by Amy Faye
In the kitchen, Glenda wheeled out a table with seven different cake flavors. “You have your standard chocolate, a richer chocolate for those with a real sweet tooth, standard vanilla, strawberry, and then some different textures of those flavors.” She winked at Elle. “I know strawberry isn't exactly standard for weddings, but it's Elle's favorite flavor so I had to let y’all give it a chance.”
Glenda had been a mother away from home for Elle all through her childhood. When she had a particularly bad day at school with the teasing, she would walk to Glenda's bakery and let the woman chat about her customers while she ate strawberry cupcakes. Honestly, Elle was surprised she hadn't ballooned during high school, she spent so much time at Hot Cakes.
They each took a fork of each flavor, one by one. Although Elle loved strawberry, the rich chocolate flavor was the one that really tickled her.
“So? Any thoughts?”
“I think we should do the strawberry,” Troy said first. Elle turned to look at him. When he had tasted the strawberry, he made a face that didn't look like he enjoyed it. Was he teasing her?
“No, I think we should go with the chocolate,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.
“Uh oh,” Glenda whispered, raising her eyebrows at Grandma Rosa.
“Strawberry is fine. I like it, you like it.” Troy shrugged, then smiled.
Oh, no you don't. “I liked the chocolate more, Troy.”
“Now, you two quit that bickering. You aren't even married yet, you sound like me and Roy before he died,” Grandma Rosa said, laughing. Roy had been her husband, and it was true they bickered often but always out of love.
“Yes, there's an easy solution here. We can have a layer of each.” Ina looked to Glenda, who nodded in agreement.
“Two layers? Who all is coming?” Elle asked. “I kind of thought it would just be us.”
Grandma Rosa put up her hands and counted on her fingers. “Your aunt and uncle, and their two kids. So that's four. Plus Troy has an aunt and uncle.”
“And a friend. He'll be here on Thursday night,” Troy added. “He was in the army with me, and he's a great guy. Helped me through… a lot of stuff,” he finished quickly.
“So 7, plus us. And you'll want to keep a piece of cake to remember the wedding by. You can't go wrong with an extra layer.” Grandma Rosa said. Ina nodded in agreement.
“A double layer cake isn't how we usually do wedding cakes, but I know you're not exactly the normal kind of girl. It'll be delicious, so don't you worry,” Glenda said, smiling.
Elle wasn't worried about the weird cake, which she had to admit was more like a birthday cake than a wedding cake. She didn't care about that. She cared about her alcoholic aunt and uncle being there, plus people she didn't know and didn't particularly care to meet. Why didn't the grandmas understand that she was only going through with the wedding so she could keep her house? Were they really that dense?
Grandma Ina looked at her dainty watch on her dainty wrist. “Oh, it's only 2. What do you say we all swing by the florist next door to check out the flowers?”
Rosa led the way, with Elle in the back. Troy watched as Glenda pulled Elle in for another hug. “It's normal to be scared, to have second thoughts. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here, you got that? I'm here.” Glenda left a wet kiss on Elle's forehead before shooing her out of the door.
Picking the flowers was no easier. Troy said he would prefer real flowers over silk ones, but Elle wanted fake ones.
“Why do you have to be so difficult? Fake flowers look so tacky,” he said, turning his nose up. She wanted to punch him right in the face then, the snooty prick.
“How about because I'm actually allergic to most flowers?” She said, her voiced raised so that the other customers turned to look at them. The grandmas worked together to calm her down as Troy stepped outside.
“Fine, just get the fake flowers,” he said. Roman followed behind him, panting.
All things considered, Elle was pretty excited to get to the library. Unlike an internship, she wasn't paid to do her practicum. She only got class credit. But really, she was paid in a sense of peace and tranquility in the silence between shelves of books.
