Planerbound

by neetha Napew

  “'Jesu' on a koto? That's a new one for me. OK, places everyone.” Don stood behind the podium. “Yuriko, give me a bit of your prelude.”

  Yuriko played part of a traditional tune. Don motioned to her and she strummed her chord. “Okay, Nick down the aisle.” Nyk began to walk toward the podium. “Not too fast -- a wedding is a little drama. Build some tension.” Nyk reached the podium. “Now turn and face the crowd. Okay, now Mom and Dad ... good. Next Phil and Cathy...” Yuriko strummed a chord. “Sukiko, you're up.”

  Suki reached the podium. “George, are you giving away the bride?”

  “Mom and Daddy are,” Suki replied.

  “Okay, fine -- now Mom and Dad take your seats. I'll make a short speech ... blah, blah... next it's vows. Are you rehearsing your vows tonight?”

  “We're keeping them private until the ceremony,” Nick said.

  “We do the vows -- two rings, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Now, it's the recessional ... looking good. Shall we run through it again?”

  * * *

  “Thank you for a lovely dinner, Mr Kyhana,” Cathy said to George. “I've always loved Tavern on the Green.”

  “I'll have the driver drop you off in SoHo.”

  “I'll come by around eleven to help get ready. Toodles, Suki -- see you tomorrow.”

  “What time do you want me here?” Seymor asked.

  “Any time after noon -- and before two,” Nyk replied. “How are you getting back to your penthouse?”

  “I'll hail a cab on the corner.”

  “You'll do nothing of the sort,” George said. “Our limo driver can take you -- his home base is in Manhattan, anyway.”

  Seymor gave Nyk the two-finger Floran salute and assisted Cathy into the limousine.

  Nyk embraced Suki and kissed her. Yasuko grabbed their shoulders. “Break it up you two. You can't see each other from now until the ceremony -- bad luck otherwise.”

  “I'll see you tomorrow, korlyta,” Nyk said. He headed to the guest room and stretched out on the bed.

  * * *

  Seymor sat on the sofa in the apartment as Nyk paced. “What do we do, sit and wait?”

  “Yes, until we get the signal to come downstairs and take our places. Yasuko's getting Suki ready and neither of us -- especially me -- are welcome down there.” Nyk walked over to the laptop computer. He switched it on and connected it to the data line. “Do you need to speak with anyone on the homeworld?”

  “Gads, lad, what time must it be there? Nadir meridian?”

  “Nadir one,” Nyk replied. “Here's a telemessage from the homeworld. 'Congratulations to you and Sukiko, and best wishes on your marriage. Signed, Illya Kronta.'”

  “Lad I never thought I'd see the day a Floran would wed an Earth person -- and be congratulated by the oversight chair himself. I hope we don't have a crush of other Agents who'll want to follow in your footsteps. I don't know what we'll do if another one asks to marry an Earth girl.”

  “I can't see an Agent on a normal tour wanting to do this. You're the only other Earthbound Agent, and you don't strike me as the marrying type.”

  “Grynnya Quinn's an Earthbound agent,” Seymor replied.

  “I believe she's attending the wedding. I invited all the Agents who report to me. Do you think she'd want to marry an Earth man?”

  “Not Grynnya.” Seymor chuckled. “She's hardly a one-guy gal.”

  Nyk opened a vidphone window and saw Andra. “Sorry to keep you up so late.”

  “I wouldn't miss it.” She gestured behind her. “Neither would they.” Nyk saw Senta and Kronta.

  “I'm about to switch over to the remote camera so you can watch the festivities.”

  “We can hardly wait,” Senta replied.

  “You look so handsome,” Andra said. “Step back so we can see the costume you're wearing.” Nyk stepped back from the camera. “Very handsome. What do you call that?”

  “It's called a Tux. Suki will be wearing a traditional Japanese costume called a kimono. I believe her mother will be wearing a kimono also. I'm switching over, now.” He unplugged the camera and switched to the wireless one. “There, do you have a picture?”

  “It's beautiful,” Andra said. “Look at all the blossoms.”

  “The flowers are done in a traditional Japanese ichibana style. The guests will start arriving momentarily.”

