Kemara stared out at the waves as Warren slept
beside her on the steps.
JenniAnn and her own mother had offered to
stay, but she had thanked them and declined. It felt right to
be alone tonight, this night before her wedding. To think of
the life ahead and thank Joshua for Sean’s place in it.
She picked up the scrapbook she’d brought out
with her and opened the green leather cover. On the first page
was a picture of her and Sean at Willowveil the morning after
he proposed. They held a wooden nest with two birds inside.
Beside the photo was a printout of the email announcement they
had sent friends and family a few days later.
After that excited breakfast, she had called
Sean. He’d come over at once, and as the others watched, they
found a place on the tree for their birds and the nest Joshua
had made.
“So I guess we need to set a date,” he said
later as they braved the cool ocean breeze. After the Memorial
Day cookout when he had been introduced to Dyeland, walks on
the beach had become their favorite activity during his
visits.
“Hmm…” Kemara tore her gaze away from her new
claddagh ring with it’s white gold hands clasping a crowned
sapphire heart and considered. “Well, if we want a church
wedding, we’ll need to wait at least six months.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “Can’t stop
looking at it, can you?” he teased. “Six months is March. How
about St. Patrick’s Day? That’s when Joshua gave us a kick in
the butt after all.”
“That’s a good idea! But St. Pat’s is in the
middle of Lent. Can we be married then?”
He shrugged, unconcerned. “Call Father Mike,
or ask him tomorrow. I imagine we’ll be seeing a lot of him
either way.”
“He’ll be thrilled. So...you do want the whole
nuptial Mass?” She tried not to sound too hopeful. She’d never
dreamed of a big church wedding, but now…
He was silent for a few minutes. “Yeah, I do.
I- I’m not one of those guys who’s comfortable talking to
complete strangers about God. But I do believe; and after
meeting Joshua - even though I didn’t know who he was at the
time - it’s made me think, you know?”
Kemara nodded. “Yes, Joshua’s very good at
making people think, and rethink for that matter!”
“Exactly. I’m glad you asked me to come to
Bible study, but it is a little weird sitting there in the pew
on Sundays and hearing something a little different. I know
Fr. Mike can’t deviate too much from the Church’s viewpoint
though.”
“No, he’s doing the best he can. And he did
tell us that it might come down to a choice one day...Joshua
or the Church. Of course, he’ll choose Joshua, but he’ll
probably alienate a lot of people in the pews.”
“So….we’ve got a date and a presider,” Sean
mused. “What else do we need?”
“I have no clue….but I’m sure everyone will be
anxious to tell us,” Kemara said.
Her smile vanished. “Oh! I just remembered.
JenniAnn and Andrew met on St. Patrick’s Day, and that’s
always been kinda their anniversary. I hate to steal it from
them.”
Sean hugged her. “We’re not stealing; we’re
sharing. I mean, look around! You’ve got Monica, an angel who
was ‘born’ in Ireland. Andrew and JenniAnn are anam caras.
We’ve both been to Ireland, and we dance. I think St.
Patrick’s Day is going to be popular here no matter what.
Might as well add something else to celebrate.”
“That’s true. And I guess there’s no question
where we’re going on the honeymoon.” She grinned up at him.
“Nope. Better pack warm, though.” He shivered,
not entirely in jest. “Ireland’s cold and wet in the spring.”
**********
“So have you thought at all about your dress?”
Violeta asked eagerly while they unpacked Halloween
decorations later that afternoon at Willowveil. “Oh and the
cake and decorations!”
JenniAnn laughed. “Violeta, give her a few
days to catch her breath! They’ve got six months to work all
that out.”
“Actually, we already talked about some
things,” Kemara said as she untangled a strand of pumpkin
lights. “We know we want a Mass with Fr. Mike as the
celebrant.” She glanced at JenniAnn. “If...you think that
would be OK with the non-Catholic folks? I hadn’t thought….”
JenniAnn set down a papier maché bat and
hugged her. “You guys do what you want to and the
rest of us will deal with it. And I’m sure no one will
mind….we go to each other’s church services already.”
“That’s true.” Kemara plugged in a new strand
of lights. “And as for my dress….I don’t want the Disney
princess thing; It’s just not me.” She shrugged. “Probably
something simple and elegant.”
“We could have a girls’ only shopping trip!”
Violeta enthused. “With Ivy and Emma and Diana and Kylie and…”
JenniAnn and Kemara shared a smile. JenniAnn
leaned close and said quietly. “Maybe you’d better go ahead
now and make Violeta your wedding director.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind about….”
“No! And I know Andrew will say the same. St.
Patrick’s Day is perfect for you and Sean,” JenniAnn assured
her. “Besides, I think we might start considering Belle’s
baptism as our anniversary, what with Joshua’s blessing that
day too.”
“Aww...yeah, that’s a good idea.” Kemara
hugged her friend. “I miss him so much! Not all the time, but
every now and then it’ll hit me.”
JenniAnn nodded. “Me too. I hope we’ll see him
at Christmas.”
********
Kemara and Sean waited for Father Mike in the
vestibule at St. Mary Magdalene’s after Mass the next morning.
He finished greeting the last parishioner and caught sight of
them. He studied them for a long moment and then hurried over,
smiling broadly.
“You don’t need to tell me!” he said hugging
them both. “Congratulations!”
Sean laughed. “Kemara said you’d know. We’d
really like you to officiate.”
“I’d be honored,” the priest said. “Do you
have a date in mind?”
“St. Patrick’s Day, so that gives us six
months,” Kemara said.
Fr. Mike nodded. “Why am I not surprised? OK,
can you meet me here an hour before Bible study on Wednesday?
I can give you an overview of pre-Cana and get some
preliminary things out of the way.”
“Sounds good,” Sean said. “We’re going to my
parents’ house for lunch. I….uh, asked if they could have
Ciara, my sister, and her family there, too. So I think they
know something’s up.”
Kemara shifted uneasily, and he hugged her.
“It’ll be fine. You know they adore you, and Dad’s your
biggest fan.”
“I know. I love them all too. It’s just...so
many people.” She shuddered.
Fr. Mike smiled. “I think Sean’s going to be
really good at getting out out of your shell, Kemara,” he
teased .
“That’s what I’m afraid of!” She looked up at
Sean. “You need to marry somebody more outgoing.”
He kissed her nose. “Then they wouldn’t be
you; and I want you.”
She blushed hotly, and Fr. Mike laughed.
“Sounds like you’re stuck with him!”
********
The drive to Sean’s parents’ home in Brewster
took an hour, but they had so much to talk about that the time
flew by. He laughed as she recounted Violeta’s enthusiastic
questions.
“Just wait ‘til Ciara hears - and my mom. They
might be even worse!”
“We’ll have to get all three together then and
leave them to it. They can do all the planning for us,” Kemara
said. “I don’t mind really as long as I get to pick out my own
dress. I do have some ideas about that.”
He glanced at her. “Just don’t ask me to wear
a kilt and you can do whatever you want.”
“Don’t tempt me!” She giggled. “I think you’d
look fantastic in a kilt. Have you ever worn one?”
“Years ago when I was still dancing. Boys wore
kilts and jackets until the mid-90s or so. I made darn sure my
friends at school and soccer never saw a picture.”
“Aww...I’ll have to ask your mom for some old
photos of you,” she teased.
“Only if I get to do the same!”
“Of course...my mom was really good at making
up albums when I was a kid.”
“Speaking of parents….” He reached over and
squeezed her hand. “You said you told yours this morning. How
did that go?”
Kemara smiled, a little sadly. “They’re happy
and relieved. I think they had given up on me ever finding
someone. They got married when they were 22 - as soon as my
dad finished college. So I’ve waited really long by their
standards.”
“Hey, better late than never! And maybe we’ve
outgrown some of foibles of youth.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Foibles? I didn’t
think you knew such big words.”
“There are a lot of things about me you don’t
know,” he said, only half joking.
She rested a hand on his arm. “And I look
forward to learning every single one of them.”
The McCallum house was bustling with activity
when they arrived. Ciara and Brad had brought their five
children, who ranged in age from three to seven. Uncle Sean
was quickly dragged away by many small hands to admire the
tree house daddy and grandpa had made them in the back yard.
Four-year-old Natalie refused to leave Kemara’s side until she
was given the task of setting the children’s table in one
corner of the dining room.
“It’s so good to see you!” Megan said when she
Kemara and Ciara had settled into the living room.
Kemara smiled. “I’ve missed visiting, but I’ve
just been so busy lately! You know I do promotional work for
two shelters that my friends run?”
Ciara nodded. “Sean’s mentioned that once or
twice.”
“Well, on Friday I finished up a series of
pamphlets on human trafficking - signs to look for, who to
contact, where to get help - that kinda thing.” She shook her
head. “We interviewed some former victims to get quotes, and
it was heartbreaking.”
Megan looked concerned. “You poor girl! I hope
Sean took you out after all that!”
“Actually, he cooked,” Kemara said,
remembering how she had arrived home physically and mentally
exhausted to find that Sean - with a great deal of help from
Warren - had made fried chicken strips, green beans, mashed
potatoes, biscuits and a big pitcher of sweet tea. “He got one
of my neighbors to let him in the house, and he had everything
ready when I walked in the door.”
She’d stared in amazement, and then - to her
horror - burst into tears. Sean had been terrific. He’d led
her to the couch until she calmed down. As they ate, he kept
up a steady stream of jokes and stories about his nieces and
nephews that had her laughing.
“Really?” Ciara looked surprised. “I’m
impressed. I didn’t know he knew how to cook!”
Megan snorted. “He’d better!” She glanced
surreptitiously at Kemara’s left hand. A flicker of
disappointment crossed her face when she saw no ring there,
but she hid it quickly.
Kemara noticed the look and smiled inwardly.
She’d taken off her ring on the way. Sean had it in his pocket
now, waiting for their big reveal at dinner.
“Let’s eat!” Keith called from the kitchen
where he had been supervising the roast..
Everyone gathered in the kitchen, and after a
blessing, filled their plates. Talk revolved around the
children, the concert Kemara and Sean had seen the previous
weekend, and Brad’s job as a lineman for the state power
company.
“Now, I think the two of you have an
announcement to make?” Keith said when there was a lull in the
conversation. Ciara shushed the children who watched
curiously.
Sean laughed. “I don’t know if we should even
bother. I think you’ve got us figured out.”
“Well, go on!” Megan made a beckoning gesture.
“Don’t keep us in suspense!”
“OK. OK.” Under the table, Sean passed Kemara
her ring, and she slipped it back on. He sighed and looked
around the table. “We’re not really sure how to say this,
but…We’ve decided not to do the whole ‘boyfriend’ ‘girlfriend’
thing any more.”
Kemara struggled not to laugh. Megan, Brad and
Ciara looked stunned. The children had fallen silent, unsure
what was going on. Only Keith was still smiling.
She grinned and held up her left hand. “We
decided ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ would be much more interesting!”
“I knew it!” Megan shrieked. She rushed around
the table to hug and kiss them both. “I knew Sean wouldn’t
cook you dinner for no reason.”
Ciara followed her. “Sean, you ass! You nearly
gave me a heart attack!” She kissed her brother on the cheek
and gave Kemara a hug. “This is so awesome! Let me see your
ring.”
Keith and Brad added their congratulations.
When everyone was somewhat calmer, Keith asked. “So he cooked
you dinner?”
Kemara blushed, unused to being the center of
attention. “Yeah, I told Megan and Ciara….On Friday I’d just
finished a really emotional writing job that I’d been working
on for weeks. So all I wanted was to curl up on the couch with
some ice cream. I get home and Sean greets me at the door - he
got a neighbor to let him in. He had dinner all ready. Candles
and everything.” She beamed at her fiance.
“That’s my boy!” Megan said. “What did you
make?”
“Southern food.” He shrugged.
“And sweet tea!” Kemara put in.
Sean laughed. “Yeah, can’t forget the tea. The
day we decided we were a couple I took her to this Southern
restaurant in Alphabet City.” He grinned at Keith. “So, since
I’ve learned from the best, I decided to borrow your
tradition.”
“So you didn’t get your ice cream on the
couch, but I guess a ring was better,” Ciara said.
“Actually, I got that too!” Kemara smiled. “My
neighbor, Andrew, he told Sean about the time I’d been having.
So when we got through with dinner, Sean pulled two cartons of
Cherry Garcia out of the freezer, and we finished the night on
the couch watching….” She turned to Sean. “What did we watch?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea. I was too
busy looking at you.”
“Awww….” Ciara sighed.
Kemara and Ciara offered to help with the
dishes only to be shooed out of the kitchen by Megan. Keith,
Brad and Sean headed into the living room laden with beer and
chips to watch football.
“Come on,” Ciara said, linking her arm through
Kemara’s. “Have you seen the basement yet?”
Downstairs, Kemara saw that the entire large
room had been turned into a dance studio with hardwood floors
and one wall of mirrors. Music played softly from a stereo in
one corner.
“Wow! This is really nice,” she said as Ciara
showed her to some chairs along the back wall.
The other woman shrugged. “Mom and dad had to
have it renovated after Sandy, so they figured why not make it
into a studio for the kids? They’re over here all the time
anyway since we live right down the street.” She gestured to
where the youngest children were choreographing a four-hand
coached by the fifth, a boy of about seven.
Kemara shook her head. “I don’t know how you
manage.”
“I think it’s easier with more of them because
they can entertain each other,” Ciara said. ”And we have
pretty strict rules. Like here: They can use the studio when
grandma and grandpa agree, but they have to stay for a meal or
do something else family oriented. They can’t just show up,
dance for an hour and then leave without even saying hello.”
“That makes sense,” Kemara said. “My aunts and
uncles used to stay at my grandparents’ house over
Thanksgiving, make themselves at home and not help at all.”
Ciara glanced at her. “So have you and Sean
—.”
“Mommy! Watch us!” Kelly, the youngest child,
called as the music started over.
“That’s another rule,” Ciara said quietly.
“The music can’t be so loud that it can be heard upstairs.
Otherwise no one would be able to think.”
They watched as the four-hand performed
accompanied by shouted corrections from their coach. Both
women applauded enthusiastically when they finished.
“Very nice!” Ciara said. “You’ll be ready for
the oireachtas in no time!”
The children reset the music and continued
their “rehearsal.”
Ciara turned back to Kemara. “Have you and
Sean talked about kids yet?”
“A little bit.” Kemara smiled. “We know we
want kids, but we haven’t gotten more specific than that. It’s
funny….I can remember being little and saying I never, ever
wanted to get married or have kids. And now, I want both of
those things so much. Well, maybe not kids right off,” she
amended. “It’s going to be hard enough getting used to living
with someone.”
Ciara laughed. “Good luck with that! Brad and
I didn’t live together, but only because he was working third
shift the whole time we were engaged. We certainly didn’t wait
for anything else.” She made a face. “I was a month and a half
pregnant when we got married.”
“Did anyone know?” Kemara was a little
surprised that her future sister-in-law was being so open, but
she had to admit it was refreshing.
“Our families did. And everyone else figured
it out pretty quickly once Parker showed up earlier than he
should have. I’m sure some people said things, but we didn’t
care, and they got over it.”
Kemara sighed. “I don’t know if I could handle
that. I’m pretty sensitive about what other people think.”
“Well, when you’ve done grocery shopping by
yourself with five kids and three are running around pulling
stuff off the shelves, one needs a diaper change and one sits
down in the middle of the floor and refuses to move, what
other people think will be the last thing on your mind!”
“Oh my!” Kemara snickered at the mental image.
“No, probably not!”
Ciara smiled at her. “I wouldn’t worry about
it until you need to. Tell me what plans you guys have already
made,” she said eagerly. “You know mom and I would love to
help!”
“Actually…” As she began to explain, Kemara
remembered Violeta’s enthusiasm the day before. It seemed
other people were more excited about her wedding than she was.
But the past couple of days had been so busy she hadn’t had
time to process the new direction her life had taken.
Kemara smiled. She’d gotten excited soon
enough. Looking back, she was amazed at how much work a
wedding involved. Even though JenniAnn had been joking, she’d
taken her friend’s advice and asked Violeta to be their
wedding planner. The young angel had done a wonderful job.
Thanks to her time in Records she was excellent at
organization. With her help, Kemara had been able to focus on
other things….like her deepening relationship with Sean and
their pre-Cana classes.
She turned a page and saw her copy of their
“pre-wedding assessment”. She supposed their classes with
Father Mike, while instructive, hadn’t been quite what the
Diocese of New York intended.
That Wednesday, they met with Fr. Mike in his
office at St. Mary Magdalene's. He laughed when Sean described
his family’s reaction to their deception.
“It sounds like you’re very lucky they were
such good sports about it!” He reached for some papers on his
desk. “OK. While the diocese requires you to take a pre-Cana
class, private instruction is allowed.”
Sean sighed. “No workbooks or group classes?”
“Group classes?” Kemara looked panicked.
Fr. Mike shook his head. “Nope. I have some
general topics for discussion, and a couple of books I’d like
you to read, but no group classes. Although…” He glanced at
Kemara. “I do have an idea about bringing in other people.”
“What’s that?” She asked warily. Sean took her
hand and squeezed it.
“Well, it’s customary for a married couple to
act as mentors for a newly engaged couple during pre-Cana. So
you can get answers from someone who’s been there as I,
obviously, have not.” Fr. Mike grinned.
Kemara and Sean looked at each other. “I think
it’s pretty obvious,” Sean said.
“Yes, Diana and Zeke.” She smiled. “Although I
do wish Maryam and Yosef were available.”
Fr. Mike looked pleased. “I could certainly
set you up with one of the couples here, but I think Diana and
Zeke will be even better. Ideally, you would meet every week
with either me or them. But I know with the new baby almost
here, the other kids and everyone’s different schedules,
that’s highly impractical. So we’ll keep in touch and work
things out as we go along.” He shrugged. “I think six months
will be plenty of time to cover the big things. And the really
important stuff won’t come up until you *are* married.”
Sean laughed. “I know that’s true! My dad told
me you don’t know what it’s like to be married until the
newness wears off and you get down to the day-to-day, little
stuff.”
The priest nodded. “My parents have said the
same. And speaking of, Kemara, you mentioned once that your
parents built their own house. What did they build it out of?”
“Concrete blocks reinforced with steel rods,”
she said. “If there’s a fire, it would take eight hours for it
to burn down. About the worst that could happen is a storm
ripping off the roof.”
Fr. Mike nodded. “You parents didn’t want to
take any chances on losing their home. And if you build your
marriage like that house, then it will stand up to fire and
storms.”
“A house needs a strong foundation, though,”
Sean said, guessing what the priest was getting at.
“Exactly. And that’s communication. Talk to
each other….about anything and everything. You’re taking the
NFP class, too?”
They nodded.
“Good. NFP isn’t just good for tracking a
woman’s cycle or spacing out babies. It’s helps a couple learn
to talk about things that might otherwise be embarrassing in
another context.”
Both younger people blushed, and he chuckled.
“See? I promise - by the time you’re married, comments like
that won’t bother you a bit.”
“So, to get started, I have a little test for
you both to take.” He gave each of them a booklet and a
pencil. “It’s something the diocese requires, but I’ve found
it very useful in helping couples see just how much they know
about each other.”
He glanced at his watch and stood up, “I’ve
got an appointment for a confession in just a few minutes.
That should take you close to an hour to finish, so I’ll see
you back here then.” He left, closing the door behind him.
There was silence for a few minutes as they
worked through the statements marking each as “yes,” “no” or
“does not apply.”
“‘There are habits/traits about my future
spouse that annoy me,” Sean read aloud. He glanced at Kemara
and smirked. “Now, that sounds interesting.”
“You hush!” She shook her head in
exasperation. “Some of these questions are so poorly worded
you can’t really give a straight yes or no answer.”
He turned the page. “I sometimes feel this
might not be the right person for me to marry.” He rolled his
eyes. “If I didn’t want to marry you, I wouldn’t have asked!”
“And if I didn’t want to marry you I would’ve
said no,” Kemara said. “So that one’s an easy ‘no’.”
They were just finishing the last of the 235
statements when Fr. Mike returned.
“Wasn’t that fun?”
Kemara handed him their booklets. “You’re a
very bad man, you know that, Father Mike?”
He laughed and gave the booklets back to her.
“Keep these to go over by yourselves. I’m supposed to send
them off to be scored, but instead I want you talk honestly
about your answers. And more in-depth than just ‘yes’, ‘no’ or
‘does not apply’.”
Sean groaned. “Homework!”
Kemara stood and took his arm, hauling him up.
“Come on! Time to be the center of attention yet again at
Bible study.” She smiled at Fr. Mike. “I see what you meant
about him getting me out of my shell!”
He patted her back. “Everybody loves a
blushing bride. Just think of it as practice for the big day.”
The next evening, they met at Adrian’s and
over coffee and scones went over the statements and their
answers.
“What’s the next one?” Sean asked setting down
their refilled cups.
Kemara leafed through her booklet. “Oh, it’s
that one you read out loud: ‘There are habits/traits of my
future spouse that annoy me’.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “And your answer is?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Would you care to expand on that?” He took a
sip of his drink, watching her closely.
She blushed. “Well, it’s just…”
He reached over the table and cupped her
cheek. “Honesty, remember?”
She put her hand over his. “It’s just...Don’t
think I want to change you! I don’t; I love your sense of
humor and how you can joke around ‘cause that’s just not me.”
He smiled. “I think I hear a ‘but’ coming.”
“I love that part of you, and 99 percent of
the time it’s great, but sometimes, I wish you’d wait before
you automatically make a joke or a snarky comment.”
She almost expected him to say, “Snark? Me?”
But he didn’t.
What he did say was, “Thank you. You’re, uh,
not the first person to tell me that, actually. My dad has
been on me about it since I was a kid. Every time I’d pop out
with something inappropriate, he’d call me on it.”
She gaped. “You’re not angry?”
“Of course not! That’s what this whole thing
is for.” He held up his own booklet. “To find out this stuff
before we get married and decide we can’t live with it.”
“True. So...what did you answer?”
“I said ‘yes,’ too. Sweetheart, I love that
shy, quiet side of you,” He grinned. “And it is just one side
because you’re anything but shy when you dance! But…” The
smile faded. “I don’t like how you’re always putting yourself
down. What you said on Sunday, that I should ‘marry someone
more outgoing,’ that hurt.”
Kemara pressed her lips together, fighting
back tears. “I’m sorry.”
He rose and came over to her side of the
booth. Slipping in beside her, he wrapped an arm around her
shoulders. “It’s just I think I’ve got pretty good tastes, and
I don’t think I would’ve asked a reprobate to marry me.”
She laughed. “I’ll try to do better, but keep
reminding me, please?”
“Of course.” They kissed. “As long as you do
the same for me.”
They had managed pretty well, so far. Sean was
better about listening before he spoke, and she had learned -
was still learning - how to gracefully accept compliments and
not disparage herself.
Kemara pulled the blanket tighter around her
shoulders. The sun was setting and the air chilly, but she
wasn’t ready to go in just yet. Warren snuggled closer. She
tucked a fold of her blanket around him.
She looked back at the scrapbook, at the photo
of her and Sean sprawled in a leaf pile the night they had all
met Liam. With it were other pictures from the Halloween
bonfire in the Fields of Gold and a very special one taken in
Times Square.
Kemara inched a little nearer to Sean.
“Compared to some of these people, we’re positively boring,”
she whispered glancing at the other occupants of the subway
car. She tugged on the skirt of her nurse’s outfit wishing it
was just a little bit longer.
“Speak for yourself. I am never boring.” Sean
pulled her close, but continued to look around them
protectively.
The navy blue of the sailor’s uniform suited
him, highlighting his red hair and pale skin. “No, never
that.”
He grinned down at her. “Wanna practice some
more? I don’t think we’ve got the dip quite right yet.” He
made as if to stand.
“Sean!” Laughing, Kemara pulled him back down.
“Not here!”
He settled back in the seat, glaring at a man
in a clown costume who had gotten a little too close. “Let me
see the map again.”
Kemara reached into her purse and handed him
several papers. They had spent a couple of hours on Google
street view the night before, searching for the proper spot.
Sean leafed through the photos until he found the map. “OK.
the subway comes up here.” He pointed. “And we need to get
here.”
“That’s not far.” Kemara said. “I’m glad it
still looks mostly the same.”
The car slowed and Sean helped her to her
feet. “Stay close and don’t let go of my hand.”
They came out of the subway entrance into
chaos. Kemara gaped. Times Square was packed with people in
costume, most of whom were displaying varying amounts of skin.
Sean glanced at the map and plunged into the throng, pulling
her behind him.
“Sean! It’s too crowded! We’ll never find it!”
She yelled. But he didn’t stop.
“Yes, we will! Believe in the power of
Google!”
After several pauses and changes of direction,
they ducked into a doorway, so Sean could compare the photos
they’d printed out with the buildings around them. “That’s it.
If we stand there - we should be in pretty much the same
spot.”
“Now we just need to find someone to take the
picture,” Kemara said studying the vampires and scantily clad
Playboy bunnies who passed them. “We should’ve asked Max and
Rose or some of the others to come with us.”
Sean gently pushed her deeper into the
doorway. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” He darted out into
the street, stopping next to two younger women. Kemara had no
idea who or what they were supposed to be. She watched in
astonishment as he chatted with them, gesturing at the photo
he held and led them back towards her.
“Kemara this is Mindy and Barb. They’re going
to help us out.”
“Oh, you look so old-fashioned!” Mindy
squealed when she saw Kemara’s costume. “I love that little
hat.”
Reminded, Kemara patted at her hair, making
sure no strands had escaped from her bun and that the nurse’s
cap was firmly pinned. She opened the black leather purse she
carried and touched up her red lipstick.
“Perfect,” Sean said approvingly. He led them
through the revelers - was it a parade or a street party? - to
a certain point, once again consulting the map. “OK. This is
the place.”
Kemara gave the cheap camera she’d brought -
in case of thieves - to Barb. “And here’s the original
picture. So you can make sure we look the same.”
She and Sean got into position, trying to
ignore the interested onlookers who were beginning to gather
behind the two girls.
“Over to the right a little,” Mindy said.
“That’s good. Oh, this is so cool!”
“On the count of three,” Barb called. “One -
two - three!”
Sean leaned in and with his left arm behind
Kemara’s head and his right hand on her waist, gave her a
thorough kiss to the accompaniment of whoops and cheers from
the watchers.
“They’d better hurry up or my back’s gonna go
out,” Sean muttered. Kemara shook with laughter.
“OK. I think I got it,” Barb said at last.
With a last brushing kiss, Sean and Kemara
straightened up. Barb showed them the preview of the photo
beside the printout.
“When was that taken?” someone asked. “I know
I’ve seen it in some movie.”
“It’s pretty famous,” Kemara said, marveling
at the similarities. “It was taken the day Japan surrendered
after World War II. This sailor was running down the street,
saw the nurse and kissed her.”
Mindy looked shocked. “Just grabbed her? I’d
have slapped his face!”
“Maybe she did,” Kemara said. She raised a
hand to Sean’s cheek, but he captured it, laughing.
“But you won’t. Come on; we’ve got a bonfire
to get to!”
Thanking their new friends, they headed back
toward to subway entrance.
“It never ceases of amaze me what a people
person you are,” Kemara said, using a tissue to wipe the
remains of her lipstick off his mouth.
He kissed the top of her head. “I thought you
did fine. Maybe I’ll rub off on you. Eventually.”
“In about twenty years or so.”
They’d returned to Dyeland in plenty of time
for the party. Kemara studied the group photo with all their
friends - family really - old and new: Andrew and JenniAnn
“gone country”, Shelby and Belle as Elsa and Anna from Frozen,
and with them Liam as Olaf, Ivy and Violeta giggling as Glinda
and Elphaba, the other AODs as rock trolls, little Jacob as
Vincent Van Gogh, Diana with her hugely pregnant belly was the
sun escorted by Zeke as adoring Neil deGrasse Tyson and their
children.
Even at four months old, Manny was still the
center around which the Wilson household revolved. Another
photo slipped out of the book and fluttered to the floor.
Picking it up, Kemara saw it was one taken when she and Sean
had visited a couple of weeks after the boy’s birth. She sat
on the couch with Sean beside her and Manny in her arms.
“I love what you picked out,” Kemara said
peeking for the hundredth time into the gift bag on her lap.
“It’s so cute!”
Sean batted her hand away. “Will you quit!
It’ll be mangled before we even get there!”
She put her hand in her lap and sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
She looked startled. “What makes you think
something’s wrong?”
“You fidget when you’re nervous.” He gave her
a quick glance. “Although, I don’t know what you’ve got to be
nervous about. It’s just Zeke and Diana. And Manny. Zeke said
the kids won’t be home until later.”
Kemara fiddled with the ribbon on the gift
bag. “I’ve never been around babies much - I mean, besides
Belle, and she’s older now. I have younger cousins but they’re
close to my age, and I don’t remember when they were born.”
Sean grinned. “Afraid of getting peed on?”
“No. It’s just weird. I never thought I’d have
kids or be around them. I didn’t even babysit when I was a
teenager,” she said. “Well, I did, but the girl was about
eight. Little kids I do OK with once I know them.”
“Huh. I can’t imagine. I was five when Ciara
was born, so I helped mom with her a good bit. And now she and
Brad have all their little monsters.”
“Whom you’re teaching to be rascals just like
their uncle,” Kemara teased.
“Of course! That’s an uncle’s job.” He thought
for a minute. “I’ve got an idea…”
Kemara eyed him. “Every time you say, ‘I’ve
got an idea,’ it usually means we’re going to do something I’m
not used to.”
“And you’ve enjoyed yourself every time; admit
it.” Sean turned onto the Wilsons’ street.
“Okay, so what’s your idea?” Kemara checked
the gift bag again.
