In anticipation of the wedding ceremony, a small crowd gathered in the church located a couple of blocks from the commune. It was an odd collection of people whose relationships to the young couple were obvious by the clothes they wore. All of the members of the commune were present and dressed in their finest clothes. That their clothes were a decade or more out of style didn't matter. Abby's classmates were seated in the church dressed in clothes reflecting their student status. A few were wearing blue jeans and tee-shirts. Jack's coworkers were wearing what could be considered business casual clothes — sport suits for the men and dresses for the women.
Jack looked around at the crowd unable to believe that so many people had come to see him get married. Six months earlier he would have been hard pressed to find three people to invite to a wedding. Now that number had grown to fifty including the members of the commune, two dozen people from work, a couple of neighbors who weren't members of the commune, his family, and a handful of his previous employers. He said, "I can't believe so many people came."
Jake looked around the small church noting that it was nearly filled with people. He said, "You've managed to gather quite a crowd, son."
"A lot of them are closer than friends," Jack said with a smile. He watched Frau Shultz sitting in the front row of the church looking around excitedly. It seemed to him that she was more excited about the wedding than he was.
Jake noticed where Jack was looking and commented, "That little old German lady is a real character."
"Yes, she is," Jack said grinning.
Jake said, "You found a very good woman for a wife."
"Thanks, Dad," Jack said in total agreement with his father. He had found a very good woman. It still surprised him that she was willing to be his wife.
"I guess it is time for me to give you the marriage advice my father gave me," Jake said.
"Don't go to bed angry," Jack said.
Jake shook his head and said, "Always remember why you chose to marry her."
"Huh?" Jack said.
Jake said, "My father once told me that you marry a woman because you love her. It is important not to forget that. Lots of things can happen in a marriage, but you have to remember that it began with love."
"That's a nice thought," Jack said thoughtfully.
"I know these tough times make it hard to remember little things like love, but don't make that mistake. Melissa is going to be your wife, your confidant, your best friend, your companion, and your lover. Don't let a hard day at work, a pile of bills, or bad news stories on television get between you and her," his father said.
"I won't," Jack promised.
Jake smiled and looked at his wife seated on the front row. He said, "I've been married to your mother almost thirty years. We've had our good times and our bad times, but throughout the marriage there has been love. I still love your mother as much today as the day I married her."
"I know," Jack said. His parents were not afraid to show their love to each other regardless of the people around them. His dad was known to give his wife a nice hug and kiss at the drop of a hat. His grandparents were the same way.
"Don't ever forget that you love her," Jake said. He had given the best advice he knew.
"Yes, Dad," Jack said with a smile.
Not having anything else to add, Jake shifted uneasily from one foot to the next. He asked, "When does this show get on the road?"
"I think we are waiting for the bride to be ready," Jack answered. He had always heard stories about nervous grooms. He wasn't nervous.
"Her mother is probably giving her marriage advice. We could be here all day," Jake said.
"I don't think it would take her mother that long to give Melissa marriage advice. I think it could be summarized in one word," Jack said.
"What word is that?"
"Run," Jack answered with a chuckle.
"I take it she doesn't exactly approve of the marriage," Jake said. He hadn't really had a chance to meet Melissa's parents. His wife had talked to them a little the night before and had not been all that pleased with them. He had talked to the father for about ten minutes.
"How would you react if you learned that I was marrying a girl who was raised in a trailer park?" Jack asked.
Frowning, Jake answered, "Not very well, I think. She'd have to be a very special girl to rise above that kind of upbringing."
"Melissa is an educated woman. One day she's going to be giving lectures in front of large audiences about history. She's going to be an important woman. I think her mother views me as a major step down in social standing. She's afraid that I'll hold Melissa back in her career," Jack said.
Jake would have argued, but he knew that a lot of white collar people looked down at blue collar people. In many ways, a strange kind of class structure existed in this country. Every child was assumed to have the ability to change their class, but at some point in time people became locked into a class as a result of choices made in education, career, and character. Once that happened, people judged them based on that. Jake said, "I guess I can understand that, but I don't have to like it."
"I do," Jack said. He was going to have to deal with it for the rest of his marriage. It would take time to prove to her parents that he was supporting Melissa in a manner of which they could approve.
"I never had to deal with in-laws that didn't like me," Jake said. He had gotten along with his wife's parents. In fact, he had a very good relationship with them that continued to the present time. He was supporting them economically and was doing so willingly.
Jack looked out into the church. The pastor was heading toward the little room in which they were waiting for the ceremony to start. The pastor entered the room and said, "The bride is ready. If you will get in position, we'll start."
"Great," Jack said.
"You don't look nervous," the pastor commented. He had grooms who had fainted before the ceremony.
Jack smiled and said, "This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Why should I be nervous about that?"
