Mountain Retreat

Engagement Party

When Uncle Mortie offered his mountain retreat for their honeymoon, Brian accepted with alacrity. Taffy, on the other hand, thought differently. It took her aback when Mortie raised his glass at their engagement party to announce his special gift. The drunken uncle made a spectacle of himself the entire evening. His sudden proposition provided another attempt to call attention to himself. Would he even remember it in the morning? Taffy doubted it.

Even if Uncle Mortie—in his state of intoxication—forgot his offer, Brian would more than likely remember. Other than making a scene in front of seventy-five family members and friends, Taffy could do nothing about it. Setting her champagne glass on a nearby table, she moved amongst her guests. She strode way toward the garden exit of her father's country club. Lifting her long peasant skirt to avoid the dewy grass, she ran toward the white gazebo. She would wed Brian Sinclair in a few weeks in this very spot. Tonight it offered a place of contemplation.

Weren't they supposed to make decisions together? Taffy wondered. She leaned against the gazebo railing and faced the country club. Gnawing at her lower lip, she began to have second thoughts about Brian. Her father made all the critical decisions in their family. Her mother sat back and allowed him the upper hand. Sure, things were different in her parents' day. Her father was the breadwinner; her mother kept the house. These days offered women more to say about life. If Brain made big decisions without her opinion, she would step into her mother's shoes.

"I was looking for you," Brian stated as he approached the gazebo steps. "They're playing 'We've Only Just Begun.' I thought you wanted to dance to it."

"Why did you agree to the mountain retreat?" Taffy asked instead. Catching a strand of her auburn hair, she nervously twisted it around her finger. "It's our honeymoon, Bri. I thought we'd decide together."

"Oh." For a moment, Taffy's statement took Brian aback. "I guess I didn't think about it. Uncle Mortie offered, and I said 'yes,' that's all." After another minute, he stated, "I can tell him we changed our mind. He won't be put out or anything. He might not remember in the morning. You know how he is."

"No, I guess we better take him up on his offer," Taffy relented, releasing the finger curl of hair. "Everyone knows about it now. If we go somewhere else, they'll wonder why."

Taffy did not particularly hate the idea of an outdoorsy type of vacation. They often traipsed through the mountains on a weekend afternoons. They enjoyed hiking, fishing and picnicking. Still, she had other ideas for a honeymoon.

"We won't have to pay for a hotel or meals," Brian stated as he leaned against the opposite railing. "Uncle Mortie will make sure we'll be well-stocked for provisions. And we'll be alone together. That's what we want, isn't it?"

"Hmm, hmm," Taffy responded, moving across the gazebo floor. She folded herself into her lover's arms. "Just us and nobody else." Suddenly she began to like the idea of a mountain honeymoon.

"And I like the off-the-shoulder look, my dear," Brian announced, pushing down the arms of Taffy's peasant top. He noticed how it kept riding up to her frustration.

Pressed close together, the young couple swayed to the tune of their favorite love song. They kissed in the moonlight and dreamed of a new life together.