Wedding Bells Are Ringing – Chapter 6
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2016/06/12 - This chapter has been modified to include the initial attraction between two characters. If you just want to read that part, then skip all the way to "Hey, Kel, I'm so glad you made it."
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Jo should be used to Blair's spontaneous nature by now, and she is, but even so, it still didn't make things easy for her. She was still steaming over the fact that Blair had bumped the wedding date up to one month because it didn't leave her a lot of time to do any planning or preparation. Nevertheless, she found herself making a few phone calls to her close friends and relatives, including her mother, Rose, telling them about the new wedding date that Blair pretty much Shanghai'd her on.
The good part about it is that her relationship with her mother has greatly improved since that birthday/engagement party. They talk at least on a weekly basis by phone, and they visit each other as often as they can, though it used to be Jo who visited her mother because Rose was pretty much always working. However, Blair stepped in and gave Jo's mother some money so she could finally stop working and enjoy early retirement. However, work was so ingrained into the elderly woman's bones, that even though she was getting close to seventy, she got quickly bored, so she got herself a part-time job at Starbucks.
Jo was more than happy to air her complaints to Rose, who listened carefully like a loving mother would. Rose paid close attention to Jo's numerous frustrations.
"Sometimes, I want to strangle Cupid for making me fall in love with Blair. Now I got to call up Sister Meg and Molly to see if they want to be my bridesmaids. Jesus… This always seems to be the case, me having to scramble for everything because of one of Blair's whims. I feel like I have no control!"
Rose shook her head like a concerned mom right after Jo finished her rant. "My, you haven't changed one bit. You're just like your dad; you let things overwhelm you too much. What you should do is have a heart to heart talk with Blair. Let her understand how you feel about her impulsive decisions."
"But I do ma, I really do!"
"I mean a cordial discussion, not one of those frustrated outbursts you usually have."
Jo swallowed a lump and stammered on the phone. "Uh – uh…"
"I know how you are. You are my daughter, after all, but I think it would be wise for you to make her understand how you feel when she does these things. Make sure you address how powerless you feel and how stressful it is to you. Those are very essential," she told her daughter in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yeah, I really do feel powerless and stressed out, like a hamster in a spinning wheel. The only difference is that the hamster doesn't mind because the hamster's in control."
Rose chuckled, and then in a calm tone she told Jo, "Look, you need to have that talk with her, regardless, capiche?"
"Si, io capisco," Jo responded in Italian. She's been learning some Italian lately. "Thanks, ma."
"No problem. Please, don't let it get to you."
"I won't." Then Jo hung up. She took a breath and thought to herself, "Ma's right. I really got to have that talk with Blair. Whenever I try, she usually blows it off or doesn't take it seriously. However, this time I got to make her give her full attention to me and see how serious I am." She made a mental note to prepare a short outline for the talk. After that, she called Molly. The phone rang three times before Molly picked up.
"Hello?" Molly answered. Jo could hear what sounded like a copier in the background. At the time, Molly was in the copy room, making some printouts for a meeting.
"Hi Molly, how you doing?"
"Fine, what's up?"
"You know about our wedding, right?"
"Yeah, I got it down on the calendar for the fall…" She paused a bit and then asked, "Wait a minute, Blair changed the date, didn't she?"
"How'd you guess?"
"This is Blair we're talking about. Remember that time when she changed the date for the ski trip to Vermont?" Molly quietly chuckled to herself, remembering all the commotion between those two over the directions on the map. Molly eventually had to take over as the navigator.
"Yeah, that's true. Well, are you available for lunch tomorrow?"
"Sure I am. Tomorrow seems to be a slow day here at the headquarters, so it would be perfect."
"That's good to know. Is Café Zaiya fine with you? I know you're very picky about what you eat," Jo noted, knowing how health-conscious Molly was.
"Café Zaiya is a great place. They have excellent tofu dishes."
In the back of Jo's mind, she was thinking, "Tofu? Yuck, who could eat that crap?"
"Yeah, and someone else will be there too."
"Who?" Molly asked in a surprised tone.
