Chapter 7

Always eating the same tinned food. Beans with some more beans on crackers. With water.

"Trudy?" I looked up and it was Amber this time.

"Yes." I said hesitant as I sat down with my food next to Ryan after I'd served everyone.

"I was wondering, since we now have something to trade for will the wedding take place soon?" Amber asked me and I smiled. But I didn't answer until I'd swallowed my food.

"Yes. I was thinking that it would take place in a few days. And Amber, we want you to marry us." I said smiling brightly while Ryan was sitting mostly playing with his food.

"Me?" Amber asked me surprised. I looked at her, nodded and smiled.

"Why?" was the reply I got.

"Because, you are the leader of this tribe, and who better than the leader to marry us?" I asked and tried to get Ryan to say something. But he stayed quiet. I wondered why, but I didn't ask. I'd do so later when we were alone.

"Where's Bray?" I heard Zandra ask. I looked over at her. I wondered why she was asking about Bray. She'd had the hots for Lex the last time I'd spoken to her about love. But on the other hand, that was like three months or so ago.

"I dunno." I answered with a shrug of my shoulders. I didn't really care either.

"He must be around here somewhere." I heard Zandra say but I guessed she said it more to herself than anyone else, the only reason I thought that was because she got up and left her dinner. I could really be bothered to tell her that I'd seen him leave the mall once again. It was beginning to get on my nerves, but I wasn't the leader. Amber was. I was still eating so I stayed put. Taryn on the other hand, was awake. But she was quite, thankfully. I couldn't stand it if she would go in to a crying fit.

"So boys, when will you go and get me food for my wedding?" I asked as I looked from Ryan, to Lex, to Jack and then over to Dal. No one answered so I kept staring at Lex. Since I knew how my staring got to him more than anyone else.

"Fine, we'll go tomorrow, when we have enough batteries." Lex said and I smiled, I was happy. I was getting my wedding. It also meant real food. I couldn't wait. But I did know that this meant that Zandra would prompt me to stay away from Ryan from tomorrow, since we were going to have the hen and stag party then, and the day after would be the wedding. I didn't mind it, that much. As I finished my food I picked Taryn up from the stroller. She was growing quite fast. I was still trying to decide whether or not to tell the others that she was Ryan's daughter. I didn't mind it anymore if they knew. And it meant that Lex would start to treat Ryan nicer. Hopefully. I'd made my mind up. After the wedding I was going to announce that Taryn was Ryan's. Well I had to discuss it with him first. I headed in to mine and Ryan's room to feed Taryn, I still only did it in our room, since I didn't like the gawking eyes of the others.

"Ryan?" I asked as I poked my head out through the curtain. I was trying to get Taryn to burp still.

"Yes." He said as he came over from the café. I didn't even have to ask him to come. He often knew when I wanted to talk to him. It was nice.

"I was thinking if we should let the others know about Taryn." I said as I finally heard the burp from Taryn. I smiled as I put her down in the stroller. I slumped down on the bed, and as usual I pushed the stroller back and forth with my foot. The movement kept Taryn calm.

"Why?" was all I got from Ryan, this surprised me.

"I thought you'd like it, and I think they'd leave us alone if they knew." I said confidently.

"Well I think they'd be asking us a lot more question if we tell them now. And I don't care what they think." Ryan said and I just nodded. I realized that it was useless to argue about it. I let it be.

As the next day dawned I listened to the clattering sound coming from the café. I didn't get up, I still stayed put in bed. Ryan was already up. Taryn was still in here with me in the stroller. Sleeping.

"Hi baby." I said as I saw that she was awake. She was gurgling, making odd sounds on her own. I thought that it was cute. I fed and changed her before I headed out of the room. I had of course gotten dressed as well.

"Good morning." Amber said as she handed me a bowl of tinned fruit and cornflakes. I took it and sat down at the table. I had Taryn in the stroller.

"Have the boys left already?" I asked as I noticed that the only ones in the café were me and Taryn, Amber, Zandra, Paul and Patsy, Salene, Bob and Bray.

"Yeah. They left a little while ago to go to the farm." Zandra answered smiling. She was sitting next to Bray, and she was sitting extremely close to him. I wasn't really surprised, she'd been eyeing him since he first showed up in the mall.

"Patsy what do you think of being my flower girl?" I asked her as I was thinking of the dresses me and Zandra had found a while back.

"Yeah. And Paul you can be the ring bearer." Patsy said smiling which made me smile and I then asked Paul about it.

"Well would like to be the ring bearer Paul?" He nodded as an answer and I smiled brighter. I couldn't wait for the wedding. It would be so much fun.

"The hen and stag night is tonight. Bray, Paul could you make sure that Lex doesn't get Ryan in trouble please?" I asked and this obviously surprised Bray, seeing as he looked like he was dumbfounded.

"Sure." Bray said as took a bite of his breakfast.

"Thanks. And Zandra, you'll have to help us girls to get ready for tomorrow." I told her still smiling brightly. I had a feeling that it was going to be a wonderful day.

Before I knew it, the boys were back. And Zandra made sure that Ryan and I couldn't see each other. It didn't bother me. It just meant that I would have Taryn the whole day. Which suited me just fine. I loved my daughter.

I got a look of what food the boys had traded for. It was a real live pig, and fresh vegetables. It smelled delicious. And if I knew Lex which I did, he'd probably been able to get something with alcohol in it too. I didn't care, I wasn't the one who was going to drink it.

As the night came approaching I was a nervous wreck. The only thing that kept me together was the fact that all the girls kept me company.

"Calm down Trude." Salene and Zandra both kept telling me. It was hard though. And we ate the most wonderful pie for dinner. Which I could eat only a little amount of. I was too nervous. Zandra and Amber kept reassuring me that the wedding would go just fine and that it all would be peachy. We could hear the boys laughing.

