Several months later, almost graduation. . .
“You’re too young, William,” Dafne said to her eldest son. “Don’t you want to live a little; go out on your own? Go to college and explore the world?”
“I want all those things, Ma,” Wil told his mother, “But I want all those things with her.”
“You know this business is your inheritance, son,” Raleigh interrupted, “I’ve worked for many years so I could pass it onto you and Manny like my Pop did, I just want you to have a clear head when that happens.” And not do anything stupid.
The term pre-nuptial agreement had already been brought up in the conversation and Wil’s rising blood pressure had caused his cheeks to flush.
“I like Lily and she seems like a great girl,” Raleigh said, “But your mother and I have built a multi-million dollar franchise over the past 20 years. Griffin Gas Stations are in practically every city in America. Look son, I know you like this girl, but why are you rushing into marrying her? Is she pressuring you? I can’t help but think this is a plea to get her family out of the hell hole they’re living in.”
“No Dad, it was all my idea,” he told them. “I know she doesn’t come from money and they live in a run-down neighborhood. And honestly, I can’t say that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind to help out her parents a time or two, but she’s no gold digger.”
“If this is what you really want, honey,” his mother sighed and looked toward her husband. He’s our son.
“If this is what you want,” Raleigh repeated, “Make her sign a prenup, and I’ll give you my blessing.”
“And if I don’t?” he demanded.
“Then you’re on your own, kid,” his father said loudly and started to walk out of the room.
“Dad?” he said, stopping Raleigh at the doorway. “She’s having your grandchild.”
* * *
Lily
The whirlwind of eight weeks flew by faster than a spring wind. Lillian wore a simple white dress the day she married William and the newlyweds had just over a week to enjoy their honeymoon before heading back to the reality of Wil’s future at Griffin Gas.
“I’m sorry I’m not taking you on a grander honeymoon,” Wil told his bride as they pulled into Happy Endings Resort in Endings, South Carolina.
“I’m not sorry, I’m just happy to be with you wherever we end up,” Lily returned the sentiment.
“We used to vacation here practically every summer until I got to high school,” he told her. “I’ve wanted to come back to this place for years, but we always seemed to be too busy with the business during summer break.”
“I checked out the brochure that your mom had,” she said, “It looks like a great place to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet.” It looks like a nice place to hide too.
They drove through the gated entrance and checked into their cabin. An open grassy area was all that separated them from the large lake that was surrounded by the resort. Boats and kayaks were out on the water. Swimmers splashed in the roped off swimming area in a little inlet near their cabin. Lily noted other amenities of the resort included an indoor swimming pool, an activities center and a game room. They weren’t far from town where they could do some grocery shopping, eat at the diner or drive a short distance to the beach.
Wil gathered their suitcases and other belongings then carried them into the cabin. Dafne had packed a large picnic basket full of food for their trip, most of which they hadn’t even touched, and also a large cooler with drinks and perishable items. It took him three trips to carry everything inside, specifically ordering Lily not to lift a finger. Despite having to stop several times for lunch and restroom breaks, they had made excellent time on their nine-hour trip from Spring City to Endings.
The cabin’s furnishings were tasteful and had been decorated in traditional Home Interiors decor: artificial flowers, wall sconces, brass mirrors and candles that were all the rage. Mauves and pinks covered every room in the cabin, except the kitchen which was decorated in sunflower wall art, with a matching border along the walls and accessories all over the space.
It was a hot day in late June and even though the breeze outside felt nice, Lily was still warm from the long car ride and turned on the window air unit. The frosty air immediately cooled down the living room area. A small television sat on a wooden bookshelf that had a few books and magazines sitting on the shelves below, in addition to a couple of board games. Wil found the remote and handed it to his bride.
“I know we didn’t come here to watch TV, but it certainly won’t hurt you to put up your feet and relax a little,” he told her. “How are you feeling by the way? The morning sickness seemed to hold off better today than it has lately?”
“I feel fine at the moment,” she said flipping on the TV set. “Leaving as early as we did this morning and you driving while I slept for the first few hours really helped… thank you for that.”
“Anytime, sweetheart,” Wil came over and sat on the couch beside Lily. “We’re in this for the long haul, you know.”
“I know. It’s all been such a whirlwind over the last couple of months, we haven’t really had a chance to talk about this crazy ride we’ve been on,” Lily said as she continued to flip channels and keep her eyes on the television screen. “We’ve just been riding from one wave to the next.”
“No, we haven’t discussed much, have we?” Wil said hesitantly, not really wanting to pursue the conversation any further unless prompted.
“Do you realize we’re coming up on the year anniversary of our first date?” she said, “It was just after school had started last year that I offered to help with your English project — that you had already finished of course — and then we got to talking, and we talked some more, and then we talked some more and ...”
