Chapter 11: Nice Day For A Wedding
Words could not describe how beautiful of a day it was at the blind school. One had to be there to feel the warmth of the sun, the cool breeze rustling through the trees and the joyful people gathering to celebrate a long awaited event. After months and months of waiting, today was the day Laura Ingalls would marry Almanzo Wilder.
Everyone in town was invited to the ceremony being held on the grassy hill right outside of the blind school. Even family members from far away, like Almanzo and Eliza Jane's older brother Royal and Laura's aunts and uncles came for the celebration. A crowd of people gathered around the school, waiting for the wedding to begin. Old friends and new neighbors made conversation to pass the time, with some talking about the happy couple.
Doctor Baker was standing on the side porch with Albert and Michele, mostly asking about how the scholarship exam had gone for Albert. "Do you know when you get your results?"
"They said two weeks, so I should get their decision on if I got the scholarship any day now." Albert answered.
"That's good. So, how do you feel about your sister getting married, Albert?" Hiram asked the boy.
"I'm happy for her." Albert's smile quickly faded as he continued to talk. "Of course, it'll be strange now that she's moving out. I know she'll only live a couple miles away, but still, I'm gonna miss sharing the loft with her."
"You'll still see her in school, too." Michele reminded him.
"Yeah, I'll never get used to Laura being my teacher." Albert stated, just as someone walked by him and accidentally dropped something by his foot. "Oh, Mr. Potts!"
The elderly man with garlic for breath turned back around. "Yes."
Albert bent down to pick up the pipe that had fallen beside him and handed it back to its owner. "You dropped your pipe."
Mr. Potts smiled as he took his smoke back. "Thank you, son. It's a good thing it wasn't lit."
Upstairs inside the school, Laura was getting ready with the help of Caroline and Mary. Her ma had just finished pinning back her hair with babies' breath. Her wedding dress, borrowed from one of her aunts, was a deep red dress with lace on the bust and a flowing train. It made Laura feel like a woman and even made her look like one too.
"Laura." Mary stood beside her little sister. "I wanna give you some advice. It's something I figured out after I married Adam."
"What is it?" Laura asked, open to hear anything Mary had to say.
"Even though you're taking Almanzo's last name, that doesn't change the fact that you're always going to be an Ingalls."
The two of them both started laughing at each other, until Laura turned to her mother. "Well, ma. How do I look?"
"You look beautiful, Laura." Caroline went over and hugged her daughter, knowing just how important of a moment this was for her. "How do you feel?"
"Excited...nervous." Laura admitted to them. Then, she looked out the window to see everyone who had gathered for her wedding. "I can't believe it's really happening. I'm finally going to become Laura Ingalls Wilder."
"You told me a long time ago you said you would." Caroline said with a smile.
"Let's go tell pa the bride is ready to be walked down the aisle, ma." Mary and Caroline left the room, giving Laura only a moment to herself before her pa knocked on the door.
"Come in."
"Half-pint." Charles was unable to say another word as he stepped in the room. Looking at his daughter, one of the people he loved and cared for most in the world, Charles could feel himself begin to tear up. He went to Laura and brought her in for a close hug, admitting only to himself that he was not ready to let her go.
"It's okay, pa." Laura said, getting emotional herself.
Charles forced himself to smile, remembering today was supposed to be a day to be happy. "What happened to that little girl who was so excited to get her very own window when we first moved into the little house?"
Laura started giggling at his question. How many years had it been since the first day they moved to Walnut Grove. It seemed like another lifetime, yet it all went by too fast. "She grew up, but I'm always going to be your little girl, pa."
"I love you, darling."
"I love you, too."
Charles pulled Laura back in for another hug, each of them etching the moment into their memories. "Let's go get you married."
Outside the blind school, it was finally time for the wedding to begin. Eliza Jane was the one who addressed the crowd. "Everybody! It's time to start the ceremony."
The crowd of people began walking to the hillside and gathered around as the wedding party took their places. The Ingalls, Mr. Edwards, the Wilder's, the Oleson's, the Garvey's, Doctor Baker, Hester Sue and the children of the blind school, Joe Kagan, Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Foster, Adam, students from her own school and so many more neighbors all came to celebrate the wedding that was years in the making.
Everyone in attendance turned to watch as Charles walked his daughter across the prairie. Laura glanced around at all the people, all of the friends that had come to celebrate with her. Then, she looked to see Reverend Alden standing at the top of the hill, with Mary, Carrie and Grace to the side and her husband to be. Almanzo had his back to Laura and the crowd, his brother standing beside him. She saw Royal place a hand on Almanzo's shoulder and then he finally turned around.
Setting his eyes on Laura, the widest smile appeared on Almanzo's face. Laura was overcome with emotions and a single tear rolled down her cheek as she tried to keep her composure as she walked towards the man she loved. When the pair finally reached the reverend and groom, Charles turned to his daughter, gave her one last kiss on her forehead and handed her off.
Standing side-by-side at the top of the hill, the sun shining overhead and the breeze gently brushing against them, Manly and Beth faced each other as Reverend Alden began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of this man and this woman in holy matrimony."
The reverend opened his trusted bible. "Almanzo, do you take this woman to be your wife, to love and to cherish, for better and for worse, for richer or poor, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
Almanzo, having never lost that smile on his face, nodded his head. "I do."
