Wedding Day

Felicia

The scene is everything I hoped for as Dad takes my arm to walk me up the aisle of our beautiful little setup overlooking Big Sur. Once Cindy enthusiastically offered to let us use her place for the outdoor ceremony, we scrambled to get what we needed for a simple wedding. Joyce took care of the catering, and Mom helped me find the perfect little dress. With only one bridesmaid, I let her and Mom coordinate their dresses. Dad gives me a kiss on the cheek before delivering me to Rex and taking a seat next to Mom. I have to pause momentarily, taking in the sight of Mom and Dad sitting next to each other. He reaches over and places his hand on hers.

It turned out that Dad had been living alone on his little island for the past several years after breaking up with his girlfriend. No longer wanting to pursue any type of relationship, he spent hours meditating and doing yoga in an attempt to find himself. It wasn’t until his heart attack that he realized he needed to reconnect with his family. Even though he and Mom aren’t officially back together, they are getting along better than I can ever remember. In a recent conversation, Dad admitted to not wanting to manage his own money, so after purchasing his island, he turned over a large portion of his wealth to a venture funding firm. It turns out Dad is a major stakeholder in Google, Facebook, and Twitter, along with a couple of dozen smaller companies. Needless to say, he has more than enough money to live in style.

I smile at Phillip, Joyce, and her sister, Jean, who is holding our little man. He’s dressed in a little suit that matches his father’s. Both of them look stunning.

“Are you ready?” Rex asks after a moment of awkward silence.

“Of course.” I turn to face him and can’t help noticing the beautiful surf over his left shoulder. The beach is very quiet, so it seems as if we have it all to ourselves. It’s sunny with just a light breeze, making seventy-two degrees feel perfect. People say that having it rain on your wedding day is a good omen, but I take this little slice of heaven as the best possible omen.

Throughout the nice little service, I continue to reflect on the fact that my parents and several of my old friends are in attendance. The passages that the pastor reads and the songs we sing all seem to apply directly to us. I’ve never spent much time analyzing my spirituality, but in this moment, I feel incredibly connected to everything and everyone around me. I hope that someday, we can live in a place like this. I would love to hear the sound and savor the smell of the ocean in the background on a daily basis. It calms me in a way that nothing else comes close to doing. My focus turns back to Rex as the pastor asks Rex whether he takes me to be his lawfully wedded wife.

“I do.” Rex says, avoiding his last chance to flee the scene. I smile as the pastor asks me and I give the same answer. After a wonderful kiss that may have lasted a second or two too long, we turn to face the small crowd that came to celebrate with us. I didn’t send out any official announcements, just a simple message to let a few old friends know, and several expressed interest in joining us. It’s kind of funny how the right people keep showing up through the various stages of life, while the majority simply fade into memories. The only person I miss today is Becca. Rachel is a great maid of honor, but I always intended it to be Becca. Even after being betrayed by her, I can’t stop thinking about her. In spite of the competitive nature of our friendship, she was someone whom I could always talk to about anything. A judgment-free friendship is pretty hard to find. I debated for a couple of weeks before deciding not to invite her, but I’ve honestly regretted it ever since. I’ll have to call her later and see if we can set things straight.

“Welcome to the family,” Philip says, giving me a hug. I glance over at Dad, who is shaking hands with Rex, reaching out and putting an arm around him.

“I’m excited to have a daughter in-law as well as a grandson,” Joyce says, stepping in to hug me next.

“I’m excited to have a mother in-law,” I reply, apparently not selling it well enough.

“Oh, honey, don’t kick this thing off with a lie.” She pulls back and finally cracks a smile. “It’s okay. You’ll grow to love me.”

“I’m still hoping to do that too,” Rex chimes in, coming to my rescue and giving his mother a hug. “You know I love both of you,” he adds, reaching out to give his dad a hug too.

“Are you already getting in trouble?” Mom asks, throwing her arms around me. “Congratulations, dear. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I turn to Dad next. “And thank you for coming too. I’m glad to see you two getting along. It’s been a long road.” He takes a step toward me and takes he in his arms.

“I never thought I would be glad to have a heart attack,” he says, tears filling his eyes. “I’m sure I would’ve missed this day otherwise, and I’ve already missed so much.”

“Congrats, Fishy,” my brother, William, grabs me from behind, using the name he called me when we were little. “What a gorgeous day.”