“Ah yes, I will let you in on a little secret dear wife,” Wil said reaching over and lacing Lily’s fingers with his own, “I stink at remembering dates, but I don’t easily forget days as happy as that one.” He pulled Lily’s hand up to his lips and lightly kissed each of her knuckles sending shivers across her body.
“And the rest is history,” Lily said, reaching over and kissing Wil on the cheek. “That night, I knew your kisses were meant to last a lifetime.”
“Kiss me like that again; kiss me like that forever,” he whispered remembering her words out loud. Lily turned his head toward hers for a kiss.
“Come on, let’s go,” Wil said pulling Lily to her feet.
“Where are we going?” Lily asked trying to get her shoes on.
“Don’t need those, just come on.” Wil said still tugging on her hand. Out the door of the cabin they both went, barefoot and without keys. “Don’t worry, we’re not going far,” he said.
They walked a short distance toward a big tree that obstructed a bit of their view of the lake from the front porch of their cabin. A wooden swing hung from the tree and Wil gestured toward the seat for Lily to sit down. She did as instructed and hopped up on the wooden slat.
“Now that’s a view,” Lily said as she looked across the panoramic view of the lake.
“I thought you’d like that,” Wil said, “Now, what would you first like to do at Happy Endings, Mrs. Griffin?”
“Ha! Um, maybe not refer to me as Mrs. Griffin just yet,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “It immediately made me think of your dad, and I don’t think he’s too fond of me at the moment.”
“Oh don’t you worry about Pop,” Wil tried to reassure her. “He’ll come around; he always does.”
“I’m not so sure, Wil. I know he thinks I’m out to get you and that I got pregnant on purpose.” Lily hung her head. “You and me, we’re great together, and I’m not going to say it was a mistake... No, we didn’t plan on having a child right after high school, but I won't call this baby a mistake, it’s gotta have a purpose.”
“Of course, it has a purpose, we’re going to love it and watch it grow,” Wil said pulling her closer to him and cradling her head to his chest. “This baby isn’t a mistake. And you're right — no, while we didn’t plan this right for this very minute, life happens sometimes and we’re going to make it work. I, for one, can’t wait to meet him.”
“Him?” Lily raised her head to look Wil in the eyes.
“Yep, I can already tell, he’s a boy,” Wil’s toothy grin made his eyes half close because he was smiling so hard.
“And what if he’s a she?” Lily inquired.
“Then she’s going to be the cutest little tom-boy around!” Wil said and they both laughed. “That little baby is going to run around in blue jean overalls with a little red oil rag sticking out of her back pocket, just like her daddy.”
Wil reached down and put his free hand on Lily’s protruding belly. The tiny bikinis she packed weren’t going to hide what was underneath her t-shirt. When Wil first told his parents about the pregnancy, Lily was nearly eight weeks along. They went to prom the following weekend, and then two weeks later graduated from high school. And now after a whirlwind wedding, they were married and he was patting the bump that sat under Lily’s black Griffin Gas Station t-shirt.
“What do you want to do tonight?” Wil asked her.
“Let’s go do a little exploring, see if you remember where everything is,” she said.
“Sounds good to me,” he said. “We’ll have to ride by and see Bess and Herbert tomorrow.”
“Ah yes, is that the couple that your parents are friends with?” Lily asked.
“Yep, they live here at the Resort. As long as we have been vacationing here, Bess and Herbert have been here too. Pops and Ma drove out to the coast one summer while I was working a couple years ago and met up with them, but lately we’ve just traded Christmas and birthday cards throughout the years,” Wil told her. “Let’s go for a drive, I’m getting hungry.” Lily’s tummy rumbled.
They hopped in the truck and drove slowly down Outer Lake Road as Wil pointed out landmarks to Lily along their way. They passed an outdoor pool, basketball courts and an activities center before entering another residential area. Cabins, trailers and tent spaces were purposefully organized throughout the Resort. They continued to drive around the lake which, since they left their cabin, was barely peeking through the trees and Lily became frustrated she couldn’t get a good view… until she saw the boat ramp.
They passed the turn off for the boat ramp and curved around a pavilion where the landscape opened up to her. The sun reflected off the blue lake as if diamond shards had been scattered all over the surface of the water. People were wading and playing in a roped off swimming zone on the opposite side of the lake from their cabin. Men were fishing off a nearby dock. A boat was being launched into the water. In the distance, speed boats jetted across the water creating small waves that made the water look white.
Lily practically hung out the window like a puppy dog, both arms propped on the side of her door taking in the scene.
They drove up and down each of the curvy streets of the three main sections of the resort: the tent camping area; the trailer hook-ups; and the cabins. Wil pointed out certain residents and told her a little about each of them.
“Well how bout that. That’s Bess and Herbert,” he told her pointing to an old bench overlooking the lake, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they … .”
