Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah

by Melody Carlson

  “Everyone has to start somewhere.”

  “But starting in middle school, just a couple of months before the school year ends? Don’t you think they’ll want someone who knows what they’re doing?”

  “Unless they want someone who’s enthusiastic and energetic and smart and creative and who likes kids and had lots of great new ideas and—”

  “Wow, any chance you could do the interview in my place?”

  “Cross-dress and pretend I’m you?”

  She laughed. “Funny.”

  “Just have confidence, Megan. Believe in yourself and make them believe too. You’d be great as a middle-school teacher.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because I remember middle school.”

  “And?”

  “And most of my teachers were old and dull and boring.”

  “That’s sad.”

  “And I would’ve loved having someone like you for a teacher.”

  “Really?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah. If I was thirteen, I’d probably sit right in the front row and think about how hot you were, and then I’d start fantasizing about—”

  “Marcus Barrett, you’re pathetic.” Just the same, she laughed.

  “What can I say? I’m just a normal, warm-blooded, American kid.”

  “Give me a break!” She punched him in the arm.

  “Is that your phone?” he asked as he was parking outside of the church.

  “Oh, yeah, a good reminder to turn it off.” She pulled it out to see it was Kendall. Megan hoped nothing was wrong. “Hey, Kendall,” she said as Marcus set the parking brake. “What’s up?”

  “Guess what?” shrieked Kendall.

  “I have no idea what, but it sounds like good news.” She stepped out of the car.

  “Killiki just called.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “And he asked me to marry him!”

  Megan raised her eyebrows and looked at Marcus as he came around to meet her. “And you said yes?”

  “Of course! Do you think I’m crazy?”

  “No. Not at all. Congratulations, Kendall. I mean, I guess that’s what you say.”

  “So now we have two weddings to plan.”

  Megan blinked. She walked with Marcus toward the church entry. “Oh, yeah, I guess we do.”

  “And I’m getting married in June too!”

  “That’s great, Kendall. I’m really, really happy for you. And Killiki seems like a great guy.”

  “He is! Anyway, we just looked at the calendar again. And we finally figured that I should just get married the same day as Lelani, only I’ll get married in the morning. That way we’ll all be able to go to both weddings.”

  “Wow, the same day?”

  “Otherwise, you’ll be at your reunion or Marcus’s sister’s wedding. Or Anna will be at the bar mitzvah. Or Lelani and Gil will be on their honeymoon.”

  “Oh, that’s right.”

  “And I want all of you there!”

  “Yes, I suppose that makes sense.”

  “It’ll be busy, but fun.”

  “Definitely.” Then Megan thanked Kendall for telling her, and they said good-bye. Megan closed her phone and just shook her head. “Wow.”

  “Kendall’s getting married?” asked Marcus as he held the church door open for her.

  “Yes. Can you believe it?”

  “Good for her.”

  “And her wedding will be the same weekend as your sister’s and the same day as Lelani’s.”

  Marcus held up three fingers and wore a perplexed expression. “Three weddings in one weekend? That’s crazy.”

  “Yep.” Megan nodded. “Three weddings and a bar mitzvah.”

  “Huh?” Marcus looked confused, but they were in the sanctuary, and Megan knew she’d have to explain later.

  Two

  Kendall Weis

  “I’m sorry, Kendall, but I find it a little hard to believe that you’re actually going to—”

  “Mom,” Kendall protested, “I thought you’d be happy for me.” Not wanting to wake Emma, who’d just fallen asleep in her playpen by the sectional, Kendall lowered her voice as she went over to the dining room.

  “The last time you told me you were getting married turned out to be a great big hoax that your father and I footed the bill for.”

  “Yes, Mom, I realize I was a little confused about Matthew Harmon’s interest in me, but are you going to hold that over my head for the rest of my life? People make mistakes, and hopefully—”

  “Speaking of Matthew Harmon … and mistakes … have you done a paternity test yet?”

  Kendall took in a deep breath and stared out the front window. Blossoms from the ornamental plum trees were blowing off the branches and littering the street with a layer of pale pink fluff. Kind of messy and pretty at the same time.

  “Have you?” repeated her mother.

  “No.”

  “May I ask why not?”

  Kendall considered this. At one time she couldn’t wait to get DNA results. At first it was because she felt certain that a DNA match would force Matthew to 1) take her seriously, 2) leave his wife, 3) marry Kendall, and 4) live happily ever after with her. Then she realized that was just her own delusional fantasy, and Matthew actually despised her. So she decided that if the DNA matched up, like she suspected it would, she’d simply slap a gigantic paternity suit on Matthew Harmon—make him pay. And then she’d met Killiki.

  “Kendall?”

  “Sorry, Mom. I was spacing.”

  Her mom cleared her throat. “So this new guy that you met in Maui … why this sudden rush to get married?”

  Kendall laughed as she patted her stomach. “Why not?”

  “Because you haven’t even dealt with one problem before you go leaping after another.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean your pregnancy, Kendall.” Her mom was using that mother-of-a-five-year-old tone with her again. “And please don’t tell me you want to get married so that your child will have a father.”

