She took her place beside him, and the ceremony began.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony," said Reverend March. "If anyone has reason to object to this union, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace."
Patty held her breath. No one said a word. She relaxed. Her mother must not be here, she realized. She felt a tear well up in one eye, felt the warmth as it slowly trickled down her face.
She repeated her vows in a loud, clear voice, felt a delicious shiver go through her as Anton gently slipped the ring onto her finger. He lifted her veil and placed a soft kiss onto her lips, and the guests threw rice as they exited the church.
The reception followed in the fellowship hall, and she was finally able to see who all had attended. All the Waltons were there, and Aimee and Roger with baby Beth. Paul and Elizabeth with their children. Ike and Sharon. No Pearl.
Patty sighed. Well, if she had come, she'd have said something and ruined everything, anyway.
"It was a lovely ceremony, dear." Patty looked to see who was hugging her and saw it was Olivia Walton. "You make such a beautiful bride - enough to rival my daughters, even."
"Thank you, ma'am." Patty tried to smile and almost succeeded.
Olivia turned to Anton. "And you're such a handsome groom! Are you from the same part of Germany as Paul?"
"No, ma'am. I am from Gottingen. It is a little over 300 kilometers southwest of Berlin."
"I see. Well, I wish you both all the best."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Congratulations, sweetie." Aimee gave her stepsister a hug. "Welcome to the family," she said to Anton.
"Thank you," said Anton.
"It was so good, Patty!" Sharon gushed. Her smile disappeared. "I just wish Mama would have come. I wish your folks could have been here too, Anton."
"They called this morning to give me their congratulations," Anton told her.
"I hope I get to meet your parents someday," said Patty.
"They would love to meet you as well," Anton replied. "I know it will happen someday."
When the reception began to wind down, Anton took Patty's arm and led her outside to his car.
The drive to Washington, D.C. took several hours. They took their luggage out of the trunk and checked into the motel, then changed clothes and went out to dinner.
"I can't believe we're finally married!" Patty said as she and Anton waited for their food to be served.
"I'll never have to leave you again, P.R.," he promised. She beamed at the sound of her new initials.
After dinner they went for a romantic stroll in the moonlight before returning to their motel room. Patty showered first and put on her nightgown to wait for her new husband. As she saw him enter the room later, her heart began to pound madly in her chest, and as he held her close and began to kiss her, her nervousness was quickly transformed into raw passion.
Patty awakened, blinking at the sunlight streaming into the room. Could it really be morning already? It seemed she'd just gone to bed!
She felt a finger softly trailing along the side of her face and turned to look into Anton's eyes, which were shining with love for her. He kissed the tip of her nose.
"Good morning, beautiful."
"Good morning." She blushed, suddenly feeling shy.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"Uh huh. Did you?"
"Mm hm."
She stretched, luxuriating in the comfort of being held in his arms, then contentedly laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes as she did so.
They lay like that for a long time, exchanging soft kisses and whispered endearments.
"I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty hungry," Anton said after awhile.
Patty suddenly realized she was starving. "Me too."
They quickly dressed and made their way to the dining room. Breakfast was grits, eggs, bacon, biscuits with gravy, and pancakes.
After eating their fill, they started out on the day's adventure. They visited the Capital, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian, and the Washington Monument. It took them several days to see everything they wanted to see. Anton was keenly interested, paying rapt attention and asking many questions. Except for when they were visiting the Smithsonian, Patty found her mind wondering, but for Anton's sake, she struggled to appear interested.
On Saturday, they started the drive home.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Anton asked his bride as they rode along.
"Oh, yes!" Patty replied. "It was great to see a part of the country I've never been to before, and the animal exhibits were amazing! How did you like it?"
"I thought it was very interesting and informative. The United States is truly a great nation, P.R. Its founders endured many hardships and challenges to set up this great democracy in which everyone is free and equal."
"I never thought of it like that before, but I guess I'm lucky to be American," said Patty.
"You are. Many people in other countries would give anything to have the privileges you enjoy."
"You too now, Anton."
He smiled and patted her knee.