by Rossi, Carla
“It’s time, hon. Let’s pray.”
Gia’s heart fluttered. “So Rocky is back? Everything’s OK? And the others are here?”
“All the men are in the den,” Delores said. “They are all looking good, but your man looks particularly fine. And he’s anxious to get started.”
“What happens now? What happens now?”
The others laughed while Delores explained the situation calmly.
“It’s easy and like we talked about earlier. We’re going to walk to the den and someone’s going to play some music and Asa is going to ask you two to stand in front of him. He’ll pray, read some Scripture, ask you to repeat some things, and it will be over.”
Candi rubbed her back and Carol Ann told her to remember fresh lip gloss.
“Let’s pray,” Kelly said. “They’re waiting.”
Gia took Carol Ann’s hand on the left and Candi’s on the right. “Don’t make me cry,” she said. “I’ve never been a crier, but the last couple weeks it’s all I’ve done.”
“That’s all right,” someone said.
Gia took a deep breath. “Before we start I want to thank you. I didn’t realize I needed you... Didn’t realize I wanted all these things I hadn’t really thought about until you showed up with them. I mean, I didn’t even have a true girlfriend to call—” She had to stop when persistent, threatening tears strangled her words. “Anyway, you’ll never know how much I appreciate this. Please pray before I wear out Carol Ann’s hankie.”
Each woman sent up a short but meaningful prayer. They prayed for God’s wisdom, love, peace, and protection, and for the support, understanding, and kindness of others. When someone said amen, the frenzy truly began.
Carol Ann dove for Gia’s bag and held it in front of her. “Lip gloss!”
Kelly flung open the guitar case. “I’m going to find Kevin and start playing. See you out there.”
Candi ripped more paper from the silver box and exposed a pink rose boutonniere. “Here you go, Delores. Can you make sure this gets on Rocky’s lapel?”
“On it. Hurry, gals. I can’t keep those men out of the food much longer.”
Candi handed her the bouquet and brushed her hair from the front of her shoulders to the back. Carol Ann stood behind her and did the same. The result was a swishing fury of hair and tulle.
“Stop,” Gia said. “Stop! Leave it. Oh no.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I have to pee. That nasty tea has been going right through me.”
Candi snatched the bouquet back. “Hurry up and pee. Hurry!”
“Like I can really hurry when you’re yelling at me to hurry.”
Carol Ann headed for the door. “I’ll go on out and tell them you’ll be a minute.”
“Don’t tell them what I’m doing,” Gia begged.
“Relax, hon. Why would I tell them that?”
Gia washed her hands and stumbled out of the bathroom, still trying to adjust her dress. “I’m ready.”
Candi returned the bouquet and hankie to her waiting hands. “One more thing.”
“Do I have something between my teeth? ‘Cause I can’t brush them anymore. They’ll fall out.”
“No, Gia, you’re perfect, but I have a question. Are you absolutely certain this is what you want to do?”
“Yes, why? Is something wrong? Did Rocky say something?”
“No, not at all. From the little I know he’s completely beside himself with joy. No... It’s a basic question. If you’re not completely sure, I don’t want you to feel pressured because of all this. You need to know your own heart, and if you’re not ready, it’s OK.”
Gia paused and let Candi’s words flow through her busy mind. “You know, I’m glad you asked. It’s crazy and fast and won’t make any sense to the rest of the world, but in my heart I know it’s right. It really is.”
Candi grabbed her camera and opened the door. “Let’s go, then.”
Gia stepped into the hallway.
“Gia?”
“Yes?”
“Smile!”
****
Rocky spun his chair around and rolled back toward the middle of the room, narrowly missing the cowhide ottoman in front of the matching brown and white cow-print chair.
Max caught up with him. “Dude. Stop. It’s bad enough to watch someone pace, but when you’re watching them do it in a wheelchair it’s exhausting.”
“So don’t watch me.”
“You’re kinda hard to miss.”