"Sister Meg."
"You mean Blair's sister?"
"Yep," Jo simply replied.
"Well, that's cool. I bet it will be an interesting lunch. I hope she doesn't try to convert me."
Jo was a bit offended by Molly's statement, thus she had to tell her in a slightly angry tone, "Just because she's a nun, doesn't mean she'll try to convert you, nor does it mean she'll talk about religion and Jesus 24/7. She knows that you're an atheist and she knows better than to try and convert you, so don't make any assumptions about her."
Molly, feeling a bit ashamed, apologized, "I'm sorry about that."
Jo replied to her in a rather stern tone, "It's okay, but don't do that again, got it?"
"No problem. Oh, and Jo, one more thing?"
"What is it?"
"Yes, I'll be one of your bridesmaids," Molly said as she smiled.
Jo was thinking in her mind, "What the fuck…?" "Nothing escapes you?"
Molly smiled proudly at the other end as she claimed, "Nope. Nothing really does."
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Immediately after her phone call to Molly, Jo called Sister Meg. She instantly saw Jo's name and her phone number on her Nokio N8.
"Hi, Jo."
"Hey there, Sis." Sister Meg couldn't help but chuckle whenever Jo called her "Sis," instead of her full name. "Are you available for lunch, tomorrow?"
Sister Meg knew Jo well enough to tell that she wouldn't set up a lunch unless it was important. "Sure," she answered. "What's up?"
"I would rather tell you in person during lunch. How 'bout Café Zaiya in Midtown?"
Sister Meg smiled on the other end. "That will work, since Café Zaiya is not too far from the monastery. What time?"
"About 12:30. I got sumthin' to share!"
"Like what, another breakthrough?" Sister Meg was gleaming on the other end.
"…Sumthin' like that."
"Okay, I'll be there. God bless."
"You too, Sis."
Jo hung up and took a much-needed deep breath. She was sure that Sister Meg wouldn't say no, but unlike Blair, she didn't take things as 100% guarantees.
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The next day, Jo ordered a cup of mochaccino and a chicken curry sandwich as she waited for the other two women to arrive. They weren't late because Jo came early and it was still 12:15. She didn't have to work today, so she was wearing her light blue Polo shirt with dark blue jeans. As she looked at the other folks in the cafe, she spotted Molly. She waved to get her attention and Molly soon saw her. As soon as Molly got to the table, she greeted Jo with a hug.
"Hey Jo, how has this day been, since Blair changed the wedding?"
"Well, not so great, since I had to go and quickly pick out my dress about an hour ago."
Molly couldn't help but chuckle at Jo as she seated herself. "You? Wearing a wedding dress?"
Jo shrugged before sitting down. She considered herself more feminine than how others generally perceived her. "Hey, I may not be a girlie-type of woman," said Jo, "but I am still a woman. Wearing a dress doesn't bother me that much, as long as I don't have to wear one every single day." She paused a bit to look at the time and then continued. "What I would wear is not exactly your typical wedding dress. Probably more like a white blouse with a blazer and a skirt."
"Hey, I have no problems with you wearing a wedding dress, even though I'm a feminist. It's just that it doesn't seem like you."
"Yeah, I understand. I'm not as butchy as people think I am. Believe it or not, I do have a few high-heeled pumps in my closet." They both laughed. However, in the back of her mind Jo was still wondering if Molly really found out that she was a bridesmaid from someone else. "But seriously, did Natalie, Cindy, Sue Ann, or the Human Twittah herself, Tootie, tell you I was gonna make ya one of my bridesmaids?"
Molly giggled a bit. "No, none of them did, surprisingly. I figured that you would make me a bridesmaid, since we seem to get along well, and that you wouldn't arrange a lunch at a high-end cafe unless you had something important to tell me. Usually, we meet at a diner or at a bar."
"Good assumption," Jo said shrugging.
"So, I guess in addition to Sister Meg; Natalie, Cindy, Sue Ann, and Tootie will be your bridesmaids?"
"Just about half-right. Natalie and Cindy are my bridesmaids, while Sue Ann and Tootie are Blair's. I have to decide on one more person."