Unfortunately, Jane just didn't want her to have a good day. She spent the entire time punishing Elle for having to take time off, although she had acted understanding on the phone. Even worse, she sneered at her for her wedding. “It must be a shotgun wedding. Are you pregnant? Hopefully you'll pop the kid out well after you're done with your practicum, I don't want to have to work around a mother's schedule.”
“You worked around my mom's schedule for me.” Elle said. She regretted it immediately.
“Your mother was an incredibly hard worker, and knew this library better than even I did. Once you can say the same, I'll be more willing to work around your needs, but I will never again make changes to your hours for your whims.” The last word hit Elle like a sharp blade.
Needless to say, the night didn't go well for her.
Troy
It seemed to Troy that the week leading up to the wedding flew by, and he barely got to see Elle. She worked and had school, so when she wasn't out of the house, she was in her room doing homework and listening to music much too loudly.
He was surprised to hear bluesy rock music instead of pop music, or even classical music. The girl had layers and layers of idiosyncrasies and interesting juxtapositions. Just as an outside observer, and not as a future husband, he enjoyed it. She was never boring, even in her silence or her most angst-ridden moments.
When she wasn't home, Troy went around and explored, on foot, with Roman. His bank account was thoroughly drained by that point, and he was eating only what Elle had in the house. When she went grocery shopping, she bought extra of the foods he had eaten. It was tiny, but he took it as a good sign that she at least cared about him a little bit.
Elle, for her part, was not warming up to him like he was to her. Every time he tried to show an interest in what she was doing, she would get irritated and yell at him to leave her alone.
The day before the wedding, she was rushing out the door and turned to him. She looked harried, but still utterly beautiful with her hair up in a clip and her long legs in yoga pants. “Do you have enough food to eat today? I can't go out shopping, Grandma wants to see me after class.”
“I should be able to make do,” he said. “Is it alright if I put my friend up in the guest bedroom with me? We can get noisy when we're together, but if you tell us to be quiet we'll do our best.”
She gave him, then, the first really genuine he had seen on her face. “I understand. Sure, he can stay in the room with you. Just try to stay quiet after 11. I'm going to have a lot of homework tonight so I'll be up late even though the wedding is tomorrow.”
Troy nodded. “Got it. 11 pm bed time.” He gave her a thumbs up, and she jogged out the door after patting Roman on the head.
God, he really was starting to like that girl. He wondered if he might one day love her. She would probably have to let him, first. There was no way he would pine after a girl that had no interest in him.
A couple episodes of Judge Judy later, his phone buzzed. He knew it was his friend before he even looked at it. It wasn't like there was anyone else that would text him. Definitely not Elle.
Plane just landed. I'll grab a taxi and be there soon. Pizza tonight, I'm buying. That'll have to do as your bachelor party, lol.
Troy smiled. He never thought real bachelor parties, with strippers and drugs and other unsavory things, were his style anyway. He was glad that Jack understood him enough to give him a low-key night in, rather than bar hopping or going to a strip club.
Jack had been instrumental in Troy's recovery after the bombing. Troy was in shock for a long time, with horrible nightmares. Jack let him lean on him while he was evaluated before he was sent home.
He was a little temperamental, and there were rumors he had a bit of an addiction… to women. But he was a good man,
and a good friend. A better friend that Troy deserved, many times.
Jack was discharged only a few months later after he took a bullet in the ankle. He was still in a cast until just recently.
Roman went up to the big front window and let out a gentle bark. There was the 'taxi', which was actually a shiny black car. Probably an Uber driver. Troy leaped up, running outside to help Jack with his bags.
“Hey, man, it's cool. I can walk fine.” Jack said, grabbing his large suitcase and immediately wincing as he placed weight on his bad ankle.
“It's not manly when you lie so badly, Jack.” Troy took the bag while Jack waved off the driver, following behind his friend.
He whistled. “Not a bad place. I'm still staying with my mom until I can get back on my feet.”
“Literally,” Troy grinned, showing Jack to the guest room. “So you're staying in here with me. I'll sleep on the floor, since I'm sure that won't be great for your ankle.”
