“Why don’t you show me what you’ve got, Stacey? I’m a bit picky with what I drink.”
“Come right this way, sugar. I’m sure there’s something drinkable in here for you. We’ll be back in just a second, Ron!”
She steered Cora towards the back of the room where the drinks must be. Ron peeked around her and his eyes lit up.
“Actually, I see someone else I must go chat with, Elena. I will catch back up with you in a jiffy. Have some food! Find those coworkers of yours”
As if on cue, the two scrawny white men that Elena spent all day with sidled up on either side of her, both looking remarkably similar to what they had worn during the workday.
“You look amazing! You’re definitely the Queen of the Office!” Adam exclaimed
“That costume is like a work of art, but I’m pretty sure all of that is actually your clothes? How did you do that?” Quincy scratched his head under his bowler in confusion.
“Thanks! My girlfriend put it together for me,” she announced proudly. “As for you two… did y’all even bother with costumes? Let me guess, Quincy is Atticus Finch and … I can’t even tell what you are, Adam. You just look like you.”
Both men clutched their chests as if she’d mortally wounded them with her words.
“I’m not Atticus Finch,” Quincy protested loudly. “Look at the sunglasses and the cigarette! I’m clearly Hunter S. Thompson!”
He pulled up a picture on his phone, and she could see the resemblance. He wore a black and white striped polo, khaki shorts and a black bowler hat. He had a pair of Dahmer glasses resting on the tip of his nose, and a cigarette that had never been lit hanging out of the side of his mouth.
“Okay, I see it now. I’m game. And what about you, Adam?”
“I am clearly the Great Gatsby, Elena. Come on now! Look at me”
She squinted at him skeptically.
“You’re wearing the same suit you wore to work today, Adam. You just slicked back your hair and called it a costume. We’ll call it a valiant attempt.”
Quincy guffawed and slapped his friend hard on the back.
“I told you, man! It’s all in the accessories.”
“Well we can’t all be drop dead gorgeous Queens like her royal highness over there, now can we?”
“Why, I think we could make you look great in a dress, Adam! I’ve got just the thing for your peach skin tone,” Stacey drawled.
The men whirled to find Stacey and Cora grinning at them, each holding two drinks.
“You must be Cora!” Quincy yelped. “It’s so good to meet you! Elena’s told us all about you.”
“Yeah, and most of it’s even been good!” Adam added, then yelped when Quincy elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up. Cora and Elena both laughed. Cora moved closer
“It’s nice to meet you two as well! I have also heard mostly good things,” Cora said with a wink. “Babe, I brought you a rum and coke.”
She took the drink, brushing her fingers against Cora’s. Elena laughed when she realized that the ice cubes were shaped like skulls.
“A good choice! Thanks, hon.”
She pressed a kiss to Cora’s cheek and they turned towards the men together. She felt a little less anxious with the weight of a drink in her hand, and with her coworkers around them.
“Dude, you guys have the best costumes ever,” Adam whined. “How come girls get the best costumes?”
“Cause they make an effort. Rum and coke sounds delicious. I’m gonna go get one,” Quincy declared. “You want one?”
“Oh, sure.”
Quincy made his way to the bar and back within minutes with drinks in hand. When he had everyone’s attention, he raised his glass.
“Let’s toast to a spooky rest of the year with new friends!”
“To new friends!” they all echoed, clinking their cups together.
THE END
Halloween Future
It was Halloween night and Cora and Elena’s home had devolved into complete and utter chaos, thanks to the three children that were in the process of getting ready for the evening’s festivities. Elena stood in the doorway watching with baby Theo in her arms, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet to help him stay asleep.
The six-month-old was the only one who was already ready for the trick or treating. Dressed in a Tootsie Roll costume, he would be staying with Cora and help him to hand out candy to any trick-or-treaters that came by, while Marianne and Elena wrangled the older kids.
“Why can’t tía Cora come trick or treating with us?” David whined from under his fireman’s hat. His mother was crouched in front of him, trying to apply face paint to help make him look like his favorite Paw Patrol character.
“Stop squirming, David. You’re gonna mess up your whiskers!” Marianne wiped her forehead on the back of her arm and dipped the paintbrush into the paint pot again.
He held still for a few seconds before trying to turn his head again to look at where Cora was helping his sister Sofía into her fall colored fairy costume.
“Cora isn’t coming with us because she can’t walk very far right now without getting tired.”
“Is it because of the baby?”
“Yes, tía Cora doesn’t walk very well because she’s going to have a baby very soon, just like I did with Theo. Remember?”
“Ohhhh…”
He scrunched up his face and his mother fixed him with a glare that made his eyes go wide.
“Pick a face to make and keep it there for another minute so that I can finish making you look like Marshall, please!”
“Sorry, Mama.”
He sighed as if his life were the most difficult thing in the world. She suppose that it probably was pretty difficult for a five-year-old hold still while his mother put makeup on his face, but he had asked for this, so she had very little sympathy for the small boy.