"That's a good attitude to have going into a marriage," the pastor said. He gestured towards the door for the two men to move to the front of the church.
Jack stood at the front of the church for a minute waiting for the ceremony to start. His mother- in-law was seated in the first row with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. It didn't take a mind reader to know what she was thinking.
He turned to look at the double doors from which Melissa would make her entrance. The door opened and he gazed upon Melissa as if seeing her for the first time. Although the original plan had been for her to wear a simple white dress, the women of the commune had altered a thirty year old wedding dress to fit her. In a voice that carried to every corner of the room, Jack said, "Would you look at her? She's got to be the most beautiful woman in the world."
"God only knows what she sees in you," Jake said with a grin. A number of people who overheard the remark laughed.
"You can say that again," Melissa's mother muttered darkly.
Jack didn't bother to answer his father or his mother-in-law. His attention was on the bride where it belonged. His attention stayed on her throughout the ceremony. Frau Shultz cried from the moment it began until it ended. She wasn't the only woman in tears during the ceremony. Jack's mother cried as well.
After the ceremony ended, Jack and Melissa found themselves alone in the small room in which she had dressed. For a few seconds, there was an awkward silence between them. No one had ever told him about what a couple talked about when they were alone together for the first time as man and wife. Jack took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. He said, "I know that we have just pledged ourselves to each other in front of God and our friends and family. I want to make a private promise to you. I promise that I will do all that is in my power to give you a good life."
Jack's emotion filled promise took Melissa by surprise. Her eyes filled with tears knowing that he would fulfill that promise or die trying. In a way, his declaration struck her more than the vows exchanged in the church. In an emotional voice, she said, "I make the same promise to you."
Jack kissed her and said, "I love you."
"I love you," Melissa said returning his kiss passionately.
"I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you," Jack said. He thought about Dave and Laura. Despite nearly fifty years of marriage, the elderly couple still went on dates. He hoped that he and Melissa would have dates fifty years from now.
Jack and Melissa went down the stairs to the basement where the reception was being held. Melissa smiled and said, "It is hard to believe that I'm Mrs. Dunne now."
"Don't get used to it. Pretty soon, we'll be calling you Dr. Dunne," Jack said with a grin.
"You're serious about that, aren't you?"
"Very serious. I've got the job I have because it is the kind of job that I've always wanted. The idea of being cooped up in an office all day makes me ill. I like working with my hands and, to tell the truth, the pay isn't that bad. You wouldn't be happy working in a store or being a stay- at-home mom. You should get your doctorate and see what happens then. I wouldn't want to live my life doing something that makes me unhappy so why should you?" Jack answered.
The sound of a throat being cleared behind them caused them to turn. Melissa's mother said, "You would let her get her doctorate?"
"I love Melissa. I want her to be happy," Jack answered. To him, it was a no brainer. She wanted to study history and his job would let her do that for as long as she wanted.
"Aren't you worried about her getting too smart for you?"
"No, ma'am," Jack answered.
Melissa's mother didn't believe that for a minute. She asked, "What about kids?"
"We'll have kids," Jack answered. They had discussed having kids at some point in time. They both wanted to wait for the economy to get a little better.
"Who will raise them?"
Jack laughed at the question and answered, "We will. Our kids are going to be raised in a loving environment. We've got a dozen grandmothers and two granddads standing in line to watch over any kids we have."
Melissa's mother shook her head. She had learned about the commune upon her arrival. Needless to say, she wasn't very happy about that little bombshell. Despite having been introduced to everyone in the commune, she still felt that the whole concept harkened back to the drug orgies of the sixties. She couldn't wait to talk to some of the old ladies to find out what kind of sick world her daughter had entered.
"You should talk to Mike and Chuck," Melissa said. They were happy kids at a time when other kids were miserable.
"Who are they?"
"They are Cheryl and Rich's boys. I've never seen two boys that are so well adjusted," Melissa answered.
Jack smiled at the idea of having the boys take care of Melissa's mother. They were good boys and knew their manners. Cheryl insisted that they be polite and rode herd on them at all times. He said, "They're going to be helping serve food inside. Chuck was telling me that he was in charge of the paper plates while his brother has the job of making sure that we don't run out of cheese for the spaghetti."
"That's not much," Melissa's mother said.
"They are seven and nine years old. We're not going to ask them to carry heavy loads or deal with fragile stuff," Jack said.
"I guess that's different," Melissa's mother said.
Melissa said, "I think we should go inside now. Everyone is waiting for us and the food will get cold."
"Good idea," Jack said. He opened the door and with a sweep of his hand gestured Melissa's mother inside. The woman gave him a sharp look and headed into the room. Jack winked at Melissa. Once her mother had entered the room, he whispered, "I think she's warming up to me."