  “These are the first images I've seen of Earth,” Senta said, “except for your face.”

  “I'm going to close up the laptop, now. I'll keep the connection up, and speak with you after the ceremony.” He closed the computer's cover.

  Nyk paced around the apartment. “George asked a couple of his junior analysts to serve as greeters. I'm amazed with how much went into this modest ceremony, and Suki assures me it's miniscule by modern Earth standards.”

  “I can vouch for that. I've been to a few Earth weddings.”

  “You, Seymor?”

  “Yes, I've become friendly with a number of Earth people, many of whom have had children and family members who've been married. I think your ceremony will be very nice -- low key, but nice and tasteful. I'm impressed with the musician your in-laws-to-be hired.”

  A knock sounded on the apartment door. Nyk opened it and saw one of George's analysts. “They're ready for you downstairs.”

  Nyk gestured to Seymor and they descended the stairs to the kitchen. Yasuko had set up a folding screen. “No peeking,” he heard her say from behind it.

  “Suki are you there?”

  “Yes, Nick.”

  “Knock it off, you two. You're tempting fate.”

  “You said we couldn't see each other. I don't remember you saying anything about not talking.”

  Nyk heard whispers and giggles from behind the screen. Cathy emerged in a pale yellow kimono. He approached her and took her hand. “You look lovely, Cathy.”

  “Suki asked me to give you this.” She handed him Suki's engagement ring. “And this.” She slipped her hand behind Nyk's head, embraced him and gave him a lengthy kiss on his lips. “You are one lucky gal,” she called back toward the screen.

  Nyk slipped the ring into his jacket pocket. “Do you have the ring?” Nyk asked Cathy.

  “Certainly. How about you?”

  Seymor rummaged through his pockets and produced the ring. “We're looking good in the ring department.”

  Suki's father entered the kitchen. “Yuriko's started the prelude,” he said. “Don's taking his post. Places, everyone.”

  Yasuko emerged from behind the screen wearing a sky-blue kimono. She paused to embrace Nyk. He looked into her eyes and they began to fill. “You've made me very happy, Nick -- to know my child has someone who loves her and cares for her.”

  He kissed her forehead. “You've all made me happy, too.”

  She and George stood behind Nyk. Traditional Japanese music came from Yuriko's koto.

  “That music is so beautiful,” Seymor said. “How can she play both traditional and contemporary western music on that thing?”

  “It's a custom instrument,” Yasuko whispered. “It has extra strings. Some are white and others red. The white ones sound the traditional scale, and the red strings let her play western melodies.”

  Nyk heard the long chord and the opening bars of Pachabel's Canon in D. He stepped out of the kitchen and headed down the aisle. Judge Hassinger stood behind the podium in his judicial robes. Nyk reached the podium and turned to face the guests.

  George and Yasuko started down the aisle. Nyk looked at the two dozen guests. Nicky dozed in Jonathan's arms. Jaquie sat with a handkerchief in her hand. He recognized Marla from George's office.

  Suki's parents reached the podium. Seymor escorted Cathy down the aisle, guided her to her spot and stood beside Nyk. Yuriko found a convenient stopping point in the Canon and improvised a short coda. The room sat in silence. Yuriko strummed another chord and began Bach's Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring. The wedding party turned and watched Suki as s
he started down the aisle.

  She was wearing an orange-red kimono embroidered with cranes in gold. Yasuko had braided Suki's hair in a traditional treatment, and she wore a garland of blossoms.

  “Gads, lad,” Seymor whispered. “She is gorgeous.” Suki walked down the aisle and stopped between her parents and Cathy.

  “Who supports this woman in marriage?” the judge asked.

  “We do,” replied George and Yasuko. They stepped backwards. Nyk and Suki bowed to them and they returned the bows. Then, they took seats in the front row next to Jonathan.

  Nyk and Suki turned to face the judge, who asked the traditional question if anyone should know reason why the marriage should not proceed.

  “Nothing heard. Friends and family, we are gathered here to celebrate the marriage of Nick Kane and Sukiko Kyhana. They have chosen to be married in a civil ceremony. This choice derives from their own personal beliefs.

  “We are a nation founded on the principle that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and the benefits of legal matrimony are available to everyone, without regard to religious belief or affiliation...”

