Chapter 15

The Detective: Planning the Future

Spud arrived home from his ride-along to find Julie up and waiting for him, but her parents had retired. She asked him how it had gone. He was eager to tell her about his life’s decision. He wouldn’t tell her about the horrific scene he had witnessed, but he said it had been interesting.

“Spud, you love me don’t you?”

“I’ve told you I do.”

“And I love you and I want to have sex with you. Don’t look so panicked. I doubt you would do anything so bold with me unless I make an honest man out of you first.”

Julie’s sense of humour was lost on Spud at the moment.

“So I want you to think about proposing. Don’t faint. You don’t have to do it right now but I would like to be married before you go back to school in the fall. We both want children but I think we should wait until you have a job. Do you agree?”

“OK.”

Spud was back to his stock answer whenever Julie made it clear that she was in charge.

“Don’t wait too long on the proposal or I might have to find a temporary lover.”

Spud looked horrified.

“Oh Spud, I’m joking. Come on now, walk me up to bed, and we can go to our not romantic separate bedrooms.”

They got to the door to Julie’s room, and she hugged him and kissed him and whispered in his ear,

“I love you so much that it hurts. Good night.”

Spud spent a restless night trying to figure out how to propose to Julie. He had completely forgotten about his future employment plans. He thought about their time together and realized that there were two Julies. The prim and proper young lady her parents and everybody else knew and liked and the brazen hussy she became when they were alone. He loved both of them although the second one embarrassed him. Spud had noted that it only occurred when they were alone. He guessed that it was her sense of humour. Spud was sure he didn’t have to worry about what her answer would be when he popped the question. He drifted off to sleep only to have a horrid dream about Julie stabbing him with an ice pick when he proposed.

It was very unusual for Spud to sleep in, and he only awoke when Marg knocked on his door and said breakfast was ready. Usually, he came down dressed but this morning he was in his housecoat.

Marg said, “That must have been some ride-along. What time did you get in?”

Spud ignored her question because he didn’t know how to explain what had happened with Julie.

“It was interesting, and I have decided that after graduation I will become a cop.”

A pin dropping would have seemed like a crashing great sound. What went through mom and dad’s minds was that this was far beneath Spud’s potential. What was going through Julie’s mind was fear.

“I have to do a lot of research on it before I make a final decision but last night had a big impact on me.”

Phew! Everyone breathed out. There was time to change his mind.

“I’m sorry. I’m running late and need to go. Thank you for the breakfast.”

Spud came home for lunch to find the house empty. That was good because he needed to do something in private. He went up to his room and got out his address book. Then he went down to the phone in the living room and dialled an overseas number. A woman answered the phone and Spud said,

“Hi mom, I need grandma’s engagement ring.” There was a scream of joy on the far end of the phone, and he could hear his mom calling his dad screaming that Spud was getting engaged.

When she had calmed down and could talk again she asked,

“Is it Julie? She has sounded wonderful in the letters you have been sending us and from the pictures you’ve sent your dad keeps saying she is a real beauty. He is at the age where all young women are beautiful.”

"Yes, it’s Julie, and the wedding will be soon so..."

“Oh, Spud you aren’t rushing into this because she’s pregnant.”

“Well, we have been dating for almost two years, so we aren’t rushing, and she isn’t pregnant. In fact, we haven’t slept together but Julie wants...” Spud stopped cold.

His mother laughed and said,

“Spud I love you dearly but you have always been so naïve about women. It sounds like Julie is probably the right person for you.”

Spud had partially recovered from his giant faux pas,

“So do you think you will fly over for the wedding?”

“When is it? And didn’t you say you needed Grandma’s engagement ring… so you haven’t asked her yet?”

“I will ask her as soon as the ring arrives.”

“Well, your dad has just finished a large secret project, and he has a lot of backed up vacation time so if it will be this summer I expect we can make it. I’ll send grandma’s ring out this afternoon by the fastest means possible. Let me know when you get it and let us know the date. I expect you will also want grandma’s wedding ring.”

“Yes! I hoped that would be OK.”

“We will bring it with us when we come to the wedding. I have to go now and get this ring in the system before you change your mind. Don’t you dare change your mind. I love Julie and I haven’t even met her yet.”

A few days later the ring arrived. Spud asked Julie if they could have lunch together at the school. When she arrived, he walked her over to her dad’s office. When they entered Julie said,

“That’s strange, I wonder where dad’s secretary is.”

“I asked her to go out for lunch. Please sit down in her chair Julie.”

“Why!”

“Because that is the first place I saw you.”

“Oh Spud” Julie knew what was coming next, and she already had tears in her eyes.

Spud dropped to one knee and took out the ring.

“Julie, we have been sort of living together for almost two years and I can’t imagine going through life without you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” She jumped up and hugged him and kissed him.

Suddenly her dad’s door opened and out came her mom and dad and the secretary all cheering.

“What is going on?” Julie shouted over the pandemonium.

Marg said, “Spud asked Miranda to be away for lunch and told her why, and she told your dad, and he called me, and we wanted to be here. Please forgive us, but we have been listening through the intercom.”

Spud gulped, “What did I say?”

Marg laughed, “Don’t you remember?”

“No!”

“Look at the smile on Julie’s face. You said the right thing. Can I call you son now?”

“Yes mom and dad, you can.”

“I have to call my mom and dad and tell them.”

“No, you don’t. They have been listening to the whole thing with us via a telephone link.”

Suddenly Spud heard his dad’s voice, “Congratulations Spud!”

“Hi dad, but how did you get their number mom?”

“Do you remember calling them a few days ago? Well, I was looking for another number on the recent calls list and there was this strange number. When I discovered it was from Europe, I figured it could only be your folks, so I called and said hello.”

Spud’s mother’s voice came out of the air, “Good news, your dad has arranged for the time off, so we can come to the wedding.”

“But we haven’t set a date yet.”

“Spud, in romance you had better just do what Julie says. When everybody, including Julie, knew the engagement ring was in the mail we all got to work because the time is short for making plans. The date is arranged, our tickets are booked, and I have packed. Your new in-laws have graciously asked us to stay with all of you in Julie’s brother’s bedrooms. They are all coming with wives and kids so it would be too crowded to have them all there, so we rented a whole floor at a hotel for them.”

Spud was panicking, “What do I have to do?”

“OH, Spud you get the easy job. Just do what Julie says, show up on the wedding day in a tux and love her forever.”

“OK.”

After goodbyes were said and things had gotten back to normal Spud and Julie went for a walk before his next tutoring appointment. He knew that there was a discussion about his future he needed to have with Julie before the wedding. Based on the reaction he had gotten the morning after the ride-along he knew that no one was pleased with his choice. He might miss lots of romantic clues where Julie was concerned but otherwise, he was very astute at reading between the lines of people’s actions and words. But Julie had him baffled. He never knew what was coming next, and he feared that what he was about to tell her might bring a screeching halt to all the plans. He would be a cop.

*****