by Cat Gardiner
I look over to my soon to be mother-in-law and cringe on behalf of Liz and Jane as the woman sobs, “My beautiful, perfect daughter, pregnant – her body is ruined.” I’m tempted to shoot her a look that would silence almost anyone forever, but I’m sure it wouldn’t affect her in the least. Jane will look beautiful as she carries little Bingley, but I’m sure not as beautiful as Liz will look one day carrying our child.
Liz meets my gaze and together we just stare at one another for long seconds as the minister proclaims Charlie and Jane husband and wife. It was in that moment that she mouthed, “I love you, forever.”
Damn if my heart didn’t skip a couple of beats. And then it happened. It just came right out because I honestly couldn’t wait until midnight. Staring straight at her, so there would be absolutely, positively, no misunderstanding of my plea, I mouthed back, “Marry me. I love you.”
She bit that plump lower lip of hers to keep it from quivering and with sparkles in her vibrant, green eyes that light my world, she nodded, yes.
As I said, I’m the luckiest and most blessed man alive.
Elizabeth’s Perspective
I think I need to pinch myself because I cannot believe I’m standing here beside my favorite sister, dressed in this beautiful gown, witnessing her marriage to the second most incredible man in the world.
I’m actually attempting to memorize the entire service. Of course, I'm hoping when my turn comes around it won’t be in an uber-swanky hotel like this, surrounded by hundreds of the world’s most perfect, beautiful people who I don’t even know. It’s the vows that matter for me. I never thought I’d want to take those vows, but I do. With all my heart, I do – with Will.
Jane makes an elegant bride and Charlie is dashing. Even baby Bingley is showing ever so slightly. My sister knew all along about her pregnancy but didn’t want to say anything until after the wedding. I suppose, she didn’t want to hear my mother’s shrill condemnation or the Bingley family’s judgments. Then there was the angst of the whole Playboy thing getting out. Not to mention, her being knocked up and as yet, unwed. Chocolate addiction, my butt. See, there was no possible way Jane could conceal it - growing up she always hated chocolate.
Standing there under the exotic flowers, I can feel Will’s heated gaze upon me. Almost as if my heart instinctively knows that I am under his observation it starts to beat faster – like a pounding on my chest wall. I look into those piercing blue eyes of his and I’m lost, drowning, covered by his love. Should I mouth to him that the lock of hair at his forehead is astray, making him look so adorable that I just want to caress his beautiful face and smooth it back into place? Nah, I’ll just smile, and he’ll know something’s up. I can’t help staring at him, and then he does it, one of those things that drives me absolutely wild - he winks at me. My darn near perfect man is winking at me. At me! I gotta’ tell you, I am so frickin’ lucky. Yes, that’s right … by everyone’s standards - I AM LUCKY. But by my standards, I am BLESSED. So incredibly blessed that I may need to pinch myself.
I’m in awe at how far, how fast Will and I have come in the short span of less than a month. To think all I wanted was a Christmas dinner date. Man, I got so much more than that: partner, lover, best friend, kickboxing sparring partner, comic relief, and support system all in one. Together, we’re healing the wounds of our past by embracing a future together. It’s only natural, of course, because he’s my bashert. Sadie was right. Will is the one. Stupid, headstrong me, missing the true character of a special man all because of a few misunderstandings. It seems as though we were plagued by misunderstandings. How did I miss all the significant signs during those first three weeks? It was there staring me in the face all along. Lucky Thirteen Lizzy: Ladder Company Thirteen, thirteen days from the time we met to dinner at Jane’s, first kiss on the thirteenth, table number thirteen at the gala, thirteenth man in the calendar. Even Sadie said that thirteen is a lucky number, and it was her match that finally brought us together. That figures since the day I met her was thirteen days before Christmas. As though a beacon throughout my entire life, the number thirteen had been pointing the way to my soul mate. I was never unlucky, only a little bit blind and like I said, very blessed.
