I told Cathy we were going away for a little honeymoon. She was excited about it and was packing in anticipation of our leaving after the Judge married us. She has been planning, packing, and unpacking for two days. Her planning proved well-timed.
I had just put the finishing touches on my packing when my phone rang. Cathy picked it up.
“Hello, this is Carl’s phone—this is Cathy. Oh, hello, Your Honor. Do you want to speak to Carl? No, okay, can I help? Yes, oh God, yes. That is wonderful. Thank you. We’ll be there.” CARL!” Cathy yelled from the living room.
I ran to the living room. I had no idea what happened.
“What is it, baby?” I was worried.
“That was Judge Anderson, he said he could marry us at four instead of six today. Isn’t that wonderful?” Cathy wrapped her arms around my neck, jumping up and down and kissing me with each pass.
“Outstanding. This is wonderful. Let’s get finished packing, and I’ll load the car. We have some time to kill. It’s only thirty minutes to the courthouse,” I was very excited.
I loaded our suitcases into the car, so I could get dressed without messing up my suit. Cathy was in the second bedroom, fixing her hair and makeup. I was on pins and needles waiting to see her in her wedding gown.
When she came out, I froze. God, she looked gorgeous, an Angel in white. She stopped and slowly turned around. A faint aura encircled my bride-to-be. I walked her to the car, being ever so careful not to let her dress brush up against anything that may soil it.
We pulled around to the back of the courthouse. We walked through the door and down the hall to the Judge’s chambers. I held the door for Cathy, and Cecilia grabbed her and closed the door. A young lady approached me with a gentle smile.
“Hi, Carl. It’s Dottie. Cecilia and I decided to snatch Cathy until the ceremony. It’s kind of like not seeing the bride before the ceremony. The Judge liked the idea, after all, it was his idea,” Dottie laughed.
I heard wedding music coming from the Judge’s chambers. Dottie opened the door, and the Judge motioned for me to stand to his left. Dottie changed the music, and the bridal march began. Cecilia opened the opposite door, and Cathy walked up to the Judge.
He had us hold hands, and he held the rings. He gave us a simple but elegant marriage. The Judge had us exchange our vows with a promise to love and obey each other, and until death do us part, but in our own words. He said it was more personal, and also the vows that we make to each other.
When he had finished, he turned to Cecilia and Dottie. Ladies, may I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Eichols. May they have a long and blessed life together.
Then the Judge said, “I need you two to sign these papers. They are the ones that have been legally recorded. I don’t know who signed them originally, ahem, I wasn’t there, so I can’t swear to it.” We laughed and signed our marriage certificate.
We thanked the judge and walked to the car. Now I don’t know who or when someone put a “Just Married – Carl and Cathy” on our back glass, and tied the tin cans on our bumper, but down the road we went, announcing to the world we were newlyweds.
Cathy almost put her head through the front glass as I turned into the drive for The Swan Hotel. She was going hyper. She turned to me, looked out of the car, and then looked at me.
“Carl! This is the Swan – I mean THE SWAN HOTEL! The one million dollars a night Swan Hotel! Carl – what have you done?” Cathy was past excited.
I stopped the car, and a gentleman dressed in a doorman uniform opened the door for Cathy. I handed him an envelope.
“Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Eichols, and congratulations. My name is Theodore. It is a pleasure to see you. If you will please follow me, we will check you in so you can start your honeymoon.”
He offered Cathy his arm and escorted us to the front desk. He waited for Theodosia, the head clerk, according to her name tag.
“Theodosia, Mr. and Mrs. Eichols, have arrived. Would you please have someone take care of them?” Theodore smiled and returned to his post.
“Welcome, and congratulations. We will do everything we can to make your honeymoon memorable. If you would pardon me a moment. Steve, please escort Mr. and Mrs. Eichols to the dining room. Their table is reserved for them,” Theodosia handed Steve an envelope, then he turned to us.
“Welcome. I will attend to your luggage as soon as I escort you to the dining room. Please follow me,”
We walked across the marble floor to the elevator. The doors opened to a beautiful view of the large State Capitol Park and Recreation Complex. The elevator only stopped because it had no more floors. The doors opened to an elegant dining area.
Steve motioned to a gentleman in a tux. Steve handed him the envelope as he approached.
“Douglas is our maître d. He will seat you and ensure your meal is perfect.” Steve shook my hand, and he left. Of course, there was a ‘thank you’ palm in the handshake.
We followed Douglas to one side of the dining room. He opened the door to the small room, and we stepped in. We sat at a small table, across from each other. The window had a beautiful view of the lake.
“There is a lit button on the wall if you require anything; please press the button, and your server, Carlita, will arrive as soon as possible. I will ask her to bring your water and a menu made especially for your honeymoon. I hope the selections are to your liking. Carlita will be right with you,” Douglas gave a slight bow, closed the door, and was gone.