“Where is she, Max? Do you think she freaked out and left or something?”
“No. I don’t think your bride is escaping across Uncle Asa’s pasture. Kelly said they’re coming. Relax.”
Shade joined them and had a mini-eggroll in his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Max said. “And where did you get that? Aunt Delores will throttle you.”
“I took it from the dining room. I saw your uncle in there, too.”
Kevin left his sister playing solo guitar to see what all the fuss was about. “Shade has food. Where did Shade get food?”
“Get back over there and play,” Max ordered. “They’ll be out any minute.”
“Hate to interrupt you all,” Rocky cut in, “but this is my wedding and not the Country Kitchen Buffet. Can someone find Gia so we can get on with it?”
Shade popped the last of the eggroll in his mouth and rubbed his hands together to knock off the crumbs. “No one should be this anxious to get married. You should be enjoying your last five minutes of freedom.”
“That’s helpful, Shade. Thank you for that. I’m sure Candi will appreciate hearing your views on pending nuptials.”
“And I’m sure I’ll deny I said that,” Shade answered and walked away.
“Do you still have the rings?”
Max rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna answer that since I couldn’t have lost them in the two and a half minutes since you asked me last. Get a grip, will ya’? What about that other ring? Do you still have that one?”
“You know I do.”
“So you’re aware of how pointless this Q and A is.”
Rocky ran his finger under the collar of this white shirt. “She’s going to kill me. She wasn’t expecting all this.”
“Stop tuggin’ at your shirt before you mess up your tie. She’s not going to kill you. Carol Ann said she looks beautiful and that it went well.”
“Of course she looks beautiful. She only has one way to look.”
Asa scampered out of the dining room as if his tail feathers were on fire. “OK, everybody, the bride’s coming down the hall, and I’ve been busted at the chip bowl so let’s get this party started.” He stomped across the room, his heavy, cowboy-boot-clad steps signaling everyone to get ready.
Kevin and Kelly continued to play softly, and Gia entered the room with Candi close behind, messing with whatever was on her head.
Rocky’s heart stopped. At least he thought it did. There was a pain and a thump and he had to sit up super straight in order to breathe again.
Her smile was tentative, but it was still a smile. That was good. It had to be hard for her to enter a room with still more people she didn’t know.
Her face lit up like a Texas sunrise when she spotted him. She hurried his way and landed on the ottoman beside him so hard she almost tumbled off the other side.
Rocky caught her. “Take it easy,” he said and laughed.
She steadied herself and poofed the white fluffy stuff around her hair and repositioned the flowers in her hand. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m a little wound up here, what with the massive wedding and all.”
“Yeah,” he whispered and glanced around the room. Everyone was chatting, Candi was taking pictures, others were stealing food... “Sorry about that.”
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“I was afraid of that.” He met her gaze and brushed an eyelash from her cheek. “I was beginning to worry,” he whispered.
> “No, I was beginning to worry. You’re the one who took off in a car. I was stuck here, remember? I thought you changed your mind.”
“Never,” he said. “Never.”
When she put her hand on his arm, nothing else mattered.
“You look amazing, Gia. I think I had some sort of stroke when you walked in.”
She smiled. “You look pretty good yourself.”
“That’s enough,” Max said and nudged Rocky’s chair forward. “I thought you said you wanted to get started.” He paused to extend his hand. “Hi, Gia, I’m Max. That’s Kevin over there and that’s Shade with Candi. I believe you know the rest.”
Gia stood and shook his hand. “Hi, Max.”
“Stop pushing,” Rocky said.
“Fine, but c’mon. Uncle Asa wants you over there by the French doors that lead to the pool. He needs the light to see his notes.”
“Wait,’ Rocky said and yanked Max by the arm. “You tell Kevin I don’t want to hear one snicker when he hears my full name. Let him know I don’t have any problem smacking him during the ceremony.”
“Whatever you say, Nicolas Rockford Lionakis, but I think he got it all out of his system when Pastor Charles said it at your baptism.”
