by Katie Dowe
“Well, when you put it like that, I can hardly refuse can I?” she said sitting on the seat opposite his and sipping her own coffee.
“Hey, it's your wedding too. If you don’t want this we don’t do it,” he said looking up at her.
She put down her cup to look at him, “Let’s do it.”
“Great. So next item on the agenda; who are we inviting?”
“I’m guessing your uncle is not on the list?” she asked.
“Nah. No way,” he replied with a quick head shake. “What about you? You inviting Karl?” he asked with a grin.
“Yeah, sure. When hell freezes over,” she said with an answering smile. She picked up her cup. “So okay that’s who we’re not inviting. How about who actually makes it onto the VIP list?”
“I was thinking Kareem?” Allen said.
“Well, obvs,” she said.
“And maybe your agent?” he asked.
“Nope. We don’t know each other like that,” she said.
“Then who?” he asked.
“You know I’ve always been the introvert. Kareem and Miguel are my list,” she said.
“Wow. Okay well, mine is a bit longer. I have my college buddies and some people at the foundation,” he said.
“Yeah, okay that sounds about right. What about your high school buddies. I know you guys still Facebook,” she said.
“Yeah…but they were mostly mean to you so no,” he said.
Frances smiled, “Look at you standing up for me.”
Allen narrowed his eyes. “I always did,” he bit out.
“Okay okay, let’s not get our panties in a twist. Do you want a sandwich? I could use a sandwich. Some steak and tomatoes. With cheese,” she said as she stood up and left the room. Allen watched her go with a smile on his face.
*****
Logistically, it was a nightmare getting everyone to St. Maarten by the following weekend. But Allen wasn’t a billionaire for nothing. He hired the best event managers to make sure everything went as planned. They wanted to keep the wedding as exclusive and out of the public eye as possible so they told only those who were attending and no one else. Frances hadn’t yet told her agent that her memory was back, they decided to hold off until after the ceremony just so they didn’t have to deal with the fall out till then. Frances knew that if the publishers had their way she would be going non-stop for the next few months but for her sake, Allen’s and the baby’s she knew that was probably not a good idea. Hiding was a temporary fix though and a more permanent one would have to be found soon.
She and Kareem went shopping for a wedding dress because even though he lived in Vegas, he still knew the best places to shop in New York. It wasn’t like she was on a budget; Allen had literally given her a blank check, but that didn’t mean she was going to go crazy. To that end, they ended up at the The Bridal Garden which was the only not-for-profit bridal boutique in New York City, with donated designer wedding gowns discounted up to 75% off the original retail price. Most dresses were samples, overstock, and once-worn; a majority of the gowns are donated by designers, stores, and brides. The proceeds obtained benefited education for disadvantaged children. It was right up Frances’ street. Kareem had made an appointment so they waited in the foyer for someone to come and attend to them. An attendant came hurrying toward them, smiling with welcome.
“Hi. How are you doing?” she asked and then turned to Kareem and frowned. “Er, I should take you through our rules just so you understand.”
“Okay,” Frances said already intimidated.
“Each bride is allowed to bring two guests to the consultation. Brides cannot bring men or small children into the boutique,” she said with a glance at Kareem before continuing. “ We do not allow photographs to be taken of the gowns. Brides are kindly asked to remove their shoes before trying on the gowns. Brides are allowed to bring a maximum of five gowns into the fitting room at one time. We kindly ask that brides hang the gowns that she tried on back in the garment bags, and that they be returned to the correct section in the boutique. Deposits are non-refundable and can only be applied towards the purchase of a gown. All sales are final,” she finished, like some kind of automaton.
“Er, Kareem is a transgender individual,” Frances said in a small voice. It was helpful that he was wearing a skirt/kilt sort of thing and he had on eye liner and lipstick.
The attendant hesitated, clearly at a loss for what to do about this; then she smiled. “I’m sure it will be fine. Come on this way,” she said and led them to the shop .
The second dress that Frances tried was perfect. It had a tight bodice that held up her swelling breasts and then fell to the floor in a cascading A-line skirt. It was simple and elegant and she felt absolutely right in it.
“Found it,” she said emerging from the changing room to show Kareem.
He clapped his hands, “You have the eye my dear. It's perfect.”
“Yeah? You really think so?” she asked looking down at herself.
“I know so. Come on, lets go. Time for shoe shopping!” he said. They paid for the dress and left.
“And no discount stores for this!” Kareem said.
“Yeah of course. New shoes for both of us,” she said hooking her arm in his “I like shopping with you – so fun.”
“That’s cause I’m fabulous,” he replied smiling at her.
