“I Feel Sorry for the Man Who Marries Her,” He Said — By Autumn, He Was the One Saying the Vows
Chapter 15
By the time Daniel grew old, the story had become part of Bellweather County’s history.
People remembered the scandal.
The stolen farms.
The trial.
The wedding.
But Clara remembered something smaller.
A chair.
One chair pulled out beside a tavern table.
That had been the first real kindness Daniel ever gave her.
Not money.
Not protection.
Not promises.
A place to sit.
Years later, Clara found him on the porch watching the sunset.
His hair had turned silver.
His hands were rough from a lifetime of work.
She sat beside him.
“Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember what you said before we married?”
He smiled.
“I said many foolish things.”
“The one about feeling sorry for the man who married me.”
He laughed.
“I’ll never hear the end of that.”
She rested her head on his shoulder.
“No.”
He looked at her.
“Do you know what I really feel sorry for?”
“What?”
“The man I was before I knew you.”
Clara smiled.
“Why?”
“Because he had no idea what he was missing.”
She took his hand.
The sun disappeared behind the fields.
Autumn leaves moved softly across the yard.
And somewhere in the distance, the church bell rang.
Daniel looked at the woman beside him.
The woman he had once mocked.
The woman he had later loved.
The woman whose stubbornness had taught him humility.
The woman whose strength had taught him courage.
And he smiled.
“I feel sorry for the man who marries her,” he whispered.
Clara laughed.
“You’re still saying it?”
“No.”
He kissed her hand.
“I’m saying it because I’m grateful I was that man.”