“Yeah, it is. Thanks for coming, Wet Willy,” I reply, using his high school nickname he earned as a member of the swim team.

“I haven’t been called that in years.” He laughs. “Most people just call me Bill nowadays.”

“Thanks for coming, Bill.” I lean in and give him a hug. “It’s kind of ridiculous that we don’t see more of you. San Diego is a short flight from Seattle.”

“I know,” he says with regret filling his eyes. “It really is good to have everyone together again. Maybe we should plan on having Christmas in Seattle this year.”

“That would be amazing,” Mom replies, lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Maybe we can have it at your house,” she adds, turning to me. “They have an incredible view of Lake Sammamish from their dining room.”

“Sounds good,” he says, setting his gaze on Dad. “You look pretty good for your age,” he tells him with a smile. “I can’t believe you’re back after all this time. I kinda thought we might never see you again.”

“Me too,” I chime in. Mom simply shakes her head in full agreement.

Dad’s expression turns dead serious. “I just want to say that whatever it was that I went through after I sold the business is over. I can’t change the past, but I truly want to be a different man going forward. I want to thank you and your mother for allowing me to attend today. I know I didn’t deserve to walk you down the aisle. Part of me felt like an imposter.”

“Well, you’re the only father I’ve got,” I tell him, fighting to suppress the tears. “Now no more of this talk, at least not today. I don’t want to be walking around in smudged mascara on my wedding day.”

“Fair enough,” Dad says. “Let’s go have some cake or champagne or whatever’s next.”

Mingling with the others in attendance felt like I was stepping back in time. My bridesmaid, Rachel, I met the first day of kindergarten. Another guest was my neighbor throughout high school, and another one I met at college orientation the summer before my freshman year. It’s great catching up with everyone, filling in the gaps that are left after checking them out on Facebook. All three girls had dates, one a serious boyfriend, but I was the first to get married. It’s kind of crazy to think that last spring, I thought I was falling behind in my life plan when Kip dumped me. In retrospect, what the hell was I thinking? I haven’t even had my twenty-fourth birthday. I’m still a pup—one of Rex’s favorite things to say to me. In some ways, he’s probably right. I always like to think that I have everything figured out, but in reality, I still have a lot to learn.

“This little guy is dying to see you,” Rex’s aunt Jean comes toward me with Michael. “I think he’s reached his limit of hanging with old Aunt Jean.”

Everyone gathers around to meet our little man, telling us what a cutie he is. I have to agree with them. He is cute and becoming more precious with each passing day. “Did he eat okay for you?”

“Oh, yes, no issues there.” She laughs. “That little guy has a hearty appetite,” she says, rubbing his tummy. “That kind of runs in our family, in case you haven’t noticed,” she adds, patting herself on the hip.

“You’d better not let Mom hear that,” Rex tells her in a hushed voice.

“Oh, she, of all people, should know that it’s okay to be who you are,” she says, shaking her booty pretty impressively for someone in her sixties. “If someone doesn’t appreciate my curves, I say the hell with them!”

“Great attitude,” I tell her, giving her a one-armed hug. “I learned that the hard way this year, not to care about what others think.”

“Honey, if I had your body, I would be running around naked right now,” she replies with an even bigger laugh. “You’ve gotta flaunt it while you’ve got it.”

“Actually, I’m pretty much done flaunting,” I reply, glancing over at my girlfriends. “Thanks for cutting me some slack, you guys.” They all giggle and turn various shades of red as if they’re embarrassed on my behalf.

“If you change your mind, I’ve got a contact at Vixen Videos,” Brix says, sneaking up behind me. “They would love to buy the rights to your first one.”

“No, and this is the wrong place to be talking about it,” I reply, shaking my head. “Where’s Daphne?”

“She’s just returning a call. She’ll be back in a few minutes,” he says with an emerging smile.

“She’s going to UCLA now.”

“Really? Wow. That’s amazing. Good for her,” I reply, completely surprised and happy for her.

“Yeah, I’m not good at the business side of things, so she’s going to get a business degree with the settlement she got from Richard,” he explains, referring to the money Richard paid her to avoid further troubles. Daphne should’ve pressed additional charges against him for some of the things he did, but she decided to take his monetary offer instead, since he’s already going to be in prison until he’s eighty.

“I’m glad things worked out for the two of you,” I tell him. “You’re good together.”

“Come here. I want you to meet someone,” Mom says, taking me by the arm. “Is that the porn star guy?” she asks as soon as we’re out of earshot.

