Chapter 15 - A New Woman
Corrine was eager to have her sexual reassignment surgery but realized she might have to be off work for six to eight weeks. She confided with Larry and Schaundra and both felt that they could cover for her absence in late summer, when there was a lull just after they had completed setting up for their winter fashion productions. It was a time, too, when women rarely came in for having custom dresses ordered.

In mid-July, she and her mother flew to Arizona for her surgery at a nationally known clinic, where she stayed for two weeks. Debbie could only stay with her daughter for a few days, since she had to return because of demands at the salon. Four days after the surgery, Corrine was moved to a motel for the last ten days of her recovery period. Several days after she moved to the motel, Maureen arrived to provide moral and other support. By the time of her surgery, she had lived nearly two years as a woman on a full-time basis and had never been happier. With the surgery, it meant that she was a woman in virtually every sense – except, of course, she could never be a mother. The pain she began experiencing once the anesthesia had worn off was excruciating at first, but she knew it would pass eventually. She couldn't wait to experience the joy of a man finding her vagina and to share in the ecstasy of their orgasms.

She imagined that that man would be Adam. It was a foolish thought, she knew. The two hadn’t talked or even shared an email since their April phone conversation; thoughts about Adam kept lingering, haunting her constantly.

Her surgery had been done in a clinic that specialized in both male-to-female and female-to-male sexual reassignment surgeries. The clinic had booked a set of special rooms in one wing of the motel where there were about a dozen other recovering patients. While she was there, the others were all male-to-female patients. Except for a petite Korean girl who was nineteen, Corrine was the youngest. Most were in the late twenties or early thirties, but there were a few older girls including one who admitted to being nearly sixty. The setting encouraged interaction among the patients and Corrine shared experiences with several of the girls during informal get-togethers in a common room and on a patio in the evening when the temperature cooled enough to emerge from the air-conditioning.

“Corrine, dear, I think you’ll have another customer wanting a wedding dress,” Debbie told her daughter on the first night after entering the motel. They were in the patio, Corrine in a wheelchair and her mother on a park bench.

“Oh, who?”

“Me,” Debbie said. “Michael’s asked me to marry him.”

“Mom, I’m so thrilled. He’s such a dear.”

Corrine knew her mother had gone out a few times with Michael, who was a local plumbing contractor. The man was a widower with two teenage daughters; Corrine liked the man, but hardly considered him the kind of man she thought her mother would be attracted to. Michael had large, rough hands and his wardrobe appeared to consist only of jeans, tee shirts and workshirts. Her mother was also tastefully groomed.

“Is he really your type, mom?” she asked.

“I know you don’t know him too well, Corrine, but he’s really a kind man and he’s also very smart,” Debbie said.

She smiled. She could see her mother was happy with her decision; Corrine thought it best not to question the marriage anymore, but to share in the joy her mother obviously felt.

“Mom, you’ve made be doubly happy.”

“Why honey?”

“First because this week I became a woman and then because of your news. I can’t wait to design your wedding dress,” Corrine said, beginning to cry. She was so happy.

*****
While she was recovering from the operation in Arizona, Corrine and Helen Comstock talked often at night by phone, sometimes even by Skype. She learned that Helen’s boyfriend, Lionel, and Adam had been communicating regularly and had gone so far as to set up a work plan to develop the furniture company they had both discussed informally. The plan was to have the wood cut and formed into pieces in Pine Valley and then shipped for assembly to an urban center for assembly. Milwaukee was tentatively chosen for the assembly plant.

“Adam was in Milwaukee this week, and he was hoping you’d be here,” Helen said

“So?” Corrine replied as if the news was of no interest to her. Of course, it was; her heart skipped a beat. “We’re no longer seeing each other, you know.”

“You two still care about each other, though, I know that, too,” Helen said.

“Let’s forget it, OK? What was he doing in Milwaukee?”

“I guess he’s been meeting with some people along with Jason Penney and your business partner, Larry Wilkins, seeking funding for their business,” Helen said.