"Sounds like they're drunk." I said as I looked out the window of the furniture store where we were held up.

"I'll go and see." Amber said as she got up and headed out the doorway. I followed her with my eyes.

"Guys be careful." Was what I heard Amber tell the boys. Then she came back in.

"It's okay Trude. They are being careful." Amber said smiling to me. I didn't really believe her. And she had been wrong, because a few minutes later we heard a crash. We all hurried over to the railing. I saw Jack lying on the floor. It made Zandra scream and gave me a headache.

"Calm down Zan." I said as I tried to get her to stop screaming. It took a while, and all the while Amber headed down to help the boys with Jack.

"It's not a spectator sport." I heard Amber say. I guess it was to those who were gawking. I'd gone with Zandra to my room. She was going to stay with me to make sure I didn't sneak off to Ryan.

The Next Morning

"Trudy, come on get up." Zandra said and I was trying to wave her away. But she continued to bug me.

"NO!" I said a bit too loud as I pulled my cover over my head, or rather when I tried to pull my cover over my head. I realized that Zandra was standing with it in her arms.

"What?" I asked frustrated as I sat up in the bed.

"You are getting married in a few hours, and all you want to do is sleep?" Zandra asked me staring at me like I was crazy. I just started laughing. I had almost forgotten about the fact that I was getting married.

"Don't worry Zan. I know." I said as I got out of the bed and walked over to the cot and looked down, Taryn was still asleep.

"Now, you go and get our dresses and let's get ready." I said smiling brightly as I studied Taryn's face. She looked just like Ryan.

It didn't take Zandra long to fetch our dresses.

It was my beige halter top with rhinestones on the collar and it looked wonderful with the matching skirt, the skirt was trimmed with white and black rhinestones, like the collar on the top. Zandra's outfit was a pink furry top with a pink slightly furry skirt and a pair of pink high heels. I on the other hands were wearing a pair of cute black ballerina shoes we'd found.

First Zandra got me into my clothes, and then she got herself into hers.

"Sit there." Zandra said and pointed at the edge of my bed. Taryn had woken up earlier hungry, and I'd fed her and changed her. And now she was asleep again, thankfully. I nodded and sat down.

"Now let's see." Zandra said as she rummaged around in her bag for make-up.

As Zandra picked up the make-up, she made sure that I didn't get to see how I looked, until she was done with the make-up and styling me.

"There. Now stay put here. While I go and get my brush." Zandra said as she headed out of the room. I just rolled my eyes. I checked on Taryn, she was awake playing with a teddy bear that Ryan had given her. I smiled at my daughter. I couldn't believe that I had a daughter, and would be someone's wife in just a few hours.

"Trudy?" I heard Amber ask.

"Yes." I answered and looked up from Taryn, Amber entered my room, with a plate of food.

"I thought you might be hungry." Amber said smiling brightly, I guessed she knew how I looked like, and I guessed that Zandra had told her that she wasn't allowed to tell me how I looked like.

"Thanks, and yes, I am starving. Give me." I said as I reached out for the food. I smiled. It was some fresh fruits and cereal and milk. I couldn't eat the cereal and milk and I tried to eat the fruits at least. Thankfully, I managed to eat the fruits.

"Hi." Zandra said as she came back into the room, she was brushing her hair as she was walking. She had let her hair down, it looked hilarious, with the blue, pink and brown all jumbled up together.

"I'll leave you to it. Let me know when you're ready." Amber said as she headed out of the room again. It didn't take long until Zandra attacked my hair. When she was done I got to look myself in the mirror. My hair was pulled up in to a short ponytail at the back of my head, and attached to it was a flowing gown. The make-up was subtle, a light beige eye shadow and a thin layer of a pink lipstick. I smiled as I admired her work. I also had small rhinestones at the corner of my eye. It looked beautiful. Zandra was now working on herself. I just sat and watched her. The last thing Zandra applied to herself was a layer of bright pink lipstick. She looked beautiful.

"Now you stay here, while I go and tell Amber." Zandra said as she walked out of the room. It gave me time to dress Taryn.

I dressed Taryn in a white t-shirt and tied a beige ribbon around the waist of it. It functioned as a dress on Taryn, and she was really cute.

I was listening for the music that Zandra had told me was going to be played when I was to come down the stairs. I waited and not before long I heard it. I picked up Taryn and walked out of the room. I was shocked when I came out in to the mall. They had decorated it. There were ribbons and flowers all over the railings, including the ones on the stairs. I carried Taryn with me down the stairs. I was smiling brightly. Everyone was gathered in front of the fountain. I saw Ryan, he was wearing one of Lex's shirts, a black one with red dragons on it, with a red and black striped tie. It made me smile even more. Amber was wearing some sort of sarong around her, in red and yellow. She was standing on the edge of the fountain, smiling just as much as I was. Lex was standing behind Ryan and to the left Zandra was standing looking up at me.

"We are gathered here today, to witness an act of love. Ryan and Trudy are getting married, and have decided to write their own woes." Amber said as Ryan and I had our hands intertwined, I'd handed Taryn to Zandra.

"Ryan." Amber said and nodded to Ryan.

"With this ring, I woe thy eternal love, for the whole of eternity." Ryan said as he put the ring on my finger with the last word.

"With this ring I woe thee my undying and eternal love." I answered and place a simple ring on Ryan's finger. My ring was spectacular. It was silver with stones around it, in shifting colors.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride." Amber said and that's when I stopped hearing people, because Ryan swept me off my feet and kissed me passionately.

Ryan and I snuck of on our own before the dinner so we could have some time alone. I had planned to talk to Ryan but we ended up just sitting in a hammock we found in the storage and sat in it, making out.