Once Within A Lifetime (30 page)

“
We plan to leave these up all the time after the wedding,” replied Todd. “They are so lovely; it would be a shame to remove them.”

“
My friend and hairdresser, Leslie, says she would like to wed here a little later,” said Triessa. “I would be so happy to have her do so. I want you to check with Esther. Leslie is coming early on my wedding day to do my hair, nails, and any other grooming chores. She may have time to help Esther and Dirje as well, if they are interested,” replied Triessa. “We women must look our best you know. Please tell Esther to list what she would like to have done and we will work it in.”

“
Yes, I will ask her at the right time, no need now.”

“
True,” replied Triessa, “She will not even want to think about it yet. I will check with Dirje when she arrives.”

They
went back to the house and sat in the living room until Nancy asked about their plans for dinner.

“
I will go check to see if Esther thinks she can eat something by now and be right back,” said Spencer. “Please excuse me for a moment.”

He
soon returned and said she felt like she might be able to eat something light in her room, if that would be all right. “She is not really up to par yet.”

“
That is fine,” agreed Todd and Triessa, and Nancy said she knew just what to fix for her. Todd told her if she fixed a tray, he would like to take it up to his mother. It was soon ready and he took it up and knocked on the door.

“
Enter,” his mother said, expecting her husband, but was happy to see Todd.

“
Hi, Mom, how are you feeling? I am very concerned about you and think we should check to see what is going on.”

“
No, dear, I don’t think it is necessary. I do not want to cause any problems. I feel if I rest I will be fine. Having lunch here will be fine and maybe later I can come down to sit on the patio a while and get some fresh air and sunshine.”

Todd
came back down and asked Triessa and Spencer if they would like to eat on the patio. Nancy brought the food to them and they enjoyed the wonderful air and sunshine as they listened to the birds serenading them.

About
mid-afternoon, Esther had Spencer help her downstairs and out to the patio. They did not see anyone around so they sat down to enjoy the lovely sun and air. Soon Todd and Triessa came around the corner; they had been walking and were pleased to see Esther there sitting outside.

“
How are you, Mom?” asked Todd and he went over to kiss her on the cheek.

“
Do you think you would like to go see the doctor to see if he can tell what is wrong?” asked Triessa.

“
Oh, no, dear, I think I will be fine after a bit more rest. It's possible I traveled too soon and was not up to it. Had I waited a few days, I may have been all right, but I didn’t want to take a chance on feeling worse and not being able to come at all. I do not want to miss this big event,” she smiled. “I feel much better but I am not really up to par yet. I am eager to get to the Rose Garden.”

“
We are so glad you are here and want to do anything we can to make you feel comfortable,” replied Triessa, touching her arm. “We would like to be sure you are alright for your sake.”

The
next day was Monday. They agreed to take Esther in to the hospital emergency room to have her checked out to see what was wrong. She really did not want to go but felt it best to be sure everything was fine. Triessa called her doctor to explain the situation and asked if he could squeeze Todd’s mother into his day.

“
I could see her around eleven o‘clock this morning,” he answered.

“
That is wonderful,” replied Tiressa, “We will see you then.”

She
went inside to call her folks to tell them what was happening. Her mother asked her to keep them informed. They would not come over until she was feeling better but were eager to see them again.

They
arrived a few minutes early to take care of the paper work. They were ushered into the office and the doctor was pleased to meet Todd and to learn of their wedding plans. He was meeting the future mother-in-law of his favorite patient. The doctor looked her over and said she seemed healthy enough but had better rest for a while yet.

“
Get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. If you do not feel any better in a day or so please come back and I will give you some medicine to help you. We want to rule out a virus and have you on the mend before making your trip back home.”

“
Thank you, I will,” replied Esther. “I have no idea what hit me.”

Todd,
Triessa and Spencer were so relieved. They had been concerned for a few days. When they got back home they set up a place for her on the patio with the chaise lounge and made a very comfortable place for her so she could sit up.

Esther
felt well enough to stay on the patio lying on a chaise lounge, and at supper time, she sat at the table with them to eat. Nancy brought her some light things when she heard she was not feeling all well yet. Esther was pleased and agreed it was truly delicious and hit the spot. She said she would forgo dessert and felt it best to go up and turn in so she could feel like going out to the garden tomorrow.

She
said goodnight to Todd and Triessa and Spencer helped her up to bed. He decided to spend a little more time with Todd and Triessa. They sat on the patio to enjoy the calm, warm evening. They all agreed that a good night’s rest would be a benefit for them all. It had been a stressful day.

“
Before we go to bed,” Todd asked Triessa, “Can we take a walk down to the lily pond by the cottage and watch the water run down over the falls for a few minutes? It will be relaxing and help us sleep better.” They sat there a while and he said, as he put his arm around her, “Now we are counting the days instead of weeks.”

“
Five more days and the special day will be here, can you believe it, my darling?” replied Triessa. “I got such a scare when your mother was not feeling well that we might have to change things. How could we reach all the guests? Do you think she will be all right?”

“
I can believe it and I want the days to go by fast. I am getting so excited and eager to be able to call you Mrs. Todd Noble. I feel all will go as planned. Mother will be just fine. Please do not worry your pretty little head, my dear.”