“Do you think it’s feasible? Seems quite a leap for someone as young as Lionel.”

Helen laughed. “He’s a few months older than you, and look what you’ve done.”

“Well, that’s nice,” Corrine said. “I’m happy for both of them.”

The conversation with Helen was unsettling. She was hoping to get Adam out of her mind; now she heard he was thinking of doing more in Milwaukee. She wondered why Amy never said anything; maybe she thought it was just a pipe dream never to come to fruition and not worth mentioning.

But Adam, coming to Milwaukee! She cried herself to sleep that night, suddenly feeling a desire she felt she’d never be able to satisfy.

*****
Once she returned home and the surgery had healed sufficiently, Corrine continued using a dilator to keep her new vaginal tract open and receptive. Even though she was told not to expect to have an orgasm through the use of the dilator, she worried that she might not ever have one. The doctor had used tissue from her penis to create her new sexual organ and since she had never experienced a complete ejaculation as a male she wondered whether her new female organ would be sensitive enough for her to orgasm.

"Maureen, I want so bad to experience what real girls do," she exclaimed, after confessing her concerns.

"You will, Corrine, and it’s the greatest feeling for a woman," Maureen said. The girl was obviously speaking from experience, having developed an intimate relationship with Dontell Means, Shaundra's son, who was in the university and whom she met when the young man began working part-time for Creations. Maureen’s closeness to Dontell came as a surprise; at first Corrine felt her friend would be intimate with Larry, but that seemed to fizzle after a few dates.

"I guess I'll have to find a boyfriend," Corrine said, seeking to put a light touch on the comment.

"It's not like you haven't been given plenty of opportunities," Maureen said. "Seems like some guy is always chatting you up, trying to get you to date. Why not give in now?"

"I might if the right man came around, besides you know how busy I am here."

"That's just an excuse. I think you're still pining for Adam. You know full well that you're destined to be with him. Remember, you agreed with him when he said the relationship wouldn’t work. Am I right?”

Corrine nodded. It was true. Adam was out of her life.

*****
Her long estrangement from Adam didn’t interfere with Corrine’s close friendship with his sister, Amy. The two continued to live together in the upper flat in Riverwest, but they rarely found many opportunities to talk due to their busy schedules. They took time, however, for get-togethers, sometimes at the Wine and Dessert place in the early evening hours and at other times at the Colectivo Coffee place on the lakefront. Every so often Maureen joined them as well. Try as they might to avoid the subject, they ended up discussing each other’s men friends.

Amy began wondering if she and her boyfriend, Josh, had a future together. She admitted the couple were having their ups and downs. Both, it seemed, were headstrong and found compromise difficult.

“I tried avoiding him, but then I miss him so much,” Amy said, almost coming to tears as the three young women gathered at Wine and Dessert for one of their rare outings together. Until the last few weeks, Josh had slept with Amy at the flat almost nightly; more recently, he had stayed over only about once a week and then Corrine would hear their angry retorts.

“Then you kiss and make up, right?” Maureen concluded, stating it more as a fact than a question.

Amy giggled, nodding in agreement. Hoping to change the subject, she asked Maureen, “And how are you and Dontell getting along?”

“Great,” Maureen said enthusiastically. “Except that his mom and my dad aren’t too pleased.”

“I sensed that,” Corrine said.

“And it’s strange, but it’s race,” Maureen said simply.

Corrine nodded. She knew Dontell’s mother, Shaundra, was a traditionalist when it came to racial issues involving family. She was deeply committed to her church and to the belief that Dontell likely wouldn’t be happy with a Caucasian wife.

“And my dad surprised me,” Maureen said. “He and mom have always preached that we should treat everyone the same, regardless of race. And now, he’s worried that I’m in love with the boy who might not have a good future.”

“Oh my God, Dontell’s smart as they come and he’s so good looking,” Corrine said.

“What are you going to do, Maureen?” Amy asked.

