Charlotte Marries a Vampire

by Cheryl Hammer

  Stefan knew that he was provoking her but it was a joyful moment. Things were back to going his way. “What aren’t you getting?”

  Lisa frowned. “You know, Stefan, it’s time to get rid of her.”

  * ~ *

  Across town, Charlotte had decided to take a break from assembling the bridesmaid bouquets. Saturday’s wedding was a welcomed event; nevertheless, it meant a considerable amount of focus for the various arrangements including bouquets and boutonnieres.

  Fourteen attendants! Charlotte had never worked on such a large-scale project by herself but she and Stefan needed the extra income so she didn’t want to pay for the additional help.

  Even though Stefan had a new investor, a man from the restaurant business, he told Charlotte that he still needed the new loan money for a custom sectional and another plan he failed to detail. Charlotte had simply given in.

  With money matters settled, she would dedicate the next few days to the wedding then celebrate the ending to the financial nightmare on Sunday with Stephanie and Stefan later that evening.

  It was almost ten p.m. when she showed up at Victor’s to grab a fast bite in the bar area, and perhaps visit with Victor and Mickey.

  Her fingers were swollen from the tedious efforts of the intricate bouquets. While stretching them in front of her, Mickey appeared.

  “Isn’t it a little late for Mom to be out?”

  “Big wedding project so I thought I’d take a break before I go back to work. It’s going to be a long one tonight.” Charlotte scoured the menu for something quick and filling while continuing to chat with Mickey.

  “Where’s Stefan?” Mickey asked.

  “Finally taking a night off.” Charlotte put her menu away. “I’m going to have a club sandwich, lots of fries and a beer.”

  Charlotte wasn’t sure if it was the fries or the beer, except Mickey raised eyebrows at the mention.

  Charlotte laughed. It was her first attempt at humor in awhile. Gauging Mickey’s response, she guessed she needed brushing up. “Just kidding. No fries or beer for me.”

  “Okay, cause you know Victor would be quoting from the baby book on alcohol and breastfeeding,” Mickey said with the authority of a surrogate sentry.

  “He is so sweet with her,” Charlotte said thinking about how Victor marveled over every stage of Stephanie’s growth – unlike Stefan.

  “Yeah, he missed out not having kids. I don’t think he realized that until Stephanie came along.”

  Charlotte looked around. “Where is he anyway?”

  Mickey was punching in the kitchen order as she talked. “Out with an old friend. Lisa managing the club tonight?”

  “Lisa?” Charlotte asked. A sick feeling churned in her stomach as she watched Mickey freeze in motion.

  “What am I saying? Don’t mind me,” Mickey went on nervously. “I’m just babbling along. Working too many hours.”

  At once, clarity and peace surrounded Charlotte. For the first time since she had met Stefan, she was no longer afraid to face the truth.

  “Mickey, please. What do you know that I don’t?” she asked with serious eyes.

  A half hour later, Mickey sat next to Charlotte whose face was blotched with emotions.

  After comparing notes, Charlotte was able to put together the missing pieces of her past year’s marriage.

  “I thought it was odd when I heard,” Mickey commented about Lisa working at the club.

  “Stefan said his new investor was a man from New Orleans.”

  “That part’s true,” Mickey confirmed. “It’s Damon. Victor’s friend.”

  “Lisa’s uncle?”

  Mickey acknowledged the connection.

  “Is Victor part of this?” Charlotte wondered if everyone knew but her.

  “No way. Victor came in last night, mad about her being back in town and mad that Damon would back her with the club investment. Vic wouldn’t have any part of it.”

  Charlotte sat in silence. The difficult question lingered in her mind but she had to ask.

  “How long?”

  Mickey hesitated. “Since she first arrived.”

  Charlotte thought back to the impulsive marriage. “One of the most important decisions of my life, and I never said a prayer!” Much less listened for an answer. How stupid am I?

