A Lowcountry Wedding

by Mary Alice Monroe

  “Wait, you’re going too fast,” Dora said, writing on the paper. When she finished, she looked up. “Okay. Got it.”

  “That wasn’t too hard, was it?” Harper asked with innuendo.

  Dora, not wanting to get off topic again, said, “Harper, your turn.”

  “I’ve been through these for weeks now. I already know what I want. Ready? Jars of tupelo honey, bug spray, pralines, and a canvas bag. And since Carson gets the cake in mason jars, I’m going to give away scented candles in mason jars.”

  Dora finished writing Harper’s choices, then reviewed the selections. She tapped her pen against her lips and double-checked the lists. Her face became thoughtful. She set her pen in her lap, looked at her sisters, and made a face.

  “Did you see what y’all did? You selected items for the other bride’s wedding. Not your own. Harper, all your things are for a plantation wedding, and Carson, you chose things for a beach wedding.”

  Carson and Harper each looked at their own selections, then at the other’s, and started laughing.

  “I just chose the things I wanted to give away,” Carson said. “It came naturally. My mind always goes straight to the beach.”

  “Me, too.” Harper grew introspective. “I always wanted a traditional wedding. I’m drawn to the formal weddings in bridal magazines. And when Prince William and Kate got married, I was glued to the television.” Harper looked at her sisters, her expression perplexed. “I don’t know what to do for a beach wedding.”

  “Then why are you having a beach wedding?” asked Carson.

  “It’s what Granny James wants.”

  Dora said, “But, Harper, it’s your wedding.”

  “I know, but it makes her happy to plan it. She’s been so generous with me. I owe her this much. Besides, I’m getting married to Taylor, which is all I really want.”

  Dora wasn’t buying it and gave Harper a look that told her so. “That’s hooey. No one who does this much research and collects this much stuff doesn’t care.”

  Harper blushed. “Okay! I admit it. I want a plantation wedding complete with an elegant wedding gown, live oaks dripping with moss, winding creeks, scented candles in mason jars.” She put her hands to her face. “Carson, I want the wedding you’re having. The Legare Waring plantation has so much lowcountry history and tradition. That’s more who I am. I guess I always thought I’d get married some place like that.”

  “I know what you mean. I always saw myself getting married on some beach. Just him and me and a few people I really cared about.” Carson wiggled her brows. “Preferably in Hawaii.”

  Dora scratched her head. “Hold your horses. Let me get this straight. Carson, you want a beach wedding, but Harper is having that. And, Harper, you want a plantation wedding, but Carson is having that.” Dora crossed her arms, pointing her fingers at each of them. “You two are having each other’s wedding?”

  Both brides looked at each other, then giggling, nodded.

  “How in heaven did that happen?”

  Harper leaned back against the chair. “That’s what comes of letting someone else plan your wedding.”

  “Or not caring enough to get involved,” Carson said.

  “But that’s just crazy,” Dora argued. “These are your weddings.”

  “Not really,” Harper said with finality. “It’s a family wedding. That’s what weddings really are. And as such, they are events filled with compromise.”

  “Well, look on the bright side,” Dora said. “You both wanted a lowcountry wedding and that’s what you’re both getting. Carson’s having the lowcountry plantation wedding. And, Harper, you’re having the lowcountry beach wedding. You’ve got the lowcountry wedding theme covered. It’s too late to change venues now, anyway. Money’s been put down and the invitations have gone out. So we might as well have fun helping plan each other’s wedding.”

  The baker, Mr. James, returned to their table with a flourish of smiles. A slender man, he had well-trimmed, longish hair and was stylishly dressed in slim black pants and a crisp white shirt. Dora couldn’t imagine how a man could bake cakes for a living and still be so slender.

  “So, ladies,” Mr. James said, a polite smile on his face, “do you have any questions before you make your selections?”

  Carson told him she was undecided, but Mr. James wasn’t the least flustered. He focused his attention on Harper. He sat at the table with sketch paper and discussed with her the wedding themes and colors and tossed around ideas for design. The women clustered around him as he sketched his ideas for Harper’s wedding cake right in front of them.

