Page 17

17

J ack

By the time I danced my way over to the porch and took Tess’s hand, the Chicken Dance had turned into a waltz. I pulled her into my arms and looked down into her beautiful eyes while we performed a dance perfectly that I hadn’t the slightest idea how to do.

All around us, what looked like the entire town of Dead End waltzed along, including Mr. and Mrs. Frost, smiling at each other now, Nancy the floozy forgotten. Mike and Ruby danced nearby, Uncle Mike’s white eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline when he looked over at me. Shelley and her friend Zane, at ten far too young to even know what a waltz was, danced on the porch.

The Petersons.

Angela Lovesberry.

Rooster Jenkins, dancing with Lauren from the deli.

Deputy Andy and our new vet, Charithra Kumari.

Lorraine and even surly Beau.

Lots and lots of McKees.

Joe Bob and Donna.

All the swamp commandos, dancing with the toddlers from Sally DeSario’s daycare.

The Gardner goblin family and Prism.

Mrs. Hamilton and Rick Peabody from the school, with several other teachers.

My uncle Jed, dancing with Granny Josephine.

Connor Murphy from the pub and his new waitress.

Otis, dancing with his greyhound, Beauty.

And so very many more.

The parking lot was as beautiful as a ballroom to me, because I had the woman I loved in my arms and all our friends and family around us. We danced and danced and danced, Tess laughing and smiling up at me.

I was the luckiest man in the world, and I finally knew it.

No more doubts.

No more hesitation.

Life was too short.

When the music switched to a tango, everyone else slowly moved away from me and Tess, until we were dancing alone in the middle of that huge crowd. I glanced over at the Fox brothers and gave them the signal, and they turned off the disco ball.

Tess, breathless with laughter, kissed me right there in front of everybody. “What is this, Jack?”

Everybody had said to do it right, so I pulled the small box out of my pocket and got down on one knee, right there in the parking lot. Tess gasped, her hands flying to her face.

“Tess Callahan,” I began, and then realized my voice was on a loudspeaker.

The Fox brothers grinned at me and held up sound equipment.

I just shook my head and started over. “Tess, you have brought love and light and joy to a heart I thought was long dead and crumbled into dust, and you gave hope to a war-hardened soldier who’d found very little of that. You’re the center of my life and the warmth inside my soul. You are compassionate, warm, funny, and brilliant. I can’t imagine living a single day of the rest of my life without you in it. You taught me how to laugh and how to be part of a family. You and all of Dead End taught me how to be part of a community, no matter how hard I tried to fight it.”

A swell of laughter rose.

“So, I knew they needed to be here and be part of this moment. Tess, I love you with everything I am and everything I will ever be. Will you please marry me and make me the luckiest man who ever lived?”

She reached out with both hands and pulled me up. “Jack, I never thought I could find love. I certainly never dreamed of finding it with the best man I’ve ever known. You’re so smart and kind and funny, even when you’re singing sea shanties at three in the morning. My heart never dared to hope before you walked in my door that day. Yes, I will marry you. Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes!”

I kissed her, and everybody cheered.

“You forgot to give her the ring, boy!” Mrs. Frost shouted.

“Oh, no!”

Tess looked dazed. “All this and a ring, too?”

Hastily, I opened the box, took out the ring, and tossed the box to Mike. Then, with hands I was surprised to find were shaking, I slid the ring on her hand.

“Oh, Jack,” she whispered. “It’s the most beautiful ring in the world.”

“AND I GET TO BE A brIDESMAID!” Shelley shouted.

Tess and I laughed, and then the Fox brothers turned the disco ball back on, and all of Dead End danced and danced and danced, accepting congratulations and best wishes from everyone.

And then we invited the entire town to our place for a barbecue.

“We’re going to need more steaks,” I whispered to Tess.

My fiancée .

“People will bring stuff. Don’t worry. It will all work out.” She said, and then she kissed me again.

And she was right.

It all did.