Author's note / disclaimer / etc. : nope, not yet. I still own nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I wish I did though, you know? 'Cause I'm telling you, I have some pretty interesting show ideas... Eh, maybe not. It's best they belong to Disney. LOL. Anyways, review are great, you all just ROCK extremely. This is chapter 8, only one more to go. So after this one--the end is coming! Hope ya'll enjoy. The review button really IS your amigo! =)
Chapter 8: Two Become One
It was just a little until four in the afternoon on the "big day" for the Sanchez household. In just a few minutes Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez are to be re-declaring their love for one another, proving that after twenty years of marriage, their love has yet to fade. Despite the lack of time on their side, just about everyone in the family was still running around preparing themselves.
Miranda stood in front of the mirror, tucking one loose strand of hair behind her ear. Smiling, she slowly smoothed out her satin pale rose-colored dress of any small wrinkles. In a few minutes her parents were to declare, to friends and family, that their love is still very much alive. The occasion brought up thoughts about whether she would ever be able to celebrate her love for someone else in that way.
The sudden ringing of the phone broke her from her thoughts. "Hello?" she asked, not sure who would be calling at a moment like this.
"Miranda! It's me!" squealed the person on the other end.
Miranda instantly knew who it was. "Lizzie! Oh my god! How's Europe?"
Lizzie's smile could be heard through the phone. "Oh my god! I'm having so much fun! It's been great! I was just about to go to bed and I decided I needed to call my best friend." She laughed. "I'm sorry I haven't called as much as I promised, but Bridget and I just got back to Ireland. I've seen so many amazing things, I can't wait to show you all my pictures!"
"Sounds like you've been having fun."
"And Miranda, you wouldn't believe the guys here! They are, gorgeous! No kidding!"
Miranda laughed and asked, "did you find yourself 'true amore' out there?"
"So many countries, so many guys…so little time!" Lizzie let out a giggle and then a sigh. "But, I'll tell you all about that when I get home…which is just a couple of days away! I want to know, how are things going on there? How are things with you and Gordo? I haven't really called him since I left."
"Oh, things are actually going pretty well. I'm actually really glad that Gordo and I are able to spend some time together this summer. I've been having fun," Miranda explained. "You should leave more often Lizzie!"
"Hey!" Lizzie laughed. "I'm glad everything is going well."
Just when Miranda was about to reply, there was a knock on the door and she knew that her conversation had to be cut short. "Listen Lizzie, I gotta get going 'cause it's my parent's wedding and I believe, it's about to start."
"Oh, it's okay! Have fun Miranda. Oh, and say 'hi' to Gordo for me, okay?"
"Don't worry, I will," Miranda giggled right before her farewell to her best friend. "Bye Lizzie."
There was a knock on the door once again until Miranda saw the doorknob slowly turn and the door open. It was Gordo.
"Oh, hey Gordo! You're right on time," she said, smiling at him as he stood at the door frame. Silently, he just stood there, looking at her, not quite finding what to say. "Um, Gordo? What's wrong?"
Finally, he came out of his slight daze and spoke up. "Oh, um, sorry. Sorry. Uh…we need to be getting downstairs. They're starting in about five minutes."
Miranda smiled. "Okay, good, 'cause I'm ready as I'll ever be! So let's go." She reached for his hand and he let her take it. "Shall we?"
Both walked downstairs hand-in-hand into a small crowd of friends and family, sitting together to celebrate Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez's love for one another. They took their seats in the front row and prepared themselves for the ceremony to begin.
Within a minute everyone was standing once again when Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez walked down the aisle, stopping right in front of the priest from their church who had agreed to perform the ceremony for them; Fr. Flanagan.
Everyone sat down when the ceremony began.
"When you first joined hands and hearts twenty years ago, you did not know where life would take you. You promised to love, honor and cherish one another through all things. Life has surely brought you both wonderful blessings and difficult tribulations. Therefore, you have fulfilled your promise. And God is smiling! So, as you come here today to reaffirm your wedding vows and as you reflect back over all the years as husband and wife, do you now reaffirm the vows you took twenty years ago? If so, we go on," said the Father. Both nodded. "Well, Daniella and Edward have decided to write their own wedding vows, and they will now repeat them to each other."
Mr. Sanchez began with his vows. "Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I look forward with great joy to spending the rest of my life with you, caring for you, nurturing you, being there for you in all life has for us, and I vow to be true and faithful for as long as we both shall live."
Tears could be seen in Mrs. Sanchez's eyes as she mouthed "te amo" to her husband. She then began to express her vows to him. "I marry you with my eyes wide open. You have helped me let go of the past and I embrace the future. Thank you for making me laugh again. Bless you for taking my hand as we begin anew."
"In such an occasion it is important to take a moment to pause, reflect, and reaffirm. So we take this time to bow our heads and thank God for the people in our lives, as Daniella and Edward are doing here today." Fr. Flanagan bowed his head, and everyone followed for a short moment. He then continued on with the ceremony. "And now that we have reflected on those people, I would like you all to come together in the celebration of this couple's love, as I now am here to do for the affirmation of their love. I pronounce them in Holy Matrimony, husband and wife."
Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez smiled at one another before joining together for a kiss. Everyone clapped as they began their walk back down the aisle. Friends and family all crowded around the couple giving them kisses and hugs with an abundance.
Soon enough the party moved out to the backyard where tables were set up, including a buffet table, for the reception. The food was donated from friends and family who were each requested to bring their own special dish, making the reception a bit "potluck." It all ranged from lasagna, to enchiladas, to collard greens. The variety kept the reception interesting.
