Chapter 19
On the wedding day, so many things were happening around the Curtis house it was like a three ring circus. The list of people included: Beth, Jan, Jen’s friends who were maids of honor and mother. Mother kept fussing with her daughter. Jen tolerated her knowing how important this was to her mother. One hour before it was time to go to the church and all was ready. It was a gala event second only to Princess Diana’s wedding. The press was in force with Glenda in the lead position managing the media. Doctor Curtis was at the church with Todd, grandmother, Alex and Damion.
Todd was very nervous; grandmother was talking a mile a minute about her wedding, too many years ago for anyone to listen to. She was talking to herself and having a good time. He kept asking Alex if he had the ring and if the plane was ready to go. Alex with his smile through his weather beaten face assured him that all was ready and he had the ring in his pocket. Half a dozen times he showed the ring to Todd. Limousine buses were parked outside to ferry the guests to the Westchester Country Club for the reception to follow. Alex had it all arranged. Nothing left to chance. Guests would be drinking and Todd didn’t want anyone drinking and driving home.
Inside and out, security was tight. Not so tight it upset the guests, but most New Yorkers were used to it after nine eleven. All went smoothly. Alex’s people handled the crowd with firm but kid gloves. Inside and out, flowers were ubiquitous. No expense was spared. Decorations hung everywhere. Light yellow was Jen’s theme color. Yellow being a warm color both dark and light was evident in the streamers flowing from one end of the giant church to the other; swaying back and forth from a slight breeze flowing through the open doors; yellow roses ringed the area around the pulpit.
Glenda had video cameras set up in strategic places and a ten piece band was warming up. As the time for the ceremony drew near, a quiet hush from the guests indicated something was about to happen. A limo pulled up in front and out stepped the bride. She was gorgeous in her bridal gown. Cameras were going off everywhere and the media had trucks with man baskets up in the air with cameras rolling. At the top of the stairs, Jen’s father was waiting for her. Inside, Todd and Alex stepped out and waited for the bride to come down the aisle. The wedding march started and everyone stood up and looked to the back of the church. The bride started walking down the aisle with her father; her not overly pretentious train followed with the two flower girls having the time of their lives trying to do their job. The priest came out and stood at the pulpit in honor of the occasion. Jen’s father handed his daughter to Todd and the wedding vows started.
A long time later, at the reception Todd and Jen were standing in line shaking hands with the guests. Both were beaming and greeted all the guests with equality. After the reception line ended Todd and Jen moved to take some pictures and video in front of an enormous wedding cake. It was decorated with the Lincoln logo and a replica of their company 747 was carved in ice. Too many different kinds of food to mention adorned the tables set up around the large banquet hall. At midnight, Todd gave Jen the sign to leave. Jen kissed her crying mother and father. Kissed Maria and Alice too and they left for grandmothers house to change clothes for the flight to France.
Comfortable seated in the plane for takeoff, Jen and Jan was talking together about something Todd couldn’t hear. Once airborne, seat belt sign turned off, the girls excused themselves and left for the master bedroom. Todd was talking to Alex when the girls returned both dressed exactly alike. Both Todd and Alex stared at them. The girls turned to each other and said, “I’m Jen.”
“No, Jan I’m Jen.”
Back and forth the conversation went until they turned back to the guys and looked at them. One said, “Honey, please get me a glass of wine.”
Todd his mouth open turned and pressed the light for a waiter to bring them some drinks. The other sister said, “I want a coke please, honey.”
Alex said, “This is too much for me, I have to talk to the warehouse, please excuse me.”
The waiter came and in a friendly, but a little stoic voice, Todd requested two glasses of wine and a coke. The sisters sat down on the sofa and crossed their legs and talked about the reception and wedding. Leaving Todd standing there all alone to work out which one was his new wife!
The waiter came with the drinks and set them on the table in front of the sofa. Todd not going to be intimidated, picked up a glass of wine and handed to the sister he thought was his wife. She laughed and handed it to her sister and picked up the coke and started to drink it. Both sisters were dressed in yellow. A short skirt to show off their long lovely legs and a light yellow low swooped in front and back Cardigan sweater. Now, I will show them that I can tell which one is his wife, Todd thought to himself. He asked them to stand up and come to the middle of the cabin, turn around and close their eyes and he would come and kiss the one that was his wife on the back of the neck. The sisters laughed and said they would play his game. He first went to the sister on his left. With his hand he pulled back the sweater a little and looked for the small mole on his wife’s shoulder that he saw when he examined her the first time. Of course he had seen her stark naked many times and knew the mole well. No mole was on her shoulder so he moved to the other sister and put his arms around her middle and kissed her neck.
Jen jumped away and said, “How did you know?”
“It is my secret,” he told the sisters with a smug grin on his face. He never did tell them how he knew which was which. It remained a secret for a long time.
The sisters were talking a mile a minute about how he knew which sister was his wife. They finished off their drinks and as they were all tired from a busy day, went to bed to wake up somewhere close to France.
