by S. B. Niccum
For the rest of the evening, Valerie had us all busy planning different aspects of the wedding party, with the exception of the Admiral and Alex, who were planning the honeymoon aboard the Odysseus. They were being very secretive, and every time any of us went even remotely close to them, they stopped talking and covered up some sort of map or chart.
“Well … I think these might just work!” Valerie said, holding out three garment bags. She un-zipped them on the sofa, and pulled each dress out. They were the dresses that I had made while Alex was deployed. The one I had made for myself, oddly, was ivory white with golden brocade—an unusual but fitting wedding dress. “Under the circumstances, I think this dress would work as a wedding dress, don’t you think so, Tess?”
I came closer to it and inspected it once again; I had done a great job on this one. The dress was really a suit, with an exaggerated collar that stood high on the back of the neck, framing it then forming a V as it sloped down. The cuffs were also thick and exaggerated, while the rest of the jacket and the mermaid skirt was simpler. “Yes, it would make a beautiful wedding dress.” On hearing those words, Alex came over and looked at the dress too.
“You made this?”
I nodded.
“Wow!” He seemed genuinely impressed.
“She made these, too!” Katie added.
“You are going to be the best designer in the world; I’ll make sure of that!” Alex said vehemently.
“And what on earth will you do to make sure of that, huh?” Valerie said derisively. “She already has all she needs to be the best designer in the world—talent!”
“I’ll give her my full support then, and I’ll be her pincushion.” He smiled and winked.
Katie had already taken out her dress and was admiring it. “I call being a model!”
“I call being the babysitter!” Dane called from his spot at the computer. This made Valerie pause and look at her husband. Then a tear slid down her cheek and she turned to me.
“I do, too,” she whispered huskily.
For the rest of the week, all everyone did was plan our impromptu wedding party. Invitations were sent electronically, food and cakes were bought, decorations, tables, and chairs ordered, pictures taken, everything that anyone would expect to have at a well-planned wedding was done in only four days! Alex and I had to report for duty every morning at 9 am sharp, or we got a lecture from Valerie.
The best part of it all, though, was going “home” with Alex. Every day he took an empty suitcase to his parent’s house and loaded it up with more of his things, and every night we unpacked his belongings in our new home. We had no spare time to buy him his own dresser, so we split all the drawers in half. I loved looking at our closet with his shirts hanging next to mine. I loved feeling his arms around me all through the night. We no longer had the need to dream, we were living our dreams.
Tired but happy, we reported back for duty every morning at the Preston’s. Valerie had a smirk on her face when she saw us dragging our feet; apparently the more tired we looked in the morning, the more work she gave us. But we didn’t complain, we did what she asked, and the wedding was taking shape. The weather was cooperating, so we set up tables and chairs outside. Since we were married already, the temporary pergola under which we would have exchanged our vows was set up over our dinner table.
On the day of the wedding celebration, Alex and I got ready at the Preston’s. I had invited Brandy and Brook to be my bride’s maids and to come early to help me with my hair and makeup. They were beside themselves at the news and demanded every ounce of information on our short—to them—relationship.
After talking to them, I realized how we looked to others. We had only one date before he was deployed, then we only wrote to each other until he went missing. We had no contact while he was held captive and I visited my aunts in Mexico. The day I get back, we elope. That’s it!
When did we meet and talk? When did we fall in love? How could I marry someone I hardly knew? Better yet, how could he? I was the outcast here. They didn’t say that of course, but they thought it. It hurt to see envy shining all around them. It hurt because they were pretending to be happy for me. They had no idea I could read them, and they thought they were doing a great job of hiding their suspicious glances toward my middle section.
Casually, and ignoring the exchange of looks, I told them about Roger, and what had happened this past year. Their looks changed, yet again, when they learned that I was now rich, but this only made them even more envious.
“How’s Agatha?” Brooke asked.
“I have no idea; I haven’t heard from nor seen her since she ran away Senior year,” I lied. I didn’t think it would be fitting to mention that she had sent me a card with kittens, alluding to the cat she killed in my name before she left.
“Really?” Brooke asked again, then nodded slowly as if finding the whole answer interesting. “What a strange duck she was, huh?”
“Yeah, so … Brandy, are you and Wes still … ”
Brandy smiled briefly then her smile fell. “No, not really. He went to U.T. Austin; I’m at S.M.U. so we haven’t seen each other that much. He called a lot at first…but not anymore. Did you invite him?” she asked with hope.
“I did, but I haven’t heard back from him yet.” She looked crestfallen, adding her heartache to our already somber gathering.
Fortunately, Katie showed up, bubbling with enthusiasm and energy. She eagerly explained to Brooke and Brandy how madly in love her brother was and had been since he was a sophomore in high school. Katie weaved the tale of our whirlwind romance from her brother’s point of view so expertly, that I found myself enthralled by it as well.
“I’m telling you,” Katie said, with a significant look. “Alex was different from that day on; I could tell the minute he walked through the door. That next summer, while we were sailing to the Bahamas, I made him spill the beans. There’s not a lot to do when you’re stuck in a boat for weeks at a time, so he told me how he felt about Eugenia and how he was pretty much sick of her, but that he didn’t want to disappoint mom and dad.
