by Cee, DW
“Did you think your bride got cold feet and ran away?” What a ridiculous thought.
Jake’s wrinkled face smoothed out as he came over and squeezed his arms around my body.
“Good morning, Beautiful.”
“Good morning. You fell asleep at four in the afternoon, yesterday. Are you well rested?”
“Yeah. I feel good. Did you sleep at all last night? I noticed that you ransacked my room, then put it back together in a scary way. Are you normally this neurotic?”
“No. I hope you don’t mind. I couldn’t sleep so I kept myself busy between your room and these croissants.” Though I hated to pull myself away from the love of my life, the croissants were ready to go into the oven. “You have a moment? I need to ask you something.”
“OK. Shoot.”
“My tenant e-mailed saying that her job will keep her in LA one more year. She wanted to know if she could lease my house during that time. What should we do?”
“If you don’t mind her staying another year, we could move into my house in the valley. We’ll kick everyone out and refurnish it.”
“Well, I was thinking of asking your parents if we could stay here for a year. You know I grew up lonely, and I like the thought of living with your parents. Would you mind?”
“I’m OK, but are you sure? Jane and Nick might move back in for a while too.”
“I’d love nothing more than a big family.”
Jake smiled and hugged me again, partly because he appreciated my love for his family, and partly because he felt sad when I talked about loneliness. I hugged him back.
“Go change. I’ll have breakfast ready for you.” I sent him back upstairs and began laying out my spread.
The Sub-Zero fridge had a variety of vegetables so breakfast included a veggie omelet in addition to the croissants. Jake came down in his scrubs, ready for work. He sat on the bar stool around the island and I handed him the veggie omelet, a variety of croissants, and French pressed coffee. Moving into Bobby and Sandy’s home was most definitely a good idea. We felt like a married couple already.
As Jake ate, we heard the door open, and Nick’s voice boomed across the large living room and into the dining room. “What is this delicious smell?”
“Nick,” I exclaimed, walking over to hug him.
“Hi, Sis. How was your trip? You’ve gotten prettier since I last saw you in New York!”
“You’re such a charmer. I guess when personality genes were handed out, they all went to you?”
“Not just personality, looks and brain as well. I don’t know what my siblings got. I obviously got all the best.” All three of us laughed at his humor.
“What are you doing here so early in the morning?” we both asked.
“I’m off on a camping trip, and I needed my hiking boots. I see I came at the right time. These croissants are delicious.” He took another mouth full.
“Emily baked these just now,” Jake proudly declared.
“No way, from scratch? How long did this take you?” Nick seemed pleased to have another cook in the house.
“I’ve been working on them since yesterday. Take some for your trip. I’ll pack them up for you. Do you want some coffee as well?”
“You’re the best, Sis. I think I’ll move back in the house if you’re cooking.”
Nick’s loud voice woke up Bobby and Sandy and they, too, raved about the croissants. Sandy and Bobby relived many more Jake, while Emily was in Japan stories, and we had a very early but entertaining breakfast. We, in this case, did not include Jake. He didn’t find any of these stories as comical as we did.
Sandy and Bobby were more than thrilled with the news of us living with them for a year, and Nick said he might move back into the house as well since school was done.
We walked hand in hand to Jake’s car and dark clouds grew bigger with each step. With a huge sigh, I stepped into his open arms and dreaded our separation. It reminded me of my empty days in Japan.
“I’m sad to see you go,” I whimpered. “How am I going to go the whole day without you? When will you come home?”
“Probably not till late—maybe sometime after midnight. I’ll know better as the day progresses.”
“Midnight?” My whine became even more pronounced.
“The chief told me I’ve got a tough three weeks before the wedding. You’re OK taking care of this wedding without me?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ll just miss you!”
“I know, Love. I’ll miss you too.” He kissed me a long good-bye and unwillingly we parted. I, too, had a long day of wedding preparations.
Bobby, Sandy, and I left the house early with the intent of getting everything started today. Our first stop was to the print shop to pick out wedding invitations. We thought these should go out immediately since many guests may go out of town on a holiday weekend. Sandy had already contacted all the family members to let them know of the impending wedding. I didn’t have much of an opinion on the invitation and Sandy had such impeccable taste, I let her make most of the decisions. I would only assert myself if I really didn’t like something she picked out. The designer would send a proof via -mail later today, and they promised to print all the invites as soon as we accepted the copy. Sandy and I, in turn, promised to send addresses so they could label and mail our invitations for us. Our first stop was successful.
From here, we went to the florist. This was really Sandy’s area of expertise. The florist had worked on the house before, so she already had a layout of what she wanted to do. We explained that we wanted to get married inside the house and then hold the reception in a tent out in the vast backyard. The floral designer named off all the flowers that she would use in different parts of the house, and Bobby and I just listened, as botany was never my strong suit. My job from here was to e-mail a picture of my wedding gown, as well as the bridesmaids’ dresses, and she would e-mail back sketches of bouquets. E-mail was a wonderful invention. It saved so much time for everyone.
