Joe also picked up on the distress in his youngest son. Taking him to the side, he led him out to the deck on the back porch. Snipping the end off a cigar, he fired one up for himself, encouraging his son to do the same.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind,” Joe said.
“Yeah,” was Isiah’s response.
“Anything you want to talk about?”
“Not really, Dad. The job kind of sucks, but I have only been there a week, so I have to make my mark, get in where I can fit in and learn to do the job well,” Isiah said.
“Or you can start something fresh,” Joe said. “Long gone are the days when Agents like myself worked 30 years for the company. You only have ten years in, so you can do something else.”
“Yeah, DeShondra said the same thing, but I have to give it at least a year or two before unilaterally deciding it’s not for me,” he said. A commotion in the background ensued as Maya talked fifty miles a minute about the church, the backyard, and the plans she and Pookie Jenkins had worked on for the reception. Listening closely, he could hear his future mother-in-law covering the details.
“I will take you by the church in the morning, Mary, to go over the staging areas for the men, where the bridesmaids should be and the like,” Maya said to Mary. “The tent for the backyard arrives tomorrow along with the tables, chairs, and décor. If you want to lend a hand with that, it would be appreciated, but I think we have it.”
Isiah leaned back in the chair, yelling at Maya, “We wanted simple, Mrs. Leman. Nothing over the top!”
“Then you put the wrong person in charge. You guys are going to remember this wedding for the rest of your lives,” Maya said with a beaming smile. Isiah began to sweat, the butterflies in DeShondra’s stomach turned into somersaults, and the rest was one for the record books.
Chapter 22 – If anyone has reason that this man and woman...is that a gun?
The Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church filled to swelling for a small wedding party who only sent out 40 invitations. In the wings, a nervous Isiah paced back and forth waiting for the time when he and his brothers would be summoned to the altar to get the wedding started. His eyes darted back and forth through the crowd, searching for John Lucas, who he could feel in his bones was going to show up. To his surprise, Maya had done her due diligence and, in the crowd, sat his former team from London, along with Special Agent in Charge Ramos.
Zeke and Gabriel looked sharp in black tuxedos with baby blue cummerbunds. It was at Gabriel’s insistence that Isiah shaved the beard for the nuptials, but it was Zeke who suggested he take the facial hair down to a Van Dyke, leaving the mustache and connector to the chin hair.
“It’s a goatee,” Gabriel said.
“No, it’s a Van Dyke,” Zeke corrected. “A goatee has hair hanging like a goat’s beard.”
“Either way, it looks cool,” Isiah said. “It is going to be a surprise to her when she walks down that aisle and sees me.”
“Places, places,” Maya called from the wings, encouraging the men to take their places at the altar.
The church was beautifully decorated with artificial trees and fairy bows tying the draping cloth along the aisles between the pews and flowers in every corner. Soft music played in the background as the men filed in. Isiah reminded his family one more time about the plan if John Lucas was to show.
He took his place at the altar with Zeke on his right, followed by DeAndre, his father, and Gabriel at the end of the line. The church crowd sighed at the sight of the men, and the parents of the groom entered the vestibule taking their seats. Pookie Jenkins was stationed in the foyer, lining up the bridesmaids: Monica, Cabrina, Abby, and Tameka, who entered next in soft blue gowns, taking a stand at the altar. DeShondra’s nieces, Esme and Esmerelda, came through the doors of the church dropping flower petals, and the musical director began the wedding march. Rafe and Leonardo looked sharp as ring bearers carrying the wedding rings on soft blue pillows, with Rafe waving to the crowd as he danced his way down the aisle right before the wedding march began to play.
Rows of well-wishers and nosey churchgoers stood to watch the bride walk through the door escorted by her father. The white veil covered her face and the long blue train following behind her. The ankle length white gown fit perfectly, hiding the midriff pudge. Isiah’s eyes began to water as he wiped away the tears of joy at seeing DeShondra enter the church looking lovelier than ever and arriving at his side. Dr. Leman raised the veil, kissed both of her cheeks, and placed her hand into Isiah’s.