Sofía on the other hand could not wait for her makeup. Cora had started painting glittery leaves all over the girl’s face to tie into the very costume that she had begged for. Elena knew that her nine-year-old niece would love the final effect, but she was pretty sure that she would find flecks of glitter paint everywhere for months to come. She wasn’t entirely looking forward to that part of it, but there was very little that she wouldn’t do for her niblings.
It would also be good practice, since Cora was due to give birth to twins in less than two weeks. Elena’s sister-in-law had been coming to visit once or twice a week for the last month, helping to make sure that the house was as baby ready as it could be and to impart her motherly wisdom upon the two wives. When she learned that her own neighborhood would not be allowing kids to go trick or treating in it, she had declared it a sign that she was supposed to bring the kids with her to visit their favorite tías.
Elena knew that Cora was grateful for the help, and for the company. She had been put on bed rest at 36 weeks pregnant, and while it hadn’t stopped her from working, it had made her more than a little bit antsy. With Elena working more hours than ever to prepare for her own maternity leave once the baby came, Marianne’s warm company had been a blessing for them both.
Theo woke with a happy burble, reaching his arms up for Elena’s shoulder-length black curls. She smiled down at the child in her arms, and placed her index finger in his chubby palm instead.
“How’s that, buddy? Isn’t that better than pulling tía’s hair out?”
He blew a spit bubble at her, and she laughed.
“All right, David! You’re all set. Go play until we’re ready to go.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. He scampered out of the office-turned-nursery and back into the living room where all of his toy cars and track were. It looked like Cora was almost done with Sofía’s face paint as well. She looked like a beautiful Puerto Rican wood nymph as she stood with one hand on her slim hip in front of Cora. Her mother crouched behind her, adjusting the way that the wings she wore sat against her back.
With one final flourish, Cora
leaned back against the crib she’d been using his back support while she worked.
“You are officially magical, Sofía,” she declared. “Go look in the mirror and tell me what you think.”
The girl flew off down the hallway and all three women heard a delighted gasp and then a high-pitched squeal.
“I’m beautiful,” she yelled back to them. They traded amused glances and smiles.
Cora twisted her back, and Elena heard cracks and pops that made Marianne grimace. Theo let go of Elena’s finger, and made grabbing motions at his mother, who took him and started making silly faces at him. Elena handed him over to Marianne with a sigh, then turned her attention to her wife, who was gathering up her painting supplies.
“Do you need some help getting up, love?”
Cora looked at the light hardwood floor, wrinkling her button nose in distaste at its shiny surface.
“Yes, please,” she grumbled. “I cannot wait until I can actually function as a human being again on my own.”
Marianne and Elena laughed. Elena walked over to where her wife sat cross-legged on the floor, and offered her hands to her with a gentle smile.
“You did the hard work with the painting. Let me deal with the mess. Let’s get you into a more comfortable chair, shall we?”
Cora smiled up at her tiredly, and took Elena’s hands. She hoisted herself up into a crouch, balancing herself with Elena’s hands, and then rose to her full height.
Elena looked over her very pregnant wife, but her eyes caught on the print on her black maternity t-shirt.
“Cora, is that your halloween costume?”
The pregnant woman grinned, showing off all of her teeth.
“Yes, yes it is. Do you like it?”
“Why? What is it?” Marianne asked.
Elena laughed when Marianne looked at the shirt for the first time and her jaw dropped. Where her round stomach extended from the rest of her body, the design of a magic 8 ball had been printed. It was such a Cora costume.
“That is brilliant!” Marianne cackled. “I wish I’d thought of that!”
“Now, when people ask me when I’m due, I can shake my belly and give them a nonsensical answer from the magic 8 ball, and they’ll just have to accept it. It’s much better than having to listen to their ridiculous advice about pregnancy like I’ve been doing for the last 38 weeks. I’ll just shake my belly a little and answer them.”
“Just be careful not to shake them so hard they decide it’s time to be born, okay?” Elena cautioned. “I don’t want to have to come running home because you shook yourself into labor.”
Cora flapped a hand at Elena.
“I won’t. And even if I do, the baby bag is all packed and in the car, so we’re as prepared as we can be.”
“Yes, but I don’t want to be there in the delivery room in a witch costume.”
“But think of how funny the story would be for later, Elena! We would have the best giving birth story ever!”
Elena started rubbing her forehead while she shook her head, laughing.
“You are the most ridiculous woman that I have ever met.”
“And you love me!” Cora chirped, still beaming up at her wife.
A shutter sound surprised them both, and they turned to look at Marianne with questioning looks on their faces. She shrugged, unconcerned with their attention.
“You guys are too cute to not take pictures of. Plus, Anton wanted an update.”
“Tell him he sucks for having to work tonight.”
“Oh believe me, I have. The kids were also very vocal about it before we left. Speaking of the kids, I’m gonna go make sure they eat some real food before they have access to unlimited candy.”
“Oh, dinner sounds good,” Cora murmured. “Do we have anything made?”
