An Unexpected Christmas Present Part Two
Everyone in the house was up before the cool winter sun the day after Christmas. Angela grumbled all the while she was getting dressed, she had asked her mother to change the flight to a later time; repeatedly in fact, but her mother had refused, insisting that an earlier flight meant an earlier arrival in Florida; hence more time to enjoy the sunshine. Angela finally gave in by rationalizing to herself that it didn't matter when the flight left; as long as the family was together. Then she made a secret vow to never let her mother plan a trip again.
The flight itself was uneventful; but while gathering their luggage at the airport in Ft. Myers, Florida; Tony turned around to one of the biggest shocks he'd ever had.
"Surprise!" Mrs. Rossini held out her arms to him.
Surprise didn't even begin to describe it; when Mrs. Rossini left the house yesterday Tony hadn't expected to see her until some time in 1992.
"Mrs. Rossini, what are you doing here?" he asked, trying to understand her presence in Florida.
She hugged him. Tony was glad to see her, but still confused.
"Let's move this conversation somewhere a little more secluded, shall we?" Mona suggested, setting her trap.
Both Tony and Angela were starting to get a bad feeling about this.
The group moved themselves and all of their luggage into a quiet corner.
"Mrs. Rossini, no one told me you were coming along," Tony looked at Mona for her failure in communication. She looked back at him with the most angelic, innocent face; causing Tony to start wondering about what she might have up her sleeve. Something wasn't adding up; Mona inviting Mrs. Rossini along was strange enough; but Mona inviting Mrs. Rossini and not telling him was a puzzle he didn't have time to figure out because Mrs. Rossini was saying something, he turned his attention back to her.
"...didn't think I'd miss your wedding, did you?" she said nonchalantly.
"Wedding? What wedding?" He tried to process what he thought he heard Mrs. Rossini say. He thought he heard her say, "your wedding," but she couldn't have, could she? Tony was flummoxed. He stared at Mrs. Rossini, hoping to prompt her to elaborate. As he did so he missed not only seeing the smug look Mona's face, but the matching smug expressions on Jonathan and Samantha's faces as well.
Mrs. Rossini crossed her arms and waited patiently for Tony and Angela to come to their senses.
Angela saw the self-satisfied expressions and the bad feeling she felt before now grew even darker. She suddenly felt as though she had dropped down a rabbit hole and the whole world was spinning. Desperate measures were called for, "Tony, is there something you haven't told me?" Angela asked, belatedly realizing she probably should have said something like, "I didn't know you were even dating anyone, Tony." Too late now, though; and no matter what she could have said as a cover, no member of the "Enough is Enough Club" would have bought it anyway.
"I don't know anything about a wedding, Angela," Tony looked at her and answered, honestly enough.
"I do," Mona answered firmly, "and you two had better brush up on those words."
Angela looked at her mother, Mrs. Rossini, and the kids; they all had very determined looks on their faces, but that didn't stop her from questioning, "what are you talking about, Mother?"
"Drop it, blondie; it's a fun little game the six of us have been playing for the past few months, but it's time you two lived up to your parental responsibilities," for emphasis she over-dramatically brought her hand to her head, then moved to stand in between Sam and Jonathan. Putting an arm around each of them and pulling them close, she said, "will no one think of the children!" It must be said that Sam and Jonathan played their parts to perfection as well, looking as much like lost waifs as they could.
Angela crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "you're a fine one to lecture us about responsibility."
Mona shrugged and smiled.
"All the arrangements are made," Mrs. Rossini said.
"Arrangements for what?" Tony asked.
"Your wedding," she repeated, wondering how many times she'd have to say it before it sunk in.
"My wedding?" Tony was trying to act confused, he didn't have to work hard at it because he truly was confused. He was starting to comprehend something about a wedding; his wedding, but he was also still trying to grasp on to any hope that the jig was not up. Their wedding was planned? Did Angela tell Mona about their secret engagement? He looked at his fiancée; she looked just as shocked as he was, so it wasn't likely she'd let Mona in on the secret. Who was he kidding? If Angela had told her mother she was engaged to him, Mona would have taken out a full-page ad in "The New York Times;" in addition to the two-story billboard in Times Square she would have rented to announce the news. So Angela was just as in the dark about this wedding talk as he was; or else she was in on it too and putting on a really good show for him.
Angela spoke up, "what wedding? Who's getting married?"
"Don't try to be coy, Angela," her mother dismissed.
Angela was about to say, "Tony and I don't have any plans to be married," but a certain ring in a certain hiding place reminded her that they did have some plans; or at least an agreement, if no actual plans. Instead she said, "you're being absurd. You can't plan a wedding for two people without them even knowing about it."
"And yet, I did."
"This is ridiculous, I'm getting back on the plane and going home."
Tony had to reassess his earlier thought, Angela definitely wasn't in on these plans.
Angela could protest and protest, it wasn't going to bother Mona at all. "And miss all this Florida sunshine? I've planned you two a beautiful sunset wedding on a beach of Sanibel Island tonight."
"Tonight?" Tony and Angela both said together, which only sealed their fate as far as Mona was concerned.
