Hearts of Grey

by Earl E. Gobel

  Slowly, the carriages made their turn toward the bottom of the ramp. The horses stopped with their noses only inches away from each other. Grady walked up to Katie’s carriage just as Melissa’s dad walked up to hers. As each of the proud fathers reached up to take their daughters’ hands, the girls stood up and placed their hands into the hands of their fathers. Slowly and together, the girls stepped down from their carriages. And for the very first time, everyone, including the grooms, got a sight of the gowns that the ladies were wearing. Mike and Rick just stared at their future wives. Their jaws dropped as they got a full visual image of their ladies in the very finest moment. There were many more ooohhhs and awwws from the audience. As the two fathers turned toward the ramp, the girls turned in unison until the fathers were next to each other. They stopped long enough for Mary and Elizabeth to fall in behind the brides and stoop down and gently lift up the trails of the brides’ dresses. Then in step with the music, they slowly, one step at a time, made their way up to the top of the ramp where their soon-to-be-husbands were waiting for them to join them.

  Katie and Melissa both felt like a million bucks, but Mike and Rick would have paid a lot more. Then the music soon started to die down until it disappeared altogether. Judge Harlow stepped up to the microphone. “Family, friends, and honored guests, we welcome all of you to this ceremony where we celebrate the joining of these two couples into the institution of marriage.”

  The judge looked at Grady. “Who giveth this woman to this man?” he asked.

  Grady responded, “I do, Your Honor, as her father.”

  Then the judge looked at Frank Gibbes. “And who giveth this woman to this man?” he asked.

  Frank responded, “I do, Your Honor, as her father.”

  “Very well,” the judge told them as the fathers stepped aside and the grooms stepped into their place.

  The brides turned to their flower girls and received their bouquet of flowers. They turned to face the podium again.

  “Before I join these two couples as husband and wife, I’d like to talk about what a marriage consists of. It’s far more than a title that you’ll wear. In marriage, you agree to accept each other for better or for worse. You agree to tend to each other in the times of sickness. You agree to be there for each other with mutual moral support. You agree to be there at each other’s side throughout your lives until death you do part. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It should, for many of you here today have agreed to the same terms when you stood before God and became husband and wife. But there’s more to marriage than what meets the eye. There’s dirty laundry and a house to paint. There’s a lawn to cut and drapes to hang, isn’t there? And these things, as trivial as they might be, are all part of a marriage, aren’t they? But I tell you this because these people standing before me today have to know the truth about marriage. Everything ahead of them, from this day forward, will be done as a couple. And it will take understanding and communication to make this or any marriage work. The road ahead of these two couples may not always be smooth. No, in fact, the road ahead of you will be full of bumps and twists and turns. But through communication and love, your marriage will survive.

  “Now these people standing before us here today have written their own vows that they wish to read out loud so all of you may bear witness to their love for each other. So I’ll allow them to say their vows, for all of you can hear the love in their hearts,” the judge said as he took a step back and listened to the two couples before him.

  The two couples turned to face their perspective spouses. Katie started them off, “I love you without regrets.”

  Mike: “For my heart has spoken.”

  Mel: “From the roots of my very soul.”

  Rick: “My pledge to you will remain unbroken.”

  Katie: “I only ask that you hold me,”

  Mike: “When it’s cold,”

  Mel: “To keep me warm.”

  Rick: “Will you comfort me,”

  Katie: “When I’m feeling lost?”

  Mike: “And my spirit is worn.”

  Mel: “Will you offer me your hand?”

  Rick: “As we journey through the passing years,”

  Katie: “Together, we can last the duration,”

  Mike: “of our lifetime without fears.”

  Mel: “As we plant the seed of our future,”

  Rick: “Together with the heart of one.”

  Katie: “Every step of the way”

  Mike: “We shall cultivate it, watching it grow.”

  Mel: “Rejoicing in the growth,”

  Rick: “of our newly planted love.”

  All: “And it’s our love that will make the flowers grow.”

  Katie: “Blossoms of our future will spring to life,”

  Mike: “with each and every step we take,”

  Mel: “As we journey down the highway of our lives.”

  Rick: “Wherever the flowers grow,”

  Katie: “And in those times of trouble,”

  Mike: “Where a storm lingers on the horizon.”

  Mel: “The flowers will bend, never to break,”

  Rick: “As our love shines through,”

  All: “And it’s our love that will make the flowers grow.”

  Katie: “The road ahead will be rough and hard to steer.”

  Mike: “This we will find to be true,”

  Mel: “But with you at my side,”

  Rick: “We will make it through.”

  All: “To watch the Flowers Grow,”

  Katie: “And when the darkness comes to one of us,”

  Mike: “You may rest assured,”

  Mel: “That the other will carry on with life,”

  Rick: “With all the spirit of our love.”

  Katie: “But when the darkness calls to them,”

  Mike: “We will once again be rejoined.”

  Mel: “In God’s kingdom high above the clouds,”

  Rick: “Where we will once again walk, hand in hand.”

