by Ford, Brenda
I make a show of walking down the aisle toe-to-heel like they do in the movies.
When I reach Darren, the vicar begins with the most ridiculous vows I’ve ever heard while the photographer’s camera flashes.
“Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today to witness the holy matrimony of—” he glances at his cheat sheet. “—Darren Miller and Rose Russo.”
I catch eyes with Darren and we both fold with laughter. I feel giddy from the alcohol and the ridiculousness of what we’re doing. I feel like I’m floating on a cloud of tequila, wrapped up in a neon haze.
“What Vegas brings together, let no man divide….”
I don’t hear the rest of what the vicar says. I’m too busy trying to stay upright and stifling my laughter. I don’t tune in again until it comes time to say ‘I do’.
“Do you, Rose Russo, take this man, Darren Miller, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“Heck yeah.”
“And do you, Darren Miller, take this woman, Rose Russo, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then by the power invested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you Elvis and Priscilla.” He smiles. “Husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Darren pulls me towards his and snogs me in a way that would have made horny teenagers blush. I’m flushed with excitement and drunkenness but am loving every second. I feel lighter than air and completely free.
We pose for more pictures then Marilyn ushers us to a booth at the front of the chapel to sign the marriage license.
And just like that, we’re Mr. and Mrs. Miller.
14
Darren
I wake up but don’t open my eyes. My head is pounding like I’ve smacked it against the wall. I groan and bury my face in the pillow. I can hear the blood pumping in my ears. My mouth is dry and my skin is hot.
I open one eye to peek at Rose. She’s completely nude except for a veil clipped into her hair.
My stomach drops as I remember the night before. Sitting up, I see the marriage certificate and photographs on the motel dresser.
We got married last night.
Part of me wants to laugh but part of me is worried what Rose will think when she wakes up. I vaguely remember the chapel being my idea. Did I take advantage of her?
I go to the dresser to pour a glass of water from the jug that had been left out. I gulp it down quickly, squinting in the glare of the single beam of light that breaks through the drapes.
I pick up the stack of photos and look through. Despite my panic, I smile as I look at the pictures. We’re both smiling in every single one. I chuckle at a picture of me carrying Rose cradle-style, both her sneakers in the air, one hand holding onto her veil and the other flung wide, gripping her bouquet. The smile on her face is so wide I have to smile just to see it.
While I’m looking, Rose stirs and wakes. She groans, sits up and coughs a few times. When she speaks, her voice is husky. “Darren?”
“Morning.”
She puts a hand to her head. “I’ve got the migraine from hell.”
“Me, too.”
Her fingers meet with the flimsy material of the veil and then her expression changes. “We got married last night.”
The sound of shock in her voice is kind of funny. I start laughing and once I start I can’t stop. “We got married.”
“We got married.” She puts her hand over her mouth and crumples over in laughter. She laughs so hard she has to wrap her arm around her middle to ease the stitches. “Darren, we got married!”
“Thank god you’re not pissed. I thought you’d kill me.”
She unclips the cheap veil from her hair and places it on the bedside table beside her. “I clearly remember saying I wasn’t going to back out. I was feeling pretty stubborn last night.”
I pick up the marriage certificate and show her. “It’s legit. We’re married by law.”
Rose simply starts laughing again. “I guess that should freak me out, shouldn’t it? Yet I can’t stop laughing because of what a shambles we are.”
There is a funny side to all this. “What else is there to do when you lose your job and your house burns down?”
“Better elope in Las Vegas with the best of them.”
“I’m sorry, Rose. It was my idea and now we’re husband and wife.”
She steps out of bed and crosses the room to put her arms around my neck and kiss me. “I guess we’re turning each other’s lives upside down. As mad as it all is, it’s not scaring me. My father scared me. Silvio scared me. Raffaele scared me. This? This is just a fun adventure.” She rubs my shoulder comfortingly. “Shall we get some coffee?”
“I need something. My head feels like it’s splitting open.”
We have a quick shower, get dressed and I drive us to a nearby diner where I order bottomless coffee refills for us both. Rose orders pancakes and I brace myself for the day with sausages, eggs, bacon, and toast.
“I’ve had a thought,” Rose says while we’re eating. For the first time, there’s the shadow of some concern on her face.
“What’s that?”
“Did we have sex last night?”
I recall our fumbling bodies intertwined together the night before. I can still hear the giggles ringing through the air.
“Three times, I think.”
She bites down on her lip. “I haven’t taken my pill for three days.”
“I’m sure there’s still some in your system. It’s a hormone. It doesn’t wear off that fast, does it?”
“I don’t know. We’d better not risk it, though.”
“It’s okay. We’ll find somewhere to get a morning-after pill.”
Rose looks relieved. She nods. “Good. In that case, I’m going to dig into these pancakes.”
I pull a face as I watch her devour the sugary, fluffy stack soaked in maple syrup. “I don’t know how you can have such an appetite if you’ve got a hangover anything like mine.”
“You kidding? I’m starving.”