When Angela woke up this morning she had no idea a wedding was in store for her later in the day. She gathered her wits, trying to formulate some sort of counter attack; but her wits betrayed her, for all they did was point out to her was that a wedding today would save her from having to plan anything, and would be very romantic. She cleared her head, vowing that no matter what, she was not getting married today; if for no other reason than the fact that she did not want to give her mother the satisfaction of gloating.
"Enough. I don't know what put this idea into your head, but you've made plans that are going to have to be canceled, I hope you can get your deposits back."
"I hope so too, dear; since I made them all on your credit cards."
"Of course," Angela acknowledged resignedly.
"It's simple, Angela; you and Tony get married and you don't have to worry about losing any of your deposit money."
Denial, denial, denial was their only option at this point. "Where did you ever get the idea that Tony and I want to be married?"
Mona thought her daughter's attempt at denial was cute, if that was the tack she wanted to take, fine; she could deal with that, she very bluntly said, "face it, you're busted. We've known about you two for months," she mimicked Angela, "Tony grew up in Brooklyn, I'm sure he can handle the mean streets of Connecticut."
Angela did her best to not laugh, she even bit the inside of her cheek, but couldn't contain herself. She started out with a little giggle, then had to put her hand over her face and turn away as the giggle turned to laughter. Tony watched her with affection.
The other four members of the party watched them and wondered who they were trying to kid. If Angela's reaction hadn't been enough, the stars in their eyes were an even better confirmation of the truth. Tony and Angela eventually noticed the eyes of their family members were on them by their silence.
"Stop staring, we haven't confirmed anything," Angela grasped at that straw. The "we" was a mistake that created a glint in her mother's eyes.
"Angela, daughter of mine, we saw the diamond necklace you were wearing yesterday morning."
Angela blushed and turned to Tony. Tony smiled at her. They both started laughing.
"Do you think Tony and I could have a say in this?" Angela asked, although the question was pointless.
"No," was Mona's short, sweet and final answer.
Angela crossed her arms; her mother was not going to bully her into a wedding. She turned to Tony, "you're being awfully quiet for someone whose life is being turned upside down. How do you feel about being coerced into a wedding?"
Tony stepped closer to her, "They aren't exactly coercing us, Angela."
"They aren't? We must have different definitions of 'coerce'."
"Angela, this saves us from the hassles of wedding planning." He would have to point out the same practicality, wouldn't he? Tony pointed out more practicalities, "no matter when this wedding takes place my responsibilities as a groom are clearly outlined: one: show up. I'm here without even knowing I had to be here. Two: have the rings. "I'm guessing Mona has taken care of that as well," he looked at her, she nodded, "three: say, 'I do,' I think I can manage to say the words again at the appropriate time; and I'll even throw in a fourth: look good in a tux." Angela wasn't going to argue with the fact that he certainly had that covered, still she felt a little let down that he wasn't backing her up on objecting to this ambush.
"That's a good future son-in-law," Mona cooed, somehow making herself sound like a chocolate chip cookie baking, bootie knitting, "Wheel Of Fortune" watching grandmother; albeit a slightly sarcastic one.
Angela eyes were getting a workout today from all the rolling they were doing toward her mother.
Tony chuckled then said, "they used the time we have been playing the, 'we know they know, but let's pretend we don't know they know' game well; and I'm impressed that they have pulled off this wedding surprise brilliantly," he added with a nod to Mona.
"Thank you," Mona preened, seeing that Tony was on her side, she continued, "Angela, you have no reason not to go through with this."
"There are plenty of reasons. I still can't believe this, you planned a wedding; a wedding, not a birthday party or any other celebration. A wedding affects our lives; for the rest of our lives, it's not something to jump into without any thought."
"You've had seven years to think about it, that's long enough."
Angela was flabbergasted, "you can't be serious..."
"Don't tell me you're going to take another seven years to think about it. If you two hadn't been so stubborn you could have been married years ago," Mona's patience was wearing thin, "we have a car and driver waiting outside to help us finish the necessary errands."
Angela's head was spinning again, this was all too much, she wasn't thinking clearly when she muttered, "but I always wanted to get married at the house."
"You did?" Tony said, obviously they hadn't discussed this at all.
"Well, sure, the house means so much to us," Angela answered.
"Save it for your vow renewal," her mother suggested, but it wasn't really a suggestion. Tony and Angela were not getting out of this wedding no matter what excuse Angela came up with.
That seemed like a good compromise to Angela; not that she would admit it to her mother, "but what about all the people we'd want to share this with? Did you fly all of them down too?" She hoped not, she feared her credit card bill if her mother had taken that step.
"Relax, I've booked the Mystic Room at the club for a reception next month." So Angela's credit card wasn't going to be happy anyway.
"We can't get married, we don't even have a license," Angela thought she had her mother with that one.
"A quick stop at the clerk's office will fix that."
"You've really thought of everything, haven't you?"
"Yes."
Angela always knew it was a mistake to let her mother take care of all the arrangements for this trip, now she knew why she was so uneasy about it. "But I've been designing a special wedding band," this was true and Angela's last chance at protest, feeble though it was.
