“And now we tell the folks!” he grinned. “Let’s go find Jonah, it’s too early to go calling the West Coast just yet, and he deserves to know first. Are you okay with that?”
Luna grinned and nodded, seeing the sense of his words.
“But first, we need to go downtown,” he continued, “there’s something I want to buy you…”
While they showered and got dressed, Luna tried to get Joey to divulge what was so important they had to go downtown so early, but Joey just smiled and said nothing, and it wasn’t until they stopped outside the town’s only jewellery store that understanding dawned.
“Joey, you don’t need to do this, I already said yes, I know we’re engaged, that’s all that matters to me!” she announced, but Joey wouldn’t hear of it.
“I want people to know you’re not available anymore; a beautiful girl like you is gonna attract plenty of attention in Daly City, believe me. I just want to make sure everyone knows you’re taken!” he grinned, to which she had no answer, so she followed him into the store, to emerge with the most expensive thing she’d ever owned. Luna was almost speechless at how much Joey had paid for her engagement ring.
“Joey, you have a family, you should be saving your money, not wasting it on me!” she’d protested. “If you really needed to give me a ring, any old thing would have done; it’s the thought and how we feel about each other, not the price that matters!”
Joey shook his head.
“This is the new beginning we promised each other, this is how I mean to go on; you’ll never want for anything, I promise, and neither will our children; that ring is my pledge to you, and I mean every word of it.”
Once they were out of the store and back on the sidewalk, Luna looked at him, her eyes once more searching his eyes, his face, looking for something, anything he wasn’t telling her. Eventually she spoke, her voice low and throbbing with emotion.
“Joe Anderson, I’ve waited all my life for this moment, and I think you should know, for me, this means ‘forever’, no half measures. I want you, all of you, and you’re all I want, but if you can’t say the same thing, then please, take this back and go get your money back. For me, it’s all or nothing, Joey, and I need you to tell me if that’s how it is for you too!”
She paused to take a shuddering breath, her chest heaving with the intensity of her emotion.
“I meant every word I said, about loving you, about wanting you, everything, but if you can’t tell me the same thing, honestly, before God, then at least I’ll know, and I can walk away and not live to regret this; I can’t live with the fear always lurking in the background that one day down the line you’ll turn around and tell me I trapped you, or it was a mistake; that would kill me, so please be straight with me, right here and now, tell me you’re sure, that this is truly what you want, and that everything I’m feeling is what you’re feeling too!”
As she spoke, two tears ran down her cheeks, with more tears trembling in her sooty eyelashes, sparkling like diamonds in the bright summer sun.
Joey was almost rocked back on his heels by the gust of raw emotion that blew from her as she bared her soul to him, his heart slamming in his chest as he realized just how much he wanted this girl, how much he needed her, and the depth of her feelings for him.
He pulled her close, cradling her against his chest as he hugged her, trembling with the nearness of her, at the feel of her trembling against him as she cried silently. He led her to a nearby bench on the sidewalk, where he held her again while he waited for her to stop crying, dabbing at her eyes until she had her emotions back under control, then tipped her chin up so he could look directly into her glorious eyes.
“Luna, I meant every word I said, and more. Every part of me, every least, tiny little piece of me, needs you, and only you. I guess I knew that the first time I saw you; it was like a shock deep inside me, like something I always knew, but I was still so angry and lost after losing Karen so suddenly that I didn’t want to even think about you; but I couldn’t do that. The first night I was here I dreamed about you, and nights after that, and I couldn’t understand why, I wouldn’t understand why, because I was still too busy feeling sorry for myself.”
He smiled, brushing his fingertip across her quivering lip, bringing a quick smile to her lips.
“I dreamed of you most nights after that, and gradually I realized I wasn’t dreaming about Karen anymore; I was dreaming about you… and me. I’ll never forget Karen; how can I when she was everything to me, when I see her every time I look at Joe junior? But people change, things change, so I hope you’ll understand that I should never forget her, for Joey’s sake, but she’s gone, and now I have you, and you have me, all of me, if you still want me. I know I’m asking a lot from you, but I promise you I will never give you cause to mistrust me, or a second’s worth of doubt. I love you, Luna Hollister, I want you to be my wife, to be my family, and make a family with me!”
