First Class Voyage (First Class Novels – A Contemporary Romance Series) (12 page)

“Plus,” he added, “We are docked here for two days so
tomorrow we could drive out of the city and explore.”

“I’ll go anywhere or nowhere, just as long as I’m with you.”

*****

Matt and Janie each pushed a stroller along the streets of
San Juan.

“I wish we’d just brought the double stroller,” Janie
muttered as she navigated her way through the throng of pedestrians.

“I asked!”

“I know. It was my idea. But I wanted to be able to take
Ella out and leave the baby with Mom, so I figured two would be better.”

They stopped at a small café and settled in for lunch.

“What is it?” Janie asked after watching her husband for
several minutes.

“Huh?”

“Your forehead is wrinkled. You obviously have something on
your mind.”

“It’s Paul. He has a big decision to make and I can’t help
him with it. Nobody can. He has to do it on his own.”

“Is it about the Navy?”

“Yeah. He really wants to get married but he won’t while
he’s still a Seal.”

“I wouldn’t want to be married to a Seal,” Janie frowned.
“That would be so hard. I’m glad you’re biggest threat is a paper cut,” she
grinned. “Hopefully he can figure out wants he wants the most.”

*****

The ‘Museo de Arte e Historia San Juan’ was the next stop of
Katy’s tour of the city.

“A couple of hundred years ago this used to be the main
market place for the city,” Mark told Katy as they walked through the galleries
housing local art. They toured the halls and appreciated all the color in the
paintings and unique sculptures.

They didn’t stay long and headed back out to the street. As
they walked, Katy could see the beautiful white church directly in front of
them.

“Is that where we are headed?” she asked, nodding at the
church.

Mark smiled and gripped her hand a little tighter.

“I love this place,” he grinned. “The first few times I was
here I walked by it not really realizing what it was, not paying any attention
to it, and then one day I went in and I have come back every trip since then.
I’ve attended Mass here several times and even counseled with the priest.”

“Really?” Katy was surprised.

“Yeah,” Mark shrugged. “I was dealing with a certain woman,
who shall remain nameless,” he grinned.

“What?”

Mark chuckled. “I was desperately in love with a woman who
wasn’t interested in me, or so I thought.”

Katy was speechless.

“I’d come on a weekend trip to try and clear my head, but I
would end up spending the whole weekend talking about you…to whoever would
listen.”

Katy stopped walking and turned to Mark. She placed her hand
on his cheek and kissed him tenderly.

“I love you,” she smiled.

“I love you back.” Mark tugged her forward and they
reverently entered the cathedral.

“It’s magnificent,” she whispered.

“Rebuilt in the sixteenth century. It is a marvel.”

Katy slowly walked up the aisle toward the front alter.
There were a handful of people scattered in the pews praying so they made sure
to be very quiet. Katy gazed up and around and was mesmerized by its beauty.
They made their way to the bench at the very front and sat down, still hand in
hand.

Mark took a few minutes and prayed silently, Katy watching
him make the sign of the cross on his body. She had been to Mass now many, many
times. Most Sundays, in fact, they spent at St Luke’s, the Lathem family
parish, and then at the Lathems’ for the weekly family dinner. Katy was
becoming well-versed in the Catholic Church. Not well enough to be baptized
herself, but she respected Mark and his religious beliefs and convictions.

They had been there for several minutes, now whispering
about the architecture, when a small door opened on their right side and a
priest came walking out. He looked at them and smiled and then slowly,
recognition was expressed, a bright smile forming.

“Mark?”

“Yes. Hello Father,” Mark said and stood to take the man’s hand
in a friendly handshake.

“What a wonderful surprise. It is very good to see you.”

“Father Carlos, I would like you to meet someone very
special. This is Katy, my fiancée. Katy, this is Father Carlos.”

The priest extended his hand and Katy shook it and smiled
and said hello.

“Is this her?” the priest asked Mark.

“Yes,” Mark chuckled. “This is her.”

“And you are engaged, no?”

“Yes,” smiled Katy. “We are.”

“Well, congratulations. I have often thought of you Mark and
wondered if you were able to convince her to love you back.”

Katy grinned and Mark blushed.

“And now you are getting married,” Father Carlos continued.
“When is the big day?”

“Um, we haven’t set a date,” Mark fumbled to find an answer.
It should have rolled off his tongue quickly as he’d had to answer that very
same questions a million times. But now, standing in front of a priest, in a
place he had come to seek solace and answers, he didn’t want to come up with
excuses anymore.

Father Carlos could see in Mark’s eyes he was unsettled. But
before he could comment, Mark turned to Katy and took her face gently in his
hands.

 “You said, just a couple of hours ago, that when I thought
of a way for you to repay me, all I had to do is ask. I’ve thought of a way.”

Katy searched his eyes for a clue, but all she saw was love.

“Anything,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Marry me.”

“Yes,” she smiled.

“Now?” he pleaded.

“Now,” she smiled.

*****

Father Carlos sat behind his desk in his office with Mark
and Katy in front of him.

“We never do this,” he shook his head as he spoke. “But I
will make the exception for you, because God would see you married. And I am
honored that you would be married here.”

He was on the phone making arrangements for their marriage
to take place that evening. Mark had produced from his pocket all necessary
documents needed for them to be married.

“You carry that stack around with you in your pocket?” Katy
exclaimed.

“Yes!” Mark replied. “On the off chance, at some point, by
the grace of God and some miracle, that you would agree to actually
get
married,” he winked.

They had attended all of the pre-marital counseling with
their priest back in New York. They had all the paperwork necessary to marry in
the Catholic Church. Katy had been blown away by the amount of work they had needed
to complete.