  Harper clasped her hands together at the sight of a three-tiered cake with Tiffany Blue icing and long, arching sea grass, shells, and coral. “It’s perfect. That’s the cake I want.”

  “Done! Now it’s time to celebrate.” At Mr. James’s signal, a waitress carried out a tray with three glasses of champagne. “For you!” he said gaily. “Congratulations!”

  “None for me, thank you.” Carson held up her hand.

  “Me neither,” Harper said. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll have some!” Dora exclaimed, taking a glass.

  The waitress carried away two flutes of wine.

  “Coffee then?” Mr. James asked. When Carson and Harper nodded, he said, “Very good. I’ll be right back.”

  Carson watched him leave the room, then gave Harper a long, searching look. “I know why I’m not drinking wine. Care to tell us why you’re not?”

  Harper shared a glance with Dora.

  “Okay,” Carson said, catching the look. She sat straighter. “Tell me.”

  Dora pinched her lips tight under eyes shining with knowledge.

  Harper spread out her arms in announcement. “We’re going to have a baby.”

  Dora could not be contained. Even though she’d already been told, fresh tears filled her eyes and she fluttered her hands in the air like butterfly wings. “We’re having a baby!”

  Harper looked searchingly at Carson, who sat wide-eyed and speechless. Dora felt a flash of worry Carson might take the news poorly in light of her own miscarriage. Dora needn’t have worried.

  Carson yelped with joy and wrapped her arms around Harper. “Congratulations! Wow, I didn’t see that one coming. When are you due?”

  “Not till the fall. Late September.”

  Dora counted back on her fingers. “Someone had a merry Christmas . . . ,” she joked.

  “Does Mamaw know?” Carson asked.

  Harper shook her head. “Only Taylor. Dora. And now you. I’ve been waiting till Granny James gets here. Two birds with one stone and all that. But I’ll need your support. I’m not sure how they’ll respond to my being pregnant before I’m married. Them being from another generation and all. Do you think they’ll be upset?”

  “I can’t speak for Granny James,” Carson said, “but I don’t think it will be an issue with Mamaw. After all, it wasn’t when I was pregnant. All she cared about was my health and happiness. She stood right by me.”

  “I agree with Carson. Times have changed. Besides, honey, what do you think they can say? Cancel the wedding? Ship you off somewhere? You own your own house! Your only worry, frankly, is fitting into your wedding gown. Though I have to say, I’m relieved I’m not the only one with that on my mind.” Dora peered past the table to Harper’s midsection. “You had me fooled with those loose tops. I never would have guessed.”

  “Everyone will guess by the time the wedding arrives.” Harper frowned and cried in a forlorn voice, “I’ll be that pregnant bride.”

  “You’ll be beautiful,” Carson said. “Don’t worry.”

  “I’m happy . . . but I’m kind of pissed, too. All my life I dreamed of my wedding day. Now I can’t eat the tuna tartare or sushi I like or drink champagne. I can’t even drink much caffeine. And if all that’s not bad enough, I don’t think my dress will fit.”

  “Aw, poor baby,” Carson teased while pretending she was playing a violin.

&nb
sp; Dora took Harper’s worries seriously. “Can they let the dress out?”

  “They can try. But the way it’s constructed . . . I have my doubts. I actually thought about canceling my wedding and just having a quick ceremony.”

  “No!” Dora blurted out. “Don’t do it. Who cares if you have a baby bump? Besides, it’s too late. We’re tasting cake, for heaven’s sake. The invitations went out!”

  “No, it’s not too late,” Carson fired back. “She can cancel anytime she wants. Even the day of, if she wants to.”

  Dora was at a loss at Carson’s emotion on the topic. Dora had struck a nerve and it made her wonder about her runaway-bride sister. So Dora tempered her comments to restore peace: “Of course she can cancel.” Then Dora turned to Harper. “But only cancel if you don’t want to get married at all. Not because you’re pregnant. Lots of women get married with a baby bump.”