  “Why shouldn’t I want my baby to have a father?”

  “Perhaps because you may not even be ready to be a mother.”

  Kendall glanced over to where Emma was sleeping in the crib and frowned. “How can you say that, Mom? You haven’t been around me. You don’t even know—”

  “I know that you haven’t used good judgment for the past few years. Your life just seems to go from one disaster to the next. And now you want to marry someone you hardly know while you’re pregnant with another man’s baby. Isn’t that like jumping from the frying pan into the fire?”

  “Thanks for that vote of confidence, Mother.”

  “You don’t have to get mad.”

  “I’m not mad. I’m hurt.”

  “I’m just being honest with you.” Her voice softened. “And the truth is, I’m a little surprised by all this.”

  “I’m sorry I even called. But I thought you would be happy for me. Aren’t moms usually happy when their daughters get married?”

  “Usually. Although weddings are quite expensive these days.”

  “I don’t expect you and dad to pay for any of it,” Kendall said quickly.

  Her mother just laughed.

  “I’m serious, Mom.”

  “So how do you plan to pay for your wedding?”

  “I’m making a little money watching Lelani’s little girl and—”

  “You plan to finance a wedding with babysitting money?”

  Kendall took in a quick breath. “And I also have a little online business.”

  “Really?” Her mother’s voice dripped with skepticism. “Doing what?”


  “I sell things. On eBay.”

  “What do you sell?”

  “Things I buy.”

  Her mother laughed again. “Oh, that must be lucrative. You buy things and then sell them again?”

  “I find good deals on things at garage sales and I re—”

  “You shop at garage sales?” She sounded incredulous.

  “That’s right, Mom. I shop at garage sales and I babysit for a living. Are you proud of me now?”

  “Oh, Kendall.”

  “I’m sorry I bothered you, Mom. I just thought you’d want to hear the good news.”

  “So, tell me, Kendall, how is your little dog doing?”

  “Huh?” Kendall knew her mom was just trying to change the subject.

  “Cinderella? Or what was her name?”

  “Tinkerbell.”

  “Oh, yes, that’s right. So how is Tinkerbell?”

  “She’s fine,” Kendall snapped. “But she’s not my dog anymore.”

  “What? You got rid of her? And you had seemed so attached to her, Kendall.”

  Kendall heard the judgment in her mother’s voice.

  “Perhaps having a dog wasn’t such a good idea after all?” she persisted. “Or perhaps you just changed your mind?”

  “That’s not what happened. Anna’s mother watched Tinkerbell while I was in Maui. Then we came home from Maui and Lelani brought home her baby—”

  “Another one of your roommates has a baby?” Her mother sounded scandalized. “What sort of place are you running there anyway? A home for unwed mothers?”

  As tempting as it was to scream, Kendall did not want to wake up Emma. “No, Mother,” she hissed into the phone. “In fact, Lelani and Gil are getting married soon.”

  “Oh, that’s a relief.”

  “You don’t have to be sarcastic.” Kendall bit her lip and considered hanging up.

  “So about your dog,” persisted her mother. “What happened to it?”

  “It turned out that Tinkerbell was not happy to share the house with a baby,” Kendall said. “And I realized that Emma would be safer if I found another home for my dog. I didn’t really want to get rid of her—” Her voice broke slightly. “But a friend of Anna’s mother fell in love with her, and she promised that I could come visit and take Tinker for walks and”—Kendall was actually crying now—“and … that’s … what … happened. Good-bye!” Then she hung up. And she turned off her phone too.

  Kendall checked to see if Emma was still napping, then quietly sat down beside her. Why did Kendall let her mom get to her like that? And why had she even called in the first place? She should have known better. And yet she’d hoped that her parents would be happy for her. Kendall had been deliriously happy when Killiki proposed to her. In fact, she was still happy. She would not let Mom get to her.

  In her mind, Kendall replayed Killiki’s phone call.

  “Aloha, my little mermaid,” he had said, just like he always did. She loved that he called her his little mermaid and she hoped he never stopped. “I have a surprise for you,” he had continued in a mysterious tone.

  “What?” she asked him.

  “Listen,” he told her. And then some beautiful Hawaiian guitar music began to play. “I’m sitting on our beach, Kendall,” he continued with the music in the background, which he later confessed was just his iPod, although she had felt sure there was a full Hawaiian band playing for them. “And I have a beautiful lei in my hand that I will send to my little mermaid today.”

  “Oh, that sounds lovely. Thanks, Killiki. What’s the special occasion?” Even as she asked this, her heart was beginning to pound with anticipation.

  “I would rather do this in person, Kendall, but I don’t think I can wait that long.”

  “Do what?” Her hands were shaking.

  “Kendall Weis, my little mermaid, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  She sucked in a quick breath, then screamed, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” so loudly that she wondered if she’d damaged his ears. But he just laughed joyously, and then they began to make plans.

  Kendall sighed happily as she curled up in a corner of the sectional. She was not going to let her mother get to her. All was right with the world. And nothing was more soothing than the even, gentle breaths coming from a sleeping baby. Before long, Kendall fell asleep too.

