Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah

by Melody Carlson

  Mr. Porter had been talking to someone else, but when he heard this remark he stepped next to Lelani and turned toward Abuela. “Perhaps you heard that Lelani will be finishing up her medical degree. She plans to be a doctor, Mrs. Castillo. She’s a very hard-working young woman too.”

  “I couldn’t be more proud of her,” Gil added.

  “And I second that, Mama,” his mother said to Abuela.

  “But I agree with you, Abuela,” Lelani told her. “Both Emma and I are very lucky and blessed to have met Gil and to be welcomed into his family.” Then she leaned over and kissed Abuela’s cheek. “And I hope you will welcome us too.”

  “Good night,” Gil called out as he opened the front door for Lelani and Emma. As the little family of three made their exit, Anna watched the expression on Abuela’s face and realized that her mouth was actually gaping—ever so slightly. Perhaps even more amazing, she appeared to be speechless!

  “So that’s what you do at a bar mitzvah,” Anna said as she and Edmond left the synagogue slightly before noon on Saturday.

  “Are you disappointed?”

  “No, but it wasn’t as big of a deal as I’d expected. In some ways, it’s not so different from when I had my first Communion. I mean, the religions are obviously different, but there are some similarities in the ceremonies.”

  “I wouldn’t know, since I never did a first Communion or a bar mitzvah. But you’re wrong in thinking it’s over now. That was just the religious part of the ceremony. There’s still a big dinner to attend, and Philip said to come hungry, because there’ll be a ton of food. I guess it’s almost like a wedding reception.”

  “I’ll probably need to fast all next week,” Anna told him. “Between wedding rehearsal dinners—don’t forget there are two before the day ends—and wedding reception meals—and there are two of those tomorrow—someone will have to roll me into work on Monday.”

  Edmond laughed. “I hardly think so, but if that should happen, we can roll in together.”

  “This is going to be one long weekend,” Anna said as they entered the ballroom where the bar mitzvah celebration was continuing. Already a band was playing, some of the kids were dancing, and long buffet tables were being loaded with trays of food.

  Edmond grabbed Anna’s hand. “First we’ll dance to work up an appetite, and then we’ll eat.”

  “And after that we’ll dance again to work off what we ate.”

  “And then we’ll eat again.”

  She laughed. “And then we’ll dance!”

  Twenty-eight

  Megan

  Megan had been startled to hear her cell phone ringing at nearly one in the morning. She immediately thought of her mom, who had driven alone to the family reunion last week and should’ve been on her way home yesterday. But what if there’d been an accident? With shaking hands, Megan grabbed up her phone. “Hello?” she cried urgently into the crackling static of a bad connection.

  “Megan, it’s me!”

  “Marcus?”

  “Yes!”

  “Where are you?”

  “Iceland,” he seemed to say.

  “Did you say Iceland?”

  “Yes!” And then he said something that sounded like he was clearing his throat.

  “What?”

  “Never mind. I’m on my way home.”

  “Home?”

  “Yes. Did you forget that it’s Hannah’s wedding tomorrow?”

  “No, but—”

  “We had a date, remember?”

  “Yes.”

  “I can barely hear you, Megan, and we’re about to take off.”

  “Bye!” she yelled, and just like that the connection was broken. She eventually went back to sleep, but when Saturday morning came, Megan wondered if she’d simply dreamed the whole thing. Seriously, why would Marcus be in Iceland?

  Megan sat up in bed and looked at the two bridesmaid dresses hanging on her closet doors. She groaned. The satin, fuchsia, strapless monstrosity was for Kendall’s wedding, and the more subdued pale aqua dress for Lelani’s. Was it possible that those two weddings were really just one day away? She climbed out of bed and looked at her date book. She knew that today was Marcus’s sister’s wedding, but just to prove it, she read her notation. Hannah Barrett Wedding, Five o’clock, dinner reception to follow. Just yesterday, Megan had decided to skip the whole thing. There was too much going on. She’d planned to send her wedding gift with an apology.

  Now she wasn’t so sure. What if Marcus really had called last night? And yet that seemed impossible. And Iceland? That was nuts. It had to have been a dream. Just to be sure, she picked up her cell phone to check the call history and, sure enough, there was a strange number logged in at 12:56 a.m. Maybe it was Marcus. But Iceland?

  Megan returned to her date book. Lelani’s wedding rehearsal was set for six thirty at Megan’s mom’s house, followed by appetizers that were being provided by Gil’s parents’ restaurant. Kendall’s rehearsal was to follow at seven thirty, at a location ten minutes away, and would be followed by dinner at a restaurant that Killiki had discovered. Today promised to be long, but tomorrow would be even longer.

  At least she wouldn’t be going to work on Monday. Okay, that was kind of a bittersweet thing. On one hand, she would miss the kids; on the other hand, a break would be most welcome. What happened after that? Megan knew it was time to stop worrying. Even if it was hard to trust her future to God, she needed to let go of some things—things that were out of her control. Really, what else could she do?

