“See, even the audience agreed you were terrific,” Nick complimented as he opened her hotel door. He blocked the doorway so she couldn’t enter.

“I had an excellent teacher. You’ve always made me feel like I could do anything. She didn’t want to go in and wished the night would never end. She still couldn’t believe she’d been so lucky to find him after so many years.

“You can do anything. Look, Dolores, you have to know by now that I’ve always loved you…when we were kids…when we were teenagers…and now more than ever. I need you in my life.”

When she heard those words, Dolores desperately wanted to kiss him. She unashamedly pulled the end of his tie which brought him closer to her. He was more than eager to oblige. Their lips met tenderly at first, then desire took over. He nuzzled her neck and in a deep voice added, “I always want to be as close to you as I am right now.”

She felt his hands tighten on her back. He pulled her closer and his hand slid down below her waist. Her body started to tremble. She wanted him to continue and to stop at the same time. With a sense of urgency, he whispered in her ear, “We’re in Las Vegas. We could get the license and be married within two hours.”

There was no way to deny his hugs and kisses made her weak in the knees. Her desire had been suppressed for so many years, but was never non-existent. She was confused and struggled for an answer as she reluctantly pulled away.

“Oh Nick, I don’t know what to do. I want to marry you and be with you more than anything, but it wouldn’t be right to marry without my children meeting you first. They would hate me more than they do now and our marriage would be off to a bad start.”

He tried to convince her as his arms pulled her closer. The warmth of his body intensified with kisses that surrounded her inviting mouth. “Dolores, do you have any idea how much I love you? I don’t even want to let you go into you own room without me for fear that somehow I’ll lose you again.”

“I promise that will never happen,” she uttered as their lips met. Emotions long buried inside them exploded. Maybe it was wrong, but it felt so right. They didn’t want to separate. Each felt the passionate urges of femininity and emerging masculinity.

“Could we at least start the honeymoon tonight?” pleaded Nick, putting a “do not disturb” sign on the doorknob. He closed the door to the suite and they consummated their marriage to follow.

***

Nick lay against a giant pillow in the king-sized bed with one arm around Dolores. Both were totally happy and content with the past few days.

“If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?” he asked, caressing her shoulder and kissing her fingertips. “And don’t say a birthday cake with lots of frosting and forget the Jell-O.” She laughed and thought about it before she answered.

“After you, I guess I want to somehow repair my relationship with Crystal and Lacey. Doug and I tried so hard to show them how much they were loved that I thought our hearts would fall out. We couldn’t do anything right. Be honest, Nick. Is there something wrong with me or what we tried to do for them?”

“From what I read in your book, it sounds like they didn’t know that you and Doug really sacrificed so much to give them a better life. Kids don’t think love includes food, clothing, shelter, and college. Maybe if you let them read ‘Rejects’ they’d have a better understanding of what your lives were really about.

“Nick, I wish it were that easy. It’s as if they’ve been wounded and I don’t want to make it worse by putting a guilt trip on them. It wasn’t like we were drinkers, gamblers, or cruel.”

“In a perfect world they would love you both for staying together and giving them a better life than you had. But it’s a different time and a different place than when we were their age. They can’t relate to being hungry, poor, uneducated, or embarrassed about where they live.”

“I know. I understand them being mad because I worked and didn’t spend a lot of time with them. There was never enough money to take care of all the problems. We wanted to give them the world tied in pink ribbons…the best schools…every opportunity, but we lost the family closeness in the process.”

“Dolores, when we get older, we all wish our parents were better than they are or were. We want them stronger, kinder, richer, and more loving, but they are just who they are. I accepted that fact a long time ago. Everyone makes mistakes along the way and some parents turn out evil, life my father.”

After a moment of silence, Nick asked, “How did you eventually understand you mom and dad really loved you and Shirley and forgave them the mistakes you thought they made?”

“I guess just by living, going through a lot of problems and seeing how hard life can be. If I’d known then what I know now, I would have thanked them for just getting through very difficult lives. They were decent people and a wonderful example of doing what was right against all odds. I wish I could have made them smile more and that they would have had an easier end to their lives. “

“Maybe you’ll have to wait until your daughters live to that point in their lives too.”