Felix was on his way to work at the White Sands that morning with an old composition book in his possession. He hoped to work on his wedding vows during his lunch break; he hoped it wasn't terribly busy that day. As he passed the train station, he caught a sense of déjàvu, as once again, he saw someone familiar sitting outside. Felix stopped the buggy and walked over to the other person. This time it was definitely a male in his mid-twenties with dark hair and blue eyes. "Gus?" Felix wondered.
The older man turned to face Felix. It was definitely his brother-in-law, Gus Pike, sitting there. "Well, hello, Felix!" he said cheerfully.
Gus stood up and gave Felix a hug. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming home again?" the latter wanted to know.
"I wanted ta surprise ya," replied Gus.
"Well, this is definitely a nice surprise. Come on; I'll load your stuff into the back. Then I'll take you over to the old Foundling Home. Oh, and I should telephone Mr. Tremayne and tell him I'll be late. Actually, I'll do that now."
Felix went into the station master's office and telephoned the White Sands to explain the situation to Mr. Tremayne. He gave Felix an extra hour to drive Gus to his house and drive straight to the Sands. A few minutes later, Gus and Felix were off to the former Foundling Home.
Upon arrival at the front door, Felix knocked and waited with Gus. Soon enough, Felicity came to answer the door. "Gus!" she exclaimed. She gave him a bear hug and several kisses before escorting him inside. Felix went to bring in Gus's things, then went to the hotel after he was finished.
* * * * *
Izzy decided to go for an early morning walk down the street to take in the early spring air. She looked around as she walked down the road, watching people come and go. She continued her quiet walk until she saw Cecily arrive at the telegraph office. Izzy ran toward her best friend and asked, "How are you?"
"As well as can be expected," replied Cecily.
"Still no word from, or about, Peter?"
"No, and I'm very nervous about it."
"He'll be back soon; I'm sure. Keep your chin up, Cess."
"Thanks."
Izzy and Cecily shared a hug before Cecily went inside. Izzy continued on with her walk after that. She walked all the way to the cliffs by the lighthouse and looked out at the ocean. The waters were rough and cold, but she didn't mind. She closed her eyes, envisioning the night Felix proposed to her--New Year's Eve. She recalled how surprised she was after he asked the question. Afterward, she remembered the joy that overcame Felix after she said yes. In some ways she wished he had proposed sooner; in another way she was glad he proposed when he did--on the seashore, under the moonlight, with a small ocean breeze. After all, at one time Felix did compare her to an ocean breeze.
Another vision entered her mind at that point. She was foreshadowing her wedding day; she watched herself walk down the aisle on her father's arm, smiling all the way to the altar. Izzy smiled at that thought; she knew her wedding day was going to be special.
Izzy opened her eyes again and looked out at the vast ocean in front of her. She figured she should return to her house, then; she had been gone long enough. What she didn't know, at the time, was that her walk would inspire her to write her wedding vows to Felix later on. While walking back, she smiled. She was looking forward to becoming Izzy King more than ever.
* * * * *
(Sunday - six days to go)
The Sunday church service had flown by so fast, nobody knew where the time had gone. Felix and Izzy walked out of the church, arm in arm, causing some of the gossips to start asking questions.
"Whatever has gotten into Felix King and Izzy Pettibone lately is beyond me," Clara Potts told Mabel Sloane and Eulalie Bugle. "It's a far cry from Izzy's attitude toward him almost four years ago; I'll tell you."
"Then, apparently, you still haven't heard," Janet said, approaching them.
"Heard what?"
"Felix and Izzy are engaged."
"What?!"
"Since when?" asked Mabel.
"Since New Year's Eve," replied the excited mother of the groom-to-be. She was about to walk to her motorcar when she turned around and added, "You know, for gossips who are supposed to be up-to-date on everything, you're way behind the times. Very surprising. Good day, ladies." She continued on to her car to wait for Alec, Cecily, and Daniel; they were in the church with Gus, Felicity, Alice, and her siblings--James, Marcus, and Emily.
"You know, Gus," Alec began as they walked outside, "it is wonderful to have you back in Avonlea. I'm sure Felicity missed you a lot."