  He spoke for several minutes on the legal rights and responsibilities of marriage. Then he gave Yuriko a cue and she began playing a traditional Japanese love ballad.

  Don nodded to Seymor. He handed Nyk the ring. Nyk faced Suki and gazed into her eyes. He took her left hand. “Sukiko ... yin ... Earth ... mother ... woman ... I take you as my lawful wife. I pledge to be your friend, your lover, your companion and your confidant. I vow to be father to Nicky and to love him as if he were my own. I love you more than life itself. I will stand by you and cherish you in sickness or health and in poverty or wealth. Come share my path and walk with me ... until...” He choked back tears and bit his lower lip. “Until death parts us. Sukiko, with this ring I thee wed.” He slipped the ring onto her finger.

  She took his left hand. “Nick ... yang ... sky and sun ... my light and my savior. I take you as my lawful husband. I pledge to be your friend, your lover, and your companion. My child will grow with you as the only father he'll ever know. Together, you and I shall raise him to be as you are -- kind and tolerant -- strong yet gentle. I will walk with you as your path is my path. I will love you and cherish you in sickness or health and in poverty or wealth ... until death us parts. Nick, with this ring I thee wed.” She placed the ring onto his finger.

  “By the authority vested in me by the State of New York, I pronounce you husband and wife.” He paused and smiled. “You may kiss.”

  Nyk embraced Suki. “Careful of the obi,” she whispered. He caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers and kissed her.

  The judge cued Yuriko to play a recessional. The wedding party walked up the aisle and stood at the rear of the room. The judge spoke again, “I've been asked to make a few announcements. We will enjoy a catered buffet reception right here, as soon as the catering crew can set it up. They'll be bringing in tables and rearranging the chairs, so please bear with us. Nick and Sukiko are heading to the Botanical Gardens for some photos. They'll be back shortly. Yuriko, our kotoist will take requests, for both traditional and contemporary tunes. After hearing her play Jesu, I'm sure she's up to anything.” He cued Yuriko again, and she began playing a postlude of traditional tunes.

  Nyk excused himself and sprinted up to the apartment. He opened the computer and saw Andra. “I'm back,” he said, “I'm switching to the other camera... I can't talk for long, we're off to the park for some photos.”

  “It was lovely,” Senta said.

  “Sukiko was so beautiful,” Andra added. “That was a beautiful costume she was wearing. And, the blossoms in her hair! She looked so happy.” Andra wiped a tear from her face.

  “I'll call in a few days and we can talk longer. Knowing you were with us, even if it was by vidphone, meant much to me, to both of us.”

  “Good bye, Nykkyo,” Andra said. He terminated the vidphone session.

  He ran down the stairs and stood next to Suki. “Did Andra see all right?” she asked in a whisper.

  “Yes. Senta was with her, along with Illya.” He reached into his pocket. “Before I forget.” He placed the engagement ring onto her finger. “Have you relaxed?”

  “Not quite yet.”

  Judge Hassinger worked his way toward them. He handed Nyk an envelope. “Here's your copy of your marriage license. I'll take care of filing the official copy. Congratulations.” He shook their hands.

  “Now, I can relax.”

  * * *

  Nyk escorted Suki into the house to a round of applause. He glanced at the buffet. It included both Japanese and western items. He saw sushi rolls and sweets moulded into elaborate shapes, as well as western sweets and savories. In the center of the buffet table was a modest wedding cake. Yuriko was playing Proud Mary.

  Nyk held Suki's chair as she sat at the table of honor beside Cathy, Seymor and her parents. “We'll be served,” George said. “The other guests have been informed they may partake of the buffet as they wish.” He picked up a bottle of Champagne, poured a round for the table and offered a private toast. “Nick, you are without a doubt the best thing to happen to Sukiko -- the best thing to happen to our family. Here's to happiness and long life.”

  “To long life... Thanks, George.” He lifted his glass.

  George leaned toward Nyk. “Beautiful vows, kids. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.”

  “We should mingle with the guests, while the caterers are preparing our plates,” Suki said. She introduced Nyk to acquaintances from NYU and chatted with her professor and mentor. Nyk introduced Suki to Jaquie and some Agents.

