all the way back to the house. Zelda’s eyes were wide as they came around the rear of the house to spot the surprise he’d planned for her. Words left her as she stared at his gift.

  “I hope you like it,” he said, offering the sheepish schoolboy grin.

  Chapter Three – A Moment of Reflection

  Liking it was an understatement. Zelda loved the gift. Slowly, she opened the car door, stepping out onto the concrete drive, her eyes scanning over the present with the giant red bow draped across it. Never in her wildest dreams would she have considered Scott giving her such a gift.

  “You bought me a car?” she said in surprise.

  “Not just any car, my lady,” he replied. “A spectacular car for a very amazing woman.”

  “Is this a Porsche?” she asked, walking over to the shiny metallic blue four-door vehicle.

  “Yep, it’s also a hybrid,” he said with pride.

  “I didn’t even know Porsche made an SUV,” she said, running her fingers over the front end of the car. The shiny chrome wheels sparkled in the afternoon sun.

  “Go on, get inside,” he said softly, “there are tons of extras and features, and I even added a few upgrades.”

  Scott opened the car door and assisted her in sitting inside the sleek, high-end vehicle. The interior design was two-tone, with the seats matching the soft blue of the paint job and trimmed in black with a supple leather dashboard which matched the smooth leather seats. His large arm held the door open as his body jammed into the door well.

  “Look in the console. I added a little extra,” he said.

  Still, in shock, Zelda opened the console. The leather was smooth against her hand, and the Italian white stitching created a juxtaposition against the dark grains of the material. Her eyes misted at the sight of the small black velvet box. Shaking fingers picked it up and opened the container to an oval cut one-carat solitaire set in rose gold. She removed it from the box. The setting, which held the stone, formed an S and a Z in the details. The misting of her eyes prevented her from seeing much more as she swatted away the tears to look at her hairy hunk. He was no longer standing in the door of the new car, but was down on one knee,

  “Marry me, Zelda,” he said.

  “You say that as if you mean like right now,” she said through her sniffles.

  “Well, your family will all be here on Sunday, as well as our friends, plus Pip,” he said. “We could do it on Monday.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, let’s do it on Monday. I don’t want to wait or have you staying in the house as anyone other than Mrs. Berger,” he said. “I don’t want to introduce you to people as my girlfriend or my fiancée. The world will know that come Monday, you will be Zelda Berger.”

  She frowned at the name.

  “Zelda Berger sounds like a vegan sandwich at one of those hipster eateries in Los Angeles that goes farm to table,” she said, mocking a millennial ordering a Zelda Burger with a size of non-genetically modified fries.

  “Fine, hyphenate it if you want to be Fitzsimmons-Berger,” he said, taking the box from her hand.

  “Oh Jeez, that’s worse,” she said, crinkling the cute as a button nose. “I’ll have the Fitzsimmons Burger, hold the pickles.”

  “Baby, I don’t care if it is hyphenated, opinionated, and expectorated, I just want you to be Zelda Marie Fitzsimmons Berger. I am asking you to marry me and be my wife,” Scott said.

  Zelda stared into the brown eyes of the man she loved. For months she had been waiting for this proposal, and here it was, dressed up and wrapped in a very expensive brand-new car. She hated expensive gifts from men. It usually meant the rock they were presenting was thrown in as an effort to hide their misdoings. She’d told him this before, but this felt different. He was giving from his heart. A heart beating so loudly she could almost hear it. Feel it as it matched the syncopated rhythm of her own.

  “Yes, I will marry you,” she said, sniffling some more. “I don’t know about the Monday thing, though. I need a dress, shoes, what about my bridesmaids, the church, all those details.”

  “We have tomorrow,” he said. “There is a church here on the property. Really all we need is a pastor to perform the ceremony and a place to celebrate afterward. Our friends and families will be present, but the day is about me and you.”

  “True,” she said, biting her bottom lip.

  “If you want all of those things and wish to wait, I understand,” he said. “But Zee, you and I aren’t complicated. What we have is simple, pure and beautiful. My opinion, be it ever so humble, is the wedding should be as well. Man, Woman, and family in the audience.”

  She was quiet, looking at the brilliantly sparkling ring on her left finger. The design was clean. It was simple. An elegant ring with no frills and no fuss. Zelda understood what he meant. Truthfully, she’d never really given much thought to a wedding, other than hoping to have one, but all the accouterments hadn’t entered her periphery. The church, however, was an important part of the process.

  “Scott, I would like to see the church, if I may, just to get an idea of the feasibility of your plan,” she said, wiping the drying tears from her cheeks.