They pulled into the driveway, and Sean
switched off the engine. “We’ll offer to babysit Manny.”
She gaped at him. “Are you crazy? Diana and
Zeke will never go for that! He’s too little! Sure, Andrew and
JenniAnn left Belle with Joshua and her parents, but that’s
different.”
“Sure they will. Not right now, but maybe
sometime in December...just for a few hours. Give ‘em time to
go out to dinner or Christmas shopping.” He took the gift bag
from her. “I’d better hold on to this.”
She got out of the car. “I still think you’re
nuts and they’ll say no.”
“Wanna bet?” He looked like a little boy
himself as he waited for her answer.
“What’s the penalty?”
He thought for a minute. “Loser has to change
all Manny’s diapers when we babysit.”
“Deal.”
Zeke opened the door for them. “Welcome! We
saw you drive up. Looked like a pretty serious discussion you
two were having.”
“No, just a little wager,” Sean said as Zeke
led them into the living room.
Diana sat on the couch nursing the baby. She
lifted him to her shoulder as they came in. “Hey guys! You’ve
got perfect timing. Manny just finished eating so he should be
ready for a nap soon.”
“He sure likes to eat,” Zeke said. “It’s a
good thing he’s OK with taking a bottle too, otherwise mama
wouldn’t get any sleep at all.”
Diana patted the cushion beside her. “Kemara,
why don’t you sit here and hold him?”
Sean and Zeke exchanged amused glances as
Kemara gingerly took the offered seat. “I dunno.” She smiled
nervously. “You’re sure I won’t break him?”
They all laughed. “Come on! You held Belle
when she was younger than this! I doubt you can do much damage
just sitting still,” Sean joked coming to sit on Diana’s other
side. “He looks pretty solid, don’t you, buddy?” He reached
out a finger and the baby’s hand closed around it. “Yeah, you
are strong; that’s quite a grip!”
Diana passed Manny to Kemara. “He’s
beautiful,” she said, gazing down at the baby. “Zeke, I think
he has your nose.”
“Yeah, he’s going to be the spitting image of
his daddy.” Diana smiled proudly at her husband.
Sean reached for the gift bag he had set down.
“And we have something that should help with that,” he said,
handing it to her.
“Well, thank you!” Diana removed the tissue
paper and unwrapped a white onesie with reindeer and a red bow
tie.
“Sean thought Manny ought to join the guys
Ugly Christmas Sweater tradition this year,” Kemara explained.
“We got it bigger so hopefully it will still fit when the time
comes.”
Zeke held the outfit up, laughing. “I love it!
Little Man’s gonna look sharp. Thank you both!”
Diana hugged them. “Yes, it’s a great idea.”
She sighed. “Christmas will be so wonderful this year with
Manny. But I can’t help wishing -.” She trailed off and Zeke
squeezed her hand.
“That Joshua might be here?” Kemara said. “Me
too. And Sean didn’t know about him before.”
Sean nodded. “I want to thank him for the
bodhran. I mean, I have already, but to be able to do it in
person would be amazing.”
“Maybe he’ll show up,” Zeke said. “But even if
he doesn’t, it will be a very special Christmas with all our
new friends and this little guy and your engagement. We have a
lot to celebrate.”
Kemara cuddled Manny closer, surprised at the
surge of longing she felt for her a child of her own to hold
this way. “Umm...Sean and I wanted to ask….if we could babysit
when Manny’s a little older? Kinda as practice? I’ve held
Belle and fed her of course, so I know a little bit.” She
wasn’t sure now if she wanted them to say yes or no.
“I helped my mom with my little sister, so I
remember the basics,” Sean put in.
Diana and Zeke looked at each other. Zeke
shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
“It’s a good idea,” Diana agreed. “We’d be in
touch by cell phone and with the portals and the Tunnels, we’d
be able to get back here pretty quickly if something
happened.”
Sean caught sight of the look on Kemara’s face
and began to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Zeke looked from one to the
other.
Kemara shook her head, disgusted. “That was
our wager - would you let us babysit. So now I have to change
all Manny’s diapers.”
Diana laughed. “It’s not that bad, I promise.”
She sniffed. “Actually, I think we can get in a lesson right
now. Sean, do you need a refresher course?”
“Nah, I think I remember how it goes.”
“Wait,” Zeke said reaching for his phone on
the coffee table. “Let me get a photo of the three of you.
Sean, come sit on Kemara’s other side.” Quickly, he took a
couple of shots. “Perfect!”
“OK. Diaper time,” Diana said standing up.
“You can carry him. Put him up against your shoulder.” She
demonstrated.
“He’s heavier than I thought I’d be!” Kemara
said standing up very carefully. She followed Diana down the
hall to the bedroom.
Under Diana’s direction, Kemara soon had
Manny’s diaper changed. “Messier than cleaning my cat’s litter
box, but not that bad,” she said as they settled the baby into
his crib for a nap.
“Come on,” Diana whispered leading her from
the room. “Let’s get a cup of tea and talk.”
“So how are things going with you two?” Diana
asked once they were seated at the kitchen table with tea and
some shortbread cookies. “I’m sorry we haven’t been able to
talk more, but - “
“Oh, no it’s fine! We know you guys have your
hands full right now. And things with Sean are great.” Kemara
hesitated. “And I guess that’s a good thing.”
Diana looked puzzled. “Why would you think
think it isn’t?”
“Well….we don’t fight,” She flushed. “That
sounds stupid, but we haven’t. We’ve gotten irritated with
each other...and that’s usually Sean being irritated at me
‘cause I’m not comfortable doing something. But we haven’t had
a huge blowup yet.”
“Maybe you just haven’t been in a situation
that would lead to an argument,” the other woman suggested.
“But that’s just it!” Kemara burst out. “What
if there’s some huge issue that we feel totally opposite about
but we don’t know it yet?” She sighed. “I understand about not
living together, and we won’t, but sometimes I think it would
be so much easier to figure out this stuff before we got
married instead of after.”
Diana nodded. “Maybe. But what about Kylie? Do
you think she could’ve known before their wedding how Jett
would end up treating her?”
Kemara shrugged. “I dunno. There might’ve been
something.”
“I’m thinking no, even if they did live
together,” Diana said. “If you’re simply living together, the
idea that you can leave will always be in the back of your
mind. You won’t be as motivated to work out your problems
because you can just walk away from them.”
Kemara thought for a minute. “That makes
sense. But what about Andrew and JenniAnn? Or Monica and
Arthur? They’re not married.”
“Not the way we think of it, no,” Diana
agreed. “But I think they are in Joshua’s eyes. He did bless
them after all. Zeke and I feel they’re part of something new
and different. Or something so ancient it’s nearly been
forgotten.”
“Makes sense,” Kemara said. “And I’ve never
seen Andrew and JenniAnn argue.” She shook her head. “I can’t
even imagine!”
Diana smiled. “I”m sure they have, but they’ve
just been careful not to do it where anyone else can hear. And
yes, you and Sean will find something to fight about
eventually. If you learn what that is after you’re married,
then you’ll work through it.” She reached across the table and
patted Kemara’s hand. “Zeke and I will always be glad to help
if you need it.”
Kemars sniffed. “Thanks, Diana.”
“I thought we heard to you ladies in here,”
Zeke said as he and Sean came into the kitchen. “What’ve you
been up to?”
Diana smiled as he leaned down and kissed her
cheek. “Just girl talk.”
“I hate to break up the party,” Sean said.
“But we need to get on back if we’re going to be at the pub on
time.”
Kemara started to get up, but Zeke motioned
for her to stay. “Why don’t we pray before you head out then?”
“Dear Lord... Joshua... we thank You for this
time to visit and, though our time was brief, we hope You will
use it to draw Kemara and Sean closer together as they
continue their journey towards marriage. Diana and I continue
to thank You for bringing them and all our friends into our
lives. We ask for
Your strength and wisdom in the months ahead. As for tonight... we
know You’ll be smiling down on them during their dances and
ask that you use that time, too, to strengthen their love for
each other and for You.”
As they drove back to Manhattan, Kemara’s
phone chimed. “A text from Violeta,” she said reading it. “She
says she’s found the perfect wedding invitations - Celtic knot
and all. Isn’t it early to be looking at those?”
“One less thing to worry about when the time
gets closer,” Sean said. “As long as she doesn’t go too
overboard with the Irish theme. I refuse to get married surrounded
by leprechauns!”
Kemara shook her head. “I already told her we
want things simple and elegant. Monica offered to lend a hand
too, so I think she’ll keep Violeta in check.” She smiled. “I
do appreciate all her hard work though. You know those thank
you notes we’re doing in Bible study? I think I’m going to
write mine to her.”
Sean looked thoughtful. “That’s a good idea.
And mine’s going to be to Zeke and Diana. I’ve enjoyed getting
to know them better these past few weeks.”
Not only had they written those letters,
they’d also composed a joint one to Joshua. Kemara had left it
in his room at Willowveil on Thanksgiving Day along with a
copy of their engagement photo. When she had checked later -
feeling a bit like a child peeking to see if Santa had come -
the envelope was gone.
Her parents, David and Joyce, joined them for
Thanksgiving and spent the entire visit in a daze. New York
City was so different from what they were used to, that the
revelation about Dyeland hardly seemed to register. Her dad
and Andrew worked on furniture, while Kemara, her mother and
Violeta spent hours online and with catalogs making wedding
plans. They went sightseeing and shopping. Sean and Kemara had
insisted on cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the four of them.
Kemara sighed, remembering. The visit had gone
so well, until she had told her mother about their plans to
babysit sometime in December.
“Kemara, Sean, we’ll see you on Saturday,
right?” Zeke asked as they all prepared to leave Willowveil
after Bible study.
“We’ll be there!” Sean promised as Kemara
nodded.
Diana smiled at them. “We’ll make sure Manny’s
on his best behavior,” she said, wrapping the little boy in a
blanket against the cold wind outside.
“If you need help, you can give me a call,”
Emma said. “I babysat for Zoe from the time she was younger
than Manny.”
Kemara shivered. “I’m just praying nothing
will go wrong.”
“It won’t,” Sean kissed her forehead. “Stop
being a worrywort.”
Zeke grinned. “You’ll do great. Little Man’s
no trouble at all.”
“I think he’s the most laid back of all our
kids.” Diana agreed. “He sleeps better than any of them did at
this age. And we’ll leave you our phone numbers.”
“I know you’re right,” Kemara said. She
frowned. “It’s
just…..I told my mom about it when they were here for
Thanksgiving. She said it was a crazy idea since I have no
experience with babies at all. And she said what kind of help
did I expect Sean to be?”
Sean grimaced. “Her dad and I weren’t in the
room, but we heard them at it.”
Kemara blushed. “We just rub each other the
wrong way...I got mad.”
“Well, I liked what you told her,” Sean said.
“She deserved it.”
Diana and Zeke exchanged glances. “And what
was that,” Diana asked.
“I wanted to know how she expected me to get
experience,” Kemara said, her voice rising. “And I asked her
what she did when I showed up three months early!"
“What did she say?” Rose asked. She and Max
had come in while the others had been talking.
Kemara shrugged. “Nothing really. She mumbled
something about the nurses in NICU explaining things, and then
changed the subject.”
Diana handed Manny to Zeke and came over to
hug Kemara. “Well, I can tell you that everyone has to learn.
Joshua doesn’t just automatically gift you with the knowledge
when you have a child.”
JenniAnn laughed. “Now that would’ve been
nice!” She turned to Andrew who was carrying a sleeping Belle.
“Why didn’t we think to ask him?”
Andrew grinned. “He would’ve just laughed and
said that if his own Ama and Abi had to muddle through, so do
the rest of us.”
“OK, I think that’s everything,” Diana said
Saturday morning as she and Zeke got ready to leave. “Manny’s
been fed and put down for his nap. I’ve left instructions with
his bottles, but he’ll probably only eat once before we get
back.”
Zeke waved toward the kitchen. “Feel free to
raid the pantry if you want.”
“Thanks,” Sean said. “We’ll try not to eat you
out of house and home.”
Diana rolled her eyes. “Oh, the older three
already do that; and Little Man is trying his best to catch up
with them.” She tugged on Zeke’s sleeve. “Come on! I want to
be there when they open!”
“Where are you going?” Kemara asked, smiling
at their antics.
“Shopping!” Zeke pretended to pout. ”Several
local churches go in together and set up a Christmas bazaar
the weekend after Thanksgiving every year. Someone donates an
empty warehouse for them to use so it’s miles of walking.”
“Ha!” Diana shot her husband a look. “You park
yourself near the food, and I do all the walking!” She
grinned. “I can get most of our presents in one trip, so it’s
worth the trek.”
Zeke brightened. “Hey! I wonder if the lady
with the fried apple pies will be there this year? Those were
there best. And then there’s the men’s club with the barbecue
plates….” Still talking, he headed out the door.
Diana gave them a wave and followed him out.
When their car had left, Kemara and Sean
stared at each other.
“Now what?” Sean asked. She was surprised to
see that, despite all his reassurances, he sounded a little
uneasy.
Kemara looked around. “Ummm...maybe we’d
better check on Manny.”
Sean pointed to the baby monitor which sat on
the coffee table. “We’ll hear him if he wakes up. Zeke said
they have Netflix. We can watch a movie.”
“OK. But let’s check anyway.” Kemara took his
hand and led him down the hall to the master bedroom. The
baby’s crib was in one corner. For a few minutes, they stood
and watched him.
“He’s cute, isn’t he?” Kemara whispered.
Sean wrapped his arms around her and she
leaned back against him. “Yep. He looks a lot like Zeke.”
“I think he looks exactly like Diana!” She
frowned. “Doesn’t he need a blanket?”
“He’s fine. Ciara said you don’t want to cover
them up too much.” Sean said. When Kemara twisted to look at
him, he shrugged. “I asked her advice. It’s been a long time
since she was a baby and I had to look after her.”
Kemara grinned. “Awww...I bet that was cute!”
She turned back to the crib. “I’m glad you know what you’re
doing, cause I don’t have a clue.”
“Hush! I forbid any bad thoughts today.”
“Oh, you do?” She gave him a gentle shove.
He looked smug. “Uh-huh. You have to promise
to love, honor and most of all obey, remember?”
Her head rared back. “If you’re thinking I’m
gonna obey, you’re marrying the wrong person! And besides….you
have to promise the same things, so there!”
“Sure! Of course...it depends on what you’re
asking me to do….”
He waggled his eyebrows, and she clapped a
hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud and waking
Manny.
“Come on - movie time!” Sean hurried her -
still giggling - back into the kitchen. They found a couple of
sodas and some chips before settling on the couch.
Kemara snagged the remote before Sean could
grab it, and began scrolling through the movie offerings.
“Horror, Action, Drama, Comedy….”
“Go back!” Sean said. “Princess Bride!”
“Oooh, yeah!” She put the remote down.
The Grandfather began to read about Westley
and Buttercup.
“See, that’s what ‘obey’ looks like,” Kemara
teased as the farm boy uncomplainingly did everything his
younger employer demanded.
“So you want me walking around saying, ‘as you
wish,’ all the time?”
“Depends on what -.” She broke off as the
sound of a baby’s whimper came through the monitor. “Sounds
like Little Man is awake.”
The noises grew louder. “You gonna go or you
want me to?” Sean asked.
“I’ll go.” Kemara made a face. “I’m the one
who has to change diapers after all.”
He paused the movie. “Okay. Yell if he’s
turning blue.”
“Ha, ha. Just you wait, mister. When we have
kids you’re on permanent diaper duty!”
Manny was flushed and wailing when she took
him from his crib.
“Hush....I’ll get you cleaned up in a minute,
buddy.” She changed the soiled diaper, and the baby quieted.
“See? All better. Wanna come hang out with us for a while?”
When they returned to the living room, Sean
was grinning. “A smelly job, but somebody’s gotta do it.”
Kemara scowled at the baby monitor. “I
should’ve turned that thing off.”
“Nah, it was cute.” He held out his arms. “Let
me take him.”
Kemara passed the baby to him and smiled. “You
two are quite a contrast.” She picked up her phone and quickly
snapped a picture.
He looked at it and laughed. “Woah...dark and
light. Kinda cool.” He nodded at the TV. “Now, let’s introduce
Manny to one of the greatest movies of all time.”
Buttercup and Westley part, and she is
devastated by news of his death. She agrees to marry Prince
Humperdink - “What kind of a name is that?” Kemara muttered -
but takes long rides on her horse whenever she can.
During one such ride she is waylaid by three
bizarre travelers who knock her out.
“Hey,” Sean asked as the giant caught the
unconscious girl. “Isn’t that the Vulcan Nerve -?” He froze
and looked down at the baby. Quickly, he stood up and held the
bundle away from him. Manny’s blanket and Sean’s shirt were
both soaked. “What the-?”
Kemara couldn’t help it; she laughed so hard
her ribs ached.
Sean scowled at her. “This is your fault!” He
tried to find a way to hold the baby that would keep both of
them from getting wetter, but it was no use. The little boy
was whimpering, uncomfortable in his sodden wrappings.
“The look on your face!” With an effort,
Kemara made herself stop laughing and followed Sean back to
the bedroom where he quickly put Manny down onto the changing
table. “I know I put his diaper on right,” she said. “It’s not
like it’s that complicated.”
“Well, I don’t think they leak like that,” He
tossed the stained blankets into the nearby hamper and
unfastened the dripping diaper. He started to chuckle himself.
Kemara was startled. “What is it?”
“I think Diana forgot to show you something,”
Sean said. He wiped the baby off and readied a clean diaper.
“See? Point it down or else….”
She blushed dark red. “I never even thought
about that! And I guess Diana didn’t say anything because
she’s so used to it.”
He settled Manny in his crib. “Well, now you
know.” He plucked his wet T-shirt away from his chest. “Think
Zeke would mind if I borrowed one of his shirts?”
“Let me text them and ask,” Kemara said.
Sean rolled his eyes. “I guess you’d better.”
She quickly sent the text and the phone beeped
a minute later. She read the message and laughed. “He says,
‘Sure! My shirts are on the left side of the closet. Let me
guess...you forgot to point the business end down. I did the
same thing with Sy. Learned my lesson.”
“Tell him you did it, not me,” Sean said,
pulling out a Yankees’ T-shirt.
He stripped off his own shirt, and Kemara
caught her breath. She told herself not to stare, but before
she could turn away, Sean’s eyes locked with hers in the
mirror. Not dropping his gaze he reached for the hand wipes
and ran one over his chest.
Kemara forced herself to look away, blushing
again. “Sorry….I’ll - I’ll tell him.” She tapped in a reply
with shaking fingers.
“What should I do with this?” he wondered
picking up the soiled garment and holding it at arm’s length
between finger and thumb.
“I bet Diana has some plastic bags in in the
kitchen. I’ll go look.” Kemara hurried out of the room, glad
to get away.
She’d never been so embarrassed, not even
during their Natural Family Planning classes where they were
learning how to chart her body’s cycle. At least she and Sean
had been able to discuss temperatures and physical symptoms -
like PMS - from a scientific point of view
Since their engagement, they had been very
careful about each other’s personal space, not wanting to push
any boundaries. They only hugged and exchanged light kisses.
But now she wondered if even that was too much.
Should she say something? Just act as if that
shared glance had never happened?
She found a stash of plastic grocery bags in
the pantry just as Sean walked in. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He dropped the shirt into it and
washed his hands. He turned from the sink, and put his arms
around her. “You know, I think that in there was a very good
thing.”
She buried her face in his shoulder, unable to
look at him. “Really?”
He put a finger under her chin and raised it.
“Uh-huh. We’re engaged. If we didn’t feel that way, I’d be
worried. No, it’s not the only reason we’re getting married,
but it’s one of them, right?”
“Definitely!” She smiled, reassured. “But I
thought -.”
They were interrupted by a squawk from the
baby monitor.
Sean pulled away. “I bet he’s hungry. If
you’ll go get him, I’ll make up a bottle.”
The little boy was wailing by the time Kemara
carried him into the living room. “Poor little guy! We’ve kept
you in tears since we got here, haven’t we?”
“OK. Here we go!” Sean sat beside them on the
couch. He gave Kemara the bottle. “Raise his head up a little
more...that’s right.”
She smiled as the baby latched onto the nipple
eagerly. “So hungry!”
Sean watched them. “When I was born, the
doctor said to feed me four ounces every four hours. I cried
all the time and didn’t sleep much so neither did Mom and Dad.
One day, Mom left me at home with dad while she did some
shopping. When she came back, I was sound asleep. She asked
him, ‘What did you do?’ Dad said, ‘I fed him, and when he
seemed like he was still hungry I gave him another bottle’.”
Kemara laughed. “So she was doing exactly what
the doctor said, but you were starving!”
“She says I haven’t stopped eating since,”
Sean grinned. “What about you? Any funny stories?”
She thought for a minute. “Not from when I was
a baby…” She smiled. “Except for the the one about how I was
jaundiced and had to be put under those lights?”
Sean nodded. “Yeah, they did that for one of
Ciara’s kids.”
“Well, it gave me a really dark tan. Mom had
some complications, so it was a day or so before she could get
to NICU to see me. When she did, she thought they’d given her
the wrong baby!” She laughed. “Plus, I was hairy like some
preemies are so I looked like a monkey.”
“Monkey,” Sean chuckled. “Is that your
nickname?”
“Sometimes. Later, I was always climbing the
cabinets so it stuck.” In her arms, Manny turned his head away
from the bottle. “I think he’s full. Do I need to burp him
now?”
Sean passed her a hand towel. “Yeah, put that
over your shoulder cause he’ll probably spit up some milk when
you do it.”
Kemara lifted the baby to her shoulder and
patted his back. Manny let out an awful noise and she froze.
“Help.”
Sean got up and walked around the couch.
“Umm….”
“Was that supposed to happen?”
“Not usually.”
“Is it in my hair?”
“Doesn’t look like it.” He took Manny from her
and used a clean corner of the towel to wipe the child’s
mouth. “Why don’t you go hop in the shower? I’ll lay him down,
and let Diana know you need to borrow a shirt.”
Kemara stood up gingerly. “I’m sure this will
be funny later, but right now I can’t see it.” She stretched
up and kissed Sean’s cheek. “Thanks for not laughing, even
when I laughed at you.”
He wrinkled his nose. “That was just smelly,
this is…”
“Yuck.” She shuddered.
“Totally. Go on. I’ll call Diana.”
As she left the room, she heard him say,
“Diana? Hey, sorry to bother you guys again, but Manny spit up
all down the back of Kemara’s shirt and…”
Ten minutes later, Kemara returned to the
living room with her wet hair in a braid and wearing one of
Diana’s school T-shirts.
“Feeling better?” Sean passed her a bowl of
popcorn as she sat down beside him.
“Very much so. What did Diana say?”
He picked up the remote and restarted the
movie. “She said they should’ve mentioned that you have to
burp Manny every couple of minutes or so since he eats fast.
If you don’t….”
Kemara rolled her eyes. “Now they tell us!”
Onscreen, the Man in Black chases after the
kidnappers.
“I’d love to see how they filmed all this,”
Sean mumbled through a mouthful of popcorn. “...’s really
good.”
Kemara made a face. “Didn’t Megan teach you
not to do that?”
He swallowed, looking a little hurt. “Hey! In
my family if you don’t talk with your mouth full, you don’t
get a word in edgewise!”
She remembered meals at the McCallum dinner
table where Sean’s nieces and nephews had been in attendance.
“Good point.”
The two parties reach the Cliffs of Insanity
and begin to climb.
“You keep using that word. I do not think it
means what you think it means!” Kemara and Sean chorused along
with the giant.
The baby monitor whined, and they looked at
each other.
“What now?”
Kemara shook her head. “He’s been fed and
changed. I guess he might need changing again…”
The whining escalated to full on sobs. “Isn’t
there something about letting them cry it out?” Sean asked,
trying to look nonchalant.
“Well, I can’t listen to him like that,”
Kemara said jumping up. “Let’s go see. Maybe he’s just
lonesome, and we can keep him in here with us until Mommy and
Daddy get back.”
They found Manny dry and unharmed, but
fretful.
“Manny! Look here!” Sean found a stuffed
rabbit on a nearby chair and waved it enticingly, but the baby
turned away, still crying.
Kemara scooped him out of the crib. “Come on,
little man, let’s go sing some songs. I bet you like that,
don’t you? I bet Mommy and Daddy sing to you all the time.”
“And Sy too,” Sean commented. “I think he’s
going to sound a lot like Zeke.”
The trio settled on the couch, and Sean muted
“Princess Bride.” For a moment, the baby’s attention was
caught by the action on screen, but soon enough he started to
squirm again.
“I don’t really know any lullabies, but
sometimes singing this one makes me sleepy,” Kemara said.
“Slumber my pretty prince, sleep….Birds now are resting and
sheep….Silent are garden and tree….Hushed is the hum of the
bee….Slumber my pretty prince sleep….”
The little boy quieted and his eyelids
drooped.
“I think that did the trick,” Sean whispered.
Kemara let the song taper off, but as soon as
she did, Manny’s eyes opened and his face screwed up in
protest.
“Maybe not.” Sean held out his arms. “Let me
try.” He began to sing. “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the
lion sleeps tonight…”
Kemara hummed along and leaned her head on
Sean’s shoulder. “You’ll have to sing this to our kids.”
Sean smiled but kept singing.
She felt her own eyes drifting shut as his
voice lulled both her and the baby.
A noise startled her awake. Diana and Zeke
stood in the open doorway holding several shopping bags each.
“Sorry,” Diana whispered coming over. “We were
trying to be quiet.”
“I guess we fell asleep…” Kemara struggled to
rouse herself. She had been dreaming of Joshua. He held two
small bundles in his arms and offered them to her and Sean….
“All three of you were out cold,” Zeke
grinned. “I was holding my phone so I got a couple of
pictures. Hope you don’t mind.”
Kemara shook her head. “I bet we looked
funny.”
“No,” Diana assured her. “It was very sweet.”
Sean began to stir, and Zeke took the still
sleeping Manny from him. “It sounds like two had an eventful
time.”
“I’m so sorry,” Diana began. “I never even
thought -.”
“It was fine,” Sean ran a hand through his
hair. “Even with all the changing clothes - thanks for that by
the way - I think we had fun.” He looked over at Kemara and
raised his eyebrows.
“Definately. Manny was a little angel. All the
screw-ups were ours. And I feel much more prepared for when we
have kids, that’s for sure!”
Diana laughed. “I’ll remind you of that when
the time comes,” she warned.
The sun had long since set, and the moon was
beginning its rise over the edge of the ocean. Kemara shivered
and decided she really ought to go in. She hoisted Warren to
her shoulder and carried both him and the scrapbook inside.
For the next few minutes she busied herself with poking up the
fire and making a pot of tea.
At last curled up on the couch with the kitten
stretched out on the opposite end, she opened the book to her
favorite pages. Photos covered every inch of space, and an
envelope held several sheets of handwritten journaling. She
wanted to remember every moment of that wonderful week when
Joshua had returned to them.
"Even with my live feed down, I bet I know who
that is."
Grinning, Kemara nodded. "Sean….Can I...?"
"Of course!"
Joshua motioned for the others to step into the
ballroom to give her some privacy.
“Sean! Where are you?” Kemara clutched her
phone so tightly she heard it creak.
“Hey, I’m on the subway, almost to the
theater.” The connection was filled with static, and she could
barely hear him. “I saw where you tried to call. Is everything
okay? You do still want me to stay the whole week, right?”
She rolled her eyes, shifting from foot to
foot with impatience. “Of course! Listen - Joshua is here!”
For a moment there was only crackling white
noise. Had they gotten cut off?
“What? You mean -”
“He’s at Willowveil, right now! JenniAnn
texted everyone...that’s when I tried to call, but I guess the
subway was blocking it.”
“Re-...Really? That’s great…” Sean sounded
dazed.
“He’ll be here until Christmas - his
birthday.” Kemara fought back tears. “So you can talk to him.”
“I just...wow….My stop’s coming up. I’ll be
there as soon as I can. Love you!”
“Love you, too!”
When Portia and Sean arrived to join the
growing throng, Kemara hung back in the ballroom doorway,
knowing that her fiancé needed this first meeting with Joshua
to be as private as possible. She smiled at how Sean’s normal
self-confidence was replaced with stammering.
Kemara glimpsed Sean’s face before he pulled
Joshua into a hug and saw that her man was close to tears.
Joshua spoke quietly, and her own eyes grew wet. He would know
of course, how much Sean hated to be seen crying in public.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and
turned to see Maryam peering out into the foyer. “It is
something to see, yes?”
Kemara nodded and jerked her gaze back to the
Carpenter. “He’s amazing.” She started and pulled her phone
from her pocket. “I should get a picture of them together!”
Maryam gave her shoulder another squeeze and
went back to the buffet table where Yosef had discovered the
pancake syrup.
Kemara took several photos, before Sean
noticed her watching.
Joshua smiled over at her, and she hurried to
join them. He clasped their hands together. "This is good," he
declared.
Teary-eyed but smiling, Kemara looked back and
forth between the two men she loved best.
With a silent nod, Sean agreed with Joshua's
assessment.
"Go fix yourselves up a plate and, please, do
me a favor?" Joshua requested.
"Anything," Kemara vowed.
"Make sure Abi's not drowning anything in
syrup."
The joke putting him further at ease, Sean
laughed. "We'll
do that."
********
After breakfast, Kemara and Sean headed over
to her house for her crock pot.
“Where’s your luggage? Did you bring your
skis?”
Sean laughed. “Those would be fun on the
subway! Nah...We rent skis when we get up to the lodge. And I
left my bag in the theater’s office. I’ll get it later.”