Next we headed to the department store to pick out bridesmaids’ dresses. Both Sarah and Jane would stand as my maiden and maid of honor. I thought picking out a dress from a large department store would be easy for Jane since she could pop into the Manhattan one for a fitting. Sandy and I easily found a cute green summer dress, formal but not so formal where they couldn’t wear it again. I took a picture of the dress and sent it to Jane and Sarah. They both gave it a thumbs-up so we bought two dresses, one here and one in Manhattan.
Not having consumed anything since six in the morning, the three of us were ravenous. Lunch was next on the list before another fitting at the bridal shop.
Finally, Jake called.
“Hi, Honey!” My voice bubbled with enthusiasm.
“Hello, my love. What are you and my parents up to right now?”
Even with Sandy and Bobby by my side, I felt such a void without Jake.
“We are eating a grilled veggie salad, and after lunch, we’re going to the dress shop for another fitting. Your tuxedo is here and they want you to come in for another fitting as well.”
“I probably won’t get there till the week of the wedding.”
“OK, I’ll stop by the store and let them know.”
I proceeded to tell Jake all that had been accomplished today, and he told me about his day thus far. I excused myself from the table and went outside briefly to finish our conversation.
“Jake?” I bemoaned.
“Yes, Love. What’s the matter?” he asked in a comforting voice.
“I really miss you. Can’t you come home any earlier than midnight?”
I could almost hear his smile over the phone as he said, “I miss you too. I’ll be home as soon as I can, but don’t wait up for me. It will probably be very late.”
I told Jake how difficult it had been today without him by my side. He had spoiled me the last week with his constant attention. Who would have believed that I had spent f
ive months apart from him by the sound of my wimpy confession? Of course, I heard the pager go off and we said good-bye. I went in to finish my lunch.
The fitting went well, and Sandy and Bobby both loved the wedding dress.
“Emily, you will be the most beautiful bride,” Bobby said.
“Thank you,” I answered, embarrassed by the compliment.
Our stop at the caterer took the longest of all of our stops. The caterer would not only take care of the food and beverages, but they would also provide all the rentals—tent, tables, chairs, linen, and of course the cake. We tried many flavors and since we were going to have a four-tiered cake, each one of us chose a flavor. I chose one for Jake in his absence. The caterer would send linens over to the house tomorrow morning so we could pick out color schemes.
The three of us had accomplished much today with the time allotted. Sandy and Bobby dropped me off at the restaurant just in time for my dinner with Sarah, Charlie, Peter, and Max.
“Thank you for all your help, Mom and Dad. I’m honored to be joining your family,” I said, giving each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“We’re really happy to welcome you into our family as well,” Bobby and Sandy agreed with a hug and kiss in return.
We parted and I walked into the restaurant bearing gifts for my closest friends.
“Em, over here,” Max said, as I searched for them. They were hidden away in a corner table.
I ran over to them and gave them all a big hug.
“Let’s see the ring,” Sarah exclaimed. “OMG! Why is it so big?”
“I know, I said the same thing to Jake when he gave it to me. It’s almost embarrassing to wear this ring, especially with the band on the other hand. Jake says I have to wear both, and I told him I’m asking for a mugging.”
They all laughed.
“Hey, where’s Peter?” I asked surveying the dining hall.
“We have this tough doctor who’s been working all the students. Peter got called in right as we were headed out the door,” Max explained. “He should be at General Hospital by now.”
“That’s where Jake is today. Maybe they’ll run into each other.” Of course my face lit up talking about my fiancé. I didn’t want to appear too giddy, so I turned to all of my friends and announced, “Presents!”
Sarah opened her gift and her face immediately turned red.
“You like?” I asked.
“I really like!” Charlie affirmed.
Charlie thought his architecture book paled in comparison to the lingerie gift that was more for him than for her.
“Max, this is for you,” I said handing him his gift.
He opened it and flipped through the book realizing that it was Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities from 1918. He read my inscription on the second page.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for giving me four wonderful years of your life. You challenged me to grow as a person, and I hope I made you as happy as you made me. I will never forget your love. You will always hold a special place in my heart.
Love,
Em
Max turned and hugged me. I knew he understood how much he meant and still means to me.
During dinner, I told everyone about Paris and how Jake proposed. Max showed a sadness that made me conscious of my glow. Rather than continue with wedding talk, I turned the conversation on my dear friends and asked them about their lives. “What are you and Peter doing during your summer vacation?” I asked.
“What summer vacation? Only the teachers get time off. We are in the hospital working every day. In fact, I have to go in for a midnight to 6:00am shift.”
“What a bummer. I thought that everyone was off during the summertime.”
“No. I wish. I’ll probably see Jake if he’s at GH the whole time. I’m sure they’ll send me up to the OR at some point.”
Charlie talked about the newest house that he was designing. It was for a big movie star whose name he couldn’t reveal. We all begged for a hint. Even Sarah had no idea who he was working with.
Sarah’s advertising firm kept her busy all the time. I seemed to be the only one with not much to do on a daily basis.
“Oh, Sarah, I brought your dress.” I interrupted Charlie’s flow. “The hostess is holding it for me in the front so you need to take it with you, OK? Also, can you come by Jake’s parents’ house? I want to show you where the wedding will take place.”
