Another Year Has Gone By
By Yiva
Trixie watched her oldest granddaughter, Lizzie, walk down the aisle, blushing
with happiness.
“Do you remember our wedding day?” her husband whispered to her.
“Do I? It seems just like yesterday…” Trixie smiled as her mind brought her
back to that day forty-nine years ago.
* * * *
“Trixie, you look so beautiful!” Honey Wheeler exclaimed.
“Do you think so, Honey?”
“Would I lie?”
“No, but you would edit the truth.”
“You look amazing, simply amazing!” Di Belden gushed.
Honey, who had been friends with Trixie since they were thirteen years old, was
engaged to be married to the girls’ long-time friend, Pete Kimball.
Diana
Belden had married Trixie’s older brother Mart. Mart, Di, Honey, and Honey’s
older brother Jim were in the wedding.
Brian, Trixie’s other older brother, was
in Africa helping with the AIDS epidemic. He
hadn’t been able to make it back to Sleepyside for the wedding.
The three Beldens, Honey, Jim, Di, and Dan Mangan were part of a group called the
Bob-Whites of the Glen, or BWG’s for short. Trixie was marrying Dan today. It
hadn’t always been that way. Some of the friendships had shifted, changed maybe
a little. Before, Brian and Honey were to be married, and there was no way he
would have missed this wedding. This would be Jim and Trixie’s day. Dan would
have been left on the outskirts; maybe he would have brought Hallie Belden,
Trixie’s cousin, along with, but, in the immortal words of Tracy Lawrence, time
marches on, and everything changes. Of course, there is another saying that
could be applied, the more things change, the more they stay the same, and
certainly many things would never, could never change. The Bob-Whites were the
Bob-Whites and that meant that they would always love and care about each other,
nothing would ever change that.
Honey and Brian were engaged to be married. They had the whole thing planned
out when it happened. It being the accident Brian got into. It was late at
night, the curve was sharp, and Brian was tired. He didn’t even see the semi
coming around the curve until it was too late. Brian was in a coma for two
months; his odds of survival weren’t good. And still, every day Honey visited
him in the hospital, read to him, talked to him. The day he woke up, Honey was
there, holding his hand. Brian, it turned out, would be paralyzed from the
waist down. It cut Brian deeply; he loved his walks through the woods, riding
horses, doing all of it. Brian, while he loved Honey dearly, couldn’t bear to
put Honey through the pain and frustration of having to care for him. He broke
off the engagement, and signed himself over to a nursing home across the
country where he learned to take care of himself.
Honey was heartbroken, but
she picked herself up, and moved on with her life. Two years later she and
Peter Kimball started going out. A year later, they were engaged. Brian became
dependent on medication, and alienated his family and friends. After one
particular Christmas he found the error of his ways. He checked himself into a
rehab and started his twelve-step program. One step was to try to right all his
wrongs. He did his best and Honey forgave him. The two had remained friends.
Mart and Diana. They were the couple that everyone knew would sooner or later
end up together. They were engaged right out of school, and were married shortly
after. They were happiest when they were together; in fact, Trixie knew only of
one big fight that they had.
Jim. Trixie and Jim had dated on and off all the way through high school and
even partly through college. When Jim had to go to
England for schooling for his dream of
opening his school, he decided he couldn’t make Trixie wait behind forever for
him. So, honorably, Jim bowed out. Eight months later he was happy he did
because Trixie and Dan found something, and they wanted to see if they could make
it work. Turns out karma smiles on some people, Jim fell in love with one of
the other students that went to England with him; they came back a year later
married.
Trixie looked around her room; it wouldn’t be her room any longer, not after
today. Trixie stared at the mirror nervously. In her twenty-five years she
couldn’t remember ever feeling that nervous.
“Trix, you ready?” Mart stuck his head into the room and asked his younger
sister.
“Yeah. Yeah, I am,” Trixie gulped, and smiled.
“Well, let’s get this show on the road then. I have a surprise for you,” Mart
grinned and escorted his wife and Honey out of the room. They all had to get up
to Manor House where the wedding was going to be taking place. Mr. Wheeler had
insisted.
Upon entering the house, Mart ushered the girls into the game room where they
were to finish their preparations. The boys, as in Dan, Jim, and Peter, were in
the library preparing themselves.
“Where’s Bobby? Where’s Moms and Dad? Is
Regan here? What about Nick? Did he get through the rain?” Trixie began pacing
back and forth.
“Yes, Trixie. Everyone is where they need to be, with the exception of Terry
and Larry. They’re still parking the cars, but they’ll get here,” Honey
soothed. “But uh, I think Mart has something he needs to show you.”
“Wha-,” Trixie began, but stopped with a scream. “Brian! What are you doing
here?” She lunged herself at the good-looking man in the wheelchair.
“How many times does my little sister get married? Of course I’m here.” Brian
laughed.
“Well, we’ll just leave you two to talk for a minute.” Di smiled.