“No, I’m ordering from the Mexican place down the street. I didn’t want to leave you guys with a bunch of dishes. Would you like me to order you something?”
“Oh, I love El Cazador’s choripollo! Make that my order, please!” Cora chirped excitedly.
Elena smirked.
“You know they have other food there, right?”
“Yes, but it’s delicious. Why would I order something that I don’t know if I’ll like when the choripollo is just that good?”
“Fair enough. I’ll have the arroz texano.”
Marianne smiled at their argument, her phone in her hand.
“I’ll go order for everyone then!”
Elena walked with Cora to the living room, where the kids were playing. A small white terrier watched them curiously from the couch, her tail wagging slowly.
Cora sank onto the couch with a groan. The terrier hopped onto her lap, curling up against her round belly. She ran her fingers through her fur, gently scratching her scalp. Elena watched her family with what she was sure was a goofy smile on her face, wondering how she had gotten so lucky to call all of them her family.
THE END
The Wedding
This short story has never been seen before, but features the wedding ceremony for Cora and Elena. I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it.
The Wedding
Cora felt like royalty as she stood in front of the altar, waiting for her bride to make her first appearance. The blush silk jumpsuit she wore felt like water against her skin, and the white lace veil that draped from just below her eyes to her shoulders to create a capelet was the perfect wedding-y addition.
She had thought she would be nervous, standing in front of so many people with nothing to fidget with while the music played, but all she could think about was how happy she was that everyone had made it for this moment.
Deciding to hold their wedding on December 27th had been a bold choice, one that had worried them all as the RSVP dates crept closer together. They had expected that people would have Christmas travel plans and that some people would miss their big day, which is why they had planned to hold a second reception at their home after the New Year.
Both Cora and Elena had nearly wept with joy when every single one of their invited guests had been able to attend. Across the table, their mothers had nearly wept with anxiety as they stared at their planning spreadsheets and tried to make sure they had ordered enough of everything.
Cora had been glad for it then, and she was still glad of it now. This refurbished barn in the middle of Virginia was packed to the rafters with people that loved them. What could be better than that?
But she was even gladder when Sofia stepped into view with her frilly gold ballgown, white faux fur stole and her golden basket of ivy leaves. She took her duties as flower girl and ring bearer more seriously than Cora had ever seen her take anything, tossing small handfuls of the leaves with each slow step.
Her attention was drawn away when Ebony followed suit in the floor-length garnet velvet gown with a sweetheart neckline that highlighted her pear-shaped torso and broad shoulders. She strode confidently behind the flower girl with a quiet smile on her lips. A few steps behind her, my soon-to-be sister-in-law Marianne wore an almost identical gown. Instead of garnet, hers was emerald. It draped over her curvaceous chest and belly so differently from Ebony’s, but as they lined up on either side of the aisle, it looked nearly perfect.
But when the aisle cleared, I had no time to look at either of them. The whole rest of the room went silent as the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen was walking down the aisle towards me.
Everything in the refurbished barn between us faded away, like a photo that had the background blurred out. Elena stood out, sharp and soft and stunning in a dress that Cora hadn’t seen. The plunging neckline of the white ball gown might have been indecent, if not for the blush illusion-style lace that had covered her bodice and arms before trailing off in a rough hem around the top of her billowing skirt. It was a marvel, but it was just dressing on the true masterpiece.
Elena’s brilliant smile, and a light application of makeup, turned her cheeks into rosy apples and her eyes
to stars. She glided down the aisle with the grace of a ballerina. She directed all of that starlight at Cora, who was fairly certain that no one in the world had ever been as happy as she was in that moment.
* * *
***
* * *
The ceremony had been an enormous source of stress between Cora and Elena as they had worked to tie the Catholic elements that were important to Elena and her family in with the less religious parts that were important to Cora as the non-religious partner.
The only part that had been non-negotiable, that truly mattered to both of them was the writing of their own vows. They’d written what they wanted to say together, and then she had used her years of writing experience to make them short and snappy, without making them feel canned.
Honestly, though, they should have known that it wouldn’t have really mattered which hymns were sung, or what order things went in. Cora couldn’t have cared less about those details in the moment. All she cared about was the moment where she became a wife. Elena’s wife.
Cora tripped through her own vows, stopping a few times to catch her breath, but she managed to get them out without full on sobbing with joy. All that stood between them now were Elena’s. She had insisted on making some changes to the final version of her vows, so that Cora hadn’t done all the work, and when she spoke, her voice was warm and sure. Her words rang out in the barn.
“So many things have changed in the last four years, but one thing has remained constant - you. Every day that I’ve spent with you has been better than the last, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. I will revel in your successes with you, and I will lift you up when you are down. I promise I will be right next to you every step of the way, so long as we both shall live.”
The vows were so similar to the ones she’d made, but so entirely right for Elena, too. Cora was sure that no one in the room was unaffected by the love in her voice. Even the pastor was a little choked up as they asked the most important question of the entire ceremony.
The Learning Curves Omnibus Page 14