“Well, I don’t know where everybody’s
sleeping, but I’m sure Andrew and JenniAnn will figure it all
out.” She giggled. “It’s Christmastime and everybody’s coming
to Dyeland to see Jesus and his family.”
“History really does repeat itself, I guess,”
Sean agreed. “Except this time there’s plenty of room at the
inn.”
Kemara nodded. “Yep! No one has to sleep in
the barn unless they want to.”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“Violeta!”
Sean squeezed her hand. “So are you ready to
learn how to ski? Hunter’s Mountain is supposed to have plenty
of real snow beside the artificial stuff by next week.”
“A little nervous, but my daredevil side is
excited.”
“You don’t have a daredevil side,” he scoffed.
“Oh yes I do! I’d love to go skydiving.”
He stopped walking and stared at her.
“Seriously?”
“Why’s that so surprising?” she asked, one
eyebrow raised.
“I dunno...I just never figured you for an
adrenaline junkie.” He shook his head. “Learn something new
every day.”
Kemara tugged at his hand to get him walking
again. “Come on...Maybe we can go skydiving for our first
anniversary?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
On the way back to Willowveil, she brought up
the subject they had both been pointedly not talking about.
“It’s great to see Joshua again, isn’t it?”
She blushed. “When I got here, I just ran right to him and
ignored everyone else. “
“Yeah.” His normally cheerful expression grew
serious. “It’s funny, looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t
realize who he really was. I mean, I knew there was something
- different - about him. But talking to him today, even for
just a few minutes…..”
Kemara nodded. “It’s almost overwhelming being
in the same room with him. In a good way!” she hurried to add.
They approached the castle, but Sean led her
to the gazebo. “I left my bodhran at St. Genesius. Maybe
Joshua will have a little time before everyone gets back?”
His eager expression reminded her of a little
boy who was looking forward to a day at Disney World. “I’m
sure he will.” She glanced at her phone. “It’s only 9, so
you’ve got half an hour.” She took the crock pot from him. “Go
get your wee drum, and I’ll take this inside.”
She dropped off the appliance in the kitchen
and and met Sean in the foyer. “JenniAnn said Joshua just went
up to his room.”
“Walk up with me?” He held out his free hand
to her and together they climbed the stairs to the third
floor.
The door to Joshua’s room was open. He sat in
the window seat, tuning his guitar.
“Kemara and Sean! Welcome! Make yourselves
comfortable.” He gestured to a couple of extra chairs.
Sean took one, but Kemara shook her head. “I’m
not staying. I just wanted to chaperone Sean and his ‘girl’ up
here safely.”
Joshua grinned and nodded at the bodhran. “So,
how do you like her?”
“She’s fantastic!” Sean ran a hand over the
Celtic cross painted on the goat skin. “I still haven’t
figured out all her quirks yet, but we’re getting along pretty
well.”
Kemara rolled her eyes. “I’d be jealous if I
thought it would make a darn bit of difference.” She kissed
his cheek and then Joshua’s. “I’ll leave you boys to your
music making.”
As she started back downstairs, she heard
Joshua say, “Anything in particular you want to work on?”
Father Mike passed her on the landing, tin
whistle in hand. “Ah, it sounds like they’ve started without
me,” he said as the sounds of guitar and drum drifted down
from above.
“I think Sean was a bit impatient,” Kemara
laughed. “He’s been waiting since May for this.”
‘I don’t blame him a bit!” Fr. Mike said. “I’d
better get on up there.” With a wave, he continued up the
steps.
In the kitchen, Diana and Portia were putting
away the food contributions as they arrived.
“Everything good?” Portia wondered, gesturing
upward. “We’ve been trying to figure out what they’re
playing.”
“Very good,” Kemara said shifting two crock
pots already on the counter to make room for the one Peter had
just brought in.”Sean’s thrilled. He doesn’t have much time to
play with other people - and with a bodhran you need other
musicians - and to be able to do that with Joshua…”
Diana smiled. “I remember the feeling.”
“Yeah,” Peter nodded. “You walk around in a
daze for a while.”
Emma stepped into the kitchen. “Hmmm….I bet I
know who you’re all talking about!” she teased. She held up
two plastic grocery bags. “Two loaves of honey fig bread and
some wheat rolls.”
“That sounds good,” Portia said, taking the
bags. “I’ve heard about this bread.”
“It’s Maryam’s recipe. Where is she, by the
way?” Emma looked around the crowded room.
Diana shrugged. “I’m not certain, but I think
she and Yosef were going to read to the kids until we’re ready
to leave. They offered to feed Manny at the same time.”
“Awww….” Kemara shook her head. “They’re
awesome.” She glanced at Diana. “I’m surprised you let me and
Sean near him again after the poor job we did.”
“You did fine!” Diana said. “Zeke and I just
didn’t explain things well enough.”
The others chuckled, but Portia looked
confused. “Wait. What needed explaining?”
So as they finished tidying the kitchen, Diana
recounted Kemara and Sean’s messy adventures in babysitting.
********
Even though they’d had very little time to
practice, the trio of Joshua, Mike and Sean played several
Christmas carols during the tree decorating party to
enthusiastic applause.
“Very nice!” Kemara cheered. She kissed Sean
on the cheek and handed him a cup of cider.
Sean wiped his forehead on his sleeve.
“Thanks! It’s been a while since I’ve played so much at one
time. I forgot how exhausting it can be.”
“Well, why don’t you take a break, and we’ll
go hang our ornaments?” She linked an arm through his and led
him over to the table where the tree decorations were spread
out.
“I bet this one’s yours,” Sean said holding up
a cat. The slim body, large ears and slanted eyes showed it
was a Siamese like her kitten, Warren.
Kemara laughed. “What gave it away? But
where’s yours, I wonder?”
Beginning to feel slightly alarmed, she sifted
through the remaining ornaments. Sean couldn’t have been left
out. She knew Andrew and JenniAnn wouldn’t let that happen.
Nor would Joshua.
“This is it,” The Carpenter himself had come
up beside them. Now, he reached past her and held up an
ornament. Sean took it, looking stunned.
“A firetruck?” Kemara watched as Sean held the
perfect tiny replica on his outstretched palm. Even the wooden
wheels turned.
Joshua beamed. “Yup. I thought it was the
perfect choice.”
“It- it is.” Sean blinked back tears. “Thank
you.” He hugged Joshua tightly.
“Now to find a place for them.”
They followed Joshua over to the huge tree,
and chose spots among the nearly full branches.
“Perfect!” Joshua hugged them both. “I think
Miss Lily would like help with her ornament. Sean, you wanna
play some more later?”
Sean nodded, eagerly. “Sure!”
They watched as Joshua made his way through
the crowd leaving smiles in his wake.
“Let’s sit down.” They found a loveseat along
the edge along the edge of the ballroom with a good view of
the dancing, chatting throng.
As soon as they were settled Kemara turned to
him. “A firetruck?" She repeated.
Sean blushed and took another drink of cider.
“Yeah. I told you my grandfather on my mom’s side was a
firefighter?”
Kemara nodded sensing that the toy vehicle had
been more than just a remembrance.
“Well from the time I was really little I knew
that’s what I wanted to do. Grandpa would take me to the
station on Sunday afternoons to help wash the trucks. And I
made him tell me about every call he went on. I’m sure he
censored a bunch of stuff, but I heard enough to cement it in
my mind.”
“He never took you on calls with him surely!”
Kemara said, fascinated.
Sean laughed. “God, no! I did as much as he -
and my mother - would let me.”
“So why didn’t you pursue it?”
“I tried to. There’s a kind of firefighting
academy for high school kids - been around forever. I was all
set to sign up when I turned 14. I was so excited because they
actually get use the equipment and go on some calls.” He
sighed. “But mom put her foot down.”
“Really?” Kemara had never heard Megan
McCallum so much as raise her voice, even when five
grandchildren were rampaging all over the house.
Sean grimaced. “Oh yeah. It was horrible...I
think that was the first time we’d ever really yelled at each
other. I said I didn’t want to do anything else. And she said
she didn’t want to sit up waiting for me to come home the way
her mother did for my grandfather. She didn’t want to think
that a stranger driving up or a phone call might be someone
bringing the news that I had been killed.”
Kemara leaned her head on his shoulder. “What
did Keith say?”
“He was on my side, but he couldn’t convince
mom to change her mind. My grandpa tried. Even the fire chief
who headed up the program tried.”
“I can understand why your mom was worried,
but that must’ve been awful, having to give that up.”
“Yeah. It took us a long time to get back to
where we could even talk easily again.” He shrugged. “I was
good at math and music - don’t those usually go together? So I
focused on that and tried to forget.”
She laced her fingers through his. “ But you
didn’t. I know how that is. I wanted to be an astronaut - of
all things! - since I was about eight. I was 14 when I
realized it was never going to happen. Still hurts sometimes
though.”
Sean wrapped an arm around her in a hug.
“Yeah. And...I guess I could’ve done something once I’d
graduated and moved out, but I took a few extra courses and
got a job as a CPA. The money was good, so I stayed.”
“I don’t blame you a bit!” Kemara rolled her
eyes. “The rents here are outrageous! I have no idea how I
managed to afford my old apartment for as long as I did.”
“I was wondering…Would we keep my apartment do
you think?” He smiled. “I know we’ll live at the beach house -
it’s a little bit bigger. But if we had family come visit -
like for the wedding - there’s no room.”
Kemara frowned. “Well, since my folks found
out about Dyeland at Thanksgiving, they could stay here. And
I’m sure yours could too if they wanted.” She gestured at the
crowded room. “That’s what most of these folks are doing after
all!”
“Very true! Since we’re discussing the
wedding...do you want a bridal shower? Or couples’ shower or
whatever they’re calling it these days?”
“We don’t need anything. I mean, between the
two of us, I think we’re set. I know it’s tradition, but….”
He kissed the top of her head. “Well, we’re
allowed to make our own traditions, I think. What about asking
people to donate to the two shelters instead of giving gifts?”
Kemara sat up excitedly. “That’s perfect! We
can put something in the formal announcement. Remind me - I
need to ask Violeta when those should be mailed out.”
“Lots to think about,” Sean joked, pulling her
close again. “We’re blessed to have so many people willing to
help.”
“Very blessed.”
Backstage at St. Genesius, Kemara checked
costumes and tied shoes for the six children who would be
joining Fr. Mike, Joshua and Sean onstage for their
performance.
Her fiance was watching as Emma sang, shifting
from foot to foot. Surely he wasn’t nervous? He’d played and
danced in front of hundreds of people at Irish festivals.
As Joshua walked over to them, she realized he
was the reason for Sean’s unease. It wasn’t every day one got
to jam with the Son of God. The rest of them had had the
entire JCS run to get used to the idea.
"You ready?" Joshua asked picking up his
guitar.
Father Mike beamed. "Definitely!"
Joshua clapped Sean on the back. "It's gonna
be great!"
Calmed by Joshua's touch and cheerful voice,
Sean nodded. "It is, isn't it?"
"Yes!" Kemara assured, sneaking in a quick
hug.
"Can't argue with Joshua," Fr. Mike jested. "Well, you can. But
you won't win."
Laughing, Joshua pulled the three into a hug. "The dancers ready,
Kemara?"
"Ready and waiting!" Kemara waved to the
stage. "Out you
go!"
With that, the three took their places on
stage with members of the orchestra and began to play the
Galician Carol. After
a few moments, the children trooped out and began their jig.
The adults and the audience clapped along as
Shelby, Jacob, Liam, Lily, Persephone, and Galen danced to the
merry tune before crowding around Joshua in a giggling group
hug.
Sean was beaming when the three men came off
stage.
“That was awesome!” Kemara said hugging each
of them in turn. “I can’t believe you guys only practiced for
half an hour.”
Joshua grinned. “Well, it helps to have such
talented people playing with you!”
“Good morning! Merry Christmas!” Kemara opened
the door for Sean just after 8.
“Same to you!” They exchanged a kiss. “Wow!
Something smells good.” He set the gift bag he had been
carrying under the tree in the corner. It was decorated in
tropical colors and adorned with starfish, flamingos and other
fish ornaments.
Kemara shrugged. “I know we’re having brunch
later on, but orange rolls are a Christmas tradition in my
family. There’s fresh coffee, too.”
“Now that’s a tradition I like” Sean cheered.
He followed her into the kitchen where they
filled their plates. With food and coffee in hand, they
settled on the sofa. As they ate, Kemara kept glancing at the
bag Sean had brought.
Noticing, he made a big show of eating very
slowly. She fidgeted even more, and he chuckled. “Someone’s a
little impatient,” he teased.
She grinned, unrepentant. “Yup! But I’m more
excited about you opening your present.”
Sean crammed the last bite of orange roll into
his mouth. “OK. All done!”
Kemara retrieved a box from under the tree
which she gave him before sitting back down with the gift bag
in her lap. Curious, Warren jumped up on the arm of the couch.
“Who’s first?”
“You go ahead.” Sean shook his present gently.
“I want a minute to puzzle out what this might be.”
Kemara broke the tape holding the gift bag
shut. Inside were several individually wrapped packages.
“Sean…”
“Just hush, and open them,” he suggested,
stroking Warren’s head.
On top, was a small red stocking with a cat on
the front.
“Oh, that’s for Warren here,” Sean explained.
“I didn’t want him to feel left out.”
Kemara laughed and pulled out a mouse, knitted
from brightly colored yarn with a braided tail. On the
underside was a velcro opening where catnip could be added.
“Did Adam make this?” Beneath the mouse were
several knitted balls that felt like they were stuffed with
cotton. “And these?”
Sean nodded. “He said they aren’t hard to make
if you ever want more.” He held up the mouse for Warren to
sniff, then tossed it across the room.
The Siamese launched himself off the couch and
pounced on the toy, batting it around excitedly.
“I think he approves!” Kemara laughed. The
stocking also held a bag of cat treats and some extra catnip.
“He’s going to be so spoiled.”
“Like he isn’t already?”
“This is true…” Kemara took out the remaining
two packages, one flat and square shaped, one small and curved
on top.
She unwrapped the square one revealing a CD
case with a Celtic cross on the front. The songs listed on the
back were all her favorites. She looked up at Sean, puzzled.
“What-?”
He grinned. “I had the hardest time figuring
out what to get you, so I talked to Joshua about it - prayed,
I mean. I had no idea he’d be here this week. I was toying
with the idea of putting together a mixtape of your
favorite songs or songs we both like. So I made a list. The
next day, I found that lying beside my computer. Joshua sings
and plays his guitar on all of them.”
Kemara had been listening in growing
amazement. Now, she began to laugh and cry at the same time.
Sean looked alarmed and pushed aside the
discarded paper so he could take her into his arms. “What?
It’s OK, isn’t it?”
For a minute she could only nod. She gestured
toward his present. “I think you’d better open that,” she
sniffed when she was calmer.
Mystified, Sean tore the paper from the box.
Inside were a CD, DVD and another small box. The DVD and the
CD both bore the same image as that on Sean’s bodhran. “Is
this….?”
“I couldn’t think what to get you either.
Well, I did get that -.” She motioned to the little box. “But
I wanted something else, so I went to Joshua on Tuesday. We
used Andrew’s camera to record him playing a bunch of Celtic
music on his guitar and on a bodhran. So you can play along
and learn what he’s doing. He said some the the bodhran stuff
you don’t know how to do yet.” She grinned up at him. “And we
can dance to the CD, too.”
Sean was scanning the list of songs. “This is
great! Thank you…”
“And thank you.” They shared a long kiss. “But
there are still two boxes left. Why don’t you open yours
next?”
A minute later he was holding the opened box
in his hand. “Kemara, I can’t - This must’ve cost…”
She took it from him and removing the ring
inside placed the heavy gold band on his finger. “Perfect. And
no it wasn’t bad. Monica put me touch with a jeweler she knows
in Ireland who was able to give me a very nice discount.”
Sean leaned closer to the lamp on the side
table, turning the ring to see the claddagh engraved around
it. Then, on a hunch, he took it off and angled the inside
toward the light. Inside were the words, “Kemara & Sean -
March 17, 2015 - Always in step.”
Kemara was watching him anxiously. “I thought
since my engagement ring and band were a set, that I’d get
your band. If you don’t like it, he had several designs…”
Now, it was his turn to blink back tears. “I
love it.” Somewhat reluctantly, he replaced it in the box.
“Keep it for me until then?”
She accepted it. “You do remember where you
put mine?” she asked tartly.
“Of course!” He frowned. “At least, I think I
do….”
“You’d better!”
He smirked. “Your turn.”
Kemara unwrapped her present to reveal another
jewelry box. On a bed of cotton rested a large, sterling
silver circle with a design of running horses accented with
sapphires that matched those in her engagement ring. She took
it out and saw the pin on the back.
“A brooch? It’s gorgeous….”
Sean blushed. “Umm...actually that’s connected
with Joshua, too,” he admitted.
“Really?”
“Yeah. When we went shopping the other day, I
had already found everything on the list Arthur gave me, so I
wandered over to the jewelry counter. Joshua came up with
Belle. I was looking at the brooches, cause I thought you
might like one for performances - like I have my sword pin. He
suggested this one in particular and said you’d know when the
time was right to wear it.”
“Aww...that’s so sweet. I have no idea right
now, but I guess it has something to do with the wedding.”
“Maybe for your dress?” Sean suggested.
Kemara smiled. “Maybe. This has been a very
Joshuan Christmas, hasn’t it?”
“As it should be!” Sean tossed one of the
knitted balls to Warren. “You ready to head over to
Willowveil? Can we take the furball?”
Kemara got up and started gathering the
discarded wrapping paper. “Sure, he’s friends with the dogs so
no problem there. And on the way you can tell me all about
this punk rock past of yours….”
“Oh boy….”
Friday,
December
26
“Are you OK?”
She turned from the truck window. “Sorry, I’m
just….”
“Missing him already?”
“All of them, but yeah, him most of all.”
They had taken their leave of everyone -
including Joshua - the night before and slipped out of Dyeland
before anyone else was up. The drive to Sean’s parents’ house
in Brewster would take an hour. From there, the Hunter’s
Mountain ski resort was two hours north.
Kemara made an effort to cast off her
melancholy. “So tell me about where we’re staying!”
Sean glanced at her, but accepted the change
of subject. “It’s right at the bottom of the mountain. It’s a
great!”
“But….Sean, what’re we going to do about
rooms?”
He shrugged. “Well, we got a deluxe room for
mom and dad - really nice with a jacuzzi tub - Mom threatens
every year to stay in there all week long - and two suites.
Brad and I will be in one with the two boys; and you and Ciara
have the other with the three girls.”
Kemara winced. “Doesn’t seem fair to Ciara and
Brad having to be apart all week.”
“You can’t fit seven in a room anyway, so they
have to split up. Actually, when Erin was younger they could
just use the pack-and-play, but now, they couldn’t. So having
you along is a good thing.”
She pretended to scowl. “So I’m an extra
babysitter?”
“Just think of it as more practice!” He
grinned at her. “At least the kids are all older than Manny or
even Belle.”
“Will there be anything for the kids to do?
Surely they’re not old enough to ski.”
“Oh, yeah. There’s skiing, snowboarding, ice
skating, tubing, zip lines, horseback riding. And the inn has
a couple of game rooms with big-screen TVs, video games, air
hockey, stuff like that. They’ll stay busy.”
Kemara nodded, looking thoughtful.
“You’re plotting….”
She flushed. “Well, I was just thinking it
might be nice to get Ciara and Brad their own room for one
night. Give them a break.”
“Aww...you’re such a romantic!”
“And you aren’t? You’re the one who keeps
hinting that he’s looking forward to Valentine’s Day.”
He smirked. “Only in private. I think it’s a
great idea. Maybe near the end of the week when we’ve all
gotten on each others nerves and they’re this close to
strangling whichever kid makes a peep next.”
“I notice you ignored my comment about
Valentine’s Day.”
“Not talking.” He turned on the radio. “Let’s
find some Christmas music. It’ll keep my mind off how hungry I
am.”
For the rest of the drive, they sang along
with the carols and made up their own verses, though Sean
refused to reprise "Three Ships."
They found the McCallum household awake and
bustling. Megan and Keith were finishing cooking breakfast
while Ciara and Brad got the children ready.
"Aunt Kemara! Uncle Sean!" A red-headed
dervish collided with them as soon as they stepped into the
living room.
Sean caught her up and swung the four-year-old
high in the air. "Hey, Erin! What did Santa bring you?" He
lowered her, and she reached out for Kemara who settled the
child on her hip.
"I got books and a kitchen and two dolls..."
"Two?" Kemara asked. "Wow...that's a lot of
babies to take care of."
Erin shook her head, red curls flying. "Uh-uh.
Mommy says five are harder."
Kemara chuckled. "Well, Mommy would know!"
"Erin! Where did you -." Ciara came in looking
frazzled. "Oh! Merry Christmas! I didn't hear you guys come
in." She hugged both of them and took the little girl. "Come
on, honey. Let's get your shoes on."
She hurried back out, and Sean grinned. "Never
a dull moment around here!" He led the way to the dining room
where Keith was just setting down bowls of bacon and eggs.
"Merry Christmas!" he greeted them. "You ready
to hit the slopes?"
Kemara hugged him. "I hope so! I am a little
nervous though."
"Why? You're the one who wants to go
skydiving," Sean said.
She rolled her eyes. "That's different. If
your chute fails it's all over; if you wipe out skiing you end
up in the hospital."
Megan carried in a platter of pancakes. "The
instructors are very good. They won't let you do anything
you're not comfortable with."
"Kids can start learning when they're four,"
Brad added coming in with the three older children. "Parker’'s
been skiing for two years, haven't you, buddy?"
Parker nodded. "It's fun! I like to go fast!"
Kemara turned pale. "That doesn't help...."
Sean laughed and pushed her gently into a
chair. "You worry too much."
"Sure you still wanna put up with me?" She
tipped her head back and smiled up at him.
He leaned down and kissed her. "Yup!"
"Eeeww..." Parker pretended to be sick.
Brad slapped his son lightly on the back of
the head. "Behave."
Ciara settled the littlest girls into their
booster seats. "I'm so glad we were able to get connecting
rooms this year. That's going be a big help."
“How many years has your family been doing
this?” Kemara asked as everyone began to fill plates.
Keith and Megan looked at each other.
“Huh….since Sean was about five, I guess,” Keith said.
“That’s a long time!” James said, wide-eyed.
He turned to his uncle. “I didn’t know you were so old.”
The adults laughed and Sean gave a mocking
bow. “Thanks for the compliment.”
“You’re welcome,” James replied with complete
seriousness that set them laughing again.
When they had recovered, Keith reached for
Megan’s hand. “Alright, let’s bless the food and dig in so we
can get on the road.”
An hour and a half later their two-vehicle
caravan headed north.
*******
“So what do you think?” Sean asked anxiously.
Kemara pushed up her goggles and tried to
catch her breath. “Wow....Kinda scary going backward, but once
I got my balance it was fun.”
“Let’s try again. You’re really starting to
get the hang of it.”
She unfastened her bindings and tucked the
snowboard under one arm. “You don’t have to stay with me all
the time, you know,” she said following him back up the
beginner trail.
It was the third day of their vacation. After
she had taken an introductory snowboarding lesson the first
day, Sean had insisted on teaching her the basics. Now, they
were working on connecting turns and making a switchback down
the mountain.
He looked back at her. “I want to. I’ve
forgotten what it’s like to be a complete newbie.” He grinned.
“And you’re so cute when you -.”
He broke off as two pre-teens skied by much
too closely. “Hey! Watch it!” He shook his head. “I ought to
report them. That’s the second time they’ve nearly hit
someone.”
“I thought there were rules about watching
where you’re going?” Kemara asked, panting a little as they
pushed higher up the slope. She had been surprised to discover
that multiple days of dance class had not prepared her for how
strenuous ‘boarding could be.
“I guess some people think the rules don’t
apply to them. Doing OK? I thought we’d got just a bit further
so you can really get the feel of it.”
“I’m fine.” She caught up with him. “So what’s
on the agenda for this afternoon?”
Their group tended to split up in the
mornings. The kids went to the ski-and-play program, while the
adults skied or snowboarded or - in Ciara’s case - went ice
skating. After lunch, everyone reconvened for a group
activity.
“The kids want to go snow tubing, and everyone
likes that.”
“Like sledding?” They had reached the top of
the easy trail now, and from this angle the drop looked very
steep.
Sean re-secured his bindings while she did the
same. “Sorta. Big inner tubes. You can go down feet-first or
head-first, and there’s a lift to pull you back up. So it’s a
nice way to unwind.”
“Sounds like fun.” Kemara lowered her goggles.
“OK. One more run and then can we get something to eat? I’m
starving.”
“Sure. You go first, and I’ll be right behind
you.”
Kemara shifted her weight and started to glide
across the trail at an angle. Reaching the other side, she
turned without pausing and recrossed the trail, picking up
speed. Halfway down, with her back to Sean, she heard him
yell.
“Kemara!”
She looked over her shoulder. Someone - a
child? - had swerved in front of Sean and was heading straight
toward her with madly pinwheeling arms. Forgetting that her
feet were strapped to the board, she tried to throw herself
out of the way.
The person slammed into her, and Kemara felt
her left knee and ankle explode with pain as they buckled
under the weight. The two tumbled down the slope in a tangle
of skis, poles and snowboard.
Dazed, Kemara fought to free herself and get
to her feet. Hands pushed her down again. Nearby, she could
hear the child crying.
“Lie still! The medics are on their way.” Sean
was peering down at her, his pale face gone white. “Does it
feel like anything’s broken?”
“I don’t know…” She was starting to tremble
from the shock. Sean stripped off his gloves, removed her
goggles and cupped her face in his warm hands.
“Just breathe. You’re okay.” Someone called
out. “Over here!” He turned back to her. “These guys will get
you down to first aid and check you out.”
She managed a smile. “You’re the only one
who’s supposed to do that….” Her left leg was really starting
to hurt.
He winked. “I’ll make sure they don’t take any
undue liberties.”
Despite his assurances, Sean was banished to
the waiting area while nurses removed Kemara’s boots and cut
her pants leg away from her rapidly swelling knee.
“Let’s get some X-rays,” the physician said
after examining both knee and ankle - which was also beginning
to swell and bruise.
Kemara lay still and tried not to shiver while
the machine did it’s work. The technician helped her sit up
and gave her a heated blanket to wrap up in.
“Well, you were very lucky, young lady,” The
doctor said coming back in with her films. “Nothing’s broken.
But you badly strained the ligaments and tendons in your knee,
and your ankle has a lot of soft tissue damage. I’ll give you
a brace for both and some crutches, but I want you off that
leg as much as possible. Keep it elevated and put ice on it a
few times a day - here’s some instructions about that.”
He handed her a couple of sheets of paper.
“How much longer will you be here?”
“We’re supposed to stay through Saturday, but
now, I don’t know…” Kemara said realizing that her injuries
might cut their trip short.
The doctor patted her shoulder. “Well, if
you’re still here on Friday, stop in before you leave, and
I’ll take another look at it.”
“Thank you so much,” Kemara said. “Ummm….the
person who hit me? Are they alright?”
“It was a little boy, and he’s completely
fine. You got the worst of it.”
She let out a relieved sigh. “That’s good
then.”
Ten minutes later, the nurse settled her into
a wheelchair with a pair of crutches across her lap and pushed
her out to the waiting room. Sean jumped to his feet when he
saw her.
“I’m okay!” She said before he could speak.
“Just a couple of sprains.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “You scared the
crap out of me. Come on, lets get you back to the lodge.”
Kemara kept her head down and pretended to
reread the doctor’s instructions to avoid the sympathetic
glances of the skiers and snowboarders they passed.
“Mom and dad are bringing us lunch. Then they,
Ciara and Brad are going to take the kids tubing so you can
rest.”
“I wish everyone wouldn’t make such a fuss,”
Kemara said as they waited for the elevator. “And you should
go with them this afternoon. I’ll be okay by myself.”
“Nope!” Sean said cheerfully. “‘In sickness
and in health,’ remember? Besides, you’re family now, and
family is supposed to fuss.”
Keith and Megan met them in the hallway
outside their two suites of rooms.
“Oh you poor thing!” Megan said coming
forward. “I’ll help you get settled and then we’ll have some
lunch. You boys stay here for a few minutes. She pushed Kemara
into the girls’ suite and shut the connecting door.
With her help, Kemara changed into sweatpants
and a T-shirt. Leaning on the older woman, she hobbled over to
the sofa where Megan propped her leg up on the coffee table
with the ice packs the doctor had provided.
“Looks like you really did a number on
yourself, girl,” Keith teased as he and Sean set out the
sandwiches and chips.
“It wasn’t her fault,” Sean said. “She was
doing really great. Some little kid skidded on a patch of ice
at the side of the trail, lost control and wham!.”
Kemara grimaced. “Yeah, I didn’t have time to
get out of the way. I’m just glad he wasn’t hurt.”
“And we’re so glad you weren’t hurt any more
than you were,” Megan assured her. “I bet you’ll be sore and
stiff tomorrow, though.”
“We are going to stay the rest of the week,
aren’t we?” Kemara asked anxiously. “I don’t want y’all to cut
your vacation short because of me.”
Keith and Megan exchanged glances. “We do this
every year,” Keith reminded her. “The big thing this trip was
that you’d be with us and get the chance to ski for the first
time. But now...”
“Please?” Kemara pleaded. “I know it’s
expensive -.”
“Don’t you worry about that!” Megan said,
patting her hand.
“But I’d really like to stay. Maybe in a
couple of days I can get out on the crutches and maybe even go
snow tubing if I don’t have to walk.” She looked at Sean
hopefully.
He shrugged. “I’ll keep her company, and some
of the kids might want to hang out with us instead of going to
the daycare.”
Kemara nodded. “That would be fun. We could
take them down to the game room or ice skating.”
