Blessed

by S. J. West

  “Well, I have something I want to do that night. Do you think you can make it back by supper time?”

  “I’ll make sure we’re back before then,” I promised him. “Dress or not, I’ll be here.”

  Chapter16

  When Saturday came, Tara and I drove to Dalton to pick up my mom and Utha Mae. As far as the financial arrangements for the wedding went, I told my mom I had some money in the bank from a gambling excursion with Malcolm to help out. The $5000 I won at his casino on that Sunday we spent together would definitely come in handy now. I had been saving it not knowing when I would need such a large sum of cash.

  My mom informed me that she had been saving some money up since I was a little girl to pay for my wedding. I was stunned she had planned for something so far ahead of time and wondered why she hadn’t planned as diligently for my college education. It made me realize how important my getting married really was to her.

  Utha Mae basically told me she would be paying for the dresses Tara and I would wear. I wanted to argue that I could buy my dress with my own money, but she wouldn’t even let me get the words out of my mouth.

  Since I wanted to have the wedding in Utha Mae’s church, we ended up only having to worry about the expenses for the reception and a few flowers. Having the wedding so close to Christmas was actually perfect timing, Utha Mae was in charge of the decorating committee at her church and told me I had nothing to worry about as far as the church interior went. She planned to have two Christmas trees, large red poinsettias and white roses festooning the interior. Her church already had candelabras so all we would have to buy to make the picture complete would be candles, ribbon, and decorative gauze fabric. At least I didn’t have to agonize over what the colors for the wedding would be.

  Utha Mae warned us that she planned to invite her whole congregation to the wedding. I wasn’t exactly sure how many people that would be but I knew it would be close to at least a hundred, depending on how many showed up. Since we would be inviting many more people than I had expected, Utha Mae requested we let her and the ladies from her church handle preparing most of the food. I had no doubt that they would make food far superior to anything a hired caterer would prepare.

  There was one more thing I needed though, a ring for Brand. I had no idea where I was going to find something which represented how much I loved and adored him. How do you buy the perfect man the perfect ring? I planned to drag Tara with me ring shopping sometime during the next week. Maybe with both of us, we could figure out something.

  I drove us all to Jackson in my mustang but Tara directed from the backseat telling me exactly where to go. She said Abby had asked her to take me to one particular store in Jackson and that she planned on meeting us there to help me choose a dress. I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take to find dresses for Tara and me, but I made sure everyone knew we might have to come back the following weekend if we didn’t find what we wanted that day. I needed to leave by at least 3:30 so I could keep my promise to Brand and have supper with him that evening. It seemed important to him, and I had no intentions of breaking my word to him.

  The wedding dress store was called Couture Collections and looked a bit expensive for our pocket books.

  “Are you sure this is where she said to meet her?” I asked eyeing the store dubiously as we all got out of the car.

  “Yep,” Tara said coming to stand beside me as Utha Mae and my mom started walking toward the entrance to the store.

  “Give me your phone,” Tara whispered to me.

  I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and handed it to her.

  “Who are you calling?”

  Without answering me, she fished a piece of paper out of her back pocket and dialed a number.

  “Hey,” she said into the phone, “we’re here.” There was a short pause. “Ok.”

  She ended the call and handed me the phone back.

  “Are you going to tell me who you called?”

  “Them,” Tara said nodding to the front of the store.

  Standing on the front steps of the store were Abby and Malcolm.

  “They wanted to come help. Said they saw a dress here for you that would be perfect,” Tara told me as we walked over to our friends.

  I gave both of them a hug. “I didn’t expect to see you guys here.”

  Abby’s presence didn’t surprise me that much but Malcolm’s did.

  “We thought you might like our company, dearest. It’s not everyday you get to help a friend pick out her wedding dress.”

  I couldn’t say anything. I knew if I tried I would get too emotional and start to cry. Instead, I took Malcolm’s hand and brought him inside the store with me.

  Every woman in the store immediately looked Malcolm’s way when we entered. Malcolm had met my mother and Utha Mae while I was in the coma in the hospital so I didn’t have to make any introductions. I could tell my mother was interested in Malcolm because of how flustered she looked being so close to him. When we went to the private viewing room, I made sure to sit Malcolm on the opposite side of the mirrored room from my mother. All I needed was for her to become obsessed with him.

  The lady who was to help me pick a dress took me to a back changing room and asked me questions to help me narrow down what style of gown I would want. I had a vision of the dress I wanted in my head but just couldn’t seem to find all the words I needed to describe it.

  “I think I know the perfect one for you,” she said and went to find the dress.

  When she brought it back in, I marveled at how well the woman had deciphered my mangled description of my dream dress. It was a strapless pristine white satin dress with a thin layer of veil like material on top which had been hand stitched with a multitude of pearls, crystals and off white embroidery. It had a full skirt and mid-length train.

