“And I’m so tired. I forgot how exhausting these three-day wedding festivities can be. Please, poke me in the back if I nod off.”
“I don’t see how you could.”
Barkha glanced at me. “How are you feeling? Not lightheaded? Do you need a chair?” Ever the doctor, she seemed like she was ready to pull out a stethoscope from somewhere in the silk that draped over her slim form.
“No, I’m fine, I’m fine.” I touched my stomach. “Ben Junior is probably sleeping right now.” Actually, he was probably the size of peanut at the moment, so I wouldn’t have felt him even if he did stir. But we weren’t sure yet if I was carrying a Ben Junior or a Jewel Marie, either.
We ladies in the wedding party each took a turn sneaking a peek out one of the gaps in the tent walls. We could see where the wedding-goers would soon sit, once they arrived behind Jerry. Some of the wedding guests already waited, about fifty of them scattered throughout, since they didn’t care to accompany the procession to the park. Two of them were Momma and Hannah. Momma waved. Hannah didn’t figure out it was me, so we were spared her screaming.
The sun beat down through the white gauzy material that covered the top of the amphitheater. Hundreds of white chairs faced the stage, and a long red carpet led to the altar where Jerry would exchange vows with Barkha. Her family had bowed to her request to have a Christian ceremony, but the decorations were definitely not Western.
A roar and a cheer coming from the direction of the main road made us look in that direction. It looked as if a kaleidoscope of color approached the green lawn in waves. And the highest point, like king of the mountain, was Jerry, riding the elephant. He wore a golden embroidered tunic, and there’d been much debate about how much sparkle it would have.
I knew Ben wore a tux—I spotted him with his jacket slung over his arm, cheering with the rest of the men, some of whom wore elegant tunics. My heart swelled. We’d been through a rollercoaster, my little family and this town of Greenburg, but God had definitely brought us out on the other side. I started to cheer with the rest of the crowd. Shadows fled and darkness had no place in our town today.
When the crowd reached the chairs, the orchestra started to play.
“Ready, ladies?” Dulce, Barkha’s older sister asked. “Because Jerry’s trying to climb down from the elephant without falling off. He could have ridden a donkey instead, you know.”
I chuckled. “Knowing Jerry, I’m not surprised he chose the elephant.”
We watched the men in the wedding party line up and walk along the red carpet. Once they were in place at the end of the red carpet, our turn came.
I felt like a princess, walking down the aisle. All I could see was Ben and his smile, as if it were our special day. We’d been through so much together, but as long as I had him and God, we could face whatever the future held.
Check out books one and two in the Scents of Murder series:
A Suspicion of Strawberries
The Wiles of Watermelon
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About the Author
Lynette Sowell loves to spin adventures for the characters who emerge from story ideas in her head. She desires to take readers on an entertaining journey and hopes they catch a glimpse of God’s truth along the way. Lynette is a Massachusetts transplant who lives in central Texas. She loves to read, travel, spend time with her family, and also tries not to kill her houseplants, although her tropical hibiscus contemplated pressing charges one winter.
The Perils of Peaches (Scents of Murder Book 3) Page 20