[Canadian West 02] - When Comes the Spring (5 page)

When Father released me, I was facing a tall young man with gangly arms and a lopsided grin. At first I just stared at him, unable to
believe my eyes. But it was, it really was, my dear Matthew. He wasdt
quite sure of himself, nor of just how he should handle all this emotional greeting of his family members; so he stood back a pace somewhat as an onlooker. I blinked away tears and looked at him again.
How he had grown in the short year I had been away. I wasdt quite
sure how to greet him either.

"Matthew," I said, barely above a whisper. "Matthew, myyou've-you've grown up-so tall."

He took one step toward me as I moved to him, and then I was
hugging him just as I had done so often when he was a little boy. His
arms tightened around me, holding me tightly.

"Oh, Matt, I can't believe it! You're taller than Father." I tried not
to weep, but it was impossible to stop all the tears from falling.

Matthew swallowed hard. He was almost a man, and weeping was
not to be considered. Instead, he rather awkwardly patted my back,
much as one would greet an old school chum. Jonathan was there then.
It was the first time my younger brother had met my older brother,
and they sized each other up man to man. They must have liked what
they saw; for, moving almost as one, they changed from the handshake
to a warm embrace. I could see Matthew's eyes, for he was facing me.
They shone with admiration. I knew then that this trip west was going
to have a lifelong effect on young Matt.

We finally collected ourselves and all of our belongings, piling into
the two cars waiting for us. Jonathan had engaged the services of a
friend to help transport us all back to the house. Wynn was invited to
join the family for supper. I could hardly wait to show him off to my
family and to introduce my family to him. I was so proud of them all.
I loved them all so very much!

It was a noisy group that arrived at Jonathan's. We had so much
catching up to do. And then there were the children. Each one of them
was in a terrible hurry to make up for lost time and get to know their
grandma and grandfather and this new aunt and uncle as quickly as
possible. As usual, we all seemed to talk at once.

Jon and Mary showed each of the family members to their respective rooms, Mary apologizing that the intended cleaning and redecorating had not been done because of the earlier wedding date. Mother
declared that everything was just lovely as it was; and I think Mary felt
that Mother meant every word of it.

Julie, as exuberant as ever, exclaimed over everything. She and Baby
Elizabeth, who was now taking a few shaky steps on her own, seemed
to be kindred spirits. The other children all loved Julie immediately,
too, but I noticed that Kathleen still clung to me.

Matthew soon found an admirer in the young William. He looked
up to Matthew with the same devotion showing in his eyes that Matthew had for Jonathan.

Julie was going to share my room with me, so with both of us
loaded down with her suitcases and hat boxes, we climbed the stairs.

"Oh, that old train," lamented Julie. "It was so stuffy and so warm!
And there was this fat little man with foul cigars who sat right in front
of me. And there was this party of four who sat down the aisle and
kept talking and laughing in such a crude manner that-"

Julie would have gone on, but I stopped her with a laugh. She
looked at me, bewildered, but I reached over and gave her another hug.

"You've changed," I told her. "A few years ago, you would have
been seeing each one of those men as a possible suitor."

Julie's eyes twinkled. "Oh, I did that too," she admitted. "The only
difference is that I'm a bit more selective now. There were some very
fine-looking specimens on that train. I just haven't gotten to that yet."

"Oh, Julie. You little goose," I teased.

"I still can't believe it. My big, cautious sister marrying a frontiersman!"

"He's not a frontiersman. He's a Royal North West Mounted
Policeman," I corrected her.

She shrugged and threw her hat on my bed. A few years back, I would have reminded her that was not where it was to go. Instead, I
picked it up myself and laid it carefully on the closet shelf.

"You wait until you see him," I reminded Julie. "You'll be jealous
of me."

Julie laughed. "Well, I sort of figured that where there is one good
catch, there should be more of the same. Right, Beth? How about
introducing me to a few of Wynn's friends on the Police Force? There
are other unmarried ones, I expect."

"Certainly. A number of them. But don't expect to find another
one like Wynn."