“Dontell and I are committed to each other, in spite of our parents.”

“Good. Both your dad and Shaundra are good people and they’ll soon understand,” Corrine said.

There was a pause in the conversation as the three sat on stools surrounding the round table sipping their chardonnay and taking small bites of the rich carrot cake the three were sharing. Amy looked at Corrine and began to speak, but then cut her sentence short, as if reconsidering the wisdom of her comment.

“What?” Corrine asked.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t be silly, Amy. You were going to say something about Adam, weren’t you?”

Amy paused and then said, “I guess I was. He’s miserable, Corrine.”

“About what? I thought he had a girlfriend. Besides why should I care?”

“Oh hell, Corrine. He’s still in love with you,” Amy’s words burst out.

“You know we broke off our relationship months ago,” Corrine reminded her friend.

“And you agreed to it, Corrine.”

“Yes, because I thought it best for him to have a real woman.”

“Well, you’re a woman now, aren’t you?”

“Not totally,” Corrine said, her voice trailing off. “I’ll never give him any children, and I know Adam wants a family and he deserves that.”

“He’s still in love with you Corrine, just as you are with him,” Amy said.

Amy turned to take a bite of the carrot cake, savoring its smooth cream cheese frosting and moist flavor. Corrine took a sip of wine and remained silent.

“He’s coming down Thanksgiving Week and he’d like to see you then, Corrine,” Amy said.

“That’s deer hunting week,” Corrine said. “Why would he miss hunting season?”

“Because he wants to see you, even more than getting a buck,” Amy said.

“That’s got to be true love,” Maureen said.

“Yeah, he’s never missed deer-hunting season since he turned 12,” Amy said, smiling.

Corrine looked up from the cake on the plate before her. Both her friends looked closely at her and saw the tears flowing down her face.

*****
Corrine shivered as she and Amy walked to their car to drive home to their Riverwest flat. It was a chilly night, but Corrine realized it wasn’t the cold that brought on the shivers, but the news that Adam was planning to spend a whole week in Milwaukee.

“You mean he’s coming down here just for me, Amy?” she asked shakily through chattering teeth.

“Well, he also is meeting with Maureen’s dad and Larry, as well as Lionel, on their plan for a furniture factory here, but, yes, he’s desperate to see you.”

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Why? For God’s sake. I know you’re in love with him,” Amy turned to her, her voice rising in anger.

“But, but, can our love last? He’ll want children.”

“Who knows what Adam wants, Corrine, except that I know he’s missed you terribly. Dammit, both of you are miserable without each other. Now, let’s get in the car and turn the heater up.”

The two young women slept together in Corrine’s bed that night, as they often did when they were home alone. Amy drew Corrine to her, engulfing the slender soft body of her friend, kissing her hair lightly, running her fingers down the back and into Corrine’s new vagina, teasing its clitoris. Corrine responded with moans as Amy’s fingers grew moist.

“It time you put your new vagina to practical use,” Amy said softly.

“Mmmmmm,” Corrine moaned.

She was still a virgin; in the months since her operation she had used the artificial penis religiously, following the orders of the doctor who performed her sexual reassignment surgery to keep the opening wide. She wondered how it would feel to be penetrated by a man. She fell asleep in her friend’s arms, dreaming that her trek into womanhood would some day be consummated by Adam Hartmann.

*****
After some persuasion, Corrine finally gave in to her friend, “OK, if he cares to he can call me I’ll promise to at least talk to him for several minutes.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll call then,” Amy said.

“I’ll not promise to get together with him though. I’ll just let him talk for a minute or two.”

Amy smiled at hearing Corrine’s words that she’d “talk to him,” knowing full well the two former lovers would find themselves quickly in each other’s arms.

Adam called on Thursday night, exactly one week before Thanksgiving. The conversation was a brief one and a bit awkward.

“Thanks for agreeing to talk to me, Corrine,” Adam said. He spoke deliberately.

