“The decoration crew will be here tomorrow to start putting up the Christmas Decorations. It will take them about a week to put them up, it is so beautiful you will not believe it,” Linda said excitedly.
We put the top up on the Begody and drove along the beach. The roads were icy and there were icy build-ups along the lake, it looks so beautiful and sparkles like diamonds. It started to snow very hard. “This is going to get bad, so we better drive back to the house.”
Linda asked, “Is the old truck four wheel drive?” “No,” I replied. Linda said “We could have a tough time responding to a call. We should get a four wheel drive truck.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “We can call a dealer tomorrow and have them bring out a four wheel drive truck and if we like it we will buy it,” Linda said. We talked over what we wanted it to have. It had be to have four wheel drive, with a king cab, and emergency lights and siren. On Monday morning Linda called a dealer.
They brought out a maroon four wheel drive Dodge king cab with leather interior, 426 horsepower V8, power windows, air conditioning, power seats, emergency red and blue lights, a siren and all the other bells and whistles. I had to lift Linda up into it. She drove it and really liked it. She liked that it had an armrest that folded up so that she could sit next to me. “Sounds like a winner to me,” Linda said. We bought the truck for $26,900, the window sticker price $32,943 and drove the salesman back to the dealership.
The decoration crew had started putting the decorations up. There was a larger than life Manger Scene in the middle of the yard, and there was a choir of angels above the Manger. There was a large star standing overhead. It looked just like it is described in the Bible. Across the lawn in big letters was the plan of salvation: Romans 3/23 (For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God) Romans 6/23 (For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ) Romans 3/20 (Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.) I Corinthians 15/3&4(For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures: And that he was buried ye shall all likewise perish.) Romans 10/13 (For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. There was a sign that said. “if you want more information about getting saved please come to the house or go to Faith Baptist Church and someone can show you from the Bible how to be saved. Stars lined the drive and were placed all over as if it was a sky. It was beautiful and it told the way of salvation. That made it fantastic.
I told Linda I had never seen such a Biblical decoration layout. Linda said that all of her parent’s homes are decorated about the same way. To honor Christ’s Birth and tell the way to Salvation, that is the most important message.
Linda said, “Your birthday is coming up soon isn’t it.” “In about four months. Yours is three weeks later,” I replied. “Now I feel bad I did not remember when yours is and you knew when mine is,” Linda said. “That’s because I asked Albert,” I replied. “Well the truck is your Christmas present and early birthday present. Happy early birthday sweetheart, I love you,” Linda said.
“Your Christmas present is in the house.” We got to the house and I got her present from the guest bedroom and rolled it into our bedroom. Linda said, “What in the world is that?” “Open it and you will find out.” She said, “Help me.” I said she was tough, she could get it opened. She fought with it for five minutes and I finally helped her. “It is an organ! It is beautiful! How and when did you get it up here?”
“Well, I had help and your parents paid for half of it. Albert was a lot of help. He said that you had wanted it for a long time.
He told your parents that I wanted to get it for you and they said they would pay for half of it. It is a Wurlitzer. The rest of it is in the music room,” I laughed. “This is not all of it? This is all I ever saw.” Linda said. I replied, “Well, let’s take it downstairs and you will see.” We got downstairs and there were two more wrapped packages with big bows. Linda said, “What is all of this?”
“Open it and you will see,” I said. She opened the other two big boxes, one was the compressor and the other one was the control panel for the organ.
“This is the greatest Christmas present I have ever gotten. Can I play it?” Linda asked. “No, they have to come back and finish hooking it up. They will be here tomorrow,” I replied.
“Albert wants to talk to you again,” Linda said. “Now what did I do?” Linda said, “We have been sleeping together for the last four months and he is worried about it. I told him there was nothing to worry about. That we were not having sex and I am still a virgin.” “When he gets back I will talk to him.”
“Just so you don’t get to making plans for my birthday, we will be having dinner here and my mom and dad will be here,” Linda said. “I will have to find someplace else to stay when they are here,” I said. “No, they know we are living together. I told them. It is common in Sweden for couples that are getting married. They don’t like it but they are OK with it.”
Albert got back and I sat down with him. He asked my intentions as far as purposing to Linda. “I would have by now, but I have been saving to buy her ring. The organ took a big chunk of that, but she loves it, that makes it worth it.”
