Author's Note: Hello! By the time you, the reader, are reading this, I am now officially on home turf of the United States of America! The show must go on!

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I woke up late on the Friday of my wedding shower. My employer on receiving her invitation refused to put me on the schedule that day so that I could fully enjoy the party in my honor. She said she'd be there, but running late. I told her that'd be fine.

I rolled myself out of bed some odd minutes before lunch so I could indulge some of Mom's wonderful chicken. Goku, Mom, and I ate with the TV on in the kitchen, but paying little to no attention to it. We had just started to plan the wedding reception, which we had completely overlooked until the last week or so.

"So I was thinking that it would add a nice touch if the bridesmaids and groomsmen learned how to waltz so that the newlyweds and wedding court could dance a ballroom dance as the first dance of the night. Well, after you guys have your first dance. Give an air of sophistication before everyone 'get crunk' as you hip young people like to say." Mom said.

Goku seemed to really like the idea. I loved it myself. I said I'd run it by the wedding party to ask if they were interested. She said that she would give the classes, free of charge in the backyard or in the basement if we could ever "get that shit out of the way" as she put it.

While we were finishing our dessert, Bulma and Rini arrived at the door with their arms completely loaded down with things.

"Will you help me with this?" Rini said. This wasn't a question. A very heavy box was thrust into my arms before I could open my mouth and say anything.

"Where does it go?" I asked.

"On the couch in the living room for now." Bulma said, heading to the right and into the living room. I followed.

"So…where's this party going to be?" I asked, cracking my back.

Mom was leaning against the doorframe to the living room entrance. "It's a nice day outside. The forecast says it will be a nice day all day so we can have it outside if you like. I think we still have enough time to have it outside." She glanced at her watch.

Rini just burst into the room, carrying something that looked suspiciously like a cake box.

"Change of plans Rini. To the backyard!" Bulma said.

We lugged the heavy boxes to the backyard and set them down on the porch. A few moments later Goku emerged from the house carrying a long banquet table. Mom followed with a folding chair in each arm.

"Chi? You want to get the banquet tent? It's in your spare closet on the top shelf in a blue and green striped bag." Mom asked.

I ran upstairs to retrieve the tent and returned downstairs. When I returned I saw that Bulma and Rini had put a white tablecloth over the table and set the cake box on top of the table. It was still covered.

Mom and I worked out the puzzle of the tent in 20 minutes and set it so that the banquet table would be covered and several chairs were set under it as well. Bulma and Rini were wafting around the yard like fairies and carrying streamers of white and other washed out colors. They hung them from trees, and even made a few go from the overhang of the deck to the top of the tent. All in all, the yard was really shaping up.

We fixed the yard more and more. By each passing minute, it started to look better and better. At 3:15, I was instructed to go into the house, take a shower and change into nice, 'people receiving' clothes whatever Rini had meant by that.

I took a cold shower since I had worked up such a sweat setting things up outside. I finished quickly, hoping that just in case if Rini and Bulma wanted to shower as well, they'd have time. I searched my closets and put on a pair of nice jeans shorts and the white shirt that I wore when I went to movies for the first time with Goku. It was the one with the spackling of small roses that was tight at top and was loose and swishy at the bottom. I left my hair down again.

I stepped outside into the warm air and saw that the yard was finished. It was beautiful with the streamers placed gracefully about the yard and the tent looked great. The table was full of 2 liters, random snack things like crackers, cheese, and luncheon meats, plates, silverware, and napkins. The cake, I noticed had yet to be uncovered.

"Where's Goku?" I asked.

"He went inside to take a shower too. He'll be out soon." Mom said. She was fanning herself with her hand.

"Why don't you guys go in and take showers? I'm sure you guys could need them just as bad as I needed one." I said.

"It's cool." Bulma said. "I know I'm okay." The others nodded in agreement.

I discussed the ballroom dancing with Bulma and Rini. They seemed really excited, even adding comments every once and a while about how they've always wanted to learn to dance like that. Rini brought up a point that made me nervous however.

"What about Maron?" She asked.

"What about her?" I asked.

"Well, let's think about it. Who are the groomsmen?"