  The sales lady helped me get into it so I could get the opinion of my family and friends, even though I knew in my heart it was the dress I’d always imagined myself wearing on my wedding day. I was hesitant to ask how much the dress cost. So I braced myself for the real possibility that we wouldn’t be able to afford my dream dress. Even if we couldn’t buy it, at least I would have the chance to wear it this one time.

  “It’s a perfect fit,” she said adjusting the full skirt and train around me. “Why don’t you go show your family? I’m sure they’ll love it, sweetie.”

  When I walked out of the dressing room and down the short hall to the mirrored viewing room, I could hear everyone talking and laughing like they were having a good time together. As soon as I stepped into their view, they all became quiet.

  “Well,” I said standing in front of the mirrors looking at how well the dress fit. It was like it had been made for me. “What do you guys think?”

  When I didn’t get an answer, I looked away from my reflection to Utha Mae first and saw she had tears in her eyes. When I looked at everyone else in the room, they all had the same expression, except for Malcolm. He just had a rakish grin on his face and winked at me.

  “Girl,” Tara sniffed, wiping at her eyes as she came to stand beside me. “I don’t care how much that dress cost. You’re getting it.”

  Utha Mae wiped away the tears from her cheeks with a handkerchief she pulled from her purse.

  “How much is it, hon?” She asked the sales lady who was standing a little behind me.

  “Well, you’re in luck,” she told Utha Mae. “That dress was marked down to $500 this week.”

  My mother gasped in surprise.

  “We’re taking it!” she said almost like she were afraid the sale lady had certainly made a mistake and didn’t want to give the woman a moment longer to figure it out. I think my mother was more excited than I was about the deal we had just gotten.

  As everyone was crowding around me looking at the detailed embroidery and crystal beading, I noticed Malcolm get out of his chair and go over to the sales lady. I watched him in the mirrors as he leaned down and whispered something to her while shaki
ng her hand. She looked down at the hand he shook and discretely put something in the pocket of her dress all the while nodding to him quietly saying, “You’re welcome”.

  “Excuse me,” I said to everyone around me. “I should probably take it off before we get it dirty.” After I carefully rotated the full skirt and train so I wouldn’t knock anyone down, I walked over to Malcolm and yanked on the sleeve of his shirt making him follow me down to the end of the hallway.

  “What was that all about?” I asked him quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear.

  “What was all what about, dearest?” Malcolm asked innocently.

  “What did you hand that woman just now?”

  “Just a tip for her help today,” he shrugged.

  It took me a second to put the pieces together. It made sense though. The fact that Abby told Tara where to go to find the perfect dress, the cheap price of the dress and Malcolm’s involvement could only mean one thing.

  “How much does this dress actually cost?” I asked him.

  “Dearest,” he said taking one of my hands into his. “Why do you insist on worrying about things which mean nothing? Just enjoy the dress. It looks wonderful on you.”

  “Did you pick it out?”

  “Would it matter?”

  “It matters to me,” I said. I could be just as stubborn as him.

  He sighed realizing he had been caught in his little scheme. “Abby and I saw it in Paris and thought it looked like you. Don’t ruin what’s supposed to be a happy time, dearest, just consider it an early wedding present.”

  “And the five-hundred dollars?”

  “Commission for the sales woman. It’s generally what she would earn for selling a dress in a store like this. She was more than willing to help me with my little ruse.”

  “How much does this dress actually cost?” I pressed.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s a gift.”

  I didn’t want to argue with him. He was just trying to make me happy, and he and Abby had done a perfect job of picking out the dress of my dreams. I rose up on the tips of my toes and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Thank you,” I whispered so only he could hear. “I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you.”

  “You’re more than welcomed.” He cocked an eyebrow at me and grinned. “Now, do you think you need my help getting out of it?”

  I just shook my head in exasperation and turned toward the dressing room leaving him chuckling behind me. I supposed some things would never change, married or not.

  We ended up buying some shoes and hair accessories at the store to complete the ensemble. I bought a simple veil and some thick heeled satin pumps.

  Finding Tara a dress took a bit more time and ended up costing about half as much as my dress did. But, it fit her personality and the theme of the wedding perfectly. It was a red, slim fitting mermaid style dress with half capped sleeves and a shimmering crystal brooch in the shape of a leaf attached to the left side of the bodice.

  It wasn’t until we made our purchases that I worried about stuffing my dress inside the trunk of my car.

  “We can take it home with us, love,” Abby offered, knowing I would much prefer them just phasing it back home and not having it cramped up in the back of my car for two hours.

  “We can just keep it at my house,” Malcolm said. “I seriously doubt Brand will see it there.”

  I thanked them both before they left.

  The drive back home was filled with chatter about the wedding. It was one of the few times Tara and my mom seemed to get along. Tara was usually so over protective of me whenever my mother was around. She always had her guard up ready to defend my honor at a moments notice if my mother said anything negative about me in her presence. But, with the conversation dedicated to the wedding, I didn’t have to worry about my mother saying anything that would ruin what had been a great day of shopping.

  After we dropped Utha Mae and my mom home, I didn’t even bother wasting time driving all the way back to Lakewood. I simply phased Tara and I back, car, packages and all, to our apartment.