"What do you mean you've been designing a wedding band?" Sam asked, "to go with what?" After all, Angela didn't have an engagement ring; it was something the "Enough Is Enough Club" had discussed when planning this wedding, finally deciding the wedding was more important than a diamond. They reasoned that Tony and Angela could always go engagement ring shopping after they were married, it would just be another quirky aspect of their relationship.
"My engagement ring, of course."
The silence that greeted that remark made Angela realize that maybe they'd been playing a game with their family for too long. She and Tony had been so wrapped up in each other, they hadn't even thought to talk about when to include the other members of the family in their joy until recently. Angela was suddenly chastised into acknowledging that this may have been a mistake.
Sam finally broke the stunned silence, "what engagement ring?" she asked, her voice hard and angry.
Angela swallowed and looked at Tony.
Mona stepped in, "I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised...," she had no idea her daughter could be so devious.
But Samantha wouldn't Mona finish her thought, "that's it! That's what was different about you two last month," she'd been trying to figure it out since that Sunday dinner; at least she finally had the answer. This answer, however, proved to be a catalyst for hurt, "you mean you've been engaged for over a month and you didn't tell us? Sam was full blown angry at this point. Jonathan joined Sam in her anger. His Mom and Tony; engaged, he lived under the same roof and even he didn't know. Mrs. Rossini wasn't happy that they'd kept this news to themselves, but she did admire their being able to keep it a secret.
"Sam...," her father started; but she wouldn't let him say anything else. What could he possibly say to make up for this? She crossed her arms and shook her head.
"Well played, you two, well played." Mona said.
"What are you talking about, Mona?" Sam demanded, "they've been lying to us for months."
"Sam, come on, we all knew the truth of their relationship," Mona pointed out. Sam smirked, technically speaking Mona was correct, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it; it also didn't mean she had to excuse her Dad and Angela for keeping their engagement a secret. Engaged! They'd been engaged for over a month and they hadn't bothered to tell them. It stung.
"So when were you planning on telling us this minor little detail of your lives? I mean it's not like it affects us or anything." Sam was turning downright petulant; there was only one person who could deal with her at this point: Tony.
"You watch that attitude Samantha Grace Micelli," Tony warned. Sam looked abashed. "My relationship with Angela is something we have worked on for years, if we weren't ready to share the details, I'm sorry, but you'll have to accept that." Sam wasn't happy to be rebuked; but accepted her father's words, what else could she do?
"I'm sorry, Sam," Angela reached out to her, Sam took her outstretched hand, but Angela could still see the hurt in her eyes; "Sam, I always hoped that if your father and I ever did...consider being married," she still wasn't going to acquiesce to her mother, "...that you would be my maid of honor."
Sam lit up; Tony was glad to see this instantaneous change in his daughter.
"So glad you agree with that idea Angela, because we already purchased a great dress for the occasion," Mona advised.
Angela let go of Sam's hand and starting rubbing her temple to ward off the headache that was suddenly threatening to form, "did you buy me a wedding dress as well?"
"Of course."
Angela shut her eyes and shook her head. Why did she even ask?
"And we have the perfect best man, right here," she put her arm around Jonathan, he smiled.
"I promise not to throw up on your shoes, Mom."
Angela smiled and kissed her son on the cheek. Tony smiled, as far as he was concerned this was a perfectly planned wedding; it didn't really matter where it took place, they had the people they needed the most, and that was all that was really important.
"So you see, everything is all set. I will even gladly walk you down the aisle and give you away." She emphasized the last three words with a sardonic tone; but was inwardly eager for this long awaited wedding to take place and was very much looking forward to that walk and placing Angela's hand on Tony's, where it belonged.
In her unexpressed thoughts, Angela had to hand it to her mother, she really did plan the perfect wedding. She looked at Tony, again wondering what his thoughts on this situation were. He looked at her placidly.
"It's past time for you two to be married, years past," Mrs. Rossini added.
"Married," Angela whispered and looked for a place to sit down. She finally spotted a bench near the wall, she walked over the to bench in a daze and didn't sit so much as she dropped onto the seat like a rag doll.
Tony knew this couldn't be good. He followed her over, as did the rest of the family, albeit a few steps behind their leader.
"Angela, honey, what's the matter?" he said as he gently took her hand and kneeled in front of her.
If the rest of the family hadn't been so concerned about Angela's current state of being they would have rejoiced, for this was the first time any of them had heard either one of them use a term of endearment. As it was, celebration would have to wait as they carefully formed a semi-circle around Tony and Angela, shielding them from the rest of the airport travelers in a combination wall of people and luggage.
"Married," Angela said as though the word was completely foreign to her. She whispered it again, "married," turning the word over in her mind, looking for nuances, trying to comprehend its full meaning.
"We have talked about it before," he carefully reminded her. He was searching her eyes, looking for any spark of the woman he knew was in there. This current version of her was distant and worrisome.
"Can't..." she shook her head, her breathing was becoming uneven.
"Angela, slow down, you're close to hyperventilating. Relax."