  Megan wore a pale yellow sundress and espadrilles. Lelani had helped her to pick the outfit at Nordstrom, but suddenly Megan wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t sure about much of anything. She paced nervously as she waited for Marcus to pick her up.

  She’d been in the shower when he called earlier and left a message that simply said, “Hey, Megan, I made it home about an hour ago. I’ll sleep for a few hours and be by to pick you up at four.” She knew the message by heart, because she listened to it over and over, trying to detect whether there was anything she’d missed. Was he getting ready to tell her that it had been great being friends with her, and now she should go have a good life?

  “You look gorgeous,” Kendall told Megan.

  “Thanks.” Megan frowned at Kendall. “Wish I could say the same for you.” Kendall’s face was covered in green goop. She had hot rollers in her hair, her tummy was actually bulging out of her bathrobe, and her bunny slippers looked pretty fatigued.

  Kendall laughed. “Hey, this is the calm before the storm.”

  “Meaning it’s going to get worse?”

  “Hopefully not.” Kendall looked at the clock. “Now, you tell Marcus to get you to the rehearsals on time, okay? Otherwise, you should borrow my car.”

  “If I have any problem, I’ll call a taxi, okay?”

  “Promise?”

  Megan nodded.

  “Are you nervous?” Kendall looked concerned.

  “Yeah, a little.”

  “Just hold your head high,” Kendall told her. “And remember, you are a princess.”

  Megan laughed. “Is that what you tell yourself?”

  “I used to, back when I was having a bout of insecurity.”

  “And now?”

  “Now I remind myself that Killiki loves me. Just as I am, he loves me.” Kendall grinned. “And God does too.”

  “That works for me.”

  Kendall frowned. “The part about Killiki?”

  “No, the part about God. And I guess that kind of does make us princesses, doesn’t it? I mean because God is king.”

  Kendall was peering out the window now. “It looks like your prince has come.”

  “Thanks.” Megan grabbed up her purse, then, remembering Kendall’s advi
ce, she held her head high as she opened the door.

  “Megan!” Marcus exclaimed as he swooped her into a big bear hug. “Man, is it good to see you!” Then he held her at arm’s length and let out a low whistle. “You look fantastic.”

  She couldn’t help but giggle. “You look great too, Marcus. Nice tan. But is that what you’re wearing to the wedding?” He had on a tank top, stained cargo shorts, and flip-flops.

  “Nah, my tux is at the church. And that’s why we need to get moving.”

  “What happened to your car?” she asked as they headed out to an older silver Buick, which kind of looked like a grandma car.

  “I sold it.” He opened the door for her. “This is my mom’s. Classy, huh?”

  She chuckled as she got in. This was a lot different than the hot little sports car he used to drive, and yet it was refreshing to see that he didn’t really seem to mind.

  “So tell me about Zambia,” she said as he drove.

  He immediately launched into one story that led into another about the people they’d met, how needy they were, and yet how happy and appreciative. “It was weird,” he said as he pulled into the church parking lot. “I mean, they have so little and they’ve been through so much, and yet they’re happy. I felt more blessed by them than I think they were by me. But we got two wells in and—”

  “Hey, there’s the long-lost missionary!” called out someone. Soon Marcus was mobbed by family and friends, and Megan knew she’d have to wait to hear more.

  “Do you mind sitting by yourself?” he asked her as they were going inside. “I mean, since I’m in the ceremony. I kind of forgot about that part of the deal.” He looked dismayed. “I’m not a very good date, huh?”

  “You’re just fine,” she assured him, holding her head high again. “And I’ll be fine.”

  “We can talk more after the wedding,” he said.

  “Come on, Marcus,” one of the guys was calling him. “We need to pick the cooties off you before you put on that tux.”

  It wasn’t until they were on their way to Lelani’s rehearsal that they actually got to talk again. Megan had been somewhat surprised that Marcus was willing to leave his sister’s reception early, but he didn’t seem concerned.

  “I really missed you over there,” he told her.

  She didn’t say anything.

  “I know, I know. You’re wondering if I missed you so much, why didn’t I call or write.” He glanced at her. “Right?”

  “Yeah, sort of.”

  He nodded and looked straight forward. “Well, there are several reasons. For one thing, our cell phones were pretty much useless over there. And I actually tried to write to you. A couple of times.”

  “Tried?”

  “Yeah. But I ended up saying too much, so I threw the letters away.”

  “Too much?” She wondered if he’d tried to write a Dear Jane letter and felt badly about it.

  “It’s hard to explain.”

  “That’s okay.” She pointed to the next turn, the one that led to her house—or what had been her house. Her mother already had an offer on it. “Just a few more blocks up.”

  He parked in the driveway. “We’re actually a little early,” she said. “But maybe I can help—”

  “Maybe we can finish our conversation,” he said.

  “Sure.” She turned in the seat to face him. He still had on his tux and looked very handsome in a rugged way with his tanned face and hair that was in need of a trim.

  “When I was trying to write to you, I was saying all this stuff, Megan.”

  “What stuff?” She took in a slow breath and waited.

  “It’s like I wanted to say things … things that I wasn’t completely sure about.”

