Simon brought Jennifer to Mary, who pressed her shoulders, looking warmly into her eyes. “Jennifer, I’m so happy to meet you. We’ve been looking forward to it. You’re lovely; you resemble Simon so much.” Mary noted Jennifer’s intriguing beauty, her poise and presence and clear, magnetic dark eyes.
William said, “Hello, Jennifer! I’m William, Sarah’s father! Welcome to our home, welcome to a day of good food! What’ll you have?” he asked, pointing out some glasses of wine and water. “If you want the hard stuff, just say so.” Jennifer happily accepted a glass of wine.
Sarah slipped away from Jennifer and her parents to bring Felicity to Simon. “Simon, this is my best friend, Felicity Wallace. She’s been anxious to meet you. She’s staying with us here, so I’ve told her everything about you. She’s likely to say almost anything to you, so be prepared.”
Simon turned to smile at Felicity, yet he was so overwhelmed with happiness he hardly saw her. Here I am in the house of the woman I love and we are about to get married. I never thought this would happen. “Hello, Felicity,” he said, training his laughing brown eyes on her. “Since Sarah loves you so much, I hope we’ll be very close. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
Felicity was not prepared for Simon. Now here is a man, a man any woman would love to have. I hope Susan will wake up when she meets Simon and his family. I’m so afraid she will fall for that hairball. Once she gets into it, she’ll never get out of it, the whole Catholic thing. “Simon, I’m thrilled to meet you. I’ve never seen Sarah so happy. And of course, you’re lucky to have her.”
Wandering into the big dining room with the table set for ten, Felicity discovered she was seated between Simon and Mary. He smiled warmly as he pulled out her chair. “Excellent! We’ll have a chance to get to know each other better,” he said.
Mary had carefully planned the seating arrangements, and once they all sat down she was satisfied. Conversation flowed while they ate roast turkey, cranberry sauce, rice stuffing, potatoes, squash, and rolls and honey. Sarah felt trapped between Jennifer, whom she truly wanted to know better, and Kevin, the person she most hoped to avoid.
Jennifer looked discreetly across at Susan, intrigued by her lack of resemblance to Sarah. Susan strongly resembled Mary, and Sarah looked more like her father. Sarah has a strong masculine side, which will be good for Simon, since he’s ambitious.
Sarah broke into her thoughts. “If you don’t mind me saying so, Jennifer, I can’t believe how like Simon you are! You’re impeccably polite, but below the surface you seem to be always studying people. Simon functions like two entities, one acting in the world, the other with a built-in radar system that watches every detail. Maybe that’s why he is a superb reporter. Am I right? If so, I bet this helps with your photography too.”
Jennifer was uncharacteristically drawn right in. Oh thank god he didn’t pick a dry intellectual too much like himself. “Funny you say that because I had to develop that ability. When I’m photographing someone, I have to be aware of comfort zones and boundaries. I use my artistic eye to capture what is beautiful, nasty, powerful, or insecure in them. So yes, I am always doing two things at once, two tracks running in my head, always.” Jennifer was discreetly observing Sarah’s strong neck and lovely skin. I can’t wait to take her picture.
“There is something else that I’ve always wondered about photographers,” Sarah said. “Do you care whether your subjects like their photos once you’ve really captured their true essence?”
“That question opens many possibilities,” Jennifer replied, feeling easily intimate with Sarah. “If I’m sure I’ve captured them, I don’t give a damn whether they like it or not. However, often they make me into a psychologist because they haven’t come to terms with how they look. You would be amazed! Absolutely beautiful women who look exquisite on film are sometimes as horrified as if I’ve made a mockery of them. I never know how they’ll react! I don’t try to make them look a certain way; I just record what I see. The more beautiful they are, the harder it is to capture them because they’ve learned to obscure themselves.” She studied Sarah again. “Possibly you are that way?”