"Can't..." she gasped.
"Can't what, Angela?" he held her hand a little more tightly, trying to give her strength.
"Can't...get...married...again."
He looked at her with great compassion, "stay with me, keep breathing," he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, which calmed her down. He gave her a few moments to get her breathing under control, then asked, "why can't we get married? You seemed to like the idea last month."
Angela put a hand over her heart, covering her hidden engagement ring. Last month suddenly seemed like a century ago. Desperately she gripped Tony's hand, she was close to hurting him, "Tony, it was part of the fun a month ago."
"So you didn't mean it when you said yes?"
"Yes...no...wait...I meant it...it's just that...there's a difference between being engaged and being married." She'd managed to say something coherent; obvious, but coherent; it was an improvement. "Tony, last month being married was an abstract concept. We were caught up in the fun and the romance. Now, marriage is...not abstract," so she wasn't completely back, "it's a cold, hard fact to be confronted."
"Angela, you don't have to be combative with it."
She was starting to lose any control she had left, "I can't do this again."
Tony moved to sit next to her on the bench, he put his arms around her, hugging her tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes tightly shut, clinging to him. Sam's internal reaction was, "wow," she could see so much love. They were so comfortable with each other, she was seeing an aspect of their relationship that they had been hiding, and she liked the way it looked on them.
Tony was talking softly to Angela, "you know I love you."
"I love you too," she said into his shoulder, then pulled away in tears, "Tony, I'm sorry," in her mind, it was over; there'd be no wedding, no happily ever after for them. She tried to stand up, run away from him, but he wouldn't let her go.
"Angela, stay and talk to me, we can work this out."
"There's nothing to say Tony, we've tried everything."
"And it's worked pretty well, I thought we were happy. I know I was happy. Why are you balking now?"
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me, please," he implored.
"I failed."
He still didn't understand.
She saw that he didn't, "I'm a failure at marriage; I can't risk it again. I can't risk losing you."
Tony was unsure how to proceed, if she was breaking off their engagement then they would lose each other. At least that's what it should mean. Or did she mean that they would continue as they had been and never discuss marriage again? He couldn't believe this was happening. Just this morning on the plane Angela was happy; sleepy, but happy. Now she had gone through the looking-glass and was in some sort of alternate reality where irrationality reigned.
"Tony, I'm sorry," a despondent Angela cried, "I can't go through with this. Maybe...maybe...we could just keep things the way they've been."
"Angela, I love you."
"I love you too; but love doesn't conquer all and who knows what could happen in the future?"
Mona took the pressure off Tony, "Angela, no one know what the future holds. You're over complicating this. You love Tony, you have for years. He loves you, he has for years. What do you think is going to happen to tear you two apart?"
"I don't know, Mother," she tried to come up with something, anything to deflect her mother, "maybe we'll grow apart...look what happened with Michael; maybe...maybe Tony will get a job that will take him away too."
Mona was in no mood to be trifled with, it was time to put her foot down, "Enough Angela. Your relationship with Tony is not a repeat of your relationship with Michael. Tony is not Michael; thank goodness, and you are not the same person you were. For years you have tried to hide from the truth; why, I have absolutely no idea. I tolerated your excuses for years. No more. There are no guarantees in life. You have the chance for a great relationship, you've been happier the past three months than ever before. You can continue that or you can run back home, throw yourself into your work and bar the door against love, but that's no way to live. Nor do I care to console you for the rest of your life, and that's what I would be doing if you ran out now. Leaving Tony at the altar would be the biggest mistake of your life; you'd regret it forever."
Angela was still scared, terrified really; but her mother's words and more importantly, attitude, put things into perspective. She looked at Tony, "aren't you scared?"
"I'm more scared of not having you in my life."
The change in Angela was instantaneous; gone was the fear, leaving only love, "oh, Tony," she sighed as she melted into his arms and kissed him.
"Now that's more like it," Mona noted.
"Wow," Samantha finally voiced.
Mrs. Rossini pulled out a tissue. Jonathan looked around, hoping no one was looking at his mother kissing her boyfriend in the baggage claim. Angela finally stopped embarrassing her son and tried to pull herself together. Everyone handed her a tissue, which made her laugh. She gratefully took the tissues and dried her eyes. Then she looked at Tony, "So, are you ok with this surprise wedding?"
"Well, they did go to all this trouble, I'd hate to disappoint them. Didn't have any other plans for the evening anyway."
"Oh, I thought you did?" Angela said very suggestively.
A corner of his mouth turned up and his eyes glinted, "well, no plans other than plans that don't compliment a wedding, that is." Angela's grin matched his as she stole a quick kiss.
Samantha's jaw dropped, she hadn't seen such open flirtation by them in...well, ever.
"Hallelujah," Mona exclaimed, "can we go now? We have a million things to do, and don't you want to see your wedding dress?"
Angela smiled changed as she realized that she very much wanted to see her wedding dress, she rose from the bench, holding Tony's hand and pulling him up with her. They made their way to the waiting car to complete Mona's agenda for the day.
