March 1944- Seven days until wedding
"I don't want you to go," Helga pouted to her boyfriend, wrapping around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you have to?"
"As much as I want to stay here with you, I can't be stuck with a house full of girls by myself," Arnold chuckled.
"Neither do I," she replied flatly. She looked up at him. "Why are you doing this again?"
"Because Harold and Patty cannot see each other a week before the ceremony so all the guys are going to help Harold settle in their new house and be there for support."
"Exactly. The bride and groom cannot see each other. There's nothing in the rules about their friends."
Arnold couldn't help but laugh at her excuses. "It will be over before you know it."
"Easy for you to say," Helga muttered, rolling her eyes. "You don't have to deal with the princess."
Arnold looked at her, stunned. "Is she still mad about our drunken confession night?"
"Uh, yeah," she scoffed, looking back at him. "Where have you been?"
Arnold's eyes rolled side to side, trying to calculate something in his head. "That was five months ago!"
Helga shrugged. "She knows how to hold a grudge and hates when she's not part of something. She still talks about when one of her former friends from boarding school got mud on her one of a kind Elsa Schiaparelli dresses."
"What did she do?" Arnold asked warily.
"She cut holes in inappropriate places in her friend's Coco Chanel little black dress," Helga replied nonchalantly.
Arnold just stared at her, mouth hanging on the floor. "But s-she does realize we didn't do that o-on purpose, right?" he asked, stumbling over his words. "I mean, we all woke up on our own! She would have thought it was rude to wake her in the middle of the night!"
Helga laughed at his moment of panic. "Relax, Arnoldo, I'm only joking. Well, sort of."
"Huh?" He looked at her, his face scrunched up in confusion.
"She didn't destroy a dress," Helga stated. "For her, that would the equivalent of committing murder. But she is still a bit bitter about the whole thing."
Arnold ran his fingers through is hair, sighing in relief. "Why did you have to do that?"
"Simple," Helga shrugged, smirking. "It's funny. But Rhondaloid should be fine. She'll be spending the whole time focusing on the wedding that she won't remember it."
"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm going to miss you messing with me." He kissed her lightly on the top of her head.
"Well, doi," she scoffed. "I'm Helga G. Pataki. Of course you're going to miss me messing with you."
Arnold laughed and kissed her again. "You have to admit, that night was helpful for us. Harold stopped yelling in the middle of the night, and you didn't have your nightmare since then."
"But who knows? They may come back and haunt me while you're gone," Helga rebutted, attempting one final time to convince him to stay. "It may be best that you stay."
Arnold held her tightly and whispered in her ear. "It'll just be a week, and you'll be back in my arms again."
Helga sighed and looked up at him. "I guess I'll see you at the chuppah."
Three days until wedding
"How are you feeling about everything, Patty?" Phoebe asked. Patty was standing on a wooden box, wearing her custom made wedding dress created by Helga and Phoebe. The two dress makers were currently pinning the dress, preparing it for alterations.
"A little nervous, I guess," Patty admitted. "I just wish that my parents could be here for this."
Helga stopped pinning and stood up in front of Patty. She grabbed her hands and looked at her with a soft smile. "I'm sure they want to be here, too," Helga said. "They would think that you are such a beautiful bride. And they would be so happy that you found someone."
"Well," Patty started hesitantly, "if they were here, I wouldn't be marrying Harold."
"What do you mean?" Lila asked.
"My parents met with a matchmaker when I was little and arranged a marriage with me and one of the other boys in Berlin. However, since my hand was never asked for and no dowry given, it is now null and void."
"It's ever so strange to be both happy and sad about the whole situation," Lila replied.
"A double-edged sword," Phoebe concluded. The women looked at each other with sad eyes and heavy hearts. It was hard to be so happy for their friend when her parents couldn't be there to celebrate with them.
"There is a custom at the beginning of the ceremony," Patty spoke, looking at Phoebe, "in which the parents lead the bride to the groom and they circle around him seven times to mark the seven days it took God to create the earth. Since my parents couldn't be here, would you and Helga be willing to take their place?"
Phoebe and Helga both had tears in their eyes at the request. "We would be honored," Helga said. "Thank you for including us."