“If you insist. So you're not sleeping with the future missus yet?” Jack asked, leaning against the wall. “That's not like you.”
“It's… a complicated situation.” Troy sighed.
“Uncomplicate it for me,” Jack said, leaning in for a good story. “I have time, and I gotta know what I'm getting into here.”
So Troy did. He told Jack about how they had both been forced into the marriage, and that Elle was not warming up to the idea at all. How she still held a huge grudge against him, and would act hot one second then cold the next.
It was impossible to explain why that bothered him more than being forced into a marriage with her. He was intrigued by her.
“Hey man, some women just need a firm hand. Man up, tell her what you expect, and I bet she'll do everything you want, even the kinkiest stuff.” He gave a smug grin. “Plus, you're a soldier. Girls love soldiers.”
“I don't want to force her to do anything, and I definitely don't want to manipulate her into my bed.” Troy shrugged. “That wouldn't be right. We're both just in this for the money, you know? After the year, we'll probably get divorced and go our separate ways.”
He hated that idea. That divorce was so prevalent made him sick, and being forced to feed into that statistic truly upset him. But was there any other option available to either of them? Not so much.
Jack shrugged. “If you say so, man.”
I'm not sure I want this guy around Elle. I don't remember him being so… I don't know. So sexist? I'm not exactly a paragon of sexual equality, but Jack is already pushing my buttons. I'll have to keep an eye on him.
“Come on, let's go play something. Elle actually has a pretty huge video game collection.” Troy pulled Jack back out into the living room. Roman kept his distance from his master's friend.
After a few hours, Elle came home, looking harried as usual. “Welcome home,” Troy said, beaming up at her.
She stopped at the door, and softened for just a second. “Hey.” She looked radiant, despite the stress that was evident in everything from her eyes to the way she stood. Troy was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to pick her up, spin her around, and kiss her. To claim her in front of what could be a threat.
“This is Jack, the friend I was talking about,” Troy said. Jack stood and offered his hand, which Elle shook. The look in Jack's eyes as he looked Elle up and down really unsettled Troy. Elle didn't seem to give him much thought, since she was so focused on school. She was driven, and he liked that about her.
He cleared his throat. “Like I said, he was in the army with me.”
“I see. Well, it's nice to meet you, Jack, and thank you for your service. Our country owes a lot to both of you, but I have to go do homework. I probably won't see either of you again until tomorrow.” She looked to Troy again and smiled. “Goodnight.”
“Night,” he said, dumbfounded. Once she was out of earshot, he looked to Jack. “She's in a 'hot' phase with me right now, I guess. I don't know if it was because you were around and she doesn't know you, or what, but she was being really nice there.”
“Like I said, man,” Jack said with a sly grin. “You just gotta tell her what you want and she'll give in right away. Being bossed around makes panties wet, trust me. Now, I'm going to order some pizza. Turn on a horror movie.”
The more Jack talked, the less comfortable Troy was with having him around. Something about being home had turned Jack into a totally different person, someone that Troy barely recognized.
Oh well, he thought. He'll be gone in a day or two, and then he won't be a problem anymore. As long as he doesn't touch Elle, everything will be just fine.
He considered his sudden possessiveness for a moment, but decided not to dwell on it.
Chapter 7
Elle
“Ow,” whined a young teenage girl.
“Ivy, stop pulling on the strap like that, you're hurting your cousin,” a mother scolded.
“Oof,” complained a bride, being knocked off her balance.
“Angelica, you're pulling her over!” Shouted the mother again.
“Mom! Stop yelling at us!” The complaint came from an older teenage girl.
Elle was being pulled back and forth as her aunt Viviana and her children Angelica and Ivy helped her to put on her wedding dress. It was the same one her mother wore, and while she was otherwise more slender than her mother had been, her hips were wider and her breasts bigger.