Just then William clicked his glass with his spoon for the first toast. “To Simon and Sarah, two young people perfectly suited for one another, to a long and happy life together. And welcome, all of you!” Sarah raised her glass to her father’s. Kevin clicked hers, which enabled him to peek at her right breast when she raised her arm. His invasive eyes burned into her neck as she looked across the table to Susan Marie’s vacant, glowing face. How can I get her to start thinking? This guy is a sleaze. She turned toward Jennifer, but Kevin took his chance to break in because he’d run out of things to say to William “You have such a great father, Sarah. You both are so lucky. That’s the best kind of girl, one with a strong and responsible father,” he said.
Sarah was appalled by his glazed eyes and slurred words. He’s already loaded. What a klutz he is! Why can’t Susan see? Is she confused by desire? She didn’t say anything last night when I was so open about my struggle with lust. What do I say to this ass? She turned her eyes away from Kevin’s flushed face to see Simon gazing at her. Searching his eyes, she made a mental note to remember what she had just heard Kevin say beneath his surface words, When I get your younger sister, we’ll have a bunch of good Catholic kids.
Felicity said to Simon, “You have a wonderful family. I had a moment with your father and he is very astute and cultured. Your mother seems strong and wise. She adores Sarah. She told me that she knows Sarah is the right person for you, which was very forthright. Maybe Sarah won’t have a mother-in-law problem.”
Is she worried Sarah might get a cloying Jewish mother-in-law? Taking note of Felicity’s incisive face and inviting hazel eyes, Simon said in a clear voice, “My mother took to her immediately because they both love the decorative arts, my mother’s great passion. As for my father, he adores her, pure and simple. Once he met her, we had to get together.”
Mary stood up to toast. “To Simon, the perfect partner for our oldest daughter, a partner who will be with her through life. We lost our first child when he was a baby, and Sarah missed out on the companionship of her lost brother, Patrick. We welcome Simon to our family as a son. Please, no one hear what I have to say as tinged with sadness. So with my toast, Patrick, come to the table to share Sarah’s joy with Simon.”
They all toasted, then Felicity turned to Simon and said quietly, “As far as I know, that is the first time she’s spoken of Patrick in public. Maybe she is beyond her terrible pain? Your arrival may be opening her heart because she wanted a son so much. Since I’m Sarah’s best friend, I want you to promise me something. May I ask?” He tilted his head respectfully to invite her to continue. “When the bride and groom have their wedding, everything is love and light. Then they go out into the world and often end up hurting one another. Promise me, Simon, that you will never hurt Sarah. She is very special.”
This is what I’d expect from Sarah’s best friend. Felicity is dead certain of her opinions, just like me. He laughed. “Are you always going to grill me like this, Felicity? I’ve waited thirty-five years to find my partner and I will never hurt her. My father has not dishonored my mother, and neither will I betray my love. I am very much aware of her high spiritual nature. Your best friend is in good hands.” They clinked their glasses together discreetly.
Sarah looked on, understanding exactly what was going on. She smiled at Simon across the table as another clinking glass called for attention.
David stood up, tapping his glass a few times, and gestured to Rose to stand up with him. He looked into their waiting faces. “First, I toast Sarah, the beautiful bride, a woman of strength, intelligence, and kindness. Simon, I salute you for finding her and not letting her go, no matter what was in the way. To Mary and William, we toast you for bringing her into the world so that our families can enjoy her. We hope someday we will have grandchildren. Blessings to their love.” Rose smiled and bowed as
if she had nothing to say beyond this.
The Friday night rehearsal dinner in the Captain’s Cabin room at the Algonquin was warm and joyful, with all the guests enjoying great food in the understated elegance of the old traditional club. After dinner Susan tapped on Sarah’s door, hoping she was still awake. Sarah was in a chair by the window in deep contemplation. The extreme potency of what was about to occur had dawned on her for the first time. Struggling to pull herself out of her reverie, she let Susan in.
Susan came in and sat down on the bed, her eyes wide and anxious. “You don’t like Kevin, do you, Sarah? You have to tell me what you think because you are going away again. I have to know what you think.”
Sarah sighed inwardly. She loved her sister, but Kevin was the last person she wanted to think about tonight of all nights. And what could she possibly say? “It’s not that I don’t like him, but is he right for you? You are still so young! Do you love him? Are you attracted to him? Are you sure you want someone who is twenty years older? Do you like his family? Do you like being with his friends? I really don’t know him well enough to say much about him, so I can only help you if you will tell me how you feel.”
