“No, forget it.” Clovis was impatiently trying to reach the zipper. “It’s a waste of my time.”
I looked down at my watch. We had been at it for more than an hour and the prospective bride had yet to smile at her own reflection as she gazed into the wall of mirrors.
“Let’s call it a morning,” I suggested, even as the consultant pressed yet another dress on the disgruntled bride.
“Maybe if I knew what you didn’t like about this one,” she said to Clovis, “I could better narrow down the choices.”
“Thanks, but I think the bride needs to take a break from dress shopping,” I told her.
“I do,” said the exasperated woman in white. “Somebody help me get out of this thing.”
“But I’m sure I can find you something....”
“Perhaps on another visit,” I countered. “Today just isn’t the right day.”
While Clovis got changed back into her street clothes, the consultant continued her sales pitch to no avail. I pulled the shop manager aside and explained it wasn’t anyone’s fault. “There are other forces at work here. If and when she’s ready to try on dresses again, we’ll call for another appointment.”
“Don’t worry about it. It happens sometimes. Brides get cold feet,” she said with a pleasant, practiced smile.
“Indeed,” I nodded, not bothering to explain further. I was pretty sure that wasn’t the problem, but why waste my breath trying to explain it to a stranger who didn’t know what Clovis was facing?
When we got outside, the bride-to-be seemed to lose what little steam she had left. “Who am I kidding? I’m just not up to this. Maybe I should just postpone the wedding, until my mom’s feeling better.”
“What’s not working for you?” Nancy inquired, carefully watching her. I knew the look she wore; Nancy was determined to find out what was bothering Clovis and she was prepared to dig her heels in until she got the truth.
“Nothing. I just don’t feel like dress shopping.”
Nancy glanced at me, her concern obvious, and gave me a silent appeal to do something. I stepped in and took the bull by the horns.
“Can I give you a piece of advice? My mom had cancer and it was a tough couple of years. We thought about postponing some of our big family events, but you know what my mom said? Those were the only good times she had to look forward to, and if we canceled them, she’d always regret it.” I choked up, remembering those last difficult months of my mother’s life. I’d give anything to have my mother with me at my wedding. “It was important to her that we enjoy the time we had with her and do things that made us stronger as a family. I don’t know where I would be now without those memories to remind me now of how important love is....”
We stood there for a few seconds in silence, collecting our thoughts in our effort to regroup and save what was left of the morning.
“Of course!” Nancy slapped herself on the forehead. “What an idiot I am!”
“Excuse me?” I found myself taken aback. I had no idea what she meant.
“Why are you an idiot?” Clovis wanted to know. “I’m the one having a problem.”
“You always dreamed of doing this with Julie! How could I be so dumb?” the mentor-turned-substitute mother wondered aloud. “We can video chat, so she can see you in the dresses and tell us what she thinks of each one.”
“Oh.” It was one tiny word, but the way Clovis uttered it, it became a sigh. One look at the bride and I could see she hadn’t even realized how much she missed her mother being part of the festivities.
Nancy pressed on. “Will that make you feel better, Clovy?”
“Yes. Yes, it will.”
“Perfect. Now, shall we go back into the store?” Nancy turned to me. Glancing at my watch, I realized we had just over a half an hour until the next appointment. I shook my head.
“Let’s move on and start fresh,” I suggested, knowing Clovis needed a little time to wrap her head around the dress-buying process, especially now that her mother was going to be included. I gave Clovis directions to the second shop, just a few blocks away. By the time we entered through the front door, we were optimistic that this buying trip would yield success for the bride.
Julie was home when Nancy called to explain the dilemma. She promised to settle herself in her favorite chair, prepared for the onslaught of phone calls that would follow.
In the meantime, I took the shop manager aside and explained the reason for our time constrictions. The particular dresses we were looking at were available for rush delivery from the manufacturer. Perfect Bride would ship the gown on Monday and it would be in seamstress’s hands by Tuesday.
“Don’t worry about it,” Kathy promised. “As long as the alterations aren’t complicated, we’ll figure out a way to get it done in time. I’ll smooth things over with Dorena.”
Clovis decided the first dress was too puffy at the waist.
“I can fix it,” the seamstress insisted. “You come in for a couple of fittings between now and the wedding.”
“A couple of fittings? How long will that take?” the bride wanted to know. Nancy turned the phone towards the woman who was pinching fabric and pinning it back.
“Nervous brides gain weight or lose it in the months leading up to the big day. We do a little here, a little there, until it is just right. You’re going to look beautiful,” Dorena assured her, pulling the fabric tighter.
“But the wedding is in two weeks,” Julie pointed out.
“Two weeks? Oh, I do not think it is possible. That is not much time,” she clucked, shaking her head. “Most brides buy the dress months in advance.”
Kathy stepped in to explain to both the mother of the bride and the seamstress that despite the fact it was a rush job, it could be done. Dorena didn’t seem quite as sure as her boss did, until we all gathered around Nancy’s phone and she saw Julie’s chemo cap. A little jolt of understanding seemed to pass through her as she blustered her way out of the corner she was in.