“I don’t want to hear anything from you either, Maxwell. I’ll pop you, too.”
“Have to catch me first, wheelie boy,” Max said and took off.
Rocky paused to allow Gia to walk ahead. She stood there with a slightly concerned look on her face.
“I’m marrying a teenaged boy, aren’t I?”
“Little bit, yeah,” he said, trying to be honest.
“I’m curious. How many people do you plan to hit during our wedding? Don’t answer that,” she said and brushed past him. “And for what’s it’s worth, I love the name Nicolas. I’m wondering how your parents landed on Rocky for a nickname and didn’t just call you Nick.”
“Who knows? They’re weird. You can ask them one day.”
Asa slipped into his suit jacket and lifted his Bible and glasses from his desk. “Bride and groom here,” he ordered and pointed to a spot on the floor. “Do we have rings?”
“Right here,” Max answered and patted his suit pocket.
“Good,” Asa said and opened his Bible. “I need someone to stand as a witness with each of you, and the spectators can find a seat.”
No one sat down.
Rocky glanced at Gia and entwined his fingers with hers until she let go to shuffle her flowers. To his knowledge she hadn’t called one person about the ceremony. He didn’t want her upset or uncomfortable but if she hadn’t called anyone, she hadn’t called anyone. If the others hadn’t shown up, he expected Max’s Aunt Delores would serve as her bridesmaid. But Delores was sitting in a chair at the entrance to the dining room, no doubt guarding the cake—and Gia looked painfully alone in a room full of new friends.
“Spectators can have a seat,” Asa repeated as if he weren’t accustomed to people not listening to him the first time.
“We’re all standing up with them,” Max said. “Candi is officially here for Gia—if that’s all right with her.”
Max waited while Gia nodded furiously.
“And I’m officially here for Rock, but we’re all prayerfully presenting them for marriage and we’re all standing with them in support.”
Max’s hand was firm on Rocky’s shoulder as he gave it a squeeze. If his friend had further reservations, he was setting them aside for the day.
Rocky turned and acknowledged his church family. They waited—smiling, hopeful, expectant. He could say the words thank you, but it would never be enough.
The next five minutes were a blur. He heard their names. Giavanna Francesca Rinaldi. It still sounded pretty and lyrical, despite coming from the lips of Max’s Texas cowboy uncle and his decidedly non-Italian accent.
Nicholas Rockford Lionakis. That sounded foreign and stiff and not like anyone he knew since no one had ever called him Nicholas.
When Asa settled into the traditional vows and the ring exchange with their informal names, the whole room relaxed, even laughed and sighed in the right spots as Gia bobbled the handoff while surrendering her bouquet to Candi, and Rocky struggled with her tiny gold wedding band.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Asa declared. “Rocky, you may kiss your bride,” he added with gusto and then followed with a boisterous “Kiss her, son,” when they didn’t move fast enough for him.
Gia smiled and dropped into his lap as they had planned. After a fast boutonniere-crushing embrace, he cradled her in his arms and tipped her backward for a big-screen-movie-star kiss in nineteen-fifties Technicolor style. Gia squealed and laughed and grabbed for her falling veil while Candi snapped pictures like some deranged paparazzi.
“Oh my,” Carol Ann said as the others whooped it up. “She’s going to need more lip gloss.”
“Let’s eat,” Shade called out and headed for the dining room.
“No,” Candi said as everyone congratulated the couple and dispersed. “We need some pictures of everyone together, and I need some formal shots of the bride and groom.”
“You go right ahead. But some of us are literally starving to death. We haven’t eaten since the doughnuts at church.”
“You are not dying, Shade.”
“Kevin might be. He’s young. He needs food.”
“Go ahead, Candi,” Rocky said. “I promise you’ll get your pictures. I need a minute alone with my bride anyway.”
Gia straightened herself in his lap. Rocky looked around for a place to talk. Asa’s house was spacious, but not exactly wheelchair friendly.
