by Ami Snow
Liz was a school hood friend of Mums and since her husband died 10 years ago she had built the Plaza into a multi-million dollar concern, and it was mostly her unique ability to arrange functions perfectly that had achieved such amazing results.
“Kevin you still look a little shell shocked, sit down and have a coffee. Leave everything to these girls now because I promise you that if you try to help they will skin you alive.”
“Darling I might make a suggestion,” my Mother addressed Dad. “ Why not host the wedding at Liz’s hotel? It will be easier on our guests and we can stay in town for a while afterwards and maybe choose a house.”
Clapping a hand to his forehead Dad exclaimed. “Perfect little Mother, what a tip top idea. What do you say Del? Would you mind terribly not having your wedding here at home?”
Running to him I hugged him dearly. “I would marry Kevin in an Aboriginal humpy in the bush Dad. I am so happy I will accept any decision that makes things easier for the family.”
“That’s the spirit honey.” Dad complimented me, “Now you girls start planning while Kevin and I drive out and look at the cows he inseminated and then he can book the time with his boss and not be in danger of being fired. I suggest you make a call and tell him that is why you are here and tell him to send me an account Kevin.”
“Oh my stars,” moaned Kevin. “My boss! I forgot to call him.” He ran into the hallway and grabbed the phone while we all laughed.
“Daphne, Delminico. What brings you to the thriving metropolis of Ceduna in the middle of the month? Finally run out on your old man to pursue a life of sin and debauchery have you girl?” The huge woman boomed as she walked over to give us both a huge hug.
Laughing my Mum told her we needed her services and why so she gave me another big hug.
“So you are going to tie the knot hey Delminico? Jolly good show, we must give you a wedding to end all weddings. How much time have we got, a year?”
“No not quite Aunty Liz, just over 4 weeks to be precise.”
Liz blanched. “A month! You want the best wedding ever to performed in this nation in a MONTH!? Well we best get to work then. Cecilia, Rose, come here and work with Delminico on bridal gowns and bridesmaids dresses. Come on Daffy, you and I will arrange color schemes and floral arrangements”. Mum laughed at the use of her old nic-name and followed Liz gratefully. Things were off to a great start.
By the end of the very first week Liz had sorted and sent all the invitations. Arranged color schemes and catering and the band and put me in touch with a friend who was a dressmaker to sort out the gowns. There were going to be 470 guests all up and the next hurdle was going to be how to accommodate them all in a town the size of Ceduna. We pre-booked every suite and every room and every boarding house and we were still shy around 100 beds.
One night my over stressed Mother cried on Dad’s shoulder on the telephone, she was at her wit’s end.
“You quite finished whining Mother?” He asked. I will sort this bed problem tomorrow, just go and get a decent nights rest. I will bring the chopper in the morning. Now promise me not to worry anymore.”
As good as his word always Dad arrived promptly at 7Am and started in on the bed issue.
“Hello Harry, long time no see. Yes mate you are right I do need something. Can you lend me 100 Army cots and mattresses and three very large marquee tents? Cool, I need them at the local camping grounds no later than Saturday the 29th. Can you bring along a few grunts to help set them up? Oh while I am at it bring the Mrs. Del is getting married in the afternoon. Thanks Harry, see you on the 29th.”
“Okay Mrs. Del Sandros what else can I do for you?’ Dad looked like the cat who got the cream, a beaming smile on his face.”
“Raymond Del Sandros you could have arranged that from the station, what are you doing here exactly?” Asked my Mum accusingly.
With a sheepish grin he explained, “It is kind of lonely out there with my two girls in town so I am going to stay and help.”
“Oh no you are not, have you forgotten our wedding? My Mother was almost ready to make me widow even before I was married.”
“Oh come on Daph’, it’s as boring as buggery out there. The boys have the place under control and I have bugger all to do. Let me help. Pretty please with ice-cream and a strawberry on top?” He put such an innocent school boy look on his face Mum burst out laughing.
“Oh let the boy stay daffy.” Liz boomed. “He could be useful to you, especially on the long nights.” She winked at Dad who blushed a pretty pink. We all giggled, Liz was remarkable but extremely frank and outspoken.
Finally the big day arrived and to say I was ill would be the year’s understatement. I started my usual throwing up around 5AM and it just didn’t stop.
“Oh Mum,” I wailed. “How can I get married like this? I am so ill.”
Hugging me on the bed she wiped my brow with a cool, damp towel. “It will be okay baby cakes, it is just nerves. I had them too, I was convinced I was going to throw up all the way down the aisle but the instant I put on my dress I was calm as a cucumber, you are going to be fine, you will see.”
She was absolutely right of course, although I did discover much later she had lied about being sick herself. It was a clever ruse to relax me and it worked. The instant the dress went over my head I was right as rain.