"Oh, really? So who are you considering?"
"You wouldn't know. It'll likely either be one of my co-workers at the precinct or a friend from my old neighborhood."
Judging from Jo's body language, Molly knew that Jo wasn't telling the whole truth, but she didn't bring that up. Instead, she asked about Blair's bridesmaids. "Okay, so who else are Blair's bridesmaids? I assume that there will be five bridesmaids, since me, Natalie, Cindy, and Sister Meg make up four, plus the yet–to–be–decided bridesmaid?"
Jo took a sip of her drink and quickly informed Molly, "Well, Blair also has Nancy, Bailey, and Kimberly as her bridesmaids."
Hearing that, Molly made a deductive conclusion on who Blair chose as her maid of honor. "And my informative and deductive guess is that Tootie's her maid of honor. Correct?"
"More than likely, yes, knowing Blair. Then it wouldn't be any surprise to you that Natalie's my maid of honor."
"No, I'm not surprised there. You and Natalie are like best buds. I would have been surprised if you picked someone else besides Natalie or Cindy."
"Hey, did ya evah think of becomin' a detective? You'd make a killin'!" Jo joked.
Molly laughed as she answered, "No, I couldn't see myself working for 'The Man.'
After that, Jo and Molly talked about a few other things, some of them not related to the wedding, while they waited for Sister Meg. At 12:28 pm, Sister Meg arrived.
She wasn't hard to find since she was still wearing her habit. She was now in her 50s and had gained a few pounds since Jo first met her. Plus, her face now showed wrinkles. No one in the café could see it, but she also had a good amount of gray in her hair, though her hair was still mostly blonde. She was also wearing some wireframe glasses.
"Hi Jo, it's good to see you again," Sister Meg greeted with a hug. Then she turned her attention to Molly.
"And you're Molly, right? It's been a while since I saw you last."
"Yes I am, Sister Meg," Molly replied with a handshake.
"Well, how have things been going Jo? My sister told me that she moved the wedding up to next month, so I know you must be in a rush to get things ready."
"Yes, I am, Sis. I just came from a wedding shop looking for an outfit to wear. I haven't even gotten all my bridesmaids together. Blair got five bridesmaids, so I have to get five bridesmaids of my own."
"And who have you gotten so far, Jo?"
"Well, there's Molly here, plus Natalie and Cindy."
"Oh, okay. How are those two doing?"
"Cindy's still running that model agency with her partner, Sue Ann. Oh, by the way, they're getting married later on this year. At least they stick to their wedding date…" Jo disgruntledly grumbled. Sister Meg patted her on her right shoulder.
"Don't get too upset about it, Jo. Consider yourself lucky that you can get married. Anyhow, so how's Natalie doing?"
"Natalie's fine. She's been working for MSNBC for a while as a researcher for 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann.'"
Sister Meg was quite impressed. "Wow, she must be happy to have a job like that."
Molly intervened. "Not really. He's very demanding. I know Keith Olbermann personally, and he can be a total dick."
"Molly, watch your language! Do you realize who you are talking to?" Jo spat.
"Jo, don't worry about me. I'm a nun, but that doesn't mean I need to shield myself. If Jesus can expose himself to the lepers, then I can expose myself to bad languages." Molly had to fight the urge not to sigh or roll her eyes about Sister Meg's comment. Realizing that they had gotten sidetracked, Sister Meg returned to the main subject. "Well, you've told me three so far. What about the other two."
Jo looked at her and slyly answered, "Well, I was hopin' to have one of those two slots filled before we get outta here."
"What do you mean 'before we...'" Then she realized who Jo wanted the fourth bridesmaid to be. "Are you asking me to be one of your bridesmaids?"
"Yeah, Sis," Jo confirmed. She was also thinking in the back of her mind, "Well, I'm glad that Blair didn't ruin it by telling her already."
With a wide smile on her face, Sister Meg happily agreed to Jo's offer. "I would be glad to be one of your bridesmaids! Thank you so much, Jo." She got up from her seat and happily hugged Jo. Even the cynical Molly smiled.