  Kendall woke up to the sensation of something poking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Megan looking down at her and Emma standing up and peering over the edge of her crib. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” said Megan.

  Kendall blinked and sat up. “Has Emma been awake long?”

  “She just woke up as I came into the house,” Megan told Kendall as she bent down and kissed the top of Emma’s head. “I’d stick around and watch her, but I have to go to my interview at Madison.”

  Kendall nodded. “That’s right. My car keys are in my bag over by the hall tree. Good luck. And if it helps to drop my name …” She kind of laughed. “Not that it would, but feel free.”

  Megan smiled. “Hey, it couldn’t hurt to mention that I live with an alumna.”

  “I was a Pirate and proud of it.” Kendall reached down to pick up Emma, then wrinkled up her nose. “Smells like someone needs a change.” Then she started dancing with Emma as she sang an old song. “I think a change—a change would do you good—do you good—a change would do you good—I think a change …”

  Megan laughed. “Maybe you two should put your act on YouTube.”

  Kendall smiled. “I think Sheryl Crow’s got this one covered.”

  “Not with a baby, I’ll bet.” Megan held up Kendall’s keys. “Thanks again for letting me borrow your car.”

  “Good luck!”

  Kendall continued her song as she transported Emma into Lelani’s bedroom, where a changing table was all set up and, thanks to her preplanning, a disposable changing pad was already in place. “Okay, let’s do this the way Grandma Mendez has taught us,” she cooed to Emma as she fastened the safety strap over Emma’s middle. Not that the strap would confine Emma if she decided to squirm or roll. And not that Kendall planned to leave Emma unattended anyway. She knew better than that.

  Kendall pushed up her sleeves and held her breath as, carefully, step by step, she peeled off the gross diaper, taped it into a neat albeit smelly bundle and dropped it in the waste basket, used lots of wipes, made sure Emma was really clean, rubbed on some diaper-rash ointment, followed that with a conservative “sprinkle” of baby powder, and finally put on the fresh diaper—securely but not too tight. Kendall had learned early on that a toddler can worm her way out of a loose diaper.

  “There you go, princess,” she said as she lifted Emma up. “And some people think I don’t know how to take care of a baby.” She glanced at Lelani’s bedside clock. “And if I’m not mistaken, your mommy should be here pretty soon.”

  Since the housemates’ return from Maui, and thanks to Lelani’s father’s financial help, Lelani had switched over to part-time at Nordstrom and registered late for two classes at Portland State, where she planned to finish her medical degree. Today was a school day, and she should be home by three.

  “Not that I’m trying to get rid of you, little darlin’.” Kendall sat down with Emma on the living room carpet, watching as the baby crawled directly toward the coffee table, used it to pull herself up to a standing position, and then walked around the perimeter with a proud expression.

  “Yes, you’re going to be walking soon,” Kendall told her as she moved closer in case she needed to spot a tumble. “But, really, there’s no hurry, sweetie pie, you’re not even a year old yet.” She chuckled. “Trust me, you’ll grow up soon enough. Enjoy your childhood while you can.” Kendall remembered what it was like to be the youngest of five kids—all of whom were much older than she was.
It was like she was always running to catch up, trying to measure up, hoping to be one of them, constantly wishing she were older. Was it possible she had hurried so fast that she’d missed a few things along the way? She was sure her mother would agree. Not that she wanted to think about her mother.

  Kendall blocked the phone conversation from her mind as Emma sat down with a plop and immediately crawled under the coffee table in pursuit of her pink bunny.

  “Watch your head,” Kendall warned. But the nimble baby emerged with bunny in tow and a satisfied grin. Then she quickly discarded the bunny in exchange for a nearby ball, which rolled away as soon as she reached for it. Emma laughed and followed it. And Kendall followed her, thinking that this was probably how her mother saw her—as an infant who chased after one thing, got distracted, and then took off after something else. Maybe it was true, or had been true. But people could change. Besides, Kendall did not want to think about her mother.

  She would much rather think about Killiki. He had asked her to marry him! She could hardly believe it, and yet she could hardly believe it had taken him this long. She had almost expected him to pop the question before she’d left Maui. After all, it had been love at first sight for both of them. But he had been thoughtful and careful and even prayerful, all qualities she appreciated about him.

  “Let’s play roly-poly.” Kendall sat with legs spread and rolled the ball to Emma. She laughed as she caught the ball and clumsily pushed it back.

  “Yay!” Kendall said as the ball slowly made its way to her. “I see a sports future for you!”

  “Hello,” called Lelani as she came in the front door. Without even taking off her jacket, she rushed toward Emma. “Hey, little sweetie, how’s my girl?” She gathered the baby up and kissed her. “I missed you!”

  Kendall used both hands to push herself onto her knees, then slowly stood with a grunt. “Man, this is getting harder all the time.”

  Lelani laughed. “Yeah, I remember those days.”

  Kendall picked up the discarded pink bunny and tossed it into the playpen.

  “So was she a good girl?” Lelani asked.

  “She’s always a good girl.” Kendall winked at Emma. “And if she wasn’t, do you think we’d tell?”