“No beard?” she said, smiling at seeing almost his whole face. The dark hair lightened to a soft brown, not the blonde she remembered from their first chance meeting, but nonetheless, he was a striking figure.
“Not today, you need to see all of me,” he said, helping her up on the dais. The smile could not leave his face as he gazed upon the beauty of his soon-to-be wife.
“Dearly beloved,” Pastor Thomas began the ceremony going through the required words while adding a few of his own, sprinkled in between scriptures about marriage and love. All went well until he posed the question, “If there is there anyone here who has a reason why this man and woman should not be married, please step forward.”
A silence fell over the church as Isiah squeezed her hand tightly, hoping he’d been wrong in his assessment of John Lucas, but he wasn’t. In the back of the church, the rustling of fabric broke the silence in the church from a body attempting to rise, as a lone voice could be heard.
“Me. She is lying to him. She loves me. That’s my baby she is carrying,” John Lucas called out. “DeShondra...!”
The rest of his words halted when three of the Neary men reached inside of their jackets and pulled out Glocks, all pointed at John Lucas, who immediately got surrounded by the Bleu’s Crew, who grabbed him by his arms, attempting to drag the man out the building like a crumpled like a piece of tissue. The congregation all gasped and Pastor Thomas yelled, “Oh! Shit just got real!”
DeShondra, being the voice of reason, snapped at all of them. “Put those weapons away right this instant! I can’t believe any of you brought your service pieces into the house of the Lord,” she said, stomping her foot. “And you! John Lucas. You should be ashamed of yourself, lying in God’s house. Sit down and hush your mouth.”
She then turned her ire to Pastor Thomas. The stink eye she gave him made the pastor adjust his stance and complete the ceremony. The mumbling pastor completed the ceremony, and Rafe and Leonardo passed forth the rings. Isiah and DeShondra placed the golden bands upon each other’s hands. Maya and Mary sat in the front pew, crying as Isiah and DeShondra Neary kissed, sealing the deal, and then Pastor Thomas presented the new couple to the crowd.
“Ladies and gentleman,” Pastor Thomas said, “I present to you Dr. Isiah and Mrs. DeShondra Neary, and please, don’t be throwing no rice in my church. Thank you very much.”
They filed out of the church to the wedding processional to an awaiting limousine which took them to the farmhouse. In their bedroom, Maya had laid out a reception cocktail dress in a soft blue lace covered in miniscule fairies for DeShondra to wear to the backyard party to celebrate her nuptials to Isiah. Pookie, arriving ahead of the limo, and waited outside the master bedroom door to redo DeShondra’s hair, adding fairy clips to the loose strands, piling the tresses high on her head.
“Thank you Pookie,” she said giving the man a hug. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Pookie blushed, pressing his lips together at the modicum of praise which meant the world to him. Bleu’s wife was a terrific woman that he fancied himself as being her BFF. She had taken good care of him and the crew by hiring the chef to cook for them, which in his book, said the woman cared about them. He had come to care about her as well.
“Oh, stop with all of that,” Pookie said. “We have to get you downstairs to the party. Bleu will be waiting.”
Isiah, in the back room, which was fondly labeled as the Bourbon Room, along wit
h his brothers, father, and DeAndre, changed into the comfortable matching clothing of blue khakis, white shirts, and deep blue ties with fairies on them.
“I ain’t wearing no tie with a damned fairy on it,” Joe Neary said.
“Daddy, we are all wearing them,” Zeke reminded his father.
“Then all ya’ll be a bunch of fairies, not this guy,” he said, pointing at himself with pride.
“Dad put on the damned tie,” Isiah said. “Mrs. Leman went to a lot of trouble for the wedding and reception, so please, just go with the plan.”
“I don’t like the plan,” Joe said. “I don’t like dancing either.”
“But this will be so cool, and she will never forget it,” he said to his father. DeAndre was uncertain of what to make of the gun carrying white men, got dressed in a corner, eyeing them all suspiciously.
Gabriel, spotting his apprehension, offered a smile.
“What’s up with you dudes? All of you are married to black women, did they run out of white ones or something in your trailer park?” DeAndre asked.