  Mickey attempted to soothe her. “Don’t beat yourself up. You know what they say. Sometimes we only see what we want to see.”

  Charlotte thought about Mickey’s practical words. The same words Celine had spoken only nights before. “What did you just say?”

  Mickey had to think a moment. “Uh, I think I said sometimes we see only what we want to see?”

  “Did you ever see Lisa in the daytime?”

  “No. Come to think of it, she only worked nights like Stefan and Vic. Why?”

  “Where was she from again?”

  “I think Santa Cruz or some Santa-like California town on the coast,” Mickey replied.

  The sharp realization caught Charlotte by surprise. People of the night!

  She looked at her watch. She was hours away from completing the arrangements that needed to be delivered to the church early in the morning.

  “God, give me the strength to finish this wedding,” she prayed humbly.

  * ~ *

  Chapter Twenty-Eight: Going to the Chapel

  Charlotte unloaded the last arrangement at the church. Her hands and feet throbbed with discomfort from the all-nighter.

  She sat the flowers near the pulpit and surveyed the sanctuary. The radiant glow from the stained-glass windows showered a rainbow of fractured colors inside the church.

  Hours from now, a young bride would join her groom at the altar where both would pledge to honor God and each other in marriage – a mirror of Christ’s love for the church.

  A surge of emotions welled inside her. This was what she had wanted: A wedding in her church with family and fellow Believers.

  Full of remorse with her own situation, she failed to realize that Pastor Jennings was standing next to her as he adjusted his robe for the wedding ceremony.

  “I made a mistake!” she blurted aloud.

  Pastor Jennings, startled by the outburst, cautiously assessed the room from her point of view.

  “Charlotte, you must be a perfectionist because I don’t see anything out of place,” he said to console her.

  “No Pastor Jennings. Not the flowers. This!” She pointed to the area in front of them. “This is what I wanted. A church wedding with friends and family–”

  Overwhelmed with sorrow, she finished her sentence. “Instead I married a vampire!”

  Pastor Jennings glanced at the back wall clock. “Let’s go to my office for a few minutes and talk.”

  * ~ *

  “I know it’s human to label our spouses who’ve shown bad behavior,” he told Charlotte who had regained her composure by the time they reached his study.

  “No, he’s really a vampire. I have proof.” However, she could see that he thought her claims exaggerated.

  With a sympathetic smile, he continued. “Let’s step back and focus on what you said in the sanctuary. Why didn’t you get what you wanted? Obviously what God wanted for you, too, and I know we’re not talking about a church wedding.”

  Charlotte thought back to the duck text from Perry, then the poignant birthday question about her wish. It all started with the thought that she wanted to be married and it didn’t seem as though Perry was going to ask any time soon. She took a deep breath and began.

  “On the night of my thirtieth birthday, I went to a bar upset and alone, had a few drinks, left with a stranger who happened to be a vampire, drove to another state and got married,” she said recalling the sequence of events.

  “Before that? What was your commitment to yourself and God about your marriage partner?” The minister waited patiently during the silence that followed.

  She shrugged. “I just wanted someone fun and exciting.” She had always assumed
that her spouse would share her beliefs.

  “What about God’s plan for you? What about your father’s guidance and blessing?” he asked.

  Charlotte was embarrassed. She hadn’t really considered either. She always thought you married the person you loved and the rest would follow. Kinda like a gym bag, you just kept slugging it out.

  “So what you’re saying is that this began with me, not Stefan?” For Charlotte, the awareness hurt.

  “While it may sound harsh, old-fashioned and certainly politically incorrect, the scripture is clear. There’s a lot to be said for being equally yoked in marriage or any other area in our life. Loving someone who doesn’t share the same definition of the word is difficult.” However, Pastor Jennings’ gentle words didn’t take away the sting for Charlotte.

  “I’m seeing that. Now what?” She was confused. The answer was clear. The solution wasn’t. There were substantial debts incurred. And Stephanie. Debts could be divided but not a baby.