Having completed their tasks, the wedding party arrived at the hotel to dress for the occasion. The men were sequestered in one room while the women had a suite which they turned into their own private beauty salon. Mona had arranged for everything; make-up artist, hairstylist, photographer, but most importantly, a little bit of bubbly to toast the day. The women's dressing room was definitely a party where chatter and laughter reigned.
Angela was seated in front of a mirror, the make up artist completing her work. This gave Angela a few moments to reflect on the events of the day. Her fears had turned to giddiness as it was finally dawning on her that she no longer had to smother her feelings for Tony. The past few months had been fun, but there had also been a price they'd paid, one she hadn't realized until now. By keeping their romance a 'secret', she'd had to continue to repress the truth. She'd never even realized that had been a problem as repression was a constant way of life for her for years. Now that everything was finally out in the open she saw that happiness shared with the rest of her family was even better than a happiness shared between only two. She could see it in the eyes of everyone in the room, they all radiated joy. She sighed as she sat there, basking in the glow of love.
More champagne was passed around the room.
"Oh, look at the beautiful bride to be!" Mrs. Rossini said.
Angela blushed, "thank you, Mrs. Rossini."
"It's true, Angela; you've got a major bride vibe going on," Sam said, "Jonathan and I used to talk about you two getting married, but we gave up on it a while ago."
"You did? Why?"
"Why did we talk about it; or why did we give up on it?"
"Both."
"Well, we talked about it because we both wanted it and we used to try and figure out why you two couldn't see the obvious, or if you could why you weren't doing anything about it. Then we gave up on it because after years and years and years of waiting we figured it just wasn't going to happen; but we're glad it finally did happen."
Angela beamed at her, "me too."
The make up was done and now the hairstylist set to work on Angela's hair, she asked Angela if she wanted her hair up or down for the wedding.
"Up, my hair has to be up," she answered overly eagerly, then sheepishly smiled, hoping no one would notice her enthusiasm.
"Any particular reason, Angela?" her mother inquired, wanting full details.
So much for hoping no one would notice.
"Don't want it blowing around on the beach."
"Uh huh. What's the real reason?"
How did her mother always know? Exasperated, Angela answered, "Tony likes it up, ok?" She left out the fact that Tony used the word 'sexy', but she did blush at the memory; which was duly noted by her mother.
"I'm sure he does, it does show off your neck."
"Mother!"
"Angela, you are marrying him soon." At the word 'marry', Angela's eyes went out of focus as she mouthed the word, 'marry', then she giggled.
"Earth to Angela?"
"What is it, Mother?"
"Oh good, you are still with us. Here," Mona pulled a box out of her purse and gave it to her daughter.
Angela opened the box and sighed, "great-grandmother's silver comb. Oh, mother; you've been raiding my jewelry box."
"Of course dear, what kind of mother would I be if I didn't?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, and this time I don't even have to feign approval of the groom."
Angela gave her a quick glare, "you didn't feign all that well before." Mona shrugged innocently as Angela moved out of the chair to hug her mother. She sat back down and handed the comb to the hairstylist to be worked in.
The photographer kept taking pictures as preparations continued. After a while the hair stylist and make up artist finished their work with the women. They wished Angela well and left the party. The photographer completed this phase of his work and left to make sure there would be some pictures of the men in this bridal album.
After they were left alone Sam gushed, "Angela, I've been going crazy all afternoon; can I please see your engagement ring?" The wedding preparations had gone a long way in helping Sam to forgive Angela and her dad for their engagement deception.
Angela grinned as she pulled on the chain that connected the ring to her bra strap. She unfastened the chain and showed the ring to everyone.
"Oh, Angela, it's beautiful," Sam sighed.
Angela was indulging in the bliss of finally being able to show off her engagement ring. She put it on her finger and gazed at it.
"Very nice," Mona pronounced.
Mrs. Rossini said, "it's gorgeous."
"Thanks," Angela answered absently, her mind more on the ring and Tony than anything else. Her complete lack of attention to everyone else in the room was duly noted by silent looks between the three women.
"Where have you been hiding your new necklace?" Mona interrupted her reverie.
Angela smirked as she reached for her purse and pulled out the box containing her Christmas present. The rest of the women crowded in to see it close up, especially Mrs. Rossini who missed her chance to see it yesterday.
Angela put the necklace on, but somehow it was more fun when Tony did that for her.
Mona approved of the necklace as well, "he's been taking notes from being around me for so long."
"I'm sure that must be it, Mother."
Angela went back to gazing at her engagement ring, and realized something, "Mother, would you be hurt if I didn't use the wedding band you've provided for the ceremony?"
Mona didn't understand, "of course not Angela, but what are you going to use instead?"
She glanced again at her hand, "this ring, of course."
"Honey, that's your engagement ring, not a wedding band."
Angela managed to pull her attention away from her hand long enough to glare at her mother, "funny," then added, "I want to use the ring we are designing as my wedding band."
"Do you have it with you?" Mona wondered where she might be hiding that piece of jewelry.
"No, it's only in the planning stages; but I don't want to use another ring because I'd never want to take it off. If I use my engagement ring as a wedding band, I don't have to worry about it."
