Dovetail: A Novel(81)
There had been a lull between customers that day, and John, seeing his opportunity, had asked if he could accompany Alice to the dance. When he was granted permission, he summoned up all his courage and told Mr. Bennett, “I pride myself on being honest and forthright, so I need to tell you that I have fallen in love with Alice.”
If he’d expected the older man to pummel him or toss him out the door with a kick in the pants, he would have been wrong. Mr. Bennett just nodded and said, “I thought as much. The two of you have that look. I know it well.” A slow smile came across his face.
With that bit of encouragement, John felt free to say more. He told him about his father’s imprisonment and was relieved to hear that the older man already knew of it and didn’t seem unduly alarmed. Swallowing his trepidation, John continued, telling him the family secret, that his great-grandfather had been a Negro.
“I knew that piece of information as well,” Mr. Bennett said. “And I also know that your family name is Robinson.” There was a long pause, during which John’s insides curled in fear as he waited for the judgment that never came. Instead, Mr. Bennett said, “None of this changes my opinion of you. I judge a man by his actions and words, and over this summer, you have proved yourself to have a fine character.”
John nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Besides,” he said, leaning in conspiratorially, “in my own family, there’s some Indian blood, so I’m not one to talk.” He waved a finger. “Now don’t go repeating that to anyone.”
“No, sir, of course not.” John cleared his throat, tapping his toe nervously.
“Was there something else?” He studied John quizzically.
“There is one more thing. I would like to have your permission to propose to Alice.”
“You’d like to marry my daughter?”
“Yes, sir. I love her and want her for my wife.” He held his breath, knowing it was one thing for Mr. Bennett to accept John as an employee, another for John to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Mr. Bennett nodded thoughtfully. “I would be proud to welcome you into the family, John, but I am sad to say I can’t spare Alice, so my answer is no. I know that sounds harsh, but the two of you have known each other only a short while. It might make you feel better to know that first love is often fleeting, and you are both young. In time, you will meet another girl and find love again.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Bennett, I am not that young. Many men my age are already married, and I can say with certainty I will never love another girl the way I love Alice. She is unlike any other.” Wanting to convince the older man, John said, “If you would reconsider, and Alice will have me, I have planned for a long engagement while I finish medical school. I would write to her every single day and visit when I could. By the time we marry, some of the younger girls will be capable of running the household in her stead.”
Mr. Bennett nodded. “It sounds like you’ve thought this through, young man.” He stared into space, his mind elsewhere. “Oh, how I envy you, John. You’re in the prime of your life, just starting out, with so many years lying ahead. These are glorious days for you.” The older man’s eyes got misty, presumably thinking of his own youth.
“Are you saying I may propose to Alice after all? I would like to ask her the night of the Barn Dance.”
Mr. Bennett gave John his full attention. “You seem determined, and I give you credit for thinking this through. Yes, you have my blessing.”
John had replayed this conversation in his head so many times since then. Getting the approval of Alice’s father had seemed unlikely, so having Mr. Bennett’s blessing had been a gift dropped at his feet. It only got better from there.
When a customer had arrived at the mill, John had quickly added a last thought. “If she’ll have me, I promise to spend the rest of my days making Alice happy.”
In response, his future father-in-law said, “I have no doubt you will.”
Now, tonight, at the dance, John bided his time, waiting for the right opportunity to broach the subject. He’d imagined the dance to be a romantic place, and while dancing with Alice was wonderful, the hall was crowded and humid. Too many people and so much noise. He wanted to ask her to marry him when he had her undivided attention and there were no distractions. So far, he hadn’t encountered any such conditions.
If Pearl was not around, and if it were just the two of them, he could pull the wagon aside on the way home and ask her to marry him under the starry night sky, but of course, Alice’s father would not have allowed her to ride alone with a man unchaperoned. Maybe it would be different when they were engaged.
The evening wore on, the minutes building to hours, and John despaired of finding the perfect moment to propose. To make matters worse, while he and Alice stopped to rest and drink punch, some kind of fight broke out on one side of the hall, a young woman wailing and carrying on something terrible while other people clustered around. “Whatever is going on?” Alice asked, craning her neck to see.
“I don’t know, but it looks like Mrs. Donohue is involved somehow.” John could see the plump lady, hands on her hips, taking charge of the situation.
A few minutes later, Pearl wove her way across the hall to find John and Alice. She blurted out, “You won’t believe what just happened! Mrs. Donohue caught Lorraine Whitt kissing one of the Farber twins. Lorraine claimed she was just whispering in his ear, but there were other witnesses besides Mrs. Donohue who saw it plain as day. Lorraine can deny it all she wants, but everyone knows she did it.”