Fullness (1945-1963)

When thou hast eaten and art full … and all that thou hast is multiplied (Deuteronomy 8:12-13)

Chapter 1: 1945, Starting over

Clayton Jones was back in Huntsville, and he was ready to put the war and his first marriage behind him. After all, he was still young, and life seemed full of possibilities. His buddy had arranged a blind date for him that evening with a girl from Merrimack. He was excited at the prospect of female company after being with a bunch of homesick sailors for so long.

2 “Clayton, are you finished in there?” his father demanded through the bathroom door. “Almost, Daddy,” he shouted back. He knew that he was going to have to look and smell good if he was going to have a chance with this girl.

3 In Merrimack, Edna Miller was getting ready for that same date. “I’ll show Buford Hendrix just what he’s lost,” she thought to herself as she applied her lipstick in the mirror over the dresser in her room. Wayne was playing in the floor by her mother’s rocking chair.

4 “How do I look, Mama?” she asked as she entered the front room. “Pretty is as pretty does,” Mittie replied. Edna smiled and rolled her eyes. Then she bent over and gave Wayne a kiss and a hug.

5 “I’ll probably be home fairly late,” she told her mother as she straightened back up. “Be careful,” Mittie responded.

6 “Now I understand why Luke never introduced me to his sister,” Clayton blurted out when he saw her. Edna smiled and stuck out her hand. “I’m Edna, but everyone calls me Doodle,” she told him. “I’m Clayton Jones, and you sure are pretty,” he stammered. Edna laughed nervously and suggested that they dance to dispel the awkwardness.

7 Glenn Miller’s In the Mood had just started playing as they stepped out onto the dance floor. As it turned out, they both did a pretty mean jitterbug.

8 When that song was finished, they danced to a few more tunes and then joined their friends at a round table on the edge of the dance floor and ordered some drinks. “You’re not a bad dancer,” she told him. “You’re not too bad yourself,” he grinned.

9 After a few drinks and some light conversation, they noticed that their friends had disappeared. “Where’d they go?” Edna asked. “I think they wanted to go somewhere together,” Clayton told her. “Would you like to go somewhere else?” he offered. “Why not?” she responded. “This isn’t the only club in town.”

10 The pair hit a few more of the joints on the outskirts of Huntsville, and then parked for a while just off of Pulaski Pike. They talked, kissed and petted until sunrise.

11 “We’ve been out all night!” Edna exclaimed. “So what, we’ve had a good time haven’t we?” Clayton replied. “You don’t understand – I can’t do this,” she persisted. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I have a young son, and a reputation to maintain,” she explained. Clayton sighed.

12 “Well,” he finally said. “Why don’t we just get married?” “What?” Edna gasped. “If we get married, it won’t be anybody’s business if we stay out all night,” he told her. “But we barely know each other,” Edna protested.

13 “All I know is, hot or cold, you’re for me!” Clayton exclaimed. Edna sat in stunned silence for a few minutes. “Well, what do ya think?” he finally demanded. “Do ya wanna find a justice of the peace and get hitched or not?”

14 “You would really do that to protect my reputation?” she asked. “Sure, why not?” he replied without flinching. “I think you’re just about the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he told her. “Let’s do it,” he urged.

15 They tied the knot on Saturday, December 15, 1945 there in Huntsville. They spent their honeymoon night in the Russel Erskine Hotel.

16 “Can you afford this?” she asked. “Doodle, it’s our honeymoon!” he grinned in reply. “You’ve made me the happiest guy in town,” he continued. “Nothing’s too good for you!”

17 “I sure am hungry for some fried chicken,” she admitted. He called down to the front desk and ordered her one of their “chicken in a basket” specials. “I don’t think I’ve ever had room service before,” she told him. “And I love these green olives!” she exclaimed. Clayton laughed out loud and gave her a squeeze.

18 The next morning, she told him that she needed to check on her son and tell her mother about their marriage. “Let’s go,” he told her.

19 When they walked through Mittie’s front door, they were met with a cold stare. “Where have you been young lady?” her mother demanded. “Mama, I’d like you to meet my husband, Clayton Jones,” she began. The surprise and shock on Mittie’s face was unmistakable.

20 “You’re married?” she stammered. “When?” “We got married yesterday,” Edna replied. Clayton walked over to Mittie and embraced her. “Hello, Mama,” he said. “Well, hello,” Mittie managed in reply. “Have a seat,” she offered.

21 Doodle quickly crossed the floor and scooped up Wayne. “This is your new daddy,” she told him as she pointed toward Clayton. “I already have a daddy!” the little boy exclaimed.

22 Dick’s and Annie’s daughter, Bennie Jo, had been playing quietly with a baby doll in the corner. Suddenly, she looked up at the strange new man in her aunt’s life and smiled. “That makes you my Uncle Clayton,” she said as she pushed her way up into his lap.

23 That was too much for Wayne. He looked from his mother to the strange man and then to his cousin and proclaimed, “Well, my mother went and married him, I guess that makes him my Daddy!” That finally broke the tension in the room, and everyone had a good laugh.

24 Unfortunately, the Miller household wasn’t the only one who would have a hard time adjusting to the new marriage. Clayton’s former wife and children would also have to be told about the new arrangements, and they were very likely to be even less pleased with the news than Mittie and Wayne had been.