The couple looked at one another again and
nodded.
“If you’re sure,” Meagan said. “Then we will.”
Her phone chirped. “Oh, that’s probably Ciara!” She checked
it. “Yes, she says the kids are wild to go tubing, so we’d
better hurry over there.”
When his parents had gone, Sean picked up the
children’s book the adults had been taking turns reading out
loud the night before. “Want me to read to you?”
“Sure.”
He found the place they’d stopped and
declaimed in an exaggerated Scottish accent: “Romancin’ is
verra important, ye ken. Basically it’s a way the boy can get
close to the girl wi’oot her attackin’ him and scratchin’ his
eyes oot.”
Kemara giggled and began to relax while the
ache in her ankle and knee gradually subsided. As Sean read on
about witches and little blue men six inches high, she felt
her eyes growing heavier. She yawned, and he laid down the
book.
“I think somebody could use a nap.”
“Guess it’s the pain pill. Stuff like that
doesn’t usually make me sleepy but…” she yawned again.
Sean laughed. “Come on; which bedroom’s
yours?”
He supported her left side while she swung
along as best she could. “Thank you Irish dance for teaching
me how to hop!” she joked sitting on the side of the bed.
“You didn’t know how?” Sean asked, tucking a
pillow under her foot as she lay down.
She grinned up at him. “Nope, wasn’t strong
enough. I think my first lesson was probably pretty hilarious.
We should see if Joshua can get us a video.”
He kissed her forehead. “We’ll ask next time
we see him. Get some sleep, and yell if you need anything.” He
turned to leave.
“Sean?”
“Yeah?” He stopped in the doorway and looked
back at her.
She held out a hand. “You could keep me
company.”
He hesitated and took it. “You’re not gonna
attack me and scratch my eyes out or anything?”
“Too tired….” Her words were slurring together
as the medicine took effect.
“OK.” He laid down, careful not to jostle her
leg.
She took his hand again and pulled his arm
across her waist. “Better now,” she mumbled as her eyes
closed.
******
By Friday morning, Kemara was going stir
crazy. While she had enjoyed playing with the kids, and
reading to them, she fretted at her enforced inactivity.
After breakfast, she and Sean visited the
first aid center where the same doctor examined her leg and
suggested she start trying to put weight on it.
“Well, I can tell you’re happy," Sean teased
once they had turned her crutches back in and left the office.
“What do you feel like doing?”
“Can we go into town? I’m a little tired of
looking at snow, to be honest.” She pouted. “Especially if I
can’t play in it.”
“Sure.” He snapped his fingers. “Wait! I know
something we can do if you don’t mind a little drive. We could
visit Woodstock. It’s actually on our way home tomorrow, but
if I know know Mom she won’t want to stop then.”
Kemara grinned. “Woodstock? You mean….”
“The place the big music festival was named
for but not held at back in the hippie days. Yeah.”
She rolled her eyes. “I did know that, thanks
so much! OK. We’ll be back in plenty of time, won’t we?”
As planned, they had gotten Ciara and Brad a
room for that night and offered to supervise the kids. Kemara
didn’t expect to get much sleep.
“No problem. It’s less than an hour away.”
“Let’s go then!”
Woodstock wasn't at all what Kemara had been
expecting. While the village center boasted a few hippie shops
selling incense and tie-dye - they picked up a T-shirt for
JenniAnn - professional galleries and studios prevailed with
art of all kinds.
"Owen would love this place," Sean said as
they left a funky loft studio with three prints of Adirondack
wildlife for the beach house.
Kemara nodded. "He really would. I bet he
could sell some of his stuff too." She squinted at the map
they had picked up. "Looks like there are a some more shops on
this street and then some kind of cafe - can't make out the
name - on the corner."
"That works. We can have a long lunch. Your
leg's hurting, isn't it?"
"It's okay...just a little sore from not being
used."
He shook his head. "If I know you - and I do -
it's probably more than a little."
"Oh, you think you know me, huh?" She gave him
a sly smile. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."
Sean only grinned and held open the door to
the next shop.
After another twenty minutes, Kemara admitted
to herself that she would be very glad for a chance to sit
down for a while.
“That’s it. We’re definitely having a break”
Sean declared.
With a sigh, Kemara began looking around for
the promised cafe when Sean started to laugh.
“Well, I think I know where we’re supposed to
eat,” he said pointing to a nearby building. The sign read in
a flowing Arabic script, Joshua’s Cafe - specializing in
middle eastern cuisine.
“You’ve gotta be kidding!” Kemara pulled out
her phone and took a photo of the sign and of the menu beside
the door.
A waitress seated them in an airy, upstairs
dining room with an appetizer of hummus and pita bread.
“I don’t know what half this stuff is.” Kemara
said, studying the menu. She lowered her voice. “And I keep
looking for Maryam’s spiced milk and honey fig bread.”
“Me too. I like lamb, but for some reason Mary
and Silly have turned me off eating it,” Sean said with a mock
shudder. “I think I’ll just have a burger.”
Kemara laughed. “If Violeta ever gets any cows
we’ll all turn into vegetarians. I think I’ll have the falafel
- I do know that - and the tabbouleh. Real falafel has to be
better than what you get from a food truck even if that is
pretty good.”
“Speaking of food trucks - I was talking to
Arthur the other day and he said Monica’s been doing really
well with the truck Joshua set her up with. He said most
people pay more than the food’s worth, and she’s been able to
direct folks in need to either True Light or the Phoenix Inn.”
“I know!” Kemara smiled. “He’s so proud of
her! And she told me that Liam enjoys helping and talking to
the customers. I think she and Arthur figured he would just
sit and color or read, but she said he’s thrilled to be
‘working for God’.”
“Sounds like Monica and Arthur both,” Sean
shook his head, marveling. “I still can’t get over how much he
looks like their kid. I mean, we joke sometimes because not
all of Ciara and Brad’s kids look like them. Parker’s blond -
where did that come from?”
“Yeah, I have two red-headed cousins, but no
one in our family has red hair. So our kids could look like
anything.”
He looked thoughtful. “Hmmm….Blue skin and
purple eyes?”
Kemara giggled. “Ask Joshua, and I’m sure
he’ll get right on that!”
Their food arrived, and the array of dishes
filled the small table.
“That’s not ‘just a burger,’” Kemara said
looking at Sean’s plate. The sandwich was the biggest she’d
ever seen, served not on a bun but between two pieces of
toasted french bread.
He grinned. “Good thing I’m hungry.” He took a
bite and nodded enthusiastically. When he could speak again he
asked, “How’s your falafel?”
“Really good! Better than a food truck! This
was a great idea.” She laid the overflowing pita down
carefully. “I just wish I hadn’t spent most of the week laid
up.”
“Hey, we’ll come back next year,” Sean said.
“And since you already know the basics it’ll be even more fun.
But we’re not done with this visit. What was your favorite
shop we went in today?”
She laughed. “That’s easy - the one with the
purple steps and all the flowers out front.”
“The one with the cockatoo and all the
crystals hanging from the ceiling? That was pretty wild.”
“I still think you should’ve let that lady
tell your fortune,” she teased. “Maybe you would’ve ended up
filthy rich and living in a mansion.”
He shook his head. “I’d rather have just
enough money and live in a little beach house.”
“Well, I’m all for that, so I guess we’re
set.” She set down her fork with a sigh. “I think I need a
to-go box. They give you a lot of food here.”
Sean popped the last bite of sandwich into his
mouth. “Are you ready to referee tonight?”
“Referee? Not babysit?”
He snorted. “Not with this bunch! They’ll run
wild, and no one will go to bed. Actually...that might not be
a bad idea. Then they’ll sleep all the way home tomorrow. But
no, don’t expect them to sit quietly while you to read to
them. Not gonna happen.”
The waitress brought their check and a box for
Kemara’s leftovers.
“I’ll get the tip,” Kemara said. “Oh, wait.
I’ve got an idea.” She rummaged in her purse for paper and
pen. Then she pulled something up on her phone and began to
write. Sean leaned over and read.
To the owner,
My fiance and I really enjoyed our lunch this
afternoon. We were delighted to find your restaurant because
we have a good friend named Joshua who happens to be from
Israel. His ama makes a wonderful honeyed fig bread that we
think would be a great addition to your menu. So, we give you
the recipe as a thank you. God bless.
“I hope Maryam doesn’t mind me handing out her
recipe,” she said as she copied down the instructions.
“I’m sure she doesn’t,” Sean said. “I mean,
you can’t get more authentic.”
They left the restaurant and walked back to
where they’d parked Sean’s parents’ car which they had
borrowed for the day.
“It would be great if we could get everyone
together and take a big road trip here this summer for a week
or two,” Kemara said.
Sean wrapped an arm around her waist. “You
plan for the long term, don’t you?”
“Yup.” She grinned up at him. “I like having
good things to look forward to.”
March
17, 2015
Kemara glanced at the clock on the
mantlepiece. 2 a.m. Deciding there was no point in trying to
sleep, she made another pot of tea. Her mug was one she’d
bought from a pottery studio during that visit to Woodstock.
It had a teal blue glaze with a twisted handle, and the artist
had fashioned a happy face into the curved side. Sean thought
it was creepy, but she appreciated its cheerfulness early in
the morning.
Settling again, she pulled the brightly
colored quilt off the back of the couch and wrapped it around
herself. The fire was down to only coals, and there was no
sense in building it up again. Immediately, Warren came over
and curled himself up in her lap.
“Hey! I was reading that you little scamp!”
The cat ignored her. She put a fold of the
quilt over him and smiled at the handwritten message now
uppermost. “With this quilt, we surround the both of you with
all our love, hopes, and prayers for you. May God's blessings
fill your life together and may His enduring love be a comfort
to you always!”
Saturday,
January 24
“So who’s coming today? Do we know yet?”
Violeta asked as she and Kemara helped clear up from breakfast
at Willowveil.
JenniAnn closed the dishwasher and reached for
her phone. “Let me check one last time. OK. Umm...Rose is out.
She and Max are going to some Harry Potter roleplay thing.”
She shrugged. “Don’t ask! I have no idea….Peter and Emma are
at the theater. Peter said he’s working on a final rehearsal
schedule, and Emma wanted to look over the costumes from last
year - see if anything needs to be repaired or replaced.”
“What about Kylie?” Kemara asked.
JenniAnn bit her lip. “Well….”
“It’s OK! I promise I won’t be upset, whatever
her reasons.”
“She felt it might be a lil hard to look at
wedding dresses when things with Jett turned out so awful.”
Kemara nodded.. “I’ll miss having her there -
all of them, of course - but that makes sense.”
“But I bet Clay will propose soon!” Violeta
put in, excitedly. “And that will be awesome!”
“Yes, it will,” JenniAnn agreed. “So that
leaves....the three of us, Monica, Diana, -”
Violeta’s phone beeped, and she jumped up.
“Ivy’s here!” She raced out of the kitchen and a minute later
they heard the front door slam.
Kemara and JenniAnn exchanged smiles. “Diana,
Kendra and Haley,” JenniAnn continued. “And Ivy.”
“So four teens and four of us older folks,”
Kemara grinned making air quotes around “older.”
“Yup! I can’t wait to see Violeta’s reaction
to….you know.”
Andrew walked into the room and overheard this
last exchange. “I still can’t believe she hasn’t heard about
it already.”
JenniAnn shrugged. “Well, it is kinda
unexpected.”
“So what do you and Belle have planned for
today Andrew?” Kemara asked.
He grinned. “We’re meeting Arthur, Liam, Zeke
and Manny in the Tunnels. We’ll visit Grandpa Vincent, have
lunch, just hang out.”
“That sounds like fun!”
“Good morning!” Ivy and Violeta trooped in
followed by Monica.
“Andrew, we met Zeke and Manny at the portal,”
Ivy said. “They were headed below. He said Diana and the girls
are at the theater.”
Andrew returned Ivy’s hug. “Thanks, we’ll go
that way as soon as Belle wakes up from her nap.”
“Arthur and Liam are already there,” Monica
added. “Is that everyone?”
JenniAnn nodded. “I think so. We were just
counting noses when you guys showed up.”
“What’s the weather in New York?” Ivy asked.
“I brought a couple of coats and a hat and gloves just in
case.”
“High’s supposed to be 40-something and mostly
sunny,” Kemara said. “Really nice for this time of year.”
“Shorts weather!” Andrew joked.
JenniAnn smirked. “I wish! I haven’t seen you
in shorts in quite a while, mister!”
He pretended to shiver, “And I don’t think you
will anytime soon!” A string of babbling came over the baby
monitor sitting on the counter. “Sounds like somebody’s up.
You ladies have a good time.”
The women hurried into their coats and were
soon at St. Genesius. They left the blue room and found Emma
onstage surrounded by boxes of costumes. Diana, Kendra and
Hailey were helping to look over each garment as it was
removed.
“Hey, everybody! You’re just in time to help
me unpack another box,” Emma joked coming over to exchange
hugs. “Peter’s shut himself in the office - until lunchtime he
says. He’s determined to get the schedule finished today.”
“No luck finding someone to play Peter? His
role, I mean?” JenniAnn asked.
Emma frowned. “Not yet. Luckily, that’s the
only part we have to hire for which makes it a little easier.”
“I’m sure Joshua will send the perfect person
your way,” Monica said.
Emma brightened. “That’s true! He might be
cutting it close, but -.”
“Think of last year!” Diana added coming over
with her daughters. They all chuckled remembering the turmoil
and uncertainty before the Carpenter’s arrival had turned
their little production around.
“Kemara, I like your makeup,” Hailey said. “It
looks really good.”
The woman blushed. “Thanks; JenniAnn did it
for me since I don’t usually wear much. I read somewhere that
it’s best to do your makeup like you’ll have it for the
wedding so you can kinda see at once if a dress will work.”
Emma hugged her. “I’m sorry I can’t come with
you! Take lots of pictures, and make notes on the good places.
It’ll save me some trouble when I start looking.”
“Of course! I had to promise my Mom photos of
every dress, pretty much,” Kemara said. “So maybe we can
narrow it down for you.”
“Where are we going, anyway?” Ivy asked.
“Anywhere in particular?”
Kemara and JenniAnn exchanged glances.
“Well, I thought we’d hit Tribeca first. Lots
of boutiques there,” Kemara said. “And then if I don’t find
something, come back to Manhattan to Kleinfeld.” She wrinkled
her nose. “I really don’t want to do that.”
Diana shook her head. “That place is just way
too big!” To Ivy she explained. “It’s like a department store
with nothing but wedding dresses.”
“Let me know when you find something,” Emma
said as she walked them out. “And have fun!”
*******
The group spent the morning exploring not just
bridal boutiques, but the many thrift shops that dotted
Tribeca.
“It’s not as funky as the Village,” JenniAnn
remarked as they came out of one laden down with bags of
scented candles. “A little more upscale, but still pretty
cool.”
Kemara sighed. “I just wish I’d seen even one
dress I liked.” She had tried on several - mostly just for fun
- while the others took photos. But nothing had stood out.
“I dunno,” Ivy mused. “I thought the last one
suited you.”
Diana snickered. “You mean the camouflage hoop
skirt with almost nothing up top?”
Kemara rolled her eyes. “I’m going tell Sean
that’s the one I’m having made.”
“Out of duct tape!” Kendra shrieked.
“I think pink camouflage would be lovely
actually,” Monica mused.
“And tell him he’s wearing overalls and no
shoes,” Hailey added.
“With the all music on banjos and harmonicas,”
said JenniAnn.
By this time Kemara could hardly walk, she was
laughing so hard. “He’d probably go for that!”
“Oh, if Sean’s dressing like a farmer you need
animals!” Violeta suggested innocently.
Kemara looked thoughtful. “You know...that’s
not a bad idea...I think Yonah would work really well!”
That set them all off again, and they
staggered over to a couple of benches until they calmed down.
“Okay, let’s try one more place,” Kemara said
consulting the map she had printed out. “It’s just down here.
Then I could use a coffee or something.”
“Good idea!” Violeta chirped. “I think I see
the sign!” She jumped up, nearly trotting down the sidewalk.
Ivy, Kendra and Hailey hurried after.
Left behind, the others smiled as they
gathered their bags. JenniAnn had sent out a group text the
night before informing everyone - with the exception of
Violeta - just which coffee shop they would be visiting.
The bridal store in a converted brownstone had
a delicate, Victorian vibe. Kemara halted just inside the
door.
“I think this might be a little too
princessy,” she whispered to Diana as a saleswoman headed
their way.
Diana patted her arm. “Won’t hurt to look
around, just to make sure.”
“Hello, ladies! My name is Sarah! Is there
anything in particular you’re looking for today?”
JenniAnn glanced at her friend. “Hi! Do you
have anything simple and elegant?”
Sarah smiled at Kemara. “I’m guessing you’re
the bride-to-be?”
Kemara blushed and nodded. “I just don’t do -”
she gestured at the racks of filmy lace and satin dresses
surrounding them, “Frills.”
“I completely understand!” She studied the
woman for a moment, taking in her clothing and makeup choices.
“I think we have some designs you might like.” She gestured
for them to follow her up the nearby staircase.
The second floor was more airy and open, the
dresses on display less ostentatious. “These are simpler but
still very lovely.”
Kemara wandered over to a nearby rack and
began to flip through the gowns, automatically dismissing
those that lacked sleeves or were too tight-fitting. Her
friends spread out and began to do the same.
After almost twenty minutes of discarding
suggested dresses for one reason or another, Kemara was close
to despair. The four girls had given up searching and wandered
over to look at the veils.
“I think I’m just too picky,” she confided to
Monica who had come over with yet another possibility.
The angel hugged her. “Ah, don’t talk that
way! There’s still Kleinfeld. Or you could have something made
to your own design.”
“It’s almost February, that’s not enough -.”
“Kemara! I found it!”
Everyone gathered around and Diana held up the
dress. It was cream with a fitted bodice, off-the-shoulder
neckline and long, fitted sleeves. The floor-length skirt was
plain and lightly gathered with a short train.
“Look at that embroidery,” JenniAnn whispered.
The sleeves, neckline and waist were accented with cream bands
covered in gold metallic knotwork. Laced down the back was a
matching gold ribbon.
Sarah came over to see what they had found.
“Oh, that’s one’s so elegant! We can make it in different
colors, too. So if you want the dress white and the embroidery
in green, that’s possible. And….” She opened a nearby case and
took something out. “We also have matching shoes. Again, they
can be whatever color you want.”
Kemara looked from the shoes to the dress and
back again. “Could - could you make it in white with the bands
in navy and the embroidery silver?”
“No problem!” Sarah took the dress from Diana.
“Do you want to try it on? Besides the length, it should be OK
everywhere else.”
Kemara could only nod.
“OK, I’ll give you a hand.” Sarah led the four
of them over to the dressing room. “We’ll be right out,” she
assured the others.
The gown fit perfectly. As the saleswoman
laced up the back, chattering about how gorgeous navy and
silver would look against white, Kemara stared at herself in
the mirror. Instead of the tears of joy she had expected from
episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress,” she felt only calm
certainty.
“That’s it,” Monica smiled when Kemara
appeared, holding up the overlong skirt.
“No question,” Diana agreed.
“It’s awesome!” cheered Violeta who had come
over with the other girls.
They crowded around her until Sarah said, “Try
walking and sitting to make sure it feels good.”
“I wouldn’t try any Irish dance steps,
though!” Ivy teased.
“No way!” Kemara laughed. “I’d break
something; I thought Sean was never going to stop hovering
when I sprained my ankle,” she stuck out her right foot and
rotated the ankle in question. “If I broke it, he might never
let me walk again.”
Kendra giggled. “That might not be a bad thing
if you have him to wait on you!”
Kemara moved around the room and sat down on
one of the couches to test how the dress moved.
Sarah went over to the jewelry section and
returned holding a gold brooch. “I almost forgot! The usual
style is to wear a brooch on the front of the belt, just to
give it a little more bling. We have several, or you could
order -.”
“No,” Kemara interrupted. “I already have
one.” Now the tears were coming. She stumbled over to her
purse and took out the handkerchief Maryam had made for her
with a K embroidered in the corner.
“The brooch Sean gave you for Christmas?”
JenniAnn guessed, putting an arm around her friend.
Kemara nodded, dabbing at her eyes. “He -
Joshua - told Sean I would know what it was for.”
“And, as always, our Joshua was right,” Diana
said. The others murmured in agreement.
Sarah had watched all this in confusion. “So,
do you want to order the dress?”
“Yes,” Kemara sniffed. “How long will it take?
The wedding is March 17.”
The saleswoman considered the gown. “Not that
long. It’s a simple design, and the bands of embroidery are
added separately. Same with the shoes. We could have it for
you in plenty of time.”
“Wonderful!” Kemara sighed in relief.
“If you’re ready, we can go downstairs and
fill out the paperwork,” Sarah suggested.
“Oh, let me get some pictures before you
change!” JenniAnn said, reaching for her phone. “Are you gonna
tell Sean?”
Kemara thought for a minute. “No. I think I’ll
keep it a secret. Besides, he said he didn’t really care as
long as he doesn’t have to wear a kilt.”
“Don’t sell him short,” Diana scolded gently.
“He might not be interested in the details, but he wants you
to be happy. Zeke and I got married pretty quickly, but he
told me later he was glad I asked his opinion on things and
kept him in the loop about what I wanted to do.”
“You’re right,” Kemara said, dismayed. “My
rings are beautiful, and he was already looking at the
brooches when Joshua suggested one.”
JenniAnn patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry
about it. He might not say anything right out, but he
notices.”
When they were back outside, they walked a
little ways to a small park.
“Here looks good, don’t you think?” JenniAnn
asked the others.
Violeta looked confused when her three friends
started to giggle. “What’s going on?”
“Well…” JenniAnn began, unsure how the young
angel would take the news. “The coffee shop we’re going to -.”
“It’s called Laughing Man,” Monica added.
Violeta’s expression didn’t’ change. “Uh-huh?”
Kemara grinned. “It’s owned by Hugh Jackman.”
The angel’s eyes grew huge, but instead of
shrieking, she only whispered. “Will he be there?”
“Probably not, honey,” JenniAnn said. “I guess
he stops by when he’s in town, but the chances are really
low.”
“So do you want to go?” Kemara checked.
Violeta nodded eagerly, some of her enthusiasm
returning.
“OK. The map shows that it’s right around the
corner,” Kemara said.
“I’ve heard that it’s really small,” Diana put
in. “So why don’t you girls go ahead. We’ll catch up with
you.”
Kendra caught her mother’s eye and nodded
slightly. “Come on, Violeta!”
When they were out of sight, Kemara sighed.
“That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. I’ve gotten so used
to her screaming and jumping up and down.”
“I think that’s just it,” JenniAnn said. “It’s
one thing to admire your crush from far off, but to actually
have the chance to see him in person….”
Kemara nodded. “Like with Joshua. I mean,
obviously, Hugh Jackman isn’t Joshua,” she grinned. “I imagine
it’s kinda overwhelming for Violeta just the same.”
Diana chuckled. “Now, if Mr. Jackman is there,
she might just pass out.”
Laughing Man wasn’t just small, but tiny -
with room only for a few tables. The stopped on the sidewalk
and peered through the open door. Shelves were filled with
tins of tea and bags of coffee. A chalkboard menu behind the
register displayed a note, “Try our Flat White. My favorite -
Hugh J.”
Ivy spotted them and came out. “I don’t think
there’s room for all of us.”
“That’s OK,” JenniAnn reassured her. “We’ll
take our drinks back to to that little park, and you all can
meet us in a bit. It looks like Violeta will probably be a
while.”
“Yup! She’s taking pictures of everything,”
Ivy said with a smile.
A few minutes later, coffee in hand, Kemara,
JenniAnn, Diana and Monica settled around a table in a patch
of sunlight.
Kemara took out her phone. “I don’t mean to be
rude, but I want to let Sean and my mom know I found a dress.”
“That’s fine,” Monica said. “What’s he’s doing
today?”
“Working on his parents’ taxes.” Kemara
wrinkled her nose. “He refuses to do it for anyone else even
though he could make a ton of extra money. He says it’s not
worth it.”
JenniAnn shook her head. “I don’t blame him!
I’m glad Andrew’s been handling that kinda stuff for us.”
“Speaking of the guys, Kemara what were you
thinking for them in terms of wedding attire?” Diana asked.
“Has Sean picked a best man yet?”
“I guess pale gray suits - the wedding’s at
10:30 in the morning - and maybe navy vests or ties?” She
looked over at Monica.
The angel nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll see what
I can find…something with a wee pattern would look nice.”
“Thanks. And the Best Man will be his
brother-in-law, Brad.” She blushed. “I, I haven’t - decided
about a Maid of Honor or bridesmaids or anything yet.”
Diana looked surprised. “I was wondering if
you could have bridesmaids since it’s during a Mass?”
JenniAnn nodded. “Yeah, just not that many.
Violeta’s been researching it all.”
“And Father Mike’s gone over it, too. I had no
idea that it’s traditional for the couple to greet their
guests as they arrive at the church,” Kemara said. “Sean and I
really like that idea.”
“Well, there goes the big surprise when the
bride appears for the wedding march!” Diana chuckled.
“No wedding march either,” Kemara said. “Our
parents will walk with us in the processional behind Fr. Mike
and the altar servers.”
Monica smiled. “I think that’s much more
equal.”
JenniAnn reached over and squeezed Kemara’s
hand. “And don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings when
you do pick your attendants.”
“There are so many weddings coming up I think
everyone will get to participate as much as they want!” Diana
agreed.
“We should buy wedding presents in bulk, just
different colors!” JenniAnn joked.
Kemara looked alarmed. “Now, we don’t need any
presents like toasters or whatever. We’ve got more than enough
‘stuff’. You saw the note we put in the invitations.”
Just then, her phone beeped. She checked it
and began to laugh. “Oh, Lord! I sent Sean the picture of the
camouflage dress, and he says, ‘Well, if that’s what you want,
it’s fine with me’.”
The others collapsed into giggles.
“You’d better tell him the truth quick,” Diana
suggested. “Before he has a heart attack.”
Kemara dictated as she typed. “Just kidding.
The one I’m getting looks much worse.”
A reply came almost at once. Kemara read it
and snorted. “He says, ‘Oh, good! I was worried for a minute
there!’.” She tapped rapidly on the screen. “I cropped one of
photos to just show the embroidery. That should make him feel
better.”
“Here come the girls,” Monica said, waving as
the four teenagers spotted them.
Violeta flung herself into the chair beside
Kemara. “That was so cool!”
“Even if the coffee’s not that great,” said
Hailey making a face. “Starbucks, it ain’t.”
“It is too,” Violeta took big gulp of her own
coffee, but Kemara saw her grimace slightly.
“Let’s see your pictures.”
As Violeta showed off the photos she’d taken
from every possible angle, Kemara’s phone beeped.
JenniAnn picked it up and raised her eyebrows.
Kemara nodded. “Sean says, ‘Beautiful! A much better
choice!’.”
Diana smiled. “See? They really do pay
attention.”
“So where to now?” Ivy wondered.
Kemara shrugged. I guess we’re done for today.
Sean and I will sit down with Fr. Mike on Wednesday and figure
out who we want in what roles. I’m not gonna make everyone
dress alike, so that’s no problem.”
“Why don’t we go by Adrian’s on the way home
and get a late lunch, early dinner - whatever ya want to call
it?” JenniAnn suggested, glancing around at the others.
“Sounds good to me,” Diana said. “The guys
will be fine without us for a while longer.”
“Ivy, you’re spending the night, aren’t you?”
Kemara checked.
She nodded. “Grandma’s not expecting me home
until tomorrow afternoon. Violeta and I are going to start
watching “Anne of Green Gables.”
They gathered up their bags and started for
the nearest subway entrance.
JenniAnn walked beside Kemara who was still
texting. “Talking to Sean or your mom,” she asked, steering
the other woman around a lamp post.
“Oh! Thanks…don’t want to end up in a fountain
like John did…..my mom.”
“Did she like the dress?”
Kemara frowned. “I guess. She said it seemed a
little plain and that the cream color washed me out.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s plain at all, but
the navy trim you’re getting will help with both of those. And
I’ll make sure you don’t look too pale.”
“Not too much makeup. I have to wear it that
way for performances, sometimes and Sean doesn’t like it. He
says it’s not me.”
JenniAnn shook her head. “Nope, I won’t go
overboard.”
They stepped onto a subway car and found
seats.
“Thanks. I guess I just feel bad doing all of
this planning and shopping without my mom. But I know if she
were here we’d probably argue.”
Diana leaned over from beside JenniAnn. “You
and Sean are the ones getting married. You choose what works
for you, and the rest of the world will just have to deal with
it.”
“Go, Mom!” Hailey cheered and they all
laughed.
“So what was your wedding like, Diana?” Kemara
asked.
For the rest of the ride, the older woman kept
them entertained with stories of herself and Zeke as
newlyweds.
By the time they arrived at Adrian’s, Kemara’s
mood had improved greatly. Her cellphone rang as they reached
the door.
“Oh, that’s Sean! I’ll be in in a minute.”
The others exchanged amused smiles.
“Take your time,” Monica said patting her
shoulder.
“Hey!”
“Hey, sounds like you all had fun today.”
“Probably more than you,” Kemara teased. “Did
you finish your folks’ taxes?”
“Not quite, but tomorrow should do it. So
where are you now? Still shopping?”
“No; we’re at Adrian’s about to get something
to eat, and then we’ll head home.”
“Good. I uh...I really like the dress, by the
way. The part you let me see, at least.” He chuckled. “Very
appropriate.”
“I’m having it made in white with navy trim
and silver embroidery. So you can wear a navy vest. That will
look gorgeous with your hair.”
“As long as I don’t have to wear a kilt!”
They laughed.