Joe Neary, adjusting his fairy printed tie, responded, “They married strong black women like their mother and their grandmother,” he said to DeAndre whose mouth hung open. “Stop judging on what you see and take the time to learn a few things before you open your mouth.”
“Shut up!” DeAndre said. “Your Mama ain’t black!”
Isiah walked across the room to stand toe to toe with his brother-in-law, sighing deeply. “It is irrelevant. I am your brother by law now, and we can either get along for the sake of peace, or you can remain an asshole. Don’t matter much to me. My life goes on. However, it will matter to your sister,” Isiah said.
“I say we shoot him to soften him up a bit,” Zeke said. “I brought my silencer.”
“No, we should torture him some, break a few of his fingers,” Joe said.
“Stop scaring him,” Gabriel offered. “We just need to slip him something in a drink to pacify the guy a bit.”
DeAndre’s eyes were wide in shock as the Neary’s discussed him as if he wasn’t in the room with them until Isiah cleared his throat. Although they were joking, DeShondra’s twin didn’t know it.
“We ain’t gonna do any of those things to this man. He is our brother now as well. I say we all kiss him,” Isiah replied.
“Aww, Hell naw!” DeAndre said, trying to get out the door as he was surrounded by the Neary brothers. He began to cry out at the top of his lungs for Maya. “Mamma! Mamma!”
They all stepped back.
“See, I told you he wasn’t made of shit,” Isiah said. “First sign of trouble he’s calling for his Mama. Remember this the next time you want to start some trouble with me. I will come for you.”
“You people suck,” DeAndre said, plopping down in a chair.
“Not as much as you do with your bitch ass,” Isiah said, pouring him a shot of bourbon and handing it to him. “Drink. Relax and let’s party.”
They filed down the stairs to the makeshift reception area, where lights ran from the house to the very large tent in the backyard. Cars arrived in the drive as Ray-Ray and Jacob directed the crowd about where to park. The men walked around the side of the house to the waiting tent.
Inside the tent, the wedding party gathered as Isiah stood on the deck waiting for his wife, who joined him looking like a hot French fry to a man on a carb free diet. “Wow, just plain wow,” he mumbled, kissing her on the cheek. “You look...wow.”
“Well thank you, Mr. Neary. I feel wow as well,” she said. “Can you believe this? My Mom made this dress?”
“I believe it. Honestly, you don’t even look pregnant in it,” he said, touching her tummy.
“But I am, oh so pregnant, and my ankles are starting to swell, so let’s get this party started so we can make them go all go home,” she said.
“Mrs. Neary?” he asked, offering his arm, and they walked down the stairs and entered an enchanted realm inside of the tent and were greeted by her sister-in-law, Tisha, who sprinkled them with fairy dust. The tented ceiling came to life with sparkling lights and streamers in varying shades of blue. The waitstaff dressed as Fae served drinks and non-alcoholic cocktails as Pookie Jenkins announced the arrival of the bride and groom.
The floor cleared as Isiah led his bride to the dance floor. In the background, soft music started as Tyrese’s voice blared through the speakers, while Isiah gathered her in his arms. The strong tenor resonated in Isiah’s choice of a wedding song for their first dance to “Waiting on You,” as he led her around the dance floor to a two-step, swaying to the music, twirling her country style, and then he stopped.
“Fellas, I think I need a bit of help,” Isiah said.
His brothers, father, and DeAndre joined him on the floor. Joe took DeShondra in his arms, moving her quickly across the floor to be handed off to Zeke, who maneuvered her over to DeAndre, who added a bit of soul to his dance move before passing his sister on to Gabriel, who turned, spun, and dipped her before handing her to Xavier, who finally passed his daughter, back to her husband.
Isiah held her tightly, whispering in her ear, “Take a seat, Mrs. Neary.’”
In the chair which came out of nowhere, he placed her in the seat, as he and the groomsmen started a synchronized routine with hands, hips, and feet moving in unison, drawing claps and cheers from the crowd. Isiah made the final spin, resting on one knee in front of her, removing the garter from her thigh, and throwing it into the crowd. Whoops, and yells resounding in the tent in celebration.
