I disclaim again. I only own Charlie and those unknown.
I am on a roll, the brain is flowing and I can't stop.
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Chapter Twenty One – Forever and Ever
It was a small church built in the mid 1800s. No heat or air conditioning, no electricity, no modern amenities. It exuded a quaint charm that had people booking weddings at least a year in advance. There were only 15 pews on each side and each pew only sat 6-8 people. Stained glass windows rose from floor to ceiling and went from the front to the back of the nave. The floors were wood and stained to match the pews. It was a simple church and Charlie had fallen in love with it when she first saw it. Since it was nine pm, candles were lit and they cast a soft glow throughout. They were placed at the windows and the altar, the scent matching the flowers that adorned each pew. They were also used to make the small heaters hidden around the church seem less conspicuous.
The violin quartet played softly as she glided to meet him. Her eyes fell on her fiancé and despite the lack of electricity, his tears stood out on his tanned face. She had seen him in a tux before, but knowing this tux was specifically for this night, made him look that much more handsome. The smile that lit Charlie's face had never shone brighter. She fought the giggle that threatened to burst from her tummy from her excitement. Randy smiled right back at her, the sexy smirk she loved so much. The smirk that made all the women swoon. John whispered one word to Randy. Wow. He nodded and choked down the lump rising in his throat.
Her hair was slightly wavy and hung loosely down her back. She carried a small, delicate bouquet of primroses; the same flower every woman in her family had carried on her wedding day. She followed Irish tradition and sprinkled in a sprig of rosemary to remember her deceased parents and other loved ones, English lavender to symbolize love and devotion, and ivy which stood for her fidelity to her new husband. As with the gown, the Irish traditions that had been followed for many generations of women in her family were passed down and Charlie followed them precisely. She hoped to one day share them with her own daughter.
"Hiya, baby girl." He whispered when she stood next to him, afraid of what his voice would sound like. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to touch her, needed to feel her skin on his to know this moment was real. He had dreamt of this day from the moment he saw her on that fateful night when he walked into her bar. It was in that split second, that first impression when his heart found comfort, his body found a perfect match and his soul its partner. She challenged him to be a better man, to step up and give her all a woman needed. Protection without smothering, a hand without clenching, a friendship without boundaries and a love without condition.
"Hiya back." Her smile filling her beautiful face again. He challenged her in ways she was unaware of before he said hello. She needed patience and strength, understanding and tolerance, sympathy and compassion. All at the same time while encouraging him on his path. She did these without doubt; she gave of herself without question for she loved him, he was her soul's counterpart. She complimented him and he her. They completed eachother. She would cherish him as long as she drew breath. She would follow him to the ends of the earth. There was no sacrifice, only a life worth fighting for, worth dying for.
They both were willing to risk everything they had, they had faith in eachother. They knew from a look, the sound in the other's voice what was needed without asking. She made his heart leap with her laughter, he made her go weak when he whispered her name. He thought he could fly on her love alone. She could feel him in her blood. He could tell her anything and not be criticized or judged. She knew she could be at her most vulnerable and he'd pick her up and carry her. The world could fall around him and she'd be there to cry with him.
Randy could not control his emotions and he'd let the occasional tear freefall only to be wiped by his fiance's delicate finger. He'd reciprocate when she'd shed a tear and her head would instinctively lean into his hand. They were in their own world, oblivious to those around them, and only became aware of others when Alex took to the podium.
"Baby sister. I was given a box to protect and to only open on this day. We opened it this morning. It's a box you made for Father's Day when you were in kindergarten. Dad put all he had of you in the box. Inside were several items he cherished most and a journal he had kept over the years. We'd like to read from that journal. This entry is dated on your 1st birthday and titled She Is.
she
is charted territory. so far charted that I doubt I can remember the
journey.
she is lost in all her findings, beautiful in all her
discoveries and I am jealous of her innocence.
she wanders across
the floors with a box, dragging in her hand and she whines for a look
into its contents.
she is full of wonderment and I sink to the
kitchen floor and hope that I could walk with her.
she laughs and
its as if she's never laughed before. she cries her heart knows only
what it misses
she kisses me, puckered lips, she leans in to give
me such a sweet gesture of love
she is my first daughter, my
after-work joy, my love-laugh bundle full of more excitement than I
knew existed."
Alex stepped down as Bryan stepped up. He paused while the guests shared tissue and wiped their tears. He cleared his throat and began. "This journal entry is dated on your 5th birthday. It's titled Sweet Charlotte.
you are the soft summer breeze that ruffles my hair, you are the golden sunshine on my face, you are the song birds in my ears, you are the twinkle from the stars in my eyes, you are the first snowflake of winter on the tip of my nose, you are the beautiful sight and sound of a babbling brook starting to melt in the first rays of sun in the spring, as I stare at the sky and the universe, I think of all the people in the world god could have given you too, and he gave you to us."
The whimper and ragged breathing emitted by Charlie could be heard by all. She had never known any of this existed or that her father took the time to write it down. David stepped up to the podium and began as his brothers had. "This journal entry is dated on your 10th birthday. It's titled My Sweet Baby Girl.