“It’s a favor to your sister who wants me to talk with you. So talk,” Corrine said coldly.

“I’m going to arrive in Milwaukee Sunday afternoon, and I guess I’ll be staying at yours and Amy’s flat, right?”

“Yes, you’ll have my bed, but without me, of course. I’m staying with mom for the week, so you have a place to stay.”

“I know. That’s so sweet of you.”

“It’s not for you, it’s for Amy,” Corrine said.

“It’s nice for you to do that. Let’s . . . ah . . . have supper together Sunday night,” he said, quickly adding. “Just for old time’s sake.”

“I’m busy,” she lied.

“Oh, I suppose you are. Well, Corrine, I do want to see you. Have time for coffee on Monday morning?”

“Maybe, call me Sunday after you get in. I’ll see if I can do that.”

“OK, I understand.”

“Bye,” she said, hanging up before he could respond.

Corrine burst into tears and ran into her room and flopped on her bed. She was still whimpering when Amy got home from her outing with her boyfriend Josh. The two apparently had settled some of their problems with each other and were again spending lots of time together. Amy was still in ecstasy over the passionate kiss she had received from Josh when she heard Corrine’s sobs. She rushed in to see what was bothering Corrine.

“What’s wrong, darling?”

“I . . . ah . . . ah . . . was mean to Adam,” Corrine said, her voice thick and hesitant. “He’ll never talk to me again.”

“Oh you silly girl,” Amy said. “You silly, silly girl. You won’t get rid of him that easily.”

“I don’t deserve him, Amy. I don’t,” she cried.

*****
“You foolish girl,” her friend Maureen exclaimed when she heard that Corrine, who had originally been excited that Adam would be in Milwaukee, had played hard-to-get with him.

Debbie Sullivan had similar comments: “You know you love him, Corrine. You’ve been miserable and you won’t seriously date anyone else.”

Always, Corrine’s answer was the same: that she felt any life-commitment with Adam might end in disaster. Once the bloom of early romance had faded the fact that she was not a naturally born female would become a barrier to the couple; Adam, she felt, would become feeling trapped in a relationship that wasn’t natural. His mother would soon yearn for grandchildren and tensions would grow between the pair. She foresaw tragedy instead of a warm, loving long-term marriage.

“I can’t figure you out Corrine,” Maureen told her as the two talked during their lunch at Corrine’s Creations. “Why are you so pessimistic when it comes to Adam and the future when you can be so optimistic about your venture with Corrine’s Creations?”

“They’re two different things, Maureen.”

“Look at the facts. Adam knows everything about you. So does his family. He’s pursuing you with his eyes wide open and he’s no dummy.”

“Oh, Maureen, I don’t want him to be unhappy.”

“Look, you’ll make him happy, dear. Believe me. You know he’s been with other women and he always comes back to you,” she said.

“And Amy said he’s been miserable without me,” Corrine said.

“Go for it, girl,” Maureen said, reaching over to hug Corrine. Both began to tear up.

*****
Was it any wonder then after days of urging from Maureen, Amy and her mother that by the time Corrine answered the phone in mid-afternoon on Sunday that she was eager to not only see Adam but to hug and kiss him with all her might?

“Corky, it’s good to hear your voice,” Adam said, his voice tentative and unsure.

“Good to hear yours, too, Adam,” Corrine replied.

“After our last call I was afraid you wouldn’t talk to me.”

“Adam, dear, I’m sorry about that. Maybe I should explain that . . .”

“No don’t darling. I know why you were so cold that night. You’re still worried about my happiness. Forget this gender thing. Please, dear Corky. You’re all girl and who knows, maybe we’ll defy science and produce a dozen lovely kids?”

“Oh Adam, I’ll never do that, you know that,” Corrine said, worried that Adam must have been concerned about not being able to father children if he and Corrine married.