I can’t help looking out at the sea of impeccably dressed, stylishly chic wedding guests. Even little Hermes, Caroline’s new pooch sitting on her lap looks adorable in his tuxedo, but with her orange sheath gown, a freaky Halloween connection is unavoidable. I gotta’ say, I’m shocked to see one of the young guys from the West End Cave as her date. How on earth did that happen? On the other side of the aisle sits my lunatic family, all except Mary. Maybe she has a little of The Black Widow in her, too. She did the unimaginable: she packed her bags, left Meryton on Christmas Eve, and sent me an email when she landed in Spain. Later, she checked in on my blog to say she has a hot date with a guy tonight. I’m so happy for her.
Among the guests, one of Jane’s female model friends winks at me and runs her tongue over her shiny, pink lips. I smile, because really it would be rude not to acknowledge such a compliment. It has to be that stupid personal ad. I’ll have to have Jane explain to her friend that I definitely play on the Fitzwilliam Darcy team. I make a mental note to make sure I send my wedding announcement to the magazine – if and when it happens.
The tremble in Jane’s voice, as she recites her vows, draws my attention from the guests back to Will. He’s watching the happy couple, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking. Maybe the same thing I am. He doesn’t know he talks in his sleep. In between snores, he tells me he wants to marry me, make tons of babies together, spread our love to everyone we meet, and make a difference in the world.
His lips slightly twitch and I find myself speculating on what he’s really thinking. Is he as horny as I am at this moment? Nah, he’s probably feeling sentimental, I’m the one who needs to jump his bones right now.
To think our relationship began with a lust-filled, sexed up, firefighter calendar. Rick was right, sex does sell! He should know. He married Charlotte – without a pre-nup - in Vegas. Our three, sentimental men just couldn’t part with us for a girl’s bachelorette party weekend so it became a couple’s pre-wedding party.
Well, Punky and Preppy aren’t in attendance tonight but that’s to be expected. They’re still honeymooning in Vegas. Lucky devils. ‘Expected’ … hmmm … if I learned one thing in all this, it was to expect the unexpected.
Will’s eyes and mine lock for the millionth time across the aisle, and I can’t resist the urge to tell him how full of love I am for him – overflowing love. More love than I had thought possible to have for one person. No more misunderstandings will ever keep us apart. There is no way he will ever misconstrue a single thing I say, and there is no way I will ever misinterpret anything he says in reply. He’s gazing into my eyes with such love and I seize the opportunity to boldly mouth the words, “I love you, forever.”
Imagine my surprise and lust-filled delight when that million-watt smile of his mouths back, “Meet me in the room?”
Yeah, most definitely – I am Lucky Thirteen Lizzy.
Liz’s Blog Post & Future Posts Here
~Glossary~
Bashert - destined, predestined, fated, meant to be, soul mate
Bisel – a little bit
Bubbe - grandmother
Bubele – darling
Bupkis - literally, “beans.” nada, zilch.
Challah - traditional egg bread for the Jewish Sabbath.
Chuppah - canopy under which a bride and groom stand during marriage ceremony
Drek – dirt, filth
Faygele – in America: gay man
Fekakte – lousy, screwed up, crappy, full of shit
Goy - Gentile, non-Jew
Keppe - head
Ketubah - an integral document of a traditional Jewish marriage, outlining the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride.
Kugel - a savory or sweet pudding made from noodles, pota
toes or matzo
Kvell – exclaim joyfully or proudly
K’vetch – stress, complain
Meshuggeneh – crazy
Mammale – dear, sweet mother
Mensch – honorable, decent person
Mitzvah – good deed
Oy vey - oh no! woe is me!
Punim - face
Shadchan - matchmaker, marriage broker
Shayna maidel – pretty girl
Shayna punim - pretty face!, what a pretty face!
Shiksa – non-Jewish girl
Shidduch – match of two people
Shul – synagogue, Jewish temple
Shtupa - push; poke; have intercourse
Shvitz - sweat, perspiration, sweating
Sufganiyot – fried jelly donuts served at Hanukkah
Verklempt - depressed, distraught; choked up, extremely emotional
*Spelling Yiddish with Roman letters (i.e. transliteration) is an inexact science. Many people try to spell the words phonetically, the way they remember them. Many people use "sch" or "ch", or "tz" or "ts" or "ei" or "ai", etc. There is no consistency to how the average person spells Yiddish words with Roman letters. [source: Yiddish Dictionary Online]