The Bottle House #5

After church Lee announced that he wanted Molly to see his farm.  Before that he never wanted her to see it because he had let  it run down.  But since meeting her he had taken the extra effort to clean and paint and tidy it up for her arrival.

They walked in the opposite direction toward his place which was at the end of Howe Rd.  Wild flowers were in bloom along the edge of the road.  Long rows of corn stalks were beginning to grow.  A few chickens were out in the yard as they walked up to the house.  Molly stopped at the tire swing hanging from a branch in the walnut tree.  Lee gently pushed her as she swung toward him.

"Come with me." he told her and took her hand.

Together they walked to the edge of the yard and followed a little path into the woods.  They stepped over the small creek and up the small hill to the clearing.

Before the crest of the hill Lee said " Close your eyes and let me help you.  No peeking!"  Molly did as she was told.  

Turning her around with her back to the house he told her to open her eyes and slowly turn around.

As she turned she noticed  light shining through the colored glass.  " Oh, Lee, it is beautiful!   Did you build this?"  "Yes, I built it for you!" he told her.

" It's even more beautiful from the inside!" he exclaimed.  Lee entered and extended his hand to help Molly inside.  She turned all the way around and had her hands up to her mouth smiling.  "Happy Birthday, Molly!"  He  bent down onto one knee. and pulled out the velvet box from his jacket and opened it.  The diamond sparkled along with the colored glass bottles in a prism that reflected onto the wall.

"Will you marry me, Molly Holmes?"  "Yes!" Molly told him excitedly.  The ring slipped easily onto her finger and he kissed it before standing up and embracing her and planting a long kiss on her lips.  

Molly looked down at her hand at arms length.  The ring was brilliant.  How in the world did he get the size correct?  When she asked him he told her he had kept the small twisted grass  strand she had wrapped around her finger when they were picnicking.

"When should we marry, Lee?  I want it to be soon don't you?  Maybe September would be nice." "I'll marry you right here today!" Lee said.  They embraced and kissed.

A light rain began to fall as they approached the house.

Lee gathered a few logs and they went inside and made a fire.  Sitting close

they made plans for their future living in that house.

Molly was busy planning her wedding with Lee.  She wrote to her aunt to announce their engagement.  She doodled on paper how she wanted to

wear her hair and surveyed her home for things she might sell or take to the big house.

Lee worked in the fields and

cleaned up each evening to go see Molly.  They enjoyed

each others company so much.  One evening in town they met a friend of Lee's.

His name was John.  John had gone away to college in Charleston at The Citadel.  He was wearing a Army uniform that showed he earned the rank of Lieutenant.

John told Lee all about the military and the college he had attended.  As John left them and joined some other friends Lee wondered what it would have been like to go into the military like John had done.  He wasn't sure that lifestyle would have agreed with him.  He did not enjoy killing anything.  He did hunt occasionally but preferred to just be out in nature and marveling at the beauty.

The mail was delivered weekly to a mailbox located at the end of Howe Rd.  Lee would collect it on his walk to visit Molly.  On this particular day there was only one envelope and it looked very official.  He decided to wait until arriving at Molly's to open it.

It was a small envelope and there was a return address from Washington, D.C.  Slowly Lee pulled out the single sheet of paper and unfolded it with Molly looking over his shoulder.

Dear Lee Brown:

You are  instructed to report to Hampton, VA for duty in the US

Army on Monday June 1, 1917.

Respectfully,

Colonel Hawks 

US Army

Headquarters

Washington, DC

Molly immediately began to cry as Lee slammed his fist down on the kitchen table.

"Let's get married right away!" she told him.  "No, Molly, that is not fair to you or I.  I can't go off to the Army and leave a wife with all the responsibilities at the farm."  I'll see if I can get someone to tend to things there while I'm gone.  It will only be for a year or two at the most and as soon as I return we'll get married.  Will you wait for me, Molly?"  They buried their heads in each others shoulders and cried.  He picked her up into his arms

and sat down on the couch with her in his arms.  Slowly they comforted each other.

The sun had set and it grew dark in the room.  Lee stood 

up and led Molly to the bedroom.  They fell asleep in each others arms.

In the morning Lee looked at Molly still sleeping.

Her tangle of dark hair across her shoulders.  He gently leaned over and kissed her forehead.  She opened her eyes and smiled.

"I must go" Lee told her softly.  He rose and dressed.  Molly watched

him and then pulled the sheet up over her head and sobbed.