Walking down the flower strewn aisle on my handsome father’s arm towards my wonderful husband to be I was on cloud 9. Leaning down Dad said, “If you want to change your mind and light out girlie this is your last chance, I will hold them at bay and give you a sporting chance.”
“Oh hush up Dad, if you make me laugh I will crown you with the bloody bouquet so help me I will,” I whispered back, not changing my serene expression although it was a mighty effort not to grin.
After that solemn walk everything was a blur until I felt myself in my brand new husband’s arms and he was kissing me passionately in front of 500 people, including 20 army privates who threw their berets in the air and cheered.
“Darling where are you taking me,” I asked Kevin. “This is the road to the airfield; there is no accommodation out here that I know of.”
“It’s a surprise your Dad and I have been working on for you, just be patient a little longer.”
Pulling onto the airfield tarmac he steered for a small private jet and pulled up near the steps.
“Next stop Bali my dearest,” Kevin declared. Your passport is in my suitcase and the jet stays with us for the week. Happy?”
With huge tears welling up yet again I held my husband in a tight embrace and asked, “Has that little plane got a bed do you think?”
As it turned out it did!
THE END
**BONUS STORIES LIMITED TIME ONLY**
Taken Rough by the Alien
Alien Romance
By: Amanda Bolton
Taken Rough by the Alien
It was nearing the end of the night and Chelle was consumed by the preoccupation of how she would be getting home tonight. As her friends drank and danced the rest of the night away with their potential hookups, she leaned against their table and looked at the thinning crowd without an answer. She would have to take a taxi. There was really no other way around it. She did not want to brave the public transport system this late and alone. Sighing, she picked up her glass from the table and drained her drink. Right when she set it down she heard the voice of a man come up beside her. Over the music of the club and her own thoughts, she was not able to catch what he said. In fact, she was not even completely sure if he had actually addressed her.
She turned to look at him and suppressed the look threatening to take over her face. He was incredibly attractive, easily one of the most attractive men she had ever met. Rather, been so close to in person given they had not actually spoken yet. She 3cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow as if to ask why he was just standing there. That was when it dawned on him she had not heard his original greeting so he leaned forward, his mo
uth so close to her ear she could feel his warm breath on her skin. “Are you alone or waiting?” He had a smooth and melodious voice, the kind a person could listen to all day and get lost in pleasant thoughts.
She nodded at her friends and replied, “I’m alone now.” She turned back to him and shrugged, with a somewhat defeated smile on her lips.
He took a couple steps forward and she could almost feel his body heat radiating off him. Her breath caught in her throat. Could it be she would not end up the lone friend for the night after all? Not that it had bothered her, really, save for the concern of getting home. But she would not care to deny she was quite interested in having this man’s company. “Would you prefer to be left alone?” He asked it quite delicately, in a way she could not have imagined many people asking anything at all. Already she was far more intrigued by him than she could even understand.
“Not necessarily,” she replied casually. She did not want to clue him in just yet as to how interested she truly was. Though she found him quite appealing already she wanted to test the waters. There was always the chance he would not turn out to be so interesting after all or simply be one of those good-looking men far too full of themselves. Something in her mind, however, set off an alert that indicated otherwise. She felt as if her very body were telling her he was far more interesting than she could even believe.
He turned to face the crowd in front of them as he leaned back on the table next to her. He said nothing for a couple minutes. They stood together in silence, observing the crowd and looking at the difference between the people who chose to stay until the very end and those who called it quits so close to that time. It was not until he draped his hand over her shoulder that he spoke again, “Would you like to go outside and talk for a while?”
She turned to him and nodded. He seemed to be very comfortable with her despite having just met but he was doing everything right. He was smooth and just the right amount of mysterious. He made his interest in her very clear but was not pushy, making her feel uncomfortable or harassed. He removed his arm and made a sweeping motion toward the door so she could take the lead. On their way out, she stopped and let one of her friends know she would be going and pointed at him. The friend nodded and gave a subtle wink before returning to the man she had met early on in the night. It was a rare occurrence for the group of them to go out together and all end up with a partner of some sort. In fact, this may have been the first time it all happened like this.
Chelle stepped outside, enjoying the refreshing night air surrounding her after being sweaty and stuffy in the club. She turned to the man and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Lance. Yours?”
“Chelle,” she responded with a smile. She looked around and noticing nothing was open on the block. “Where should we go?”
He simply shrugged and looked around as well. He turned to look at her and said, “We can find a diner to maybe grab a coffee and talk?” She nodded and the two began to walk in silence, enjoying the sounds around them mixing with their footsteps. She briefly wondered why they did not say much to each other at all and why it was not awkward but quickly dismissed the thought. It did not matter because it was not awkward. She decided to take it as a good sign rather than question it. After about ten minutes they saw the bright, neon lights of a 24-hour diner. Naturally, there was an influx of drunken groups of friend from the nearby nightlife establishments but the two managed to nab a table off to the corner near the back of the dining area.