“You leave it to me. If I can get the dress in the shop by Thursday, I can get it done in time.”
“Thank you,” the relieved mother told her. “It means a lot.”
“Okay,” said the consultant. “Back to the dressing room, so you can slip into the next one.”
“We’ll call you back in a couple of minutes,” Nancy promised Julie.
“I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere.”
We hit pay dirt on the fourth dress. The moment she stepped out of the dressing room, Clovis was beaming.
“This is it,” said the lawyer. “This is the one.”
“You’re sure? You absolutely, positively, most definitely need to be married in this dress?” Nancy played devil’s advocate, testing the waters.
“You don’t like it?” Clovis’s face fell. “I think it’s lovely. What don’t you like about it?”
“Answer my question, toots. Is this or is this not the dress?” demanded the experienced mentor, with all the grace of an investigator breaking down a suspect’s story. I rolled my eyes in response and broke in.
“Clovis, she’s busting your chops, to make sure you love it,” I informed the nervous bride-to-be. “So, do you?”
“I do!”
“Let’s see what Mama says,” Nancy suggested, turning on her camera for the last time as Julie answered the call. “It’s not official until we get her approval. Now twirl around and strut your stuff, Clovy.”
The delighted bride studied her reflection in the mirrors, turning this way and that. It was obvious to the expanding circle of women around Clovis that this was indeed the dress. A moment later, we heard an excited shout from Julie.
“Yes! That’s it! It’s perfect!”
Nancy summoned Clovis to the phone. “Pull yourself away from the looking glass, Alice. Your mama wants to speak with you.”
Ten minutes and a few tears later, a very happy bride finished the conversation with her mother. “She says yes.”
“Excellent.
Now get changed back into your clothes, so we can grab some lunch. I’m starved.” Nancy gave her a playful push in the direction of the changing room. “And by the way, I’ve never seen you look lovelier.”
Chapter Forty Seven
We spent the rest of the afternoon ticking things off Clovis’s to-do list. By the time we got back to the bungalow, David and his friends were busy in the backyard, pulling weeds. Trays of colorful annuals were ready for planting.
“White begonias and pink impatiens. Lovely,” I smiled. “They’ll make a nice backdrop.”
“I hope so.” David leaned back on his heels. “We may be cutting it short a bit. What if they don’t bloom before the wedding?”
“They’ll be fine. Just spray them with liquid fertilizer once a week until the wedding.”
Nancy had something on her mind and she shared it later that evening, as we were getting ready for bed.
“Change in plans, Marigold. You’re going to stay here until after the wedding. Your job is to make sure this all goes off without a hitch. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Whatever Clovis needs, we’re going to make it happen. This is going to be the best damn wedding anyone’s ever seen!”
We dropped Nancy off at LAX Sunday afternoon for her flight back to Atlanta. She promised to return four days before the wedding and pitch in with the preparations. After hugging the bride-to-be, she asked if she could speak privately to me for just a moment. Pulling me aside, she had some final instructions.
“Listen, kid, if her mother is as fragile as I think she is, she’s going to need some help in making it through the big day. Call Julie and find out exactly what she needs in the way of oxygen and anything else. Be honest with her. Tell her your own experience with your mom. And get a room ready for Clovis’s parents to stay in, so her mother can nap when she’s tired. You and I can bunk together when I come back.”
“You sound like you’ve had some experience with this,” I remarked, surprised.
“Terry’s mom had two heart attacks before she was fifty; she was on her last legs when he finally popped the question. We had planned to have a big summer wedding, but instead, we got married just before Thanksgiving, with a handful of people there. Best decision I ever made. Gloria was a wonderful woman and she raised a wonderful son. I just wish my mother-in-law had lived long enough to enjoy her grandkids.”
“Life never seems to give us what we want, does it?” I sighed.
“No, kid. You’ve got to take happiness where you find it and make the most of it, because the world can be a cruel place. We should never squander love. It’s too precious a commodity.”
The time flew by as the wedding day drew near. Every day I had a list of tasks to accomplish. Clovis had her final fitting for the dress. The flowers were ordered, the menu decided, and the tent, tables, chairs, flatware, and dishes were rented.
Julie and I talked by phone several times. She wanted the bride and groom to have dancing, but every time I raised the subject, Clovis refused, until late one night during a conversation about the wedding, she revealed the truth. She didn’t want her wheelchair-bound mother to feel bad that she couldn’t dance with her father. I passed this along to Julie the next day.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” she growled. “What is wrong with that girl?”
“Would you like me to make the arrangements?” I laughed.
“Please do, Marigold. We’ll pay for it. It will be a gift from her father and me.”
“I’ll add a sound system. We can program the music. Do you have any favorite tunes?”
“Are you kidding? I started a list the day after I met David! I knew he was going to marry my little girl.”
“Great. And I’ll ask David for his list of tunes, too. This will be a nice surprise for Clovis.”
As an event planner, I was fairly experienced in keeping things on an even keel, so I had little trouble keeping Clovis on track as the days ticked down to that all-important weekend. By the time Nancy arrived, there were only minor items left on the to-do list, but it was nice to have someone ready to take them on. Much of her time was spent keeping Clovis laughing.
