Love Letters From the Grave(32)
George sat across from Molly with a look of admiration plastered across his face. Molly was all smiles as he picked up his champagne glass to offer a toast.
‘To a beautiful evening, and a beautiful girl,’ he said almost reverently.
Molly laughed. ‘To a beautiful evening,’ she agreed.
‘We’re very lucky.’ George sipped from his champagne glass. ‘This is one of the last benefit shows the Crosbys will be doing for the sale of war bonds. They and the Andrews Sisters have given many performances during the war years, raising considerable amounts of money to finance the costs of the war effort, but they’ll stop them altogether soon.’
‘So lucky,’ said Molly, thinking ‘in more ways than one’ but keeping that to herself.
They both opted for the Palace's famous T-Bone steak - him the large cut and her the smaller one - preceded by an appetizer of oysters on the half-shell, followed by an acorn squash soup and a house salad, and it seemed to Molly that it was no time at all when their food began to arrive. The oysters, which she sprinkled liberally with pepper, were simply delicious, as were the soup and salad. The aroma emanating from the T-Bone steak, was out of this world, and it was the best tasting steak she had ever eaten. The delicious potatoes and asparagus were highly complementary to the steak. Almost as soon as she took her last bite, the maitre d' was there to take their dessert order. She ordered the suggested custard pudding, which was delicious, while George had the apple cobbler ala mode. This was followed, finally, by a glass of brandy, which punctuated the most divine and, without question, the most romantic meal she had ever had.
It was time to go to the theater, which had an entrance off the dining room. George came around to assist Molly from her chair, and escorted her to their seats, which were impressively located in the middle of the auditorium and about ten rows from the stage - a perfect location to enjoy the show. The ornate beauty of the theater combined with the perfect location of their seats, made her feel very special indeed.
And the show was wonderful, far exceeding her expectations. There were very few, if any, songs performed which she had not heard before on the radio or from record recordings. Both Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters had been exceptionally popular since the late thirties, especially during the war. The Bob Crosby orchestra was also popular, and was recently becoming even more so with the growing national popularity of swing band music. She simply loved the music that she was experiencing at the show, and could never have dreamed that she would be seeing these famous performers in person. The songs were divided between "Der Bing" and the Andrews Sisters, and they also sang some of their most popular duets, among them "You Made Me Love You," "I'll Be Seeing You", "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree".
As soon as the show was over, Molly expected that they would leave, but George suggested that they finish the evening with a drink in the Cocktail Lounge. There they went to a table, decorated with a vase of carnations and an ornate silver iced-champagne bucket.
George helped to seat her and then took the opposite chair.
‘Molly,’ he said seriously, ‘this has been the most enjoyable and memorable night of my life, and I hoped that you enjoyed it as much as I.’
‘It’s beyond words,’ replied Molly.
George beckoned a nearby waiter to the table to pour their champagne
‘Another toast.’ George raised his glass. ‘To the most incredible evening of our lives.’ Then, reaching into his jacket pocket, George pulled out a small box containing the most dazzling diamond ring she had ever seen. ‘So far,’ he added softly.
At her side, he knelt on one knee, placed the ring on the ring-finger of her left hand, and asked, sincerely: "Will you marry me, and be my loving wife forever and ever?"
It was a spectacular ending to a Cinderella-like evening and without hesitating Molly said: "Yes, I will!"
He then gently pulled her to him and kissed her. They drove home with her very close beside him, instead of over in the middle of the passenger seat, as she had on the drive to the Palace. All the way to her home, he chatted with her about the events of the evening, and how pleased he was that good fortune had brought them together, and that she’d agreed to marry him. She made it clear that she felt exactly the same way, hugging the delight she felt to herself.
When they arrived at her home, the lights were on in the living room and kitchen. Her father and aunt were still up, waiting for her to come home. George escorted her up the steps to the door, and just as she was about to insert her key in the door, it opened to reveal her smiling father and aunt.
Molly held up her hand so that they could admire her spectacular engagement ring, and Aunt Dolores screamed.
‘When?’ they both asked. ‘When will the wedding take place?"
They responded together, almost simultaneously.
"Soon!"
It was approaching midnight when George got up to leave. She went with him to the door, and after embracing him with a passionate kiss, she watched as he got into his car, drove out the driveway, and turned onto the road.
‘It’s magic,’ she told the starlit sky. ‘Sheer magic. And I hope it never ends.’
Chapter 10
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The Star-Spangled Wedding