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THEY KEPT ME OVERNIGHT at the hospital, even though I kept telling people I was fine and just wanted to go home. All that was wrong with me was a sprained ankle, some scrapes and bruises, and what the cheerful night nurse called hamajang nerves. And of course my clothes were a total loss. When Donnie called my room the next morning, I told him I was ready to check out.
By the time he arrived I was sitting in the downstairs reception area, dressed and presentable. Emma had dropped off a spare sweatshirt and leggings for me sometime during the night. I bought some powder, mascara and lipstick from the hospital gift shop, and hastily fixed myself up in the lobby bathroom.
Donnie paused at the lobby entrance, then ran over to me, pulled me up into a standing position, and gave me a big kiss in front of everyone. Which was not very image-conscious of him at all, despite what Fontanne Masterman had said. Then he held me close for a long time.
I can’t really explain what happened next.
My recent ordeal must have given us a sense of urgency. Maybe we wanted to take action before any other disasters befell us.
We drove to Fujioka’s Music and Party Supply first and picked out a pair of plain platinum bands. Then we headed over to St. Damien’s, where Father De Silva presided over a short ceremony. Emma signed as a witness, shooting me funny looks the whole time. Pat had made up some excuse not to be at the ceremony, but when we repaired to the Maritime Club afterwards for lunch, he was waiting for us.
“Well, congratulations, both of you,” Pat said. “Sorry Emma, I don’t believe in that patriarchal nonsense about not congratulating the bride.”
Davison showed up then, and the five of us sat down to lunch. A waitress came over to take our drink orders. Davison brazenly ordered a beer and didn’t get carded.
“I guess you two are a pretty good match, I have to admit,” Pat said when the waitress had left to get our drinks.
“I think so,” Donnie said.
“Pat,” Emma warned.
“Sure,” Pat continued, “much better than, what was his name, Molly?”
“Shut up, Pat.” Emma shot him a hard stinkeye, which he ignored.
“Atticus. That was it. But he also called himself Mad Dog, didn’t he?”
Both Donnie and Davison looked up sharply as Pat sipped his coffee with a satisfied air. He had seated himself as far from Emma as possible. Her short legs couldn’t reach far enough to kick him under the table.
I tried to think of a way to undo the damage Pat had just wrought, and then I stopped myself. What damage, exactly? This was ridiculous. Was I going to keep doing this for the next fifty years? Trying to cultivate a spotless, ladylike image to impress Donnie? I didn’t have anything to hide. Donnie had his history, and I had mine. Sure, it was a little weird I had been briefly interested in the same man who had run off with Donnie’s wife, but I didn’t do anything wrong here.
“He was working on campus,” I said to Donnie. “We went out for lunch a couple of times. That’s all.”
The waitress brought our drinks. Davison, who had also lost Sherry to Mad Dog, and far more recently than Donnie had, grabbed his beer and drank most of it in one swallow.
Donnie smiled and placed his hand on mine. “Doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. You’re stuck with me now.”
A painful throbbing in my ankle woke me at two in the morning. Donnie was next to me in my little double bed, tangled in my duvet and snoring quietly. I reached out and rested my hand on his bare shoulder. He was really here with me. We were actually married.
Maybe Donnie would like living here, I thought. My house was much closer to the Drive-Inn than his place. And we could learn to share a bathroom. Or maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to live in Donnie’s house, once Davison was off at school. I sat up and felt around on my nightstand until I found the little bottle of painkillers from the hospital. I realized I was smiling despite the screaming pain in my ankle. I lay back down to sleep, full of relief and contentment. It was all so perfect.
As I drifted off, I had a nagging feeling I was forgetting something.
Suddenly I was awake. I had forgotten something. I had just gotten married without telling my parents.