  “I know,” Harper said dejectedly. “I must’ve read every blog on the topic. Most days, I’m confident that I made the right decision to keep the wedding in place. But there are other days I’m not sure. Like when I see models in wedding dresses looking so gorgeous with their tiny waists.”

  “Don’t worry. You can always get another dress,” said Carson.

  “But the wedding is in two months!” Harper cried with exasperation. “What choices will I have?”

  “Hey, take it easy. I haven’t found a dress yet, either.”

  Harper scowled at Carson. “Who’s fault is that? At least I had a gown. You waited till the last minute, then tried on every gown in the last two shops we visited and still rejected them all.”

  Carson picked at her nail. “I didn’t feel like any of them were right.”

  “You looked beautiful in every one of them.” Dora sucked in her rounded stomach. “Damn you both.”

  The girls all shared a laugh, and the tension was broken.

  “You know what I read in one of Harper’s magazines?” said Dora to Carson in a know-it-all tone. “A bride who cannot choose a wedding dress often has some underlying issues and she may not want to get married.”

  “You read that, did you?” Carson asked mockingly. “You just keep on reading your magazines. You’ll find an article saying that everyone should just get off the bride’s back and let her find a gown she likes.”

  Dora barked out a laugh.

  Harper clapped her hands. “Let’s stay positive. We’ve got the cakes done. Granny James arrives in two days, and we’re going to dress-shop with the grandmothers. I’m meant to show them the final fitting for my gown.” Harper looked at Carson sternly and pointed her finger. “You have to stop stalling and choose a gown. Do you understand?”

  Carson’s lips twitched. “I do.”

  Chapter Ten

  In enduring the unendurable pain and coming out of it together, they’d formed their unbreakable bond.

  Carson stood on the upper dock of Sea Breeze, her arms folded across her chest against the stiff breeze, staring out at the water of the Cove. There was a break in the rain, but a chilly, wet breeze stirred the waters, creating ripples and making her huddle deeper into her Windbreaker like a turtle. She never could abide the cold. She felt it straight through to her bones. Yet, she took heart at the signs of spring taking hold in the lowcountry. This morning she’d seen the brilliant yellow, trumpet-shaped blossoms of Carolina jessamine, her favorite flower, along Mamaw’s fence.

  Looking out at the water, Carson imagined Delphine must be out there somewhere. She ached to see the dolphin’s familiar face, to look once again into her dark, soulful eyes and to hear her nasal eh eh eh calling her to the dock. At times in the past months when she was alone on the photo shoot, far from anyone she knew or loved, she wondered if she’d only imagined the bond she and the dolphin had shared. Standing here now, though, the memories came back fresh and erased any doubt. Delphine had saved her life, that was true. Yet not only physically when the rogue shark had been circling Carson’s surfboard and Delphine had distracted it, but emotionally as well. There was much to learn from the wisdom of the wild. Delphine had taught her through example how to endure pain without blame, how to forgive, to let go of the past and to live fully in the moment. To remember to laugh. Carson smiled remembering Delphine’s riding the wake of Blake’s boat.

  She sighed, missing her dear friend.

  “You miss Delphine, don’t you?”

  Carson swung around to see Nate standing near. He wore his navy parka with the hood over his head and bright red flannel pants. Soft pants, of course, with an elastic waist. A must for him. His Asperger’s caused him to be particular, but also perspicacious, beyond his young years. No one knew better than Nate the longing she felt for Delphine.

  She came closer to the boy and patted the soft padded top of his hood. She didn’t think that was the same as touching him, something he wouldn’t tolerate. Nate didn’t back away. She looked into his eyes, blue not brown, but every bit as soulful as Delphine’s.

  “I do,” she confessed.

  “So do I.”

  Her heart lurched for the boy. Last summer he’d been lonely, without any friend save for that beguiling dolphin. Delphine had brought the boy out of his shell. But Dora told her that Nate had been excelling at his new school and making friends. He’d moved on.

  As had she. So she was oddly comforted that he, too, still felt the hole left by the dolphin’s absence.

