Can't Buy Me Love

by Summer Kinard

  Epilogue

  The Wedding

  Miss Persephone Lundquist

  And

  Miss Brigit Andersen

  Request the honor of your presence

  As they exchange vows and receive a

  Blessing of their Union

  Saturday, November 8, 2:00pm

  Reception to follow at 5:00pm

  Vanessa grabbed the invitation off the mantel, where it was tucked next to a portrait of Javier and her on their wedding day, afire with the late afternoon sun. She knocked askew the frame holding Rosi’s newborn, three month, and six month portraits and straightened it quickly before calling out, “You were right!” She looked closely at the address at the bottom of the card. “The reception’s in Chapel Hill, not Carrboro.” The whole family had been part of the ceremony earlier that afternoon, but Vanessa wanted to double check the address before they headed to the reception hall.

  Javier came through the arch into the living room, bouncing their laughing baby daughter in his arms. “Good. Then we won’t be late. I’m so glad that they made a gap after the ceremony for the baby’s nap.”

  “Thus making all of our lives easier.”

  “Yes,” Javier smiled from Vanessa to their daughter. “Do we have everything packed?”

  “I have the music for the band in case they need it after all.”

  “The mei tai for Rosi?”

  “Oh, thank you. Yes. It’s in the kitchen, over the chair from when she was nursing earlier.” Vanessa kissed Javier and touched his cheek before rushing to gather the last few items they needed for Percy and Squeak’s wedding reception.

  “Vanessa,” Javier stated, smiling at his wife.

  “Yes?” Vanessa smiled back.

  “It may not be gallant for me to say later, especially on a day when we honor two brides, so I will tell you now. I find you the most beautiful woman in the world. That dress brings out your eyes.” Javier jostled the teething baby girl in his arms. “Don’t you think your Mami is beautiful, Rosi? You get your lovely eyes from her.”

  Vanessa wrapped her arms around Javier and the baby. “But you get the color from your Papi.” She kissed Rosi’s head, then kissed Javier deeply over the top of her soft, dark curls. “Come on. We don’t want to miss our big musical debut.”

  Gabi met them just inside the door to the church hall.

  “Hermana, hurry! It’s almost time for the toasts,” Gabi hiccupped.

  “Looks as though you’re already toasted,” Vanessa joked, hugging Gabi.

  “Hey, Seri weaned herself last week. Mom and Ma are going to give her a sippy cup over there by Paula and Meghan. This is my first big chance to taste the sweet fruit of the vine.” Gabi turned to Javier and Rosi and spoke to the baby. “Hey, mi sobrinita! Your cousin is ready to play with you,” she pecked Javier on the cheek. “Ma and Mom have all sorts of baby gadgets set up over there,” she pointed. “And Bubbe says she will hold Rosi while you sing.”

  “Thanks, Gabriel,” Javier said. He waved Rosi’s hand for her. “Thanks, Tia Gabi,” he squeaked in a falsetto.

  Vanessa and Gabi, wearing matching grey dupioni cocktail dresses with full skirts, gathered near the dais. Percy, resplendent in a lapis colored silk gown that Vanessa had embroidered on the bodice with gold lions rampant, waved to them. Beside her, wearing a white organza dress with a portrait neckline and pale green silk ribbon embroidery, Brigit nodded as an older gentleman who looked remarkably like Percy spoke to her. Percy whispered in Squeak’s ear. When Squeak smiled assent, Percy tapped a full champagne flute with a spoon.

  “I’d like to make a toast to my beautiful bride!” Percy began. She was interrupted by applause. “But you know me. I cannot pass up an opportunity to hold forth with a captive audience.” The crowd, which included several of Percy’s students, colleagues, and parishioners, tittered. “Bear with me, please.”

  “I found one of my best friends in the dumpster,” Percy raised her glass a tad toward Vanessa. “And my best self, too. I used to be angry when I heard the story of Jesus and the Syro-phoenician woman. How dare he compare a woman to a dog, especially one who had a troubled child? And her answer, well, I did not like that much, either.”

