She’d paid attention to the cautionary tales of Apple Creek’s Sylvia Emerich, having to leave school and whatnot, and her neighbor Geraldine Sigler, as well as the other stories passed in whispers around town. Stories of girls who’d been baking their illegitimate buns in their ovens months, even weeks, before they married their husbands (or didn’t!). It was all hushed up, though, and never, ever admitted publicly, but the whispers and rumors floated around town, sometimes through the telephone lines and switchboards at Bell, and wore away at the respectability of the brides-to-be. Vivian had even heard something about four-flusher Betty Reed, who’d seemed in an awful hurry to marry Charlie Miller. That rumor had never really gone anywhere, though, and since Betty and Charlie were both four-flushers no one batted an eye at their wedding. The Betty Reed rumor made Vivian feel almost smug about her romance with Edward. Even with the rumble seat in the Roadster, Vivian was better than that, and she knew Edward was better than that. She couldn’t take full credit, it was really Pawpy’s words ringing in her ears every time she greeted her dates at the front door: “If you get knocked up, you’re out of here.” He never said it mean, just matter-of-fact. So, No, sir, Vivian had thought, before she’d even gone on that first car ride, that won’t be me, if I can help it. The people of Wooster would have to find someone else to gossip about.

Other than Vera and Mrs. McGinty, who was surprised when anything good happened, no one in the McGinty family had been surprised when Vivian got herself the job at Bell. They weren’t surprised when Edward Dalton proposed, and they weren’t surprised Vivian married before Vera did; a whole three years before Vera did. On a pleasant afternoon in June of 1937, Vivian Margaret McGinty married Edward George Dalton.

Money was still tight, and the beautiful long white dress and lace veil her ten-year-old self had daydreamed about would’ve been impractical. Vivian was a woman now. A grown-up. With a proper job, and a handsome bridegroom. Her “something old” was the gold Irish claddagh ring from Aunt Catharine, and she wore it proudly on her right hand as she stood in her smartest skirt suit and matching hat (her “something new” from Beulah Bechtel’s). The fragrance of the Firmament lilacs pinned to her lapel (her “something blue” that matched her eyes) wafted around her head as Edward held her hand and leaned in close while they repeated their vows to each other. They might as well have been in the room alone, because everything around Vivian was a blur, and she couldn’t see anyone other than Edward.

“I do.”

DALTON-MCGINTY NUPTIALS SOLEMNIZED THIS MORNING

Miss Vivian McGinty, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. W. McGinty, of South Buckeye Street, and Edward G. Dalton of Syracuse, N.Y., were united in marriage this morning at 10 o’clock at the Church of Christ parsonage, with Rev. T. R. Freytag officiating. The double ring ceremony was used.