Chapter Thirty-One
“I don’t want any of this to be mentioned to my daughter! Not on the eve of her wedding. If this is some kind of witch hunt, we need to kill it right away. You can’t let something like this fester and be litigated in public.” The Senator declared to a team of lawyers gathered at his office. All participants, including Alex, nodded their heads.
The logistics of the wedding had been going well. It had taken his persuasion to have the Cathedral available on short notice. No costs were spared, and it didn’t hurt that his soon to be son-in-law insisted on covering the majority of the expenditures. Everything had gone smoothly, and a curated list of guests had confirmed attendance. The Senator was looking forward to focusing on the celebration and nothing else. He looked forward to seeing his daughter, who had been busy with the wedding prep and going back and forth between Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
In the days leading up to the wedding, Amy got considerably weaker. It seemed she was clinging to life with every breath she took. Jack and Caroline spent most of their time by her bedside awaiting the big day.
“I have never been happier, my darling,” Amy said. All three were sitting in the spacious room at the Plaza Hotel where the wedding reception was to be held.
“So happy, mama. I wish I could you anything to make the pain go away,” Jack said wiping his tears and holding his mother’s delicate hand. It was still warm. “I can’t thank you enough for fighting through it.”
“You have done me proud, my son. And your father, too. God couldn’t have answered my prayers any better giving you an angel like my beautiful Caroline.”
“I am the lucky one, mama,” Caroline said. The word slipped out of her tongue. She had resisted calling Amy by her first name all the while.
“Oh, Lord! You are going to give me a heart attack. I can’t tolerate the joy... I didn’t tell my son this before. When I found out I was pregnant, I prayed for a daughter. We didn’t know until the day of birth. John was so excited. He had wanted to have only one child. He didn’t want to put too many children through the military life. The constant moves and the like. When he found out he got a boy, he was the most satisfied I had seen him. As if it were possible, he loved me so much more. He was such a wonderful father!”
“I am sure. Jack is going to be an excellent father as well,” said Caroline.
Amy’s excitement about the wedding was significantly more than Caroline’s own mother. Debbie had expressed concern about Jack’s image. The first conversation the two had was mostly fun, but it quickly deteriorated as Debbie started asking more questions at the insistent urging of her husband, Marlon, who printed out clips of news reports and handed to her for ammunition.
“Mom, I am going to tell you this one last time. I love Jack. You can’t believe everything you read in the media. It is done to create an image of a person.”
“But…”
“No ifs and but, I am marrying him. I want you to be happy for me.”
“Don’t you think it is a bit rushed? You don’t want to make your father’s mistake.”
“Mom, I can’t believe you just said that! I am living my own life. I am not reliving your and dad’s drama. Everyone else is happy for me. Why can’t you be?”
“Marlon brings up good points, sweetie. You have only known the man for a short amount of time. We haven’t met him. All we know of him is what is there for everybody to see. Can’t blame us if we are worried.”
“Alright. I am not about to audition him to get your approval. There is more to him than you know. He is sweet and caring and loving and generous. I have never met anyone like him.”
“If you say so… I just don’t want to…”
“I am done talking about this! If you don’t want to come to the wedding, you are welcome not to. I am busy organizing everything here. The last thing I need is a mother who nags me about my decisions as if I am a little girl.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
“Don’t be. Let me know when you get in town…”
The other conversations didn’t do much to improve the mood between a mother and daughter. Amy’s warm and generous compassion was the substitute Caroline sought for and was happy to indulge in. Calling Amy mama came from that place of seeing her as her own mother who was glad for her and supported her in this dramatic turn of events in her life.
“I feel like a queen sitting here and reigning above the Central Park.”
“Do you like it?” Caroline asked standing next to Amy. The sight from the Plaza Hotel was indeed the best view of the park.
“It’s beautiful. Thinking about New York City used to feel so distant and hectic to me. John brought me here a couple of times way back when. I had been resisting Jack’s request to visit for so long. I am so glad I get to savor it with you, darling. I feel like I have come full circle here to celebrate my son’s new life while paying homage to my dearest John. How he used to love the liveliness of the city. He used to say it was like a manic organism and he felt alive in the middle of it all...”
“We will make new memories here, mama! I will take you on a tour around the city. It will be fabulous. We won’t let Jack join us. Just the two of us. Girls in the city.”
“Aren’t you so sweet?! What can I do to thank you?!”
“None. You have given me Jack and this,” Caroline said pointing to her hexagonal diamond ring. “That is more than I could ever ask for, mama!” They exchanged hugs as they got ready to share a room service meal.
“Is it me or mama is looking like a newborn,” Jack joked.