"Right," Melissa said well aware that hell hadn't frozen over yet.
As parents of the bride, Melissa's parents should have been pleased at the low cost of the wedding. The total cost had been under three hundred dollars despite more than a hundred guests. The church rental had been twenty-five dollars and the pastor had been tipped another twenty-five. The wedding dress had cost nothing. The food had been prepared by the members of the commune. The dishes included spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan, and sausages. The side dishes were bread, a simple lettuce salad, green beans, and mashed potatoes. It wasn't fancy food, but it was inexpensive and filling.
Melissa was pleased to see so many people working hard to contribute to the success of her wedding. It touched her that eighteen people had taken such an interest in what was one of the most important events in a woman's life. It was particularly impressive since she had known them for only two months. They had accepted her into their community. She looked over at her mother and wondered if she would figure it out anytime soon.
Melissa's mother and father ended up seated next to Claire and Mary. Well aware that the couple probably didn't remember their names, Claire said, "I'm Claire and this is Mary."
"I'm Frank and this is my wife, Terry."
"It sure was a nice ceremony," Mary said thinking that the ceremony would be an easy starter for a conversation with a stranger.
Frank said, "It was rather unexpected."
"Not really. We knew the first time those two met that they were going to get married. Frau Shultz actively campaigned for that to happen," Claire said with a twinkle in her eye.
Mary laughed at remembering the beginning of the relationship and said, "Imagine taking two old women along with you on your first date. Poor Jack was totally clueless."
"I am worried that she's making a mistake. She hardly knows him," Terry said looking over at her daughter. She was seated at a table at the head of the room alone with Jack.
Claire said, "Jack is a good man. He'll take very good care of your daughter regardless of how bad the economy gets. He's a good hard worker."
A year earlier, Terry would have looked down upon the neighborhood in which her daughter was going to be living because of all of the empty houses. The problem was that the neighborhood where they lived was in even worse shape. The entire area was deserted and it was rather terrifying. She feared that her daughter would discover that she was living alone there without a family to support her.
"Jack will make sure that she is safe," Mary said. Now that their economic situation was improving, safety had become the number one issue among the members of the commune.
"He can't watch over her all of the time," Terry said dismissively. She wished that Melissa was at home with them so that they could protect her.
"No, but we can," Claire said. "We've got twenty pairs of eyes watching everything that happens in the neighborhood."
"Oh, yes — the commune," Terry said icily.
Claire examined the woman for a moment and then said, "Yes, the members of the commune look out for each other. That's what it is all about. We share the cost of food so that all of us eat well. We take responsibility to keep each other safe. We work to share the burdens of life so that none of us are alone."
"No one goes out alone. We make sure that a man is with us when we go somewhere. Fred, Rich, Dave, Johnny, or Jack comes by the library to pick me up from work. One of the men goes with us when we go shopping. I'm safer now than I ever was when I lived alone," Mary said.
"I don't like the idea of my daughter belonging to a commune. We raised her to avoid drugs and to be a good girl," Terry said. She wasn't even going to mention the free love stuff.
Mary laughed and said, "The only drugs in our commune are for arthritis, blood pressure, cholesterol, and osteoporosis."
"We are basically teetotalers," Claire said.
Chuck came over to the table and said, "Mom told me to tell everyone that they are serving the food now."
Claire smiled at Chuck and said, "Thank you for telling us Chuck. What do you recommend that we eat?"
"The spaghetti was made by Gramma Liz and the lasagna was made by Gramma Bev. They make better spaghetti and lasagna than mom," Chuck said. He looked around guiltily for a second and said, "Don't tell my mother I said that."
Claire laughed at the worried expression on his face and said, "Your secret is safe with me. I won't say a word."
"Thanks," Chuck said. He moved to the next table to pass the word about the food being served.
Claire turned to Terry and said, "That is Chuck. His mother really rides herd on him and his brother."
"They sure are cute," Mary said watching the young boy talking to Jack's parents.
Watching Frau Shultz carry a plate of sausages with mashed potatoes and green beans over to Jack, Claire said, "Frank, if you want to make Frau Shultz happy, you'll try some of her sausage."
"I think I will," Frank said glancing in the direction of the buffet line. While his wife had been talking to the two women, he had been watching people. He liked what he saw. It was obvious to him who was a member of the commune and who wasn't. There was a sense of cohesion among the commune members that was lacking with any of the other groups there.
"You don't have to eat anything you don't want," Terry said.
Frank gestured in the direction of Frau Shultz. He said, "If I remember correctly, that little old lady over there is Frau Shultz."
"That's right," Claire said.
"She's been hovering over Melissa and Jack like they are her grandchildren," Frank said.
"She thinks the sun rises and sets on Jack's command," Mary said with a grin.