"And Laura, do you take this man to be your husband, to love and to cherish, for better and for worse, for richer or poor, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do." Laura said, praying to God that this was real and not some perfect daydream.
"Then by the power vested in me by God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Almanzo, you may kiss the bride."
Friends and family cheered on as Almanzo wrapped his arm around Laura's waist and the two newlyweds leaned in for a kiss. If Laura had a remembrance book, she would struggle to find the right words to describe how happy she felt in that moment when she finally married the man she had always and will always love.
The celebration continued as a bountiful feast of sweets was served and people came up to congratulate the couple. Charles even brought out his old reliable fiddle and played every happy song he knew until the sun started to set.
What many were not aware of, was that the happiness from the wedding carried over into the nightlife of the Silver Coin. After sneaking away from the celebration, Albert, Andy and Willie were able to escape from the crowd, planning on only having one or two drinks at the saloon to celebrate Laura's marriage.
That was until someone followed them to town. "Hold up, you three!"
The boys slowly turned around, ready to come up with a million excuses on where they were going, only to see that it was Isaiah Edwards trying to catch up with them.
"You boys wouldn't be headed over to the Silver Coin, now would ya'?" Edwards asked with a jump in his step.
"We were going to the mercantile." Albert took point and tried to spin the conversation the only way he knew how.
"Don't hold out on me, Albert." Isaiah started to smile. "I gave you my word I wouldn't tell your folks about you all going to the saloon. I was just looking for someone to take a couple of celebration drinks with, considering the father of the bride is apparently morally allergic to alcohol."
Albert looked back to Andy and Willie, who did not protest the older man tagging along. If anything, they could get him to pay for the night's rounds. "Alright, Mr. Edwards. We'll go to the saloon with you."
"Hoppin' crickets! Let's go!"
The now group of four made it into town just as the sun set behind the horizon. The Silver Coin saloon was lit up with oil lamps, turning the building into a beacon for those who were thirsty. The bar was quiet, with only two or three patrons inside. That was until Edwards burst through the doors. "How's everyone doin' tonight?"
"What's got you all in such a good mood?" Pierce asked after seeing his regulars more positive than normal.
"Half-pint got hitched!" Isaiah exclaimed so the whole saloon could hear it.
Pierce cocked his head in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"My sister." Albert stepped up to the bar top. "She finally got married to the man she had been chasing after for years."
"Well then, sounds like a perfect opportunity to celebrate." The bartender took out a special and very expensive bottle of whiskey Mr. Brady had told him to order just for a reason such as this.
"We'll be at the table in the back." Willie stated, remembering his pact with Nellie and not especially not wanting to get caught tonight. He picked up the bottle Pierce had set out and began walking back with the rest of the group. "No cards tonight, just booze!"
They all took seats at the round table and grabbed themselves some glasses to take their long awaited shots. Mr. Edwards poured each of them a drink, before raising his own glass. "A toast to Almanzo Wilder. A brave man who now has feisty Laura as his wife and the legendary Charles Phillip Ingalls as his father-in-law. Lord protect him."
"Amen." The boys all said together in unison. But just like most nights, the fun did not stop with a single drink. Against their better judgements, the one drink quickly turned into three and four, even more for the heavier drinkers in the group.
"So, when are one of you boys getting hitched?" Edwards asked as he tossed back his seventh shot.
"Probably not me." Willie answered straight away. "My ma would kill me if she found out who I was sneaking out at night to see, besides our good buddy Pierce over there."
Albert answered next, his mind briefly thinking about Michele. "If I end up getting the university scholarship and to get into medical school, I'll have to focus all my time on studying."
"I can't even remember the last time I kissed a girl." Andy answered last, throwing his hands back in defeat.
"Well then!" Willie smirked as he began to taunt his friend. "Go throw a couple dollars at the saloon girl you always eye up when we're here."
"You know what Willie, that's the smartest thing you ever said." Andy smiled and got up from his seat, having an immediate surge of drunkenness hit him from his sixth shot as he stood. He turned his attention over to the bar and stopped the familiar saloon girl. After making sure he still had enough coordinator to walk across the room, Andy made his way over with the rest of the table watching in amusement. "Hi, Sarah."
Sarah smiled, having noticed him drinking away in the back of the room. "Hello there, Andrew. You look like you're having fun tonight."
Andy let his arms drop against the bar top, unaware that his mouth was about to start speaking on its own. "Well, my childhood friend who I used to secretly have a crush on just married another man, so that should explain why I'm drinking extra tonight."
"Oh." The girl had no idea how to respond to that out-of-the-blue statement. "Wow."
"I came over because Willie said I should try kissing you." He said without really thinking.
"Really?" Sarah was now taken back even more, but decided to chalk up his actions to the expensive booze. "You know, I normally don't like being someone's rebound."
Unsure if it was pity or maybe sympathy for the boy Sarah hated to admit she had grown just a little attached to, she placed her hands on Andy's face and brought him in. It was a quick and sloppy kiss, with Andy barely able to hold himself up with the fine alcohol in his system.
"Don't go getting yourself into any trouble tonight." Sarah joked with him after tasting how much he had drunk already.
"I think it's too late for that." Andy smirked before leaning back in for another kiss. All while back at the table, Albert, Willie and Isaiah were nodding their heads, impressed at Andy's accomplishment.