Mona knew the fine art of keeping the bride happy, "of course, Angela, whatever you want."
"What's the wedding ring going to look like, Angela?" Sam asked, not realizing that she was giving Angela license to gush.
Angela's eyes lit up even more as she described her ring, "it's a ring that will link with this one. The gold will curve around the diamond, capturing it, then swoop out in front, banking a little to create height, then come around to touch the gold on the other side of the diamond; but the best part is that there will be space for three diamonds in front of the engagement diamond. That diamond is my Tony diamond, the smaller diamonds are my Mother, Sam and Jonathan diamonds."
"Sounds beautiful, Angela," Sam declared.
"It will be. We only started talking to the jeweler a couple of weeks ago; there didn't seem to be a hurry, after all we hadn't even set a date."
"For an engaged couple you certainly didn't discuss the wedding much, but I am sure you were too busy discussing other things," her mother quipped.
Angela decided to ignore her mother's tease and addressed the mention of the wedding, "It seemed so far out in the future."
"Funny how the future becomes the present so quickly."
"To the present," Angela toasted, they clinked glasses.
In the room where the men were dressing, Jonathan and Tony were taking their time. They could afford to, they knew that four women took twenty times as long to get ready as two men did. They discussed the details of the wedding while they waited.
"Can't believe the four of you pulled this off. How long have you been planning this?"
"Since October."
"That soon after we started dating?"
"Soon? Tony, it's been seven years. Grandma didn't want to put up with you two delaying anymore. I made a joke about a surprise wedding last summer, I didn't know she was going to run with the idea. I didn't know there was any idea to run with. But this is grandma, and she was determined to make this wedding happen, trust me there was no stopping her."
Tony had no doubt about that.
The photographer arrived to document the men in the party.
A few minutes later a knock on the door announced Sam, telling her father of Angela's decision with the ring and delivering said ring to the best man. She stayed and watched as her father and Jonathan posed in every style from serious to silly. Sam joined in the picture-taking too which would produce one of Tony's favorite photos from the wedding. In it he proudly had one arm around Sam and the other around Jonathan. The photographer soon left to position himself on the beach.
"Dad, this is so cool," Sam said when the three of them were alone.
"I'm glad you approve, honey."
"There was never a time I didn't approve, Dad."
"Thanks, sweetheart."
"Tony, It's really good that you and mom are finally getting married."
"I'm glad you approve too, Jonathan."
"'Course I approve, who else is better for mom?"
"Thanks, kiddo."
There was another knock on the door, Mona opened the door and asked, "hey kid, how long does it take to deliver a ring?"
"Sorry, Mona, we got caught up in picture-taking."
"Well come on, will ya; it's time."
Sam literally jumped for joy. She hugged and kissed her father and ran out of the room.
"Tony," Jonathan started.
"Yeah?"
"I just wanted you to know that...it's been good having you around; I mean you make mom really happy and all that. So, um, thanks for making her happy and for...everything."
Tony knew Jonathan was talking about more than his mother, "Jonathan, remember what I said all those years ago; we were best buddies then, and now you're my best man. It's been a great journey."
"It has."
They hugged, as they let go Tony said, "come on, it's time for your mother to make an honest man out of me."
Jonathan laughed as they went down to take their places on the beach.
Sam and Mrs. Rossini went to the lobby of the hotel, leaving Mona alone with her daughter. Mona took the moment to say a few words to her daughter, "Angela, don't get all sappy on me..."
Angela looked at her mother questioningly, to her it seemed that her mother was the one crossing over into Sappyland; but she didn't say anything and let her mother speak.
"Angela, I want you to know...that I'm happy about this wedding, and not just because I planned it. Tony has always been good for you; even better than I had hoped when I met him; and mind you, I had very high hopes for him. If you and Tony are only half as happy as your father and I were, then you will be blissfully happy. I've waited so long for this day..."
"Haven't we all?"
Mona laughed, "Angela, I never would have expected a joke from you right now."
Angela shrugged, "I don't know if it was a joke or a statement of truth; both probably."
"Come on, let's go get you married off before you surprise me any more."
"Mother wait," she hugged her, "thank you."
Mona smiled, and tried to hide the tears that had suddenly formed, she didn't quite succeed, but Angela wasn't going to mention it. They made their way downstairs to meet up with Sam and Mrs. Rossini, then walked outside together.
When Mona said a sunset wedding, she meant a sunset wedding. As the women walked from the hotel to the beach Angela absorbed the beauty around her, wanting to savor every moment of this and pressing the experience into the most prominent pages of her memories. Angela looked out over the beach, the Florida sunset was exceeding its well deserved reputation for magnificence.
The warm glow of the sun cast its beams through the clouds, creating streams of glistening light in the spaces between the clouds. The clouds themselves were a patchwork of swirling pastels. The vivid yellows, oranges and salmons nearest the setting sun melted into soft pinks and peaches as the setting sun kissed the water. The clouds farthest from the sun were tufts of gray-violet set against the backdrop of cerulean sky mirrored against the dark blue of the water. Sunlight glittered against the water, the gentle waves breaking up the solid beams to create the effect of millions of crystals floating across the water. Angela was entranced by the beauty, she could not have asked for a more perfect wedding site.