"We definitely didn't need an interpreter to know what she thought of the idea of those two getting married. She was busy arranging the wedding one minute after meeting Melissa," Claire said with a grin.
"If I remember correctly, she doesn't speak English," Frank said.
Mary nodded her head and said, "Jack learned German so that he could talk to her. The fact that Melissa speaks German just sealed the deal."
Claire turned to look at Terry and said, "Don't let Jack's lack of higher education mislead you. He's one of the leaders of our commune. The guy has common-sense and a good character."
It seemed to Terry that everyone was trying to sell her on Jack. It was like every conversation centered on him. She couldn't help but be suspicious. Frank rose from his chair and said, "I'm going to try some of that sausage. I'll be right back."
Abby sat down at the vacated chair and said, "This is great. I can't believe that Jack has gotten married. Melissa is perfect for him."
"It could have been you," Mary said in a teasing manner. One look at Terry and she knew that she had blown it.
"There was never anything between us," Abby said shrugging her shoulders negligently.
"What do you mean?" Terry asked looking at the young woman sharply.
Abby said, "I used to rent a room from Jack back when we started the commune. Everyone thought we would make a good couple, but neither of us had any interest in the other. I was really pleased when Jack found Melissa."
"You used to rent a room from him," Terry said looking over at Melissa. She wondered if her daughter knew that the old girlfriend was hanging around in the wings. That would definitely spell trouble in the marriage.
"That's right," Abby said. She looked over at the buffet table and said, "I better get some food."
Mary said, "I'll go over there with you."
Watching the pair of women walk away, Claire shook her head. All of the work trying to get Terry to accept the marriage had been undermined with just a few words from Abby. She turned to face Terry and, in a stern voice, said, "It is obvious to me that you don't approve of this marriage. Let me warn you, don't interfere. Give them a chance."
"He's a common laborer," Terry said.
"And you're the Queen of England," Claire said fixing Terry in place with a glare.
"No," Terry said.
"He's a good man. She's a good woman. They make a nice couple. Don't spoil it," Claire said. She rose from her chair and said, "I'm going to wish the Bride and Groom best wishes for their marriage."
Terry watched the elderly woman walk over to her daughter's table. Frank returned with a plate loaded with sausages. Taking a seat, he said, "They sure are a nice bunch of folks. That little kid down there is real cute. I got to the end of the line and realized that I hadn't picked up a knife and fork. The little tyke ran off and fetched them for me."
"That's nice," Terry said.
Frank said, "Honey, I know you aren't all that pleased about her getting married. I've got to say that I rather like that young man. He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders."
"He's a common laborer," Terry said.
"He's got a job. Close to twenty percent of the population can't make that claim," Frank said. He sighed and said, "One of these days, I just might be one of that twenty percent."
"You're invaluable at your company," Terry said looking at him sharply.
"Not really. I'm just a middle manager watching over a department that has shrunk by thirty percent," Frank said. He had a feeling that there would be a major reorganization in his division and one or two managers would disappear from the company payroll. He sighed and added, "I've got a feeling that Jack would invite us into his house if anything happened to us."
"You're so gloomy," Terry said.
"I'm a realist. This country is falling apart. These folks are taking steps to protect themselves against a total failure of society. To tell the truth, I think they have the right idea," Frank said.
"He's a common laborer," Terry said. She hadn't put so much energy into raising a smart and motivated young woman to watch her throw her life away by marrying a common blue collar laborer.
"Would you stop saying that? Jesus woman. He owns a house. He's got a job. He's taking care of Melissa. I think they just might have a good future. You might not like that he swings a hammer, but it isn't any worse than pushing a pen in a damned office building," Frank said. He snorted and said, "Half of the folks working in an office are just slavishly following procedures that management has placed on them. There aren't many stellar folks in the business world. I know — I manage them. We're little worker drones and that's what the companies want."
"It is about money," Terry said.
"Not any more. We're going to be cutting back salaries within a year. He's liable to end up making more than most of the folks that work for me," Frank said. They were talking about going to a four day work week with a seventy-five percent cut in pay. He wondered how many of the people working for him would survive that kind of cut in pay.
"He's a common laborer," Terry said. Looking at her husband, she knew that he didn't understand. She said, "I just want what is best for her."
"She's got it," Frank said. He looked at his wife and said, "Drop it."
"I can't," she said.
Frank said, "I was talking to his father while I was getting the food. Jake owns a little heating and air conditioner company. He's supporting his parents and his in-laws. We can't do that on my income."
"Our investments tanked with the stock market," Terry said defensively.
"I'm sure that Jake's investments didn't hold up either, but he's managing to keep three families afloat. You've got to respect that," Frank said.
"What's your point?" Terry said.
Frank said, "Give Jack a chance."