  Katie: “Down the pathway of God’s eternal life,”

  Mike: “Just you and I with our love.”

  Mel: “As we sit together in God’s kingdom,”

  Rick: “As we feast on the power of our love,”

  All: “And it’s our love that will make the flowers grow.”

  When the couples were finished, they turned to face the judge again. Judge Harlow stepped back up to the podium.

  “If there is anyone who has just cause as to why either of these couples should not be joined in holy matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold his peace,” the judge said as he paused for a few seconds. He heard nothing, so he continued.

  “Michael Gibbes, do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?” he asked.

  “I do, Your Honor,” Mike said loud and clear.

  “And do you, Katie Windslow, do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?” he asked her.

  “I do, Your Honor,” Katie said as she smiled at Michael.

  “Rick McIntosh, do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?” he asked.

  “I do, Your Honor,” Rick answered.

  “And do you, Melissa Gibbes, do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?” he asked her.

  “I do, Your Honor,” Melissa answered.

  “Very well, the rings please,” the judge asked. Mike and Rick turned and received their rings from their ring bearers.

  “Now as you slide these symbols of your love onto the fingers of your partner for life, I want you to notice one thing about these rings. Their shape. They’re round, aren’t they? They have no beginning, nor do they have an ending. These rings that you shall wear as a symbol of your love for each other are like your love for each other. It too has no ending. It just keeps going around and around right back to where it all started, right back to your hearts. So as you all finish with the rings, I ask you to turn and face the audience,” the judge said as he waited for the four of them to turn and face the crow
d.

  “Family, friends, and honored guests, by the power invested in me by the great State of Georgia, I hereby pronounce these two couples to be husband and wife. Gentlemen, you may now kiss your brides.”

  Katie and Melissa both had their veils up before the judge had finished talking. Both couples were soon locked into a loving and very affectionate embrace. The audience was going nuts.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please I do have one more thing to say,” the judge said as the crowd started to get quiet again.

  “It is my honor to introduce to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Gibbes and Mr. and Mrs. Rick McIntosh. Congratulations to all of you,” the judge said as the musicians started playing the wedding march again.

  The crowd erupted again as they started tossing rice at the newlyweds.

  The two couples slowly made their way down the ramp and into the waiting crowd. Katie and Melissa just stopped and looked at each other, and without speaking, they took each other into their arms and hugged each other.

  Grady and Frank just stood there on the stage. “Well, what do you think there, Frank? One hell of a wedding, don’t you think?” Grady asked him.

  “Oh, yeah. For sure. And I’m not sure if I ever told you this, Grady, but thank you for everything. I really mean it too,” he told Grady.

  “Hey, I didn’t do anything. It was all of them that did most of the work, and if you’re talking about all of this stuff, you’ll have to go to the town council to thank them,” Grady responded.

  “You know darn well what I’m talking about. It seems that we got a pretty nice check in the mail the other day,” he told him.

  “Oh that. Hey, it was your grandfather’s money, so it was only fitting that it should come back to you. But you’re welcome all the same,” Grady answered.

  “Yeah, but it wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you and your daughter,” Frank responded.

  “Don’t you mean your daughter-in-law?” Grady said with a huge smile.

  “You’re right! I guess I do at that,” Frank said laughing.

  Katie and Melissa were being mobbed. Mike and Rick were having a very hard time just keeping up with their new wives. But they did somehow manage to catch back up to them. It was about ten minutes or so before the crowd started to calm down, and some type of order was restored.

  “Wow, that was getting pretty nasty there for a while,” Rick said as he caught back up with Melissa again.

  “What did you expect? I mean after all, there’s something like four thousand people here, and there’s only four of us. The odds would not appear to be in our favor,” Melissa responded.

  “Hey, this many people all trying to be in one spot at one time, and still not one person, not one, mind you, stepped on either of our dresses. That’s pretty good considerin’ how long they are. And even if they had, after everything that they’ve done for us, to make this day special just for us, who the hell cares? These people are our friends, and I think they deserve to be cut a little slack here,” Katie told them.

  “I agree, and while you may now be my wife, Katie, and you too are now husband and wife, I think right now, and for the rest of the day even, we all belong to them. They all made this possible, we can’t forget that. Ever,” Mike said as he put his arm around Katie.

  “I agree, okay? All I was saying is that it was getting a little nasty there for a while. That’s all,” Rick said with a smile.

  “You’re right, Rick, it was at that, but there’s something that I need to say right now,” Mike said as he stared at his new bride.

  “And what might that be?” Katie asked.

  Mike looked at her. She could see the passion in his eyes. “Please tell me that there’s no hoop skirt under that dress,” he asked with a smile.

  “Why, Michael, whatever are you thinkin’? I’ll have you know that I am now a married woman, and well, what would my husband say if he were here?” she asked.

  “He’d say that you are the most beautiful woman in the world, especially in that dress. And if he had a mind too, he’d take you right back to that barn and finish what he started,” Mike told her.