I pick at my sausage and eggs, trying to force it down knowing it’ll help me feel better in a couple hours’ time. “There’s those rough edges again. I guess you can stomach your liquor.”
“I told you, I’m more than a spoiled princess.” She takes another huge bite of pancake. “My card should arrive today,” she says. “And I’m going to call Natalie. I’ve got a feeling my passport is at the casino. I left it in the office once and I don’t think I ever picked it up. I’ll get her to meet us somewhere.”
“That’s a good idea. Do you think she’d be followed?”
“No. I don’t think Silvio or my father would have kept a close enough eye on my friends to know who they were. They were only concerned with which men were looking my way.”
“I’d better call my buddy Jake, too. Let him know I’m moving on. He works in construction now but he’s got close ties in private security. I’ll get him to hook us up with some CCTV and alarms.”
“For where?” Rose looks up at me with uncertainty. “Where do we go next?”
I sit back and drum my fingers on the diner table. It’s quiet in the diner; there’s only a family with a couple of small kids and a middle-aged man reading a newspaper who’ve ordered. I look around at them as if looking for inspiration.
“Do you want to stay in Nevada?”
“Maybe not.” She bites down on her lip. “What do you want?”
“I don’t care. I’ll go anywhere. You said it yourself: this is an adventure.”
“If we went out of state, we could easily get to California or Idaho.”
“Or Arizona.”
“Or Utah.”
“Utah,” I repeat. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never thought about going there.”
“Me neither, although it’s meant to be beautiful. Zion National Park and the Canyonlands…”
“Imagine the picnics we could have.”
Rose laughs softly. “I’ve ever heard of the Uta
h mafia either.”
“They’ve got Sundance up there.”
“Are we really talking about moving to Utah?”
“It’s as good a place as any.”
She nods. “I want to stay away from any city with too many lights – New York, LA…Somewhere beautiful and natural.” She draws in a deep breath. “Sounds perfect.”
“Let’s do it.”
“Yeah?” Rose leans forward eagerly. “Where do we begin?”
“We finish breakfast, we pack, we pick up your card and passport and then we drive.” I pull out my cell to check the distance. “It’s a six-hour drive.”
“Far enough we’ll never pass an Alfonsi or a Russo in the streets.”
I feel excitement stirring within me. “We’ll drive down there tonight, find a place to stay, and tomorrow we can start looking at some house listings.”
Rose laughs. “We’re moving in together.”
“Yes, we are.”
She meets my eye and smiles widely. “I can’t wait.”
* * *
Natalie meets us on the outskirts of town. She looks relieved to see Rose and hugs her tightly.
“I was so worried, Rose,” she says. “First you didn’t show up for your shift and then I got that weird call about needing your passport. Are you going somewhere?”
Rose hugs her back then nods. “I can’t tell you where.”
Natalie frowns. She’s covered her skimpy outfit with a long Mac coat and has Rose’s passport clutched in her hand. “What’s happened? Are you in danger?”
“It’s complicated.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“You don’t need to be scared.” Rose offers Natalie a reassuring smile and takes my hand. “I’m going with Darren.”
“What is this? Are you eloping?”
“Actually, we’ve already done that.” Rose looks up to me with a cheeky smile. “We’re moving away to start our own life. You know what my father and Silvio can be like.”
“They’ve always had your love life under a microscope.”
“I can’t do it anymore, Nat.” I can hear the defeat and weariness in Rose’s voice. “I can’t let them dictate my life.”
“Of course not, not when you’re in love.” Natalie turns her gaze to me and then steps forward to hug me too. “I’m glad. I always thought you two would end up together. Take care of her, okay?”
“I will,” I promise. I put my arm around Rose’s shoulder and turn back to Natalie. “We’re both going to be fine.”
15
Rose
Salt Lake City.
The Great Salt Lake, Yellowstone, canyons, lakes…a world of beauty is on our doorstep. It didn’t take us long to settle in Salt Lake City once we’d made up our mind it was the place for us.
I used some of my savings to put a deposit down on a rented one-bedroomed apartment and a chunk of the rest to furnish it. Every cent was well spent; I adore our home.
The apartment has been made to look oldy-worldy. There are wooden beams cutting across the ceiling, wooden floors and a stone fireplace in the living room. The carpet is a soft camel color and the walls are the color of caramel latte. Our furniture is brown leather and a few eclectic pieces we found in thrift stores and antiques fairs. My favorite is the wooden wall clock with the brass pendulum.
The living room is connected open-plan to the kitchen which compliments the wood-and-stone living room with wood-paneled cabinets, more beams on the ceiling, and a rustic old-fashioned stove. We’ve planted a herb garden along the windowsill which helps make it look homely.
From the living room window, you can look out over the well-kept apartment complex gardens. Behind our block of apartments, there’s also a pristine pool.
The neighbors are nice. We’ve even met another young couple we get on with incredibly well called Millie and John. We’ve shared several balcony barbecues with them and they’ve been around three times now for drinks.
They know us as Rose and Darren Miller.
