Benediction by Kent Haruf Read Free Book Online

don’t need me
     or someone like me or a judge even. Just the license and saying to each other we’re
     married and then afterward you return the license to the county clerk.
    We know, she said. They told us that. But we wanted a preacher in a church. And in
     some other town than Phillips.
    It’ll be a pleasure, Lyle said. You do seem to love each other.
    We do.
    Could you tell me why you love each other?
    You want us to tell you why we come to love one another.
    If you don’t mind. I’d like to hear it.
    You go on first, the boy said.
    All right, the woman said. She spoke very seriously. I love him because he’s such
     a nice man as I said before. He treats me gentle and careful. Not all men are like
     that you know.
    No.
    He’s reliable and he’s a hard worker. He’s not afraid of work.
    I’ve held down a job ever since I was ten years old, the boy said.
    He pays attention to things, she said. He pays attention to me. She looked at Lyle.
     All those reasons are why I love him.
    I can see that. And why do you love Laurie?
    The boy turned to look at her. They looked solemnly at each other.They were still holding hands on her lap and he was holding the hat on his knee with
     his other hand.
    My life is altogether different ever since I met her. My life is every way changed.
     The way I look at things. He stopped, then went on. I want to say this girl has altered
     just about everything in the world for me. To the good, I mean. He stopped again.
     This girl here is the best person I know on earth. I don’t ever hope to meet no one
     any better.
    She smiled and there were tears in her eyes now and she leaned toward him and kissed
     him on the mouth.
    She’s awful good-looking too, the boy said and grinned.
    They turned forward on the sofa and looked at Lyle.
    I think that’ll do, he said. That’ll do just fine. You know about love, I can see
     that. But let me just add my own thoughts. Love is the most important part of life,
     isn’t it. If you have love you can live in this world in a true way and if you love
     each other you can see past everything and accept what you don’t understand and forgive
     what you don’t know or don’t like. Love is all. Love is patient and boundless and
     right-hearted and long-suffering. I hope you may love each other all your days of
     life together. And I hope you may have a great many years of those days.
    They sat looking at him talk. Yes sir, we will, the boy said. He glanced at the woman.
     Can you perform the service now?
    We’d like it in the church if you could, the woman said.
    Of course. It requires a big room, doesn’t it. Something more than a small ordinary
     place like this. Come in here.
    He rose and they followed him into the sanctuary.
    Afterward, after Lyle had said the words out of the old book, holding it open in his
     hand, and after the boy and woman had repeated what he’d said and they had kissed
     each other for a good long time and were still standing in front of the altar with
     the sun streaming through the stained-glass windows, the boy took out his wallet from
     the rear pocket of his jeans and presented a fifty-dollar bill to Lyle.
    I never forgot my wallet this time, he said. Will that be enough?
    It’s more than enough, Lyle said. It’s too much.
    No sir. It’s worth every dime to me to have this wedding here. To have Laurie and
     myself be connected together.
    Then thank you, Lyle said. I’ll find something good to do with it.
    The boy shook his hand briskly and turned and picked up his hat from the pew behind
     them and he and the woman twined their arms together and walked up the aisle, and
     outside the boy set his hat firmly on his head and they stepped down the shining concrete
     steps to the freshly washed pickup parked at the curb and drove off.
    That evening, over the dinner table, Lyle told his wife and his son about the wedding
     and about the way the boy and the woman talked and conducted themselves. That was
     love, he