my coat off and handed it to him. I watched as he put it on
one of the hooks.
He returned to me. “I hope you don"t think I"m
overstepping my bounds, but I think you"re the best looking
lady in this room.” Then he went to his seat.
My eyes grew wide. He was definitely bold! I
numbly sat down and stared ahead at the front of the room
where the teacher was getting the day"s lecture ready. Kent
Ashton was better than I thought he"d be. The teacher
stood up to speak, so I turned to my books and got my
things ready for the day.
***
Kent turned out to be very charming and attentive.
He seemed to care for me and we did have fun talking about
how creepy Alex was whenever he pulled another one of his
silly pranks. I spent Saturday afternoons in my parlor
listening to Kent tell me how exciting New York was. He
even brought pictures of New York and of the people he
knew there. It sounded better than Debbie claimed it to be.
“If we get married, I"l take you there so you can see
it for yourself,” he once said.
When December came, he asked my father if he
could court me, and my father said no. This was the second
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
him he refused to let Kent be with me. Greatly upset, I
confronted my father about it that night at dinner.
“Your mother and I don"t trust him,” my father replied.
“He"s not what he appears to be.”
“Have you met his parents? You always told me that
I should judge a man by his parents.”
“Ann, I am the voice of experience and wisdom. You
have to trust my judgment.”
“No one else is appealing to me, Father. I have
been paraded through this town in front of countless
bachelors who are only interested in my dowry. And a
couple of those men were old enough to be your age. What
kind of life am I going to have if I"m confined to a loveless
marriage? All these men care about is what I can give them
instead of who I am. At least Kent doesn"t know about the
dowry, and he enjoys my company.”
My mother sighed. “What about Todd?”
“We"ve already had this discussion. I don"t want to
marry him.”
“Ann,” Father began, “marriage is more than fleeting
emotion. It is best built upon a foundation of friendship.
You aren"t looking at things clearly. Kent may be charming
but there"s something wrong with him. Todd, on the other
hand, is stable, trustworthy, and loyal. You can be sure that
he won"t do anything to harm you.”
“What proof do you have that Kent would do that?”
He stared at the fork in his hand. “I don"t have proof.
I just have a bad feeling about the boy.”
My mother nodded. “You should consider Todd. I
see the way he looks at you during church and when we"re
at the Brothers" home. He loves you. Why, a boy like that
will treat you as you deserve to be treated. What you and
Todd need is to spend time together. Then you might see
him the way he real y is.”
“I spent time with him in October. He"s alright but
he"s not... Wel , to be frank, he"s not exciting.”
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
My father set his fork aside. Picking up his pipe, he
looked at me. “So you are opposed to Todd?”
“Yes! I don"t love him.”
“Alright. Your mother and I wil speak with Kent"s
parents so we can get a better idea of what he is like.”
He kept his promise and both he and my mother
concluded that his parents were respectable people, so they
allowed the courtship. I was ecstatic. Kent did mention
marriage and the possibility of checking Europe out on our
honeymoon. He said he had an uncle in Ireland who could
give us a personal tour. He even brought over brochures
and pictures. He frequently told me I was pretty and bought
me little gifts for no reason at all. I loved surprises, so this
was a treat. He took me to symphonies and the theatre. He
would only kiss me on the cheek and occasionally hold my
hand, so I knew he respected me.
Debbie, Rachel and Agnes sat with me and planned
out my future wedding. Agnes would be my maid of honor
while Debbie and Rachel would be my bridesmaids. They
were excited for me and it was fun to look forward to the
future instead of dreading it.
***
Then April came.
I got ready for Kent"s arrival at my house.
“Miss Ann, you have a caller,” Ginny announced.
I turned from my bedroom mirror in anticipation.
Ginny giggled.
“Do I look alright?” I asked her. I wore a dark blue
satin dress. He liked the color blue the best.
“You look as beautiful as usual. Come along. It
wouldn"t be right to keep him waiting.”
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. When I
entered the parlor, my heart raced with excitement. He
looked to be larger than life with his broad shoulders and tall
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
frame. “Good afternoon, Kent,” I greeted warmly as I
approached him. “It"s good to see you. Will you sit down?”
“No thank you, Miss Ann.”
Surprised by his formality, I stood awkwardly. Out of
the corner of my eye, I noticed Ginny shrug, just as
bewildered as I was. I waited for him to speak but he
refused to look at me. I knew something was wrong, so I
took great care in asking my question. “Did you have a bad
day?”
“No. I...I have to tell you something,” he mumbled,
staring at the lace curtains on the other side of the room.
I was afraid of what he had to say, so I didn"t press
him to continue.
He sighed loudly. “I don"t know how to tell you this.”
I remained silent. Part of me needed to know while
another part wished to remain ignorant. At last, I asked, “Is
someone in your family ill?”
“No, nothing like that.”
By now, I was squirming. When I could not stand the
awful silence anymore, I demanded, “What is it?”
“I cannot call on you again.”
“What?” I dumbly asked.
“I love Rebecca Johnson, and I intend to marry her.”
“How...When...?” I couldn"t manage to finish my
question.