At the table with Miranda and Gordo sat Lizzie's parents, Jo and Sam, alongside Roberta and Ted. Although Gordo had begun to get use to the idea of his mother's pregnancy, Ted was still a factor that he would rather have out of the equation. At the moment, it was all even the more awkward due to the fact that Roberta had gone off to chat with Daniella and show her pictures of, what was developing into, the baby, and Sam and Jo were off dancing.
So it was just Gordo, Miranda, and Ted.
"Um…the wedding…it was, uh, really nice," Ted commented. "Your parents there, they seem pretty happy."
"Oh, thanks, Mister…Mister…"
"Burgos," Ted filled Miranda in. "Mr. Burgos. But, you can just call me Ted."
"Um, Ted…thank you," she replied.
"Miranda, hon, the wedding was absolutely beautiful!" exclaimed Roberta as she came back to the table, rather excited. "Your mother looked absolutely ravishing. And seeing you today I can say that without a doubt you acquired your mother's undeniable beauty!" She sat down and continued, "I can only imagine how beautiful you're going to look on your wedding day! Can you even imagine her on her wedding day David?"
Miranda began to blush a bit, not quite expecting Ms. Gordon to go on about her in that way. "Um, thank you Ms. Gordon…really."
"I'm telling you here, my son is one lucky boy to have you as a date!"
"C'mon Roberta, honey, let's leave these two kids a lone, I'm sure that they don't want us here taking up their time! C'mon, let's have a dance," Ted insisted as he gave Roberta his hand.
She nodded and smiled. "Okay, okay! I'll leave them alone. I'm sure David here doesn't want his 'mommy' sticking around."
"No, no, Ms. Gordon, you don't have to go," Miranda insisted, herself.
Roberta shook her head. "No, no. You kids have fun." Then she and Ted walked off over to the many other couples who were dancing to the music that the DJ played.
"He's trying Gordo," Miranda told her best friend as he watched his mother and her boyfriend dance.
"Doesn't mean I have to like him," he replied.
"She looks happy… She thinks he's a nice guy…"
"That's because my mother sees good in everybody."
She watched as he couldn't take his eyes off of his mother and her boyfriend. His face was rather pale and expressionless. "Gordo…are you okay?"
"No," he shook his head. "Um, Miranda…can we go somewhere? Inside or something? I just need to get out of here."
"Um, yeah…sure. C'mon," she told him.
They both got up and walked into the house and up to her room. It was obvious that Gordo had had enough of the reception and needed to get out of there as soon as possible. He did not anticipate the reaction that he had to seeing his mother and Ted dancing together.
"It's just so weird, y'know?" Gordo said after five minutes of sitting on Miranda's bed in silence.
"What is?" Miranda asked.
"Watching my mom, and him…she use to dance like that with my dad. My dad use to make her that happy…" he explained.
"But, isn't that what's important? Your mom's happiness?"
He sighed. "It is…but, I just wish that…I don't know…maybe this is all just happening too quickly for me. They've been together for just about six months and Ted has already become a permanent part of the family…"
"I understand Godo…but no one is asking you to become his best friend. But you have to understand, he's going to be your brother or sister's father…and somehow you're going to have to be able to accept the fact that this whole thing is happening--with him," she told him. "It might not happen today…it might not happen tomorrow, but eventually, you're going to have to learn to accept the fact that he's going to be a part your mother's life, and your life…"
Slowly he nodded his head and told her, "I know, you're right. But right now, I rather not talk about it anymore."
"Okay…I understand…"
They sat in silence for a good five minutes, neither knowing what to say, but knowing that they didn't have to communicate verbally in order to express themselves.
Finally, Gordo broke the silence. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"What?" Miranda asked, laughing a bit. She wasn't quite expecting him to break the silence with a comment like that.
"You are…you were there for me after my dad died…and now, you've been here listening to me go crazy all summer about my mom and Ted. I don't think you quite understand how much it's meant to me…I appreciate it."
His best friend let out a huge smile, and even a slight blush. "Gordo…I'm your best friend. Isn't that what best friends do? They're there for each other. And I'm glad to be able to be there for you."
"Where would I be without you?" he asked.
"Oh, trust me, completely lost," she told him while laughing. "Hopeless really. No direction in life. Purposeless. Aimless. No will to go on… I have that affect on people you know." By now Gordo was laughing as well. "Especially guys," she told him as a matter-of-factly.
"Oh really?" he said turning to her, still laughing. "'Hopeless' huh?" He then began to tickle her, and she laughed uncontrollably. "'Aimless'? 'Purposeless'? Huh? Huh?"
As he continued to tickle her, she shook her head, and through her laughter let out, "I was kidding! Stop! I was kidding!" He now had her trapped under him. She continued laughing, as did he, as the tickling continued.
But suddenly, the tickling stopped. As did the laughing, soon after.
Without a moment's notice, the differences that these two best friends never really took into account became obvious. He was a boy, and she was a girl. Or more appropriately stated, they were man and woman.
Each one could hear the other's heart beating, loud and clear. Time suddenly took the backburner and stood still then.
Slowly Gordo's lips rode up against Miranda's and back down and in for a kiss. The union of their lips continued several times over. He kissed her neck with force, secretly pleading in his head for it all to be real.
For a moment Gordo released to take a look at his best friend. As was he, she was breathing heavily, anticipating the next step.
"Miranda," he began slowly, "I know that you've...before…and, I've never…but--I want to…right now…more than anything…"
She nodded her head at him and replied, "it's okay Gordo…I don't care…I want to. I want you."
He kissed her neck once again as she untucked his shirt and positioned her hands on his back. Slowly, he raised his upper half off of her and took a minute to look at her as she took her time unbuttoning his shirt.
Gordo took it off gingerly and told her, "you don't know how long I've been waiting for this…"
He then brought his body back down onto hers and they continued to carry on…
For that moment in time, the two best friends, became one.