  “Great! We can take this baby out for a spin,” he said jogging around the front of the Porsche. He sat in the passenger seat, the leather gently squeaking under his weight. “This is a nice car. Zelda, I hope you like it.”

  “So far, it is a beautiful car, but with my new job, which I don’t know the salary, the payments may put a dent in my bank account,” she said, cranking up the Porsche. The engine purred like an oversized cat having it’s back rubbed. Her right foot pressed down on the gas, just to hear the engine. “Holy crap!”

  Throwing the car into gear, she eased off the brake, giving the gas pedal a tap and the car came to life in her hands. Her foot became heavy as they left the drive, heading down Berger Way, opening the cylinders and giving the car a real run.

  “Slow down a bit. The church is up here on the left,”
he said as they passed by the connecting homes joined together by popsicle sticks. “We will discuss the car later if that’s okay with you.”

  Zelda eased her foot off the accelerator, signaling on a road that no one was on but she and Scott, making her way down a narrow street. The top of the church came into view. It reminded her of the old church her Grandmother used to attend. A white schoolhouse styled building that probably bore the name of The Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church sat at the bottom of the hill. From the outside, it didn’t appear to be very large, but neither was her family. She didn’t have a great number of friends other than the two in Texas she didn’t really care to speak to any longer. Then there was Pip. If she had to have a bridesmaid, Pip would work out well. Scott’s sisters were out of the question.

  She parked her shiny new car in front of the building, getting out to take a good look at the church. “So, do we ask this pastor to oversee the ceremony for us? I mean, does anyone use this church?” she asked, climbing the stairs to the old building.

  To her surprise, the door opened. An older black gentleman in a pastoral frock peeped around the frame. He smiled at the sight of Scott.

  “Well, there you are, son,” he said. “I was wondering if you were going to make it on time.”

  “There were a few delays, Pastor Goodman, but we are here,” Scott said. “This is my fiancée, Zelda. Honey, this is Pastor Goodman. He has serviced the community here for nearly 40 years.”

  “Pastor, it is pleasure to meet you,” Zelda said, offering a warm return smile. “I didn’t expect anyone to be inside.”

  “Oh, we have a very active flock here, Ms. Zelda. Many of our congregation will be arriving soon for Bible study. I hope you will be joining us each week,” he said with the bushy eyebrows raised.

  “If I am not traveling, Pastor, I may just do that,” she said.

  “Come on inside, come on in,” he said, stepping to the side. “I have you two down for Monday at ten a.m. for the nuptial services. It’s just going to be your family, Scott, and Ms. Zelda’s brother, Grandmother, and father, is that correct?”

  “Yes Sir,” Scott said. “We want to keep it private.”

  Pastor Goodman inhaled a deep breath, expanding his sin condemning lungs. His eyes were on Scott but darted to Zelda. There was information he needed to convey.

  “I did get to speak with Ellison about catering, and he is all set to go,” Pastor Goodman said. “Either he is going to get to your folks’ place bright and early on Monday, or he will need to set up on Sunday. You know how that man don’t like to do anything on Sunday, not even come to church half the time.”

  “Zelda and I will meet with him tomorrow to select a menu,” Scott said. “Pastor, I am so thankful you are able to do this on such short notice.”

  “The Berger’s have always been good to this community. I’m honored you want me to perform the joining of you to this lovely young lady,” the pastor said.

  “Well, you performed my baptism and hopefully will do the same for our children,” Scott said as the Pastor’s eyes went to Zelda’s belly. Scott made a rapid course correction in the conversation. “That is when we decide we are ready to start a family.”

  “Good enough,” Pastor Goodman said, looking at Zelda, who wandered around the old church, running her hands across the weathered pews. The dark stain had flaked off many of the seats from the constant smudging of butts into the wood. The hard backs symbolized the rigid teachings of the Pastor to his congregation, holding them in an upright position to receive the word. The two stained glass windows, a throwback to the early years of the practice, held firm in the sockets of the old wood frames. A great deal of history happened in this church.

  Warm feelings swirled in her midsection at the thought of standing before the red carpet-covered altar to speak her vows to Scott. He’d already spoken to the pastor. The car. The ring. He was planning their wedding. This man really wants to marry me.

  “Zelda, what do you think?” Scott asked, pulling her out of the daze she’d drifted into in her head.

  “I’m sorry, I was admiring the church,” she said. “Can you repeat the question?”

  “Tomorrow, the caterer is stopping by to go over the menu for Monday,” Scott said.

  “Sounds good,” she said.