“Corky, I shouldn’t have said that,” he said hurriedly. “Really, I know your situation and anyway, who knows, I might even be sterile and I couldn’t give you the seed. We’d be in the same boat. My cousin and his wife can’t have kids and they’ve adopted three and we all love them like part of the family. We can do that, too, if we want.”

“You mean that?”

“Dammit, girl. Of course, I mean that. Now I want to see you. Now, not tomorrow morning. Now,” he said firmly.

“Now?”

“Yes, now, and I don’t want any excuses that your hair’s not fixed or that you’re not dressed. I want you now.”

“Oh Adam,” she said, overwhelmed by his obvious desire.

“Look outside your front window,” he said.

“Why?”

“Just look.”

She had been in the kitchen when she got his call. She rushed to the front window, past her mother who was reading the Sunday paper. She saw Adam’s pickup truck, all shiny, parked in front of her neighbor’s house.

“Oh my God,” she said. “Adam, you’re here.”

“The truck didn’t drive itself,” he teased.

“But you can’t come in now. I look like hell,” she said, looking quickly in the mirror, horrified by her straggly, ratted hair, her pale face and the torn sweatshirt she was wearing.

“You’ll look lovely. Now I’m headed up to the house. You better open up, or else I make such a fuss that your nosey neighbor, what’s her name, Poplawski? will have lots to gossip about.”

Corrine ended the phone call and turned to her mother. “Mom, Adam’s coming up the walk. I gotta get dressed. You answer the door.”

“No, dear, you answer the door. The last person he wants to see is me,” Debbie Sullivan said, rising from the chair and heading back to the kitchen.

*****
Corrine knew the moment she saw Adam that she’d lose her resolve to reject any idea of resuming their relationship. She welcomed his open arms as he stood at the door. He was not wearing a coat to ward off the late November chill.

“This feel so good, Corky,” he said, smothering his face into her hair.

“Oh Adam, I’ve missed this so much,” she said, lifting her face up to await his kiss.

“Shouldn’t we go inside? The neighbors?”

“Fuck the neighbors,” she responded him, smothering him with kisses. Slowly they moved inside where they held their hug for several minutes.

“I’ve never heard you swear before,” Adam said as they finally broke their embrace.

She blushed. “It’s just that I’m finally believing in myself, in who I am, and anyone who doesn’t like it can go to . . . ah . . . ah . . . hades, for all I care.”

“My, my. The shy little girl emerges,” he teased.

“I feel so complete now, Adam, and I finally like myself,” she said.

“Aren’t you the same person you’ve always been?”

“I guess, but now I like me. What you see now is the real me.”

“Darling, you’ve always been real to me. I don’t know if we have a future together or not, but I’d like to think it’s a good possibility.”

“Oh, let’s not talk about the future just yet. It’s so good to see you again. Let’s go and say hi to mom,” she said, leading him into the kitchen.

Debbie Sullivan arose from the chair where she was doing a crossword puzzle and welcomed Adam with a warm, long hug.

“Hey, you two,” Corrine said, laughing. “Break it up.”

“I don’t know which of you two is the more beautiful,” Adam said, as they broke the hug and everyone sat down at the kitchen table.

“Isn’t he a prince?” Debbie said. “He knows the way to a mother’s heart, I see.”

“Oh mom. You can’t believe anything a man says.”

Adam laughed. “You can believe this man. I mean you’re both beautiful women.”

Corrine soon forgot her earlier reservations about refusing to meet Adam and accepted his invitation to dinner that night. She left Adam to talk with her mother while she took a quick shower and fixed herself up trying desperately to restrain herself from getting too sexy. After all, it was to be a casual outing. After nearly an hour, she emerged wearing a pair of tight-fitting burgundy skinny jeans and a long-sleeved pull-over blouse with ruffles and a scooped bodice. She had brushed her hair so that it hung loosely and she wore a pair of low-heeled black ankle-high boots. She wore light makeup.

Nonetheless, Adam Hartmann gushed over her as she entered the kitchen. She began to think that whatever rags she might wear wouldn’t be enough to ward off this logger from the North.