  A loud rap at the door was followed by the appearance of the perturbed wedding coordinator who interrupted the pastor before he could answer.

  “Oh, Pastor, here you are! The wedding party is ready and we’ve got a schedule to keep,” she nodded as if to motion him into agreement. “I’ll let them know you’re on your way.” Her heels clicked with a staccato beat indicating her sense of urgency.

  Now standing, he took Charlotte’s hands. “The wedding planner calleth.”

  “Now Pastor Jennings!” The woman’s voice pierced the hallway with an encore flurry of clicks that signaled her final departure.

  “Or barketh.” He sighed quietly. “I’ll make this prayer fast but hopefully effective. Father, thank you for mercy and grace. Please shed a flood of light on Charlotte’s troubles. Let her seek Your guidance in everything she does moving forward. Amen.”

  She hugged Pastor Jennings with gratitude, then bowed her head and continued to pray after he left.

  Minutes went by and as Charlotte meditated on Pastor Jennings’ prayerful words; she began to feel a renewed spirit replace the fatigue and a still quiet voice.

  Her head jerked up with eyes flashing. “The light!”

  * ~ *

  Chapter Twenty-Nine: To Tell the Truth

  A sliver of light flashed within Stefan’s sleeping chamber later that morning but not before the faint singed smell encapsulated the tight-fitting area.

  Stefan dressed in pajama bottoms and covered with his leopard print throw, arose shocked to meet Charlotte within an inch of his nose.

  “Ouch, Charlotte! The light is burning my skin to a crisp. What are you doing in here?” He was visibly shaken and upset.

  “We need to talk,” she said.

  “Now?”

  “Yes, now. I need to know some things.”

  Stefan tried to shift his body to accommodate both of them scrunched inside the minimal space.

  “Such as?” he asked, put out.

  “Are you having an affair with Lisa?”

  “Is that what this is about?” He appeared indifferent as he hastily fanned his hot skin.

  “Tell me the truth. I won’t be angry. I just need to know,” she said continuing to remain calm.

  “No. She was just someone I hung out with at Vic’s.”

  “In the storage closet? Tell me the truth Stefan.” The answer incensed Charlotte. She struggled to maintain her cool as heat rapidly infiltrated the stagnant air.

  “I am telling the truth. I wasn’t having an affair.”

  Charlotte reached for the doorknob. To her satisfaction, she could see that even in the dark, it sparked a heightened fear in Stefan’s eyes.

  “And what about now? Tell me the truth or I’ll open this door,” she persisted.

  “What? You want to kill me? I could die.” His eyes widened with apprehension.

  Softening her stance, Charlotte continued. “And I could die if I continue to stay in the dark. Please tell me. I won’t be mad.” She turned the knob to prompt his answer.

  With the first turn, Stefan cried out in terror, “Okay, it’s true but–”

  “You know, I thought I could have worked around the whole vampire thing,” she interrupted him with vehemence, “and now the other woman, well thanks, because that was the nail in the coffin for me to get it. Being with you will always keep me in the dark.”

  Fury raged inside her causing her body to shake violently.

  Charlotte shoved the door open as Stefan feebly attempted to grab her hand but his strength withered with pain.

  “No,” he pleaded. “You said you wouldn’t be mad.”

  With the light’s increasing intensity, his screams faded into near silence.

  * ~ *

  Chapter Thirty: What was I Thinking?

  Inside Charlotte’s throbbing head, Stefan’s loud “No” sounded more like a double “Whoa” from Stefan and a familiar voice – Tammy.

  “Whoa,” both Tammy and Stefan said in sync.

  The bar at Victor’s Grill & Pub came into focus as Charlotte held the back of her head with her hand. It was the evening of her thirtieth birthday and she had arrived after leaving her dad, June and Perry speechless with her abrupt departure.

  With Stefan behind the bar and Tammy next to her side, they gently pulled her up after she knocked her head harshly against the bar edge.