  “Such as?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh, you know, Megan. Like I love you … like I think you’re the girl … like I want to spend the rest of my life with you except that … well …”

  She felt slightly dizzy. “Wh-what?”

  “See, you’re not even ready to hear it now.” He shook his head dismally. “I knew I’d blow this. I’m sorry. I should’ve kept my mouth closed. At least for now. Bad timing.”

  “No, no.” She shook her head. “It’s not bad timing.”

  His brows lifted hopefully. “Really?”

  “No. Go ahead and finish what you were saying. ‘Except that’ what?”

  “Okay, I was saying I want to spend my life with you, Megan, except that I don’t actually know what that means. It might mean living in Zambia or Nepal, or it might mean living in New York or just right here. The thing is I don’t really know. I just know that I want to do what God wants me to do. And I really do want to go back to Zambia and finish some of the things we started over there. But I want you too, Megan. And I want you to be a part of all that. But how fair is it of me to expect you to go do something—”

  “It’s fair!” She wanted to leap across the seat and hug him, but she didn’t.

  “You’d really want to go to Zambia or some crazy place like that?”

  She nodded eagerly. “I mean, I guess I have no idea what I’m agreeing to exactly, but I want to do what God wants me to do too, Marcus. And I want to be with you.” She felt a little unsure now, but she also didn’t care. “And I love you too, Marcus.”

  He blinked. “You do?”

  She nodded.

  Then he leaned over and kissed her, and she kissed him back. Then several minutes zipped blissfully by, but Megan knew it was time to shift gears. “Uh, Marcus,” she said as she retouched her lip gloss. “I’m curious. Were you really in Iceland last night?”

  He chuckled. “Yep. The cheapest flight home connected in Reykjavik.”

  “Talk about the ends of the earth.” She shook her head. “Zambia … Iceland …”

  “And you’d really be willing to go to the ends of the earth?” he asked hopefully.

  “If I was with you, I would.” The others started to arrive, and Megan knew this was a conversation they’d have to continue later. “Here come the brides.”

  He laughed. “Let the fun begin.”

  “Okay. If you thought Zambia was hard work,” she said as they got out of the car, “we now have two wedding rehearsals and two more weddings to get through.”

  He patted his tux. “I’m ready to rock and roll.”

  She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze as they walked up to her childhood home. “Welcome home, Marcus!” she said. But even as she said it, she knew she wasn’t talking about this specific house or even any other physical location. She was talking about their relationship, and about her heart. And she knew without a doubt that Marcus was welcome there.

  Twenty-nine

  Kendall

  “Two down, two to go,” Kendall told Killiki as he drove her home the slow way. He’d put the top down on her car, and the warm summer air seemed to be caressing them.

  “How are you and junior holding up?” he asked.

  “Okay. Just tired.” She leaned back in the passenger seat and ran her hands over her tummy. The baby was kicking again. But it felt good, like a reminder that he or she was alive and well and looking forward to the time when he or she would make an entrance. She reached for Killiki’s hand. “I think junior is saying hi to his daddy,” she said as she placed his hand on her abdomen.

  He held his hand there for a minute or so just waiting. “Hey, I felt that,” he said with excitement. “I really felt it. Very cool.”

  “Yeah,” she sighed.

  “I thought the rehearsal dinner went well,” he said. “It seems like your family is starting to treat you differently, Kendall. Did you notice anything?”

  She considered this. “Now that you mention it, I don’t recall being teased too much by m
y sisters tonight. That’s a little different.”

  “Almost like they’re treating you like an equal?”

  She nodded. “That would be cool. I mean, I know I’m not as together as they all are, and I’ve made some pretty dumb mistakes, but it would be nice if they didn’t think I was a total idiot.” She chuckled. “Did I tell you what I heard my sister Kim saying at my bridal shower?”

  “What?”

  “She didn’t know I was listening and she said to Kate, ‘Maybe we should check in with Bloomberg Place to see if the village is missing its idiot.’”

  “Seriously? At your bridal shower?” He slowed as they approached the house.

  “Oh, she probably didn’t really mean it. She just thought she was funny.”

  Killiki nodded as he turned in the driveway, but she could see by the streetlight that his brow was creased with concern.

  “It’s okay. I’m used to being the brunt of jokes.”

  “You’ll never be the brunt of a joke from these lips.” Then he leaned over and kissed her. “Tomorrow at this time, you will be my wife, and anyone who makes jokes at your expense will answer to me.”

  She smiled and kissed him back. “I can’t wait.”

  Kendall was surprised at how little she actually remembered of her wedding. There were the beautiful green lawns and the vineyard, combined with a blur of fuchsia satin, the smell of orchids, the sound of a stringed quartet playing something classical. She vaguely recalled her bridesmaids’ faces, mostly the smiles of her housemates. And there was her dad’s smile as he escorted her down the aisle, then kissed her cheek.

  After that, it was all about Killiki … and her. The rest of the people and all those concerns over decorations and menus and gift registries and shoes and everything … It all seemed to float away.