“Your mother said she’s going to be sleeping over tonight with Michael,” Adam informed her.

Corrine looked angrily at her mother. “You shouldn’t do that mom,” she scolded.

“Why? Because Michael and I haven’t tied the knot yet? Since when have you gotten so Victorian?”

“Mom. Adam’s going to sleep at our apartment with Amy. I’ll be here alone.”

“No you won’t be,” Debbie Sullivan smiled, winking at Adam.

“What have you two cooked up?” Corrine demanded.

The doorbell rang, interrupting the conversation. Corrine ran to get it and was surprised to see her mother’s boyfriend, Michael Gruen, at the door. She liked Michael; he was tall, well-built and handsome. His hands were rough to the touch, obviously due to his plumber’s trade. He wore a bright green and gold jacket with a “G” emblazoned on the front, signifying his allegiance to the Green Bay Packers. Men and women in such jackets were a common sight in the area.

“I’ve come to pick up your mother,” he announced.

“I know. Come on in, I want you to meet someone.”

Michael and Adam quickly moved into a conversation about the Packers’ victory earlier in the afternoon. Adam had listened to the game on the radio while driving and Michael was excitedly giving his analysis of the game, including some indignation over several of the failures of the Packers offense. Adam argued some of the points with Michael, but both men seemed to be enjoying the repartee. Corrine and her mother merely listened. Corrine had never liked football; it was too violent, she thought. Maybe she’d have to learn to like the game, she realized.

*****
Corrine and Adam dined at one of the posh supper clubs in the area, located on the first floor of an art deco apartment building populated by some of the community’s wealthiest and most prestigious citizens. The attendants looked askance when Adam drove up in a pickup truck that showed all signs of being a working truck; they were used to the spiffed-up Mercedes and BMWs, Lincolns and Cadillacs.

They were shown to a quiet booth; both ate light dinners and eschewed any cocktails, opting for a bottle of domestic pinot grigio, which they sipped sparingly. Instead, they talked and talked. They had lots to catch up on, having not conversed for seven months.

They consummated their relationship that night in Corrine’s bed in her mother’s simple home on Dover Street. It was everything and more of what Corrine hoped it would be. Best of all, she felt Adam seemed to be satisfied with her performance in bed. It may have been Corrine’s first sexual encounter, but it had been more than satisfying for her partner. For Corrine she never knew the heaven of a male penis penetrating her could be so lovely. She experienced noisy orgasms three times.

An exhausted Adam whispered into her ear, “Hope you didn’t wake up Mrs. Poplawski with your screams.”

“It’s Polakowski. But fuck her anyway.”

“I love you, Corrine.”

“I love you, Adam. Forever.”

They awoke in each other’s arms the next morning.

*****
Two months later in mid-January, Adam signed an agreement with Larry Wilkins’ organization, Sojourner Enterprises, to develop the Milwaukee assembly plant for the Hartmann Furniture Co. of Pine Valley, Wisconsin. Funding had been arranged through the efforts of Jason Penney and a major area bank, with assured promises from city and federal officials for low-interest loans. Maureen’s boyfriend, Lionel, was retained as general manager of the plant. The assembly would be in an empty rambling two-story factory building along the Thirtieth Street Corridor, an area that once thrived with industry but was now acres of rusting fences, decaying buildings, weeds and discarded liquor bottles and used condoms. The new company pledged to emphasize the hiring of area residents, the creation of a training program and the spirit of community involvement.

“New furniture factory spurs hope for depressed neighborhood” headlined the local newspaper in announcing the agreement.

With the deal settled, Adam announced he would be living nearly full-time in Milwaukee; his brother Aaron would run the business from Pine Valley.