Albert said, “I may be able to help you with that.” He took out a box that had the most beautiful set of rings I had ever seen. “This was Linda’s Grandma’s and she wanted Linda to get married with it.” “That is an expensive set,” I exclaimed. “The engagement ring was appraised at $5,000.00, the wedding band at $10,000.00.” “Oh my, that’s a lot of money,” I said.
Albert said, “Linda would say it is only money, without love it does not mean a thing.” “Now I will propose on her birthday,” I whispered.
“Albert would you please keep them till her birthday. We are having dinner here that day with her parents and I will get it from you then, because I don’t have a safe place to keep them. I could never forgive myself if I lost them.”
Albert said, “I see what you mean. I will give it to you when we get back here from the airport, so you will have it anytime you decide to pop the question. Linda’s parents are trilled for you two.”
“Do you have ideas about what I could get her for her birthday? Now that I have some extra money. I cannot believe how much I love her. I love her more than my own life.” Albert said, “I am glad that you love each other so much. She has been looking at a dress at the dress shop where she is getting her gown. I think it is Francies. I can take you there, if you would like.” “That would be great.”
Linda said she wanted to play the organ, so we went to the music room. She started playing and it was fantastic. I said “I did not know you could play!”
She said that she had been playing since she was six years old. “I use to play at the church but some of the other people thought that I might be setting up to take control of the church. I was teaching Sunday School and playing for the youth group. When the church needed something the Pastor would tell me and I or my dad would write a check for the need. Plus I give from $1,500 to $5,000 a week and that makes some big shots in the church nervous that I wanted to take over. I just want to be a good Christian and member. Pastor knows that.”
“The church I used to go to we started a youth program, it grew from about ten kids to 200. We had gotten donations from the businesses in the area. We had all kinds of kids coming in. Some of them we had to take guns and other types of weapons away from, some we had to physically show who was in charge. It was a good thing that I and the lady that worked with me was a physical education teacher. The businesses in the area were grateful that the kids were not in their places. The police officers were grateful, too, and would come in and play games with the kids. It was working great for everybody. The older members of the church were embarrassed that police cars were parked at the church. Not just one department but two or three departments,” Wil explained. “Satan can use anybody to destroy God’s work. Sometimes it makes you wonder,” Linda said.
“Have you an idea where you want go on our honeymoon?” Linda asked if I would like to go see my parents. “That is the last place I would ever want to go. I left there and do not ever intend to go back,” I answered. “Oh Wil, I sent them a wedding invitation along with airfare tickets on one of our planes. I am so sorry, I did not know, we never talk about it,” Linda replied. “I am sure they won’t come unless it is to see what first class is. Then we will deal with it,” I said.
“We could go to the islands south of Florida.” That would be great. We could fly down to Florida and Dad’s yacht is down there and visit all the islands.” “Are your parents going to be on the boat with us?” “Now what kind of a honeymoon would that be? Dummy!” “This dummy loves you very, very much. This dummy thinks that would be great!”
I went back to class on Monday after Christmas break and right away Doug started. He said to the instructor, “You told us Miss Linda would be a great catch for somebody.” “Yes I said that.” “Then ask Wil how great a catch she is.” “Wil, is there anything you would like to tell us?” “Linda is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen and I cannot believe how fast we fell in love. She is fantastic.”
“Good for you,” Mr. Hock said. “I knew she was beautiful, but so often that is skin deep, but to be rich and beautiful almost always leads to an attitude of superiority.”
“To her the money is not important. She says that money without love does not mean a thing. I don’t know if she knows how beautiful she is,” I replied.
Donna said, “Does she make out like I do?” I said, “We have not made out and will not till after we are married in June on the 23rd.”
“Very good, you are engaged already, fantastic, that is great. This is the first time I have had a member of one of my classes getting married to another member of another one of my classes. Linda is in my chemistry 200 class.”
“I have been helping her with that class, it really gets deep into chem. study. I took an arson investigation training class and it covered a lot of the chemistry that’s covered in that class.”
“Well, I should have two students make the dean’s list in chemistry. Now back to class. Did everybody read the first two chapters? You really need to keep up because if you get behind you won’t be able to catch up. Here is the quiz that I said you would have this week. The quizzes give you a chance to bring up a bad test score.”