After much grunting, tugging, pulling, and angry sighing, the women finally worked the slim dress over her hips. While Elle had always wanted a poofy, princess style dress for her wedding, there was no time to commission one that would fit correctly.
“Oh, don't you just look beautiful,” Aunt Viviana began to sniffle. “You look just like Selena did when she married your dad. You know, their marriage was an arranged one, too.”
Elle's mouth dropped. “No way. They always told me they met while on vacation in Alaska!”
“Well, that's true too. They met there completely by coincidence, but after they found out that they were to be married, they realized it must have been fate.”
Elle felt sick. So her mother had known about the arrangement, probably. “So their marriage was a fraud.”
“No, dear. You can't say that. They came to truly love one another. It took time, and many fights, but their marriage was real. It was as real as my marriage to Blaine. Perhaps more real, since your parents didn't have to solve things with drinks...” She wiped away an unhappy tear then. “And if they hadn't loved each other before then, they loved each other once they had you. They became pregnant with you before the one year stipulation was up. Once you were part of the equation, they became the perfect couple you remember.”
“I can't believe this.” Elle sat down on the couch helpfully put into the room by the priest. Viviana sat down with her, taking her hands and holding them, looking into her eyes earnestly. Her daughters looked on, watching them.
“You must believe me. It wasn't the perfect start to a marriage, but it's good enough. Don't just push your new husband away for no reason. He might surprise you, and you might surprise yourself. And, anyway, every marriage is the smallest component of civilization. When a marriage collapses, so does a small part of civilization.”
Great, so now I have the continuation of civilization on my shoulders. Elle took a few deep breaths. “I'm going to need to take my anti-anxiety meds for this. Could you grab them for me from my purse, Ivy?”
Her cousin nodded and brought them to her, plus her bottle of water. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the couch. Viviana shooed her daughters out to go sit in the pews while Elle waited for her pills to take effect.
There was so much to think about. So much to process. She couldn't believe that her parents, with their perfect marriage with so few fights, had started off with a forced wedding. Had they been blackmailed with money, too?
It all seemed so incredibly unfair. Not just the marriage. Not just the chance of losing her house. It was unfair that she had t
o change everything she knew about her parents. She wanted to scream and cry, stamping her feet, but Angelica had done so nice with her makeup and she didn't want to ruin it.
So she kept quiet, silently furious.
The wedding went as few weddings do, though it followed the same steps. She walked down the aisle. She didn't cry. There was no father to walk with her, so she walked alone, her chin high and her back straight.
One thing did knock on her stubborn confidence, though. The way that Troy looked at her. It was like his eyes were filled with awe, devotion, pure love… even though their marriage wasn't real. The wedding wasn't real. She was flattered at first, but then hatred took over. She hated him for looking at her like that, mocking her pain. Elle seriously considered punching him in the face.
Their vows were short:
“I'll do my best,” she said.
“I'll care for you, protect you, as long as you allow me,” he said.
And then they were off, like a whirlwind, forced into the back of a limo their Grandma Rosa had insisted on. Even Grandma Ina had hated the idea, calling it gauche. The ride was awkward and silent, with both of them staring out of their windows.
Finally, the silence was too much for her. “I'm glad this will be over soon. I hate being the center of attention. My anxiety medication is going to wear off soon.”
He looked at her, again with that sappy look in his eyes. His hand shot out and took hers, squeezing it. “I had no idea you were dealing with anxiety. I'm so sorry. If I can –”
“You can't do anything about it. I've had it my whole life.” She felt bad for cutting him off. “Thanks for asking, though. I just… want to go home as soon as I can.”
“Got it. I'll look for a way out, even if it's rude.”
Gratitude washed through her. She smiled, looking out her window again with a small, “Thanks.”
Italiana was Elle's mother's favorite restaurant. It was also the only restaurant that would allow such a small group reserve their room for parties. It was a small, family owned restaurant near to Elle's house.