He opened the plush ring box and took out the diamond-set platinum engagement ring.
“Luna Hollister, will you marry me, love me like I love you, and stay with me forever? I promise you all my love and everything you could ever want, just please say yes!”
Luna smiled at him, her lip still quivering, but it was a genuine smile, no reserve or unasked questions, just acceptance of the fact of Joey’s honesty and calm decency. Love for him flooded through her all over again as she finally understood that they were together forever now.
“Thank you for that, Joey Anderson, and thank you for being you! Yes, I will marry you!” she whispered, her eyes sparkling as Joey slipped the ring onto her finger, then leaned over to kiss him and seal them together, their kiss developing into a long, drawn-out kiss, heedless of the smiles of the other early-morning passers-by along that stretch of sidewalk.
Eventually they surfaced, content and ready for what they had to do next.
Joey was silent on the drive out of town to the old Hollister place to break the news to Jonah, and get his blessing. Joey wasn’t scared; he was more nervous than anything; Jonah was the nearest thing Luna had to a father, and it was important to him that Jonah accept him as her husband, not just his old friend’s son.
Luna tried to convince him all the way there that he had nothing to worry about, that Jonah was expecting their engagement, but Joey was too keyed-up to let that sink-in, and it was therefore with a certain amount of trepidation that he pulled-up in the front yard of the Hollister farmhouse.
Jonah was waiting on the porch, his face set and impassive as Joey and Luna walked up to him hand-in-hand.
“Missed you las’ night, Lu,” he observed laconically. “I guessed you was safe so I didn’t come looking fer you. Reckon you got somethin’ you wanna be telling me, am I right?”
Luna smiled shyly and nudged Joey forward. Joey swallowed nervously, his mouth suddenly dry as Jonah stared interestedly at him, daring him to speak. He cleared his throat and pulled Luna closer.
“Jonah… I mean, Sir, earlier today I asked your niece to do me the honor of becoming my wife. I’m happy to say she said “yes”, and I would therefore like to ask your permission…”
He trailed-off as Jonah grinned at him, looking in confusion at Luna, who nodded encouragingly. Jonah stuck out his hand and Joey took it instinctively.
“Joey, this is the twenty-first century, and I don’t think you-all need to go asking anybody’s permission ‘cept the girl, but I’m glad you at least came up here and took a stab at it; it’s good to see livin’ in California ain’t damaged your good manners none. Why don’t we step inside and talk a little?”
Joey and Luna followed Jonah into the large, meticulously maintained farmhouse and sat on the couch indicated while Jonah sat in the fireside armchair. He picked up his pipe and took his time tamping tobacco into it, then lit it, before sitting back and eyeing Joey.
“It seems like only yesterday your mama was whaling me for hitting young Frank in the schoolyard, although it was an accident, I swear! Your mama and I been good friends a long time, through what she went through when your daddy passed away, God rest his soul, all that business with Frank and Caitlin, and all the while you were growin’ up, so I know your family, and I know you too.”
He paused to smile encouragingly at Joey.
“I know what kind of man you are, I knew from when you was just a baby just what kind of man you was gonna be; there’s a lot of your granddaddy Martin in you, and I got to say, I think Luna picked herself a good one. I used to wonder what kind of life she’d have here, all alone, with no-one her age, especially after her mama died; none of the boys around here are worth squat, and I didn’t want her wasting her life out here the middle of nowhere. Now, at least, she’ll go out there and see some of the world. All I want from you is your word you won’t hurt her; Luna ain’t my daughter, but she’s as close to me, and all I want is the best for her.”
He knocked his pipe out on the hearth and stood up, waving them both back to their seats as he poured two glasses of clear liquid and handed one to Joey.
“To the happy couple!” he toasted, tossing his drink off in one.
Joey looked sideways at Luna, who mouthed “be careful!” and so he took a careful sip of what smelled and tasted like a cross between rubbing alcohol and kerosene. Joey tipped back some of the spirit, his eyes watering as he choked at the sensation of someone shoving a hairbrush down his throat. Jonah grinned at him.
“Smooth, eh? Best batch I ever made! Wanna refill?”
“Uncle Jonah!” gritted Luna, getting Joey a glass of water from the kitchen. She waited until the coughing stopped, and handed the empty glass to Jonah, glaring daggers at him.