Mona wasn't going to let the romance of the location distract her from her schedule; she firmly, and elatedly, guided her daughter toward the beach. Angela noticed three people on the beach waiting for them; Tony, Jonathan and the officiant. Tony and Jonathan's tuxes were accented with pink rose boutonnieres. Angela felt herself fall a little more in love, which surprised her because she didn't think that was possible; but the combination of Tony, their family, their wedding and the location had combined to set free the vestiges of repressed love that even Angela didn't know were there. It was a toss up as to which beamed more; Angela or the setting sun.
Tony gave Jonathan a little nudge and he left to escort Mrs. Rossini down the beach, the wedding photographer tried to take pictures, but as Mrs. Rossini felt like a wreck from having cried so much she avoided the camera as best she could. When they reached the place for the wedding, Jonathan gave Mrs. Rossini a fresh package of tissues. She patted his cheek and said, "you're a good boy, Jonathan." He smiled and resumed his place next to Tony.
They all looked to see Samantha walking toward them, which only set Mrs. Rossini crying again. She was trying to hold it in, really she was; but having seen both Tony and Sam through so much pain, seeing them so happy was beyond any dream come true for her.
Sam walked down the sand, radiant from head to toe. She was wearing a soft pink tea length dress with a sweetheart neckline and a cute bolero jacket. In her hands she carried a small bouquet of cream-colored roses. Tony watched her, prouder than he had ever been; here was his little girl embodying all his dreams come true for her. She was confident and capable; but more than anything he admired her strength in being able to build a relationship with Angela. If Sam had not been able to accept Angela into her life, this wedding would not be taking place. Fortunately their relationship had been solidified years ago; today would be the icing on that cake, but that didn't stop him from being grateful that Sam approved of his choice and was supporting him as they started a new chapter in their life together. Tony was beyond glad that this was a step the whole family was taking together.
Samantha reached her father, she paused to hug and kiss him, then wiped the lipstick off his cheek. As she stepped away he said, "you look beautiful." Sam smiled at her father as she took her maid of honor place. Angela watched from the distance and sniffled.
"Don't you start," Mona warned, "there aren't enough tissues on the island to deal with that."
"Sorry," Angela answered, recovering her composure.
All eyes turned to Angela and Mona, they walked down the beach, the sound of the waves lapping against the shore the only soundtrack they needed as they neared the rest of the family. The photographer snapped picture after picture, but Angela barely noticed him as her attention was on one person and one person only. Her entire being emanated love. Tony watched her as the sunlight reflected off her, a pale glow in comparison to the way Angela was glowing. She was wearing an ankle length scoop necked sleeveless cream colored gown; its 1930's inspiration gave the dress a sleek silhouette, several godets at the hem added a dramatic flair. A matching tailored blazer kept the chill of the gulf breezes away. She carried a bouquet of pink roses, and was grateful to have her mother and the roses to hold onto because she wasn't quite steady on her own.
Mona was beaming. She took Angela's hand, Tony held his hand out close to hers. Mona firmly placed Angela's hand in his, he closed his hand around it; thus creating one of the most satisfying moments of Mona's life.
She kissed her daughter's cheek, "I love you, Angela," then she kissed Tony on the cheek and told him she loved him too. She literally had to bite her tongue to keep from saying the next words she so desperately wanted to say, which were, "don't mess this up." She wanted it to be a joke, a way to cut through the treacle, but it had taken so much to get Angela down the aisle that she didn't want to put any doubt in her daughter's mind.
Tony and Angela looked at each other, and tried to clasp their other hands together too; it was at this point that Angela remembered she was still carrying her bouquet. They both laughed a small 'oops' laugh, then Angela turned to hand her bouquet to Sam, who was now reveling in her maid of honor role; this was even better than she had ever imagined.
Mona took a step back to stand next to Mrs. Rossini. They had decided against chairs as it seemed a little silly to have one guest seated for the bride and one for the groom. They also reasoned that they would have a much better view of the wedding if they stood. Mona took it all in, relieved that all her secret planning had come together; but was even more happy that she'd finally heaved those two in front of a preacher. "Hallelujah," she thought, "it was about time."
As for Tony and Angela; they were quickly forgetting anyone else was even there, so lost in each other's eyes were they. Sam looked on from her appointed place next to Angela and sighed. Mrs. Rossini cried some more. Jonathan thought his mom looked really happy, and also thought it was wonderful symmetry that he was standing next to Tony while Sam was standing next to his mom. He caught Sam's eye and smiled; she beamed back, which only made him smile more.
"Dearly beloved," minister Brogan started,
Mrs. Rossini sobbed again.
"we are gathered here today to unite this man and this woman in the bonds of matrimony. If there is anyone who can show just cause for them not to be wed, let them speak now..."
"Trust me, nobody objects. Move it along," Mona prompted.
Angela shook her head and smiled more at Tony. He laughed. The world slipped away as they concentrated solely on each other.