“Two coffees?” He was looking over her shoulder as he asked the question but quickly glanced at her when she nodded for the confirmation, placing the order as soon as the waitress reached their table. Chelle took the opportunity to adjust her top in order to cover up a bit of her cleavage that was more of her boobs almost entirely spilling out of her top at this point. She did not mind flaunting her large breasts in a cute top and in the appropriate circumstances but she did not want to leave everything out in the open either. And sitting across the table from someone in a brightly lit diner, not matter how packed with drunken people it was, made it feel a bit much.
Lance turned back to her and smiled as he pulled the sugar packets to the middle of the table. “Tell me, Chelle, is this a usual Saturday nigh for you?” He asked in such a calm manner she simply sat and stared him for about a minute before realizing she had not yet answered his question.
She gave a small, awkward chuckle and fumbled slightly with the sugar packets before meeting his gaze. “It’s actually not. My friends and I don’t go clubbing together all that often. We prefer to keep out gatherings a bit more mellow.”
“Was it a special occasion then?”
“No, it just sort of happened. How about you?”
He folded his hands neatly on the table and smirked, his green eyes piercing right through her brown eyes. Right at that moment, the waitress returned with two steaming mugs of coffee and creamer. She set them on the table and asked if they needed anything else before walking away. Chelle poured some creamer in her coffee and one packet of sugar before stirring it as she looked up to watch Lance. He was already sipping it, just plain black coffee, but still had not bothered to answer her question. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow before taking a sip to let him know she was still waiting. “Not at all,” he finally replied as he set his mug back down on the table. It was already almost half empty.
“I usually avoid those places but a friend of mine did some promotion work for that club and asked me to go.”
“So you went out as a favor?”
“Essentially, yes. But now I’m glad for it.”
Chelle looked at him making very clear her thinking he was being too cheesy. She was pretty sure what he meant by that last statement and, quite frankly, she was not one for that kind of over-the-top exchange. She actually went on to tell him this just a few minutes later when the conversation took that turn. After she did, he dropped his head with and said, “It may seem tacky but I did mean it.”
She took a sip of her coffee and eyed him. She was usually cautious with any new person she met but given this precise circumstance, she was a bit extra doubtful about what he said and how he behaved. A part of her was pretty sure he just wanted to get lucky for the night. Another part of her reasoned he was not actually acting like someone with one very specific goal in mind. It was clear he was attracted to her but he was not pushing some kind of agenda, at least not in an obvious way.
When he had finished his coffee and refused a refill from the waitress, he declared it was time for each of them to go their separate ways on account of it having been a long night already. “I want to get to know you under more favorable circumstances,” he clarified, “And that includes both of us being well-rested.” She smiled and walked out of the restaurant feeling reassured they would meet again. He hailed her a cab first and even paid for her fare before pulling her in for a loose but genuine hug. She noted he smelled quite strongly of pleasantly scented cologne and, on the way home, found herself wondering if he always used so much of it or if it was reserved just for nightlife.
She walked straight to her bedroom after locking up her front door, hurriedly stripping her clothes off and climbing into bed. It was not until that moment she realized how much her body ached from exhaustion. She shut her eyes only to replay meeting Lance at the club, remembering the rush of feelings she experienced, and recalling his lingering scent after he hugged her goodbye. It was all so vivid. And with these thoughts and heightened senses pulling her toward very active but welcome dreams, she drifted off to sleep.
The following afternoon Chelle was lounging around her apartment and watching a movie when her phone’s message alert went off. She sat up and reached over to grab it only to find she had received a message from a number not registered in her phone’s contact list. She opened it to find it was from Lance and it was a very simple message asking how her day was going so far. She typed out a quick response and sent it before she started overthinking it. His r
eply came not even a couple minutes later proposing drinks after work tomorrow. She paused and went over her schedule in her mind before agreeing. The two settled on a place and time and in less than ten minutes the back and forth was over with arrangements successfully made. It was not lost on Chelle how easy that had been and how incredibly rare that was.
So the next day she dressed appropriately for work but still something she would be okay wearing on her drinks date, all she had to do was remove her blazer. The workday went by in a flash with how busy she was and by the time she was heading to meet Lance for drinks, she was more than happy to have something fun to look forward to. He was already waiting at a corner a table when she stepped into the lounge, mid-tempo easy listening pumping steadily through speakers and a laid-back atmosphere perfect for a weekday. She walked directly toward him and he immediately stood up, a smooth smile curling his lips upward and his green eyes shining despite the dim lighting.