“Yeah, that’s Brix.” I giggle at her curiosity. “So there’s no one you want me to meet?”

“No. I just thought that looked like the guy in your video.” She takes another look at him over my shoulder. “He’s really put together, that guy.”

“Yeah, that’s why he does pretty well with his clothes off,” I reply, finding this a hilarious topic to be discussing with my mother. “I’m hungry. Is it time for some lunch?”

Rex

The day goes by quickly, and soon, everyone is gone but our immediate families, along with Cindy and her boyfriend. We all settle into beach chairs along the water to finish off the last bottles of champagne. I take Felicia’s hand and am perfectly content to just sit here and watch the waves roll in. “Thank you, Cindy. You made this a very special day,” I say, loudly enough for everyone to hear. Everyone else quickly joins in sharing their appreciation.

“I hope you two enjoy the evening,” William says, walking up to Felicia and me. “Thanks again for letting me be part of your special day.”

“It wouldn’t have been the same without you,” Felicia says with a sad smile.

“It’s our pleasure,” I add, letting him know that I’m cool as long as she’s okay with it.

“I just want you to know that you have all been amazing since my return and I really don’t deserve it.” He clears his throat after his voice begins to quaver. “Anyway, to show my appreciation, I have a small gift for you.”

“Dad, you already paid for everything.” Felicia rises from her chair. “You don’t need to buy us anything extra.”

“Well, your mother and I started our marriage without going on a honeymoon because I was too busy,” he says with a scowl. “I don’t want you two to make the same mistake. After flying all of you back to Seattle, my jet is at your disposal.”

“Where would we go?” Felicia asks, completely shocked by his statement.

“I told you I sold my private island, but in reality, I swapped it with another investor who owned a small resort in Kauai. There are six small cabins and a beautiful private beach. You can have it all to yourselves for the next two weeks,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Wow. Does anyone want to go to Kauai? We could use a babysitter,” Felicia says, looking around at everyone in the small group. Everyone raises their hand in unison.

“If you want to take them all, it’s fine. The honeymoon cabin is off by itself,” William clarifies. “I was kind of hoping everyone would want to participate. It seems you all need to spend a little time reconnecting.”

“What about you?” Marlys asks him.

“If you and Felicia don’t mind, I’d love to tag along since I’ve never been there. Otherwise, I’ll go another time.” He stands there in silence as if his head is on the chopping block.

“It’s fine with me,” Felicia says with a smile. “You said there are six cabins.”

“That’s fine,” Marlys agrees. “You can help with Michael. It’ll be good for you to change a few diapers just like Rex has been doing.”

“I’m telling you straight out, they’re nasty,” I tell him, giving fair warning.

“I look forward to it,” he says, choking up again and giving Felicia a hug. “Whenever you’re all ready to go, I have a stretch limo on standby to take us to the airport. I imagine you’ll need a little time to get packed and organized.”

As nice as it is at Big Sur, once the sun goes down, it’s very chilly. Since a private beach in Kauai is waiting for us, we all agree to head back to Seattle a bit earlier than expected. “Thanks for being a great hostess,” I tell Cindy. “I’ve always thought of you as my second mother.”

“Congratulations, Rex,” she says with teary eyes. “You’ve come a long way since that first session, and I’m so happy for you. You two seem great together.”

“Thanks so much, Cindy,” Felicia says, giving her a hug. “Today was truly a dream come true.”

“You’re welcome, dear.” Cindy squeezes her tightly. “Now you two enjoy your honeymoon and make sure you come out of the cabin once in awhile to take in the views.”

“We’ll try, but we are kind of obsessed with each other,” she replies, leaving me nodding in agreement. “I’m glad we’ll have several babysitters along.”

“I can understand,” Cindy says with a sly smile. “I actually got a little obsessed with that toy you gave me at the trade show. I barely left the house for the whole first week,” she whispers before both of them break into a laughing fit.

“On that note, where’s the limo?” I ask, growing uncomfortable with where this conversation is going. “Thanks again, Cindy.”

Settling into the limo, everyone is buzzing about the surprise that William has bestowed upon us. Everyone is breaking out their phones, trying to figure out how to rearrange their schedules. I’m not concerned, because Sally and Barb have both been telling me that we needed to get away after our big day. They’ll keep everything under control. After the rollercoaster year we’ve had, it will be a treat to forget about everything for a couple of weeks. What a great, unexpected surprise.