“Well, I’d better get inside before they think
I’ve been kidnapped.”
“OK. See you at church tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Kemara was surprised to find only Violeta
waiting for her inside Adrian’s.
“Where is everybody?”
“In the back. We figured we’d have more room
there. Come on.” She led Kemara past the empty booths to a
closed door. She pushed it open and stepped back to let Kemara
go in ahead of her.
“Surprise!”
Kemara froze in the doorway taking in the
beaming faces of her friends.
“We know you didn’t want a shower,” Violeta
said pulling her into the room.
“But we still wanted to give you party,” Kylie
went on, coming forward to hug Kemara.
“And we didn’t get you any presents,” Emma
added taking her own turn.
“Well, just one,” Rose said. “But you’ll get
that a little later.”
Kemara laughed and cried and hugged all of
them. “Thank y’all so much!” She wiped her eyes. “Listen to me
- my Southerness is showing…”
Everyone laughed.
“I’ve got my laptop so we can look at the
photos we took while we eat,” JenniAnn said. “And Violeta if
you’ll give me your phone we can show the Laughing Man pics
too.”
Kemara had recovered herself enough to look
around the room. The tables had be decorated with pots of
bright artificial flowers and one held platters of sandwiches,
potato salad, and assorted fruit and vegetables with dips.
“This looks great!” She walked over to the
drinks. “Awww….and you even got sweet tea!”
JenniAnn laughed. “We had to go to Bob White’s
for that. Sean recommended it since they don’t serve it here.”
“Sean knew you planned all this?”
“Oh yeah! I texted him and had him call you so
we could make sure everything was ready in here before you
came in.”
Kemara laughed. “Very sneaky! Well, lets eat!
I can’t wait to show Kylie, Emma and Rose that ‘redneck’
dress.”
They all filled plates and settled around the
table discussing each dress as it came up on the screen.
“What does ‘redneck’ mean?” Violeta asked when
the camouflage gown appeared. “Is it bad? I don’t think the
dress is very pretty, but why do you call it that?”
No one spoke for a minute, and the angel
blushed. “Is this one of those things I’m not supposed to ask
about?”
“Oh, no, honey! It’s just kinda complicated.”
JenniAnn looked at the others for help.
Kemara sighed. “Actually, we weren’t being
very nice, Violeta. See, it’s a derogatory term these days to
refer to a stereotypical Southerner - someone who lives out in
the woods, hunts, drives a pickup truck, doesn’t work for a
living and is as dumb as a post.” She gestured at the dress.
“That’s the sort of thing a redneck girl would love.”
Violeta frowned. “OK. So what’s funny about
it?”
“Well, I think it’s funny because my dad’s
family were rednecks,” Kemara said, smiling.
“Really?”
“Yeah. The word redneck started out referring
to farmers who were sunburned from working in the fields. And
that’s nothing to be ashamed of. But it grew to mean
Southerner to a lot of people.” She grinned. “And you know
what? My dad had a donkey as a pet when he was a kid. It used
to wait down at the end of the road for him to get off the
school bus every day.”
Violeta perked up. “That’s so cool! Does he
have pictures?”
“I’ll ask next time I talk to him,” Kemara
promised. “Oh, and there’s the dress I’m getting.” She told
them about discovering the reason for Sean’s Christmas gift.
“It’s perfect!” Rose said. “I’ll have to check
out that shop.”
Emma nodded. “Me too! And that’s so great that
Joshua knew what your dress would be and prompted Sean to get
the brooch for it.”
“He’s interested in even the tiniest details
of our lives,” Diana said. “And that’s such a wonderful
thing.”
When they had cleared away the plates,
JenniAnn and Violeta passed around pieces of paper and pens.
“We’ve got a few games that we thought might
be fun,” JenniAnn said. “I was on the internet the other day
and came across a book published in 1880 called, ‘How to Get a
Husband!’” She went to her laptop and pulled up the title
page. “It’s really a collection of personal ads from men who
want to get married.”
“A veritable list of some of the the best
looking, wealthiest and most reliable single and marriageable
men of the Country, with their Post Office Address.” Hailey
read aloud.
“Apparently, a woman was supposed to go
through the book and write letters to the men she thought
sounded like good prospects,” JenniAnn continued. She clicked
to a page of ads.
Kylie giggled. “James G. Bennett, Heart as big
as his pocket; eyes as blue as his blood. Nab him.”
“I like Rollin M. Daggett,” Kemara said. “A
diamond in himself; a spicy and versatile character; good
writer; a widow with money could torment him amazingly.”
JenniAnn pulled up another page. “So, I
thought it might be fun to write our own personal ads for the
guys in our lives. If they were the ones writing them, I
mean.”
“Ohh…So we each have to write one for Sean,
Andrew, Arthur, Clay, Peter and Zeke?” Emma asked.
Ivy held up a hand. “What about Joshua?”
“Huh. Well, maybe the Bible counts as his?”
Kemara suggested.
Diana laughed. “I like that way of looking at
it.”
“OK. So maybe we write up to four sentences
for each guy.” Rose said. “But don’t take longer than ten
minutes.”
They got to work, and the silence was broken
only by the occasional giggle. The laptop’s alarm went off.
“Time’s up!” JenniAnn said. “So let’s take
each man one at a time. We’ll start with Sean since this is
Kemara’s party.” She turned to her friend. “What did you put?”
Kemara cleared her throat and read: “Sean E.
McCallum. Flaming red hair; brilliant on the dance floor;
plays several instruments; looking for a lady who can match
him step for step.”
“Very nice!” Diana applauded. “Here’s mine for
him: Red hair with a wit to match; big-hearted and fond of
music; would make a fine catch for any lady.”
After Sean, they moved on to Andrew: “Definitely
Heaven-sent; a family man with aspirations towards carpentry;
a green-eyed cupid looking for his soul mate.”
Zeke: Dependable, handsome, eager to bring joy
to your life, has the voice of an angel and is as gentle and
loving as one. Loves his God and his family, forever.
Clay: Gentle warrior, country boy and man of
faith, beautiful in every way, delightfully romantic, would
make an amazing father.
And Peter: Lovable former business man turned
song and dance fella, would do well with a young lady who can
sing and dance, as well.
Enjoys double chocolate scones.
“Next, we have a copy of today’s horoscope,”
JenniAnn said handing out another paper. “I’ve got everyone’s
signs here so you can find yours easily.”
Kylie cheered. “Leos win! There are three of
us!”
Kemara winced. “I don’t like the sound of
mine: ‘Someone will break a promise. Take your time while you
decide how to handle this setback. Even if you feel let down,
an immediate reaction is likely to backfire’. Wonder what that
could be about?”
Violeta looked panicked. “I don’t think
there’s anything to do with the wedding that I’ve forgotten! I
have a list and Gloria’s been helping me….”
Kemara went around the table and hugged her.
“I’m sure it’s not talking about you! These are just fun
predictions that someone thought up. You’re not supposed to
take them seriously.”
“Plenty of people do,” Emma muttered, but not
loud enough for the young angel to hear.
“Ares has some good advice,” Rose said.
“‘Anger and hostility will not lead to success. Even if
someone lets you down, you should stay centered and show
tolerance and understanding. Negative emotions will sap your
energy’.”
“I think mine is a wee bit closed-minded,”
Monica remarked. She read, “Refuse to take part in anything
that doesn't correspond with your own point of view. Stay in
control and don't give in to pressure or ultimatums. Protect
your rights and assets’.”
Hailey nudged her sister. “Kendra yours is
funny! ‘Think about making a commitment or taking a
partnership to the next level. You will be in the driver's
seat if you are the first to negotiate’. Maybe there’s a guy
in your future!”
Kendra blushed, but looked thoughtful. “Well,
we do have to pair up for a big science project next week.
Maybe it’s talking about that.”
“Good answer!” Ivy said, clapping.
“That’s my girl!” Diana laughed. “Keep that -”
A knock on the door interrupted them.
“They’re here!” Violeta shrieked. “Come in!”
The door opened, and Kemara stared. Andrew,
Sean, Peter, Arthur, Zeke and Clay trooped in with Sean in the
lead. He came straight to her, and taking her in his arms
kissed her thoroughly. She blushed hotly. He’d never acted
like that in public before or even in front of their friends.
She pulled back and looked at him.
“What in the world have you been doing?” His
nose and cheeks were sunburned, and he was very cheerful for
someone who had supposedly been inside all day. “I thought you
were working on your parents’ taxes!”
He grinned. “Oh I was! Until the rest of the
guys showed up and dragged me off to Dyeland.”
“Yup!” Zeke said. “We didn’t think it was
right for you ladies to be having all the fun today.”
The men spread out around the room perching on
tables or leaning against the wall.
“So what did you do?” Emma asked curiously.
“Peter wouldn’t tell me anything. He left St. G’s right after
you all did,” she explained to Kemara.
Andrew shrugged. “We dropped the kids off in
the Tunnels -.”
“After a second breakfast of course!” Arthur
put in.
“And then we went sailing, grilled out, had a
few beers….” Clay finished.
Peter thought hard for a minute. “And gave our
soon-to-be-hitched friend there, some good advice.” He jerked
a thumb at Sean. “At least, I hope it was. I can’t really
remember what I said.”
“That’s OK, man,
I can’t either,” Sean told him.
Diana shook her head. “Well, at least you had
fun. I guess we need to wind this up and go get the kids
before Jacob decides we’ve abandoned them there.”
Monica stood up and pulled a large gift bag
from under the buffet table. “Sean and Kemara, we know you
didn’t want any gifts, but we really wanted to do something.
So we came up with this.” She passed the bag to Kemara who
nearly dropped it.
“It’s heavy!” With Sean’s help she removed a
cloth bundle. Unfolded, they saw it was a quilt done in the
colors of the sea on a white ground. The spaces between the
interlocking circles were filled with names and messages.
“The design is called a double wedding ring,”
Monica said. ‘We sent out an email to all your family and
friends asking them for messages.”
“Let’s spread it out so you can see it
better,” Emma suggested. When the longest table was cleared
and the quilt spread out, Kemara and Sean walked around it,
reading the notes.
Ivy passed Kemara her handkerchief for the
second time that day.
“I- I don’t know what - This is amazing…I
can’t believe you all went to so much trouble.”
Sean wrapped an arm around her waist. “It’s
not ‘trouble’ when people love you, sweetheart.”
She hid her face in his shoulder, unable to
speak.
“Kemara’s right. This is really great.” He
wiped his own eyes. “Thank you. We’ll treasure it.”
Andrew clapped him on the shoulder. “You can
actually use it, too. The writing won’t come off in the wash.”
Kemara raised her head. “Thank you,” she
whispered. “This is way better than a toaster.”
Everyone laughed, and the evening ended in an
exchange of hugs and good wishes.
March
17, 2015
Kemara set the scrapbook on the coffee table
and reached for the large envelope Rose had given her the
night before. Her friend had graciously taken pictures at the
rehearsal dinner and gotten the prints made immediately
afterward. Included in the stack were photos Kemara had taken
throughout the past couple of months.
She shuffled through them laying out the
important moments: Belle’s first birthday, the traditional
Dyeland Valentine’s Day party, her and Sean’s visit to Los
Angeles, her parents’ arrival two weeks ago, rehearsals for
JCS and ending with yesterday’s wedding rehearsal and dinner
with all their family and friends.
February
4, 2015
“OK. So what have the two of you decided so
far?” Fr. Mike said as he, Kemara, Sean and Violeta settled
around the Willowveil kitchen table. The priest had agreed to
come over before Bible study and help them finalize the
wedding ceremony.
Sean handed him a sheet of paper. “We did go
ahead and pick the first and second readings, responsorial
psalm and the gospel.”
Fr. Mike looked it over, finding each passage
in a booklet that listed all the possible choices.
“Let’s see....for the first reading: Jeremiah
31:31-34. ‘I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel’.” He smiled. “I like that because it can refer to the
community we’re building here with those of us who have met
Joshua.”
Violeta beamed. “That’s what I thought! It’s
fun that it can have a double meaning like that.”
“And who will be the lectors?” Fr. Mike asked.
“I’ve got this handy form to write it all down.” He flourished
a pen.
“We thought Owen would be a good choice,”
Kemara said. “And Diana will do the second reading and Zeke
the psalm.”
“Excellent!” The priest wrote down their
names. “And the second reading is Philippians 4:4-9. Oh,
that’s a lovely choice. ‘....Whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and
if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things’.”
Kemara sniffed and Sean squeezed her hand.
“I was really surprised that we had so many
options for each one,” he said. “Some of them we dismissed
right off -.”
“Like the ones that focus on just the woman,”
Kemara put in.
Sean nodded. “Yeah, but we did have trouble
deciding on some of them.”
Fr. Mike consulted the list again. “And Zeke
will do Psalm 33. It’s perfect for him. ‘I will bless the Lord
at all times. His praise will always be on my lips.”
“Yup, we’re really looking forward to hearing
him sing that,” Sean said. “I guess the church will provide a
pianist or we could ask Tess?’ He grinned at his fiancee. “As
much as I like Kemara’s idea of banjos, that might not fit the
mood.”
“Yes, we can do that. And altar servers too
unless you have someone in mind?” Fr. Mike asked.
Sean shook his head. “All my nieces and
nephews are too young, and Kemara’s the only Catholic in her
family.”
“But we do want his niece Kelly to be our
flower girl and Liam as ring bearer.” Kemara said. “They’re
about the same age, so it will be a nice match.”
Fr. Mike wrote it down. “So that just leaves
the Gospel.” He read their choice and began to laugh. “The
wedding at Cana. I should have known!”
“Actually, that’s one of those we had trouble
deciding,” Sean admitted. “After your talks about how marriage
needs a strong foundation, we almost picked the one about the
wise man who built his house on rock. But we decided we just
had to have Maryam in there.”
“OK. That takes care of the readings,” Fr.
Mike said. “Now, there’s the prayers of the faithful after
you’ve made your vows and I’ve given the nuptial blessing.”
Kemara and Sean looked at one another.
“Monica?” she suggested. “Maybe she could start and alternate
with Arthur?”
Fr. Mike nodded. “That would work. After that
is the presentation of the gifts….”
“Andrew, JenniAnn and Belle,” Kemara said. “We
wanted to include them somehow but we knew Belle might fuss if
she saw Mommy or Daddy up front. This way one of them can
carry her, and she can be involved.”
“Good idea. There are a few other options for
prayers and the like. We can go over them if you want, or I
can choose.”
“You go ahead,” Sean said. “I think the
readings were the big decision we wanted to make.”
“That’s fine. And will you have a best man and
maid of honor or other attendants?”
“My brother-in-law, Brad will be my best man,”
Sean said.
“I’m going to ask Ivy tonight if she’ll be my
maid of honor,” Kemara added. “And they’ll be our witnesses
too, to sign the forms.”
Fr. Mike smiled. “It sounds like we have
everything figured out then!” He read back over the form. “Oh,
did you want to do the unity candle or the flowers for Mary?”
Violeta looked puzzled. “What are those? I’ve
never read anything about them.”
The priest shrugged apologetically. “Well the
unity candle is actually a Protestant custom, but a lot of my
parishioners ask for it thinking that it’s part of the Mass.
And the flowers for Mary actually is a Catholic tradition. The
bride leaves a bouquet at a statue of Mary at some point
during Mass or right after.”
“Just the bride?” Violeta asked. “That’s not
fair. And why doesn’t Yosef get mentioned?”
“We’re not going to leave him out,” Kemara
assured her. “We don’t care for the unity candle thing.” She
glanced at Sean who nodded in agreement. “But we’d like to
come in before Mass starts and leave flowers at the picture
Owen painted of Maryam, Yosef and baby Joshua.”
Fr. Mike thought for a minute and then nodded.
“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”
JenniAnn came in the kitchen then. “How’s it
going?” she asked.
“We’re just finishing up,” Kemara said. “Do
you need help with anything?”
“Nah, just going to set out some veggies and
dip and a cheese plate we made up last night.” She opened the
refrigerator and removed two large platters. “As much as I
loved having our meetings in Joshua’s room, it really is
easier to have everything the ballroom now.”
Fr. Mike stood up and gathered his papers. “So
is our birthday girl ready for her big day tomorrow?"
JenniAnn smiled. "We've been telling her about
it all week, but she's really too little to understand."
"Not too little to enjoy the cake though,"
Kemara grinned. "I loved mine. It was chocolate, and I thought
it made wonderful finger paint."
Sean chuckled. "We do ice cream in our family.
Belle would get something simple like a big bowl of strawberry
or vanilla with sprinkles, but adults get a huge sundae with
anything they want on it."
"I've never been a big fan of ice cream, but
an ice cream cake would be good," Kemara mused.
His expression turned dreamy. "Definitely..."
They heard the front door open and close and
footsteps coming down the hall.
Kemara rolled her eyes. "Men and food," she
said to JenniAnn. "It's amazing they pay us any attention at
all."
"Did someone mention food?" Andrew asked,
stepping into the kitchen.
Fr. Mike laughed. "The ladies were just
debating if the old adage is still true about the way to a
man's heart being through his stomach."
The angel of death thought for a minute.
"Well, I guess it depends on if you're talking about surgery
or cooking."
JenniAnn hugged him. "Aww...perfect answer! I
love you."
He returned the hug. "Thanks! Love you too."
The door opened again to the sound of more
voices.
"Well, shall we?" Fr. Mike asked.
******
“What did JenniAnn mean that she and Andrew
will be starting on the Valentine’s Day video next week?”
Sean asked as he walked Kemara home later that night
She looked surprised. “Oh, I forgot this is
your first year. Andrew and JenniAnn used to interview
everyone - that was before my time - and put together a video
to show at the party. But this year, JenniAnn said there are
just too many people to. So it’s a clips show - photos and
video both.”
“Sounds like fun,” Sean said blandly.
Kemara looked at him. “Okay, spill it! What
are you planning? You wouldn’t answer my questions before.”
“Weeelll….” He drew the word out, teasing. “I
thought….maybe we could….”
“Sean…” she threatened.
He laughed. “So impatient!”
She stepped in front of him, forcing him to
stop walking. She folded her arms and gave him a mock glare.
“Now. Or you’ll find out just how impatient I can be.”
He held up his hands as if warding her off.
"Okay! I give! Andrew mentioned once that you all have some
friends who live in L.A."
"Yeah, Logan, and a few others." She fell in
step beside him again. "I met them once or twice. Why?"
Sean stuck his hands in his pockets. "I
thought maybe we could spend the day there - in L.A. I mean -
for Valentine's. Andrew said there's a portal. Sun and warmer
weather, do some sight-seeing, check out Disney."
They were at the house now, and Warren greeted
them with his usual exuberance.
"Would you get the fire started while I make a
pot of coffee?" Kemara said.
"Sure."
When they were seated on the couch with Warren
sprawled across both their laps - Sean got the tail end, much
to Kemara's amusement - she said, "I'd love to go, but....can
we afford it? With the wedding and Ireland and all?"
"Don't worry about that. We have plenty, and
if you want to see the accounts I'll show them to you."
She shuddered. "No thanks! I'm quite happy to
let you handle the finances. Well, if it won’t break the bank
then I think it’ll be fun!” Just one day, though…” she trailed
off thinking about what she wanted to do first. Maybe sit in
the sun and -.
“I’m sure we could come back later. Unless
you’ve changed your mind about waiting until we’re married.”
He grimaced and looked as if he wished he could take that last
sentence back.
“Changed my….” Kemara blushed hotly as she
realized what he meant. “Oh, you mean we could get a hotel
room. No, I didn’t think…” she stammered. “And it wasn’t just
my decision, you know!” Embarrassment made her tone sharp.
Warren raised his head in alarm and mewed.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I
know. Look, I’m sorry...that didn’t come out right.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes, sipping
their coffee and watching the fire.
"Have you ever...?" she ventured tentatively.
"Once. It...didn't go well. For her, at
least." He sighed again. "We were 15. It wasn’t….she….we both
wanted...but we were just kids we didn’t realize…” He trailed
off, frustrated. “Anyway, I was just focused on me. I never
thought that it would be different for her. I knew something
was wrong of course...after. But by then it was too late."
She could see he still felt guilty about it.
She laid a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. For both of you."
He shrugged. "We dated for a while longer, but
whatever had been between us was...tainted." He smiled
slightly. "At least I know she's happily married now with a
couple of kids. But if I could go back and change anything
I've done it would be that.” He glanced over at her. “Does
that bother you? Knowing that I didn't wait?”
“No.” She didn’t have to think about it. “I
mean, I guess I figured most guys your age have had at least a
few girlfriends. It's a stupid double standard." She looked
down into her cup. “But maybe I’m not so squeaky clean that I
can throw stones.”
Sean started to say something, but stopped
when he saw she was serious.
“Did you talk to her after that?”
“Yeah, and apologized too. But I talked to my
dad first.”
"You came right out and told him?" What did
he do?"
He shook his head. “It really got to me - I
guess I was immature - but I loved her - thought I did anyway.
And I couldn’t understand what I’d done wrong. We guys can be
pretty dense at fifteen. So, I told him everything.” He
frowned. “Dad was...great. He said he was disappointed, but he
understood. Then he explained the technical details that I’d
somehow managed to miss. But he said that wasn’t all there was
to it.”
Kemara listened intently, wishing they’d had
this conversation a long time ago instead of now, with the
wedding a month away. This was a side of her fiance she’d
never guessed existed.
“My mom was kinda a feminist when she and Dad
were dating,” Sean grinned. “He told me that she refused to
sleep with them before they were married - and this was the
wild 1960s, remember? And it wasn’t because she’s really
religious. I mean, she may be, but she’s quiet about it.”
“Like you,” Kemara smiled.
“Yeah. So she told my dad what for, and he
passed it on to me. He said sex binds two people on an
emotional level, and that for women, the emotional is often
more important that the physical. So my girlfriend was
probably thinking of sex as a way to feel closer to me, and I
just thought of sex - full stop.”
Kemara nodded. “Two completely different
viewpoints.”
“Yup. And then there’s the double standard you
mentioned.” He chuckled. “Apparently, what mom sad, really
opened dad’s eyes. She told him, ‘If we have sex, all the guys
will congratulate you; and all the girls will think I’m a slut
even if they’re doing the same thing!’ And that made me
realize how I’d hurt my girlfriend in more ways than just the
physical.”
“Hard lesson to learn at fifteen,” Kemara
said. Her heart ached for the nameless girl and for the boy
Sean had been.
He nodded. “I cried. I asked my dad what I
should do, and he said that was my decision. I thought about
it for a long time. I knew I couldn’t change what had already
happened, but the next day - it was a Saturday - I bought the
nicest bunch of flowers I could afford. I went over to my
girlfriend’s house and asked her to come for a walk. I told
her I was sorry and how I was a stupid ass and a lot of other
stuff.” He blushed.
Kemara set down her cup and rubbed his back.
She felt his tense muscles relax slightly. “And what did she
say?”
“She was nicer than I deserved. She could’ve
gone to her father and claimed it wasn’t consensual. But,
she...she said she was fine and she’d had a long talk with her
older sister. I guess like I did with my dad. We agreed that
we’d try to forget about it and just be friends….”Sean trailed
off. “That didn’t work, of course, but I don’t think she hated
me. Or if she did, she wouldn’t admit it.”
Kemara hugged him. “I’m sorry,” she said
again.
“Me too. I should’ve told you months ago.”
"I understand why you didn’t. Your talk with
Keith - that's more than I got from my parents," Kemara said.
"I read everything I could get my hands on, and they didn't
censor me at all. I was reading Stephen King and Sidney
Sheldon at a young age.
"And then in high school, my best friend
introduced me to those bodice-ripper romances." She made a
face "I wouldn't touch them now, but stuff like that....it
sticks in your mind, you know?"
He pulled her close. “Yeah."
She listened to his heartbeat under her cheek.
After a while she said, "And...I don't want you to
feel...pressured, or anything but I'm kinda glad that..."
"That one of us knows what we're doing?" He
suggested wryly.
She blushed. "It sounds awful, but -.”
"It won't be like that with us. I promise."
“I know,” she said, and kissed him.
March
17, 2015
Kemara chose one last birthday sticker and
carefully positioned it on the page. She smiled at the photo
of Belle face down in the small chocolate cake she had been
given for her very own. She hadn’t eaten it so much as inhaled
it.
In another picture, Owen read to Belle the
picture book Kemara had written and he had illustrated about
her first days with Andrew and JenniAnn. It had been a cozy
party - just the “family”. Max, Rose and Violeta had given the
little girl small gifts. Jacob and Liam had drawn her
pictures. Shelby had saved money from doing chores to buy her
sister an Elsa doll which Belle refused to let go of all
evening.
Warren sat up, stretched, and jumped down from
the couch. The cat ambled over to the rocking chair in the
corner and leaped up, curling around the large plush monkey
that sat there - Sean’s Valentine’s Day gift to her along with
a box of her favorite chocolates.
She grinned, remembering his jest that he
would wear the leprechaun pajama pants she’s given him on
their wedding night - tonight. The clock read 4 a.m. - a few
hours yet before she had to be over at Willowveil to get
dressed. Hopefully she could finish the scrapbook before then.
She turned to another double-page spread and
picked up the stack of photos, brochures and ticket stubs from their Los
Angeles visit: Sean “acting” in a TV show at Universal
Studios; grinning delightedly on the Tower of Terror ride;
herself sitting in the sun at a downtown cafe and posing with
Goofy at Disneyland. As the crowning touch, Sean had surprised
her with a romantic dinner at a seafood restaurant on the
Santa Monica Pier.
As wonderful as the day had been, their
conversation after Sean suggested the trip had touched her the
most. It had revealed a new facet of her very-soon-to-be
husband.
And what they’d discovered two weeks ago had
shown her another...
March
2, 2015
“Sean? Could you come here a minute?”
“Sure, just let me finish the eggs.”
In the bathroom, Kemara stared at the chart
pinned up by the sink. She flipped back several months, looked
again at the March page. There was no doubt.
“What’s up?” Sean asked, appearing in the
doorway. “Food’s ready. Are you feeling OK?”
They were heading into Manhattan so Sean could
pick up his suit for the wedding while Kemara had the final
fitting for her gown.
“I - I’m fine.” Kemara was still concentrating
on the chart.
“You don’t look it.” Sean came over to her.
“You’re pale.” He put a hand on her forehead. “And clammy.
Sure you’re not getting sick?”
She laughed shakily. “Not yet.” She unhooked
the clipboard of papers and handed it to him. “Look at this.”
He frowned in puzzlement. “This is your NFP
chart, right? What am I supposed to be looking at?”
“This pattern….” She pointed it out, turned
back to previous months, so he could see the dates.
“I still don’t -” he started to say and then
froze. Like her, he went back and forth for a minute,
confirming what his eyes were telling him. His face went blank
with shock.
Kemara watched him anxiously. She remembered
his reaction to Diana and Zeke’s story about their little
honeymoon souvenir. According to these results, they might be
bringing home one of their own.
Sean still hadn’t said anything.
“Umm...I don’t think it’s very likely,” she
said to fill the silence. “And we could wait, just to make
sure, if we don’t want -.”
She broke off as Sean dropped the chart to the
floor with a clatter and pulled her into his arms. “A baby,”
he mumbled into her hair.
“A chance.” She wrapped her arms around him
and held on tight. “Like I said, it might not -.”
He pulled away to look at her, and there were
tears on his cheeks. “You’re 34, not 90. And if that’s
accurate -” he gestured at the clipboard. “Then it’s a very
good chance.”
“I know we want kids, but so soon…”
His kiss stopped her words. “Might as well go
ahead and get started, don’t you think? Have hope, my little
worrywart!”
She smiled and let the wonder of it sink in.
“A baby…Maybe a little girl with your red hair.”
“Or a boy with your brown eyes,” Sean
countered.
Maybe both, Kemara thought remembering her
dream (vision?) of Joshua offering them two babies. She
hadn’t told Sean yet, and she wasn’t quite sure why not.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” she
said. “At least we won’t be surprised if it does happen!”
He grinned. “No! This was enough of a
surprise. Now, let’s have breakfast. I guess you could go
ahead and start eating for two if you wanted….”
Laughing, she followed him into the kitchen.
******
“You excited about your parents getting here
tomorrow?” Sean asked as they ate fried chicken at Bob White’s
that afternoon. He had suggested the diner knowing they
wouldn't have another chance before the wedding to revisit the
site of their first “date”.
Kemara grimaced. “Yes and no.” At his look of
surprise she added, “I mean, I do want to see them - very
much, but I feel bad that they’ve been left out of all the
planning.”
“My mom probably thinks that’s a bonus!” Sean
joked. “Nothing for her and dad to do except show up and walk
me down the aisle.”
She smiled, grateful that he could always
cheer her up. “Mom really likes that part - both of them
escorting me instead of just dad. Actually, she’s so thrilled
I’m finally getting married we could have the ceremony in
Alaska and she wouldn’t care.”
“Well, Ireland will be chilly, that’s for
sure. I looked at the month-long forecast this morning, and
highs should be in the upper-30s and low 40s.”
“With the usual rain every day! As long as
there’s no snow, I don’t care.” Kemara said, shivering. “I’m
so tired of snow! Hopefully this past storm was the end of
it.”
Sean pretended to pout. “And here I thought
we’d made a New Yorker out of you this winter!”
“Not a chance, buddy! You can take the girl
out of the South, but you can’t take the Southern out of the
girl.” She pointed at him. “Just wait. We’ll go down there for
a visit, and then you’ll understand.”
“You miss it.” It wasn’t a question. He
reached across the table and took her hand.
She sighed. “Yeah. But I’d rather be here with
you and all our friends - our family - than down there without
you.” She squeezed his hand and released it to take a sip of
tea. “So are you ready for your folks to see you on stage?”