"Truth be told, Alec, I missed her and Avonlea more 'n she missed me," returned Gus in his trademark accent.
Just then, Felicity waddled outside with Alice and her family. "We missed each other, Father," she said. She ushered the young children over to her wagon to wait for Gus. A few minutes later, Gus arrived, and Felicity drove them all home.
Meanwhile, Felix and Izzy walked over to his carriage, and he asked, "How about a soda?"
"I'd like that," she told him.
They got in and drove to the store, then entered and ordered a cherry soda with two straws. "So, I didn't see you at all yesterday," commenced Felix. "Tell me how your day was yesterday."
"I went for a walk by the lighthouse," Izzy explained. "It was like taking a trip down memory lane. I was thinking about when you proposed to me on New Year's Eve, and all the events that transpired afterward. It was a remarkable day. I also worked on my wedding vows for a while. What about you?"
"I started on my vows as well, during my lunch break. Fortunately, work was slow yesterday. I was a little late getting there. On the way I saw Gus at the train station; I drove him to Felicity's so he could get settled in. That was probably the second best thing to happen to me yesterday.
"Tomorrow I have to go to Carmody, to select our wedding rings. Would you like to come with me?"
"Of course I would, Felix. Are you crazy?"
"Yes, I am. I'm crazy for you."
Felix and Izzy shared a loving kiss, then each of them took a sip of their cherry soda. For each of them, life was becoming sweeter by the minute.
* * * * *
(Monday - five days to go)
In a surprising move, Alec and Janet agreed to allow Felix borrow the motorcar for the day. He then met Izzy at her house and drove to Carmody, arriving at the jewelry store later that morning. The store itself was rather small in size, yet there was a lot to take a look at. While looking in one of the display cases, one ring took their fancy. It was a simple, silver band, yet it was large enough to be engraved on the inside. As they continued to browse, the owner of the store--a man well into his sixties with balding gray hair--came up behind them and saw them browsing. "Are you two looking for something in particular?" he asked.
"Wedding rings," replied Felix, turning to face the older man. "She and I are getting married this weekend."
"Congratulations!; I noticed you two had your eyes on that one." The jeweler pointed to the silver band they were eyeing.
"Yes, that's the one. Do you have it in two different sizes?"
"Two sizes?"
"Both of us are going to wear a ring," explained Izzy.
"Both of you? That's interesting. What are your sizes?"
"I wear a size six, but I'm not sure what Felix's size is."
"Let me see your hand," the jeweler told Felix.
Felix put out his left hand, while the jeweler took out a chain with several rings of various sizes on it. He started with a size seven, which was too tight. Next was a size eight, which fit well. As a precaution, he also tried a size nine, which was way too loose-fitting. "So, two silver bands. Sizes six and eight." He went into the back room to see if he had any rings in stock. Sure enough, he did; the rings even had their own cases. He took them and brought them out to the young couple.
"Great," Felix told him. "One more thing: do you do engravings?"
"Unfortunately, no; you'd have to send the rings to Charlottetown or Halifax. Plus, the engraving would take up to a week to be completed, and from what you told me, you wouldn't have your rings back for your wedding."
"I see." Felix turned to Izzy and told her, "Guess we'll have to wait until after our wedding to get that done. You don't mind waiting, do you?"
"No," she replied. "Not a bit."
Felix paid the jeweler for the rings, then put his arm around Izzy and went to get some lunch.
* * * * *
(Tuesday - four days to go)
Izzy, Dora, Sara, Felicity, and Belle-Marie were at King Farm finishing Izzy's wedding dress, as well as Sara's and Dora's bridesmaids dresses. Janet was helping out the women, of course, as Felicity could do only so much. "You know, Izzy," began Janet, "we should throw you a bridal shower."
"Are you sure about this?" Izzy wanted to know.
"Of course!" Felicity interjected. "Did you know Gus is throwing Felix a stag party?"
"He is?"
"Yeah. I think it's only right that we give you a bridal shower."
"Come on, Iz," said Sara. "This is your last week of being a single woman! You've got to embrace it now; you're not going to be Izzy Pettibone for much longer."
"True," Izzy conceeded. "I just don't want you all to make a big fuss about me getting married. If it's alright with you all, I'd rather not have a party."
