the Wedding (2000)

by Steel, Danielle

  And on the same day, they found a short beige lace dress with short sleeves and a little peplum in the back that was perfect for the bridesmaids. Blaire suggested they have little beige lace hats made for them, like smaller versions of her huge one. And the people at Dior had already promised her miles of white tulle over and trailing behind it. It was going to be absolutely stunning.

  Well, we're all set, Blaire said, going down one of the lists Delilah Williams had sent her.

  Now you can tell her to stop calling me at the office. I don't have time for that nonsense.

  It's not nonsense, dear. It's your wedding.

  They had chosen classic wedding music for the ceremony and Beethoven for the recessional through the guests into the formal garden. Her mother had settled the menu for her, and she was going to carry white roses and lily of the valley and philanopsis orchids. The bridesmaids could carry tiny tea-colored cymbidium orchids. They had long since chosen the cake, and they were having dream cake for the guests, in little white boxes with their names and the date engraved on it in silver, like in Europe. The flowers for the tables were yet to be designed, the tent had been ordered months before, and they were having Peter Duchin to play at the reception. The only thing that really remained to do was clean up the garden. The landscape architect was still promising total completion by the first of September and the wedding was only four days later.

  They had booked a suite at the Bel Air for Mrs. Hamilton, and smaller rooms for the two bridesmaids coming from New York and London. Blaire had booked the hairdresser for all of them, and a makeup artist for those who wanted it. By July first, everything seemed to be very much in order. There was very little left to do, except plan what Delilah called the satellite events : the bachelor dinners, and the rehearsal dinner. Normally, that would have been given by Mrs. Hamilton, but coming out from New York, she wouldn't know where to have it. So the Steinbergs were hosting it for her upstairs at the Bistro. It was easy, it would be fun. And they had already booked it.

  And Allegra had finally broken down and written to her father. She told him she was getting married, and that although she didn't expect him to come, he was certainly welcome. It cost her a lot emotionally to do it, and she spent a lot of time discussing it with Dr. Green, but writing had been easier than calling. She had written to him in early June, and he still hadn't answered, so she assumed he wasn't coming. She was enormously relieved that he wasn't.

  Allegra went back to the office in a good mood, after buying her wedding dress. She and her mother had just been talking about their annual Fourth of July family picnic that weekend. The children always invited a few friends, and Blaire and Simon invited one or two couples. They usually had about twenty people in the backyard, and this year they would be barbecuing on dirt, but the whole family had agreed it didn't matter. The important thing was to be together. This year, Jeff would be with them too. It was his initiation into family tradition, since he had missed Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Steinbergs loved holidays and traditions.

  And the morning after she'd bought her wedding dress, Allegra was sitting in her office, describing it to Alice.

  It sounds fabulous, Alice confirmed, and the intercom instantly interrupted. Alice picked it up first, frowned, and then handed the phone to Allegra. There was a long silence as she listened, and then jotted down some hasty notes, and hung up the phone. And when she did, her eyes were blazing.

  She flipped through some papers and said not a word, and then dialed an overseas number. It was Alan's hotel in Geneva. She asked for his room, and it answered after four rings, and just as she thought, Carmen answered.

  Just what exactly do you think you're doing over there? Allegra blazed. You damn fool, you're giving up your whole movie career to be with him. And they're not going to forget it.

  I couldn't help it, she whined. I missed him too much. She didn't dare tell Allegra she had come because she was ovulating, and she wanted to get pregnant.

  They said you disappeared yesterday, and they can shoot around you today and tomorrow. But you're costing them a fortune. Starting today, they're docking you for it. After tomorrow, they're going to kick you off the picture. In other words, get your ass back here by tomorrow, or I'll kill you before they do.

  I don't want to come back, she whined again, and Allegra was intentionally hard on her.

  If you don't, then you'd better retire, because after tomorrow, that's what it will amount to. You'll be out of the business, Carmen Connors. And then she thought better of arguing with her and asked for Alan. Get her ass back here, will you? she told him in no uncertain terms, and he could hear that she meant it.