They ended up at the Glass Slipper which Frances thought was extremely corny but Kareem said it was thee place to shop. She managed to find some flats that would do just perfect. They were Benjamin Adams and were just bright and sparkly. The were known as The Halle wedding shoe which had an all-over crystal look and flat - 1" heel. The open peep toe and closed pump heel were just great for a steady walk down the aisle. She chose the ivory Duchess silk only but with the crystals covering the fabric. Kareem was disappointed at her flat heel, though not surprised. He himself tried on some heels and came away with two pairs of shoes; Milly as well as Pilar by Badgley Mischka.
They were flying to St. Maarten on Wednesday to make sure arrangements were made and bachelor/bachelorette parties could be had. Now that everything was set, Allen was peculiarly excited and he’d stopped going to work to make sure that everything was ready. Frances had a talk with her publisher to let her know she’d be out of town for the next two weeks and then they were off.
*****
The hotel they were staying at was a five star and they booked the entire floor for the wedding party. Since the party wasn’t that large, they didn’t fill every room but they were able to have a lot of fun since nobody would be complaining about the noise levels. This meant impromptu gatherings in the hallway to eat junk food and bond. Frances got to know Allen’s friends a bit better in those two days and they got to know her too, discovering that she was indeed as cool as Allen was always telling them. They were supposed to get married on the beach and the chaplain who was to conduct the ceremony wanted to meet them prior to the ceremony. Which meant putting on some actual clothes and going to meet up with him at his office. He was a kind man, eager to ensure that they were ready for the responsibility of marriage.
“How long have you known each other?” he asked.
Allen and Frances’ eyes met and they smiled.
“Who knows? Like ten years?” Frances said.
“Something like, yeah,” Allen agreed.
The chaplain smiled. “That’s good. So you know each other well. And why do you want to take this step?” he inquired.
“We’re…having a baby,” Allen said bashfully. “And we want to make it official before the baby arrives.”
“Oh, congratulations,” the chaplain said.
“Thank you,” Frances said.
“But what about love. I have not heard you speak of it,” he said.
Frances and Allen looked at each other again. They reached out simultaneously to link hands.
“That’s because we assumed that was a given,” he said.
“Ah, but you know what
they say about assumptions,” the chaplain replied with a smile at their entwined fingers.
“We love each other Pastor Jim, and we are planning to spend the rest of our lives together. We’re each other’s family and now our family is growing. For all intents and purposes, we might as well already be married; but the law requires a certificate from a licensed practitioner to say so; so here we are,” Frances explained with a polite smile. Pastor Jim nodded.
“Well said,” he said.
“Thank you. So can we get on with it?” she asked.
“Yes. There are just some forms you need to fill out…” Pastor Jim said passing them over, “And a fee that needs to be paid; check or cash will do,” he continued.
“Right on,” Allen said taking the forms. “It shall be done.”
*****
When they got back to the hotel, they found Kareem teaching Allison, one of Allen’s college buddies, how to put on eyeliner the right way. They had also arranged a joint bachelor/bachelorette party complete with strippers and burritos. They’d arranged to have the party in one of the empty rooms on their floor to make it easier to limit gatecrashers plus they could get as loud as they pleased without bugging anyone. The male strippers were performing in one room while the females were performing in another. Allen was reluctant to be separated from Frances, mostly because he got a look at the male strippers and they were buff.
“Okay, compromise,” Frances proposed.
“What?” asked Allen.
“I go to your show, you go to mine,” she said.
Allen thought about this for a while. “Okay then,” he agreed.
Frances got through his show okay, even when one of the strippers was pressing her boobage into Allen’s face and his eyes were glued to them. Not for long though, he knew she was watching. When it came to the main show however and one of the dancers was shaking his junk in Frances’ face, Allen came forward to pull him away, shaking his head in negation. He was booed by everyone as they called him a wet blanket and spoil sport and pig but he would not be moved. He grabbed Frances, leading her to the dance floor and gave her a lap dance instead. Frances was perfectly okay with that, and so were all the other females in the room when he began to strip.
“Oh my! Oooohh my,” Kareem shouted in his MC voice staring around with wide eyes. “We have a stripper situation happening. The groom is stripping; I repeat, the groom is stripping!”
There was a lot of screaming and not all of it was from the bride. There was also a lot of laughing and envious booing from the guys. It was all in good fun and a good time was had by all.
*****
“We are gathered here today to join these two people in holy matrimony,” Pastor Jim announced. Frances was radiant in her A line sweetheart floor length Organza gown and her one inch heel sparkly wedding shoes. She felt like the princess she looked like and Allen was her worthy prince in a white tuxedo with gray bow tie.
“You may say your wedding vows,” the Pastor said and Allen and Frances turned to each other.
“I promise to be your lover, companion and friend,
Your partner in parenthood,
Your ally in conflict,
Your greatest fan and your toughest adversary.
Your comrade in adventure,
Your student and your teacher,
Your consolation in disappointment,
Your accomplice in mischief.