Within three weeks of being in Utah, Darren had found work as a bouncer in Salt Lake City and I found work as a waitress. We both work the same five late shifts, meaning we get our days together as well as Wednesdays and Thursdays.
I stand now at the kitchen sink looking over the gardens with a silly smile on my face. It’s 1pm and we’ve both just woken up after going to bed post-night shift. I’m about to put on some bacon so we can eat bacon sandwiches in bed.
It was going to be a surprise, but the smell lures Darren out of bed and he pads out into the kitchen in his pajama bottoms and comes to kiss me.
“Morning Sexy, something smells good.”
“Morning, Handsome.” I turn to look at him and my heart melts. I’m so happy.
We never discussed our marriage after the night at the chapel. We never talked about annulment or divorce. We just carried on, and we’re blissfully happy. Now I’m afraid to bring it up in case I ruin a good thing. I don’t want to find out that Darren is still living in a façade while I’ve found true happiness in being his wife.
“You look in a good mood,” he says, flicking the switch on the kettle.
“I am.” I smile broadly. “It’s a gorgeous day, I’ve had a full eight hours sleep, and we’ve got the whole day to ourselves before work. What do you want to do with it?”
He laughs. “You’re energetic today. We can do whatever you want.”
“Can we go for a bike ride?”
“If that’s what my girl wants.”
I look outside to where the sun is shining and I can think of nothing better. “Let’s do that.”
We eat breakfast together, laughing, joking, and flirting as always. Afterward, Darren goes to the shower while I load the dishwasher.
I’m surprised when the landline phone rings. We never get calls to the house.
I pick it up. “Hello?”
“Rose. It’s Natalie.”
“Natalie! How great to hear from you!”
“I’m not so sure. Rose, I’ve got some difficult news.”
My heart drops down into my stomach. I immediately start to worry about my father and Silvio. Maybe one of them has finally taken things too far and paid the ultimate price.
“What’s happened?”
“It’s your father. He’s not got long left.”
“How do you know?”
Natalie pauses, drawing in a deep breath before launching into an explanation. “Silvio cornered me in the casino and demanded to know where you were.”
“I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I told him I had no idea and that I hadn’t spoken to you since you’d left. I could tell he didn’t believe me. He asked for your number but I refused—I didn’t want him tracing your area code or using it to track you down somehow.”
I close my eyes in relief. “Thank you, Natalie. I appreciate that. I don’t want them to know where I am.”
“I figured that.” She continues. “He told me that if I knew where you were, I’d better get in touch. He said your father’s been given only days to live.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I’m sorry, Rose. I don’t know.”
I swallow back the huge ball of emotion that’s gathered in my throat. “Did Silvio say what he wanted from me?”
“I don’t know. All he said was that ‘all was forgiven’. I’m sorry, Rose, I didn’t want to ask too many questions in case it made it obvious we were still speaking.”
“You did great. I’m so grateful you kept our secret and that you called me. I appreciate it, Nat.”
She pauses for a second. “So, what are you going to do?”
I let out a long breath and squeeze the bridge of my nose to ease a mounting headache. “I just don’t know, Nat. It feels like a trap. Have you seen my father lately? Does he look ill?”
“Nobody’s seen him in weeks.”
A sense of dread makes my limbs feel heavy. “So he might be really sick.”
/>
“I don’t know.” Nat sighs heavily. “I wrestled with whether or not to call you. The last thing I wanted to do was bait you into a trap but I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if you missed your last chance to say goodbye to your father because of me.”
“No. You did the right thing. I’m going to have to think about it a while.”
“Sure. If you end up back in town, let me know. I just want to know you’re alright.”
We say goodbye and I hang up. I’m torn. On the one hand, I don’t trust my family anymore and there’s no saying what might be waiting for me if I return to Las Vegas. On the other hand, would I ever be able to live with myself if my father died and I’d never got the chance to say goodbye?
For all the wrong he’s done, he raised me, and loved me, and was there for me. All my memories of him up to a couple of months ago are good ones. What if it was an illness that made him change so suddenly? What if all this could be explained?
Darren returns from the shower, now fully dressed. He sees the look on my face and becomes worried. “Rose—what’s wrong?”
For a moment I think about telling him but I hold my tongue. I know that Darren would tell me I was foolish to even think about going back. He’d say it was a trap and would stop me going. Or he’d say it was a trap and insist on coming with me. And if it is a trap, I don’t want him anywhere near the danger zone.
I force a smile. “It’s nothing. I’ve just got cramps suddenly. Could we give the bike ride a miss?”
“Sure, Honey.” He steps up to me and strokes back my hair with concern. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Just a bit dizzy. I think I’m going to lie down.”
He kisses me again, his face a picture of devotion. “Whatever you need. Go get yourself settled. I’ll bring you through some tea and a hot water bottle.”
Tears sting behind my eyes. How did I get so lucky when it could have all gone so wrong? “Thanks, Darren.”
“No problem. Go rest.”
I stay in bed all day. I call in sick to work and stay beneath the covers long after Darren has started his shift.