Inked Up
Page 22
Bonnie said, “I was married once to my best friend.”
April’s throat tightened. Would Bonnie bring up how Ed had disappointed her? April stole a glance at her father. His hands were tapping the table. Vince whispered to him and he stopped, but April could see he was struggling to stay composed.
“Mom,” April said, starting out of her seat. Bonnie sat her back down with a look that April knew from a million dinner tables. She obeyed.
Bonnie continued. “It was a good marriage. We created a wonderful family.”
She stopped again. April’s stomach churned. The room was completely silent. April could hear the rustling as Greg jiggled in his seat.
Bonnie began again. “The marriage was so good in fact, I didn’t think I would ever have anything like it again. I told myself I was lucky enough to have that once in my life.”
Bonnie’s eyes dipped to her hands. She’d taken off the gloves. No one moved. She raised her face again.
She was smiling, a huge smile that made her look like a young girl. “Somehow I got lucky twice and Clive found me. My reluctance to marry was about the institution, not about you. Never about you. I love you, Clive Pierce, and I’m proud to call myself your wife.”
April felt an arm snake around her shoulders just as her tears threatened to dissolve her. She was sure she would have slid off the chair into a puddle if Mitch hadn’t touched her just then.
The tears didn’t fall, just stayed in her eyes making the world in front of her shimmery and glistening. She hugged Mitch’s hand to her cheek.
Bonnie sat down, and Clive kissed her for a long time.
The crowd clapped. When they broke apart, Ed tapped his butter knife to his glass, signaling them to kiss again. Bonnie frowned but complied. Ed tried it again, but Bonnie shook her head. The rest of the crowd joined, and she gave in.
Clive broke the kiss. “One more thing,” he said. “A musical interlude.”
He pecked Bonnie’s cheek and walked over to the keyboard that was set up in the corner.
“I’d like to introduce to you the vocal stylings of Vanesa Villarreal,” he said with a flourish. He held his arm out, and Vanesa stood shyly. The group clapped. Mitch whistled his encouragement, and Rocky whooped-whooped.
Vanesa joined Clive on the bandstand, skillfully handling the microphone he gave her. She grinned at April.
Clive began to play some introductory notes. “Bonnie, my darling, I have one more surprise for you,” he said.
Bonnie blushed. She was about at her limit for attention, April knew.
“I wrote a song just for you.”
Clive sang. Vanesa provided lovely trills and background noises and joined him on the chorus. The song was upbeat, perky like a Kickapoos hit.
Love stepped in
And called my name
I wasn’t listening
But I heard it just the same . . .
Mitch leaned in and whispered, “Quite a day.”
His breath was soft on her neck, the promise of warmth on a winter’s day.
April’s heart was so full, she didn’t have words to express herself. Her face felt tight, too strained to let her lips move.
“Nice when love triumphs,” he said.
“Is that what happened?” she asked, searching his eyes for a deeper meaning.
“I think so, don’t you?”
She did. She agreed with him. Love came when it was least expected, in all kinds of forms. Love came and it danced.
She picked up Mitch’s hand and led him to the dance floor. She put his hands on her hips and let herself move to the music.
“Let’s always remember to dance,” she said.
Love stepped in
And now we’re two happy chaps
And life is better than
I knew it could be.
Oh, Bonnie.
Bonnie was sobbing happily by the time he was finished. April’s tears were flowing freely now. She ran to her mother.
One by one, the guests came up and hugged Bonnie. By the time Clive came down from the stage, Ed and Vince were next in line.
“All the best,” Ed said, his voice choked. Clive pumped his hand.
“Happiness,” Vince said.
Bonnie hugged them both in turn and then hugged them together. Mitch called for a picture, and April gathered the four around her. She looked at Bonnie, Clive, Ed and Vince and smiled.
Her family.
Stamping Project
SUPPLIES
• Pumpkin stamp
• Stamp pad(s)
• Cardstock
• Colored pencils or watercolors
• Scissors
• Scroll vine stamp
• Scrap paper
• Ribbon
• “Happy Fall” stamp
DIRECTIONS
1. Use a stamp pad to ink the pumpkin stamp and then press stamp firmly to a piece of cardstock.
2. Using color pencils or watercolors, color in the pumpkin, and then trim the cardstock to square shape.
3. Take another cardstock and cut another, slightly larger, square.
4. Then, use the scroll vine stamp on the card background. To get a lighter color, you can use a lighter stamp pad or just ink the stamp and then stamp once on scrap paper before stamping the cardstock.
5. Next, take a piece of ribbon across the scroll vine background. Wrap the ribbon around the edges to give a finished look.
6. Mount the pumpkin square on top of the ribbon.
7. Finish by stamping the “Happy Fall” stamp underneath the pumpkin.