"Well, you two are the closest family I have," she explained. Patty then turned her attention to Lila. "I consider you family as well, Lila. It's just that the three of us have been through so much together."
"I oh so understand completely," Lila said. "I'm not at all offended by your choice. In fact, I find it rather sweet."
"Oh, my goodness," Rhonda gasped as she entered the room, holding a small box. "Patty, that dress looks amazing on you! I have such good fashion sense to create such a masterpiece."
The other women in the room rolled their eyes at Rhonda's self-absorbency, but it was not uncommon for her to act as such. "Thank you, Rhonda, for that nice compliment," Patty said, smiling.
"You're quite welcome, Patty," Rhonda replied. "Oh, and Helga? There's a package here for you." She handed Helga the small box.
"Hmm, I wonder what this could be," Helga wondered as she opened the package. Inside was a small jewelry box. She flipped the top open to reveal what was inside. "Oh my," she gasped. Pinched between two of her fingers was a diamond ring.
The girls gasped in amazement. Rhonda moved closer to better inspect it. "This is an expensive ring," Rhonda concluded. "And what a beautiful cut!"
"It is oh so beautiful, Helga!" Lila exclaimed, clasping her hands together.
"Who sent it?" Phoebe asked.
Helga looked at the outer package. "It doesn't say," she said. She looked all over. "There's no address or letter."
"That is rather odd," Patty said. "Why would someone give someone an expensive ring and not say who they are?"
"Are you being serious?" Rhonda scoffed. "It's obvious who sent it."
"Enlighten me, Princess," Helga said. "Who did it?"
"Why, Arnold of course!" Rhonda blurted.
Everyone in the room looked at her in confusion. "Why would Arnold send me a ring through a package?" Helga asked. "It doesn't make sense."
"Perhaps it's his way of saying he wants to get married, despite its tacky way," Rhonda suggested. "Maybe giving you the ring is his way of showing that he wants to be fully committed to you."
"It's possible," Phoebe said. "Although, I would think that he would do it in person, and not send a ring through a package."
Helga looked at the beautiful ring in her hands. She wanted so much to believe that it was from Arnold. But there was a tugging inkling deep inside her that was telling her otherwise.
"When we see each other again, I'll ask him," she decided. Helga placed the ring back into its box and placed it on the table. "But for now, we have a wedding to prepare."
Day of wedding- shortly before sunset
"Haven't you eaten at all today, Patty?" Rhonda asked. "I know it's your wedding and all, but I would at least try and eat something."
It was almost time for Harold and Patty's wedding ceremony, and the women in the house were meeting in Patty's room for the last time. The other women have eaten just before, leaving Rhonda to question her fasting that day.
"I can't eat until after the ceremony," Patty explained. "It's very similar to when we celebrate Yom Kippur. It is a time to cleanse ourselves to prepare for the next part of our lives."
"I see," she said. "It doesn't make sense to me but whatever works for you."
"It's a Jewish custom," Phoebe explained. "As all of today will be. It may not be what we're used to, but I think it will be a beautiful thing to witness."
"I'm not saying it wouldn't be," Rhonda argued. "What I'm saying is that I don't understand the traditions and I don't think I ever will. It's so foreign to me."
"I don't expect you to understand," Patty said. "All I ask is you just respect what I will go through. That's all."
"Of course," Rhonda said. "I'm actually quite excited for your wedding. I really am happy for you, Patty. And we will miss you and Harold being here."
"Absolutely," Helga chimed in. "You must come visit. And we shall do the same."
"I'm going to miss you all, too," Patty said tearfully. "It's scary to be away from you all. I've grown so close to you, especially Helga and Phoebe. I can't believe it's almost been two years since you've rescued us. It's going to be so different not seeing you every day."
"But in a way, that's good," Helga pondered. "It shows that you're moving on. You no longer have to live in fear. You can start to have a normal life."
"It just won't be the same."
"No, but it will be better," Helga assured. She looked out the window to see dusk was beginning to approach. "Time to get you in your wedding dress."
The blushing bride and her companions were met with music as they walked to the synagogue. The congregation met with them, carrying candles and gave Patty their praises. She donned the meticulously designed dress handcrafted by her two closest friends. A veil crowned wrapped around her head, with her face exposed.
