The girls, Maria, Amy, and Kelly, had started planning for Maria’s wedding this coming summer. They had firmed up a date of the second Saturday in July, July 9, at the local Catholic church.

Then Amy had found out that she could do her clinicals next summer at any teaching hospital that would accept her. This just might make things a little interesting.

When Amy was telling me what she’d found out about doing her clinicals, I saw a gleam in her eyes. I knew what she was thinking. So I asked, “You’re thinking about Albuquerque. Aren’t you?”

“How did you know?”

“I saw that gleam in your eyes.”

“Could we do it?”

“Maybe. But what about Maria’s wedding?”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“A big oh when you're the Maid of Honor.”

“Matron of Honor. I’m married,”

“Okay, Matron of Honor. But wouldn’t being in Albuquerque cause a problem.”

“Hmm. I’ve got to think about this.”

“I’m not missing that wedding.”

“I know, being Mark’s Best Man you can’t.”

“Just like you can’t.”

“I don’t know why I’m worried about it. I don’t even know if they would accept me to do my clinicals out there.”

“Can you find out?”

“I guess I could write them.”

“Do you still have the stuff that the woman at the nursing school in New Mexico gave you?”

“If you mean Mrs. Etsitty. Yes, I have it all.”

“Did she give you her business card?”

“Yes.”

“Call her.”

“Call her. Why?”

“To let them know that you might like to go there for your summer clinicals. And find out if they would allow it.”

“Good idea. I’ll give her a call tomorrow when we get home.”

When we arrived home the next day after classes, I didn’t have to remind Amy to call Mrs. Etsitty. We went to our room, she took out the business card, and made the call.

The conversation on Amy’s side went something like this. “Hello. This is Amy Young. Could I please speak with Mrs. Etsitty.” … “Yes, it’s about your nursing program.” … “Okay, I’ll hold.”

A minute later Amy said, “Hello Mrs. Etsitty. I don’t know if you remember me. But my name is Amy Young, and I stopped in this past summer and talked with you about doing my masters program with you.” … “Yes.” ... “Yes.” ... “That was my friend Kai Nez that was with me.”

I rolled my eyes.

Amy continued with, “No. This isn’t about my master's program, but about my clinicals this coming summer. You see … “

I won’t bore you with the rest of it. But Mrs. Etsitty is sending Amy a registration package so that she can do her clinicals in Albuquerque this summer. And I heard Amy tell Mrs. Etsitty that she needed to be back home the second weekend in July for a few days to be in a wedding. And from what I heard, it appeared that it could be worked out. Amy also asked her about married student housing.

When Amy hung up, she was smiling. And I said, “It sounds like they do the clinicals for out of state nursing students.”

“Yeah.”, Amy said. “She remembered me. Well really me and Kai. And she said that they had married student apartments that are furnished and since most of them are unused during the summer that they allow out of state students who are attending classes to use them for just a deposit and a small weekly fee. We just need to bring our own linens and kitchen things. And since I’ll be working as a nurse for free, it’s a win-win thing for them.”

“And did I hear you say emergency room.”

“She asked me what my preference was for a department to work in.”

“And you said the E.R.”

“Of course.”

A few days later a large envelope arrived for Amy from the University of New Mexico’s School of Nursing. She had it open and was reading it in seconds. She read the cover letter, and said, “This sounds good. Mrs. Etsitty told me that they would work around the weekend in July that I, we, need to be back here. There’s also an application for admittance to the university as a transient student. And an application to do a six-week clinical experience in New Mexico. She wants me to return that as soon as I can with the fee, a copy of my university grade transcript, and some letters of recommendation.

“There’s also a summer class schedule, a list of seminars and workshops that they’re offering, and there’s another application in here if you want to take some classes?”

“I thought that I might take a couple. What kind of seminars and workshops?”

As she handed me the list, Amy said, “All kind of things.”

She looked at me, and asked, “Honey. Can we really do this?”

I looked at her, and said, “No.”

She looked at me in shock, and said, “Wh … wh … what?

I grinned, and said, “Of course we can.”

“BRAT!”

“Sorry. I just couldn’t resist.”

“You’ll pay.”