Within two minutes, a quiet knock came to the door. I answered, with a quiet ‘Yes, please’. It was Carlita.
“Good evening,” her smile was warm and welcoming, “I am Carlita, I am your server. I will take your drink order and leave the menus for you to peruse.” She waited patiently.
“Carlita, if you would, please bring a dry red wine for Catherine, and I would like two fingers of Scotch, then add one cube, please.” I smiled.
“Absolutely. I will knock when I return with your drinks. Thank you.” She smiled and closed the door.
Our menus were unreal. They were done on white cardstock. Across the top were our names, and the border was done in wedding bells. The body of the menu was elegant.
This menu has been selected especially for
Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Eichols
Beef Wellington
Roasted potatoes
Roasted baby carrots
Orange Barley Chicken
Worcestershire Green Beans
Jasmine Rice
Lobster Thermidor
Risotto
Asparagus
Cathy and I were very impressed. She reached across the table for my hand. The candlelight and dim overhead light made her ring sparkle. The smile on her face outshone everything else.
“If I’m dreaming, I don’t want to wake up. I can’t believe I’m at the Swan Hotel with the man I adore, sitting at a table in a private room. This is insane, and I will never, ever in the rest of my life be able to say thank you for everything.
I just wanted you for my husband, well, Little Kitty does love her Coochie Man, but all I want is you, Carl.” Her eyes were a little teary, which made them shine even more.
“Cathy, in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would meet a woman I would fall completely in love with. Someone with a good sense of humor, pretty, smart, and loved that she was a girl. You have fulfilled every wish or dream I have ever had,” I kissed her hand.
A quiet knock interrupted our romance; it was Carlita with our drinks. When she opened the door, Cathy was blushing, and Carlita smiled knowingly. Carlita placed our drinks on the table and waited for a second.
“Have you decided on your wedding dinner, or are you just enjoying your wedding?” Carlita smiled.
I looked at Carlita, “Guilty. I promise we will make our choices and let you know. I’m sorry,” I was blushing a little as well.
“Not a problem. The part of my job I love the most is serving newlyweds. There is a certain happiness that you can’t find anywhere. Some people like the booths because they don’t want to be bothered, but the newlyweds, well, you don’t want to bother them.
I want you to stay as long as you want. I love this part of my job. Just let me know,” she winked at Cathy and closed the little door.
When Carlita closed the door, Cathy covered her face with her hands and giggled. I asked her what was wrong. Cathy said she felt like we were two kids caught necking and petting. I reached across the table and squeezed her tit. She giggled louder and slapped my hand.
“You bad boy, you,” she started laughing and turning redder.
We finally decided on our dinner choices. Cathy ordered the lobster, and I ordered the beef. Carlita made suggestions for the wine pairing for the dinners, and she was perfect with the selection.
The food was too good to rush through. Every time put a piece of the lobster, she closed her eyes and hummed her approval. The beef was done perfectly and as tender as butter.
When we had finished, we called for Carlita. She knocked on the door and opened it. She looked at our empty plates.
“I guess I don’t have to ask if you enjoyed your meal. I’m lucky you left the plates intact,” she teased.
“Oh Lord,” Cathy said, rubbing her tummy, “I won’t have to eat for two days. That was wonderful,” She sat back in her chair, smiling.
Carlita stacked the plates and silverware, gathered them up, and put them on a cart next to her. She had a little brush and dustpan that she used to clear any crumbs from our table. Next, she placed two fluted glasses on our table. On them was etched our name and the date.
Then the bottle of champagne appeared. She skillfully filled our glasses, placed a glass in front of Cathy, and then one in front of me. Carlita smiled as she placed the bottle in the silver standing cooler.
“I hope you enjoy the champagne and congratulations from the staff at The Swan. She closed the door.
I picked up my glass, and Cathy did the same. We reached across the table and held the glasses close to one another.
“A toast. A toast to my beautiful bride, Catherine. The only woman I have ever loved and ever will love,” Our glasses clinked.
“Oh, Carl, I love you so much.” Our eyes locked as we sipped our champagne.
The bottle of champagne was upside down in the chiller. Cathy said she was concerned that her dress would rip when she moved because she had eaten too much. I called for Carlita. When she arrived, she removed the empty champagne bottle and gave us a sly grin.
“Carlita, thank you so very much. You are wonderful at your trade. Hopefully, we will have you tomorrow night for dinner,” I signed the check.
“I hope so. You two have been wonderful. I am not on duty tomorrow night because I’m working the New Year’s Eve party. But I appreciate the compliment. I guess there’s no sense in telling you two to behave tonight,” Carlita giggled.
“You are correct there, and we will probably see you at the party. Have a good rest of your evening,” Carlita smiled and gave a small bow. We headed for the elevator.
To be continued