Susan felt irritated with Sarah. Sarah always had it all; she was the beautiful one, the smart one, and now she had found a husband. Still, Susan had been extremely impressed by Simon’s warm family and his comfort with her sister. Kevin wasn’t comfortable with her that way, not yet. “I’ve met his parents, a sister, and a brother who is a priest. They’re very nice. As for how I feel, he has swept me away. He takes me everywhere, the best restaurants and front-row tickets for games, I . . .”
“But, how do you feel about him? Have you kissed him, held him? Do you like his body?”
“Things have gotten physical,” Susan admitted. “When I’m alone with him, which isn’t often because of Dad, he pushes me further. I want him but I’m trying to keep my promise. I think I should marry him so I don’t do it before. If he asks me, I’ll say yes. Does that answer your question? Dad likes him a lot, and Dad should know.”
“But do you love him? Do you want to spend a life with him and have a pack of kids? That’s what he wants. What do you want, Susan?”
Susan looked puzzled. “I don’t know what I want,” she said slowly. “I think I want a husband and kids, but I’ve never really asked myself before if that’s just because I’m supposed to want those things.”
“Don’t rush into anything, Susan,” Sarah urged. “And don’t settle for anyone, especially not because you think other people like him. I thought Daddy liked Armando, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Susan still looked confused, but she accepted a hug from her sister and went back to her room.
As Sarah dropped off to sleep, she visualized the old meeting house with light pouring in through tall windows. Her last thought as she moved into the twilight zone was that she hoped Susan wouldn’t get stuck with Kevin just because she, the older sister, was getting married.
25
The Wedding
Finally it was the day. Sarah and Simon’s wedding was scheduled for 11 a.m., November 24, 2012, at a simple meeting house on a deep bend in the Charles River, a beautiful setting sculpted by wild and potent wind. The home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was across the street, so a few guests parked and strolled in the famous gardens of the serene yellow Georgian mansion before coming into the chapel. Others went quickly inside the meetinghouse to escape the bitter north wind blowing down over the icy cold Charles River.
Simon stood by the front door waiting for his family. The bitter wind ruffled his thick black hair, brought tears to his eyes, shrank his skin, and bit his cheeks. He was ecstatic. He was glad to see David and Rose approach as his father always had a calming effect on him.
“I’m so proud of you, Simon,” David said gripping his son’s shoulders and staring into his eyes. This is right.
His mother gazed at her son in his classic black tuxedo and said, “I shouldn’t ask, but I will. Have you seen her dress?”
“No, that’s bad luck for the Irish,” Simon replied. “I won’t see it until her father brings her to the altar. Let’s go inside so we can sit quietly for a while.” They entered through the west door. High multipaned windows on the north and south sides brought in the light. Late November sun sparkled through the wavy, distorted glass, casting watery and crystalline shapes on the soft pine floors. People chatted in hushed voices as the ushers led people to their seats. The room was full of magnetic energy. It was as if angels were flying under the high ceiling.
“This is a lovely meetinghouse,” Rose whispered. “It is absolutely original, so pristine, a good choice.”
Simon sat quietly with his parents and used yogic breathing to stay calm and in his body. He was suspended on the edge of an unknown world, feeling like his head was going to spin off his neck.
David sensed his anxiety and put his hand over Simon’s hand, thinking, He’s still four years old and discovering magic.
Simon snapped back to what was going on around him when his old friend Marc Sinclair walked into the altar space wearing a navy blue suit. He smiled at Simon, who got up and walked into the altar space to face Marc. Simon turned to gaze at the smiling people while David and Rose came to stand by his side. An audible rush of whispers suddenly swept the room. Simon’s knees wobbled, and his eyes flooded with salty tears. I’m afraid I won’t be able to even see her!
A whoosh of powerful wind from the Charles swept in when the inner doors opened for William and Sarah. Wavy-glassed windows undulated as the guests turned to face the middle aisle to view the bride. She came slowly forward, an angelic vision in ivory silk, lace, and pearls. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, barely obscured by an ivory lace Portuguese mantilla that fell down over her arms. Her hands were covered by white lace gloves embroidered with pearls. She wore a low-necked empire waist bodice that glowed with countless iridescent pearls gleaming against ivory silk. Flushed with anticipation, she was from another century.