This is my sacred vow to you, my equal in all things. All things." Allen said looking into her eyes as Frances grinned back. The small crowd applauded when he was done. Then it was Frances’ turn.
“I take you to be my partner for life.
I promise above all else to live in truth with you,
And to communicate fully and fearlessly,
I give you my hand and my heart,
As a sanctuary of warmth and peace,
And pledge my love, devotion, faith and honor,
As I join my life to yours." She said, looking him straight in the eye as he smiled at her.
Pastor Jim nodded, “You have the rings?” he asked.
Kareem stepped forward with the matching platinum wedding bands. The pastor blessed them and then it was time to exchange rings. Pastor Jim said the prayer of blessing and then declared them married.
“You may now kiss the bride,” he said spreading his hands out.
Allen looked at Frances and smiled. He leaned forward and she waited for him to meet her, placing his lips gently over hers, he tasted her lips. She opened for him so he could insert his tongue and she sucked it like she was being paid to do so. His whole body surged forward and he enveloped her in a tight hug as he got down to the serious business of kissing her thoroughly. The congregation screamed in appreciation as she opened for him, putting her arms around his neck and holding on fast. She fingered her hands through his hair, playing with it as he explored her mouth thoroughly. The cat calls became louder and ruder but Allen ignored them as he showed Frances exactly how happy he was to be married to her. He only stopped when it was that or sport a painful boner for the rest of the afternoon. They split apart and their small audience burst into raucous applause with slaps on the back of congratulation for Allen and kisses on the cheek for Frances.
The after party was held on the beach, with the hotel catering the affair. Since they weren’t that many, everyone sat at a long table as the catering staff brought various courses for their enjoyment. In the middle of lunch, Kareem stood up clicking his fork on a wine glass.
“People, hush. It's time for the best person speech,” he said. The table quieted down to listen to him.
“So I’ve known these two since like the second year of college and everybody knows that Frances and I went out and we totally love each other and we would totally be together if she was a lesbian,” he said to laughter from the table and Allen throwing a bun at him.
“Anyway, when I first met Allen, I knew he was in love with my then girlfriend because he looked like he wanted to kill me,” he said and people laughed some more as Allen shouted, “I did!”
“But the two of us would not be parted because like I said we totally love each other-
“Boo!” Allen cried.
“And we’re the best friends each other have ever had,” Kareem finished, sticking out his tongue to Allen.
“That said? I totally wasn’t surprised when they hooked up about a minute after we broke up; because Frances and I might be best friends but these two? These two are soul mates. They’re better together and that is just the truth,” he said with a smile turning to face them. Frances blew him a kiss. Kareem picked up his glass and raised it.
“So let’s all have a toast to Allen and Frances; may they have a long and happy life together filled with rainbows and unicorns and the crystal droppings of angels,” he said as he lifted his glass and drank. The table drank along with him amid bursts of laughter. Then he began to sing.
“Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high
Mama's dancin' with baby on her shoulder
The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for”
Frances and Allen got up to dance on the sand, singing along with Kareem who had a pleasingly falsetto singing voice. The rest of the table swayed and Patrick, another of Allen’s college friends, began to drum out a beat on the table.
“Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please”
Kareem petered off to general applause.
“Music! Let’s have music,” he declared signaling to the DJ who was set up under a palm tree. He continued the song where Kareem left off before going on to other songs.
Up in Memphis the music's like a heatwave
White l
ightning, bound to drive you wild
Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl
"Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for
Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please
Every word of every song that he sang was for you
In a flash he was gone, it happened so soon, what could
You do?
Allen and Frances held each other close and enjoyed the song.
“I haven’t heard this song in ages,” Frances whispered.
“You used to hum it sometimes in the bunker,” Allen said.
Frances pulled back from his embrace to look him in the eye, “You planned this?”
Allen shrugged and smiled, “I thought you might enjoy it.”
“I did. I do…God the things you remember…you really do love me don’t you?” she said in wonder.
“I’ve been trying to tell you that for years,” Allen said pulling her back into his arms.
They danced in silence for a while, enjoying the song and each other. Their friends gradually joined them, filling the beach with joy, laughter and happiness.
“Do you really think we can do this?” Frances whispered in his ear.
“Do what?” he asked.
“Be married responsible adults with a kid,” she said.
Allen pulled back to smile at her. “Hell Fran, you’ve been an adult since you were ten. I think you can ace it. And as long as I have you as an example I don’t see how I can go wrong.”
“You do say the most flattering things,” she said patting him on the shoulder in mock annoyance.
“Trust me it's not flattery, just good old fashioned fact,” he replied before leaning in for a kiss.
“Your belief in me will be the death o’ you, you know that?” she said.
“Yeah you’ve been saying that since like ’04; still hasn’t happened.”
