by Vickie Fee
“Don’t you worry, Aunt Virginia. I promise not to embarrass you and Uncle Earl on your wedding day.”
“You just leave it to me,” Crystal said. “I’ll make sure the boys behave.”
Taylor greeted us and led us back to the dressing room, with Mama following her and us trailing Mama.
“I’d better go to the little girls’ room before I put my dress on,” Mama said.
I’m not sure why she needed the big cosmetics bag, since she already had her makeup on. But she did touch up her blush and powder her nose, before putting on a fresh coat of lipstick. Miss Betty and I each pulled out our own lipstick and did a touch-up, as well. Mama slipped behind a privacy screen and peeled off her outer garments before slipping into her dress. I helped Mama with her zipper and Miss Betty fastened her necklace.
Mama turned to face the three-way mirror and all three of us stood there admiring the way she looked in the deep purple floor-length dress. It had sequins, an Egyptian-inspired collar, sheer sleeves, and a short train. It was a bit over the top—and suited Mama’s personality perfectly.
“Aw, Mama, you’re beautiful,” I said, stretching up to give my nearly six-foot-tall mother a kiss on the cheek.
“Liv’s right, Virginia. You look lovely.”
In a moment, there was a tap on the door. It was Taylor.
“Gordy, your photographer, would like to snap a couple of pictures, if you’re ready.”
“Sure,” I said, opening the door.
He staged an artful photo of Mama in front of the mirror poised to put on her lipstick, while Miss Betty fastened Mama’s necklace and I held her bridal bouquet. And a second photo with a mother-daughter moment as I handed Mama her bouquet.
“Beautiful. Thanks,” Gordy said, as he took a look at the pictures he’d just shot on his digital camera. “Everyone’s in place in the chapel whenever you’re ready to begin.”
Gordy walked ahead of us. I felt butterflies in my stomach as we reached the chapel. I gave Mama’s hand a squeeze before slipping inside.
Mama had asked Larry Joe to walk her down the aisle. He was waiting for us just outside the chapel doors.
Miss Betty and I hurried to our seats just as the music began to play. She slid into a seat beside Daddy Wayne in the front row. I sat down in the front row on the opposite side, leaving the end chair open for Larry Joe.
I noted that the Elvis-styled minister at the front of the chapel was Steve—the one who had gotten into a tussle with Little Junior. I was glad he was the officiant because I knew he had a lovely voice, but I was a little nervous, too, hoping he and my cousin would behave.
Standing next to the minister, Earl was grinning from one bright red ear to the other. I noted Earl was wearing an Elvis Blue Hawaii print tie and blue suede shoes. I smiled, surmising this was the little surprise he had for Mama, since she had only told me he was going to wear his best blue suit. As I looked back to watch Mama’s entrance I could see Little Junior and Crystal sitting just behind my in-laws, holding hands. Di came in and sat down, wearing the new sundress she’d mentioned. It was really cute. Dave slipped in a moment later and took a seat on the row behind Di, just as Mama started walking toward the minister. I had hoped the wedding might stir fond romantic feelings between the two of them, but the appearance of Jimmy Souther had apparently nixed that.
Gordy was positioned halfway down the aisle. He snapped a picture of the bride, and then stepped aside. Steve began singing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as Mama floated down the aisle like Cleopatra on the Nile. Despite my best efforts, a tear tumbled out of the corner of my eye.
When Mama and Larry Joe reached the front, Larry Joe took his seat. Mama handed me her bouquet of roses, which matched the ones in vases on pedestals behind Steve. He took Mama’s hand, placed it in Earl’s and continued singing, looking only at Mama and Earl. The photographer had moved to the front, left-hand side of the chapel and kept snapping photos unobtrusively.
“Take my hand, take my whole life, too . . .”
Steve wrapped up the song, but his crooning didn’t sound as smooth as it had the first night when we had watched the wedding ceremony through the chapel door windows.
“Dearly beloved, I want to thank you all, thank ya very much for gathering here today. Earl couldn’t help falling in love with Virginia and wants to be her forever teddy bear.”