  He approached a middle-aged woman with long, greying blond hair. “Grynnya -- thank you for coming.”

  “Yes,” Suki added. “It's great seeing you again. Thank you so much for helping Nick.”

  “Who's your friend?” Nyk asked.

  A late-middle-aged man with a bushy moustache and long grey hair tied in a ponytail stood and shook Nyk's hand. “This is Leo. He and I work at the same hospital.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Leo said with a Missouri accent. “It was a lovely ceremony -- very personal.”

  “Is this your first time in the City?” Suki asked.

  “Yes -- for me at least,” Leo replied.

  “Your ceremony provided us a good excuse for a short vacation together,” Grynnya added.

  Nyk led Suki toward the head table. He held Suki's chair as she sat. “Many guests have complimented us on the ceremony,” Nyk said to his mother-in-law. “You and Suki did an excellent job of putting this together -- on such short notice. It was just right.”

  “Do you miss a traditional reception, with a master of ceremonies, dancing, and all?”

  “Not in the least. That wouldn't be us.”

  “I had the big, overblown event for my first wedding,” Suki added. “Look how that turned out.” She took Nyk's hand and laced fingers with him.

  * * *

  Nyk sat beside Suki in the limousine as it headed for Manhattan. “I wish we could take a real honeymoon,” she said. “With my new responsibilities at Pace, I just couldn't take the time now. Do you have honeymoons on Floran?”

  “Well, we don't have anything named after the moon since there is none. It is customary for a new husband and wife to take a few days' sabbatical leave to establish their household.”

  “No wedding trip?”

  “No -- we're a pragmatic people. I'd love to take a honeymoon trip with you, korlyta, if that's the Earth custom.”

  “Where would you like to go?”

  “Myataxya -- but, we wouldn't be able to show anyone our photos. How about you?”

  “Somewhere near the sea -- maybe Hawaii. Daddy said he'd arrange a trip for us, as soon as our schedules permit. Where are we headed now?”

  “To the Millennium Hotel near Time Square. I know it's not Myataxya or Hawaii, but a couple nights away to decompress will do us both some good.”

  The
limousine stopped at the hotel. Nyk signed the check-in forms. He took her hand and stood, waiting for an elevator. “Nick -- I told you I didn't think it mattered if we had that piece of parchment or the ceremony. I was wrong.” She squeezed his hand. “I'll never forget this day.”

  He led her to the room and unlocked the door with the pass card. “I see our bags are already here.” He faced her. “I want to gaze at you in that kimono. I want to feast my eyes. You're nothing short of dazzling in it.”

  She stood for him as he regarded her. She began dismantling the kimono and removing the obi wrapped around her waist and forming the ornate bow at her back. She slipped into her short robe and retired to the bathroom.

  Nyk undressed, turned down the bed and slid between the sheets. Suki emerged, slipped off her robe and lay beside him. “Nick, I'm scared.”

  “You can't be frightened of making love. We must've done it a hundred times.”

  “Two hundred seventeen times.”

  “Two hundred seventeen? You kept count?”

  “Yes -- I made an estimate of how many times you and Andra... Once I started counting, I kept it up. No, I'm not afraid of that.”

  “What are you afraid of?”

  “Of the future -- ours and Nicky's. I'm afraid of what horrible ordeals Destiny may have in store for us.”

  Nyk kissed her forehead. “Let's have no fears tonight.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Would you care to make it number two hundred eighteen?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “No?”

  “No.” She kissed him. “Let's make it number one. Let's make it the first time, all over again. Tonight -- I'm a virgin. Please be gentle with me.” He kissed her again. “... But, not too gentle.”

  17 -- The Dreaded Day

  Nyk lay on his back, staring at the ceiling as Suki drowsed beside him. He glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 12:01 -- 12:01 AM, 1 September, 2001. The day he dreaded was upon him. How would it happen? When would it happen? It was a Saturday -- Labor Day weekend. Whatever it was, it would claim George, too. An auto accident? He glanced at the clock -- 12:20. It wouldn't be an illness -- both George and Suki appeared in perfect health. A crime? The house was in a quiet and safe part of Queens. He looked again -- 12:51... and, again...