  It's not my fault, Al, I swear. I never knew she was coming over. She just showed up. It was great, but I knew you'd be mad as hell. I'll put her back on a plane tomorrow morning. I'll be back in a month anyway, he reminded both of them. Just take care of her for me in the meantime.

  That's no small job, you know. Allegra was really getting tired of her. She was a spoiled brat, and she whined constantly about how much she missed Alan. Maybe she's right. Maybe from now on, you two should only work together.

  We'll talk about it when I come home.

  Just send her back tomorrow without fail, or there'll be hell to pay. They're fining her fifty thousand dollars for today, and the same again tomorrow, and she deserves it. He whistled and wagged a scolding finger at Carmen.

  I'll get her back to you right away.

  See that you do it. She hung up and called the producers of Carmen's movie. She apologized profusely for her, said she'd been ill, emotionally overwrought, and needed to see her husband. It wouldn't happen again, and she would gladly pay the fine. And she would be back to work the day after tomorrow. They agreed to forget it had ever happened, as long as she paid the fine and returned to work as promised.

  It certainly got her day off to a roaring start. She hardly slept all that night, and the next day she was waiting for Carmen at the airport. She read her the riot act almost the moment she came through customs, and Carmen was apologetic and just kept saying that she had needed to be with Alan. Because of her they were even going to shoot golden time on the Fourth of July, just to catch up on what they'd missed. She wasn't going to get a day off, and Allegra was so mad at her she didn't even think of inviting her to the Steinbergs' Fourth of July picnic.

  She made sure that Carmen was on the set by four A.M. the next day, and she hung around till about nine just to make sure she was behaving. Then she went home to Malibu and climbed into bed with Jeff, and slept till noon, and then they went to her parents' place for the picnic.

  The whole family was there, even Scott. He had invited a girl, and Jeff was there, of course. And Sam had invited Jimmy Mazzoleri. He was part of the furniture now, as Simon said good-naturedly. He was at the house all the time. Two of the neighbors had come, and a handful of Scott's friends, but none of Sam's this year. It was a small group, but it was a day they all loved, and they were having a great time, despite the mess in the backyard and the lack of a garden.

  The people who hadn't seen Sam recently were shocked at what they saw. She was fully eight months' pregnant, and she looked it. Allegra thought that the saddest thing of all was that no one even mentioned it. It was the most visible thing in the backyard other than the swimming pool, and the least talked about. The subject was completely taboo, and Allegra wondered if that made it harder for Sam. Instead of being the happiest moment in her life, it was the saddest.

  Blaire was still going to Lamaze with her, and Allegra had gone once or twice, but most of the time she couldn't make it. And Jimmy had even practiced it a few times with her. It fascinated him to sit and watch the baby moving. It seemed to dash from side to side, moving her stomach like a cartoon with some enormous being in it, like an elephant hiding under a blanket.

  How are you feeling? Allegra asked as she sat down next to her on a deck chair.

  I'm okay. Sam shrugged. Jimmy was on his way back to her with one
of her father's hot dogs. Sometimes it gets kind of hard to move around now.

  It won't be too much longer, Allegra said, trying to be encouraging, but Sam's eyes filled with tears as she said it, and Allegra wasn't completely sure why, and then Sam told her she'd made a decision.

  I picked the Whitmans in Santa Barbara. Suzanne told them yesterday. They're kind of weird after all they've been through, but I think they're nice, and they really want the baby. Nobody could want it more than they did. Suzanne says they were really happy. She just said it was real important that I not change my mind, especially once they get the baby, during the legal waiting period. Because that happened to them twice before and she doesn't think they could take it.

  That's not your responsibility though, Allegra pointed out, and Sam agreed.

  But it still wouldn't be fair to jack them around again. Two girls took their babies back from them before, and Katherine took years to recover from it. Then she took a gulp of air, as though trying to get used to it. Suddenly she wanted to get it over with. The delivery, the legal work, the agony of giving it up, that one hideous moment when she would hand it over to them forever. She could never get past that. She could never figure out what her life would be like from then on. It was all she could think of. They're really adamant about being at the birth, Sam said, looking uncomfortable again.