"That's fine," Janet told her, while fixing one of the sleeves. "It is your wedding, after all."
"Thank you for understanding."
"No problem, dear."
* * * * *
Cecily sat in the telegraph office alone, reading Peter's most recent letter for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day. It was interrupted when a telegram began to come in. She set the letter aside and started transcribing the contents of the telegram. She smiled when she discovered it wasn't from the War Office, and her smile beamed even more when she saw who it was from. The telegram read:
To: Miss Cecily King
Avonlea, P. E. I., CanadaMy dearest Cecily,
I am happy to inform you that I am alive and well, and on a ship headed for the Island. As I'm sure you know, I was shot twice in the left leg--a very painful experience. I don't know how long I'll be back, but I hope it's for a long time. In other words, I hope to never return to the battlefields. Felix was right; it's a horrible, senseless war.I hope to be in your arms again very soon. I love you very much.
Forever yours, Peter Craig
When Cecily got to the end of the message, she was in tears. She looked up at the clock on the wall; it was three o'clock, meaning the end of her shift. She folded up the telegram, put it in her sweater pocket, and left the telegraph office.
* * * * *
(Wednesday - three days to go)
The King Farm house, Felicity's house, and Rose Cottage were very busy that morning. The women were baking in preparation for a very important occasion: Clive, Muriel, and Lillian were expected to come over to Rose Cottage for supper. Janet was to cook the turkey, Felicity worked on one of her famous cherry pies, and Hetty and Rachel Lynde made potatoes, cranberry sauce, and a fruitcake. In Hetty's mind, it was her "duty" to make sure to give her future relatives a dinner to remember. While the King and Pettibone dinner would take place at Rose Cottage, Felix and Izzy would not attend; they would eat a much smaller and much more quiet dinner at her house. They decided that the other gathering would provide Felix's family the chance to get to know Izzy's family (especially her aunt Lillian) better.
When Felix and Izzy announced their decision to dine alone, Cecily and Daniel weren't surprised a bit. Neither were Alec and Janet, but they did have questions. "It's a family dinner, you two," Alec told them. "Both of you should be there. Why won't you go?"
"Because you all would get to know my family for yourselves," replied Izzy. "Besides, Felix and I would just be in the way, taking up needed space."
"You'll have two less mouths to feed, too," Felix added. "Besides, I think there will be at least one person who will be willing to eat mine and Izzy's portions."
Alec and Janet laughed. They both knew Felix was referring to Felicity and her voracious appetite. Finally, Janet told her son and future daughter-in-law, "You do have a point. Go on and enjoy your time alone tonight."
"Thank you, Mother."
Both dinners went on without a hitch. Plus, Felix was right. Felicity managed to eat quite a lot. At one point during the King/Pettibone dinner, she topped a slice of her pie with some cranberry sauce and ate it...without a fork! Lillian observed Felicity's crazy behavior and laughed uncontrollably, as did everyone else--even Gus and Felicity themselves. Later, after everyone went home and the dishes were cleaned, Cecily told Felix about what happened, and he laughed as if there was no tomorrow!
* * * * *
(Thursday - two days to go)
This was the day Felix and Izzy both looked forward to and dreaded. Today they, along with other family members, would be cleaning up Golden Milestone to make it liveable again. They looked forward to it because it would finally feel like Golden Milestone was indeed theirs. However, they dreaded it, because it hadn't been lived in for almost three years, and Felix and Izzy weren't sure what condition the house would be in. It was as if they were going at the house blind, not knowing what would happen or what they would face.
Felix and Izzy arrived that morning, along with Muriel, Lillian, Hetty, Rachel, Olivia, Janet, Sara, Dora, Belle-Marie, and Felicity (despite much protest). They eventually began to attack the house from every corner, two people in each room. Felix and Izzy worked in the dining room; Hetty and Rachel worked in the parlor; Muriel and Lillian cleaned the kitchen; Olivia and Janet tackled Montgomery's old bedroom; Dora and Belle-Marie took all the sheets covering the furniture, as well as the curtains, and washed those; and Sara and Felicity decided to clean the most important room in the house--the master bedroom. They seemed to have the most fun doing so, too.
