Love Letters From the Grave(37)
‘If we could take my aunt and father with us occasionally, it would be perfect.’
‘Your wish is my command,’ said George with a smile.
They stayed for nearly two weeks in Molly’s home before moving into a very nice apartment complex in a quaint, little, colonial-style village which was fairly close to George's workplace, and about the same distance to Molly's workplace as it was from her father's home. It was a beautifully furnished and decorated, maintenance-free, two-bedroom apartment with weekly maid service. It was located within walking distance of two fine restaurants, one of which served breakfast and lunch, and the other, lunch and dinner. Only a mile from a large grocery store, it was about the same distance away to the town square and the many shops and stores located there. Nearby was a beautiful park, shaded by many tall trees, mainly oaks and maples, and decorated with numerous flower gardens.
As soon as George parked the car on arrival to their new home on the first morning, he announced that he had a house-warming surprise for Molly. She immediately envisioned a household appliance or a decorative art piece. However, instead of steering her into the apartment, after he parked their Cadillac in their expanded, three-car garage he led her to the far side of the garage. Next to his pick-up truck stood three motorcycles: his big Harley-Davidson, his classic Indian, and another custom-made and simply beautiful Indian - Molly's surprise wedding gift from her husband.
‘I’ll think of our wedding every time I ride it,’ squealed Molly, falling instantly in love with it.
They then entered their new home, and walked around to admire the job that the decorators had done. It was a very beautiful, comfortable space. All the furniture was made of walnut, accented with beautiful, high-quality upholstery which, like the area rugs, lamps, linens and curtains were of high quality, in tonal, complementary colors. The walls of the living room, dining room, bathroom, and both bedrooms were hung with tasteful paintings, all with walnut frames gilded with gold. The spacious kitchen had walnut cabinets and pantry doors with beige stove and refrigerator, and other small appliances. They had everything they needed to embark on married life. After dressing for dinner, George drove them to the restaurant in their Cadillac, and they had excellent celebratory steak dinners.
They relaxed in their new home on Sunday, and organized their routine: rise at six am, bathe and dress for work, Molly would then make breakfast which she loved do to, drive themselves to work and then arrive home within half an hour of each other. They would have dinner out most evenings, enjoying the large variety of cuisine and atmosphere choices, and if they chose to stay home, Molly was an excellent maker of casseroles, and George was an expert on steak grilling and roast-baking.
On the evenings they had dinner at home, they often went for a walk in the town square area or around the walkways and paths of the park. There were frequent activities in and around the town square and park and plenty of time for them to enjoy them.
Thus began the general routine of their married life: going out most evenings for dinner; strolling about their little town and its parks at weekends; riding their motorcycles and taking a two-week vacation each year, either to various parts of their beautiful and wonderful country, or to other parts of the world. They frequently visited Jesse and Aunt Dolores, regularly attended motor cycle races, and occasionally saw friends and Molly's relatives, such as her sister Maureen, and her family. Most weeks, they had guests in their home, who often stayed overnight or even over the weekend.
It was a very busy, happy, socially-rich and adventure-some life, made all the more satisfying because they had practically no chores to do at home. On top of this, they both continued to advance in responsibilities and compensation in their employment.
Molly was very happy, living with George. He was a wonderful man who doted on her and lavished her with gifts and attention. Although he continued to have problems with love-making, this didn't bother her very much, and she took care never to show any disappointment to him, going out of her way to show her affection to him in bed and demonstrating her appreciation to him for the life style that he was providing for her. This was very easy for her to do, for George was always nice, genteel, courteous, respectful and loving to her. No one, not even her parents, had ever treated her better.
During the first few years of their marriage they visited Jesse and Aunt Dolores two or three times a month, but gradually their visits became less frequent, as they became more and more involved with their small-town lives. Unfortunately, during their seventh year of marriage, Aunt Dolores had a stroke, and within six months she had another one which caused her to be confined in a care facility. Because he was left alone in his large house, Jesse decided to retire from being County Sheriff at the end of his elective term, which was less than two years hence. During these times, George and Molly visited as often as they could, aiding Jesse with making decisions and plans for a retirement without Aunt Dolores, and helping him to make out his will.
Two months before Aunt Dolores was placed into the care of a nursing home, another tragedy occurred: Molly's brother-in-law, Angus, suddenly died of a heart attack. Fortunately for Maureen, three of her four sons were gone from the home - two of them married and raising families of their own, and the third one serving in the Navy. Only her youngest son was still living at home, and he was attending college part-time and working part-time. Angus was self-employed, and, therefore, did not have a retirement income, leaving Maureen with only a relatively small amount of life insurance. However, she also inherited Angus' half of their home, leaving her as the sole owner of the property.