  “It’s a good thing we have each other, isn’t it?”

  “You have Blake. You’re getting married.”

  A short laugh escaped her lips. “From the mouth of babes.”

  Nate scowled. “I’m not a baby.”

  “No,” she said apologetically. “You most certainly are not.”

  Nate appeared mollified by this. She had to remember that he didn’t understand metaphors or sarcasm but took what people said quite literally.

  “I see her sometimes, you know.”

  Carson startled. “Who? Delphine?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  “Sometimes when I go out on the dock to fish, I see her. Sometimes I just go out there. I like to be near the water. I see lots of things. I have a pelican friend now, too. I call him Pete. He looks like a Pete.”

  She watched Nate’s fingertips tap his jacket as he paused. He’s thinking about Pete, she thought, and smiled at the whimsical workings of the mind of a boy.

  “And Delphine?”

  “Yes. Sometimes I see her, too. Swimming by. I don’t call her,” he said with urgency, wanting Carson to know that he’d not broken their strictest rule: not to try to communicate with a wild dolphin. “But I know it’s her. I can see her scars.”

  “Oh.” A pang of guilt struck deep.

  “She’s good. I think she’s happy.”

  “Really?” Carson couldn’t believe that she, a grown woman, was seeking affirmation of Delphine’s welfare from a ten-year-old boy, but because it was this child, she knew that he would sense it more than anyone else. Nate, for all his struggles, held a wisdom beyond any measurement ascertained by schools.

  He looked at her with a hint of longing. “Do you think she’d come if you called her?”

  Interesting question, Carson thought. One she’d been thinking herself. “I don’t know. It’s been a year.”

  “I think she would. She’s very smart.”

  “She sure is.” Carson looked at the boy. “Do you want me to call her?”

  He nodded. “Yes. I miss her.”

  Sweet boy, she thought. She wondered if he tried to call her himself from his own dock, despite insisting otherwise. Yes, of course he did. Maybe once. Naughty boy, she realized with a hidden smile.

  “I can’t do it. I promised I wouldn’t and it was a very big promise. If I love Delphine—if you love her—we will let her be wild. We both remember what happened to her when we did call and she came.”

  Guilt clouded the boy’s expression as he nodded solemnly.

  She heard the heavy
footfalls reverberate on the wooden dock and looked up to see Blake walking toward them. Over his jeans Blake wore his navy peacoat. His hands were deep in his pockets, and a day-old scruff of beard lined his jaw. He took her breath away.

  “We didn’t call Delphine,” Nate shouted out almost defensively. “We kept our promise!”

  “Good decision,” Blake called out as he approached. He came up to her side and delivered a kiss that spoke clearly of his gratitude for her decision. “I’m marrying a good woman, do you know that?”

  Nate said, “Of course she knows that. She’s the woman.”

  “Right again.” Blake slipped his arm around Carson as naturally as breathing and turned to Nate. “Do you ever see Delphine?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “She look good?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m glad you think so. Because I have some news. She’s pregnant.”

  “What!” Carson felt the news like a bolt of lightning. “Pregnant? How?”

  Blake chuckled. “Oh, the usual way.”

  Carson slapped his coat. “Silly, I mean how far along is she? How do you know?”

  “One look at her and you can tell. She’s wide and full. I’d say she’s due in a month or so. Dolphins give birth every month of the year, but around here a larger number of them give birth in the spring.”

  Carson did the calculations in her head. “So she got pregnant last spring?”

  “Yes.”

  Carson held Blake’s gaze. “Through all that pain and trauma, she kept the baby.”

  A shadow of pain flashed in Blake’s eyes. He squeezed her shoulders, and in that moment they shared the grief of their lost baby. Carson had found out she was pregnant the previous summer, and just as she and Blake were becoming used to the idea, she’d had a miscarriage that had ultimately broken the couple up until they realized they couldn’t live without each other. In enduring the unendurable pain and coming out of it together, they’d formed their unbreakable bond.

  Carson’s smile trembled. “I’m glad. She’s so strong.”