When they arrived at the synagogue, they saw four silver poles holding up a white silk fabric. Underneath the canopy, Harold and the rabbi stood, waiting for the bride to join. When Patty came underneath with them, Harold looked at her, trying to maintain a serious look. He wore a basic black suit with a black top hat, but he wore it well. He took the veil and placed it over her head.
Helga and Phoebe assumed their roles and escorted Patty around Harold seven times. They left Patty beside Harold under the chuppah and reunited with their boyfriends, who each gave them a peck on the cheek and a candle for them to hold.
The group witnessed the ceremony of their two friends with pure joy. However, since it was in Hebrew, they couldn't fully understand what was going on. That is, everyone except for Eugene and Phoebe, who attempted to learn the customs. They would whisper to the rest what was going on.
"He's saying some prayers to help bind the couple together," Phoebe said.
"Is it just me, or do they drink a lot of wine in this ceremony?" Gerald asked.
"That's their fourth cup," Helga hissed. "How many do they drink?"
"Seven," Eugene answered.
"Criminy."
Then came the presentation of the ring. Harold took a plain band and placed it on her hand. "Behold you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the laws of Moses and Israel," he recited.
"Right now, they're officially married," Eugene whispered.
They continued to look on as the ceremony endured, with more blessings and drinking of the wine. Soon, the rabbi place a small within a piece of fabric and placed it by Harold's feet.
"What is that for?" Nadine asked.
"It's the end of the ceremony," Phoebe explained. "Harold will break the glass, in remembrance of the destruction of the Temples. Once it's smashed, we all yell in congrats."
Harold lifted his foot and slammed into the glass. The crunching noise was barely heard before the shouts started.
"Mazel Tov!"
The celebration continued after the ceremony. Lively music filled the streets of Stockholm as the bride and groom were lifted in their chairs and paraded around in circles. There was much dancing. In the beginning, men and women would dance in their own sections, but as the time went on, they began to dance together. Food consisted of chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. Several speeches were made in praise to the newly wedded couple. The group came together and offered many gifts to them, including candlesticks, new bedding, a Sabbath cloth, and dinnerware.
The dancing picked up again and Arnold made his way to Helga. He asked for a dance, and she agreed.
"When did you learn how to dance like this?" Helga asked.
"Harold gave us a few pointers this week," he explained, spinning Helga around.
"Well, you're magnificent," she complimented. "I'm going to have to keep a strong hold on you to make sure no one steals you away."
"You don't have to worry about that. There's only one person I want to dance with for the rest of my life, and that is you."
Helga looked at him curiously. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'll tell you later."
The wedding came to an end and the two blondes walked back to the house. "I'm so glad you're coming home. You have no idea how much I missed you."
Arnold chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sure I have an indication."
Helga stopped on the sidewalk and looked up at Arnold. "What did you mean when we were dancing?" she asked. "About me being the only one you ever want to dance with again?"
"What I meant is I want to only be with you. My love for you has grown stronger over time, and I feel that it's time to take the next step in our relationship. I've almost lost you before, and I'm not willing to be without you ever again."
"Arnold?" she asked softly, her eyes widening and her stomach churning.
"Helga, would you do me the pleasure of becoming my bride?"
Helga's heart pounded out of her chest. Her eyes filled with tears. Never before has she felt so elated. So that was what he was trying to tell me with the ring! Oh my love, even though your methods were simply unorthodox, I can't help but swoon at your gesture.
"Helga? Can you hear me?"
Helga shook her head back to reality, where the man she has loved most of her life has reciprocated that love. "Yes, Arnold. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be yours for the rest of our lives."
Arnold's smile grew wide. He lifted her up and spun her around, causing her to shriek in giggles. He placed her down and kissed her lovingly. "I love you so much. Now, I don't have a ring for you just yet, but you can be sure that I will have one for you soon."
The two began walking again. The ecstatic smile that once dawned on Helga's face now grew into a face of concern. He hasn't gotten a ring yet. Then, who sent that one to me?
A/N: I don't claim to be an expert on Jewish weddings, so if I got something wrong, I apologize. I tried my best.
According to my calculations, I only have a few chapters left, including an epilogue. They are going to be some of my most intense moments, so you have been warned.