  Do what's right for you, Sam, her sister said firmly as their father wandered over to see them.

  What are you two looking so serious about? he asked, looking down at them with pleasure. There were plenty of serious subjects in the family these days. Sam, of course, and the wedding, which was joyful but fraught with decisions and chaos, and the fact that Blaire's ratings had just dropped again, this time very badly. She was deeply upset about it, though she had scarcely discussed it with Simon. They didn't talk about much these days, but he hadn't wanted to press Blaire about it, for obvious reasons.

  We were just saying that your hot dogs are better than ever this year. Allegra smiled up at him, and then stood up and kissed him. And when she did, Sam almost went flying into the pool, as the deck chair shot up at one end like a seesaw when Allegra got out of it. Her solitary but impressive weight had landed her on the ground and she was laughing. Even Allegra laughed at her, and a few minutes later Jimmy came back again, with another of Simon's hot dogs for Samantha.

  You need this for ballast, he said with a grin, having just seen what had happened. You'd better be careful, or your sister will catapult you over the wall into the neighbor's garden. They both laughed, and he sat next to her, where Allegra had been, and they chatted and laughed. And then later, when they were alone again, when the others were playing Ping-Pong and horseshoes, she told him about her decision to go with the Whitmans. They had talked about the adoption before, but now she had made a commitment. She could still change her mind, of course, but Suzanne would discourage her from doing that, if possible. And she had up to six months after the baby was born to change her mind later.

  You don't have to do it, you know. I told you that, Jimmy said quietly, so no one else could hear them.

  He had offered to marry her, but she didn't want to do that. What would that do? He was already eighteen, and she was turning eighteen in two weeks. Two children taking care of a baby? She knew how helpless they were. They could barely have supported themselves, they couldn't do anything for the baby. And Sam felt Jimmy didn't deserve this burden on his shoulders, since it wasn't even his baby. Samantha liked him too much to do that to him. They'd gotten very close since he'd started hanging out with her, bringing her books, and sharing study sheets and exams with her. They were inseparable now, and when he kissed her, it was very easy to figure out what would happen after the baby. She didn't even want to think about it now. But they kissed a lot, and lately, when they did, it even gave her contractions, which scared her. She half wanted to get it over with, and half wanted it to never come. She just didn't want to have to go through it.

  Blaire came and sat next to them for a little while. Sam had been noticing how unhappy she looked ever since her ratings had gone down. She was really upset about it. The show meant a lot to her and she'd worked hard on it for nine years. Seeing it slowly fall apart as she watched was like watching an old friend die of cancer.

  And, of course, all day long, they all talked about the wedding, how many people they were going to have, whether or not there would be a tent, who was catering it, whose music they would be dancing to. It seemed like it was all anyone talked about. Then, in the late afternoon, Simon made a point of talking to Jeff alone. He had meant to call him for weeks, but he'd been too busy.

  I've been meaning to talk to you. He finally cornered him near the ice cream. They'd all done nothing but eat all day, and Sam swore to Jimmy that if she ate another thing, she'd have the baby right then and there.

  Jeff was eating a last Eskimo bar and looking extremely happy. Great picnic, he complimented them. He thoroughly enjoyed being part of their family. Not like Allegra's weekend in Southampton with his mother. That had been a fiasco. You did a great job with the barbecue. You have to teach me your secret, and come out to Malibu to visit us sometime. I'm not the master that you are though, Jeff said warmly, and Simon smiled. He really liked Allegra's future husband. She'd made a wise choice, and he thought they were both very lucky.

  I think you may have other talents than barbecuing, Simon reassured him. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I read your second book, and I really liked it. I mean, really liked it.

  That's encouraging. Jeff smiled up at him, not expecting anything more than that. It was just nice of Simon to tell him.

  What are you doing about the screenplay?