"No, thank you for making a difference in my life Sister Meg. I don't know what type of person I would be, had I not met you."
"I'm surprised that you would pick me over some of your other friends, like Pippa, or Carla, or Jessie." Then she stopped herself, as Jo and Molly gave her shocked looks. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring her up."
"It's okay, Sis. I wish she was around to see this day," Jo stated as she started to tear up. "It's been over ten years since she's been gone. To this day, I regret having that argument and hanging up the phone on her. I didn't know it would be the last time we would speak. Every time I think about it, I feel like I'm a horrible person."
Sister Meg started to choke up. "Jo, don't say that. You were angry at the time. How could you know that it would be the last time you two would speak? Guilt is one of the ways Satan gets us. As long as you love and trust the Lord, you will overcome this."
Molly muttered, "Whatever…" Jo noticed and gave Molly a stiff glare who quickly looked away in shame.
Jo returned her attention to Sister Meg and responded, "Of course I do, Sis. I will always love the Lord, no matter what, and I'm sure he'll help me through this."
There was a question Molly had to ask. She figured it would be the right time, since Sister Meg brought up the Lord.
"But Sister Meg, you're a Catholic, they don't approve gay marriages. Aren't you going to get kicked out of the church because you take part of a gay marriage?"
"I seriously doubt it, Molly. The group I work for are pretty liberal. Also, there's nothing in the church's guidelines that says that you can't be a bridesmaid or groom of a same-sex marriage. I knew a priest who was the best man for a friend of his who was marrying another man a few years back. There was some discussion about it, but no disciplinary action ever took place."
"Well that's very good to know," Jo said in relief.
"So have you found the last bridesmaid?" Sister Meg asked.
"I haven't decided yet. But you'll find out by the time of the rehearsal."
Sister Meg felt a bit suspicious about Jo's answer, but she didn't bring it up. Instead, she asked, "When will the rehearsal be?"
"This Saturday at 2 pm. However, we need to meet at 10 am so that you guys . . ."
"Ahem," Molly injected.
"Sorry, Molly. I mean, you WOMEN," Jo emphasized the woman part for Molly's approval, "can get your dresses. We won't need our dresses for the rehearsal. Blair wanted to do that at first, but I was able to talk her out of it by pointing out that it would give them more wear and tear. However, I wanna get it outta the way as soon as possible. It will be at Kleinfeld. Blair recommended it."
"Kleinfeld? That's top-of-the-line stuff," said Molly.
"Well, that's my sister for you. She only wants top-of-the-line stuff," Sister Meg noted. "I still remember the time I got her some ice cream when she was a kid, but she refused to eat it because it wasn't Hagen Daz!" Everybody laughed.
"Sister Meg is right. The last thing Blair wants is for us to look like bums," Jo informed.
"But what about the other bridesmaid? Will she be at Kleinfeld?"
"She should be, Molly, but I can't guarantee it."
Molly didn't say anything. Once again, she knew Jo was lying based on her body language. She was wondering why Jo was being so secretive about her last bridesmaid. Then she remembered what Natalie told her and it became clear who the last bridesmaid would be. Molly now realized why Jo was being so coy about it. It wasn't looking good for Molly, as she was thinking in the back of her mind, "Something tells me that there's going to be nothing but trouble at the rehearsal..."
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Saturday finally came and Jo's bridesmaids were at Kleinfeld getting fitted for their dresses. Cindy was the first to be fitted.
"You would think being a former model, I would get used to wearing dresses. I still haven't."
"Not really. Just like me, you weren't born with dress-wearin' DNA," Jo joked.
"Oh, is that the same DNA that makes girls like us wear jeans, play sports, and like other girls?" Cindy wisecracked back.
"It sure is!" Jo grinned. There were laughs coming from the group.
"So this is the style you like? I know you're into black, but I didn't think it was that much!" Natalie said as she examined the dress she was holding on her left arm.
"Well, the guy told me it goes well with Blair's bridesmaids' dresses. Plus, I got these for a discount, so I'm goin' wit' 'em!"