They landed at Charles DeGalle International. Todd, Jen and Jan went to Jan’s place. From there, they went to a nice French restaurant where they sat by a warm fire. It was a cold spring night. After dinner Todd and Jen went to their hotel and Jan went to her small flat.
Jet lag kind of hit them hard and Todd and Jen sleep the night away and early the next morning, they felt much better. They put on their running gear and went for a jog around some streets. Paris was just wakening up and people were still bundled up from a chilly night. The sky was clear and the day held a promise of being nice and warm.
They were going to tour Europe from the back roads and trains. Their itinerary was for both convenience and security; a van was following them from place to place. Alex headed the security team and Nancy traveled with him. The van was equipped with a top of the line communication system. Lead teams checked out where the boss and his wife would stay each night. Only Todd really knew the full extent of the security. Occasionally he would see one of Alex’s men.
Attached to the van were two mountain bikes for them to ride for when they wanted to see the country. At other times, they hiked into the mountains and camped out in places that were pure wilderness. Todd loved nature and both of them felt really relaxed with each experience.
For two months they bounced around Europe riding bikes and hiking. Taking trains to out of the way places, eating local foods and laughing at the fun they were having. They made love in a different bed each night. Jen had thrown her birth control pills away a month before she was married. She hoped she got pregnant on their honey moon
They headed down to the Med. Todd wanted to look at some boats. He had a line on two of them. Both were in Nice. They stayed at a luxury hotel on the beach and the next day, went to look at them. The first one was everything the advertisement purported it to be: pure luxury, but not so big you needed a captain. They looked it over top to bottom. Talked about this and that and I liked this and I don’t like that. Too many dislikes and they moved on to the second boat.
A sixty five foot beautiful craft. Even from the outside, before climbing on board, they both liked the feeling the craft exuded. Once on board, they loved all of it. “Perfect,” they both said at the same time and laughed together. The gentleman who was showin
g them the pleasure cruiser smiled and he heard the cash register ring. Nancy and Alex were both with them and he nodded to Nancy and she took care of the paper work.
They stayed on board for awhile and Alex checked it out from top to bottom. Pronounced it fit for sailing. Todd asked Alex to fuel it up and they would all take her out this afternoon for a shakedown run.
She handled like a dream. They ate dinner on board and returned to dock kind of late. Todd told Alex to please make the arrangements for someone to dry dock it, paint it Lincoln colors and to name it: Penny Too. He would have it flown by cargo plane to New York and transported to a marina on Long Island Sound.
The next day they flew home. On the way home, Jen announced that she had missed two periods and Todd about had a heart attack right there. Lucky they were in their bedroom and it was time for bed when she told him the secret that she was sure she was pregnant. He pulled her pajama tops up and felt her tummy with his doctor fingers and laughing said, “Honey I don’t feel nothing yet.”
She pounced on him and said with a smirk on her face, “Mister I’m going to find a doctor who knows when a girl is pregnant or not!” They fell asleep not long after a tender love making period.
They landed at JFK International Airport. It was dark, but clear and warm, but not as hot and muggy as was usual for a July day. Their limo drove up after the plane had taxied to their hanger. Todd was on pins and needles with excitement to tell his grandmother the news. From now on they would have a regular driver that Alex had trained to drive them wherever they went. Another driver was assigned to Jen’s SUV. On the way to their newly remolded home, Todd was beside himself with tenderness and attention for Jen. He blabbered on and on about this baby doctor and that baby doctor; and was about to drive Jen crazy when they pulled into the drive way. It was ten pm and he knew grandmother would be awake to meet them back home safe and sound.
Grandmother was in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea with the housekeeper. Todd gave her a big hug and kiss and grandmother complained, but not so much, that he hugged her too tightly. He blurted it out to her and her face relaxed into a peaceful and satisfied look. She sat down and said to Jen, “Jen you sure?”
Jen told her she was not positive, but she felt that she was sure feeling funny. Grandmother motioned to the housekeeper and the housekeeper left the kitchen. They sat down and talked about the nice honeymoon they had and about the boat that was on the way here now.
The housekeeper returned with a box in her hand. Gave it grandmother and she handed it to Jen. “Here, go check it out and come back and tell us whether it is positive or negative,” she said with a satisfied look on her face.
Todd looked at his grandmother and said to her, “Well you were way ahead of us that is for sure.”
A few minutes later, Jen returned with the test results in her hand. ‘What does this color mean,’ she asked her husband with a smile. He hugged her and said he was the happiest man on earth. To have both the women he loved in the same room with him, a baby on the way was almost too much for him to endure. He sat back down and rested his head on his hand. Jen comforted him and told him that it was she that was having the baby, not him!
By ten o’clock the next morning, the entire Lincoln Group had heard the news. Most cheered for them, but some shook their heads and said that here comes another dictator. Like most companies, rumors about the dissenters spread to the upper offices. Over the next few months, they gradually disappeared from their jobs.