Daryl and I felt that we were much more at home by the end of the following week and I had promoted one of the patrolmen to lieutenant. He had stopped in just before the end of shift that first day, knocking on the doorframe. "Chief, may I have a word?"
"Of course, Officer—I had to pause to read his name on the shirt—Officer Powell. What can I do for you?"
"It's more of what you've already done. From where I stand you've taken two major steps in the right direction already by getting rid of Haynes and easing Chief Wilson out. Wilson should have retired years ago. The force has been a joke thanks to him and Haynes represented the very worst I've ever seen in a police officer. He's lazy and I'm pretty sure I've seen him sleeping on duty a couple of times plus he brags all the time about all the free meals he takes from our restaurants."
"Thanks for the compliments. I agree completely. Haynes is a good example of addition through subtraction. What do the men think about the new standards?"
"Those of us who are serious think they're long overdue. Those who think that being a police officer just means riding aimlessly in an air conditioned car all day are concerned about their gravy train ending, but they'll be no loss. They're not as bad as Haynes or Parsons, but they're far from ideal." We shook hands and he left.
I spoke to the sergeant on the way out. "Tell me, Ed—is there anyone here worthy of promotion to lieutenant or should I just advertise outside?"
"I'd say the best thing is to just leave your office. Dan Powell was an MP in the Army and he's going to the university down in Memphis, studying criminology like you. He's also as straight as an arrow and a real team player." I thanked him and left for the track. Powell was there when Max and I arrived. He had obviously been working out regularly. He beat me by four seconds.
>>>>>>
Daryl and I left early on Friday afternoon after I'd taken a lot of joshing about my last day as a free man from both shifts. We drove to our house where we changed clothes into civvies then Lucy joined Max, Daryl and me for the short ride to the Methodist church for the rehearsal. We were joined by Jasmine who would stand with Lucy as maid of honor. The wedding party would be small, but there would be more than three hundred at the ceremony and reception.
My family had come in on Wednesday afternoon and they took Lucy like ducks to water. Uncle Chuck took us out to dinner that evening and he had pulled me aside to tell me that he thought Lucy was a fantastic woman. Aunt Nell told me the same when she hugged me before turning in that evening. Constance and her family must have agreed because they were all smiles throughout their entire visit. The walk-through in the church was brief then we went to Carter's for dinner—my treat. The only downside was that Lucy left me that evening, staying overnight with her parents. Max must have looked for Lucy for fifteen minutes before settling down to sleep.
The next day was a dream come true. The weather was perfect—sunny, temperature in the high seventies and low humidity. All of us were up early for breakfast cooked by Ingrid. After eating I brushed the coat of our ring bearer, ably assisted by my nieces who loved Max even more than they loved me. I showered, shaved, and dressed in my tux then we drove to the church. I left Max at the entrance with a small Easter basket that held our two rings. I knew I could trust Max to walk down the aisle to Daryl and me just behind Jasmine and ahead of Lucy and Jonathan.
The ceremony began at 11:00 on the dot when the organist played The Wedding March. Jasmine looked fantastic in a sleeveless dusky blue dress that blended beautifully with her light brown skin and black hair. I elbowed Daryl, whispering, "Watch out, buddy. You're next." We chuckled quietly then turned to watch Max walk up the aisle behind Jasmine. He stopped in front of me and Daryl took the rings from the white satin pillow inside the basket. Daryl placed the basket on the floor out of the way of the ceremony. I pointed Max to a spot next to Daryl and he sat there immediately as Daryl leaned down to pet him.
Now all of my attention was on my bride as she and her father walked slowly up the aisle toward us. I gasped as I saw Lucy in a strapless full gown with a long train. Her hair was pulled back into a short French braid that fell to her bare shoulders. As beautiful as she looked, there was nothing to compare with her beaming smile. Her eyes were focused on mine all the way, even when Jonathan removed her veil and gently kissed her cheek before passing her hand to mine. We turned together to face the minister, Reverend Walker.
The ceremony was thankfully short and sweet. There were a few readings from the bible and I noticed Lucy squeeze my hand when Rev. Walker said that "wives shall be submissive to their husbands." I agreed so I squeezed her hand back and almost laughed when I looked down to see Max sitting squarely between us. Lucy also looked as did Rev. Walker and then we laughed as Lucy reached down to scratch Max's ears.
Her hand was back in mine just a second later. Daryl produced the rings and we said our vows. I kissed my bride and we walked together to the rear of the church with Max at Lucy's side and followed by Daryl and Jasmine, Jonathan and Marylou, my aunt and uncle, and Constance and her family. Together we formed a receiving line to greet our guests and receive their congratulations. It was more than twenty minutes before we scrambled into the limo with Jasmine and Daryl en route to the reception at Desmond's—the city's finest and largest catering hall.
The cocktail hour and ensuing reception were exactly what I would have expected from my in-laws for their only daughter. Absolutely no expense was spared—from Lucy's dress, which I later learned had cost more than $25,000, to the top shelf liquors and the thick prime rib dinners. Unfortunately, my new job meant that we'd have to postpone our honeymoon. I wasn't at all surprised when Lucy told me she didn't care even a little. "I have you. That's all I care about." Then she sealed it with a kiss. We went home, spending all evening and all of the following day in bed. My family had transferred to Jonathan and Marylou's home just a half mile away.