"You got a boat load of money, and you still look for bargains?" Cindy asked.
"Now you see why Sue Ann insists on handling all the money? Look, that's Blair's money. This is my own money I'm usin'!"
"You still got that independent streak in you?" Cindy jostled a bit.
Jo scoffed a bit, and then she told Cindy, "You have to, because Blair will try to take you over."
"Yeah, like colonial England!" Natalie quipped.
"Dad once said that if Blair ever becomes a world leader, she'd make Margaret Thatcher look like Mother Teresa!" Sister Meg joked, as she was checking out her dress. Everyone laughed, knowing that it could possibly be true.
Even with their joking and fooling around, it took no more than an hour to fit all the women in the group.
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It was 3:00 pm at the church, and things got off to a rocky start. Blair was late, as usual, which only made Jo more irate. Then when she got there, she got upset about over the carpet and how it was unsafe for her shoes.
It didn't get easier when she found that ten of Nancy's twelve kids were there. The other two were in out-of-state colleges. Ranging from three to fifteen, they were anything but little angles. They were consistently crying, running around, and making a racket. One of Nancy's sons nearly knocked Blair over when he was playing tag with his siblings, and another one of her sons made a certain loud noise that came from his behind... Needless to say, Blair was not very happy with them.
"Nancy, don't you have a maid or a babysitter to watch these kids?"
"Yeah, but Mulu had to go back to Ethiopia today, because her mother's sick, and Roger's back home at a meeting with a lobbyist."
Her husband, Roger Butler, is a U.S. Congressman, representing the 5th district of New Jersey. They live in Alpine, New Jersey, one of the richest cities in the United States.
"Well, you better do something with these kids!" Then as Blair was walking down the aisle, she tripped over a cable from a camera. The rehearsal was being recorded, but not for Blair or Jo. It was for Nancy. She, Roger, and her family were part of a reality-TV show called Twelve Is More Than Enough!
"And why can't these idiots watch where they lay their cables! I could have fallen over and broke my nails, or ruin my mascara if I fell on my face!" Of all the other things that could have happened, she was more concerned about her makeup and her nails.
"I'm sorry, Blair, but when they heard about me being your bridesmaid, they wanted to come," Nancy sincerely apologized.
Blair, not hiding her anger, told her, "Well, then they should be shooting me. It's my wedding!"
"You mean OUR wedding!" Jo butted in. She wanted to make it clear that it's not all Blair's, even though she had almost total control it.
"You know what I mean, Jo," Blair rebutted, not willing to go further with Jo. However, Jo didn't want to end the conversation there.
"No, I don't know what you mean, Blair. In fact, it's been nothing but you, you, you, ever since you hijacked this wedding. I haven't really gotten my say in this stupid wedding!" Jo barked back, matching Blair's anger.
Feeling insulted, Blair roared back, "How dare you call this wedding 'stupid'? We've wanted this for years, even decades, and you have the audacity to call it 'stupid?!'"
"It is very stupid! And just about everything about it is stupid! How ya' want the flower girls to throw the pedals, how ya' want a 25-piece orchestra instead of an organ to play 'Here Comes the Bride,' and other things. I mean everything about it is stupid! And besides, it was always you who wanted it more than me, ever since we talked about it at Nancy's wedding!"
There was some truth in her statement, as it was discussed during Nancy's wedding back in 1986.
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Flashback to November 20, 1986
The wedding was held at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer. Nancy and Roger were at the altar. Blair was one of the bridesmaids along with Sue Ann and Cindy. She was also the maid of honor, taking Molly's place since she was not available. It was being recorded on video, thanks to Natalie. The décor was more like 19th century French, since Blair did not really like the 80s modern look. It was more like Blair's wedding than Nancy's, since Blair took charge of being the wedding planner and made the wedding more like how she wanted it. Jo was sitting with Natalie and Andy. Tootie joined them after singing for the soon-to-be married couple.
"I'm telling you, Tootie, it may be expensive, but it's worth it, when they look back twenty years from now."