“It just happened. I didn"t plan it. I don"t think
anyone can plan things like this,” he hastily explained.
Before I could reply, he walked to the front door. “I
hope there won"t be any hard feelings between us. I"l see
you in church tomorrow. Good-bye, Miss Statesman.”
And just like that he was out of my house and out of
my life. I didn"t know how long I sat in the chair, staring
blankly at the wall in front of me. All I kept wondering was
how he could claim to love me one day and claim to love
someone else the next. Ginny sat by me. I took small
comfort in her presence. I appreciated the fact that I didn"t
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
have to talk to her. I wished to be alone with my thoughts
for awhile.
When dinner came, I went through the motions in a
daze. I ate dinner outside on the veranda with my parents
but I didn"t participate in their conversation. I wasn"t hungry
so I kept moving the food around on my plate.
“Ann, my dear, what"s wrong?” my mother asked.
I took a deep breath. My parents didn"t like it when I
cried. Tears were not allowed in front of others. I braced
myself. “Kent came by today, and he announced his
engagement to Rebecca Johnson.”
“He"s going to regret it someday,” my father softly
replied.
“Oh my dear Ann, is there anything we can do to
help you?” She put her arm around me and gave me a
gentle squeeze.
I battled with my sense of grief and humiliation.
They had warned me. Yet, they were being gracious about
it. I felt like such a fool for not listening to them.
“I want to be alone right now. May I be excused?” I
fought back my tears.
“Of course you may,” my mother said. She quickly
wiped the tears welling in her eyes on her handkerchief.
Her concern for my emotional welfare made me
grateful for her. I could tell by the look in my father"s eyes
that he also grieved for me. Even if they were most likely
glad for the ending courtship, they didn"t show it because
they loved me. Their support and concern gave me a calm
deep in my heart.
That night, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the
pillow, and I woke up refreshed and eager for church. The
reality of Kent and Rebecca didn"t sink in until I saw them
sitting together at church. He leaned over and whispered
something in her ear. She laughed so loud that I could hear
her from across the room.
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
I felt faint. I leaned on my parents for support.
Don’t
cry,
I repeated to myself.
“He has nerve,” my mother angrily whispered.
“He"s just a foolish young man. He doesn"t realize
what he"s giving up,” my father replied.
“He and Rebecca are flaunting themselves in front of
everybody. It"s not proper.”
“Please, let"s sit down,” I interrupted.
On our way to our usual pew, we passed the
Brothers. I looked for Agnes but figured she was talking to
some of our other friends.
My parents stopped to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Brothers.
I tried not to look awkward, standing by myself in a room full
of people who were happily socializing.
“Good morning, Ann,” Todd greeted, his hands in his
pockets.
“Good morning, Todd,” I politely replied. Usually,
that was all we ever said to each other at church, so I was
surprised when he didn"t leave and sit down. I pulled my
eyes away from Kent and Rebecca. “Is there something you
want to discuss?”
“Are you ready to finish school?”
“We stil have a month to go,” I absently reminded
him. Rebecca"s laughter echoed through the building. Out
of the corner of my eye, I saw Kent smile at her.
He used to
reserve those special smiles for me.
“Have you thought about what you"re going to do
after graduation?”
I turned back to him. Why was he still talking to me?
Not wishing to be rude, I answered him. “No. I don"t know
what to do.” I had planned to be Kent"s wife. Now my future
was a blank slate, and I didn"t know what to put on it. Noting
that he was stil standing by me, I cleared my throat. “What
about you? Are you going to work at the bank?”
He glanced at his father who was talking to my
father. “We"l see.”
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
I wondered what he meant but didn"t ask for
clarification. I wanted him to leave me alone, so I tried to
discourage any further conversation by looking around the
church. I knew it was rude and my mother would not
approve, but I just wanted to sit down, get through the
service and hide in my house so I could get away from Kent
and Rebecca.
“What a wonderful idea!” my mother proclaimed.
“Fine. Then we"l see you next Sunday for dinner,”
Mr. Brothers replied.
I inwardly groaned. Another dinner with them? I
didn"t feel like eating ever again.
“We wil see you next week,” my father nodded.
Thank you, Father!
I gladly walked away from Todd
and sat in our usual place.
During the sermon, my eyes kept darting to Kent and
Rebecca. Once the sermon was over, Agnes ran over to
me while my parents talked to other people. Relieved to talk
to Agnes, I walked outside with her. The Spring air was
warm. I loved the feel of the sunlight on my face and
shoulders but had to open my umbrella to protect my
“delicate, white skin”.
“Tell me what happened between you and Kent,”
Agnes insisted.
“Kent"s going to marry Rebecca.”
“No!”
I nodded. “He informed me of their engagement
yesterday.”
“I don"t believe it. He loved you. Anyone could see
that.”
I shrugged. “I thought so too. But we were wrong.”
“What a shame. I was looking forward to being your
maid of honor.”
I sighed sadly as the plans we had made for my
wedding evaporated right before my eyes. Now I would be
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Falling In Love With Her Husband
destined to be an old maid. I wondered how many cats I