"He's that special, is he?" Julie's eyes shone. "Perhaps, Elizabeth
Marie Thatcher, you're a wee bit prejudiced."

"We'll see," I told her, willing away the minutes until Wynn would
arrive and Julie could see for herself.

"I must go help Mary," I finally told Julie, reluctant to leave her
even for a minute. "You make yourself at home. The bath is just down
the hall and the laundry room is down the steps to the right if you
need to press anything."

It is so good to have them all here, my heart sang as I went down the
stairs. I just wish I had more time to visit with them. But tomorrow was
our wedding day, and after that Wynn and I would be leaving. And yet
I did not wish, for one moment, that I could push my wedding into
the future-not even for the chance to visit with my family. I started
to hum as I entered the kitchen. The tune sounded something like
"Here Comes the Bride."

"Is everything ready?" Wynn asked as we took a little walk alone
later that night. We needed this solitude. Inside, the house was still
buzzing. My family had taken an immediate liking to the man I was
to marry, and it seemed to me that each one of them enjoyed monopolizing his time. Julie especially was awestruck. I could see it in her
eyes. It was difficult for her to believe that her big sister, who had so
many times expressed her disgust with the male side of the species, was
so fortunate to be blessed with a union to one as marvelous as this.

How did you do it, Beth? her expression seemed to ask across the
room. Where did you ever find him?

To which my eyes silently answered, I told you so.

But now Wynn and I were finally alone, and things were quiet
enough so we could actually have a decent conversation.

I was momentarily checked by Wynn's question. Not sure that it
had registered properly, I repeated it. "Is everything ready? I-I honestly don't know. My thoughts are all in a whirl. But does it matter? I
mean, does it really matter? You have the license and the ring; I have
my dress; the family is here. We're ready enough to go ahead with the
wedding. So what if some of the details-"

Wynn laughed and reached for me. "You are unbelievable, Elizabeth," he said. "Who would ever have expected my stylish eastern miss
to be making such statements!"

He kissed me. It was still light and we were walking on a Calgary
sidewalk with many homes nearby. Someone was bound to see us. His
"stylish eastern miss" pushed back from him without really wanting to.

Wynn laughed again. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth," he said. "I just couldn't
resist. But I'll be good, I promise. Until tomorrow." His eyes twinkled.

I flushed slightly and resumed walking.

"Your family is wonderful," Wynn said, suddenly changing the subject and our moods.

"And they all love you!" I exclaimed. "I knew they would. Oh,
Wynn, I'm so happy."

Wynn reached for my hand and squeezed it. I did not try to withdraw it. Let the neighbors watch and frown if they cared. This was the
eve of my wedding day, to the man I loved.

"Are you all ready?" I asked.

"Everything's all set and crated. I had an awful time finding enough
of the medical supplies I need. Had to have some sent down from
Edmonton, but I finally got it all together."

"Medical supplies?" I queried, surprised.

"We need to take everything, Elizabeth," he reminded me. "Not
just for ourselves but for the whole settlement."

I had forgotten Wynn had such a big task. "They have a Hudson's
Bay Post there," he went on, "and shipments of supplies coming in.
But one never counts on them for such important things as medicine.
Blankets, flour, salt, traps-now, those things we will be able to get
there with no problem."

Traps. I thought of this strange world to which I was going. It
fascinated me. There was so much to learn. I was eager to get there, to
get involved in Wynn's life.

"I'm all packed, too," I proudly informed him. "I got everything
shoved into the one trunk. Mind you, it took some doing! I had to
leave behind those books I had wanted, and that one hat I was going
to take, and two pairs of shoes and two dresses, but I got all the rest
in. I won't really need all those things anyway."

"You should have some of your books, Elizabeth. They might be
a-

But I cut in, "Oh, I did take a few of my favorites. The ones I left
were mostly those I thought I might use if the Indian children would
like to have a school."

"You still haven't given up on that idea, have you?"

"Well-" I hesitated. "No."