“I can come by after work,” she answered.
As soon as dinner was done, my head started nodding and I kept apologizing to my friends for falling asleep on them. We decided to part and Max drove me home before his midnight shift.
“Thanks for the book, Em. I really love it.”
“You’re welcome. Jake actually wanted to buy the book for you, but I didn’t let him. I wanted it to be a gift from me.”
“Tell Jake I said thanks, as well.”
“You tell him if you see him tonight. Also, if you see him, tell him that I’m pining away for him at home.”
That probably wasn’t the most sensitive thing to ask my ex-boyfriend to tell my fiancé.
“Sorry. TMI, huh?”
“It’s OK,” he said with an attempt to laugh it off.
It saddened me to see Max so down. I knew Max was happy for me, but I sensed that he hadn’t gotten over me rejecting his proposal. I hoped our encounter in Arizona would become a distant memory and that he would find his happiness soon.
“I guess I’ll see you at your wedding.”
I hated it when his face turned somber, and he couldn’t look me in the eye. I smiled, hugging him, and answered, “We’ll definitely see each other before then. Bye.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and walked toward the house.
It was near eleven o’clock when I got home and washed up for bed. Pulling an all-nighter last night made me extremely sleepy, but I tried my hardest to stay up and wait for Jake. My head bobbed up and down trying to watch whatever was on the television. Instinctually, I jerked awake at the sound of the garage door opening and closing. My legs took me as fast as they could downstairs in my pajamas, excited to see Jake. As he opened the door, I surprised him and jumped into his arms, almost knocking us both down.
He dropped whatever was in his hands, picked me up, and started embracing me. I didn’t think twice about the fact that he was carrying me, kissing me, and walking up a flight of stairs. What was the worst that could happen? We would fall and break his surgeon hands? We got to his bedroom and lay on our bed. We made out like two hormonal teenagers. For the first time, I didn’t stop him or push him away. I responded to his every move. I let him explore with his hands, his mouth, his tongue and soon my pajama top came undone. As my body continued to reciprocate, Jake paused and stared at me.
“Aren’t you going to stop me?” he questioned. “This is unusual that you haven’t said no yet.”
“Um, I wasn’t ready to stop, but I guess we should, huh? Sorry I got carried away.” I giggled.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I stopped us?” He had this incredulous look on his handsome face. “I can’t win.”
“Yup, I guess I have you trained better than I thought.” I giggled even harder.
Jake groaned and walked in to take a shower.
I must have fallen asleep while Jake showered because when my eyes opened, I was alone nicely tucked away in his bed. It was 4:00 a.m. and sleep was done for the night. I was tempted to crawl into bed with Jake in Nick’s room, but I thought I should be good. There were only a few more weeks left for us to be apart. Instead, I drove downtown to the fish market and bought a variety of fish to make sushi today.
The fish market was bustling with vendors and chefs. It was tiny compared to the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, but the fish and seafood smelled fresh and delicious memories of Japan paraded through my morning. Mr. Yamaguchi’s suggestions for the day were tuna, salmon, yellowtail, halibut, sweet shrimp, an
d uni. This would absolutely make a nice lunch for the whole family. Maybe I would surprise Jake and bring him lunch at the hospital.
Once home, I put all the fish away and started making a batter for crepes. All the necessary ingredients for my own version of the Ritz Hotel crepes were found in the pantry. I chopped up bananas, strawberries, and peanuts and whipped up some heavy cream with vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. Sandy and Bobby cheerfully walked from their room, ready to be my chauffeur and wedding planner again. Though today, we needed to stay home and work with all the vendors who wanted to come see the layout of the house. Samples of linen would be sent to the house by 8:00 a.m., and Aunt Barbara, the chief’s wife, offered to be our interior and exterior designer for the wedding. Since I didn’t have much of an eye for design, I was glad she volunteered to help.
Good morning. I have strawberries and whipped cream crepes or Nutella, peanuts, and banana crepes. What can I get you?” I offered.
“Good morning, Emily. I’ll take one of each,” Bobby said. “I really enjoy your breakfast in the mornings. I feel like I’m at a bed and breakfast.”
“Emily, dear, you know that you don’t have to make us breakfast every morning, right?” Sandy looked worried.
“Oh, I know. It’s not a have to, it’s a want to. Cooking is something I love to do. Plus, I can’t sleep beyond 4:00 a.m., so I might as well be useful. Don’t get too used to it, though. Jake will tell you I’m not much of a morning person. Breakfast may soon be a thing of the past so enjoy it while it lasts.”
I went to work on my new electric crepe maker that I picked up yesterday while registering for my wedding gifts. The first few crepes turned out too thick so I threw them out, but after that, I got the hang of using the wooden rabot and perfected the spreading technique. Each crepe after the first few came out perfectly. Aunt Barbara and the chief came over and I made them each a couple of crepes. The kitchen island simulated a diner and I felt like a short order cook. It was fun.
“How do you take your coffee?” I asked both of them.
“Emily,” Aunt Barbara said, “I’ll get our coffee. Why don’t you sit down and eat with us?”