  “It pissed you off!” Gabi yelled. Her alcohol tolerance wasn’t what it had been before the baby.

  “Quite,” Percy tilted her glass toward Gabi. “Why was that woman so ready to settle for crumbs under God’s table, when there were whole banquets being denied her? Then I spent these last two years as a part-time freegan. Vanessa and I, and when Vanessa was too pregnant to forage, Brigit and I found everything from food to china to wedding clothes in the cast offs of our fine city.”

  “Get to the point so we can drink!” Gabi hollered, causing a wave of titters.

  “Right,” Percy giggled. “I’m here tonight to raise a toast to the best kind of love. Living out of the trash has opened my eyes to a fact about grace. It’s so abundant that even the parts that get swept into the trash are more than enough for one to live on,” Percy turned to Squeak. “Brigit, you and I are not dogs under the table. We’re eating at the banquet. But I want you to know that I love you with dumpster love. Even if life runs us down till we’re eating the crumbs, there will always be enough love for us. I will always hold up our crumbs to God and ask that He use them to fill us and heal us,” Percy welled up, and Squeak leaned to kiss her.

  “To dumpster love!” shouted Gabi in a decidedly tipsy voice.

  “To dumpster love!” the crowd responded.

  “To Brigit and Percy!” Javier spoke up.

  “Brigit and Percy!” everyone called.

  “Now, I think it’s about time for me to ask this lovely woman to dance!” Squeak beamed. She set down the microphone and took Percy’s hand.

  “That’s our cue,” Vanessa said, kissing Rosi’s plump cheek. She handed the baby to her Bubbe and took Javier’s hand.

  “I wrote this song for the woman I love,” Javier began as soon as he and Vanessa were on stage. “Today we share it with you in honor of our dear friends, Percy and Brigit——”

  “Percy and Squeak!” Vanessa corrected into her microphone. Several members of the crowd laughed. She picked up where Javier had left off. “Percy and Squeak, we couldn’t think of a better way to honor your love today than to share this song for your first dance.”

  “‘Honey Drop Rock’,” Javier said, nodding to the band.

  The tune was tinkly and rhythmic and sexy with the grace of classic jazz songs from the 1930’s. Squeak led Percy in an expert foxtrot through the long instrumental introduction. When Javier and Vanessa began to sing, their voices smooth and warm, the crowd joined the brides on the dance floor.

  “I need a little something sweet in my cup of tea,” Javier began, his voice flirty and playful. “While I’m waiting for the honey to drop, lay some sugar on me.”

  Vanessa sang next, her voice sultry, “Honey is just like love, but it moves real slow.” She looked into Javier’s eyes, fire flashing between them. “Baby, the best kind of love is worth waiting for.”

  “Don’t leave me hanging high, cause I’m hanging low,” Javier continued, “waiting for just one kiss—”

  “Then just one kiss more,” Vanessa sang. She looked Javier up and down, so that they emanated heat to the audience. “I need a little something sweet, and you’re my cup of tea.”

  “While we’re waiting for the honey to drop, lay some sugar on me!” they finished together.

  They kissed sweetly as the band played the instrumental recap. Javier leaned forward so that his lips were right by Vanessa’s ear. “I love you, Vanessa,” he spoke softly, his low voice causing her heart to race. Vanessa smiled and was about to answer, when Javier twirled her into the dance. The band reached the final repetition of the melody just as Javier dipped her, causing her santo to dangle by her ear. In the crowd, baby Rosi joined the others in applause.

  “I love you, Javier,” Vanessa laughed.

  “I
love you, too.”

  About the Author

  Summer Kinard lives in Durham, North Carolina with her husband, their two children, and a garden filled with herbs and squirrels. All four members of the family take it in turns to pour tea each night. Summer received a B.A. in religion from Southwestern University and an M.Div. and Th. M. (early church history and theology) from Duke Divinity School. When she is not writing or homeschooling, Summer sings opera with local companies. Can’t Buy Me Love is her first novel. Visit her website at writinglikeamother.com.

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