The Day the Siren Stopped
Page 9
Mary Comstock took joy in helping make plans for the wedding, and Kathy Mae had never had more fun making all the appropriate decisions. It would take place in Kansas City because they could find no location large enough to accommodate the huge crowd made up of family and friends of her new family. Dawn agreed gleefully to be her maid of honor. And, after learning that protocol these days was compromised easily to suit the bride's wishes, Kathy Mae asked her mother to accompany her down the aisle and give her away at the ceremony.
She had searched everywhere for the perfect dress. Even the ones that cost thousands of dollars, the ones her mother suggested did not seem to suit her feelings nor the image she saw in her mind of herself marrying Mason Wheelwright. After a discussion with her mother over coffee after a shopping venture which, again, had ended in failure, Mary Comstock suggested a tailor that she knew.
Kathy Mae described a lovely vision of white lace from another era, much in the style of the early 19th century. With the help of a composite sketch, the tailor nailed it. When it was finished, Kathy Mae loved her dress, hardly able to understand herself how a simple piece of clothing could mean so much. When she tried it on she felt like a character in a Victorian romance novel. Her life had become a real life love story. This was exactly how she wanted to appear before the man she adored on her wedding day.
She remembered some lines from Wuthering Heights:
“If all else perished and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it.”
On that day, as she walked down the aisle, Kathy Mae hardly noticed the hundreds of guests, the lovely music, the immense display of candles and flowers. All she could see was the gaze of her groom smiling at her with love.
They had written their own vows. Kathy Mae began:
”Happiness in your eyes
Love in your touch
I will love you when you are gone
I will think of you when you are here
With you, love is eternal
The years of life will not harm us
Our love will endure
My heart is yours forevermore.”
Mason began his, and the crowd stayed hushed to hear his soft low voice:
“Love is not afraid to talk
It is not afraid to leap
Good or bad, we will hold on
Time will not break us
For all the days ahead
I promise to look into your eyes,
To touch your face
And you will know that today is everyday forever.”
The kiss sealed the ceremony Kathy Mae opened her mouth to offer her eternal self to Mason Wheelwright, her new husband. She didn't notice or have concern that everyone was watching. It was as if only the two of them stood there together.
Mason and Kathy Mae had their wedding pictures taken at both the church and the reception with at least one shot which included Zimmer, Mason's favorite camel, standing between them. These pictures made the national news. One of the reporters asked Mary Comstock how she felt about the livestock being part of the wedding.
“I absolutely love it,” she said, smiling with tears of happiness in her eyes.
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