That night at dinner we told my parents about what we were thinking of doing. My mother's comment was, “If you’re going to do that I’d better step up your Navajo lessons.”

My Dad asked, “So are the two girls going?”

“I don’t know Dad. I guess I’ll have to be myself in class. But I think I’ll take Kai’s things with me.”

Amy grinned, and said, “And Ajie’s things.”

That Saturday we were having dinner with both sets of our parents, and we talked with them about what we were planning on doing. Of course, my parents knew. And my mother had this little smile on her face the whole time. And Amy’s father frowned the entire time.

Amy saw her Dad’s frown, and said, “Daddy. I know you aren’t happy about the New Mexico stuff. Just realize that it’s something that both Tom and I want. It will make me happy. And if we do move out there, you’ll have a great place to come for a vacation.”

“I’m sorry, honey.”, Amy’s dad said. “It’s just that I’m losing my little girl. She’s moving away.”

“Daddy, it will only be for a few weeks this summer.”

“I know. But once you graduate it might be for good.”

“Daddy. My plans to do my masters work in New Mexico are just that, plans. It’s not a firm plan. It’s just what we’re talking about it. And going out this summer will give me a chance to check them out.”

“I know, daughter. It’s just that my little girl has grown up so fast.”

“Daddy, I’ll always be your little girl.”

“I know.”

That night in bed, I said to Amy, “Your Dad is really having a problem with us moving away. Isn’t he?”

“It seems that way.”, Amy said. “He’s always been protective of me. Mom said that he'd get over it as long as I’m happy.”

“Are you happy?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me. I’m not happy.”

“Wh … Why?”

“Because we’re talking and not making love.”

“What!?”

A while later. Actually a long while later, Amy and I were lying looking at each other. And I asked, “You still unhappy?”

Amy smiled that contagious smile of hers, cuddled closer, and said, “Absolutely not.”

She kissed me, then asked, “Do you really think that we can do the New Mexico thing this summer?”

“Yes.”, I replied. “I think it’s doable.”

She kissed me again, turned on her other side, cuddled her back into my front, whispered, “Good night lover.”, and went to sleep.

I pulled her close, and whispered, “I love you so much. Good night.” And then I went to sleep.

Sunday after church, we were sitting down to lunch at a nice restaurant with my parents. My Dad had brought a briefcase into the restaurant. I thought it was a little strange, but didn’t think much of it.

By the time we’d finished eating the lunch crowd had cleared out, and we were the only ones sitting in our area. My Dad picked up the briefcase and set it on his lap, opened it, took out two manila file folders, placed them on the table, closed the briefcase, and set it back on the floor.

He picked up the folders, and said, “You two will be twenty-one shortly, and with you going to New Mexico for six weeks your mother and I felt that you could use some more money. So we decided to release Tom’s trust fund to him.”

“Dad.”, I asked. “Can you do that?”

“Yes. There’s a provision that allows us to do it six months in advance if we feel that it’s necessary. And we do.”

“Okay.”

Handing me one of the file folders, my Dad said, “This is a complete breakdown of your trust. It shows the initial amount, the investments, the payback of the loans that we made to you, and the current value. The first page is a summary. Tom, you and Amy take a look and then we’ll talk.”

I open the file folder on the table so that both Amy and I could look at it together. We looked at the first page. And to say the least, I was shocked. Amy and I looked at each other, then at my parents.

I asked, “Dad is this correct?”

“Yes.”, my dad said. “I found a very good financial adviser, and we worked on it together. And we picked some good growth stocks and bonds.”

Amy just looked at my parents for a minute, then said, “I don’t believe this.”

“Honey.”, my mother said. “Tom’s grandparents had enough foresight to set up these trust funds for him and his cousins. And Tom’s Dad made some smart investments.”

“Tom.”, my dad said. “I know I’ve kidded you all along about your interest in computers. But I took it to heart and invested some of the money in one of the better companies. So far the stock has split twice.”

“Split? What’s that?”, I asked.

“If I understand it correctly when the stock value gets too high a company will split their stock, it makes the stock more accessible to investors. The first time this stock split was two years ago, it was a five for four split.”

“Five for four. What’s that mean?”

“It means for every four shares of stock you owned you received five shares. Let's say you had one-thousand shares before the split. After the split, you would have one-thousand-two-hundred-and-fifty shares.