“Hold on a minute please, Honey.” Brian grabbed Honey’s wrist.
“Yes?” Honey smiled nervously at Brian.
“Honey, I just want you to know, I am so happy for you. Pete’s a lucky guy. You
deserve all the happiness in the world. I just want you to know that, and I am
sorry for everything.”
“Oh, Brian, that means a lot to me,” Honey whispered as she hugged him tightly.
The door closed on the four and Brian and Trixie began their talk.
“Brian, I thought your supervisor wouldn’t let you off,” Trixie said.
“Well, he wouldn’t, but then I guess he got a call from a very rich business
man, and the stuff they were going to have me do was taken care of. Just like
that,” Brian finished.
“I am so glad you are here.”
“I’m glad that you’re happy that I’m here. You know, Trixie, we never really
talked, you know, about the accident.” Brian looked abashed.
“Brian, you were in a bad place then, and you were sick, and I’ve made my peace
with everything that happened. You know, Dan says his mother used to tell him
that everything that happened happened for a very special reason, and I think
she was right. I have this theory, if you hadn’t been in that accident, then
Dan and I wouldn’t have driven home together, and we might not have bonded like
we did. So I guess I owe my wedding to you.”
Brian laughed as Trixie realized
what she said.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know. Don’t worry. I get it. I’m so glad you found your better half in him.”
“Thanks, Brian.” Trixie took a shaky breath. “I guess we better get this show
going.”
“Yeah, I’ll run and get Dad.” Brian grinned and wheeled himself out of the
room.
Trixie picked up her flowers and adjusted her hair once more. She heard a soft
knock at the door. “Who is it?”
“Me,” Dan’s voice came through the solid door. “I was thinking. I think Brian
needs to be up there with us. All the Bob-Whites, together.”
“I’m so glad you thought of that.” Trixie exclaimed rushing to the door. She
paused before opening the door. “I can’t let you in,” she laughed.
“I know. I just wanted you to know, so you, you know, weren’t surprised or
anything.”
Trixie could tell that he was trying not to laugh.
“I love you, Dan.”
“I love you, too. Hello, sir,” Dan announced loudly, signaling to Trixie that
Mr. Belden was at the door.
“Hey, Dad,” Trixie opened the door to let her dad in.
Dan respectfully turned around and walked towards the ballroom. “I’ll let Brian
know.”
“Thanks.”
Trixie smiled at her dad, “Let’s go, Dad.”
Trixie smiled when she came into view of the front of the assembly and saw all
the boys up there together. Brian gave her a nervous look but smiled.
Trixie smiled and walked into Dan’s waiting arms.
* * * *
“So many years have gone by. It seems just like yesterday,” Trixie murmured.
“I know, doesn’t it?” Dan questioned as he went back to other memories of the
two together.
The voice of Dan’s granddaughter from the bridal table broke everyone’s train
of thought, “Okay, hi. I’m Lizzie, the bride. Jim and I just wanted to say
thank you for coming, we’re so happy you could make it.” The petite blond girl
gestured to the redheaded young man standing next to her.
The original Bob-Whites smiled at the young couple. “My grandson and Lizzie look
so happy together” James Winthrop Frayne II whispered to his friends at the
table. Anyone could tell he was barely containing the pride in his voice.
“Don’t they?” Trixie smiled, holding Dan’s hand in hers.
“Okay, I just wanted to say something else, it is my grandparents’ anniversary,
and Jim and I thought it would be appropriate for them to share their dance
with us. We just thought this song would fit well. So, Grandma, Grandpa, please
come out here.”
Trixie looked around as the melody for “Another Year Has Gone By” came on.
So many 25th's of December
Just as many 4th of July's
And we're still holding it together
It only comes down to you and I
I know you can still remember
Things we said right from the start
When we said that this could be special
I'm keeping those words deep down in my
heart
Dan finally was successful at leading Trixie to the dance floor as the chorus
came on.
“How did they find this song?” Trixie whispered to her husband.
“A little birdie by the name of Honey Kimball, would be my guess.
“I’ve always loved this song.”
“Well I’ve always loved you,” Dan quipped. Trixie gave a girlish giggle and
whispered something in her husband’s ear. Dan gave a loud guffaw.
Another year has gone by
And I'm still the one by your side
After everything that's gone by
There's still no one saying goodbye
Though another year has gone by
I never been much for occasions
You never let another birthday go by
Without announcing how much you love me
But the truth was always there
Right there in your eyes
And we're still holding hands when we're
walking
Acting like we've only just met
But how can that be - when there's so much
history
I guess that's how true lovers can get
Another year has gone by
And I'm still the one by your side
After everything that's gone by
There's still no one saying goodbye
Though another year has gone by
Another year has gone by
And I'm still the one by your side
After everything that's gone by
There's still no one saying goodbye
Though another year has gone by
“I love you, too, Danny,” Trixie whispered in all seriousness, putting her head
against Dan’s shoulder as they swayed to the music. There would definitely be
many more years to go by.
The End