  “You okay?” Stefan asked.

  “Here,” Tammy said as she handed Charlotte the cross and chain that had fallen from her purse onto the floor.

  “A drink for your old life,” Stefan told Charlotte as he placed another drink in front of her.

  Charlotte remained disoriented. She took her grandmother’s heirloom and held it close to her heart.

  “Excuse me, her old life and old friend are going to move over to a new table,” Tammy told Stefan.

  Stefan, less than thrilled with Tammy’s appearance, walked off with resignation but not before telling Charlotte to let him know if she needed anything else.

  “Tammy, what are you doing here?” Charlotte asked.

  “I was having dinner with some friends when I saw you walk in on your birthday. What's going on?”

  “A long story but I just had the most bizarre experience. It was like the old saying where your life flashes before your eyes.” Except mine was in front of a martini glass.

  Charlotte looked closer at the drinks as she moved them aside. Ugh, these are overrated.

  “Tell me about this flash,” said Tammy.

  “Tomorrow, okay? Right now, I need to see Perry. He’s probably wondering what got in to me. I’m wondering what got into me!”

  “No more impatience?”

  “No more impatience.” Charlotte looked Stefan’s way to catch him eying her with a devilish grin. I’ll take a duck over a bat any day.

  “Thanks for those prayers Tammy. I’m going to start saying mine more often.” And listening for an answer. Charlotte hugged her friend bye before rushing out the door.

  Tammy reached for her cell. “She’s headed your way,” she said speaking into the phone as Stefan re-appeared.

  “You looking for a new life like your friend?” He flashed Tammy his trademark smile.

  * ~ *

  Outside, Perry stood at the entrance of Victor’s as Charlotte exited. They both stared silently at each other until Charlotte collapsed with relief in his arms.

  “Perry, somehow turning thirty made me re-think what's important to me. I got impatient and –” Charlotte choked back the tears. How could she explain her newfound knowledge?

  “You wanna tell me over breakfast?” he asked.

  Déjà vu? Charlotte rubbed the back of her head.

  “I know this great little place on the wharf. Best coffee and pastries on the coast.” His voice wasn’t exactly velvet, but it was genuine and true.

  “Perry, any place with you, close to home will do.”

  From his jacket pocket, Perry handed her the stuffed toy. “The special duck.”

 
Charlotte laughed until her finger followed the silky ribbon to the ring fastened within the bow. “Perry!”

  “I’m full of surprises. Good ones that is, and this is one I had planned to do a little differently.” Perry untied the jeweled band from the ribbon and held it at the tip of Charlotte’s ring finger.

  “Will you marry me?”

  Charlotte thought back to the bizarre experience that captivated her – a preview of what life in the dark would look like. While she believed Perry was the one, she wanted that confirmation from God with the added blessing of her father.

  “Okay if I pray about it first?”

  * ~ *

  That spring, vibrant flowers filled the sanctuary of Charlotte’s home church as Charlotte and Perry stood before Pastor Jennings who reminded them of the New Testament scripture:

  Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14

  In Perry’s face, Charlotte saw the light of God through his unconditional love for her. She vowed to show the same for Perry. Until death do us part.

  When the new Mr. and Mrs. Perry Nelson faced the audience, they were welcomed by the love of their family and friends including her dad and June, Tammy, Jake and the Bible buddies.

  Together, Charlotte and Perry lived happily ever after, thanking God each day for the blessings of their equally-yoked marriage.

  * ~ *

  THE END

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  When my teenage daughter read the novel adaptation of the Charlotte Marries a Vampire screenplay, I found one of her comments of special interest. She said the last chapter made her angry because she didn’t find the ending real. She said that the story couldn’t have happened within the few seconds that it took our heroine to bump her head and come back to the present moment.

  Since she’s an avid reader of Christian fiction, I weighed her words carefully. However, after some reflection, I believe the answer I received to be wise: Sadly, it’s the most real part of this allegorical tale.