Proudly she approached Simon and Marc with her arm in her father’s. She held a simple bouquet of yellow jonquils with dark green leaves, the yellow vibrant against the ivory, pearls, and Sarah’s luminescent face. William guided her by her elbow as they approached the altar.
Simon stood patiently, beholding his bride. I’m afraid I’m going to levitate! I was not prepared for this heavenly sight. He felt small in the face of her beauty. No matter what everybody tries to think these days, this is her ultimate moment, and I am humbled. He smiled shyly, realizing he’d never seen her before as his moist eyes showered her with love.
Sarah’s heart pounded in her chest. She gave her bouquet to Susan, and then her father placed her hand in Simon’s. William stood by her side as Mary came to stand by Susan. The altar space was not elevated, so the guests stood on their toes. Simon was grateful they were all on the same level as a great force from deep in the Earth rushed into his body through his legs.
When the bride and groom and attendants had all assumed their places, Marc spoke extemporaneously. “I am here today to guide the union of Sarah and Simon, and spirit moves me. I have known Simon for many years, and I testify that his heart is as true as the pristine light in this sacred space. He has found a home for his heart in his bride, Sarah.” He turned to search deeply into Simon’s dark eyes looking for the realization of the import of this union; Simon’s body jerked involuntarily in response.
Marc turned to Sarah and said, “I’ve only shared time with you a few times while we prepared for this moment. You are the mother of Simon’s soul, the one he began seeking when he was born. He tells me he knew this when he first saw you. Therefore, Sarah, know him in all ways as only a woman can know a man. Take his heart and hold it in yours!” Looking benevolently into her green eyes, he touched her lightly on her left shoulder, and her spine buzzed and vibrated in long waves. She was afraid she’d faint.
“Now,” Marc said in a louder voice for the gathered peopl
e. “Soon it will be time for you to speak because you are here today to support Simon and Sarah. In our sacred space, we do not ask if there is anyone who objects to this marriage. Instead, we ask you to express your thoughts about these two people choosing to be one. We will observe ten to fifteen minutes of deep silence, going into our hearts to seek the essence of what Simon and Sarah desire. Then, those who wish to speak to them before they marry, speak. If you wish it, Simon and Sarah, you may hold hands during the silence.”
Sarah relaxed when she felt Simon’s hand firmly grasp hers. Strong earth energy was making her dizzy. I had no idea it would be like this. Everything feels unreal to me as if I am reliving an old time. I know the truth to my visions, I have stood with him before. The silence felt like seconds while she gripped his hand.
When he took her laced hand his strength returned, a new balance. She is mine, really mine! As they stood silently connected by delicate touch while people in the old pine pews meditated, the cold north wind crackled tree branches, falling leaves scraped against the glass. The sun flashing in and out of clouds transformed the meeting house into a kaleidoscope of rainbows. The silence deepened when slapping waves on the Charles brought the water element into the room. Then a tiny bell was rung; it was time to speak. Mary said in a low but clearly enunciated whisper, “Come, Patrick, come into this room. Be with us now!” The old pain stabbing William’s heart melted in quietude.
One by one, the people uttered a word at a time: “Joy.” “Peace.” “Happiness.” “Home.” “Children.” “Good food.” “Gardening.” “Plants.” “Lace.” “Coziness.” “Dogs.” “Beauty.” Marc waited a few minutes for their voices to subside; it was now time for the marriage.
Sarah and Simon faced each other, holding hands. He released a hand and brushed aside the veil; she looked frail and flushed. While Marc led them through their vows, Simon’s voice kept cracking while hers was strong and clear. After exchanging their vows and the rings, she looked expectantly into his eyes. Marc asked them to go down and face each other on their knees. They looked at each other, wondering what was going on, since this had not been part of the rehearsal. Marc placed his large hands firmly on the top of their heads, took a deep and audible breath, and said loudly, “Spirit, now come into them and bless them!”
Revelations of the Ruby Crystal Page 26