Bess was practically off the bench and had cut off Wil in mid-sentence yelling toward the truck.
“William Griffin! Don’t think you can drive on by and not say hello!” she said waving her handkerchief in her left hand as she walked to the pickup. Herbert wasn’t far behind his nosy wife. Wil put the truck in park and told Lily to sit tight and let them come to the truck or they might never get to continue their journey around the Resort.
“Howdy, Aunt Bess,” Wil said loudly speaking across Lily’s lap while nodding his head at Herbert, “And Uncle Herbert, how are you folks doing today?”
“Oh honey, we’re fine, just fine. We’re so glad you’re here, I talked to your parents yesterday on the phone, Dafne told me about your condition, honey,” Bess said leaning her arm on the door of the truck and brushing Lily’s belly with the palm of her hand.
Lily chose silence as the best response to this woman she had just met. She obviously meant well, but it didn’t make Lily feel very comfortable.
“Wil, we’d love to have you kids over for dinner one night while you’re here,” Herbert interrupted.
“Yes, we’d love that, how about Wednesday?” Wil suggested hoping their conversation would end and they could continue on to town.
“That’ll be just fine!” Bess said still patting Lily’s stomach. “Good to see you, William, and nice to meet you too, sweet girl!”
They all waved goodbye as Wil drove off heading into town.
“So…” Lily said with a pause. You weren’t kidding they were nosy.
“Bess is a little kooky… and nosy,” Wil said driving down the two-lane road passing the sign that read Endings Business District. “She and my mom always got along well and Pop always liked Herbert. I spent the majority of my time here either swimming in or life guarding the lake. Pop would take us out on the boat and we really only saw Bess and Herbert when we had shared dinners.”
“When she reached over to touch my belly, my instant reaction was to squirm away,” Lily said softly, “But then a calm sort of washed over me, like I knew that I could trust her.”
A few minutes of silence passed as Wil and Lily held hands driving through the small town to the diner.
“You know, I guess I never thought to mention it to you, but my grandma and grandpa own this diner,” Wil told Lily.
“Wait, what?” Lily was immediately confused. “Your Grandma and Grandpa Griffin own a diner out here?”
“Yep,” Wil chuckled. “Before I was born, Grandpop passed along the first Griffin Gas Station to my Pop and he and Ma really grew it into what it is today. So after grandpop and grandma were retired for a little while, they got bored and decided to get away for a while and came out to the east coast. They liked the ocean, they liked Happy Endings and they bought some property. Just recently Grandpop realized he wanted a place to eat that he knew he’d enjoy, so the Happy Days Cafe was born. It’s not been open long and neither of them really have much to do with it, but it’s now a part of all the Griffin craziness.”
“So will your grandparents be there? Are they here in town?” Lily asked.
“Nope, I think they went back to their place they purchased near Edisto Island after the wedding,” Wil said.
“Are they friends with Bess and Herbert too?” Lily asked. “No offense to either of them but Bess and Herbert sounded like older people when you talked about them… I was expecting senior citizens.”
“Ha, yes they don’t have the youngest sounding names, do they?” Wil laughed, “Bess makes it a point to know everybody and I believe they all catch up when they are in town.”
The newlyweds pulled up to the Happy Days Cafe and were anxious to check out the new establishment.
The young waitress introduced herself as Kelly and seemed nervous to take their orders.
“It’s my first day here, I hope I’m doing okay,” she confessed.
“We won’t be too tough on you,” Wil said and smiled. He ordered a double-Griffin-burger off the menu and Lily requested a club sandwich.
“Whoa, I just noticed your t-shirt,” Kelly said as she was clearing off their table.
“Oh yeah, Grandpop asked if dad would ship some shirts out here to sell since there weren’t any stations close by… I wonder if he’s still planning to do that,” Wil said talking to Lily.
“Does your dad own this place or something?” Kelly asked.
“My grandfather does,” he said and her face flushed.
“Oh now I really hope I did okay today!” Kelly said and began to walk away.
“You did great,” Wil told her, “But if I could trouble you for one more thing… my sweet little wife has been eyeing the ‘Griffin Gas Station Sundae’ pictured on this little menu right here. Could you bring her one?”
“Absolutely sir!” Kelly left their table on a mission.
An oversized sundae arrived covered in caramel, hot fudge and candied pecans.
“I brought you two spoons, just in case,” Kelly said, “And I sure do appreciate you being so nice, especially on my first day.”
She left them to finish their dessert and Wil left a large tip on the table with a note on the back of their receipt.
“She reminds me a little of myself a couple years ago,” Lily said patting her baby bump, “Prior to all this of course.”
“I want a bite of that sundae, Mrs. Griffin,” Wil said scooping up a big spoonful of ice cream and toppings.
“I’d give you my cherry, but it’s already yours,” Lily said with a wink to her husband, popping the red fruit in her mouth.