The minister’s intro elicited smiles and chuckles from our little congregation, but his voice was a bit shaky. Looking more closely, I could see his face was bathed in sweat.
“And the two of them have decided it’s now or never for them to be joined in the noble estate of matrimony,” Steve said, looking unsteady on his feet and gently swaying from side to side. He suddenly stopped and gasped. His face took on a bluish tinge and I thought he might be having a heart attack. His body seemed to spasm. With another gasp, he fell to the floor.
Dave rushed to the front and knelt down beside Steve. After checking for a pulse, he began to perform CPR and called out for someone to dial 911, and for someone else to check with the desk to see if they had a defibrillator on the premises. Di dialed 911. Larry Joe rushed out of the chapel. And Mama crumpled onto the chair next to me, sobbing.
Taylor rushed into the chapel after Larry Joe had asked her about the defibrillator. She looked down at Steve as Dave valiantly continued with CPR. She began to sob, her shoulders shuddering, when it seemed apparent he was beyond reviving. Dave continued CPR until the EMTs arrived. He stepped away to let them take charge, then he turned to us and shook his head. I had given my seat to Earl, who had his arm around Mama with her head on his shoulder. Obviously, having the minister drop dead during the ceremony had put a damper on the wedding.
The police had arrived just after the paramedics and had taken a statement from each of us, not that there was much we could tell them. As the cops were taking statements I couldn’t help noticing Crystal, who had previously dated Steve, was shedding no tears. Little Junior, who wasn’t a fan, was surveying his surroundings as if he was studying the sparse decor. I imagined he was thinking there might be an opening for him now as a minister at the Burning Love Chapel. Looking around, I noted that the photographer had apparently slipped out of the chapel at some point during all the hubbub.
The police officer took our contact information and said that an autopsy would have to be performed. But all indications were that Steve had suffered a heart attack.
The paramedics had rolled the deceased out on a gurney and the cop was standing in the doorway to the chapel chatting with Dave.
Taylor may have broken down in tears when she saw Steve lying on the floor, but she composed herself enough to talk business.
She apologized to Mama and Earl and asked if they would like to reschedule.
“I’m sure this has been upsetting, but I know you’re only in town for a limited time. If you want to go ahead with a wedding today, we do have an opening at eleven p.m. tonight in one of the other chapels. Of course, there would be no additional charge for the larger space.”
Mama and Earl looked at Taylor in disbelief. For once my mother was speechless. Earl spoke up.
“Thank you, but I don’t think Virginia and I are in any frame of mind to continue with the wedding tonight.”
“Of course. Just give me a call when you’re ready.” Taylor started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to face the nearly wedded couple. “Oh, by the way, take the rose arrangements with you, if you like, since you’ve already paid for them.”
I wanted to get up and smack Taylor for her appalling lack of sensitivity. But Little Junior rushed over to Mama and offered to carry the flowers out to the car if she wanted them.
“Sure, hon, if you want to,” Mama said blankly.
I assumed my cousin was just eager to do something nice for Mama and toting flower pots was the best he could come up with. He and Crystal walked to the front to retrieve the floral arrangements. When Little Junior picked up the vase from one of the two p
edestals, something shiny tumbled to the floor with a metallic thud.
The cop stopped his droning conversation with Dave midsentence and walked to the front of the chapel to have a look. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and picked up a silver-colored flask. He held it up, examining it more closely, then left the chapel without a word.
We assumed we were free to go.
My in-laws got into the Winnebago with Mama and Earl. The rest of us piled into the vintage pink Cadillac. Little Junior got behind the wheel and Crystal sidled up to him. Di climbed in the front seat next to Crystal and Dave got into the backseat. Larry Joe and I exchanged a puzzled look before sliding onto the backseat, with me in the middle. The ride back to the hotel felt like a funeral procession.