Minister Brogan moved along, "we stand here where the earth meets the sea, at the time when the sun bows to the moon. Without the sun the moon cannot shine, without the moon the sun has no partner with whom to share its light. Without water the earth is arid and desolate, without the earth water is formless and searching. The lessons of partnership are imparted by many teachers, the elements teach us that two working together are stronger than one. When we embody this lesson to create partnership in our own lives we too are strengthened. Our lives will also reflect the glow of companionship, the comfort of steadfast friendship, the tenderness of a healing touch, and the stalwart support to carry cherished hopes from dream to reality. Today we gather to celebrate the marriage between two people who embody these traits for each other; from talking with the mother of the bride, this day has been long-awaited. Very long-awaited."
This produced a moment laughter for the bridal party, not enough to be disrespectful, just enough to keep the participants from being overly emotional. Angela even took a second to glance at her mother who did her best to look innocent. She quickly turned her attention back to Tony and they looked at the minister.
Angela gripped Tony's hands to keep herself from being completely overcome with emotion; he squeezed back as best he could considering how tightly Angela was holding him. She looked around at her beloved family members and hope they saw the gratitude in her eyes. She was beyond words and couldn't even try to speak.
"Do you Anthony, take Angela to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love, honor, cherish, comfort and keep her until death do you part?"
Tony barely realized there was anyone else on the planet when he looked into Angela's eyes and said, "I do."
They held each other's hands even more tightly.
"Do you Angela, take Anthony to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love, honor, cherish, comfort and keep him, until death do you part?
"I do," her face illumined by so much love that the sun was dim by comparison.
"I'd normally ask you to hold hands at this point, but since you already are, we will proceed."
Tony and Angela's smiles grew even wider.
"Anthony, repeat after me, 'I, Anthony, take thee Angela to be my wife..."
"I, Anthony, take thee Angela to be my wife,"
"To have and to hold from this day forward..."
"To have and to hold from this day forward,"
"For better, for worse; for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health..."
"For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health,"
"To love and to cherish, forsaking all others, 'til death us do part."
"To love and to cherish, forsaking all others, 'til death us do part."
Angela was trying to hold back the tears, but they were threatening to fall. Fortunately her mother noticed this and came to her rescue by dabbing her eyes with a tissue, leaving Angela free to keep holding on to Tony. She smiled her gratitude to her mother.
"Angela, repeat after me; I, Angela, take thee Anthony to be my husband..."
"I, Angela, take thee Anthony to be my husband,"
"To have and to hold from this day forward..."
"To have and to hold from this day forward,"
"For better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health..."
"For better, for worse; for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health,"
"To love and to cherish, forsaking all others, 'til death us do part..."
"To love and to cherish, forsaking all others, 'til death us do part."
The officiant looked to Jonathan, "the rings please."
Jonathan stepped forward, proud to be part of this long-awaited event. He gave the rings to the minister who held them and said, "the rings symbolize the vows you have given to each other. Anthony, please take the ring and place it on your beloved's finger." Minister Brogan noticed a slight problem and whispered, "I'm sorry, but you will have to let go of each other for just a moment or two."
Angela blushed shyly and let go of Tony just a little. He smiled.
The minister then told Tony the words to say. He looked his bride in the eye as he repeated, "Angela, I give you this ring as a reminder of my love and commitment. With this ring, I thee wed."
As he slipped the ring on, Angela couldn't stop a sharp intake of breath; even though Tony had placed this very same ring on her finger just over a month ago, this time the ring held greater promise and a stronger commitment. As his hand touched hers again the full force of one word hit her: married. She and Tony were on the verge of being married. Even though they'd said the words it didn't feel real until that moment.
Tony's ring was handed to Angela; she didn't need the officiant to repeat the words; she slid the ring on Tony's finger and said, "I give you this ring as a reminder of my love and commitment. With this ring, I thee wed."
They clasped hands again so quickly even the minister was surprised by the speed. Never before had he seen a couple so good at saying a non verbal, "I love you." It was time to wrap up this ceremony, "having thus pledged yourselves each to the other, I do now, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the state of Florida, pronounce you to be husband and wife. Your family has requested to say a few words." Tony and Angela curiously looked around as their beloved family all said together, "will you please kiss the bride!" Tony and Angela shared a short laugh, then set to fulfilling their family's wish.
After an extensive kiss which ended with Tony and Angela still gazing at each other as no one else existed, the minister finally felt the time was right to say, "ladies and gentleman may I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Micelli."
Minister Brogan had been through many ceremonies in his life, but he had never seen one end quite like this, for instead of letting the newly married couple walk away to start their new life together, the whole family, simultaneously, closed in around the happy couple in a spontaneous group hug. The photographer snapped pictures from every angle. Angela was sure she had never been so happy as she could feel the love of her whole family enveloping her. She looked in to Tony's eyes and saw that he felt the same way. It shouldn't have been such a surprise, after all, they were a very loving household.
The group loosened their grip on each other just a little, Sam returned Angela's bouquet to her; and the family posed for more pictures on the beach before walking back to the hotel en masse for final pictures and the wedding reception.