Darby looked solemn. “I hate to see you get your hopes up too high. Kyle doesn’t look like he’s ready for wedding bells with Vietnam at his heels.”

Emma Lynn didn’t know what to say. “Never mind. I withdraw my offer but, Jorden, you should go for the dress. I can imagine it’s gorgeous.”

“We could all go down to my home. If you like it, Mama can make the adjustments and I can bring the dress back after Easter weekend. The Alabama Gulf Coast is about fifteen miles from my home. March isn’t very warm, but it would be fun to walk on the beach and look for shells.”

“Oh, let’s do it!” Emma Lynn exclaimed. “I love the beach!”

Jorden’s mind reeled. The price of the dress couldn’t be beat. What a deal. Jorden knew Darby’s mother was an excellent seamstress and each stitch would have been made with love. Why not try on the dress? “What a great idea. Let’s do it.”

“Good. I’ll tell Mama. Let’s decide which weekend to go.” The three roommates huddled around the hanging cloth calendar in the kitchen. “The end of March is Easter, so it has to be at least a week before then. Mama will need time to make the adjustments if you decide you want it. What do you think, Jorden?” Darby asked.

Emma Lynn piped up before Jorden could answer. “I can’t go the first weekend in March. Kyle and I are going to a concert. How about the next, Saturday, March 14.”?

Jorden leaned in toward the calendar. “Okay with me.”

“Well, we’ll have to leave right after school on Friday. It takes at least four and half hours to get to my home. If we leave by five, we should get there by nine thirty, not too late. Jorden can try on the wedding dress Saturday morning. If you like it, Mama can measure for adjustments. We’ll have the afternoon free for the beach.” Darby looked from Jorden to Emma Lynn. “What do you think?”

“Let’s go for it!” Jorden beamed.

“I can’t wait. I haven’t been to the ocean in ages.” Emma Lynn squealed.

“I’ll call Mama back to check and see if March 14, works for them.”

Jorden wrote a long letter to Alex. She told him about the possibility of the wedding dress. “I can’t wait!” she wrote. The dress and the ordered invitations seemed to lock in the reality of their future. But, at the same time, Jorden felt butterflies in her stomach as she thought of the coming wedding. She blamed it on nerves.

Chapter 50: March 1970

Chapter 50

March 1970

Friday, March 13, arrived. Darby, Emma Lynn, and Jorden were on their way by four thirty to the Alabama Gulf Coast. Jorden soaked in the bright sun as Darby drove across the state line into Alabama.