He shrugged. “It’s weird….I’ve done so many
performances playing instruments. Just a couple lines of
introduction and ‘thanks’ at the end. This is the most singing
I’ve ever done.”
“Aww...I don’t know why - I think you have a
great voice.”
“You’re biased.”
She started to reply, and then gave a little
start. “I just realized…This day last year Monica and I were
planning the St. Patrick’s Day party. I told her there was
this guy named Sean in my dance class who I really liked….”
“Oh, yeah?” Sean sat back in his chair.
“Uh-huh. But I was afraid to let you know how
I felt.”
He grinned. “And what did Monica say?”
Kemara blinked back sudden tears, remembering.
“That...locking away my heart might protect me from being
hurt, but it also shut out all the love and all the gifts God
wanted to give me.” She grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her
eyes. “And Joshua said those exact same words at the party.
That’s when I knew there was something different about him.”
“He talked to me, too,” Sean admitted. “It was
right after Kylie finished her song. I was standing at the
stereo, just watching you all.” He flushed. “There was this
energy about your whole group - I guess that was from Joshua -
and I wanted to be a part of it.”
“You already were,” Kemara said softly.
He nodded. “You were alone for the first time
all night, and I was trying to get up the courage to ask you
to dance. I felt so stupid, ‘cause we’d just done that two
hand, but….” He trailed off.
“But it’s not real, couple-sorta dancing?” she
guessed.
“Exactly! So Joshua walks over, real casually,
and he says, ‘You never know unless you give her a chance.’ It
made me jump because I didn’t realize I was being so obvious
about it. I probably wasn’t since he’s who he is-. What?”
She was crying again. “He said that to me
about you! And that I should let you come to me….”
“Then he gave me the push to do just that,”
Sean marveled. “And I’m so thankful he did.”
“Me too.” She smiled. “We’ll have to tell that
story at the reception. Just one more example of Joshua
bringing people together.”
******
The next day, Kemara paced the arrivals area
at JFK. Her parents’ plane had landed almost half an hour ago,
but so far no one had deplaned.
“Relax.” Sean put his hands on her shoulders
halting her in her tracks. “They’ll be here. It takes a while
to get everyone unloaded.”
“I know.” She took deep breaths. “I just hope
they like everything we've picked out and..."
Sean turned her to face him. "It's our wedding
and our decisions to make. If they have suggestions, we can
talk about them, but we don't have to do it." He gave her a
gentle shake. "Understand?"
"Have I told you how much I love you?"
He grinned. "Not in the last five minutes, no.
But my ego always likes to hear it."
"You're awful!"
"Yes; but you're smiling again. And here they
are..."
Kemara whirled around and caught sight of her
parents in the doorway. Her father had hold of her mother's
arm, and they were scanning the lounge anxiously.
"Mom! Dad!" She and Sean hurried over. The
next few minutes were a confused jumble of kissing and
hugging.
"How was your flight?" Kemara asked once they
had left the bustle of arrivals for the baggage-claim area.
Her mother smiled. "Not as nerve-wracking as
last time, thank goodness. I still don't like flying, but it
wasn't bad. I might get used to it eventually."
"There's just not enough room," her father
said. "I think next time we'll upgrade to first class."
"It really depends on the airline," Sean
replied. "Sometimes business class is just as good, and
cheaper, too. OK. What do your bags look like?"
David turned to Kemara and Joyce. "We'll get
the suitcases. You two just stay put."
“How are we getting to Willowveil?” her mother
nervously, watching the foot traffic, carts and personal trams
flow past them. "Not the subway, surely?"
“We’ll take a cab to Sean’s apartment, and
then our friend Andrew - you remember him, don’t you? - loaned
us his van.”
“Yes. He’s one of the - angels, right?”
Kemara nodded, glancing around to make sure
they weren’t overheard. “That’s right, but don’t mention it
outside of Dyeland. People might get the wrong idea. Actually,
be careful about mentioning Dyeland at all.”
Joyce smiled. “I can keep a secret, Kemara. So
when will your dress be ready?”
“Monday, I think. The shop’s going to call
Friday to confirm it. Then Ivy will come over Monday night so
we can practice hair and makeup. You’ll like Ivy, Mom. She’s
really sweet.”
“Oh, I’m sure she is, but you could’ve asked
your cousin. That’s what you girls planned when you were
younger.”
Kemara stifled a sigh. “I know. The thing is
Amanda and I haven’t seen each other for years. Ivy’s gotten
to be like a little sister to me.”
Her mother wasn’t listening. She was watching
Sean pull one of the suitcases off the conveyer belt. “I’m so
glad you found a man with a good job and some money to take
care of you,” she said with a happy sigh.
“I don’t need someone to ‘take care of me’.
Sean and I want to be partners.”
“But it’s not like you can bring in much money
without a regular job, is it? Thank the Lord you ended up with
these friends of yours or you’d probably be living on the
street!”
Kemara clenched her hands into fists and
forced herself to stay quiet. She knew from experience that
arguing wouldn’t change her mother’s opinions in the
slightest. She searched for a topic that wouldn’t cause
friction.
“JenniAnn said you guys can have the same room
you stayed in at Thanksgiving. Sean’s right across the hall,
actually.”
"I don't know why Sean hasn’t moved in with
you already. There's nothing wrong with that, you know. It’s
what your father and I did."
Kemara flushed. Sean and her dad were coming
over with the bags, and from the expression on Sean’s face she
knew he’d overheard this last remark.
“We just don’t want to do that, Mom. Sean’s
moved most of his stuff to my place, and we’ll finish up when
we get back from Ireland.”
“Actually,” Sean put in cheerfully before her
mother could say anything else, “I like the idea of having
something to look forward to after the wedding.” He wrapped an
arm around Kemara‘s waist and kissed her cheek. “More fun that
way.”
Kemara smiled up at him gratefully.
Her father chuckled. “Now, Joyce, don’t go on
about it. Let them do what works for them.”
As they walked to where the rental cars and
taxis were parked, he told Sean, “Not that we were honest
about it, mind you. We wanted to get married, but I still had
a year of college left. My parents wouldn’t have kept paying
my tuition if I was married, so we eloped and only told them
after I’d graduated.”
“Makes sense to me,” Sean said.
When they were in the cab, Kemara asked. “So
is there anything in particular you guys want to do while
you’re here?”
“Well, Megan and Keith have invited us to go
to dinner and a Broadway show Friday night,” Joyce said
casually.
Sean twisted around in the front seat to look
back at them. Kemara couldn’t speak for a minute. “You -, you
know Sean’s parents?”
“Just to talk to,” Joyce said, clearly
enjoying their reaction to her news. “Megan and I have been
emailing back and forth and chatting on Facebook for a few
months now.”
David chuckled. “We know everything you kids
have been getting up to.”
Sean muttered something Kemara couldn’t quite
hear. “Well, that’s great! Kemara was worried that you might
get bored, since the two of us have rehearsals and other
commitments in the evenings.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see your show!” Joyce
said. “I remember when the movie came out - the year we were
married actually. Ted Neeley was so good looking!”
“Hey, I’m sitting right here, you know!” David
pointed out, making them laugh.
“The guy who’s playing our Jesus...,” Kemara’s
voice caught as she thought of Joshua. Sean reached back and
squeezed her hand. “...Peter, he’s great. He played Peter last
year, actually. And everyone else is back, too, so rehearsals
are going really well.”
Her father never missed anything. “What about
that Joshua fellow? Did he not want to reprise his role? From
those articles you sent us, I thought he’d be sticking
around.”
“No,” Sean replied. “Acting’s not his usual
gig, but the one performance I saw, he was fantastic. He gave
a very realistic portrayal.”
“I’m sure this year will be just as good,”
Joyce said. “But Kemara, you told me opening night will be
while you’re gone.”
Kemara nodded. “Yes, Sean and I will be in the
last three shows, but we thought you two and his parents could
watch a dress rehearsal. We should should be pretty polished
by then.”
At Willowveil, Andrew and JenniAnn greeted
David and Joyce and made sure they were settled in. Kemara’s
mother laid down for a nap before dinner, while her father
persuaded Andrew to show him the angel’s woodworking shop.
“I wish I could stay,” Sean said as they stood
at the gazebo, “But I really need to run into the office for a
couple of hours. Tom’s been great about letting me work from
home every now and then….”
“And more so when we get back from our
honeymoon -,” Kemara added.
After a lot of thought, Sean had decided to
make the move to Dyeland permanent by telecommuting as much as
possible instead of going to and from the Manhattan financial
district every day. It meant a slight reduction in his
paycheck, but he’d offered to teach seminars on personal
finance, budgeting and tax filing at True Light and the
Phoenix Inn. Both Catherine and Arthur had insisted on paying
him a little something.
“I can’t wait,” Sean said. “But until then -.”
He kissed her and climbed the steps. “I’ll be back for
dinner.” He set his coin against the post and stepped through.
Kemara sighed and sat on the steps feeling
suddenly lonely.
“I know the feeling.”
She turned and smiled at Rose. “Hey! Taking a
break?”
The other woman nodded and sat beside her.
“Yep. Every time, I say that the current paper will be the
death of me, but this one just might be.”
Kemara laughed. “I remember those days! I had
to take an entire class on Spenser's “The Faerie Queene”. Just
one poem, but it’s a 700-page poem! There were about five of
us, so no one could slack off. It was pretty intense.”
Rose shuddered. “I’m still taking the core
classes: American Lit, British Lit, Composition 103 - all
those. I do have a Shakespeare class next semester that I’m
really looking forward to.”
“He’s always fun.”
They were quiet for a minute, then Kemara
said, “What did you mean, ‘you know the feeling’?”
“Just that...It’s hard to be away from Max
sometimes. I find myself looking for him, or expecting him to
walk in the door if I haven’t seen him in a while.”
Kemara nodded. “Exactly! It’s weird. I’ve
always said - loudly - that I’m an introvert, and I need my
space and my alone time. But now...I just want to be with
Sean, and all of you, too.” She laughed. “I should’ve moved
into Willowveil when he did.”
“I think we’ve become more of a family over
the past year,” Rose said. “And not just here but the rest of
our group - the Friends of Joshua - as JenniAnn calls us.”
“I tried to explain that to my parents, but I
think it kinda hurt my mom’s feelings to hear that I consider
people I’m not related to family.”
Rose squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I...I
get the impression that you two don’t get along real well?”
“No. Dad and I are pretty close, but with
mom….” She shook her head. “It’s like she can’t understand me
at all. She keeps trying to make me into someone I’m not. I
actually had to explain to her that I’m not frowning and angry
all the time. My face just doesn’t smile automatically!” She
choked back a sob.
“Hey…” Rose pulled her into a hug. “That’s
exactly what I like about you. You’re honest, and you don’t
try to cover up your true feelings. I’m sorry your mom can’t
accept that.”
Kemara wiped her eyes. “Thanks...I’m such a
mess! It feels like I’m crying all the time lately.”
“I think that’s pretty normal considering
everything you’ve got going on right now.”
“I know. I just - it seems like I’ve got so
many more issues than Sean does. He’s already got to deal with
my shyness and insecurity and now this with my parents, too.
It feels like it’s all about me and my problems.”
Rose smiled. “Don’t worry about it.” She
nudged her friend. “Yes, I know telling you not to worry is
pointless, but try anyway.”
She stood up. “Now, why don’t you read over my
paper? That should take your mind off missing Sean!”
Kemara laughed and got to her feet. “It’s a
deal! I’ve got some of my college notebooks in boxes in the
closet. I’ll have to go through them and see if there’s
anything you can use….”
******
To Kemara’s relief, all went smoothly for the
next few days. Her parents attended the Wednesday night Bible
study where the group made sure to avoid any references to
Joshua as the second person of the trinity.
On Thursday evening, she and Sean left her
mother with Violeta and JenniAnn discussing decorations for
the church and the ballroom. Her father and Andrew had gone
Below to look at some old furniture a Helper had recently
donated.
“I’m going to miss dance class and this while
we’re gone,” Kemara said as she and Sean navigated the
still-busy Manhattan sidewalks to Paddy Ryan’s bar where their
group performed once a week.
He took her arm and guided her around a bunch
of Canadian tourists with red backpacks, “I’m sure we can do
some dancing while we’re there. This is Ireland we’re talking
about.”
“Good point!” She laughed. “And maybe you can
find some other musicians to play with.”
“I’d say that’s a guarantee since every
village has at least one pub,” Sean said, holding open the
door for her. “And at least -.”
“Surprise!” chorused several voices.
Looking around, they saw their fellow dancers
and several of the bar’s regular patrons beaming at them.
Elaine hurried over.
“We thought we’d throw you two a little
party!” she said, hugging them both. She ushered them over to
where some tables had been pushed together. A sheet cake
decorated with shamrocks read, “Congratulations Sean and
Kemara”. Beside it was a large glass jar.
“Aww...thank you guys so much!” Kemara said
admiring the cake. “But you didn’t have to do this for us.”
Joanne stepped forward. “Oh, the cake isn’t
all!” She gestured over to the bar where Patrick waved to
them. “Pat and the servers have offered to put their tips this
evening in this jar and invite the patrons to add to it. And
so will all of us. Whatever’s there at closing time goes to
True Light and The Phoenix Inn.”
“I-, I-,” Sean stammered.
“Wow, never thought I’d hear Sean lost for
words,” someone joked.
That made all of them laugh.
“Yeah, that was definitely a first,” Kemara
teased.
“I guess it was,” he said. “This is just
amazing. Thank you everybody!”
“Yes, thank you! This is fantastic!”
They watched as Joanne carried the jar to a
table beside the bar and propped a brightly colored sign next
to it: “Donations accepted for True Light Men’s Shelter and
The Phoenix Inn Women’s Shelter”.
Elaine clapped her hands. “OK, people! Let’s
get out there and fill that jar up.”
Soon, the pub was loud with the sounds of
reels and jigs accompanied by the rhythm of hard shoes. Pat
opened the doors wide and proclaimed a “Pre-St. Patrick’s Day
Party” with drinks 10% off to draw in the crowds.
“I’m beat!” Kemara collapsed into a chair at 2
a.m. as Pat locked the door behind the last of the patrons. “I
don’t think we’ve ever danced so much at one time.” She sighed
with relief as she changed her dance shoes for a pair of
flats.
Sean handed her a glass of water. “Here you
go. How’re your ankle and knee feeling?”
“Thanks. They’re fine. I’m just tired, and I
think I’m getting a blister. That’s never happened before.”
“I’m not surprised.” Elaine said, coming over
to them. She looked as energetic as ever. “This crowd was the
biggest I’ve seen in years. Pat’s counting up the money now.
He said he’ll divide it evenly and write you out two checks.”
Sean nodded. “Sounds good. Our friends who run
the shelters will be thrilled.”
“Not to change the subject,” Elaine said with
uncharismatic hesitancy. “But, would you mind if I came to
your wedding? I know the invitation said the reception is
private, but -.”
“We’d love to have you!” Kemara hastened to
assure her. “You and anyone else who wants to come! The
reception’s private because a friend of ours offered to host
it at her home, and there’s only so much room.”
“Yes, bring anyone you want,” Sean said. “My
whole family will be there, but Kemara’s only got her parents.
Most of our mutual friends are in the ceremony, so it would be
good to fill up the pews.”
“But don’t you have performances that day?”
Kemara asked. “I’d hate for you to pass them up.”
Elaine shook her head. “Nothing until after
lunch since it’s a weekday. The kids will be in the parade,
but we hadn’t planned on it this year, so the timing’s
perfect.”
Joanne and some of the others were close
enough to overhear. ‘I’d like to come,” she said. “I always
take St. Patrick’s Day off work, so I’m free.”
Several voices chimed in, and before Kemara
knew what was happening they had added eight more people to
the guest list.
“Oh, good! Here’s Patrick,” Elaine said as the
bar’s owner walked out of the back room followed by the
servers and kitchen staff.
“I have here two checks,” He announced. “For
500 dollars each!” He waited for the cheers to die down.
“Also, I personally will be donating 250 dollars to each
shelter.” He produced two more checks. “In appreciation for
all the business that your group has brought us over the
years.”
Renewed cheers almost drowned out his last
words. Sean shook his hand and Kemara hugged him. Waving and
calling good nights, the group left by the back door and
scattered to their various subway stations.
Sean took his bag and Kemara’s and slug them
both over his shoulder. “This has been a really great night.”
“I know. I was thinking we should wait and
present Catherine and Arthur with the money at the reception.
Between this and whatever people bring as gifts or put in the
collection basket, we should have a good bit.”
“Sounds like a plan. Maybe the jar could be
gussied up and make a reappearance.”
Kemara laughed. “I’ll mention it to Violeta. I
really want to get her something for being our wedding
planner. She’s done such a great job. Like tonight - she
would’ve loved it, but she stayed with Mom and JenniAnn to
talk about flowers….Everyone’s been so wonderful.”
“Things with your mom are still going okay,
aren’t they?”
“Yeah, so far. Do you know where they’re going
tomorrow night? She said your parents were going to pick.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know about the
restaurant, but dad said they’re leaning toward the Carole
King show. They grew up with that music, so he and mom have
been wanting to see it.”
“That’s perfect! I’m so glad they offered. I
was worried my folks might get bored just hanging around
Dyeland for two weeks. And I couldn’t really picture them
roaming New York by themselves either.”
“You might be surprised! I bet by the time
they leave they’ll have visited places you haven’t even seen
yet.”
Kemara yawned and leaned her head on his
shoulder, lulled by the motion of the subway car. “The only
thing I want to see right now is my bed.”
She felt Sean draw breath to reply, and held
up a hand. “Don’t even bother. I’m too tired to think up a
good comeback.”
He chuckled and said nothing as the train
rolled on.
“So what’re your plans for today?” Sean asked
as they finished breakfast. He’d shown up at 8 with a pan of
orange rolls ready for the oven, and she’d made a pot of
coffee.
Kemara put the last plate in the dishwasher.
“Emma and I have dance class at Lily’s Loot at 10. But after
Thursday night, I’m not sure how much actual dancing I’ll be
doing. My feet are still sore!”
She glanced at him hoping he wasn’t
disappointed not to have her to himself. She thought she saw
the beginnings of a frown, but wasn’t sure. “Want to come
along? We could get lunch with Emma and Peter when we’re
done.”
His expression lightened. “Sure! Maybe we
could go early so I can pick up a gift for my favorite girl.”
Lily had enchanted Sean from the moment he met
her, and he never failed to bring some small treat when he
visited the shop.
“If we ever have daughter, you’re gonna spoil
her rotten, aren’t you?” Kemara teased. She knew he would be a
wonderful father - if he ever had the chance.
Sean pretended to frown. “If?” He pulled her
into his arms. “What have I told you about doubting? Be
careful or Joshua might make it so you can’t talk at all -
like what happened to Zechariah. And I want you able to say,
‘I do’.”
“Ten days....” Kemara sighed.
“Ten days too long,” He agreed leaning down to
kiss her.
Finally, Kemara pulled away. “OK. Enough of
that! Otherwise, we just might have to elope and upset a bunch
of people.”
Sean pouted. “And that would be bad thing?”
But he followed her over to the computer.
“Let’s check the forecast again.”
For the next hour, they looked at photos of
the west coast of Ireland, and researched things to do in
Dublin where they would spend two days before flying home at
the end of the month.
******
“Sean! K’mara!”
Lily met them at the door, and Sean scooped
her up. “Hey Lilypad!” He took a plush butterfly from behind
his back and perched it on top of her head. “Hey, looks like
something landed on you!” He made it flutter lightly across
her face.
Giggling, she reached up and grabbed it. She
cuddled it close and placed a loud kiss on his cheek.
“Don’t I get one, too?” Kemara asked, and the
little girl happily obliged.
They went through the shop, waving to Basil
behind the counter, and into the back room where a few
children and young adults waited with Emma and Azalea. Sean
put Lily down and “danced” with her.
“He’s so good with her,” Emma said, as Kemara
joined the other women by the stereo. Another group of young
people ran in shouting and laughing.
Kemara watched proudly. “I know. He’s great
with kids. He never talks down to them or anything.”
“I think everyone’s here,” Azalea said,
counting. “It’s a little early, but it looks like they’re
excited and ready to go.”
Emma clapped her hands. “OK everyone. Let’s
start with some stretches…”
Sean came over to Kemara and Azalea. “What can
I do to help?”
“Just wander around the room and try to keep
them focused or lend a hand if someone looks like they’re
really struggling,” Kemara said. “Otherwise, we just keep them
moving, and let them do their thing.”
“Umm...don’t take this the wrong way,” Emma
said as she and Kemara circled the room fifteen minutes later.
“But Sean seems a little distracted.”
Kemara nodded, watching her fiancé. Something
had been bothering her the entire class, and now she realized
what it was. While Sean moved around the room as she’d
instructed, he only spoke to or interacted with Lily.
“He’s ignoring the other kids.”
Emma frowned. “Now that you mention it…” The
two of them watched in silence until Azalea joined them.
“I don’t think Sean’s very comfortable around
the others,” she whispered.
“That’s not true!” Kemara said. “He loves
Lily, and he’s wonderful with all his nieces and nephews, and
Belle and Manny.”
The older woman patted her shoulder. “I’m sure
he is; but I can tell. He won’t get too close, and he’s
holding himself stiffly.”
“It happens,” Basil added. He had been
standing in the doorway watching the class and overheard their
exchange. “We’ve seen it before. People treat Lily differently
until they get to know her. Once they do, they don’t see her
differences any more, they just see what a beautiful butterfly
she is.” He smiled as his daughter twirled with Sean, her
wings sparkling.
Kemara’s heart sank. She wanted to protest
again, but as Sean stepped out of the way of one teenager’s
flailing arms, she knew Azalea and Basil were right.
Emma gave her friend a quick hug and went to
turn off the music. “That was really awesome everyone! Come
over here and put your props in the box.”
For the next few minutes she and Kemara were
busy removing wings and antenna, straightening any that had
gotten bent during the children’s enthusiastic dancing. Kemara
noticed that Sean didn’t help, but chatted with Basil where he
had a view of the shop door.
When the bell rang signalling Peter’s arrival,
Sean waved to her. “We’ll be outside.”
“OK. We shouldn’t be long.” She turned back to
the others. “I can’t believe he’s acting like this!”
“Don’t say anything about it,” Azalea advised.
“He needs to find his own level of acceptance.”
Kemara sighed. “I know. Maybe if he keeps
coming here, that will help.”
Azalea and Basil exchanged glances. “We’ll
pray that it does.”
When Kemara and Emma left the shop ten minutes
later, Sean was just putting up his phone.
“My mom,” he explained as they headed down the
street to a Chinese restaurant all four enjoyed.
“Did she say how last night went? Our folks
went out to dinner and saw the Carole King Musical,” Kemara
explained to Emma and Peter.
Sean took out the phone again. “Yup! She said
they had a great time. And….” he pulled something up on the
screen. “Apparently had a bit too much to drink and started
taking selfies.” The showed them a picture.
Peter laughed. “Now, there’s blackmail
material!”
“Seriously!” Kemara rolled her eyes. “It also
explains why I didn’t hear from mine this morning. They were
probably still asleep if they got in late.”
“The wee hours, was all mom would say.” Sean
grinned. “And like good kids we were tucked up in bed before
midnight.”
Emma grinned. “I think you get your second
wind once you reach a certain age and the kids are out of the
house. I remember my grandparents still liked to go out
dancing.”
“It’s true,” Kemara said. “On my first trip to
Ireland, my cousin and I were the youngest in our tour group
by about a dozen years. Every night, she and I would be going
to bed just as the ‘old folks’ were heading to the pub.”
Once they were seated and had given the
waitress their orders, Peter asked. “So how’d your class go?”
“Really great! The kids are coming on so
fast,” Emma said. “Azalea said several parents have mentioned
how the exercise is helping their children’s stamina and
mobility. Some of them have heart problems so they tire
easily.”
Sean frowned. “Heart problems?”
“Azalea and Basil say that’s pretty common
with Down Syndrome,” Kemara said. “But Lily’s heart is fine.”
“That’s good.” He looked relieved.
She nudged him. “I noticed you hardly left her
side today,” she teased.
“I told you - she’s my girl! Besides, you and
Emma were doing just fine with the others.”
Emma tapped the edge of her plate. “You know,
I bet the kids would love it if you brought your bodhran and
played for them.”
“And let them try it out,” Kemara added.
“Joshua made it, so I don’t think they could damage it.”
Sean nodded eagerly. “Yeah….that’s a good
idea. When we get back I’ll do that.”
“You’re leaving on the 18th?” Peter asked.
“That’s a long flight.”
“Yes, it’s eight hours,” Kemara said. “We’ve
rented a really nice cottage on the west coast. We’ll stay
there for almost the whole two weeks and then spend a few days
in Dublin before we fly home again.”
Emma looked wistful. “I think I’d like to go
overseas sometime. Maybe to Spain. I’ve always thought it was
so beautiful. And now that I’d be with someone who knows the
language…”
Peter smiled at her. “I spent a semester there
in college, so I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Not to change the subject,” Sean said. “But
when do you two think our parents should come watch
rehearsal?”
“Huh…” Peter considered. “Maybe next Saturday?
That will be our last one before the preview shows on the 18th
and 19th.”
“That would work,” Emma said. “We’re pretty
polished already.” She smiled at her fiancé. “And you’re
perfect.”
He shrugged. “Joshua was perfect. I just feel
like a kid dressing up as his dad and pretending to be him. Joshua just... was.
Is. And I do... feel him with me. So I hope that shows.”
“It does,” Kemara assured him. “And Eric’s
great, too. He was already gone before we all came on board
last year, but from what you’ve said, he’s a totally changed
man.”
“He really is,” Emma said. “I think we’re
finally seeing the real Eric and not who he was pretending to
be.”
Sean nodded. “I liked what he said on our
message board about how Neela lets him beat himself up for
three minutes and that’s it.” He pointed to Kemara. “I think
we need to try that with this one.”
“I’ve gotten better!” she protested. “You know
I have.”
“Yes, you have. I’m teasing,” Sean said.
Kemara blushed. “Joshua had a lot to do with
it, and all of you. Rose and I were just saying the other day
that we’ve really become a family in the past year.”
“And one that’s only going to keep growing,”
Emma said happily.
Sean met Kemara as she was leaving the house.
"Hey! I was just coming to see if you wanted
breakfast." He took her hand and turned back with her toward
the castle.
"I already ate. I'm meeting Mom at Willowveil,
and we're going to run pick up my dress. Then, Monica asked if
I'd see about printing up some new flyers for her to hand out
at the food truck."
Sean raised his eyebrows "She must have a lot
of people asking about the shelters - not surprising with all
the snow. Sounds like they'll need that money we've been
taking in."
Kemara frowned. "I'm sure they do need it, but
this is different. Monica's had several women lately - usually
immigrants - ask if there's a safe place they can stay at. She
thinks they might be connected with sex trafficking. The
Phoenix really doesn't handle that sort of thing, but
Catherine knows people who do. So Monica wants the information
ready just in case."
"Good. Don't let your mom tell you that you
don't have a real job. Making up these flyers and writing
articles - all that helps people. And I'm sure Joshua would
tell you the same thing."
She managed a smile. "Thanks. I needed to hear
that...it weighs on me sometimes. I do hope it makes a
difference."
"I know it does. So...when do I get to see you
in your dress?"
"Not until we get to the church that morning,
so don't even try to sneak a peek tonight," she said.
He thought for a minute. "Wait! What about
photos? When are we doing those?"
"After we get back here. No one will mind
waiting since most people will be in the pictures anyway. I'm
sure we'll have everyone suggesting locations or poses for
us."
A wicked gleam came into his eye. "That could
be fun...."
She swatted his arm. “Behave! Are you going
into the office?"
"Yeah, there are a few last minutes things to
tie up especially right here at tax time. That screw up with
Obamacare putting the wrong information on people's forms
means even I'm having to help put the mess to rights."
"Poor, baby...." Kemara tried not to laugh.
She knew how much Sean loathed working on taxes even though,
as an accountant, they were a frequent part of his job.
He pouted. "Laugh at me, and I'll make you
keep up with our finances." He waved to Joyce who was waiting
for them by the gazebo.
Kemara shuddered. "Oh, God. We'd be broke in a
week if they were my responsibility."
"Morning!" Joyce said, hugging them both.
"Kemara, are you feeling okay this morning? You look a little
green."
"We were just talking about money matters, and
I think it turned her stomach," Sean said.
"She is pretty awful with numbers," Joyce said
smiling at her daughter.
Kemara nodded. "Words make much more sense!"
“You ladies have a good time,” Sean said as
they parted ways outside St. Genesius.
Joyce took Kemara’s arm as they walked to the
nearest subway station. “You two are so cute together,” she
teased.
“I don’t know about me, but he’s cute, that’s
for sure. You should see him playing with his nieces and
nephews. He’s like a big kid himself.”
“Speaking of kids - Your dad and I can’t wait
until you give us some grandchildren,” Joyce said.
Kemara flushed and glanced around. But, as
usual in New York, no one paid any attention. “Mom, don’t get
your hopes up. It might not happen or at least not right
away.”
“I bet it will. You wait and see. Now, you
said Ivy has red hair, what will she be wearing?”
The ride to Tribeca passed swiftly as they
discussed wedding attire for Ivy, Sean and Brad. Monica had
found (from Elsewhere, Kemara expected) a length of navy
brocade with a faint knotwork pattern for the mens’ vests
which they would wear under pale gray suits. Ivy would wear a
tea-length lace dress, also navy. Kemara had gone with her the
week before to pick it out at Kleinfeld.
“Oh, it’s gorgeous!” Joyce said when Kemara
stepped out of the dressing room at Lovely Bride. “I wasn’t
sure when you showed me the photos, but the navy trim is
perfect.”