It
seems like only yesterday with a teardrop in my eye, that you were
born into this world with a whimper and a cry
The days flew by
and turned to weeks, the weeks almost a year, and every time you
learn something new I get that same ol' tear. I guess its cause
you're growing up, but to me it's just too fast. I guess it's just
that I'm afraid you're innocence wont last. But as the years go
stumbling by one thing will remain true, you'll always be my baby
girl no matter what you do."
Charlie didn't think she could handle anymore, but Eric stepped up. "This journal entry is dated on your 15th birthday. It's titled Who Is She.
She's
a soft cool rain on a hot summer's day. She makes me laugh with the
funny things she has to say.
She's the beat of my heart, and the
air that I breathe. She's the sun and the wind, and autumn's golden
leaves.
She's the pride that I feel when I know she's done what's
right. She's that warm feeling I get, when I remember tucking her in
at night.
She is homework and sports, and a busy social life. She
has this beautiful smile that could light the darkest night.
She
is the scared feeling I have when she stays out late. Or the feeling
that I am losing her, when she wants to date.
She's the mixed
emotions I have, as I watch her mature and grow. I tell myself she
will never leave, but, I know in my heart that someday she will go.
I hope the man that steals her heart, will treat her like a
queen. Because she deserves so much more, than a man that treats her
mean.
I will always cherish the wonderful times we have had. The
best part of my life was being her dad.
So now you know who she
is, she's my little girl. I love her with all my heart and I always
will."
The ceremony was delayed for a few minutes as Charlie cried. She stepped away from the altar and went to her brothers. They stood in a circle as they had so many times before, heads bent to the center and touching, hands held tightly. It was silent except for the inaudible whispers coming from the siblings. Randy, John, Dave and Keith all reached into their breast pockets for handkerchiefs. The hardest of hearts and the normally unemotional did not exist in this quiet, quaint little church in Charleston.
As the ceremony resumed Charlie began to change her vows. They simply wouldn't do. The pastor had Randy and Charlie approach the podium where a candle stood on the altar. They recited the Irish Vow of Unity as her hand rested atop his. Randy's hand was shaking, yet hers was calm and steady. She gave his a little squeeze as they lit the candle together. "We swear by peace and love to stand, heart to heart and hand to hand. Hark, O Spirit, and hear us now, confirming this our Sacred Vow."
Randy wasn't sure if he could make it through his vows. He was already losing the battle to control his emotions. "I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you my time and my attention and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting. I promise to love you in good times and bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how, completely and forever."
He couldn't help it. He had to kiss her. He lightly took her chin in his hand and kissed her. A feather's touch, his lips on hers. A stolen moment in time to solidify the words he had spoken. He held the kiss relishing the connection until the pastor whispered they had to continue. Randy had spoken only loud enough for the two of them to hear and Charlie did the same.
"The
vows I take will be forever: I'll love you all my life. There's no
part way, no holding back once we are man and wife. The choice is
made, and now I swim in a far different sea, the shores of which are
bright green hills raised up for you and me. Our love is like a
mountainside, awash in lovely flowers: it is our home, our solid
rock, where all bright things are ours. And though of need we often
must spend our days apart, our love will always be with us,
Held
within the heart. I feel it now, so strong and free, so part of
every breath. That it must live, I swear it
will, even
after death."
Randy took the rings from the six year old ring bearer and placed them on Charlie's finger. As if she had more tears to shed, they flowed yet again. She immediately recognized the rings as her mother's ring and wedding band. Her great, great grandfather had been a jewelry maker and designed and hand crafted the rings himself for his bride. It was a 2 karat princess cut diamond set in platinum and bore the Claddagh symbol on either side. The band was also made of platinum and handcrafted. The band was the Celtic knot with small diamonds on the outer rim. Randy knew how to place the rings on her finger with the hands and heart facing inward.
Charlie took the ring for Randy and noticed it matched hers. It was made of platinum with diamond inset trim. The Celtic knot is embossed on the band and wraps around the band. He told her he had his made in Ireland in the same city hers was made. Handcrafted also. Her brothers had given him the ring shortly after the engagement, Charlie did not know they had the ring much less given it to Randy. They had her father's ring also and that was the model Randy had used for his own. She was shocked to learn he had flown to Ireland himself to work with the craftsman and to pick it up. This day was full of surprises.
After 45 emotional minutes, the pastor let him officially kiss his new wife. It was euphoria to him. The pronouncement of Randy and Charlotte Orton could not have been sweeter. They shared little kisses as they walked back down the aisle and swiftly entered the pastor's chambers to steal a moment alone. He could not stop touching her and alternated from breath-stealing hugs to tender kisses.
Two limousines drove the wedding party and families to the reception. A special horse drawn carriage would be for Randy and Charlie. The reception was only one mile from the church, but the driver said he'd take them around Battery Street before going to the Gibbes Museum of Art for the reception. The guests would double in size for the reception and being New Years Eve the celebration was sure to last into the morning hours. Randy and Charlie enjoyed their first hour alone as husband and wife with the only sound being that of horse hooves.
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Poems by Dan Patton, Donald Watson, EdmundnAnPiechowicz, Kyle J Underwood, Dorothy R. Colgan, Nicholas Golden respectively