I thought it over 'Well, there's Vegeta and he'll be dancing with Bulma. There's Rini and Brad. Then there's…oh shit. She's right.' Bulma saw the look of concern on my face.

"She wouldn't throw a hissy-fit at a 2 minute dance. And even if she did, I could always change dance partners with her or something. I don't have to dance with my boyfriend. It's not like it's the end of the world." She assured me.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Mom ran to get it.

"Oh gosh! I almost forgot!" Rini said, running to retrieve a box from underneath the banquet table. She returned with a small tiara and placed it on my head.

"HAPPY WEDDING SHOWER!" Bulma and Rini shouted in unison.

"We have company!" sang Mom from the porch. Maron tagged along at her side. I froze. Oh god. What was she going to do?

I was about to find out. She walked up the walkway marked with streamers and handed me a yellow envelope. I stared at it.

"Open it." She said.

I did as she had told me. It contained a congratulations card and inside the card was 30 dollars. I looked up at her puzzled.

"I know it isn't much." She said, looking down at her feet. "I'm just hoping that in that you can feel as beautiful on your wedding day as you really are."

I stood immediately to my feet and embraced her in a hug that I'm not sure could be matched by any other person at any other time. We both knew that we'd just fixed our little problem.

"So how'd you know about the dress?" Rini asked, pouring Maron a glass of Coke.

"Goku has been calling me and keeping me updated on wedding details. By the way, I can't believe that no one had thought of the reception until a week ago. Please guys, we only go out and party almost every Friday night at The Cage." She said throwing her hands in the air. "Anyway, he told me that you had found your dress but couldn't buy it because it was too expensive."

"Typical Goku. Indifferent in every situation unless it was his fault to begin with." Bulma said.

People began to arrive, but it wasn't for very long that I could keep up with them. Everyone seemed to come at once, and the gift table started to fill up. I was pleased to see that there were many more envelopes than there were boxes.

Goku came out when the people really started to pour in. He helped me keep up with greeting people and talking with people.

When most of the people had come and were seated, Rini and Bulma pulled me over to the side of the house. They draped me with an apron that was filled with kitchen utensils and told me not to come out until I was called. They were going to play a game.

When they called me out, they told me to walk around for a minute and a half, then to run into the house, take off the apron, and come outside to watch. I walked and people gawked at me, trying to remember what I was wearing. I ran into the house afterwards and then came outside again.

Goku's aunt Jessie had remembered the most things that had been stuffed inside the apron. She received a gift certificate to a local coffee house. As a gift to me, I got to keep the apron and everything that was inside of it.

We all sat around and chatted it up with guests until the last person went home at 7, my nanny from when I had first moved here. Goku, Maron, Bulma, Rini, Mom, and I sat around outside under the tent and crowded around the table. I unwrapped the boxes first, leaving the envelopes for last.

I received an array of cookbooks, varying from Chinese to Mexican, entrees to desserts, baked to fried foods. My most impressive gift that wasn't money however, must have been a 4.0-mega pixel digital camera from an old office mate of my Dad's that I have become very close with. A comical uncle of mine gave me a box of condoms accompanied by 50 dollars.

Then I opened the envelopes. I received checks, wads of 20's and occasionally spotting a 50-dollar or a 100-dollar bill. After I had opened every gift and was careful not to separate names from gift so as I could send out thank you cards, I counted up the money. I had gotten 1,300 dollars, which left 700 dollars to get the dress. I knew I could afford a 700-dollar dress. I had gotten enough money to get my dress!

I danced around happily with the girls, then ran over to Goku and locked him into a long kiss.

"I'm glad that you can get your dress. I just can't wait to see you in it." He said.

"Oh! Your father sent you something too." Mom said, getting up and running into the house. She came out with a rather large box.

When I opened it, it took my breath away. On top lay a note saying 'Save the money for something special'. And underneath…

…Was my wedding dress.

"How'd he…?" I asked, blinking the tears out of my eyes. I'll never forget the sparkle that I saw that day in Mom's eyes.

Author's Note: I apologize for the short chapter. I made it to 4 pages this time, which I should be slapped for. I know it's very little, but bear in mind that I've had shorter chapters.