  “Oh, he would, would he? Well, he has earned it, I suppose, and what with all of these people standing around here, it would be highly unlikely for us to do anything right here. But to duck away from everyone just to, well, fool around, as they say, well, that might not be the proper thing to do, but then again it might be fun, might it?” Katie answered.

  “Fun? I would hardly call it fun. Our first romantic encounter as husband and wife? No, it wouldn’t be fun. It would be a fantastic voyage of two souls searching for each other and then finding each other in a single moment of sure bliss,” he answered.

  “Where did you ever come up with that? That was beautiful. Hell, I might have to take you to the barn after all,” she told him as she pulled him closer for another kiss.

  “You guys, aren’t really going to the barn, are ya?” Melissa asked, not yet knowing if they were really serious or not.

  “Well I wasn’t planning on it. Well, not right away anyways, but if he keeps talking like that, I might have to,” Katie responded.

  “Really, ya take me to the barn, would ya?” Mike asked.

  “Cool it, Romeo. I think we need to go cut a cake,” Melissa suggested.

  “Fine, I can have my cake and have my wife too,” Mike replied.

  “Michael, calm down there, tiger. There’s plenty of time for that later. And I do mean plenty of time if you know what I mean?” she told him.

  Michael just smiled at her. “Oh yeah, plenty of time.”

  Katie leaned over and whispered into Melissa’s ear. “Has he always been this horny?” she asked

  “Hey, you married him? But I think it’s these dresses. Rick is acting hornier than usual too,” Melissa replied.

  “Well then, he’s out of luck ’cause I ain’t taking this dress off until I have to. I love the way it makes me feel. I feel like a woman. No, I feel like a beautiful, sexy woman,” she replied.

  “I agree. Let the men stress it out until they can’t control themselves any longer, and then we’ll make them work for it,” Melissa added.

  “I like your way of thinking, sister-in-law,” Katie answered with a smile across her face.

  “Good! I like the sound of that, and by the way, welcome to our family. Now let’s go cut us some cake,” Melissa said as she pulled Rick by the hand behind her. “Come on, lover boy,” she said as she turned and smiled at her new husband.

  Katie just looked at Mike. “Come on you too, Romeo,” she said as she put her arm around him and gave him a slight squeeze.

  The two couples made their way through the crowd of people, and before they knew it, they were standing in front of their wedding cake.

  All four of them just stood there in silence as they stared at the giant cake that sat on the table before them.

  “Oh my god! Look at this cake. It’s simply fantastic,” Katie said as she stared at the cake.

  “I don’t know if we’re supposed to eat it or worship it. This thing is just . . . wonderful,” Mike added.

  Melissa looked up at the towering cake that stood so much taller than she did. “My Lord, what is a person supposed to say when they see something like this? I really can’t think of a single thing to say,” Melissa said as she stared at the cake.

  “All of these years, and now I find out how to keep my sister quiet—give her cake. Hey, who knew?” Mike said jokingly.

  “Ha ha ha! Brother dear, very funny,” Melissa responded.

  Rick didn’t say anything. Just like Melissa had said, what could a person say that hasn’t been said already? He just stared at the monster of a cake that towered before him.

  “Well, at least we have enough cake for everyone even if they had seconds, I might add,” he finally spoke up.

  Katie and Mike together took a knife in their hands. Rick and Melissa did the same. And both couples slowly started to cut themselv
es two pieces of cake.

  Robert Kincaid was there to capture everything on film. The two grooms held a small piece of cake in their hands while the two brides held a much larger piece in theirs.

  They had decided earlier to take turns so Robert could get pictures of both couples eating the cake. Melissa and Rick went first. Rick slowly and gracefully slid the small piece of cake between Melissa’s lips. Melissa, on the other hand, had other ideas. As she slowly placed the cake between her husband’s lips, without warning, she suddenly cramped the entire piece of cake deep into his mouth. Rick knew that she was going to do it. He just knew. But the result still left Rick with cake all over his face. Rick and Melissa kissed each other.

  Mike just looked at Katie. “Now be nice, sweetheart,” he told her.

  “Oh, I intend to. after all I’m not your sister, I’m your wife,” she said as she slowly raised the cake up to his mouth and slowly slid it between his lips. Mike, however, wasn’t moving as fast as Rick had. Just as Katie went to force the piece of cake into his mouth, Mike did the same to her. Both of them ended up with cake on their faces.

  “That was mean,” Katie said half laughing as she tried not to get any cake on her dress.

  “Hey, do unto others before they have a chance to do unto you, right?” Mike asked her.

  “Oh, you just wait, buddy boy. Your turn is coming,” she answered. Mike took his wife into his arms and kissed her. The onlookers of townspeople all started laughing and clapping. “I know. That’s what I’m waiting for,” Mike whispered in her ear.

  “Well, you might be waiting a lot longer than you think,” she said laughing.

  “Really?” he asked her.

  “Oh yeah, really,” she said still laughing.

  Melissa took another piece of cake in her hand and held it up next to her brother’s face.