From the moment he proposed to Tiana, Trenton’s life kicked into full gear. Things began to get a little crazy, what with the wedding plans, the catering, the guest list. The colors, you name it, it had to be decided. For sanity sake, he kept a notebook. Tiana was surprised, but grateful he was so involved in the planning of their big event.
Carley was overjoyed at the prospect of her only child getting married at last. Trenton wanted to just get married and be done with it. His mother wasn’t getting any younger. In fact, after all the hard work, the selection of the venue decided as well as the menu for the wedding feast and the tasting of the cakes — some where just plain dry and others just nasty tasting, the moment was almost upon them.
Sitting around the evening before, they were all just trying to relax. Tiana wasn’t exactly a Brideszilla, but Trenton could tell she was not herself, either. She smiled, bravely, and tried to pass it all off, but he did notice she came downstairs dressed in her swimsuit.
“I think I’ll take a few slides before I hit the sheets for the night,” she said.
“Oh, okay. Have fun. Love you, Babe.”
“Aw, love you, too.”
“W-w-what is that?” Trenton said. “A low flying plane?”
“It’s low-flying, but it’s certainly not a plane,” Gramps said.
“Oh, God, no!” James jumped off of the sofa and glanced out of the front window. Carley was just at the base of the front steps, awash in an eerie glow. Caught in a beam. He watched, knot in his stomach, as she rose higher and higher until she was no longer in sight. “They’ve got your mother,” he gasped. “Don’t hurt her, don’t hurt her, she’s not a youngster,” he murmured.
Just as he did for his mother, when his father had been abducted, James was quick to give his father a hug.
“It’s all right, I’ve been through this myself,” James said, comforting his son. Trenton was shaking. “It’s weird, it’s scary, but she should be all right.”
“What about the wedding, should we cancel it for another time?”
“Not on your life,” Gramps said. “They’ll let her go in just a couple of hours. She’ll be fine. A tad dazed but a good night’s sleep will cure that.”
James nodded at their ghostly ancestor. “Your mother wouldn’t hear of it, either. You know she’s lived for this day. We can’t deprive her of this joy. Now, get some rest. Big day tomorrow.”
Just as promised, Carley did return a couple of hours after she was caught in the beam. She was a bit dazed, too, but fine. James escorted her up the stairs and the two went to bed. Tiana also came upstairs shortly thereafter.
The next morning blossomed like a beautiful rose in Spring. The sun was shining, a slight breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees. Birds chirped a good morning to all. The family took their breakfast out on the back patio. Trenton took a final check of the details for the day, spending much of his time with his face in his cell phone.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Tiana asked, seeing his full plate of eggs, bacon and toast, practically untouched. She reached over and gently took the phone from him. “Eat, please. You get cranky when you don’t.”
Trenton smirked and ate. Before long it was time to get ready and head down to the NewCrest Wedding Venue/Bar. The family gathered up their dishes, placed the leftovers in the refrigerator and then got their showers and dressed for the occasion. Trenton had to confess he had butterflies in his stomach.
As they arrived at the venue, their guests were also pulling up. It was nice to see the turnout. Both of his uncles, Jaron and Joseph arrived. Jett was milling about, too. Erik, who had baked up the wedding cake, brought it inside and carefully set it on the cloth-covered tiered table. Then he set the wedding topper on it, just so. All was in readiness. Trenton found himself going down to the basement, where the reception would be held, just to be certain his mixologist was in attendance. Some of the guests were already ordering drinks. He smiled. Were they a bit nervous, too?
Back upstairs again, he strolled up to the wedding arch. The guests, still milling around, finally gathered in the small chapel area. Tiana made her way to the arch. Trenton gasped at how lovely she truly was. Standing opposite him, they exchanged their vows, spoke sweet words to each other and finally rings were placed on fingers. Confetti dropped from the ceiling over the happy couple as they sealed their nuptials with a kiss.
The guests cheered, applauded and then made their way into the wing of the venue where the cloth-draped chairs were setup. Trenton cut the wedding cake and the couple fed each other a piece of the cake before taking a seat at the table. Before long, they made their way down to the basement. Music played and Trenton took the dance floor, breaking into a dance, showing off his skills. Tiana smiled and swayed back and forth to the music, her first attempt at dancing.
After a time, she wandered out front. On the lawn was a marvelous fountain, big enough, should she get the urge, to wade into. Trenton followed her out. She then took a step into the cool water. It was so very hot down in the basement, cluttered with people. The water felt good on her lower legs. “Come on it, the water’s fine,” she said, as Trenton stood on the wide lip of the fountain.
“My tux,” he said.
“It’ll be fine,” she smiled, getting out again. Out of nowhere, she produced a box of soap that she proceeded to sprinkle into the water.
“What are you doing, are you mad?”
“Loosen up, I’m just having a bit of fun. Soap is biodegradable, relax.”
“This is why I love you, Tiana,” Trenton said, dipping into the water himself.
The two proceeded to kick at the water, splashing each other, laughing, and truly having fun. Once in awhile they’d reach down and shove the water with their hands, to really splash the other. They were just having too much fun. The moment was only slightly spoiled when Jett walked up.
“So, this is where you two snuck off to,” he said. “Deserting your guests to play in the fountain, eh?”
“Come on in, the water’s fine,” Trenton invited.
“Nah, I wouldn’t want to intrude.” Jett went back inside.
Finally, things wound down. The Cantrells made sure the venue was properly cleaned up and then they and their guests went on their way. The wedding was beautiful, the affair deemed a Gold-Star Event. Despite the pre-wedding jitters and that inconvenient space cruise, the young couple were wed, and now all James and Carley had to do was sit back and await their grandchildren.
No comments:
Post a Comment