Sarah, who had helped Kemara order the dress,
nodded. “It really does suit you very well. And here are the
shoes.” She set down a pair of navy pumps with a small heel.
Kemara stepped carefully into them and over to
the mirror. The dark bands on the off-shoulder neckline, cuffs
and belt were a startling splash of color against the white
gown. Below the hem, the toes of the shoes just peeped out.
The silver embroidery shone as if it was made of metal instead
of thread.
“Perfect. I don’t see one thing that needs to
be changed,” Sarah said walking around Kemara. “And that’s
rare. Would you mind if I got some photos for Facebook and our
brochures? You’ll have to sign an agreement letting us use the
images, of course.”
Kemara blushed. “Really? Well...sure, I guess.
No one’s ever asked me to model anything before.”
Her mother beamed. “Can we have copies?”
“Of course! Just let me get the camera.”
Though Kemara felt slightly awkward as Sarah
prepared to take photos, she couldn't deny that she was
pleased by the woman's approval and, even more so, her
mother's.
*******
“And then she took a bunch of photos all over
the shop and even out front,” Kemara said. “It was kinda
embarrassing having everyone looking at me like that.”
“But several people stopped to say how
beautiful you were,” Joyce reminded her.
Violeta sighed happily. “That’s so awesome.”
Ivy, sitting beside her on the floor of Rose’s
room, nodded. “Is she going to send you links to the pictures
online or some of the brochures?”
Kemara shrugged. “I got her card, so I think
she will.”
JenniAnn smiled at her friend. “I can’t wait
to see them. Maybe you could go back once we’ve got your hair
and makeup figured out and show them the whole package.”
“I’ll just send some of the photos Andrew
takes for us.”
Rose walked over to where the dress hung on
the closet door. She considered it. “You could really do any
sort of hairstyle with a dress like this. Is there anything
you were thinking of in particular?”
“I printed out a couple of things I saw on
Pinterest.” She laid out several sheets of paper. “I thought
maybe this style for me, and this one for Ivy.” She smiled at
the younger girl. “If you have any suggestions I’m totally
open to them, though.”
The first picture showed a woman with her hair
pulled back and looped into an elaborate bow at the nape of
her neck. “I don’t like the bow,” Kemara said, “And there were
a lot of styles that had tiny braids all over the head, but
this one…”
Rose studied the picture. “Instead of braids,
it’s celtic knots. Very clever!”
“And this one uses the same knots to hold her
hair back from her face,” JenniAnn said, picking up the second
photo.
“I love it!” Ivy took the paper from JenniAnn.
“But my hair’s so curly. And Kemara’s isn’t stick straight
either.”
Rose thought for a minute. “I think we could
do it if we straightened your hair first and used a lot of gel
and hairspray,” Rose said. “Do you want to try it now? It will
probably take a while, but the more practice I have with the
knots, the quicker it will go that morning.”
JenniAnn turned to Ivy. “Can you stay? If you
want to spend the night, Andrew can drive you back after
breakfast.”
“Sure! I told grandma I might be staying. I
didn’t think Violeta would mind having a roommate.”
The angel shook her head. “Nope! And we can
watch some more of the Anne series. I think we’ve only got an
hour or two left.”
“Ivy, your grandma’s coming to the wedding,
isn’t she?” Kemara asked.
The teen shook her head, exasperated. “I
should’ve said earlier! Yes, she’s coming, and she said thank
you for the invitation.”
“And Sy will be there too….” JenniAnn teased
gently.
Ivy blushed. “We, we’re both thinking that
this will be sorta like prom for us. My school’s prom is in
April, and Sy’s in is May, but we don’t think either of
them….”
“Would be very understanding?” Kemara hugged
her. “We’ll make sure you and Sy have plenty of chances to
dance. And I bet it’ll be much more fun than prom.” She made a
face. “I went stag to mine, and no one asked me to dance.”
Joyce smiled sadly. “Your father offered to
when he picked you up.”
“Well this time he’ll get the chance.” Kemara
laughed. “You made my dress, and it was navy then, too. I’d
forgotten about that.”
“Navy’s always been my favorite color.” Joyce
stood up. “Let me get my flat iron, so we can work on both of
you at the same time.”
An hour later, after much fumbling and
laughter, Kemara and Ivy’s hair was done. They stood side by
side while the others studied the result.
“I think it looks really good,” Joyce said.
“We could curl the rest of it that morning.”
Rose nodded. “Yes, that would give it some
body since it’s so weighted down with gel and spray.”
Ivy looked back over her shoulder. “I feel
like I have an extra five pounds on my head,” she joked.
“And I feel like my eyebrows are going to pop
off,” Kemara added. “Now, makeup!”
As she had promised, JenniAnn kept their
makeup simple with some navy shadow and liner to bring out
their eyes.
“I hope this stuff is waterproof,” Kemara said
as Joyce applied mascara to her lashes.
“Don’t talk,” her mother said. “It is, but if
you touch it before it’s dry, you’ll look like a raccoon.
There….” She stepped back. “Beautiful!”
The other women helped them dress.
“Does it feel okay?” Rose asked as Kemara
adjusted the fit of the bodice. “We could have Monica sew in
some clear straps if you want. The last thing you need is a
‘wardrobe malfunction’ in the middle of the your vows!”
Kemara laughed. “Poor Father Mike! No, it’s
pretty secure. I just need to get used to the bare shoulders.”
“What about jewelry?” JenniAnn said. ‘Maybe a
choker or a short chain….”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Kemara said. She went
to the shopping bag she brought with her and took something
out. “I have couple of things for you, Ivy.” She gave the girl
a box wrapped in navy paper. “I’m so glad you agreed to be my
maid of honor.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything….” Ivy
said, opening the box. Inside was a metallic gray shawl and a
silver necklace with a Celtic knot pendant.
“You can wear them with your dress, but you
don’t have to,” Kemara explained.
Ivy swirled the shawl around her shoulders.
“Oh, it’s so lovely; thank you! Violeta, can you get the
chain? I don’t want to mess up my hair.”
Violeta carefully fastened the necklace.
“That really makes the dress pop,” she
declared. “It’s so pretty against the blue.”
Ivy looked at herself in the mirror. “It
really does!” She hugged Kemara. “Thank you! I’ll wear both of
them.”
“I think this will do for jewelry,” Joyce
said, giving Kemara a box in her turn. “Your father helped me
pick them out.”
Inside, a silver trinity knot studded with
sapphires hung from a navy ribbon choker. Beside it were a
pair of matching earrings.
“Oh…” Kemara couldn’t speak. Her mother took
the necklace and fastened it for her while Kemara put in the
earrings with shaking fingers. She threw her arms around her
mother.
Joyce hugged her tightly. “Don’t cry,” she
said, smiling and wiping away her own tears. “I want more
pictures of my baby girl.”
The other women blinked back tears of their
own.
A knock on the door made them jump.
“Quick! Hide!” JenniAnn and Rose jumped up,
while Kemara and Ivy tried to both hide behind the open closet
door. Violeta lay on the bed, convulsed with giggles.
“Who is it?”
“Andrew.”
Sighing with relief, Kemara peeked out from
the closet. Ivy had ended up crouched on the other side of the
bed.
JenniAnn opened the door just a crack.
Andrew smiled sheepishly. “Umm...Laja, am I
supposed to use fabric softener on fleece or not? I
can’t remember.”
“You couldn’t wait to ask me that?” JenniAnn
said skeptically. “Sean, I see you back there. Did you need
something?”
Kemara gasped and ducked back.
“I was just wondering too,” she heard Sean say
innocently.
JenniAnn sighed. “Both of you go away. We’re
almost done here. Why don’t you all pick out a movie and get
some snacks together?”
“Sure thing. Actually David already suggested
‘Field of Dreams’.”
Over JenniAnn’s shoulder, Kemara saw them turn
back to the stairs. “That was close!” She said as the door
closed again. “I know Sean put Andrew up to that.”
“Definitely! By now Andrew knows how to wash
fleece.”
Joyce shook her head. “If you leave men alone
too long they tend to get into trouble.”
“I know that’s right!” Rose laughed.
“Yup,” JenniAnn agreed.
Joyce looked at her quizzically. “Even
angels?”
The younger woman shrugged. “Sure. They learn
and make mistakes just like we humans do. They’re not
perfect.”
“I know I’m not!” Violeta said with a grin. “I
get into trouble all the time. And even Jo- Jesus did stupid
stuff when he was younger.”
Kemara smiled. “Remembering that always makes
me feel better.” She turned around. “If someone will unlace
me, I’ll go take a quick shower and we can head downstairs.”
Ivy obliged. “There you go! I think I’ll have
one, too.” She and Violeta left the room.
“I’m glad you’re staying tonight,” Joyce said
as Kemara carefully took of the gown and hung it up before
slipping back into her T-shirt and capris.
“Me too!” She smiled at Rose. “I’ll try not to
make too much noise if I’m up early in the morning since I’m
right across the hall.”
Rose waved a hand. “Dont’ worry about it. I
sleep pretty soundly.”
Half an hour later, the group settled in with
popcorn and ice cream. Next to Sean on one of the loveseats,
Kemara looked around the room at her parents, her friends and
her fiancé and sighed contentedly.
“Happy?” he whispered as the opening credits
played.
“Very.” She snuggled closer and let the movie
carry her away.
The next morning after breakfast, Kemara
helped her mother fold and put away a load of clean laundry.
“I was looking around earlier for some places
to take photos of you and Sean once we come back here for the
reception,” Joyce said as they worked. “I thought that room on
the third floor across from the library - the one with the
balcony - would be nice.”
“Joshua’s room….” Kemara murmured sitting down
on the bed. For the dozenth time she wondered if he would make
an appearance either at the church or afterward. He’ll be
there even if you can’t see him, she scolded herself. She had
left an invitation addressed to him, Maryam, Yosef and John on
his nightstand. As with their engagement photo, it had been
gone the next time she looked.
“Kemara!”
Her mother’s exasperated voice snapped her
back to the here and now.
“Sorry. I was just -.” She looked down at the
washcloth in her hands and folded it.
“I was asking if you’re going to have some
kind of favors at the reception for the guests to take home.”
Kemara tried to think. “Oh...I don’t guess so.
Everyone’s family anyway and….”
Joyce threw up her hands. “I swear, I think
everyone else in this house is doing more planning for your
wedding than you are! You and Sean just run off and do your
thing, while the rest of us figure it all out.”
“That’s not true!” Kemara tried to keep her
voice down. “Our friends offered to help; and there’s not that
much planning left.”
“Because other people have done it!” Joyce
hissed. “Lucky for you Violeta’s an angel. I don’t know many
humans who would put up with what she’s had dumped on her.”
Kemara’s mouth hung open. “What she’s….What do
you mean?”
“This is exactly my point! You have no clue.
I’m talking about the reception. Instead of having it at the
church hall and hiring a caterer - which I’m sure Sean could
afford - you’d rather have JenniAnn open her home and provide
all the food and drink into the bargain. Not to mention the
fact that she’s housing us as well as Sean’s family.”
“But -.” Kemara was too stunned to think of a
reply.
“Just because someone offers doesn’t mean you
have to take them up on it, Kemara. You need to think about
other people instead of yourself for a change.”
The patience Kemara had been holding onto was
rapidly wearing thin. She scowled at her mother. “Where are
you coming up with all this? I’m sure JenniAnn and Andrew
haven’t been complaining. Or Violeta, either.”
“No, they’ve all been very nice. But it’s
pretty obvious you’re relying on them when you’re out on the
town every night with Sean.”
Kemara jumped up. “No we aren’t!” she shot
back, her voice rising. “We have rehearsals and performances,
and other things that we’ve committed to. I told you that.”
Joyce ignored her, intent on airing her list
of grievances. "And another thing: You'd better start smiling
a little more, young lady! I can't imagine Sean wants to marry
someone who’s always gloomy. If you don’t at least try to act
excited about all this, he might not show up at the church!"
She left, almost - but not quite - slamming
the door. Kemara slumped down onto the bed and felt black
despair wash over her.
When someone else came in, she looked up
expecting her father, but it was Sean. She realized he must
have heard their argument from across the hall.
She threw herself at him. Quickly, he
maneuvered them into his own room and kicked the door shut.
“People will talk,” she said, trying to smile
and failing miserably.
“I don’t care. Kemara -...” He looked as if he
didn’t know whether to rage or cry on her behalf.
She sniffed. “Thirty...thirty-four
years….she’s known me for that long and, and still she
understands nothing about me!"
He sat down on the bed with her on his lap and
let her cry. She thought maybe he was crying too.
When she was calmer, he gave her a
handkerchief. “I’ve been thinking…..”
“What?”
“Let’s pack a picnic and row out to Skellig
for a few hours. Get out of here for a while.”
She stared at him blankly. “But it’s raining
and not that warm….”
“So we’ll grab some of those fleece blankets
that multiply by themselves.” He released her and went to the
closet. “Here - I’ll give you a sweatshirt.”
She caught the one he tossed to her and smiled
at the logo. “I think I could use some Guinness right now,”
she said, pulling it on.
“Nah, you just need a break, and that’s what
we’re going to get.” He grabbed her hand and led the way
downstairs.
They were in the middle of making sandwiches
when Max came in the kitchen. “Hey! What’re you guys up to?
Kemara, your mom was just asking Rose if she knew where you
were.”
“That’s what we’re up to,” Sean said. “We’re
going to Skellig, but it would be better if certain people
didn’t know that.”
Max took in Kemara’s red, swollen eyes and
nodded. “I totally understand! Want me to run interference?”
“That’d be a big help. Thanks, buddy.”
Kemara hugged him. “Thank you, Max, I just
need some time….”
“I know all about having difficult parents.
You go relax and I won’t tell anyone where you are.” He ducked
back out and they heard him climbing the stairs.
Sean put the sandwiches and a couple of sodas
into a soft-sided cooler. Then he opened the cabinet under the
sink.
“What’re you looking for?” Kemara asked,
adding two small bags of chips and a couple of oranges to the
cooler.
“Bug spray.” Sean straightened holding a can
of OFF. “And maybe a machete. When we guys went sailing in
January Skellig looked pretty overgrown.”
Kemara shivered. “I hope there aren’t any
snakes.”
“We’ll ask St. Patrick to keep them away. I
mean, we’re getting married on his feast day, right? He’s sure
to listen to us.”
“If you say so.”
As they approached the island, the rain
tapered off and the sun peeked through the clouds.
“What did I tell you?” Sean asked as he pulled
in the oars and let the boat drift toward shore. “St. Patrick
is smiling on us.”
“This brings back memories,” Kemara said as he
helped her onto the beach. “After the show wrapped last year,
we introduced all the others to Dyeland. We did one of Max’s
scavenger hunts, and my group ended up here accidentally.”
Sean looked around at the wild vegetation. “Is
there actually anything here?” He swatted at an early
mosquito. “Besides a lot of bugs, I mean?”
“There’s a stone circle right in the middle,”
Kemara said taking out the bug spray. “And that’s about it. I
think the path’s over that way.” She pointed to the west.
They covered themselves in repellant and after
five minutes of looking found the trail. It proved to be more
overgrown than Kemara remembered.
“I think we should brought that machete after
all,” she said, stepping over a large fallen branch.
A rustle in the underbrush made Sean stop and
put out his arm to block her way. A tiny green snake slithered
across the path in front of them.
“Ahem.” Kemara looked pointedly at him.
He gave her a cheesy grin. “Didn’t come near
us, did it?”
She rolled her eyes, but said nothing.
The stone circle was open to the sky and for a
wonder the ground around it was only grass. They spread out
one of the blankets and enjoyed their lunch and the sun in
comfortable silence.
When they were done, Kemara lay on her back
and gazed up at the rapidly clearing sky. “I just...I have no
idea where Mom got the idea that we’re letting everyone else
do all the planning.”
“I can kind of understand,” Sean said. “She’s
just seeing the end - not all the classes and the discussions
with Fr. Mike, Violeta and everyone else. Not that it excuses
her, mind.”
“I guess.” Her eyes teared up again. “I really
wanted them - her especially - to see that I’m doing good.
I’ve got lots of friends, a job I love, hobbies. I’m about to
marry the best guy in the world. But all she sees is that I’m
“gloomy” and “not caring about other people.” She choked back
a sob.
“Come here.” Sean held out a hand.
She crawled over to him. He sat behind her and
wrapped another blanket around both of them.
“What if my folks ask yours to stay with them
until the wedding? Would that help, do you think?”
Kemara shook her head. “No. It would probably
make things worse.”
“I don’t think it can get much worse.
Sweetheart, your mom said horrible things to you and made some
pretty sweeping assumptions about us and our friends - our
family.”
“I’m sorry you had to hear it. I hope no one
else did.”
He sighed heavily. “Well, if they didn’t, I’d
really like to tell them.”
“No!” She half turned around to look at him.
“Sean, please don’t....There’s only a week left.”
“Then let me talk to my parents, so we can all
spend it in peace.”
She clung to him. “I’m sorry I’m the one with
all the issues…I don’t know why you put up with me.”
He kissed her forehead. “I think we’ve had
this conversation before. I love you, and it’s not ‘putting up
with you’.” He chuckled. “Who knows? Maybe I have tons of
issues, but we just haven’t uncovered them yet.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she laughed a
little at the thought.
“So can I call them?”
“I guess so...as long as Megan and Keith make
it sound like their idea.”
Sean took out his phone. “They will.” He
selected a number. “Hey, mom! Listen, is dad there?....Then
can you put me on speaker, please?”
He squeezed Kemara’s hand. “Yeah, Kemara and I
were wondering if maybe you could invite her parents to stay
with you until the wedding? Things are a little….tense….here
right now.”
“No, we thought you could call them.” He
listened for a minute. “Yes, on Saturday. And then you’ll all
spend Monday night here. There’s plenty of room, trust me.”
Kemara watched his expression anxiously, and
he smiled at her. “Great. Thanks so much. Kemara doesn’t need
this stress right now. I will. Love you, too. Bye.”
He ended the call. “Mom’s going to call Joyce
this afternoon. They said to tell you not to worry about
anything. I’ll send an email tonight and mention some of the
things your mother said.”
“But I don’t want them thinking badly of mom,”
Kemara said. “I think they’re getting to be pretty good
friends, and I’d hate for this to spoil it.”
“Hopefully, they’ll all talk it out and clear
up the misunderstandings,” Sean said. He stood and helped her
to her feet. “You ready to head back?”
Kemara nodded. “Yes, but let’s not forget this
is here. It’s a good place to hide for a while.”
“Yes, but next time I’m bringing a weed
wacker!”
******
At dinner that night, Joyce announced. “Sean,
your parents have offered to let us stay with the for the rest
of the week.” She turned to JenniAnn and Andrew. “Thank you
for having us, but I think it would be better if we were out
of your hair.”
David nodded. “Megan and Keith are closer to
our age. I think we’ll do better with them than getting in the
way of you youngsters.” Violeta smothered a laugh, and he
nodded at Andrew. “No offense.”
Andrew grinned. “Actually, I’ll take that as a
compliment, sir.”
Kemara forced herself to look up from the
spaghetti she was rearranging on her plate. “That’s a good
idea! I’ll miss having you here, but it will be quieter with
them.” She thought for a minute. “Actually, the four of you
might get up to more adventures like the other day!”
Sean smiled. “Yep, those selfies you took were
pretty good for a bunch of old-timers.”
“We did have fun,” Joyce said, blushing.
“Megan said they’ll take us sightseeing. Did you grow up
there, Sean?”
The rest of the meal passed cheerfully as Sean
told stories of his childhood in Brewster - a picturesque
village an hour west of New York City.
When everyone scattered to their own rooms,
Joyce stopped Kemara and Sean in the hall. “I have a feeling
the two of you had something to do with our invitation. And I
know you’re upset with me,” she told to Kemara. “But those
things needed to be said.”
“With all due respect,” Sean said evenly. “You
don’t understand how things are here. We do things with each
other and for each other because we want to. No one’s getting
walked on, I can assure you.”
Joyce bridled. “I understand that my daughter
can be selfish, and you’d better learn that before you decided
to spend the rest of your life with her.” She turned on her
heel and started up the stairs.
Sean clenched his jaw and made as if to go
after her, but Kemara put a hand on his arm. “Please….just let
it go for now. They’re leaving in the morning.”
“Kemara? Sean?” Andrew’s voice made them turn.
He and JenniAnn stood in the kitchen doorway. “We couldn’t
help but overhear. I’m sorry….Kemara, do you want me to speak
to her?”
Kemara shook her head. “Thanks, but she has
her mind made up.”
JenniAnn hugged her friend. “She’s the only
one who thinks like that.”
“Yes, she is,” Andrew said. “And Sean’s right:
We’re doing all of this because we want to, not because you
forced us into it.” He smiled. “Actually, I don’t think you
even asked.”
“Nope!” JenniAnn said. “We jumped right in and
offered.”
“Well, I did ask Violeta…” Kemara mumbled.
Andrew chuckled. “And she’s loved every minute
of it. She talked my ear off while she was helping feed Belle
this afternoon. Kept going on about about flowers and
ribbons.”
“It’s good for her to have somewhere to
channel all that energy,” JenniAnn agreed. “And as for
helping...I don’t look at it as something to keep track of, to
say, I did this for you, so you need to do this for me. I
think it’s like Stephen Colbert said, ‘Try to love others and
serve others and hopefully find those who love and serve you
in return’.”
Kemara smiled. “Thank you both.” She hugged
them.
“Yeah, thanks,” Sean said, quietly. “I
would’ve been far less eloquent, I’m afraid.” He put an arm
around Kemara. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.”
They left to a chorus of ‘good-nights’. At the
door, something made Kemara look up. Joyce stood on the
landing, and expression on her face made it clear she had
heard every word.
Saturday,
March 14
When Kemara and Sean arrived at the theater
just after five, they found Emma and Peter in the office.
Peter hung up the phone and waved them in. Emma was inspecting
a box of newly printed programs.
“Hey, guys! You ready for your folks to see
you on stage?” Peter asked.
Sean shrugged. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He
nodded at the phone. “Trouble?”
“Nah, just making sure the T-shirts will get
here on time. All the snowstorms have things backed up. But
FedEx tells me they’ve already left the warehouse.”
Emma kept out two programs and closed the box.
“Here.” She handed them to Kemara. “So your parents can have a
copy.”
“Thanks,” Kemara said. She wandered listlessly
over the wall of photos and studied them..
Emma and Peter exchanged glances. “Have you
talked to them lately?”
Sean had wanted to inform the others about
Joyce’s opinions, and Kemara had finally agreed. Somewhat to
her surprise, everyone firmly took Andrew and JenniAnn’s side.
She sighed and turned away from last year’s
cast photo with Joshua front and center. “I called mom this
morning. We mostly talked about how they all went out dancing
last night. She didn’t mention the wedding at all.”
Sean frowned. “Well, if she’s waiting for me
to change my mind, she’s going to have a long wait. Dad says
they’ve explained all about Dyeland - they used the example of
the early Christians who lived together and had everything in
common.”
Kemara grinned. “But apparently mom looked
kinda funny and muttered something about hippie communes.”
Emma and Peter laughed.
“I bet JenniAnn liked that!” Emma said.
“She did,” Sean agreed. “But she wanted to
make sure they understood there’s no….umm...inappropriate
behavior going on.”
The door from the house opened, and Adam,
Kylie and Clay came in. “Hello all! It sounds nice and
cheerful in here,” the angel of death said.
Peter wiped his eyes. “It seems Kemara’s mom
now has the impression that we’re all part of a free love,
hippie commune.”
“Really?” Adam looked startled. “That’s news
to me!”
Kylie giggled. “I think the only ones getting
any free love are Adam’s turkeys!”
He pretended to scowl. “I will not tolerate
any disrespect to my turkeys,” he said with offended dignity.
“We wouldn’t dare,” Kemara assured him.
“How’re things with your parents?” he asked
and put an arm around her in a quick hug.
Kemara shrugged. “No change yet that we’ve
heard. Mom’s still convinced Sean and I are forcing all of
your to prep for our wedding while we sit around doing
nothing.”
“Forcing?” Now, Adam looked even more offended
than at the slur to his beloved turkeys. “Hmm….we’ll have to
force them to change their minds, won’t we?”
But before they could ask what he meant, Emma
caught sight of movement in the parking lot.
“Andrew, JenniAnn and Belle are here with
Yonah. And I think that’s your parents right behind them,
Sean.”
Kemara went a little pale, and Sean squeezed
her hand. “Let’s go see Yonah,” he suggested.
The Jolly Green pulled into a space next to
the temporary stall Andrew and Peter had put up the week
before. Sean’s dad parked nearby.
When Joyce and David got out of the car,
Kemara took a deep breath and went over to them.
“Hey! So have you all been having a good
time?” She asked hugging them both.
“Yes, we have,” Joyce said. “Although we tend
to stay up far too late with a bottle of wine.”
David chuckled. “Well, your mother and Megan
stay up late. Keith and I are usually in bed long before
either of them.”
“We ladies have a lot to discuss,” Megan said,
smiling. “Our children, for one thing.”
“And your husbands for another,” Keith
quipped. “I’m amazed you’ve let us get a word in edgewise.”
Everyone moved back as Andrew climbed up into
the trailer clipped a lead onto the donkey’s halter. Yonah
stepped down carefully as if to make sure the ground wasn’t
still moving.
Andrew led him to stall and took off the lead.
“There, now you can see everybody.”
“Hey, buddy.” David approached and held out
his palm revealing a piece of peppermint candy. The donkey
crunched it eagerly and shoved his nose into the man’s chest
looking for more.
“I’d forgotten!” Violeta said. “Kemara told me
you had a donkey when you were a kid.”
“That’s right. His name was Saul, and he
followed me around like a dog.” He ran a hand over the
donkey’s scarred side. “Looks like this fellow’s been through
a lot.”
JenniAnn nodded. In her arms, Belle reached
out to pat Yonah’s nose. “He’s a rescue; but he’s a hundred
times better than he was when we got him.”
“I can imagine.” He walked back over to Joyce.
She sneezed.
“Well, that proves that I’m as allergic to
donkey hair as I am to horse hair,” she said, taking a tissue
from her purse. “Kemara used to ride horses, and when she’d
get in the car, my eyes would start itching.”
Kemara smiled tentatively. “You weren’t always
like that. Didn’t you say you and dad used to ride?”
“Yes, and I got bucked off every time!” The
others chuckled.
As they were walking back across the lot, Adam
said casually, “Kemara and Sean, I wanted to ask what flavor
do you want your cake to be?”
They looked at one another.
“Lemon, maybe?” Sean suggested.
“Works for me. I’ve never liked that fake
vanilla taste of store-bought cakes,” Kemara said.
“This definitely won’t be store-bought,” The
angel assured her. He held the office door open.
Joyce stared at him. “You’re making their
wedding cake?”
“Sure! Why spend money for something
mass-produced, when you can have homemade? So, I offered.”
“Adam’s very talented,” Kylie put in.
“He knits, too,” JenniAnn said. “He’s made
Belle several hats.”
Joyce looked a bit overwhelmed. “Really?”
Adam waved a hand dismissively and held open
the door to the house as well. “Ah, one picks up various
little hobbies over the centuries. And if they can benefit my
friends, so much the better.”
“What about a groom’s cake?” Sean said,
looking hopeful.
Kemara patted his cheek. “I’m taking care of
that, and you’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Chocolate?”
“No, butterscotch. Of course, chocolate.”
Keith grinned. “Son, she’s got you figured
out.”
Voices from backstage interrupted them.
“That sounds like the Tunnel bunch,”Andrew
said.
The next ten minutes saw a steady stream of
people leaving the blue room where the portal was hidden.
Kemara noticed her parents watching in some surprise as the
new arrivals were all greeted like family instead of
co-workers. The children ran up and down the aisles while the
adults stood in chatting groups.
Andrew cupped his hands around his mouth. “If
I could have everyone in the cast and crew in the auditorium,
please!”
When they were all gathered he said, “First,
I’d like to welcome Kemara’s parents, David and Joyce; and
Sean’s parents, Megan and Keith. Since Kemara and Sean will
have better things to do than join us on opening night -.”
Whoops and cheers broke out. Kemara blushed,
but Sean just grinned.
“They’re going to watch tonight’s rehearsal.”
Andrew continued. “So, since this is the last true rehearsal
before the preview performances, we’re going to go full out -
lights, costumes, everything. If you notice something that
needs work, make a note of it, but we won’t stop unless
something extreme happens. Sound good?”
Owen raised his hand. “What’s extreme?”
“Let’s try not to find out,” Peter suggested.
“So it’s 6:30 now,” Andrew looked at his
pocket watch. “Lets try to get started right at seven.”
Kemara and Sean stood up with the others. She
gave the programs to Megan and Joyce. “We’ll see you at
intermission. It’ll still be 15 minutes because JenniAnn needs
time to do Peter’s makeup. And Zeke’s takes a while, too.”
“Enjoy the show,” Sean said, and they hurried
backstage.
When Kemara was dressed, she went looking for
Sean. He was just leaving the men’s dressing room.
“How do I look?” he asked holding his arms out
to his sides to show the tunic he wore
“Very handsome.” She patted his cheek again.
“That green looks good with your hair, and I like the beard.”
He scratched at his chin. “It itches. I’ve
never really had one before, so it’s taking some time to get
used to. I’ll probably shave it all off when summer comes.”
“Just kept it nicely trimmed, please.”
“Don’t worry! I won’t go all Duck Commander on
you.”
“Good.”
They kissed.
“Are you ‘posed to do that before the
wedding?”
Kemara and Sean broke apart to see Portia’s
daughter, Persephone, staring up at them suspiciously.
Sean tugged one of her braids. “Sure! You know
there’s a part in the wedding where the preacher says ‘you may
now kiss the bride’?”