Meanwhile, Corrine’s Creations continued to grow, mainly due to the demand for its off-the-rack clothing that was gaining popularity nationally. The custom dress business grew as well, but more slowly and the company was considering opening a shop in Chicago’s posh N. Michigan Ave. area. Corrine and Larry faced a major decision in January; they were approached by the nation’s second largest big box store chain with an offer that the firm become the exclusive supplier of upscale female clothing. It was a tempting offer, full of promise to make Corrine Sullivan a household name since she would be used in all their advertising.

“You’ll become the new Martha Stewart,” the chain’s CEO predicted.

When it became apparent that Corrine’s Creations goods could not be marketed in any other store but those of the chain, both Larry and Corrine became wary. In consultation with Jason Penney, they were convinced their concern was warranted.

It was Adam, however, who produced the most convincing argument. “You don’t want to become a captive supplier to one company; they’ll soon dictate how you do everything. Besides, Corrine, I think with all that national publicity, we’ll have less time together.”

“We’ve got a good thing going here, Corrine,” Larry told her. The deal was never made.

*****
Corrine Sullivan and Adam Hartmann were married the following April, a week after Easter in a civil ceremony held at a park pavilion along Lake Michigan. More than 200 guests joined the happy couple for the late afternoon ceremony and reception that followed. The couple struggled to limit the event to immediate friends, but Corrine had established such a following from her hairdressing times at her mother’s salon, her school friends and her colleagues from Corrine’s Creations that the invitation list swelled to create a crowd of well-wishers that filled the pavilion to body-squeezing capacity. Corrine felt badly, since Adam’s family and friends were sadly outnumbered.

“Maybe we should have been married in Pine Valley,” she said as they greeted friends at the event.

“No, dear. It’s the bride’s place, you know, and besides your mother and you covered the costs of this reception. I thought we should have just gone off on our own to get married.”

“I know. I love you so. Soon we’ll be able to blow this party, though.”

The marriage ceremony and the reception actually turned out marvelously. Everyone seemed to have a good time and, except for Amy’s boyfriend, Josh, no one seemed to get drunk.

Amy Hartmann was Corrine’s maid of honor and the bridesmaids were Maureen Penney and Helen Comstock. Aaron Hartmann was his brother’s best man and the other attendees were Lionel Higgins and Larry Wilkins. Corrine had questioned Adam about choosing Aaron, due to the brother’s apparent dislike of Corrine.

“Darling, he’s come to love you, really,” Adam assured her.

At the previous night’s rehearsal dinner, Aaron had drawn Corrine aside and given her a brotherly hug. “I’ve learned what Adam has found makes him love you so much. It’s your generosity and your honesty more than it’s your loveliness. You’re so real to him. I’m sorry I was mean to you, and I wish you both a long, happy marriage.”

Corrine stood on her toes to kiss Aaron.

As dusk was descending on their wedding night, the newlyweds left the reception in Adam’s pickup truck, heavily festooned with graffiti (Adam swore he’d get whoever planned the “decorations”). They had also tied tin cans on the back that rattled down city streets. Other wedding party cars followed them, honking their horns. The couple was not headed far; their first night as a married couple would be spent at the city’s most prestigious hotel, just four miles away.

The entourage was stopped within a mile by the police. They were violating noise restrictions and with the cans rattling on the street behind them they were breaking a city ordinance.

A police sergeant told Adam, “We’ll let you go if you untie the cans and no more horn-honking. Plus I have one more condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That we can both kiss the bride,” the sergeant said, smiling.

“It’s a deal, but your kiss can last no more than five seconds,” Adam replied, laughing.

“Let ‘em do ten seconds,” Corrine said, laughing.

“No way.”

The officers smiled warmly, and both gave light pecks on Corrine’s cheek.

“We wish you both a long, happy marriage,” the sergeant said.

“We will, we will,” Adam and Corrine said together.

(Note: Corrine and Adam’s future rests in the reader’s imagination, as does the future of their two business ventures. Credit must go to Eric, whose proofreading and suggestions were helpful and invaluable. The author greatly appreciates hearing from you the reader as to how well you enjoyed this story, including any comments or criticisms.)