“I tried to tell him that they wouldn’t care, but he’s always had a huge sense of responsibility toward his commitments.” Katie picked up her cat and had him purring contently on her lap in no time. It was the same cat that she had rescued from school, on the day Amanda and the other Goths were torturing it.
“The ironic thing was that Alex broke up with Eugenia at the same time that Tess started dating Wes,” Katie said casually, completely unaware of Brandy’s tense stance. “He was so mad; he drove us nuts that year! But then he realized that perhaps it was for the best. He thought it through very carefully and told me all about it because he needed a sounding board.
“He said that he would let Tess grow up and figure out what she wanted. If she still wanted him in a year … then he would be there.” She smiled sadly. “But then he got deployed, so we put together a surprise date on Tess’ graduation, which was really the day before he had to leave. There was no time.” She looked out dreamily. “It seemed like a cruel joke.” Katie put the cat down and with a sigh, told them in great detail what our date was like, complete with our promise to spend every second together.
By the end of her tale, both Brooke and Brandy’s moods had changed completely, and even I got so caught up in it, that a new surge of love for Alex swept over me, and the realization that he was now my husband hit me anew.
Thanks to Katie’s explanation, Brooke and Brandy now approved wholeheartedly of our hasty marriage and they both agreed that, given the circumstances, they would have snatched Alex the moment he had proposed, too. I was so grateful to Katie for this. She literally changed the mood of the party for us, so the rest of the evening was pure enjoyment and bliss.
Brandy said a few words, and thankfully, she now meant every word she said and no longer shone with envy. She actually looked beautiful and full of hope that someday love would conquer all, then pointed out that all the dr
esses that the women from the wedding party were wearing had been of my creation. This was a bit embarrassing for me, but it effectively created a buzz about my talents, that I was grateful for.
We spent the night at a Bed and Breakfast in Austin, and the next day Alex drove us to Galveston, were the Odysseus was waiting for us, packed and ready to go on a long voyage to South America. Apparently, during the week, the Admiral and Alex had been busy planning this surprise honeymoon. Alex found out where the home in Argentina was located, and together with the Admiral, charted the trip that would literally drop us off at the home’s front dock.
“Are you sure we can make it all the way to the other end of the globe in this?” I asked dubiously as I boarded.
“Sure! It’s perfectly equipped! Sailing is the oldest mode of long distance travel.” Alex said with a sweeping motion toward his 30-foot long sailboat.
“But they did it in big boats and with a large crew of experienced sailors,” I countered.
“I’m an experience sailor, and after one week you will be too,” He smiled, then his smile turned into a pout. “You’re not excited about sailing off into the sunset with me?”
“I’ll go anywhere with you,” I told him frankly. “But I am a little nervous. I’ve only sailed one time and it was on a lake.”
“You’ll be fine,” he soothed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I brought medicine in case you don’t find your sea legs right away. Besides, this will be good for us. I want to show you my world, for real this time.”
We ended up sailing into the sunrise instead of the sunset, but it was, perhaps, more fitting. We were literally beginning our days together. For me, it was a rebirth; my life felt like it was finally starting. All that happened to me before this day seemed to be nothing more than a prelude.
As it turned out, I found my sea legs right away. The waves soothed me, and the constant rocking of the boat felt natural. Inside the cabin we had all the supplies we needed until we docked and restocked. Alex had been kind enough to bring all my sketching things, so I could design some dresses. He also packed a lot of my sewing and crochet things. He said that we could buy more as we stopped along the way.
He had downloaded hundreds of books onto several e-readers and almost twice that much in music onto several MP3’s so we could both listen to music, and read books to our heart’s content while in open water. He also had furnished himself with several leather bound journals, maps, charts, and other navigational devices.
It took us a whole month to sail to Argentina, and though some days seemed to drag on forever, we managed to keep ourselves busy and entertained. Surrounded by nothing but blue water and his arms, I lived in a constant state of bliss. I never knew that life could be so happy, and that heaven could be experienced here on earth.
We sailed into the Mar del Plata delta and safely docked our sailboat on the old dock of Cielo Celeste, the house that Max had built for my grandmother. She had checked in on me a few times during the trip, but was, for the most time, away. However, the moment we set foot on the small island where the house sat, she started jabbering non-stop.
The house looked exactly as it did in Dorian’s picture. And once I looked back at the boat, I realized that it was a perfect snapshot of this moment. I shuddered as I thought of Dorian and his abilities; and I wondered anew at what a strange gift his mind was. Every picture he’s ever given me has been part of a puzzle—my life’s puzzle.
An older couple began walking forward to greet us. Alex had asked my aunts to call ahead and warn the caretakers to have part of the house ready for us.
“Letti! Ramiro!” Celeste exclaimed the moment she saw them emerge from their small house.