“And this stock just did another split a short time ago. A three for two split. Which means that the one-thousand-two-hundred-and-fifty shares are now eighteen-hundred-and-seventy-five shares.”

“That stock increased in value that fast?”

“Yes. And my investment guy has told me that he thinks that it will split again.”

“Which stock was it?”

“Look at the top of the fourth page. It begins with an ‘I.’”

I looked at the top of the fourth page and said, “Really!?”

“Really what?”, my Dad asked.

“I own stock in this company?”

“Yes.”

I just sat back and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

Then my Dad said, “I’d suggest that you leave most of the investments as they are. And we’ll set up a meeting with my guy so that he can go over everything in detail with you and Amy. And like I said they’re set up in growth stocks and bonds. Currently, most are all set up to reinvest the earnings. A few are set up to put the earnings into a savings account. There are a couple that my guy said that we could change into paying you the earnings directly so you could deposit them into your checking account. But we can look at that later.”

“Dad.”, I said. “I … I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything. Your grandparents had some foresight and did a nice thing for you and your cousins. And I just tried to make it better.

“And I have some papers for you and Amy to sign.”

"I wish I'd known Grandma and Grandpa Young.", I said sadly.

"You didn't know them?", Amy asked.

"No. They died when I was only one."

Later that same day Amy and I were headed to Amy’s parent’s house for dinner. Amy had been quiet since lunch and the talk with my parents. On the way to her parents, she asked, “Was I dreaming or did what happened at lunch really happen?”

“It happened.”, I replied.

“And that money is all yours?”

“No. It’s ours.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’re my wife. Aren’t you?”

“That’s not a dream too. Is it?”

“No babe. You’re stuck with me.”

“I think it would be best if we keep this to ourselves.”

“What? That we’re married.”

“Brat. No. The money.”

“Not even your parents?”

“No. Lets keep this between your parents and us.”

“Fine by me.”

Later that night as we were lying in bed, I said, “You know if they accept you to do your clinicals in New Mexico, which I have no doubt that they will. We’ll need some transportation while we’re out there. I don’t want to drive the ‘57 Chevy out there, and the other car is on its last legs and needs to be replaced.”

“Do you want to buy a car out there?”, Amy asked.

“We could do that. And drive it back. Or buy one here and drive out.”

“We could take more stuff with us if we drove out.”

“Yeah. And have to bring it back.”

“I’d bet your Uncle Paul would know of someone we could get a car from out there.”

“No bet. He’ll know.”

Monday evening was the usual get together of the gang of six. The girls to plan the wedding and the guys to hide. We usually met at a favorite place to eat dinner then go to Maria’s house afterward. And this evening was no exception.

As we were eating, Amy said, “Guys we have something to tell you.”

Now it was Kelly’s turn to say, “You’re pregnant.”

Amy shook her head, and said, “No. I’m not pregnant.

“But, we may be going to New Mexico right after school is out this spring.”

“What! Why?”, Maria said. “You’ll be back in time for the wedding. Won’t you?”

“Maria, honey. Don’t worry. Neither of us would miss your wedding. But, if we go, it will be for six weeks.”

“Six weeks! Why?”

“I have to do clinicals again this summer. And I can do it at any hospital that is a teaching hospital. And University of New Mexico’s hospital in Albuquerque is. And also I want to check it out to see what they are like for my masters.

“And neither of these are a sure thing. Tom and I are both going to apply for admittance as transient students for this summer. If both of us aren’t accepted neither of us is going.”

I looked at Amy a little puzzled. We’d never talked about that.

Amy continued with, “With my masters, I still want to check them out further.

“And with the wedding, if we go to New Mexico, we’ll be back before the wedding. I’ve already talked to the university about it.”

After we’d finished dinner, we headed to Maria’s house to work on the wedding. Luckily it was going to be a small wedding. Hopefully, it wouldn’t turn out like Amys and my small wedding with almost one-hundred-and-fifty people. Maria already had her dress, as did the bride’s maids. And the reception was going to be in the church hall. The invitations had been sent out. The cake and flowers ordered. So basically everything was done. And these get-togethers were more of just a fun thing.