"I bet it will be. I can't wait to see my performance, it was totally awesome!" Tootie giddied.
"I bet it will be," Andy replied, with a flirtatious look.
Tootie lightly hit him on his stomach. "Oh stop it!"
"But why? It was totally awesome," Andy said in defense.
"It sure was. However, I'm kind of disappointed that we aren't really part of the wedding. We should have been in the bridal party." Natalie moped for a bit. Jo, who was silent the whole time, just shrugged.
"Hey, at least you two got involved. I'm just happy that I was invited, since I don't know those two very well."
"Yeah, but still, we knew Nancy for over eight years!" Natalie complained. Then she remembered something and brought it up to Jo. "Hey Jo, I need to tell you something."
"Yeah, wut is it?" she asked in her Bronx accent.
"I saw Blair crying in the dressing room. I mean she was really crying."
Jo twitched when she heard that. "Really? She's not really much of a crier unless she's in great pain or something very tragic happened. I wish I could hold my tears like she can."
"Yeah, that's what made it unusual. I was going to ask her about it, but I got interrupted by Roger, who wanted me to interview him."
"I see. Well, I'll talk to her about it later."
Natalie said with concern, "Please do."
"I will, Natalie. Let's get back to the weddin.' I think they're 'bout to say their vows." Jo advised them, and they turned their focus back to the wedding.
The couple finally said their 'I do's' and left the church, going to their reception at the Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center. It was the only place in the area Blair thought was suitable enough for a reception.
Everything seemed to go well with the reception. However, Jo saw sadness on Blair's face when she was not pretending to be happy. When everybody hit the dancefloor, Blair went straight to a small room. Jo was about to follow her, when Sue Ann stopped her.
"Where's Blair?" asked Sue Ann.
"I just saw her go into that room. Why? You need sumthin'?"
"No, I was just wondering what was wrong with her. I saw her crying earlier today," Sue Ann stated.
"You too? Let's go togetha' and see what's up."
Sue Ann nodded and they went into the room. As soon as Jo opened the door, she saw Blair crying.
Concerned for her partner, she asked, "What's wrong, Blair?"
Blair looked at her and replied, "Nothing. Just nothing." Then she quickly looked away and dried her eyes.
"You're not really the crying type. You only cry when something really, really bad or emotional happens, so sumthin' must be goin' on," stated Jo in a matter-of-fact tone.
Blair knew that Jo could be quite persistent, so it would be best for her to tell Jo the truth. "Well, just seeing Nancy and Roger getting married got me very emotional."
"Yeah. It's a great day for those two. They're so lucky." Sue Ann added.
"Yeah, luck that I'll probably never get," Blair moped.
"Huh? I don't get ya, Princess?"
However, Sue Ann did.
"Are you bothered that you and Jo can never get married?"
As soon as Sue Ann asked that question, Blair, with tears still flowing from her eyes, looked at her, and cried even more. Jo, looked up to the ceiling, and muttered to herself, "Holy Mary, give me strength."
"Blair, it's okay, it doesn't make you two's relationship any less important."
"Yes, but don't you want to marry Cindy?" Blair asked with some cracks in her voice.
Sue Ann wished Blair never asked her that question. It bothered her that she could never marry Cindy. "Of course, I do. I brought it up to her once, but she got really upset, saying that it will never happen, so why even bring it up."
"Ah, come on Princess. It's no big deal. So what if we don't get married? It's not like we really need the tax break."
In a second, Blair went from sad to livid. Jo's response triggered a bomb inside her that went off immediately. "So what? So what!? This is more important than just tax breaks!"
Sue Ann tried to hush Blair. "Shh! Hey, don't forget that people can hear us."
"That's my point, Sue Ann. I don't want to have to hide our relationship. I want to be able to proudly say that we are a couple. I want to be forever linked together," Blair barked, letting out her frustrations.
"But really, Princess, we don't need some stupid wedding to say that we're a couple."
"It's more than just a 'stupid wedding,' grease monkey! But you're too stupid to realize that!"
Blair then left the room angry.