  “I just don’t know if I like that,” Tara said. “Seems like cheating.”

  “It is cheating,” I laughed. “But I told Brand I would be back in time for this special supper he has planned. It’s already 4:30. I’m barely going to have time to get ready for our date as it is.”

  No matter how much I hounded him that week, Brand refused to tell me what was so special about having dinner together that evening. He simply said it was important to him, and to be honest, that was all I needed to know. When we got our packages unloaded, I took a quick shower and changed into a pair of black slacks and a maroon two piece sweater set before phasing home to Brand.

  He was sitting in the living room watching a football game on the new TV mounted above the fireplace. We had just bought the TV a couple of days before since I liked to watch television on occasion and he didn’t have one in his house. I hadn’t expected him to splurge on a 65” plasma but it was the best he could find in town.

  “I’m home,” I announced, walking to stand in front of him from the back side of the couch.

  He quickly turned off the TV and stood up pulling me into his arms kissing me like he hadn’t seen me in a year.

  “I missed you today,” he whispered, trailing kisses from my forehead to the side of my neck, unwilling to let me go. “I think I’ve gotten spoiled having you so close all the time these past couple of weeks.”

  “I missed you too,” I told him. “Though we did have fun shopping for dresses today.”

  “Did you find what you were looking for?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t feel like telling him Malcolm had been involved in finding the dress for me. It just didn’t seem like the right moment.

  “Are you ready for our night together?” He asked, forcing himself to stop kissing my neck.

  “What are we doing? You’ve been so secretive about it.”

  “I just wanted to surprise you since you seemed to have no clue what today is.”

  I wracked my brain trying to figure out what he was talking about.

  “Should I know what today is? Am I going to feel stupid for not knowing?”

  “No,” he laughed. “You won’t feel stupid. And today is actually two things.”

  Before I knew it we were standing inside a room I had never been in before. It was a sunroom with paned glass walls and white painted joints. I felt like I had stepped into a confectionary menagerie filled with boxes of chocolates, cakes, cookies, almost anything sweet you could think of surrounded by crystal vases filled with red roses and white lilies carefully arranged on tables draped in white silk fabric. White and red pillared candles were scattered around the room making everything glow in the romantic warmth of their candlelight.

  “What’s all this for?” I asked, completely confused, but loving the intoxicating aroma of flowers and chocolate which permeated the air around us.

  “It’s Sweetest Day,” he said holding me close.

  “Sweetest Day?”

  “I’m surprised you’ve never heard of it,” he said looking down at me in surprise. “It’s a day to tell the people you love most in your life how much they mean to you. It’s a little different than Valentine’s Day because it’s not just for lovers. But in our case, it gave me an excuse to buy you flowers and chocolates.”

  I smiled at him wondering what our first Valentine’s Day would be like together. If he went to this much trouble for an obscure holiday I had never heard of, what would a night as his wife on the most romantic day of the year be like?

  “So what’s the second thing? You said today was two things.”

  “On this day two months ago, my life changed completely. It was the first day we met.”

  “Has it really only been two months?” I asked, marveling at how little time had actually passed. “I feel like I’ve known you so much longer than that.”

  “I know what you mean. It’s
almost like we’ve known each other for years.” He held me close and looked deeply into my eyes. “I promise from this moment on you will hear me tell you I love you at least once a day for the rest of your life.”

  I laid my head down on his chest and hugged him to me, “That’s better than any chocolate or flower you could have bought me.”

  I looked out the windows and saw the moonlight reflecting off the Thames River. It was then I realized we were in Brand’s house in London.

  “Why are we in London?” I asked.

  “I have one more surprise for you.” He went to a chair in the room and picked up a large wool blanket before taking my hand. “Come on, we need to go out by the river to see it.”

  We walked out the back door of the sunroom, down the steps and across the lush green lawn leading to a dock on the river and sat down on a wrought iron bench there. Brand draped the blanket over us and reached for a flashlight sitting on his side of the seat. He flashed it toward the woods on the other side of the river twice before putting it down.

  “What was that for?” I asked, wondering about his odd behavior.

  “I was signaling to Jack that we’re ready. Just sit back, my love,” he said putting his arm around me pulling me closer to his side, sharing his warmth. “Look up at the moon.”

  A minute later I heard a whining noise and started to laugh as firecrackers of all different colors burst across the night sky illuminating everything. I’m not sure how long the show lasted but I do know my toes were starting to feel numb from the cold by the end of it. After the last fire cracker popped, we hurried back inside the house, grabbed some of the sweets from the sunroom and went down to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate to help warm us up.

  As we sat across from each other at the table, drinking our coco, I couldn’t keep from smiling.

  “Have I made you happy?” Brand asked, reaching for my hands across the table.

  “You always make me happy,” I told him as our fingers touched and we held fast to one another. “Mostly because I can’t believe how thoughtful you are most of the time. Even I didn’t remember it was our two month anniversary.”