by Eve Gaal
Glenn and Anne sat in the audience along with Glenn's sister the operator from the dealership. Stephen and Ilona decided on staying an extra day to see the wedding. Beverly wore a wide brimmed hat and sat in the front row next to Carl.
The Hilo mayor and his wife sat next to Beverly and when the minister asked, “Do you John, take Penny to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?” A tear slipped down John's face and he held Penny's hand against his heart.
“I do,” he said turning back to the minister who asked, “Do you Penny, take this man, to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
She couldn't believe this question, here in Hawaii, after everything she had been through…. A balmy breeze seemed to bring her mother's lilting Irish voice to her ears. 'Of course, of course', the voice said. 'Say it you silly girl'. She couldn't imagine anything better than this moment. Her life was wonderful and she had the right man. It appeared to be shaping up to be the best Christmas ever. Her mother had been right all along. 'Patience, child,' she heard with the familiar Irish accent, 'Everything will work out in the end.' She looked down at her white slippers and tapped her foot to the beautiful music swirling around her and felt surrounded by love. Thank you mother, she thought to herself. Thank you so much.
Suddenly, the ground shook, and Penny looked out at the far horizon, while her heart was frantically leaping with joy. Smiling at the minister, she realized that he waited for her answer and while everyone else also waited, she paused, because she wanted to remember everything and especially this moment—forever. Finally, he cleared his throat waiting for her response. Dr. Okos whispered something about a volcano into Stephen's ear. Stephen laughed, thinking about Pele. The ground shook again, and everyone looked around, but Penny stared into John's eyes, clenching both his hands saying, “I most certainly do.”
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