The old couple hugged us, gave us both a kiss on the cheek and started talking rapidly in a thick, Argentine-Spanish accent. I managed to understand that they had put some food in the fridge, but it wasn’t much and it would only last us a few days until we recovered enough to go into town to buy more. They told us that our sailboat would not make it there but that we could use their lancha, an old, and decrepit looking motorboat. They had also been kind enough to furnish us with many different maps of the delta, El Tigre, the nearest town, and of Buenos Aires, so that we could move around with ease.
The house was big and reminiscent of the 50’s, Argentina’s heyday. The floors were large, checkered black and white tile and the ceilings had massive, dark, exposed beams. The furniture was all covered up with white sheets but this front room was big enough to be a ballroom. There was a cold, damp smell to the place, like you’d expect a house to smell after being shut up for a long time.
“We danced here…” Celeste’s voice caught and I knew that she was twirling around in mid-air. “We learned to Tango here, and we did almost every night!”
Alex uncovered some of the furniture, and found an old record player sitting on a huge credenza table. There was a record still in it and after plugging it in, he turned it on. It was crackly at first, and the tempo was not right, but Alex touched one switch and soon the hall was filled with a mournful melodic tango tune.
We left the music playing as we continued with the tour. The caretakers showed us the large kitchen, and the main dining room, then the bedrooms. Only one had been cleaned up and prepared for us, the rest remained dusty and closed up. The last room in the house that they showed us was a solarium that was all glass, including the ceiling. After a storm, several of the panes had been broken, and debris had flown in freely. This was the dirtiest of all the rooms, but also the most beautiful. I could imagine myself here, and oddly, I could imagine Celeste here as well … both of us … drinking tea, perhaps, and talking. Spending a sunny afternoon chatting about this or that.
“We’ll have to fix this,” Alex said looking around the room. “It’ll be our little project.” He smiled and came to me. “After we do all the touring and shopping we want, we’ll restore this house back to its original beauty.”
“There’s a lot of history here,” Letti said as she cast her eyes around the room and rubbed her arms, trying to warm a chill. Her husband agreed with her, then told us how they thought that the spirits of my dead grandparents still lingered here.
I smiled, “Well, let’s just hope it’s them that haunt it and not someone else. Them I can live with,” I joked. Alex bit his lip, suppressing a smile while Letti and Ramiro shivered.
“I suppose you’re right,” Letti sighed. Right then the record ended, the needle, making loud scratching noises. Letti and Ramiro jumped, and started to leave the room saying that they had things to do back at home, and that they wished us luck, and to not hesitate to call or, rather, come over because the phone line was dead. Right then the breeze picked up and a gust of wind gushed through the broken panes and stirred all the leaves and debris around the room in a tight circle. Letti let out a high-pitched squeak, and Ramiro grabbed her hand as they both made a hasty exit.
Chapter 27
“I thought you said that it was torturous for spirits to roam places that they used to frequent while alive?”
“I said it was torturous to be around people that they love, unless they are assigned to them, not places. Besides, it’s empty … or it was until you two came.”
“Sorry to crash your party.”
“We don’t come here that often. And it is kind of depressing to see it so run down. It used to be full of life and laughter. My sunroom used to be filled with plants and birds! There was constant music in the air. Max…he had a piano over here.”
“I don’t know where you’re pointing.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well, you get the picture.”
“I have a question.”
“No, not again! I always get in trouble after one of your so-called questions.”
“I’m curious! I can’t help it; it’s in my nature. Besides, you didn’t get into that much trouble because you’re still here. They would have reassigned you, right? Maybe sent a more…tight-lipped ghost to watch over me?”
“Go on, get on with it.”
“In Mexico, I saw you and Max … and my parents. Why?”
Silence.
“Hello? Are you still there?”
“I’m still here.”
“So, can you tell me why? I also saw a woman, who was next to Dorian; she looked like she might be his mother.”
“That was a glimpse. You should be grateful for it, and accept it as a gift.”
“I am grateful for it, but … ”
“No buts, just leave it be.”
“I can’t stop thinking about it. Leo, my dad,” I corrected. “When he realized that I could see him, he tried to warn me. He said something about Eros.”
“Your father has a very hard time holding his tongue. Comes by it honestly, I guess I’m not much different than him when it comes to that.” she murmured, “He has very little respect for Heavenly rules.” Celeste paused, then her voice softened. “And he loves you, but his anxiety over you and your safety has him very … ” she seemed to be thinking about her words carefully, “very determined and single minded. This can be potentially harmful to him. He needs to understand that his time has passed, and that your mortal life has to play out without his input. He has to let go of his life, and he needs to focus on this new existence of his. If he were to do that, then he would find that he could be much more helpful to you and others. As it is, he’s stuck.”
“Stuck? What kind of stuck? You mean like, purgatory stuck?”
“Something like that. There is no such place, you understand? It’s really a state of being; our minds are our only limitations. Right now, his mind is keeping him from moving forward, so he’s in … heaven arrest you could say, or should be. The problem is that he’s too attached to mortality and it is potentially a very dangerous situation to be in. Fortunately, your mother is quite literally an Angel! She watched over him while he was still alive, and is still watching over him now. So there’s nothing for you to worry about, he’ll be fine.”