Chapter Eight
Despite having gone to bed early, mentally and emotionally exhausted, I didn’t sleep well and woke up early the next morning. The wedding chapel had turned into a funeral parlor after our Elvis-impersonating minister dropped dead.
I knew Mama was up by now and I wanted to check to see how she was doing, but I didn’t know what to say. Should I encourage her to move forward with wedding plans? I thought about calling and asking Holly’s advice, but she wasn’t typically an early riser; in fact she usually slept later than I did. So I called someone I knew was already up and going and could be trusted to give me common sense advice. Winette King works at Sweet Deal Realty, located downstairs in the same building as Liv 4 Fun’s office on Dixie’s town square. She’s also a dear friend I could count on to tell me exactly what she thought.
“Hi, Winette, it’s Liv.”
“I gathered that from the caller ID, but I’m still surprised to hear from you so early in the morning. Is everybody okay?”
Hearing from me this early in the day caused Winette to jump to the conclusion that someone must have died. And she was right.
“All of us are fine, but we did have a troubling experience last night at the chapel. The upshot is that the minister keeled over dead before Mama and Earl could say their ‘I dos.’”
“Oh, my, I would certainly call that troubling.”
“I know the man couldn’t help dying, but I just wish he had dropped dead before he came in the chapel. Then they probably would have just substituted another Elvis-impersonator minister and continued with the ceremony. As it was, Dave jumped in and performed CPR until the ambulance arrived. And the police came and took statements from all of us. Our wedding celebration turned into a wake. I know that sounds cold. I am truly sorry the minister died. He was too young to die of a heart attack like that. It’s just Mama and Earl have been through so much lately. . . .”
“No, Liv, I completely understand. And I do so hate that for your mama—and Earl. Mmm, mmm,” she said, and I could clearly see Winette in my mind’s eye, pursing her lips and shaking her head.
“So what now?” she asked.
“That’s what I was hoping you could tell me. Do I encourage Mama to go ahead with the wedding at the chapel, or at a different chapel? Do I offer to arrange a quick wedding at another venue here in Vegas? Do I suggest we go back to Dixie and resume the original plans for a wedding there?”
That last option was the least appealing to me. But seeing how disappointed Mama was last night and the forlorn look on Earl’s face just broke my heart. I was willing to wade through swans and conjure up gondolas and gondoliers if it would give them the happiness they deserved.
“Winette, I consider you one of the wisest women I know,” I said sincerely. “What do you think I should do?”
“If I’m the wisest woman you know, the first thing you should do is broaden your social circle. But as far as your mama’s concerned, I don’t think you should talk to her about wedding plans today, unless she brings it up. I think you should get her out doing something fun, something to get her mind off things. If she sits around too much she’s just going to be thinking about that dead man in the chapel and her wedding that almost happened.”
“You’re right. Mama can be emotional at best. She’s in no state to make new wedding plans today.
“And speaking of emotions, Holly’s got her hands full with that class reunion this week. If you have a chance, could you call and give her some encouragement? I think she’s trying not to bother me while we’re here in Vegas, so she may need a sympathetic ear,” I said.
“Will do. And, good luck with your mama. I’ll keep her in my prayers.”
Talking to Winette made me feel better. I hoped I could come up with something to make Mama feel better, too.
While I was on the phone, Larry Joe, who had already showered and dressed, whispered to me that he was going downstairs to get us coffee and doughnuts.
Just after I hung up, he came through the door holding two cups of coffee and a white lunch sack. I walked over and took one of the cups and the sack out of his hand, and he kissed my forehead. I grabbed a couple of napkins off the stack lying on top of the doughnuts and used it to extract a chocolate doughnut from the bag.
I sat down on the bed, leaned against the headboard, and bit into my breakfast. Larry Joe sat in the easy chair in the corner of the room.
“So what’s the plan for today? Have you talked to your mama yet?”
“No, but Winette gave me some good advice. She said not to propose new wedding plans to Mama and Earl today. But to try to get them out doing something fun.”
“Sounds smart to me. The dead body kind of cast a pall over the whole wedding thing. Where do you plan to take them?”