Julie and Bob drove down from Monterey on Thursday, taking their time. When the car pulled into the driveway, Beatrice barked. We all filed out to greet the parents.
“Here we are,” Bob announced, “with bells on.”
“I can’t believe I’m getting married the day after tomorrow,” Clovis gushed, hugging her father and then her mother.
It was obvious Julie was tired after the long drive, but after a two-hour nap in the guest room, she was raring to go, determined to join us for dinner.
We had a cookout in the backyard with David and his parents. I made sure to include foods Julie told me she was able to eat. I wanted her to feel like she was a part of the celebration, not an afterthought.
On Friday morning, Clovis started to lose it. Was it seeing her too-thin mother struggling to stand up from her wheelchair or just the normal wedding jitters? We never did have a chance to find out. Julie asked us all to excuse her as she sat her daughter down in the living room for a serious talk. When they emerged an hour later, Clovis was red-eyed, but relieved; the mother-daughter talk seemed to do the trick.
The rental company arrived just after eleven to set up for the reception. The men made several trips to and from their truck, unloading equipment. Once the tent was set up, I gave Bob the design chart and put him to work as supervisor for the table set-up and the dance floor assembly.
Clovis met with her assistant in the office out behind the house, to finish last minute paperwork for some upcoming cases and inform clients she would be on her honeymoon for the next couple of weeks. She had another lawyer available to consult, should the need arise.
Julie rested in the living room, joined on the sofa by both Cooper and Beatrice. I made a strawberry protein shake for her and grabbed a couple of magazines, in case she wanted some light reading.
Nancy and I got busy with the pink, orange, and yellow floral arrangements for the guest tables. We spent an hour snipping stems on an assortment of roses, carnations, alstroemeria, statice, and lilies, tucking the blossoms into clear glass vases. Once we were done, Nancy left to pick up the wedding dress at the shop and I started the wedding bouquet.
Grabbing two white roses from the bucket of water, I carefully taped the stems together before adding another pair. I continued the process until I had a dozen blossoms taped together. When the bouquet was done, I placed it in the refrigerator. Tomorrow I would wrap it with satin ribbon before handing it off to the bride for the walk down the aisle.
By four o’clock, we were all sitting around the dining room table, with plenty of time before the men planned to take off for a boys’ night out at the bowling alley, followed by pizza and beer. Clovis’s sister and sister-in-law arrived, husbands in tow.
“What are we going to do for fun?” Raeanne wanted to know.
“I thought we could just hang out and chill,” said the bride-to-be.
“You thought wrong.” Nancy brought out the party hats she purchased earlier in the day at the party store. “It’s time for a bridal shower!”
“Come on, guys. That’s really not necessary!”
“Oh yes, it is!” Julie carefully tucked her glittered paper cap over her turban. “Now let’s have a party!”
When the men returned just after ten, we were still whooping it up in the dining room. Clovis blushed when her mother held up the gift card from Victoria’s Secret for the groom to see.
“My, my, my,” he grinned. “You ladies have been busy!”
Nancy and I got to bed just before eleven. Cooper made his way up onto the bed and settled down beside me. Nancy was about to turn off the light, but changed her mind.
“I’ve got to tell you, kid, I’m impressed.”
“Are you?” I smiled.
“Clovis is going to remember this wedding for the rest of her life.”
“I
hope so.”
“Julie tells me that her cancer seems to be going into remission, at least for the time being.”
“That explains the red eyes on the bride earlier today,” I decided. “It’s never over till the fat lady sings.”
“Tomorrow’s going to be a great day,” she sighed. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Me too.”
Of all the weddings I had arranged, this was my sentimental favorite. It went off without a hitch. By the time the reception ended just after eight and we saw the bride and groom off in their decorated car, complete with a “just married” sign, we were all quite content to sit back and remember the day with great fondness. Julie excused herself, pleading exhaustion. She and Bob had danced several times, making their way slowly across the dance floor to familiar tunes.
Raeanne and her husband stayed over, planning to take Beatrice back to Salinas with them on Sunday. The little beagle would stay there until Clovis and David returned from their honeymoon in two weeks.
Nancy and I had flights scheduled first thing in the morning. I was curious about where I was headed, but Nancy said it was a surprise. She told me not to worry about flying alone, because I really wouldn’t be on my own.
“You’ll understand what I mean when you see your escorts.”
At just after nine on Sunday, Nancy waited with me at the Hawaiian Airlines gate. We sat in the lounge, chatting for half an hour. I had never been to Hawaii before, and I was really excited by the prospect. As the flight was called, the crowd began to assemble, ready to board.
“No need to rush, Marigold. You’re in the middle of the pack.”
“Right,” I nodded. I felt a gentle poke in my ribs from Nancy’s elbow.
“There they are.”
Across the wide corridor, two figures came hurrying. Clovis and David pretended not to know us as they passed by.
“You’re a real piece of work, Nance,” I laughed.
“What can I say? They needed a honeymoon and you needed to get to Hawaii. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
Reluctant Witness Page 40