She nodded.
“Well, we have to practice to make sure we get
it right on the big day. We wouldn’t want to bump noses, now
would we?”
Persephone giggled as he gently tweaked hers.
Kemara smiled herself remembering that awkward
first kiss where they had indeed bumped noses. But Sean was
right - practice helped.
“Ten minutes, everyone.” Andrew was making the
rounds. “Persephone, Monica says you left your pashmina in the
dressing room.”
With a wave, the girl ran off.
Kemara and Sean heard the Shema music begin
and Peter’s voice chanting.
“Good luck,” Sean whispered to her as they
took their places with the others onstage. “I’d say break a
leg, but then I’d have to carry you down the aisle on
Tuesday.”
Arthur chuckled. “That would be a novel
sight.”
“It would give the tradition of carrying the
bride over the threshold a new meaning,” Eric said as Peter
joined them.
“Everything OK out there?” Zeke inquired.
Peter nodded. “So far.” He took a deep breath.
“Let’s do this.”
*****
At intermission, the cast poured into the
auditorium. Kemara grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler
Andrew kept filled and looked around for her parents.
She found them talking to Shane and some of
the others. Joyce broke off the conversation to hug her
daughter.
“You were all wonderful! You and Sean both
looked very comfortable up there.”
“Where is Sean?” Keith asked. “He’s not
hiding, is he?”
“He’s helping to set up for the second act,”
Shane said. “He’ll be out in a minute.”
Megan shuddered. “I’m not looking forward to
that. Although Peter does a wonderful job.” She turned to
David and Joyce. “We have the DVD of last year’s performance
if you want to see it. Joshua really brought the role to life,
but Peter is just as splendid.”
The cast members who overheard this smiled
knowingly.
“Well, the first act looked good from here,”
David said.
“For us, too,” Shane agreed. “But there are
more chances for things to go wrong in the second half.”
Arthur called his name, and he left them with a nod.
“Nice young man,” Joyce said. “What role does
he play?”
“He’s King Herod in the second act,” Kemara
said. She smiled at her mother’s look of surprise.
David chuckled. “Now, that I can’t wait to
see!”
“He’s pretty over-the-top,” Sean agreed making
his way over to them. “So, how’d we do?” he asked Megan and
Keith.
“I’d say amazingly well,” Keith joked. “But
I’m afraid your ego would overinflate.”
Sean looked wounded. “Sounds like you weren’t
expecting much.”
“How did you ever put up with him as a child?”
Kemara rolled her eyes.
Megan smiled. “It was a struggle! My advice,
dear, is to only believe half of what he tells you.”
“Mom!”
Everyone laughed, and the rest of intermission
passed quickly as they chatted about the upcoming preview
shows.
The second act had a few lighting glitches,
but Gloria promised to have them fixed by the 18th. Megan,
Keith David and Joyce applauded the finale enthusiastically.
“When you went past us down the aisle, I
wanted to jump up and go along!” Keith said, shaking Peter’s
hand. “Wonderful job!”
“Thank you, sir,” Peter blushed as Emma stood
with an arm around him looking proud.
“And you,” Joyce said to Adam. “I can’t
imagine how you managed to play that role. It must be
incredibly difficult.”
Adam smiled. “Telling the story is important,
and having my family around me helps.” He gestured at cast and
crew, humans and angels all talking and laughing together.
“Yes,” Joyce said thoughtfully, taking in the
scene. “I can see how it would.”
As Kemara and Sean saw their parents back to
the car. David dropped back to walk beside her. “I think your
mother’s starting to come around,” he said quietly. “Keith and
Megan have told us a lot about Dyeland and your friends. She
had some questions about the angels and their role around the
place. But I think tonight - and Adam in particular - went a
long way toward reassuring her.”
“And what about you?” Kemara knew her father
preferred to watch rather than speak, so he missed very
little.
He hugged her. “All I want is for you to be
happy….in whatever way works for you. Your mother wants you to
have the usual things - a husband and kids - but I’m a little
more open minded. If you’ve found a family with these folks -
good folks - then I can rest easy at night.”
Kemara blinked back tears. “Thanks, Daddy.”
She kissed his cheek. “I love you.”
“I enjoyed tonight very much,” Joyce said
giving Kemara a hug. “It was so exciting seeing you on stage
like that.”
“You’ve seen me on stage before.”
“Not in something as professional as this!”
She opened the car door and put her purse inside. “So what are
you and Sean doing tomorrow?”
Kemara shrugged. “Besides church, nothing
really.”
“I’ll be trying to keep her calm!” Sean said.
“It’s a hard job, but somebody’s got to do
it,” David joked.
Joyce got in the car. “We’ll see you Monday,
then!”
“Bye!”
As they drove away, Sean wrapped his arm
around Kemara.
“Two days.”
******
Much to her surprise, Sean did keep her calm -
and busy.
He had already brought most of the things from
his New York apartment, and the stacks of boxes lined the
walls of the living room - the largest room in Kemara’s little
beach house.
So, after they got back from Mass, Sean
suggested they spend some time unboxing and putting away.
“Not all of it. I know you’ve still got some
packing to do for our trip. But there are a few thing you
might find interesting.”
They put on Joshua’s CD of Celtic tunes and
set to work. Sean’s collection of murder mysteries joined her
own Victorian-era novels in the bookcase. His CDs filled large
two boxes.
“Huh.” He looked at them doubtfully. “Didn’t
realize I had so many.”
“I guess we could rip them all to an extra
hard drive and put the CDs themselves in storage,” Kemara
said. “I don’t think there’s space enough to leave them out.”
He sighed. “Yeah, but it’ll be a job. I’ll see
if Dad knows someone who could do it for me while we’re gone.”
In one box marked Sean-childhood, Kemara found
Sean’s old trophies and medals from his Irish dance
competitions..
“Mom gave me that box when I moved out,” he
said. “She said I might want it one day; but I never bothered
to see what was in it.” He chuckled. “I can’t believe she kept
all this stuff!”
Under the trophies were a couple of yearbooks
and a thick photo album. Intrigued, Kemara opened it.
“Oh, look at you!” The first page showed a
newborn Sean bawling and very red.
He tried to grab the book. “Give me that!”
“No!” She hugged it to her chest. “Go empty
some more boxes. I need to study this closely.”
“So bossy….” he muttered, cutting the tape on
another carton.
Kemara ignored him, fascinated by pictures of
her fiance as a baby being held by Keith, as a toddler wearing
a Yankees cap at a baseball game, as a child at dance
competitions with a very young Ciara, as a teen in a soccer
uniform.
“You do look good in a kilt!” she said,
stopping on a photo of the siblings. Ciara looked to be about
five, wearing a purple, hand-embroidered dress, her dark hair
in a riot of curls. She was grinning from ear to ear and
holding a trophy as big as she was. Ten-year-old Sean stood
beside her in a purple kilt and jacket with a black shirt. His
expression was solemn, but his green eyes were mischievous.
“What?” The adult Sean leaned over. “Oh yeah!
I remember that day. It was Ciara’s first feis, and she didn’t
win anything. Nowadays, every kid gets a ribbon, but not back
then. She was furious with herself - she was really
competitive even at five. So I said she deserved my trophy
more than I did, because she’d just gotten over the flu and
that was probably why she hadn’t swept the floor with her
competition.”
Kemara grinned up at him. “Aww...such a
thoughtful big brother.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t care about winning the
way she did. I was more into the technical stuff - getting a
step just right.”
“I bet you never minded practicing your scales
on the piano, either. I hated those!”
“Nope! I could do those for hours.” He reached
out and turned a page in the album.
“Oh, that’s you and your grandpa!” The boy,
who looked to be about six, was wearing a fireman’s hat and
sitting on the hood of a firetruck. Steadying him was an older
man with a weathered face and bright blue eyes.
Sean smiled fondly. “Yeah, that’s papa -
Eugene Edward - that’s where my middle name comes from. You
know, I wonder how my own dad felt back then. Because I paid a
lot more attention to papa than to him. Dad was just dad, but
papa did exciting things.”
“I’m sure he understood. I think a lot of kids
have favorite grandparents. I mean, isn’t that a grandparent’s
job - spoil the kids and send them back to their parents?”
“Ha! Yeah, that’s true.” He came around the
couch and taking her hands, pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get
some lunch - something healthy since you’re hopefully eating
for two and all.”
Kemara rolled her eyes. “Sean, I keep telling
you….it might not happen for a long time.”
“I know that. But if it does you’re already a
week pregnant.” She looked at him as if he’d just sprouted
horns. “I’ve been reading up.”
“Joshua help me…..”
******
“So how’s the forecast looking for tomorrow?”
Sean asked the next day as he broke down the most recent empty
boxes. He’d come over early, but Kemara was already too
nervous to be distracted by unpacking.
She switched away from Facebook and pulled up
the Weather Channel. “Not too bad. High of 49; mix of sunshine
and clouds. I’m so glad it won’t be raining or snowing!”
“I’m glad we decided to have the reception at
Willowveil. It’s already really spring-like here,” Sean said.
He stroked Warren who sat on the windowsill looking out at the
gulls.
Kemara just nodded and went back to her email.
Sean frowned when he saw her hands were shaking slightly. She
was stung tight as a wire.
Quietly he went over to the stereo and
selected a CD. Kemara looked around when “Mummer’s Dance”
started.
“Wanna dance?”
She smiled and got up. “I guess we should
practice for tomorrow.”
“Nah, I’m not worried about that.”
They were quiet for a while and then she said,
“Isn’t this the song we danced to at the party last year?”
“I wondered if you’d remember that. We’re not
quite as awkward now as we were that day.” He smiled down at
her.
“I think I was in a daze the whole time. I
couldn’t believe you wanted to be anything other than friends,
but Joshua had confirmed it so what could I do?”
Sean nodded. “He does seem to enjoy surprising
people. Been doing it for 2015 years, after all.”
When the song ended, Kemara sighed. “I guess
we’d better get ready.” She glanced at the clock on the
mantlepiece. “We’ve got to be at the church in an hour.”
“Guess so.”
She walked him to the door.
“This is the last time I’ll have to leave,” he
pointed out as they stood on the porch.
“That’s true,” she agreed. “Unless I kick you
out.”
He grinned. “Won’t happen in a million years.”
With a kiss, he bounded down the steps to the path that led to
Willowveil.
Kemara watched him go, smiling.
“Joshua, thank You for sending someone who can
make me laugh,” she whispered before turning to go back
inside.
******
At 4:30, the Dyeland inhabitants - plus Ivy
who had arrived right after school - piled into the Jolly
Green and Arthur’s car for the short ride to St. Mary
Magdalene's.
“Looks like our folks are already here,” Sean
said as they pulled into the parking lot. He scanned the
vehicles of those who had come for Monday night choir
practice. “I don’t see Ciara and Brad’s car, though.”
“I imagine getting five kids ready to go
somewhere is a job. One is bad enough,” JenniAnn said.
Sean laughed. “Oh yeah! It’s like an assembly
line.”
“Or ‘Cheaper by the Dozen,” Kemara joked as
she climbed out of the van.
Ivy laughed. “Didn’t they have the assembly
line thing, too?”
“Yes, and I don’t think it made much
difference with them, either.”
They found Megan, Keith, David and Joyce
talking with Father Mike in the narthex.
“I don’t imagine it will be a problem,” he was
saying. “The only issue might be parking, but since the
portal's right down the street, I think we’ll be OK.” He
grinned. “I suppose everyone could walk back to Dyeland, but
the sight of an entire wedding party dressed to the nines
disappearing into an alley might draw attention.”
Keith laughed. “Even from those who are
already celebrating.”
“I’d almost forgotten about the parade,”
Kemara said. “It’s always crazy around here.”
“Hopefully we can avoid the crazy part and
still celebrate,” Father Mike said. “Now, let me show you what
decorations we do have….” he told Megan and Joyce, gesturing
towards the sanctuary.
The others followed him, but Kemara hesitated
in the doorway.
“What?” Sean, who was already halfway down the
aisle, turned and came back to her.
“I just - I keep wondering if this is a dream,
and I’ll wake up and still be a newspaper reporter in some
little Georgia town.”
Sean smiled. “Didn’t you say you met JenniAnn
and Andrew back then? Joshua was already drawing all of us
together. ‘I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord’.
And I think His plan is for us to walk down that aisle
tomorrow.”
Kemara stared at him. “You can be really
profound, you know that?”
“Only once every five years or so.”
As she genuflected, Kemara looked up at the
crucifix behind the altar.
Sean’s
right. I doubted, but You had this planned all along.
Joyce and David waved them over to a pew.
“So has Sean been keeping you busy?” David
asked.
“I’ve tried, but she’s hard to distract when
she gets like this,” Sean said.
Kemara blushed. “Sorry….I guess I’m just
nervous.”
Joyce hugged her. “That’s totally normal.” She
leaned close and whispered. “Will we have to kneel the way you
all did just now when you came in? I don’t know how to do
that.” She looked worried.
“I don’t think so. You’ll probably just bow to
the altar when we get to the front - right before we enter the
pew. Father Mike will explain everything.”
Her mother nodded. “I like him very much. He’s
so down to earth! I didn’t know Catholic priests were like
that.”
“Not all of them are,” Sean said. “But Father
Mike’s just a great guy. He was actually born in Dyeland they
tell me, so he knows everyone here - Catholic or not - really
well.”
Megan excused herself and taking out her
phone, left the sanctuary. She returned a few minutes later.
“Ciara, Brad and the children are on their
way,” She rolled her eyes. “Traffic, as usual. But they should
be here in about 15 minutes.” She looked inquiringly at Father
Mike.
“That’s fine. This is the last thing I have
scheduled for the night, so we can start whenever.”
“You’re coming with us to Adrian’s, aren’t
you, Fr. Mike?” Kemara asked.
He smiled. “Wouldn’t miss it!”
Joyce had been gazing around the church. “That
painting beside the altar is wonderful.”
“Owen made it,” Kemara said smiling at the
depiction of Maryam, Yosef and baby Joshua. “Come on, you can
look at it closer.” She led her mother over to it.
“I’ve never seen something so lifelike. It
looks like a photograph.” Joyce said. She moved to altar steps
and looked back up the aisle.
"What did you decide to do about flowers?” She
asked. “Father Mike,” she said the words a little hesitantly,
unused to the term of address. “said the church is pretty
strict on what’s allowed. The last I heard, Violeta had a few
different ideas."
"Oh, our friends in Albany - the Romanos -
have a farm with greenhouses. Dot said she has some Easter
lilies just blooming. So Kylie, Clay, Adam and the twins -
Caleb and Edward - offered to bring them in the morning. We're
going to have two pots to leave on the altar through Easter."
Kemara gestured. "And I'll have a bouquet. Monica found some
lovely navy and silver ribbons to tie it up with. I just don't
know about Kelly - Sean's niece who's our flower girl. I’m not
sure she can hold a bouquet and Liam’s arm at the same time.”
Joyce thought. "I don't suppose you want her
scattering petals down the aisle?"
"No. Too many people are walking behind her. I
don't think the church would go for that anyway."
"Well, can she just carry a basket of lilies
or white roses?"
"That's an idea." JenniAnn had come down to
the front after Belle who was toddling among the pews. "I'm
sure we can find a little basket. I'll mention it to Ciara
when they get here. She might have something."
At that moment, they heard voices in the
narthex.
“That sounds like Ciara and Brad,” Kemara
listened. “And maybe Diana and Zeke, too?”
Parker, Ciara and Brad’s oldest child ran into
the sanctuary with his younger brother close behind.
“You boys get back here,” Brad called after
them. “If anyone needs blessing with holy water, you do!”
Dragging their feet, the children trudged back
up the aisle, and under their father’s gaze dipped their
fingers into the font by the door.
Ciara came in with the three little girls. She
sighed with relief as Megan took three-year-old Erin from her.
“Thanks! She insisted I had to carry her so her shoes wouldn’t
get dirty.”
“They’re beautiful shoes,” Megan told her
granddaughter. “But you come sit with me now and give Mommy a
break, OK?”
Zeke and Diana came in with Hailey and Kendra,
who was carrying Manny.
Sy trailed in behind them looking bored, but
perked up when he caught sight of Ivy. She blushed as he sat
next to her.
“Hello everyone,” Zeke said coming over to
shake hands. “Are we the last ones here?”
Andrew nodded. “It’s no problem. We don’t have
to be at Adrian’s until 7 so we’ve got time.”
“Are you really sure you want to put up with
my crew?” Ciara asked JenniAnn as the women watched Brad
settle his two boys into a pew with a tablet computer.
Sean had picked up Kelly and was carrying her
around the church showing her the statues and paintings.
To Kemara’s surprise, her own father and
Father Mike were deep in conversation.
JenniAnn smiled. “Definitely! We’ll just
corral all the kids into one room with some quilts and
pillows. That’s what we did at Christmas, and it worked really
well. I can’t guarantee they’ll get any sleep, though,” she
warned.
“Oh, I’m not counting on that. I might keep
Kelly in our room so she’ll have a better chance than the
others. Don’t want the flower girl having a tantrum on her way
down the aisle!"
Kemara laughed. “That would be memorable! I’m
sure she and Liam will do fine. I can’t wait to see her in her
dress. That will be three red-heads up there!” She smiled at
Ivy.
“Yup! Kelly looks like she could be my little
sister.”
Sean overheard her and, coming over, sat Kelly
down beside Ivy in the pew. “Uh-huh. Two red-headed
leprechauns.”
Kelly giggled, too shy to speak.
“You make three,” Kemara told him. “Let me get
a photo.” She pulled out her phone.
He sat down beside Ivy pretending to grumble.
“You take too many pictures, woman!”
“This is the only wedding I’m going to get, so
you hush.”
“That’s the spirit!” Father Mike cheered. He
made his way to the ambo and stood behind it.
“It looks like everyone’s here now, so if you
would all please find a seat, we’ll go ahead and get started.
First, I’d like to introduce, Darla, she’s our organist so
she’ll be playing for us.” He gestured to a black-haired woman
who had just hurried in by a side door.
“The purpose of tonight,” the priest
continued. “Is to make sure everyone is familiar with the
wedding parts of the Mass. We'll start with the procession,
and then have the lectors and Zeke go over the readings. I'll
save my inspiring homily for tomorrow so it will be a
surprise...."
His listeners chuckled.
"Then we'll move on to the Rite of Marriage
which includes the vows, the rings and the very long nuptial
prayer. Don't worry - I won't be saying that tonight, either.
If everything goes smoothly, I think we should be done in
about an hour or so. But Kemara and Sean, if there's something
you want to go over again, please don't hesitate to ask."
The couple nodded. Sean raised a hand. “Darla,
are you going to be playing all the music tonight, too?”
“I can. That’s really up to you. You and -
Kemara, right? - chose songs I’m very familiar with. Of
course, I’ll play the piano for the responsorial psalm when we
get to that point.”
Zeke raised a hand in his turn. “That would be
me.”
Sean looked at Kemara who shrugged. “Why not?
It will give us some idea of how many verses to do while we
get every seated.”
“Cool!” Darla smiled. “I’ve already put the
numbers up on the board, and all the songs are in the hymnal.”
“Alright.” Father Mike consulted the papers he
held. ”I need Kemara, Sean, David, Joyce, Megan, Keith, Owen,
Zeke, Diana, Ivy, Brad, Kelly and Liam to come back in the
narthex with me. Those of you who are left, let us know how
everything looks from your perspective. If you could spread
out on both sides, that would help.”
In the narthex, Father Mike explained the
order.
“The altar servers are first, followed by
Owen, Zeke and Diana with the Gospels….” He waited while the
three of them lined up in the front of the sanctuary doors.
“Zeke and Diana you can walk together behind Owen. You’ll sit
on the left side to be closest to the ambo.”
“Then comes myself. And behind me will be Liam
and Kelly.” He crouched in front of the two children. “Now
you’ll both have something to carry.”
“Do I get flowers?” the little girl asked.
“You’ll have a basket with flowers in it,”
Kemara promised. “But I didn’t think about the rings. I guess
Monica could sew a pillow for us.” She turned to Sean and
Brad. “Weren’t you guys supposed to handle that?”
Sean shrugged. “I asked Father Mike and he
told me he had something that would work.”
The priest stood up and took something small
from the table beside the main doors where the bulletins were
usually stacked. He gave the object to Liam.
“A bowl?” The boy turned it over and the
others saw that it had been carved from a single block of wood
and finished to a high gloss. Around the edge ran an elaborate
Celtic design.
Kemara drew in a breath as she realized the
identity of the bowl’s maker. She peered over Liam’s shoulder
and saw that engraved on the bottom of the bowl were the
words: K&S March 17, 2015. Beside her Sean stiffened.
Liam was still puzzled. “We’ll put the rings
in here?” He sounded slightly disappointed.
Father Mike bent down and whispered, “Joshua
carved it.”
Liam smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
Kemara turned to her parents and Megan and
Keith. “Our friend Joshua made it. I guess he left it with you
Father Mike?”
“That’s right.” The priest turned back to Liam
and Kelly. “So you two will walk right behind me. When we get
to the end of the aisle, you’ll sit in the first pew on the
left side.” He pointed, and they nodded solemnly.
“OK next will be Ivy and Brad.” He stepped
back so they could take their places. “You’ll sit in the first
pew on the right side. Then comes Kemara with David on her
right and Joyce on her left. Sean, Megan is on your left and
Keith on your right.”
With some confusion and laughter, they got
sorted.
“And here we go.” Father Mike nodded to Darla
and took his place behind Zeke and Diana.
“Please stand and join in singing hymn number
548, ‘Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee’.”
As the music rang out and those in the pews
began to sing, Kemara took a deep breath and started down the
aisle.
******
They did two more run-throughs of the
processional - without music - before Father Mike gave his
approval.
Owen and Diana gave the readings, getting used
to the microphone, and Zeke worked with Darla on the timing of
the responsorial psalm.
The rest of the rehearsal went by quickly.
Everyone smiled as Kemara and Sean stuttered through their
vows the first time.
Father Mike shook his head. “You know, I can
just ask the questions so all you have to say is ‘I do’. I
think you could manage that much,” he teased.
The couple laughed. “Maybe we’d better try
that,” Sean admitted. “This isn’t as easy as I thought it
would be.”
“It’s not supposed to be easy, son!” Keith
called out, making everyone else laugh, too.
Before leading the recessional, Kemara and
Sean “practiced” their kiss for an appreciative congregation.
“I think that a wrap,” Father Mike said when
they were all gathered again. “We want to get started at 10:30
sharp, so let’s have the wedding party here by 9:30. That will
give Liam and Kelly a chance to practice with the flowers and
the rings and for the rest of us to iron out any last minute
details.”
******
When everyone had arrived, Andrew asked,
“Father Mike, would you say the blessing before we eat?”
“Of course. Lord, thank you for this happy
celebration of your most amazing gift, the gift of love. Thank
you for friends and family. Thank you for Kemara and Sean, and
bless them as they stand on the threshold of a new part of
their journey in this life. Let them lean in to their love of
you and of each other. And let this big, crazy family stand to
bolster them in their life together, now and always. Thank you
for this meal. Bless those who helped prepare it and those who
made this evening possible. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”
“Amen,” the others echoed. Several people
called for Kemara and Sean to go to the head of the serving
line.
“Where do we sit?” Sean asked when they had
filled their bowls.
“Anywhere,” Violeta said. “I didn’t think we
needed assigned seats.”
When she finished eating, Rose moved around
the room and took several candid shots with Kemara’s Nikon.
She and Max offered to get them printed.
“I know a place that’s open late,” Max said.
“We’ll have them to you tonight. Rose says you’ve got quite a
scrapbook going.”
“Thanks,” Kemara said gratefully. “JenniAnn
suggested I put it out at the reception, and it would be nice
to have it up to date.”
Sean tapped on the rim of his glass to get
everyone’s attention. When the room had quieted, he and Kemara
stood up.
“I know you’re going to hear a lot of speeches
and toasts tomorrow, so we’ll keep this short. We want to
thank everyone for coming tonight. But most of all we want to
thank Violeta for all the hard work she’s put in since
November. I had no idea it took so many things to plan a
wedding: flowers, food, music, ribbons, catering, filling out
and sending in forms, ordering invitations….” He heaved a
dramatic sigh. “Frankly, I’m glad all I have to do is show
up!”
Even though Violeta turned red with
embarrassment, she looked pleased.
“So Violeta,” Kemara continued. “We have
something for you - and Ivy too, actually.” She smiled at the
teenager. “If you look in the kitchen the next time you’re
over at Serendipity, you’ll find a collection of table linens,
towels and washcloths. We thought you could mix and match so
we got bright, spring colors. Sean even helped me pick them
out.”
Violeta clapped her hands excitedly. “That’s
awesome! Thank you, so much!”
“Yes, thank you!” Ivy grinned. “Now I’m really
excited about starting college.”
After that, the gathering dissolved into
chatting groups as people helped themselves to an array of
sherberts and cookies that the servers now brought out.
“Kemara!” JenniAnn made her way over to where
Kemara stood talking with her parents. “I just spoke with
Adrian, and she said everything looks good for tomorrow. She’s
catering the reception,” she explained to David and Joyce.
“Catering?” Joyce asked, looking puzzled.
“From what Megan and Keith told us, doesn’t everyone usually
bring something?”
JenniAnn nodded. “Oh, sure, for more casual
things, but a wedding should be a lil fancier. Not that this
will be over the top. Since it’s early afternoon, Violeta and
I thought a brunch would be good - biscuits and gravy,
sausage, quiche, pastries, yogurt and fruit - that kinda
thing. And some light sandwiches too.”
“That sounds great!” Kemara agreed. “I’ll
probably be starving by then cause I doubt I’ll eat much
breakfast.”
“But does Adrian know about Dyeland?” David
put in. “Won’t you need servers?”
“Yeah, she does know, but it’s all self-serve.
Some people have offered to leave at Communion to start
putting things out. If the wedding party takes photos when you
all get back here, it will be ready in plenty of time.”
Joyce smiled. “That’s very nice of them.”
"Yep! Everyone
is so excited for Kemara and Sean and we love pitching in to
help each other... for happy and sad occasions both. And we're so glad
this is such a happy one!"
Kemara hugged her friend. “I know I’ve said it
a million times already, but thank you - and Andrew - so much
for everything you’ve done.”
“Aww….it was our pleasure. I’m just -.” She
broke off as Belle’s wail sounded above the chattering of the
crowd.
“Mama!”
“Gotta go!” With a wave, she left them.
Joyce cleared her throat self-consciously.
“Honey, can you get Sean, please? There’s something I want to
say to the two of you.”
“Of course! I”ll be right back.” In some
concern, Kemara found Sean and Brad at the dessert table. Brad
smiled at her.
“How’s it going, sis?” He asked.
She returned the smile. “It’s going to take me
a while to get used to being called that after 34 years of
being an only child.” She turned to Sean. “Mom wants to talk
to us.”
Brad whistled. “That sounds serious.”
“I hope it’s a good thing,” Sean said. “But
we’ll see.”
When they returned to the table, and sat down,
Joyce didn’t meet their eyes at first. Instead she folded and
unfolded a napkin until David put his hand over hers.
“Just tell them,” he said gently.
“I - I want to apologize for the way I’ve
acted, and the things I said about the two of you and your
friends - your family,” she corrected herself.
“I didn’t understand this new life you’ve made
for yourself, Kemara….I didn’t want to understand. Because I
thought it meant you would push me aside. It took some long
talks with Megan and Keith and seeing you with these people
for me to realize that I was the one doing the pushing, not
you.”
Kemara blinked back tears and squeezed Joyce’s
hand. “That’s OK, Mama. I know this has been really hard on
you and Daddy, both.”
“Yes,” David agreed. “But we should’ve been
here for you this week, and we weren’t.”
Joyce looked a Sean. “And I badly misjudged
you. I know you overheard our argument...I had no right to
doubt you like that.”
“I love your daughter, Mrs. Meeks, warts and
all. I know she’s got issues; she knows I’ve got issues. But
the point is: We’re working on them. We might not overcome
them completely, but we’re doing the best we can.”
David nodded. “We think you’re doing a fine
job from what we saw at the performance Saturday and again
tonight.”
“Thank you,” Kemara sniffed. “It means a lot
to hear that.”
Joyce smiled tearily. “We just want what’s
best for you. And, as your father pointed out to me, the best
is Sean and Dyeland. Can you forgive me?"
“Of course!”
Both women stood up at the same time and
embraced. When they separated, wiping away tears, Joyce hugged
Sean and David shook his hand.
The party broke up soon after that. Max and
Rose returned with the promised photos and, after dropping Fr.
Mike off at the church, The Jolly Green led a caravan of cars
- including Ciara’s and Brad’s back to Willowveil. Their
family, as well as Ivy, would be spending the night at the
castle.
“Kemara, are you coming in for a while?”
JenniAnn asked as they climbed out of the van.
“No, I think I’ll head on home, if that’s OK.”
JenniAnn smiled. “I understand. Call if you
want me to hang out with you though.”
“Thanks. I’m going to try to finish up the
scrapbook.”
She and Sean said goodnight to the others, and
started down the path to the beach house.
“I’m really glad your mom came around,” he
said. “I know it was bothering you.”
“And you too,” Kemara pointed out. “I was
thanking Joshua all the way back here.”
“Me too.”
They were silent for the rest of the walk,
both lost in thought.
At the door, Sean looked down at her for a
long moment as though memorizing her every feature.
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it,
not taking his eyes off hers.
“See you tomorrow.”
Her breath caught and she almost couldn’t
reply.
“Yes, see you tomorrow.”
In case you're interested, Kemara
graciously agreed to let us post a link to her Pinterest board
where she collected ideas for the wedding.
Back
to the Author's Cut
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