“We do not take marriage lightly,” Father Todd had told them
in their very first counseling session. “And we don’t want you to either.” And
after many sessions with their priest, he had signed off on their marriage,
completing all the documents that Mark had now handed over to Father Carlos.
All they had needed to do three years ago was set the date and show up. Father
Todd was still waiting.

Father Carlos’ secretary had reviewed all of the documents
Mark had produced and all they needed was the appointment with the Demographic
Registry and Father Carlos was organizing that personally. After speaking for
several minutes with them, he hung up the phone and smiled.

“They will take care of you,” he said.

Mark and Katy thanked him several times.

“Do you need to use the phone to make sure your guests
arrive on time?” he asked.

Katy looked at Mark and began to speak, hesitantly at first.

“Mark, I know that…your family is very close but…I was just
thinking maybe…”

Mark turned back to Father Carlos. “Is it possible that
there would be witnesses here at the church? I think that we want to have this
be private,
very
private. There won’t be any guests.”

Katy gasped and, as Father Carlos replied that he could
easily take care of that, she threw her arms around Mark’s neck and squealed.

“Thank you!” she smiled.

The secretary knocked on the office door and entered to tell
Father Carlos that at 6:45pm that evening, they could close the doors of the
cathedral for fifteen minutes in order to have a private, but short ceremony.

“That sounds perfect,” Mark replied. “Thank you so much.” He
turned back to Katy. “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” she smiled. “Very sure.”

*****

The Lathem family, in small groups, began returning to the
ship throughout the late afternoon. The younger men would probably be back on
the boat much later in the evening. The cruise ship would be docked in San Juan
overnight, giving the passengers an opportunity to experience the city at
night. It was the last stop on the itinerary and after tomorrow’s day in port,
the anchor would be raised and they would begin the two day trip home.

As Maureen removed her shoes and socks after a fun day with
Paul sight-seeing, she leaned back on the sofa and sighed.

“This has been wonderful. I’m so glad we decided to do
this.”

“So why so glum?” Peter asked, coming to sit next to his
wife.

“I don’t want it to end,” she chuckled. “We have them all
here under one roof, so to speak. I see them all every day. Why would I want
that to end?”

“Vacations can’t last forever. That’s why they are called
vacations.”

“I know,” she sighed again. “It’s just that this trip has
been simply marvelous. I can’t imagine it being any better.”

*****

Mark and Katy exited the taxi back in front of the Cathedral
of San Juan Bautista. They had used the couple of hours after leaving Father
Carlos to visit the Demographic Registry, as required by Puerto Rico, and to
purchase a simple dress for Katy and an appropriate island wedding outfit for
Mark. He was dressed in khaki trousers with a crisp white linen camp shirt with
leather sandals made right there in San Juan.

Katy’s dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and an
empire waist. It was very pale pink and made of chiffon. It came to just a few
inches above her ankles and she wore strappy silver heels. Miraculously, she
had fallen in love with it the second she walked into the small boutique tucked
away in the city. She hadn’t wanted white, but she hadn’t thought she had
wanted pink either, but when she saw it she knew it was the one. She had tried
it on and had a tinge of regret that Janie wasn’t there to share it with. The
sales clerk had told her she looked lovely and Katy was sure that Mark didn’t
care what she wore.

Now, as the two of them stood outside the cathedral, she
didn’t really care what she wore either. All she cared about was the groom and
he was standing beside her, their hands joined, fingers entwined.

Mark’s other hand felt in his pocket for the two rings they
had just purchased. There was a small cart on the corner a few blocks away from
the church. An old woman was selling jewelry made from coral and shells that
she collected on the beach. They had found, miraculously, two rings that didn’t
match exactly, but complimented each other in their color. They were made of
sea shell and Mark had purchased them both after trying them on. They now sat
in the bottom of his pocket, waiting for the moment when he could officially
slip it on Katy’s finger and make her his wife. Nothing would make him happier.

At 6:40pm, they walked into the cathedral and the kind
secretary was waiting for them. She smiled and welcomed them.

“We
never
do this,” she said. “You must be a very
special couple. But please don’t tell anyone. We wouldn’t want this getting
out. There would be a run on the cathedral,” she winked.

Mark and Katy looked at each other and grinned.

“You are very special,” he mouthed to Katy. He thought
perhaps, for the first time ever, she blushed.

The secretary followed the last worshipper out of the
building and shut the door behind her after a placing a small ‘closed’ sign on
the outside.

“Mass begins at 7:30pm so we have a very small window,” she
explained.

As they began walking towards the front of the church,
Father Carlos appeared with two gentlemen at his side.

“The witnesses,” Mark whispered.

The priest shook their hands as they approached him and he
introduced them to the two men that would serve as witnesses. They were Father
Carlos’ brothers and they were very happy to assist.

Mark expressed their appreciation and the service began.
Father Carlos offered a short prayer.

“Because of the uniqueness of this situation, and the time
constraints, we will dispense with the readings,” he smiled.

Mark and Katy promised to be faithful and kind. They
promised to be truthful and considerate. And they declared to Father Carlos,
the witnesses and to God that they did all of it of their own free will.

Then they recited their vows, Mark going first.

“I, Marcus Peter Lathem, take you, Kathryn Estelle Miles, to
be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness
and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

“I, Kathryn Estelle Miles, take you, Marcus Peter Lathem, to
be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in
sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.”

“You have declared your consent before the Church. May the
Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his
blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide,” Said Father Carlos. “Now
you can exchange rings. Do you have rings?”

“Yes we do,” nodded Mark and pulled the rings from his
pocket and placed them on the bible in Father Carlos’ hand.

“Lord, bless and consecrate Mark and Katy in their love for
each other. May these rings be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always
remind them of their love. Through Christ our Lord.”

Mark picked up a ring and slid it onto Katy’s finger. “Katy,
take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”