Sweet Lantern

Chapter 32

Darry

We have a four-day weekend coming up. Alice doesn't know yet, but we're taking our honeymoon vacation. Everything has already been paid for, tickets have been safely tucked away at the bottom of my sock drawer and now rest safely in the front pocket of my suitcase. I have been secretly packing our bags an outfit at a time for the past week.

I'm taking her to see the ocean. Neither of us has ever been anywhere near a beach, so I thought this would be perfect. We'll be staying at a little place in Oceanside, Oregon. I've already put in a reservation for a room that faces the ocean. The building sits one street away from the beach.

Today is the day I get to tell her about our surprise honeymoon weekend, today is the day we leave. It's been extremely hard to keep my mouth shut all this time. I've wanted to tell her time and time again, especially when she looks like she's having a hard time with the pregnancy. Pregnancy is not how it looks in the movies. We both had an idea about what to expect because of our moms having Robby and Beth, but being this close to it, it's different.

Things stretch and move and pull, and apparently it can be quite uncomfortable and even painful at times.

I'm hoping this trip will take her mind off of everything and give her some time to relax. I know she'll be excited to see the water; feel the waves on her legs and smell the salt in the air.

It's six o'clock in the morning now. I've been up since four, too excited to sleep. We have to be at the airport by nine, so I'm hoping she wakes up soon.

When I hear Alice begin to move around the bedroom, I jump up from the couch, checking the clock; 7:00am. She's already in the bathroom when I cross the room to the closet. I pull our suitcases out as quickly and quietly as possible, setting them in front of the foot of the bed, and I wait.

When she walks back into the room, wiping the sleep from her eyes, she looks at the suitcases and then at me, and back again. "What's going on, Darry?"

"Surprise! We are going on our honeymoon... today!"

"What? We can't go anywhere today. We haven't even made plans." She says, falling back onto the bed.

I lean over her, brushing the hair away from her face and kiss the tip of her nose. "Babe, we have made plans. I took care of everything. Our flight takes off at 11am, we have to be at the airport by ten. I packed everything, made reservations, paid for the tickets, it's all done. You only need to carry your cute butt onto the plane and relax."

Her eyes are closed as a slow smile begins to creep across her face. She sits up and looks at me, grinning from ear to ear. "Are you being serious right now? Where are you taking me, then?" She's trying to hide her excitement, but I can hear it.

"We're going to the desert. Arizona, actually... I thought you'd like to see the cactus and buzzards."

She smacks my arm and whines, "Darrrry, tell me where we're going, pleeeease." She knows me too well to put up with my sarcasm.

"We're going to Oceanside, Oregon. I'm taking you to see the ocean." I tell her and brace for her reaction.

Alice jumps from the bed, jumping up and down, squealing in excitement. "Oh my gosh!! Darry! This is so great! I've always wanted to see the ocean!" I love seeing her like this. This is exactly why I wanted to take her there. I feel the smile take over my face, as she continues to holler like a little girl getting her first pony.

"I've already packed our bags", I say, pointing to the suitcases. "Everything is done. We'll drive to the airport and my dad will come get my car later tonight." She walks over to me, throwing her arms around my neck and plops down on my lap. Within seconds, my entire face and neck are covered in sweet, wet Alice kisses.

When we get to the airport, it's packed and I begin to worry that we waited too long. We still have to check our bags and get through TSA, but I'm driving round and round just trying to find a parking spot. I've never flown before, but I've heard the horror stories about getting through security checks and how difficult it can be. My anxiety is rising as I drive yet another circle around the parking lot.

I finally find a spot and park, running around the back to grab our bags from the trunk and then to help Alice up out of the car. Surprisingly enough, we make it in time and are seated safely in our seats with a few minutes to spare before takeoff.

The plane cabin is buzzing with noise, people putting their carry-ons away, kids and babies talking and crying, and moms and Dads trying to quiet, and calm their children down. The staff is standing in front, trying to get everyone seated so they can begin their take off speeches.

We've never flown before, so we're both a little nervous, not sure what to expect on takeoff. Questions begin to flow into my mind; What will take off feel like? Will the plane shake? Hopefully we stay in the air until we're supposed to come down. Alice is more excited than nervous; her eyes wide, taking in everything around us. I gave her the window seat so she could watch the clouds and the ground below. I want this trip to be the most incredible time for her.

When we're in the air, she doesn't take her eyes off the view from our little window. Her eyes are bright with excitement and awe. But I can't take my eyes off of her long enough to check out the view. She keeps turning from the window to me, telling me about the clouds and the sights below, letting me know how happy she is and how much she loves me. She keeps thanking me for putting this together for us.
I love her so much. She makes my life complete, and I just want to give her the world.

We have a 2-hour layover in Seattle, and then we'll be on our second flight and on our way to check in to our hotel in Oregon. But while we're in Seattle, I'm not keeping her sitting in some crowded, stuffy airport. I want to take her to see whatever we can see in that time. I might not really be able to give her the world, but I can give her this. I can give her incredible experiences in the places I can take her, and make sure she's happy every minute.

She's already given me the world... she is my world. And I couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else.