  “Great!” Scott said, turning to the pastor, “We won’t be back in time on Sunday for service, but we will see you on Monday.”

  “You kids don’t want a rehearsal or anything?” the pastor asked in surprise.

  “No rehearsal needed, Sir. It’s just me and Zelda, nothing fancy,” he said, shaking Pastor Goodman’s hand.

  The reverend escorted Scott and Zelda to the front door, watching the odd couple and thinking, yet admonishing himself for the thought, Them gone be some funny looking kids when they have ‘em.

  SCOTT WATCHED HER PROFILE as she sat in the car, toying with the gadgets, knobs, and buttons. He’d taken a few calculated risks in the planning, but he wanted to make her his own as soon as possible. The silence nearly deafened him as she drove back to the pod. Either a carport would have to be added for her car or he would need to sell one of the others in the garage to make room for her new baby.

  “Talk to me Zelda,” he said softly as she maneuvered down the eerily silent road.

  “I don’t know what to say,” she said, pulling into the drive, parking her vehicle next to the black Porsche.

  “Start at the top,” he told her.

  Dr. DeNoid, her therapist, had cautioned her about living inside of her head, in the past and not expressing her feelings. The weekend with Scott’s family had left her a little raw. The night in the vibrating chair definitely left her sore. What was chapping at her ass more than anything was that he’d already planned the wedding for Monday.

  “You planned the wedding for Monday. The church, the caterer, this car, the ring, Scott, it may take me a moment to process all of this,” she said. “Plus, now I have a car note. I didn’t plan for that. Your father and I never even discussed the salary I would receive for being the editor of the magazine.”

  “Whatever you are making now, I will add $10,000 to it,” he said.

  “What? You can’t just do that!”

  “Yep, I can,” he said. “I own the magazine. I pay the salaries,” he said, reaching for her hand.

  “Zelda, the car is my wedding present to you. There is no car note. If you don’t like it, I will send it back and get you a Honda,” he said.

  “Oh no! I like it. I love it in fact, but you already planned the wedding,” she said. “That, I admit is making me feel uneasy.”

  He leaned back in the seat, staring up at the roof lining of the car. It was a very well-made vehicle and safe. It would be ideal for her and the children when they came, to get back and forth to school, soccer games, and the like. An image of an expecting Zelda floated across his mind like a dream come to life. He envisioned her at the back door, her arms loaded with bags of goodies for the new arrival.

  “You don’t really know anyone here, Zelda, outside of the few friends you met when we had dinner,” he said. “I thought about waiting until our one year anniversary from the day I met you to get married, but then I realized, we have no need to wait. Everyone is here this weekend. Your Grandmother can’t get all jumpy about the planning and get on your nerves. My family can’t go apeshit crazy with decorations. We can just invite them to the church on Monday at ten and have Wilke walk you down the aisle, and the ceremony is done. We will be man and wife and go enjoy some good food with our families. It makes more sense to me to do it that way, than the insanity that can ensue.”

  It was her turn to watch his profile.

  “Zelda, I didn’t mean to overstep,” he said softly. “I guess in a way, I am hoping that you won’t change your mind. My fear is that if we have a long engagement, you will wake up one day and decide I’m not the man for you.”

  “Scott Berger, I have no doubts that you are the man for me,” she said, placi
ng her hand on his thigh.

  “Then, marry me, Zelda,” he said. “Monday, walk into that tiny church, take my hand, place a gold band on it, and tell the world I am yours.”

  “I already told the vent world you were mine,” she said.

  “Tell me again on Monday,” he said. “Meet me at the altar in a pretty dress, place that band on my finger, and claim me for better or worse, richer or poorer, and in sickness and in health.”

  Her eyes searched the strong profile. The acne prone skin was no more. The bucked teeth had retreated a few steps into his mouth since the use of the invisible teeth aligners. The shaggy hair which once adorned his head was now neatly trimmed and groomed and he was a fine looking man. She had loved the way he looked even before the changes to his appearance.

  “How about I tell you right now, Scott, that you are my man,” she said with a smile. “I’ll tell you again on Monday. The next day and the day after if that is what you want.”

  “What I want is for you to marry me and be my wife,” he said. “Zelda, my love, the light in my eyes and the flutter in my heart, will you marry me and make this old puppet master the happiest man in the world?”

  “Yes, Scott, I will marry you,” she said, leaning in for a kiss.

  The kiss was light and brief as Scott Berger held her hand, the one which bore his ring, and he said a prayer of thankfulness. She saw past the ugly on the outside to see the man residing within. He was happier than he’d ever been in his life.

  Today, he was finally moving forward as well.