The party continued well into the night as people came and left, bringing gifts which were piled high on the dining room table. Isiah danced with his sisters-in-law, his mother, and mother-in-law and even took a turn on the floor with Aunt Millie, who by all accounts seemed to enjoy herself on the dance floor with Uncle Javier.
“You are all right there, Isiah,” Javier Leman said. “I just wish my Monica would find a nice guy instead of these wannabe gangsters.”
“Give her time, Sir,” Isiah offered as he excused himself to steal his bride away from Christian Rogers who stood a bit too close for comfort.
“Back off there, Rogers,” Isiah said. “That lady is taken.”
“I tell you, Neary, you are full of surprises,” Rogers said to him. “Dancing. Marrying a sister, this house, and this reception is amazing. We all miss you, but we wish you the best.”
“That means a lot to me,” he said as Jacob snuck up beside him to steal DeShondra away for a dance.
He watched her on the floor with the young man, and pride filled his heart. Happiness had found him at last. The job wasn’t everything he wanted or needed it to be, but in time, all would right itself. The clinking of a glass sounded in the background as Maya called the attention of the revelers, asking for the bride to come forward. Maya handed her daughter the second bouquet and all the single women came to the front of the crowd.
DeShondra, all smiles, looked over her shoulder for her cousin Monica, whom she made a concerted effort to toss the bouquet to, but Monica sidestepped the bundled flowers, allowing them to land in her sister Abby’s hands. JJ, expressing his disappointment in his lady not catching the bouquet, pouted.
“Oh, shut up,” Monica said, pulling him onto the dance floor.
Maya held onto DeShondra and Isiah as Pookie stepped forward. “The bride and groom are leaving us now to start their wedding night,” Maya said. Pookie led them out of the tent to the waiting limo.
“Where are we going?” DeShondra asked Isiah.
“I have no idea,” he replied.
Maya, all grins, leaned forward, “Don’t worry about it. Go with the flow. I had a Groupon for this gift. Enjoy!”
They rode in silence, going over all the details of the wedding in their heads as they arrived at a private airfield to a waiting plane. “No way,” Isiah said.
The car came to a halt, and they left the limo to board the plane to find four other couples onboard. Speaking to each, they t
ook a seat in the private plane, as luggage, Maya had packed was loaded and the doors were sealed.
“Where are we headed?” DeShondra asked.
“Miami,” a cute redhead said.
“Miami it is,” Isiah said, kissing his bride. “This is going to be amazing.”
“I didn’t ever think you could use a coupon for a private plane. My mother is amazing,” DeShondra said, squeezing his hand.
“Yes, she is and so is her daughter,” he told her. “I love you, Mrs. Neary.”
“And I love you,” she responded by offering him a kiss as the plane taxied down the runaway. “Our life is going to be amazing.”
“Of that, I have no doubt,” he said.
The honeymoon weekend was only the start of a beautiful life they both would share with a little one growing in her belly. Over the weekend, the conversation about their futures continued, with fun pokes about the gender of the child as they walked along the beach, hand in hand, enjoying splashing in the water, loving, and succulent meals.
Neither had anticipated that a meeting in Las Vegas would end in a wedding and extended family, along with a life filled with love and laughter and a farmhouse that she grew to love more and more each day. Her love for the farmhouse was only surpassed by her love for her husband, who in time, became the best co-captain an admiral ever had the pleasure of sailing with on the open sea of opportunity. All because she took a chance.
A chance on love with a formerly bearded man who loved his bleu cheese, Kentucky bluegrass and bourbon.
MAYA LEMAN WORKED DILIGENTLY to stack presents and gifts in the house but two envelopes seemed out of place. Looking at the package, she noticed the first one was addressed to her and Dr. Xavier Leman. She called for her husband, who had been into his son-in-law’s bourbon stash in the kitchen cabinet. His vision blurry, he stumbled into the kitchen with a bleu cheese bourbon meatball on a toothpick, slurring his words.
Bleu, Grass, Bourbon Page 21