"I don't get her," Jo lamented to Sue Ann.
"I do. Blair thinks getting married is important, more than just showing off. To her, it's a symbol of equality, that your relationship can be treated of equal status with that of a straight relationship."
Jo still didn't see the point, and replied, "But really, who cares what people think?"
With her hands on her hips, Sue Ann informed her, "You do just as much as Blair."
Jo was surprised and replied with a small sneer. "What?"
"You get upset when people call you a butch or a bulldyke. You want to be treated just like everyone else. You want just as much rights as everyone else. That's why she wants to be legally married, so that she can say with pride that she loves you and she's not ashamed of it."
"I see…"
Blair came back into the room, after she went to the bathroom to wiped off the tears. However, she started to cry again.
A second later, Natalie came into the room.
"Hey guys, you should come on the dance floor. Roger is trying to do the Cabbage Patch with Tootie!"
"Oh, my God, are you serious?" Sue Ann asked while trying to hold in her laughter.
Natalie nodded along with her response. "Yep!"
Both Jo and Sue Ann shook their heads in disbelief.
Then Natalie asked Blair. "Hey Blair, check it out!"
Blair didn't even bother to look at her. Instead, she continued to cry. Natalie was puzzled.
"What's wrong with her?" she asked Jo.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it. I guess it's best to leave Blair alone for now."
Sue Ann nodded and the three headed out of the room, leaving Blair to cry alone.
The subject was dropped after that. Blair and Jo discussed it on a few occasions, but they never went in-depth because of the expected reactions between the two. That changed when the mayor of San Francisco issued wedding licenses in 2004. It gave Blair the idea to start campaigning for same-sex marriage in New York. Jo helped, even though she was nowhere near as vocal about it as Blair. After that, it became part of the usual discussions between them.
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Now it turned into an all-out war between Jo and Blair. They had many nasty disputes before, but a lot more was at-stake on this one: the wedding, the relationship, and everything else.
As usual, Blair was not going to let Jo have the last word, so, without shouting, she replied in a surly tone, "Well, since you had the nerve to bring up how stupid this wedding is, may I remind you that you are contributing to the stupidity."
Jo was perplexed by Blair's accusation, and asked her, "Whaddiya mean?"
"Well, for one, what in the world were you thinking of having black dresses for your bridesmaids?"
"What's wrong with black? Black is beautiful, isn't it."
"Not with purple! We're wearing purple and you chose black? You were supposed to use another color, like yellow, or pink, or even green, but not black! Another 'stupid' thing of yours is, it's been over twenty minutes, and your last bridesmaid hasn't come yet. Do you even have a fifth bridesmaid, Jo?"
Already on the edge, Jo tersely answered, "Yeah Blair, I do. She will be here any minute, so hold your horses!" She was thinking, "You of all people should not be talking about people being late."
The priest had to bring things back in order. "I think we need to focus on the rehearsal, please." They both nodded and continued on, yet the amounting tension between the two of them was still in the room. "Now, Natalie and Dorothy, make sure that you have the rings in your hands when I say…"
During that time, the show's narrator/host started asking Nancy a few questions. "So, Nancy, how does it feel to take part of a same-sex marriage?"
Nancy blushed a bit, and reminded the host, "Well, the marriage hasn't taken place yet, but I am honored to be a part of such a special event."
"But does your husband share the same feelings you do about the wedding, considering he has repeatedly said that same-sex marriage is wrong?"
The host's question made Nancy squirm a bit, for her GOP Republican-party husband had been rather vocal against gay marriage.
"Well… Uh… Umm…"
Then Blair got on Nancy. "What are you doing, Nancy?"
"I was just answering some questions the host was asking me."
Blair was infuriated as she shouted, "Don't you have any common sense? We are having a rehearsal."
The host intervened, trying to apologize.
"I'm very sorry, Ms. Warner. I just wanted to ask her a few questions."
"But why are you asking HER a few questions when it's my wedding. Why aren't you asking ME questions? This is my wedding, can't you buffoons see that?"