  Nothing yet, Jeff said honestly. I've talked to a couple of people about buying it, but they didn't really suggest anything I wanted. I don't want to produce the next one myself. It's just been too consuming and I want to get back to writing. I'm waiting for the right offer to sell the next movie, and maybe just do the screenplay.

  That's my point, Simon said simply, which was how he always did business. I'd like to make you an offer. If you have time this week, why don't we get together and talk. Jeff was beaming at him, unable to believe what he was hearing. Simon was one of the most important producers in Hollywood and he wanted to make Jeff's next movie. And the fact that he was marrying his daughter didn't hurt him any. Or that was what people would say anyway. But Jeff knew Simon well enough now to know that if Simon didn't like Jeff's book, he wouldn't buy it, no matter who he was married to, or how closely related.

  That's the best news I've had in ages. Jeff beamed at him.

  What's that? Allegra joined them, curious about what they'd been saying.

  Your dad likes my new book. He might want to do something with it, he said humbly. And then he turned to his future wife with a broad grin. Why don't we keep it in the family? Will you negotiate it for me, Allie?

  Talk about conflict of interest. She laughed out loud. But she was thrilled for Jeff. She couldn't think of a better business combination than Jeff and her father. They were perfectly suited to each other.

  And at the end of the afternoon, Allegra regretfully looked at her watch. They had to get going. They were going to Bram Morrison's Fourth of July concert. It was the high point of his tour before he left for Japan, and although Jeff wasn't crazy about concerts, she had promised they'd go. It was going to be a mob scene. She knew that the promoters had hired eight bodyguards, just to keep the crowd from crawling all over him. Bram had been a huge success on his tour so far, and more and more he was becoming a cult figure for all ages.

  Where are you two off to in such a hurry? Sam inquired as she saw Jeff and Allegra pickup their things and start to get ready to leave them.

  Bram Morrison's concert at the Great Western Forum.

  Oh, you are so lucky! Sam said enviously, and Jimmy looked like he would have loved to go. Sam and he had agreed it was too dangerous for her to be in crowds like that in her con
dition.

  I'll get you a ticket next time, Allegra promised, and a few minutes later they left to dress at her Beverly Hills house. She was going to put it on the market, and they were going to try to buy a bigger one in Malibu than the one Jeff rented.

  At six o'clock, she and Jeff were ready. She had rented a limo for them, and the promoters said they'd provide a bodyguard if she needed one, but she doubted they would. It was a benign crowd, just a very big one. The fans loved him, and sometimes they got too close or touched too much. But they were harmless.

  She and Jeff were expected backstage before the show, but by the time they arrived, the crowd was so large, they could hardly get there. Even the backstage crowd was bigger than usual. Most of them seemed to get shoved onstage, and during the show they were actually crowding the band, but there was no way to escape it. The number of fans was legendary, it was the biggest concert Allegra had ever heard of.

  She and Jeff were buffeted from side to side, and more than once she thought that someone would get rough with them, but they never did. The concert went on for hours. By then, most of the crowd was pretty stoned, some were heavily drugged out, and the rest were fairly mellow. There were fireworks scheduled at eleven, and five minutes before they were due to come on, a guy with a bare chest and a vest, with long hair, got up on the stage and grabbed the mike from the drummer. He started screaming about how much he loved Bram Morrison, and how he had always loved him. How once they had been in Vietnam, and then they both died, and now they were one. It sounded like the lyrics to a song, and the man screamed again and again as security headed toward him, but there were so many gawkers onstage that they couldn't get to him. He was screaming I love you! I love you! at the top of his lungs, and then the fireworks came on and distracted everyone, and it was easy for the bodyguards to grab him. They yanked him right off the stage in one fell swoop, still yelling I love you, but now he was crying and there was a gun in his hands. It looked like a toy, and overhead you could hear the explosions and see the fireworks in the sky. And then Allegra happened to look straight ahead, and she saw Bram on his knees, with blood streaming from him. It was on his head and chest, and running down his arms, and he pitched forward as she lunged and grabbed a bodyguard. She was screaming at him to get help.