He pressed my hand again. "I'm glad," he said. "It would be won derful if you could teach some of them to read." I smiled, appreciative
of Wynn's understanding and encouragement.

"I think I might be able to find some little corner to stick more of
your books in if you'd like, Elizabeth."

I wanted to throw my arms about his neck and hug him, but we
were still on the Calgary streets and it was still daylight; instead, I
squeezed his hand and gave him another smile. "Oh, thank you. I
would so much like to take them. There really aren't very many and
they don't make a very big stack, but I just couldn't get one more thing
into my trunk."

We walked on, talking of our new life together and many other
things. There was something very special about this night before we
would become husband and wife. We hated to see it end.

When we did return to the house, the western sun had just dipped
behind the distant hills. A soft light glowed from each of the windows
along the lazy sidewalk. The air was becoming cooler but was still
pleasant. Wynn slowed his steps as we went up the walk.

"I don't think I will come in, Elizabeth. You need this last evening
with your family. I'm going to have you for the rest of our lives."

Wynn stepped from the walk to the warm shadows of the big elm
tree. I knew I would not protest this time when he took me in his
arms.

"I won't see you until tomorrow at the church," he whispered.
"Now don't you go and change your mind."

"There's not a chance," I assured him, my arms locked tightly
about his neck.

"I still can't believe it-tomorrow! And tomorrow is finally almost
here. You'll never know what a fright it gave me when I got that early
posting."

"Fright?"

"I thought I would have to leave you behind. I knew it would be
unfair to ask you to wait for three or four or even five years. I was
almost beside myself. I thought of quitting the Force, but I didn't have
the money to start out some place else."

"Oh, Wynn."

"I never dreamed you would ever be able, and willing, to rush into a wedding like this. I hope you never feel that you've been `cheated,'
Elizabeth."

"Cheated?"

"Cheated out of the kind of wedding you've always dreamed of."

I laughed. "The fact is, Wynn," I said, "I spent very little time
dreaming about weddings until I met you. Then I dreamed-I
dreamed a lot. But the wedding wouldn't be much without you there
by my side, now would it? So, if there's a choice between the trimmings
or you-then it's easy to leave out the trimmings."

Wynn kissed me again.

"I must go," he said after several moments. "My bride must be
fresh and glowing on her wedding day; and if I don't let you get your
beauty sleep, it will be my fault if you aren't."

He saw me to the door and left. I went in to join the family. Father
and Mother were ready to retire for the night. It had been a long, hard
day for them. At Father's suggestion, we gathered in the living room
for a time of Scripture reading and prayer. Tears squeezed out from
under our eyelids as we prayed together. Even Matthew, somewhat
shyly, prayed aloud. I was touched at his earnest petition that God
would bless his big sister Beth and her Wynn as they started out life
together. It was a time I shall always remember. Never had I felt closer
to my family than when we sat, hands intertwined, praying together as
our tears flowed unheeded.

I did not really get the rest Wynn had suggested, for Julie and I
could not refrain from catching up on a whole year in the next few
short hours. We talked on and on. Each time the downstairs cuckoo
sounded out the hour, I would determine that I must stop talking and
get some sleep; but each time one or the other of us would think of
something we just had to share or had to ask the other.

Julie insisted on knowing all about Wynn-where I had met him,
how I had won him. She would have loved to hear each detail of our
romance; and, if I had been like Julie, I might have wished to share it
all. I was not like Julie and therefore kept many of the details to myself.
They were treasured things and not to be shared with any other than
Wynn himself.

"When did he first tell you he loved you?" asked nosey Julie.

"Hey," I said sleepily, "isn't that a bit personal?"

"Oh, come on, Beth. It must have taken your breath away. Tell me
about it."

"Not a chance," I countered. "It took my breath away, yes. But it
is for me alone."

I thought back to the scene at the railway station when I was all
set to head back east. That was the first time Wynn had confessed that
he loved me. I still tingled as I thought of it.

"How long did it take before he proposed?" Julie persisted.