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Wedding Dress Credits
and Forward
Chapters: 1 -
2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
- 10
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11
Endings:
Alternate 1
Alternate 2
Alternate 3
To
vote for your favorite alternate ending, simply send
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Jennifer@jenniferhallmark.com
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your name, email address, a brief comment and your
choice of ending 1, 2, or 3.
The Wedding Dress -
Alternate
Ending #2
“Where are you?” Betty called out from the
living room.
“In here,” Matt replied from the kitchen at
Martha and Homer’s farm house. “I’m fixing me a
snack.”
“Fix me something,” she said happily.
As she walked across the floor with graceful
steps, Matt once again thanked God for the miracle
before him. When they had first heard the doctor
talk about experimental surgery to correct her
paralysis, he was against it. Surgery held its
dangers and he loved her as she was, as he always
had, wheelchair and all. Six months into the
marriage and he had been doing alright taking care
of her in their trailer, right on Homer and Martha’s
land. Now it had been a year and a half since the
surgery. The rehab and therapy that followed was
difficult but Betty pushed beyond the ordinary and
now stood before him. The doctor also persuaded her
to take up martial arts to build up her stamina and
she was a fast learner.
“I wish I could explain to you the joy I feel
every time I get up from a couch or chair and walk
somewhere. It is better than even my dreams of
walking were.”
“I love you so much,” he said, as he turned up
her chin and kissed her gently.
“I love you too,” she said.
She acted distracted however and Matt asked her
why.
“I wanted to talk to you about something.
Something very important to me.”
He followed her as she walked mysteriously
through the utility room toward the back door. She
stopped at a door to the right, one padlocked in two
places. Matt had always wondered what lay behind
the door.
One night, several years ago, they had been
sitting on the porch swing when he asked her about
it.
“What’s behind that locked door?”
“Don’t ever ask me that!” she said, eyes large
with surprise. “Please don’t ask me!”
Shocked by how much it upset her, he quickly
apologized and never mentioned it again.
Now they stood before that locked door as she
pulled a set of keys out of her jeans pocket.
“You always wondered what was in this room. It
is time I showed you.”
His mouth went dry with anticipation and he
trembled slightly with awe. He had thought about
the room a thousand times, thoughts ranging from a
personal shrine for a deceased relative to a dead
body. What could Martha and Homer be hiding?
Betty struggled to open the first padlock and
Matt wondered how long it had been since it was
unlocked. Finally it popped open and she went to
work on the second. The door creaked loudly as she
pushed it open and he flinched. The musty smell of
the room assaulted him and gingerly he followed her,
unsure of what lie ahead.
She flipped on the light and as his eyes grew
accustomed to the light, he could only stare. The
room contained no window or furniture, only two
large bookcases with glass fronts, one on each side
of the room. In front of him was a large bulletin
board, like the ones at Riverview high school,
covered in newspaper clippings and pictures. One
bookcase was full of different sized trophies,
ribbons and medals. The other displayed costumes,
both mens’ and womens’.
Betty walked over to the bulletin board and
Matt followed, mouth still gaping open.
“Do you know who this is?” she asked simply,
pointing to a photo of a young man and woman.
The young man was wearing a one piece leotard
with tights. The young lady was similarly dressed,
however her leotard was obviously made of animal
skin, as it looked to be a leopard print. His first
thought was the circus. Staring closely at the
young lady’s face, he gasped.
“That’s Martha! This couldn’t be Homer, could
it? What, were they in the circus?”
Betty pointed to a nearby newspaper clipping.
The headline of the sports section read, “MARVELOUS
MYRTLE AND HUNTINGTON HOWARD TO DEBUT IN WRESTLING
MATCH IN COLISEUM.”
“Papaw and Mamaw were wrestlers in the early
days of the sport.”
“Wrestlers?”
“You see when Papaw was young, he was in the
Army stationed in California. He was
well…uh…high-spirited in those days and always in
fights with the men on the base. After two years he
was dishonorably discharged. The only thing that
kept him out of the brig was some connections he had
through a cousin of his. Anyway, he couldn’t come
home until his time was up because he was so
ashamed. A friend of his convinced him to go to a
wrestling match and he met Mamaw there. Her whole
family was involved in this newly popular sport and
she persuaded him to join. They made a living that
way and won lots of contests at fairs and such.
When it was time to move back, they promised to each
other not to tell anyone. Wrestling was not
respectable in the South at that time. No one
besides me and my mother ever knew. Not even my
dad…”
Matt looked over all the photos and clippings
and took his time at the bookcases.
“This is phenomenal! They shouldn’t be ashamed
to tell people now!”
“No! You have to swear not to say anything!”
“I won’t tell, I swear.”
“There is something else I wanted to talk to
you about. Papaw got a call from one of his
friend’s sons, who is still in the business, the
other day. It’s funny though. He has gotten out
of wrestling and into something new: the UFC. Mr.
Paul said it is the fastest growing sport in the
arena of boxing, wrestling and things like that. He
has moved to Atlanta and is promoting the UFC
there.”
“Atlanta is only a few hours drive from here,”
Matt surmised.
“Yes and he is planning on driving over one day
next week. He wants to talk to Papaw, Mamaw and me
about a new twist in the UFC.”
“What would that be?”
“Women in the UFC. He envisions exhibition
bouts mixing the martial arts and wrestling, not so
much boxing, as entertainment.”
“Wow! That is quite a concept.”
It suddenly dawned upon Matt what Betty was
saying as she grinned at him broadly.
“When I would come in this room in my chair, I
would always dream of being like Mamaw, the queen of
the ring. Mr. Paul told Papaw there could be a
great opportunity there, especially with the story
of my life behind it. What do you think Matt?”
He jumped as he heard a noise behind him.
“I’m glad you finally showed him” Martha said,
coming into the room followed by Homer. “I hate
having these secrets.”
Matt stared from the newspaper clippings back to
the elderly couple in front of him. It couldn’t
be! But it was…”
“I told you when the surgery was a success
that I would support you in whatever you wanted to
do with your new freedom. I still stand by that,”
he said slowly.
“Oh Matt!” The kiss that followed made him
realize that he had made the right decision…