"Now, we've got to make this room perfect for Felix and Izzy," Sara told her expectant cousin. "I mean, some of their most important moments will occur in here."
"Sara!" Felicity exclaimed. Then, in a softer voice, she added, "You do have a point, though."
They laughed hysterically, then collected themselves and began the task at hand. A couple of hours later, the house was completely spotless. To celebrate, everyone shared a picnic lunch, prepared by each of them, except Felix made a lunch for both himself and Izzy. Golden Milestone was a home again!
* * * * *
(Friday - one day to go!)
Friday was a hectic day for everyone. Cecily had taken the day off from work, so Janet and Felicity could put the finishing touches on her maid of honor dress. She was relieved to be home for once, instead of taking and delivering telegrams for the War Office. Janet was about to finish off her sleeves when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Felicity said. She was in need of a break anyway.
Felicity walked to the door and opened it, stunned to see who was standing on the other side. It was a male in his early twenties, dressed in an Army uniform, with a thick wool sock on his left foot, and leaning on crutches for support. "Peter?!" Felicity exclaimed.
"Sssssh," he said, putting a finger to his lips. "Is Cecily here?"
"Yeah; she's inside. Come on in."
Peter limped into the foyer, while Felicity went into the parlor to fetch Cecily. "Someone's here to see you," she told her younger sister.
She directed Cecily into the foyer, excited. Once Cecily saw Peter's face, she rushed over to him and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you're home," she told her true love, almost in tears.
"Me too. I hope I don't have to go back over there," he said.
"I hope not, either."
Cecily escorted Peter into the parlor. Janet looked up from where she was and saw him, recalling Christmas Eve, when Felix came home from the horrors of war. She walked over to him and gave him a hug as well, saying, "Welcome home, Peter."
"It's good to be home," he returned.
"You're home just in time, too," began Cecily. "Felix and Izzy are getting married tomorrow, of course. I'm the maid of honor."
"Yeah. It is about time, too."
"That's what we all said. Well, Mother didn't take the news well at first, but they convinced her that they were doing the right thing. Nearly everyone has come back for the wedding--Gus Pike, the Pettibones, Izzy's aunt Lillian, Aunt Olivia and her children, Dora Keith, and Belle-Marie and her new husband."
"Who isn't coming?"
"Uncle Jasper couldn't make it. Izzy's brother Arthur will be back either tonight or tomorrow morning. Belle-Marie's sister Callie will be here, too."
"What about Morgan, Izzy's other brother?"
"He was killed four months ago. Izzy took it kind of hard. We're thinking of lighting a candle for him and Elbert at the wedding."
"That would be nice."
Cecily motioned to one of the rocking chairs near her. "Have a seat. Mother has to finish my dress."
"I do, too!" Felicity interjected.
"No; you're going to take a break," Janet instructed while Peter sat down, laughing.
* * * * *
That afternoon, Felix had lunch with Gus and Felicity.; Both the King and the Pettibone families, being somewhat superstitious, forbade Felix and Izzy to see each other that day, as it was "bad luck." After lunch, Felix went for a long walk down the road, reflecting on the last twenty years of his life--the ups and downs, the comings and goings, the laughter and tears. He also wondered what the next twenty years had in store for him as a married man. Soon enough, he found himself at the lighthouse. He decided to go inside and rewrite his vows to Izzy; somehow, what he had written earlier in the week didn't seem right anymore. Nearly three hours later, Felix was finished and was satisfied. He folded up the piece of paper he used, put it in his pocket, and went to King Farm.
* * * * *
Izzy sat in the store sipping a soda and reading her vows to Felix. To her, even now they seemed all wrong. She ripped out a couple of fresh sheets from her notebook and began to write. She stayed there and wrote until the early part of the evening. After she finished, she walked back to her house and up to her room, where she remained until it was time for supper--her last one as a single woman.
* * * * *
Late that night, after his stag party, Felix sat on the veranda of Golden Milestone, thinking about what would happen the next day. It was almost hard to believe that after tomorrow, he would no longer be a single man. He wasn't phased, just stunned that the past week went by so quickly. Felix was smiling; he was marrying Izzy tomorrow, and he didn't regret that decision for one minute. After a few more minutes of reflection, Felix went inside to go to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a very big day.
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