“
I, too, am eager for that. No more saying goodnight and going our separate ways. We can be sharing everything, our lives, our homes, ourselves. That will be such a wonderful thing. It still seems like a long time. We will have to keep really busy so it will seem to go by quickly.”

“
Oh, yes, it seems harder to wait now than it did when I proposed. Oh, my darling, I want to hold you as my bride, my darling and precious love mate. I want to love you so tenderly and gently. I want us to reach heights of joy we cannot possibly imagine at this moment.”

He
held her close to him and kissed her softly, stroked her hair with his hand, and they joined in a tight, passionate embrace. He pulled away quickly.

“
Oh, my darling, I must be very careful, I do not want to do anything wrong. I want our wedding night to be clean, beautiful and free of any regrets. I love and respect you so much and want to treat you like the precious jewel you are. A few more days and we’ll be husband and wife. What a precious state it will be. I want to grow deeper and deeper in love as time goes by because we will learn more intimate things about each other and will be able to sense each other’s love and desires. We will be able to read each other and be totally open to one another, climbing continually higher to a greater state of love which we cannot know now until we get to know each other fully and totally.”

“
Oh, yes, my darling,” she replied. “It will be so wonderful and beautiful. Each day will get better, deeper, and richer.”

He
walked her back to the cottage. She went to bed and slept wonderfully.

In
the morning she had coffee with Todd on the patio as usual. Esther had come down to be with them. They spent the morning planning the rest of their days and the activities which still needed to be taken care of.

They
went to the patio and had lunch. Esther felt it would be good to go back upstairs and have a nap. Spencer helped her up to her room. Then he came back down. Triessa’s folks, with Reese and Deanna, would be over later. They could have lunch together and cover all the roles each would be playing in the wedding. Tomorrow Matt and Dirje, with their families, would arrive and they could all get together and go over the plans. By the time they got here it would be only three days to the wedding.

“
Maybe we should ask the minister to come over on Thursday or Friday to talk with us all before the wedding. Just some general conversation and maybe some directions for the wedding,” said Triessa. “It will be good for everyone to get to know him better. He is a very nice man.”

“
Yes,” replied Todd, “I would like to do that. He will be a dear friend for marrying us. What is his name again?”

“
Dean Whitmore,” replied Triessa, “And his wife’s name is Janelle. Let us call him now and set up a time so we can plan on it. We could have everyone come by, and then we could spend some time alone with him afterward. I will call him and see what he has available.”

She
called and his wife answered. They chatted for a few minutes and she called her husband to the phone. She asked when he could take some time to come by and visit with them before the wedding. She turned to Todd and asked, “He can come by on Thursday right after lunch. Is that alright?” He nodded his head. She finalized the plan and hung up. “We will let my parents and the rest know so they can be here as well. Then after we spend some time with Mr. Whitmore, we should all get together for a while to make sure everything is planned and that each of us is filled in on our roles. Sort of a rehearsal party.”

After
breakfast they walked out through the garden again to check out everything. The roses were really climbing on the arbor and looking beautiful.

They
sat there a while to take in the beauty of the area. Then they walked back to go by the swans. They were so beautiful and clean. The lilies were just gorgeous and so large.

By
the time they got back to the house her parents, Reese and Deanna had arrived. They told her that Esther was upstairs and Spencer checked to see if she felt up to walking out to the garden. She decided to wait until the next day; she wanted to reserve her strength for the day that’s soon at hand. They, too, wanted to see the garden again, so they all went back out to look around some more.

Reese
said, “I will call and have the tables delivered here on Friday. We will also need a lot of ice. I called to have an ice sculpture of a beautiful rose done as a center piece for the center table. I talked with the lady in charge and she gave me some ideas of what she’s going to do. You will love it, Triessa.” He wanted to surprise her so did not wish to tell her all the details.

Deanna
said, “I called some caterers to have food set up for the tables. It will be a delightful lineup. We have four punch bowls and will put them on the outside tables. On the center table we will place the guest book. That table over there at the far end will be kept free for cards and gifts.”

The
platform was ready and pedestals were set up on either side for special bouquets already ordered. A special burgundy rug had been ordered to cover the platform. Chairs would be placed in different parts of the garden for those who would need to rest at times.

Lincoln
came up and put his arm around her shoulders and said,              “Well, my dear, it is almost here. I am catching the excitement myself now.”

“
Oh, Dad, will you tell the others that our minister is coming here Thursday after lunch and we should all be here to visit with him? Then Todd and I will spend some time with him afterward. And please tell them we should all get together for a meeting next, sort of a rehearsal, so we will know we have everything straight. We are too close now to make any major blunders. I will have Nancy get some things together to serve everyone so they won’t be hungry.”

“
All right, dear, I will tell your mother, Reese and Deanna. You, no doubt, have already told the Nobles.”

“
Yes, they know. But Esther is still not felling too well. I am still somewhat concerned about her. The doctor said rest would help her recover in time. It would be very difficult to have to change anything at this point, but surely we really want her involved. Thanks, Dad, I really appreciate it.”

She
went over beside Todd and held his hand. “Oh, my darling, isn’t this going to be a gorgeous wedding? Oh, my precious love, we are so lucky, aren’t we?”

“
Yes, my sweet princess, we are and I am so grateful for everything, especially for you.”

They
all went back to the house and sat in the living room.