Sarah and Indigo were as disastrous as any modern celebrity couple. On again, off again, Indigo's possessions throttled from a second story window after a particular boisterous fight, spontaneous holiday getaways to extravagant locations, and incredibly passionate make up sex. (Having bad legs never stopped Sarah from barreling forward and conquering most tasks with more fervor than her able-bodied friends, and her sex life was no exception.)
All throughout uni, and as they diverged into their chosen career paths, (Sarah in line to be the next top exec at her company, and Indigo working as a chef for a catering business, producing occasional music with David on the side), they rode the tumultuous waves of their relationship.
"You two are infuriating," Saffron told them one day with a level-headed weariness. They had been visiting her flat and had started a discussion over details about Mrs. Warbeck's upcoming sixtieth birthday celebration that had inexplicably turned into a heated argument over Indigo's dire need for a haircut. "Either murder each other or get married - just pick one already. You're driving us all mad."
Sarah looked wryly at Indigo. "Brilliant. You had better ask me to marry you, or else I shall rummage through Saffron's kitchen and find her sharpest knife."
And so he did, right then and there. And much to Saffron's chagrin, they took her advice quite literally and announced that they would be leaving for the registry office in thirty minutes and that Saffy had no choice but to come along as their witness. Sarah had raided Saffron's closet for a white dress ("Silver will have to do," Sarah consented, shimmying into a dress more suited for a night on the town than an impromptu wedding) and she had plucked a geranium from the neighbor's flowerbed and tucked it neatly into Indigo's shirt pocket.
"Can't be bothered with all this wedding madness," noted Indigo as he stowed Sarah's wheelchair into the boot of the cab.
"And Mum will be furious," Sarah added with a wicked grin.
"I suppose I should be glad you two have managed to be decisive for once in your lives," Saffron muttered once they had signed all the proper documents and the brief ceremony was complete. She fished around her in pocket for her mobile, snapping a photo of the newly weds. "But please make sure I am very far away when you tell your mother."
"Welcome home, Mrs. Casson," said Indigo as he carried Sarah bridal style over the threshold. "Unless you'll be keeping your surname, which I'll have you know I would fully support."
Sarah kissed his cheek. "No, no, I'll be Sarah Casson. You know I've been dying to be a Casson my entire life."
In the morning, Indigo obligingly contacted each of his family members to share the news. He phoned Rose first, who was predictably thrilled to have Sarah unequivocally tied to the family, and even more relieved to have missed the occasion since weddings made her uneasy ever since the fiasco of Caddy's first one.
He rang Caddy next, who answered the phone against a cacophony of noise on her end. "Brilliant, Indy, just brilliant!" she nearly shouted into the phone. "I am of course thrilled for you two, but I really need to go just now since it is breakfast and Jassy has just dropped several eggs on the floor. Hugs and kisses to you both." And then she was gone.
Next was his mother. "How lovely, Indigo, darling," Eve's voice drawled through the phone. "Registry office weddings are perfect. No fuss at all. That's what your father and I did - of course I was about eight months pregnant with Caddy at the time," she prattled on, until Bill pried the phone away from her to properly congratulate Indigo himself and promised to have flowers sent over right away.
"How'd it go with your mum?" Indigo asked Sarah once he had finished.
"Well it's slightly more difficult than with your family," Sarah told him, and admitted she hadn't mustered up the courage to phone her just yet. "I did talk to Dad - tried to bribe him to tell Mum himself, but he refuses to get involved…"
In the end, Sarah sent her mother a text with the photo Saffron had taken and captioned it with the hashtag #justmarried.
Liz Warbeck was predictably furious and wounded after receiving the news. The text message had taken several minutes to fully sink in, and once it had, she had immediately phoned Sarah, shouting into the phone that this had better be Sarah's idea of a good joke. The conversation had ended with Sarah hanging up abruptly, and such a fury shook through Liz's body that she wished she had called Sarah from the landline so she could have properly slammed the phone back onto the cradle. Her husband was still at work, and with a sigh of defeat, she found herself ambling down the way to the Banana House to have a good cry with Eve.
Eve had graciously welcomed Liz into her shed and promptly offered her a cup of steaming peppermint tea, into which Eve had dumped a generous portion of gin.
"Why does she despise me so?" Liz said, wincing slightly from the first sip of tea. It took her several sips to ease into the strong flavor.
"Darling, darling," soothed Eve, sipping her own tea. "Sarah loves you more than anything. You have raised a strong-willed and confident child you should be quite proud of. And remember, even when they are more mild mannered, they still can secretly have babies and hide away at zoo flats for nearly a year without bothering to tell their dear old mums."
Liz felt marginally better and stayed for several more cups of tea and tearful reminiscing with Eve on her frayed pink sofa. She might have stayed late into the night if Bill Casson hadn't barged into the shed, looking frantic.
"Oh, Liz! Just who I was looking for - I was going to see if Eve knew where you might have gone to. Phone's for you," he added, handing the landline receiver to a very startled (and very drunk) Liz.
"Hello?" she muttered cautiously.
"Mum! Thank goodness you're okay! You had me and dad worried sick! He rang me when he came home and couldn't find you or dinner anywhere in sight and said you'd left your mobile on the counter. Anyway, I know I made you upset, and I want to say I'm really, really sorry. I was so worried you'd gone off and done something stupid because of me," Sarah finished in a rush.
Liz found her voice and spoke quietly into the phone, "I love you, too."
Indigo and Sarah still often fought - Sarah was forever impulsive and prone to hasty accusations, and Indigo in turn could be infuriating blasé and had a penchant for avoidance and disappearing on a whim. But no matter how often they quarreled, they never once questioned their decision of marriage. And a year later, after a pregnancy that had far less complications than Liz had worried Sarah might suffer, she sat next to her daughter's hospital bed, cradling her tiny pink granddaughter.
"Her middle name is Elizabeth," Sarah told her softly. "Scarlet Elizabeth."
"I thought you'd pick Eve. Just to spite me."
To which Sarah answered, "I very nearly did."
