The Military Girl

Romeo and Juliet

In the middle of the night, I climbed out of my window and landed in the front yard. I had packed a backpack and a suitcase filled with what I would need. I told Harry to do the same. We needed our laptops, phones, clothes, and any small items we could carry. We were starting fresh. That's what mattered.
I walked over to Harry's house. He was wearing a beanie and a dark sweatshirt.
"Ready?" He asked. I nodded, trying to be quiet. I didn't want anyone to find us. I knew in a few minutes life as I knew it would be gone.
Harry took my hand and we headed down the street. Our houses faded into the night.
It was cold out, but we had to walk. I couldn't bring myself to steal the minivan, and Harry couldn't bring himself to steal a car with 26 different Jesus-related bumper stickers.
The closest motel was about forty-seven minutes away from our houses. We stopped at a burger joint across the street for dinner.
The motel was called "The Palace". It was the cheapest place we could find. We didn't need to stay for long. Our marriage license started tomorrow.
Harry used the motel's free wifi to look at plane tickets. We decided to go on a honeymoon.
Combined, we had about six-thousand dollars in our bank accounts. Our honeymoon was going to be in Orlando, Florida. I had always wanted to go to Harry Potter world, and Harry had never been to Walt Disney World.
"How about this one?" Harry said. "Delta flight, leaving at 5pm. Arrives in Orlando at 7:30pm."
"We need a car." I reminded him. "And what about after the honeymoon? What do we do?"
"Don't worry about it. We're just going to stay in Orlando until we find jobs. I'm British. I'm bound to find something."
I laughed at him. It was true, though. He would probably end up finding work before me. He had the look, voice, and actual mentality. He wanted to do things.
"Maybe I'll work in Animal Kingdom or something." I said.
"There you go!" He kissed my cheek.
"Ok. So the plan is we get married, we take a cab to the airport, we rent a car in Orlando, stay somewhere near Disney, and then find a place to live in Orlando."
"Can't be too hard." Harry smiled. "It'll be great."
I nodded. It would be.
For once, I slept well. Maybe it was Harry's arm around me, or the feeling of his bare chest against my back. Maybe it was his light snoring. I don't know. I just know I slept well.
And, when I woke up, Harry hadn't left me. I turned to face him.
"Morning." I whispered. I touched his lips.
"Good morning, love." He said, with a deep accent. He pressed his lips against mine. Then he got out of bed and went to the bathroom.
I pulled out my clothes for the day, and laid his clothes out as well.
We were going to get married.
I took my shower, did my hair, and got dressed as quickly as possible.
Harry had no idea how to properly put on a tie, so after a while, we gave up. He didn't need one.
The courthouse was downtown. We hired a cab driver to take us there. We even asked him to be our witness at our wedding. It was a detail we had overlooked.
The Justice of the Peace had me walk down the aisle. I had a bunch of dandelion flowers in my hand as my bouquet. No one walked beside me.
My eyes were fixated on Harry the entire time.
"Do you have any vows planned?" The Justice asked.
"I do." Harry and I said at the same time. We laughed a little and then Harry cleared his throat.
"My Olive." He said. "I met you exactly sixty five days, twenty seven minutes, and seventeen seconds ago. That's probably not entirely accurate but I know the date is right. You look prettier today than the moon has over the past five thousand years. And I will be with you, to see you grow even more charming, and beautiful, and intelligent until death separates us."
"Why did you have to go first?" I choked. He started laughing, but I could tell he was holding back tears. There was a sparkle in his eye. I cleared my throat and continued, "Harry, we haven't known each other long. But, I love you. The girl at Starbucks called you an English Muffin. And that's what you are. You are my English muffin. You are my dream. I'm so in love with you. I will love you until the end of time."
We exchanged the cheapest plastic rings you had ever seen. The Justice laughed at us. He knew what was going on, but he didn't care. He was the only person to not judge us.
"You may now kiss the bride." He said.
So, in front of a taxi cab driver, a Justice of the Peace, and some man waiting for a murder trial to start, Harry and I kissed.
And, just like that, I was his. I stopped at a window in the court room and legally changed my name to match his. The cab driver, who decided that true love meant more than money, gave us a free ride to the airport. We still payed him for the ride from the motel to the courtroom, though.
Harry and I checked our bags and went through airport security as quickly as possible. We were about four hours early for our flight. That gave us time to eat and book a hotel for when we got to Orlando.
I looked at hotels, while Harry reserved tickets for Universal Studios and Walt Disney World.
"How long do we want to spend at either?" He asked.
"Two in Universal, five in Disney World." I told him.
He nodded. It seemed good enough.
I found a cheap hotel half way between the two amusement parks. We couldn't afford the honeymoon suite, but we could afford a room that had a queen sized bed and a separate bath and shower.
The few hours we had in the airport flew by, and before we knew it, we were in the air. I looked down on the clouds and on South Carolina. I had never felt so free. I was finally leaving that dreaded state for a better life. I was leaving it with someone who loved me more than anything else.
"Harry?" I whispered.
"Yes, Olive?" He whispered back.
"Promise me we'll make this work."
He kissed my cheek. "Always and forever." He put an arm around me and held my hand.
"Harry, do you feel bad at all?" I asked.
"A little. But, I think Kenny will be more disappointed in me that I eloped instead of properly married in a church." He joked.
"Come on. I'm serious. Don't you feel a tad guilty?"
"I do. But, you're my life. God has blessed me with you, darling. Kenny told me, before I met you, that there was a girl that lived across the street from him. He told me that she was so shy and she hid herself so much, he worried that maybe she didn't let anyone in."
"What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything. I just knew I was the same way. Sometimes it felt like I put so many walls up that God couldn't even see me. And then I would yell at him for not being there when I thought he said he always would be."
"But God sees everything."
"I know. But, as Kenny says, sometimes Satan can play with your mind."
I paused for a minute. "Do you think he's doing that with us? Do you think we'll become dark and secluded?"
"No. We'll be great. There's nothing like a little adventure to really strengthen faith in God."