“Di and I went to this kind of outdoor mall yesterday. But it would likely be too much walking for Mama. And I can’t really see her or Earl wanting to glide through the air on a zip line.”
“Seems unlikely,” Larry Joe said, taking another bite of his doughnut and caking his lips with powdered sugar. “They’d probably enjoy something less aerobic.”
“Yeah, maybe some kind of tour. That’s it,” I said.
I started punching in numbers on my cell phone.
“What’s it?” Larry Joe asked.
“I’m going to see if Little Junior can take them on a tour of Vegas. They can mostly enjoy the view from the car, while Little Junior narrates. But Little Junior could also park and let them take a closer look at attractions where there’s not too much walking involved.”
“That’ll be great for your mama. She worships her nephew. But I think Little Junior may wear on Earl after a while,” Larry Joe said.
“Normally, I’d agree. But I think Earl will be willing to put up with Little Junior if Mama’s enjoying it.”
I explained my idea for the tour to my cousin and how I thought it would be just the thing to cheer Mama up. He was eager to do something nice for her, so it wasn’t a hard sell.
I thought Mama might be reluctant to leave the hotel, so I organized my sales pitch in my head before running through it with her.
“Wish me luck. I’m going to talk Mama into having a good time, even if she’s dead set against it.”
“You do that to people at parties all the time, right?” Larry Joe said, giving me a thumbs-up.
I needed to make this sales pitch in person, so I dropped my phone in my pocket, grabbed my room key card, and walked down the hall. When I tapped on the door, Mama bellowed for me to come in.
Her voice sounded robust enough when she was yelling at me through the door. But as soon as I came in and asked how she was feeling, she answered in a soft, pitiful voice.
“Not too good, hon. I barely slept a wink. Earl and I should have been taking off on our honeymoon today,” she said, putting a tissue to her face. The voice may have been an affectation, but the tears were real enough.
“I know, Mama. But that man’s death has nothing to do with us, really. We just happened to be the wedding party that was there at the time. Tomorrow we’ll start making wedding plans, if you’re up to it, but today you and Earl are going on a tour.”
“That’s very sweet, Liv, but . . .”
; I cut her off. “No, hear me out. Little Junior feels so bad about your wedding plans being thwarted. You know he adores you, Mama. And he’s determined to do something nice for you. He plans to give you the grand tour.”
“I don’t know that I’m really up to something like that. . . .”
“Mama, most of the tour will be from the comfort of the taxi. He’ll only stop here and there, if you and Earl want, in spots where you won’t have to do a lot of walking. It’ll give him a chance to do something for you, and also to show off his knowledge of the area. I know you wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings. . . .”
“No. And it would be nice to spend some time with him, you know, give him and his Uncle Earl a chance to bond.”
I knew bonding time would mean more to Mama and Little Junior than to Earl, but was counting on him being a good sport about it for Mama’s sake.
“Little Junior said he could pick you up in front of the hotel in about forty-five minutes,” I said, glancing over at the clock on the nightstand. “Can you and Earl be ready to go by then?”
“We’ve already had breakfast, so I don’t see why not. Will you tap on the door, so I can tell Earl about our plans?” Mama said.
I knocked lightly on the connecting door to the next room. Earl opened it almost immediately.
“Hon, Little Junior has come up with the sweetest idea to try to cheer us up.”
It wasn’t exactly Little Junior’s idea, but it was enough for me that Mama seemed pleased. I reminded Mama that they needed to be downstairs in forty minutes and slipped out to let her and Earl talk privately.
I went back to my and Larry Joe’s room. He was at the bathroom sink cleaning powdered sugar off his face with a washcloth.
“Mission accomplished,” I said, feeling pretty pleased with myself.
“What are your plans for today?” Larry Joe asked.
“With Mama tended to, I was hoping you and I might go out and do something. We’ve barely gotten to spend any time together. And you did spend quality time with your dad yesterday.”
“I spend enough quality time with my dad every day at the office. Do you need to look after Di?”