“We could try to ride out to the pool,” Gia offered, “but I’m afraid we’ll bake out there, and you can’t take that coat and tie off until Candi gets her pictures.”
“Wouldn’t think of it.” He rolled them to a corner that was neither private nor quiet, but it was all he had.
“Is something wrong?”
“No,” he said. “I have something to give you.” He pulled a small cream-colored velvet pouch out of his pocket. “It’s the token.” He dropped his grandmother’s ring into his hand. The three deeply colored opals separated by small diamonds glistened in a ray of sun from the nearby window. “I’ve wanted to give this to you, but since we bought the wedding bands, and I actually had your ring size, I thought it would be better to go ahead and have it adjusted to fit you.”
“It’s amazing. Now I see why you insisted on the yellow-gold bands instead of the white-gold ones.”
“Like I’ve been saying, sometimes I know what I’m talking about.”
“I don’t know much about opals, but those colors are incredible. They keep changing.”
“When I was little I’d sit with my grandmother in church—this was my mom’s mom. My dad’s people are all Greek Orthodox, but my parents didn’t go to any church. They still don’t go. I’d try to be quiet. She’d try to keep me busy. I remember watching that ring change colors as I drifted off to sleep in her lap. I think that’s why she left it to me.”
He slipped it onto her finger.
“I love it, Rocky, and I’m proud to wear it, but are you sure it’s all right? It might be too much if I have it on when I first meet your mom and dad. Should I wait?”
“No. It’s between us. It’s what my grandmother wanted.” He looked around at the crowd in the dining room. “Crazy day, huh?”
“Yes,” she said and touched his face. “Crazy day.”
“At least it’s over.”
“It’s not over,” she said and kissed him. “It’s just the beginning.”
11
Gia heard the whirl of a jet engine as she awoke.
Scratch that.
Maybe it was a blender that sounded like a jet engine because she was fast asleep in her husband’s guest room and was pretty sure he didn’t have a jet.
She stretched until her toes curled near the end of the bed and turned over to forget what she heard.
No such luck. The annoying blast started again on this her first morning as a married woman. She smiled. Married woman. Someone’s wife. Mrs. Somebody. It was surprisingly exciting and only a little weird they spent their wedding night apart. There’d been a lot of kissing, cuddling, and hand holding, but there was also an unspoken agreement that further intimacy would take time. That gentleman husband of hers seemed to be giving her a lot of room to work through her assault issues, and sheer exhaustion after their whirlwind wedding helped the day come to a calm, peaceful, and expected end. In true romance-when-pregnant style, she dozed off on the couch after composing a notification e-mail to her parents as Rocky sat nearby and ate another piece of wedding cake.
The blender whirled again.
“I give up,” she said and slipped the trusty quilt around her. “Guess I’ll go see how my husband spent the rest of his wedding night.”
She padded down the hall and paused to peek out the window. Rocky’s shiny new blue truck caught the morning sunlight and seemed to illuminate the whole cul-de-sac. A woman and her dog walked by and paused to take it all in. The animal backed away, probably because of the frightening glare from all the new chrome.
She wandered into the kitchen. “I still can’t believe you managed to get that truck and make it accessible in three days. I was shocked when I saw it yesterday.”
“It wasn’t exactly three days. The process was already started. I told Max and my buddy who installs hand controls that I needed help in a hurry. I had to have a new chariot to bring my beautiful bride home in.”
“It’s too early in the morning for you to be that corny, but thanks. Where is the car?”
“I’m donating it. There are organizations to help people with transportation when they suddenly find themselves in my position. An agency is going to pick it up from Max’s.”
She sat down at the table. “It’s still a good car. It’ll help someone.”
He put orange juice and some other things back in the fridge and pulled a couple granola bars out of a drawer. “What can I get you for breakfast before I go?”
“I’ll get something. Don’t worry about me. Where are you going?”