Tonight we got talking about where they were going on their honeymoon. Maria said that Mark’s parents offered them plane tickets to anywhere within the United States. But being poor college students, they couldn’t afford much. And I knew that Maria’s parents had money problems. And Maria and Mark were paying for most of the wedding.

I saw a twinkle in Amy’s eyes, and I knew she was planning something.

Later, on the way home, I asked Amy, “Why did you say that if only one of us was accepted at the university that we weren’t going?”

“We aren’t are we?”

“Why not? At least if I’m not accepted, and you are, we’re going.”

“What if it’s the other way around?”

“I guess we’d just go out after you finished your clinicals here.”

“So, no matter what, we’re going to New Mexico this summer?”

“Is there any doubt.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. But I also figure we will be going out for at least your clinicals.”

“But you’ll be bored while I’m at the hospital.”

“Honey, I’ll be with you the rest of the time. Now, what are you planning?”

“You’re sweet. Planning? I’m not planning anything.”

“I saw that twinkle in your eyes when you were talking to Maria about going on a honeymoon. Your planning something.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Are.”

“Aren’t.”

“Okay. Just keep it a secret.”

We finished the drive home in silence. As we walked into the house, Amy turned to kiss me, I stopped her, and said, “Not until you tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“What you’re planning?”

“Oh. Okay. Maria has done a lot for us. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think we could do something nice for Maria and Mark?”

“Like what?”

“Give them a couple of days at the resort.”

“You think?”

“It would be nice.”

“I know.”

“Could we?”

“I’ll talk to my Aunt Ruth. How long of a stay do you think?”

“Maybe a couple of nights.”

“Okay.”

I picked up the phone in the kitchen and called my Aunt Ruth Uncle Paul’s house. And when my aunt answered, I said, “Hello, Aunt Ruth. It’s Tom.”

I then went on to explain what Amy and I wanted to do for Maria and Mark and when. And my aunt told me that it was doable. Then I let something slip, when I said, “They’ll probably fly back out with us on the Sunday after the wedding, and we’ll drive them to the resort.”

“Tom.”, my aunt said. “What do you mean fly back out with you?”

“Oh. Ah. It’s not for sure yet. But Amy may be doing her clinicals this next summer in Albuquerque. And if she is, we’ll be flying back home for the wedding and then coming back on the following Sunday.”

“So, tell me about this plan of yours?”

I went on to tell my aunt about what we might be doing.

When I finished, she said, “You will be coming to the barbecues. Won’t you?”

“Aunt Ruth. If Amy isn’t at the hospital, we will.”

“You’d better. And I’ll get your Uncle Paul working on finding you a car.”

“Whoa. Let's don’t get too far ahead of things. Let's wait until we know for sure that we’re coming out.”

“Okay, Tom. But this is exciting.”

“I know. But make the reservations in the name of our friends, Maria and Mark Roberts. And send everything to us, and I’ll get a check to you. Also we want you to let them have anything they want and send us the bill. And keep our possible plans of coming out for six weeks quiet until we know for sure.”

“I’ll do that Tom. Give everyone our love.”

“I’ll do that Aunt Ruth. And you give everyone out there our love too. So long.”

I looked at Amy, and said, “Well that’s taken care of.”

“What did you do?”, Amy asked.

“They have a three-night wedding special, so I got that. And Aunt Ruth is sending us all the stuff including a certificate to give to Maria and Mark.”

“Now, what did you mean when you said, ‘If Amy isn’t at the hospital, we will?’”

“The barbecues.”

“We’d better make it to a couple of those while we’re there. And you can go if I can’t.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I’m not going without you.”

She smiled, and said, “You’re so sweet.”

Amy spent the rest of week gathering together copies of our college transcripts and letters of recommendation for herself. And we both filled out the transient student registration applications.

Then on Friday when Amy and I got together to come home from school, she was very quiet. She had something on her mind.

She was quiet all the way home, and when we got there, she took my hand, and said, “Tommy. Lets go sit in the porch.”

She led me out onto to porch and to the glider. We sat and cuddled for a little while, finally Amy said, “Tommy. Honey. You’re going to hate me.”

“Never.”, I said.

“Yes you will.”

“Why?”

“I …