Jo was starting to get worried about Blair, and she knew that Blair was very agitated at her, so she told the priest to get Blair's attention.
"Hey, you need to tell her to get back to rehearsal because she's about to explode like an atom bomb!"
The priest nodded and nervously reminded Blair to get to the rehearsal.
"Excuse me, Ms. Warner, but we need to continue with the wedding. We are already late and I would like to finish the rehearsal as much as you do."
Blair took a deep breath, and replied, "Okay. Sorry about that." She then returned to her position, which was in front of Jo, and the priest continued with the rehearsal.
"Now where was I? Ah, yes. Natalie and Dorothy, when you have the rings, make sure you two…"
Just as the priest was talking, a loud Bronx-accent echoed throughout the cathedral.
"I hope I ain't too late! Sorry, but my flight from Houston was delayed."
Jo and Blair quickly turned around and saw the woman who made her entrance. Everybody was in shock to see her, even though most of Jo's bridesmaids had figured that she would be the fifth bridesmaid, but no one was more shocked and angry than Blair.
"Hey, Kel, I'm so glad you made it."
It was indeed Kelly, the one who nearly knocked Blair's lights out at Jo's birthday/engagement party, after Blair insulted her. Kelly Donovan was her full name. She had shoulder-blade length curly red hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a yellow blouse with black jeans and a pair of Nikes. She had been friends with Jo since her days in the Bronx and she was also friends with the late Jessie. She also knows the other Kelly, Kelly Affinado, and she doesn't like her either. Jo quickly went down the aisle and hugged her lifelong friend.
"You kno' I won't missed it for da world, even though I had ta' make some last minute arrangements with my job and find a last-minute flight. I shoulda takin' Southwest!"
Jo smiled and shrugged it off. "Ah, don't worry 'bout it. As long as you got here, that's all that mattas!"
"Yeah, but I wanted to get here earlier so that I, I, I…" Kelly stuttered.
Kelly was unable to continue her sentence because a certain brown-haired girl caught her eye. Kimberly looked in Kelly's direction and their eyes met. The instant chemistry was more than a distraction; it was pure passion being shared through the windows of the soul. There was a moment of intense electricity being communicated through both sets of eyes. As Kelly looked at Kimberly, her heart began to beat more rapidly and her pulse began to race. Kimberly's girl-next-door beauty was enough to make Kelly forget words and look like a lovesick puppy. What Kelly didn't know was that Kimberly was feeling it too.
When Kimberly looked up to see who had come in the door, she was immediately hypnotized by the redhead with sparkling, blue eyes. She was in a trance that far surpassed any dream she ever had before in her life. An instant spark was ignited between the two girls, and was evidenced by the rush of blood to both of their faces. The fact that both girls were absently blushing and ogling each other did not go unnoticed by all of the bridesmaids. In fact, Molly instantly noticed the quiet connection between Kimberly and Kelly. It was the same sort of looks that Cindy gave Sue Ann back at Eastland, combined with the intense stare downs between Jo and Blair. Jo, however, was oblivious to the interaction as she unintentionally interrupted the silent serenade.
"Kel? What were you going to say?"
Snapping back to reality, Kel continued. "Oh, yeah. I wish I had come here earlier."
Blair was beyond furious. She walked up to Jo and showed her displeasure.
"Of all the people, it had to be her?"
Jo knew what was coming, and she was prepared. "Why not? She's been my friend since back in Bronx, so back off!"
However, neither Jo nor anybody else in the cathedral was prepared for what Blair was going to do next.
"That's it. I'm calling off the wedding!"
Everybody was in total shock.
"What?! You just can't call it off just like that, especially since it was you," Jo emphasized with her finger-pointing, "who wanted the wedding to be moved up."
"Well, I can, and I say it's cancelled!" Blair quickly hustled out of the main area and went to one of the small rooms. Jo furiously banged on the door, pleading with her to come out, but Blair refused.
Now everybody was in shock, and the worst part about it was that the cameramen had recorded it all. Thus, there was a 99.9% guarantee that the disastrous rehearsal would be aired on worldwide television or uploaded live on the Internet.
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