41
I woke up to the sun again and it felt wonderful. I sat up slowly and looked around to see if anything changed in my room. Everything was the same. I slowly lifted my pillow to see my gun still there. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in." I said in a tired tone and my mother came in with a smile and behind her, to my surprise, was Bertha smiling at me. I smiled back at the two.
"Hey what's going on?" I asked. Mother came into my room and Bertha followed. She was in a nice white dress with her hair pinned back with flower hair clips. Mother was also in a beige colored dress with makeup already on her face.
"The boys are all out of the house and we need to get you ready." Mother told. Bertha smiled.
"I set up everything at this pretty field for you. The guys are getting ready now so now we just have to prepare and escort the bride." she said happily and I nodded knowing today was the big day.
"Okay well I'll take a shower then." I told. Mom nodded.
"I have breakfast for you on the table when you get out. Then we can dress you and do your hair and makeup." She told and I nodded and got out of bed and headed into the bathroom.
"Come on Bertha I have some breakfast for us too." I heard mother say before I cut on the shower. After I cleaned up I put on my bra and panties then I put on a robe and moved down stairs joining the other girls at the table.
"So are you excited Eula? You're finally getting married." Mother said happily. I nodded eating some eggs.
"Yes. I'm very happy." I replied and Bertha nodded.
"Forrest is a lucky man, even if he is all silent and keeps his emotions hidden." she said with a smile. I didn't know a single thing about getting married so I wasn't even sure how this would go, but upon hearing talk about Forrest's emotions made me smile for he showed some emotions towards me. We all had some pancakes and then it was time to dress me up. I put on the dress in my room then sat at my vanity mirror while Bertha did my hair and mother did my makeup. Half of my hair was pulled back in tight bun and the other half was down and Bertha hot ironed it so it would curl at the tips. She even put this hair flower ring around my bun. The dress was beautiful now then it was on my weeks ago. My stomach was still small enough to fit and for that I was grateful.
Mother was putting this brown powder on my face, blush and eye liner too. She was dolling me up for a party it seems.
"Okay your hair is done." Bertha said. Mom put a light shade of lipstick on me before nodding.
"And so is your face." she said happily. I smiled and stood up and looked at the two women and they smiled with happiness.
"Oh you are gorgeous." Bertha said and mother nodded.
"Alright ladies lets go. Bertha you can drive us to the spot." Mother said and Bertha nodded and we all moved from the house and got in my car. I sat in the back though while Mother and Bertha ruled the front. As the car moved I was inhaling softly trying to calm down.
"So how does this work? I just walk down the alter?" I asked. Mother nodded.
"Yes. It will be very different from the weddings I've been to." she said. I wanted to roll my eyes but I held it back.
"Because it was all white right?" I asked. Mother nodded slowly and before I knew it Bertha drove us onto a trail. I looked up at all the trees. Today they looked beautiful. The sun was hidden above them and I looked down at my stomach rubbing it for a moment. There was a child inside me, but I knew before it was born I will find out who the father really was and I wasn't very sure how to find that out. I then heard mother gasp.
"Oh my god, Eula look." I heard her say. I looked up to see a bright field a head of us and I could seen an alter and a long red carpet with chairs on either side of the carpet. There were one of those large white fence things at the end of the alter. I've seen them many times in magazines. I could see a few people down there.
"Wow Bertha how'd you set this up?" I asked her and I could see her smile.
"Oh I have my ways." she said happily. "Well I see Forrest is standing up there already so now we just need to walk you."
I then realized I had no one to give me away. I leaned forward on the car placing my hand on the back of their seat.
"Mom who's going to give me away?" I asked and mother turned to me patting my hands with a smile.
"It's okay honey I will." she replied and I nodded. I was a bit sad however that my brothers and father could not see me getting married. They accepted Forrest was the father, but that's all they accepted. The car stopped a few feet away from the red carpet and everything and I looked to my left to see Forrest waiting for me and Howard was standing in front of the alter with a book in his hands. I remembered Forrest said Howard would marry us. Bertha got out of the car and opened my door for me. Mother came around and took my hand. Bertha smiled and looked me over.
"I'm going to go sit with Jack now." she said and I nodded and mother wrapped her arm around me. Beneath us were flowers that covered most of the grass and it lead up to the red carpet.
"You ready hon?" she asked.
"I've been ready all my life." I replied and she began to take a few steps forward and I followed her and as the red carpet grew closer I began to feel my heart beat increase. I looked to my left to see Bertha and Jack and Cricket sitting there looking at me with bright eyes and deep smiles. Jack was in a grey suit and so was Cricket and I looked forward seeing Forrest was in a black suite with his hair slick and shiny and Howard was in a brown suit with the bible open and I could feel the excitement growing inside me as he grew closer to me. It was warm all around me and I only looked at his face. He looked tensed and nervous I could tell. Finally mother and I were in front of him and she gave Forrest a quick nod before moving to sit in a chair in front of the others.
I stood in front of him now and he just looked down at me and I couldn't help but admire how nice he looked.
"You're in a suit." I replied and he made a mumbled sound.
"It was my father's….don't stare at it." he mumbled and I hid my smile and looked up at his chest and that's when I saw the pendent Mr. Capone gave me to me stitched into his coat and I smiled even more with happiness.
"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today two combine these two…beautiful souls in holy matrimony." Howard started and hearing him call us beautiful souls made both Forrest and I look at him with arched brows. Howard only smirked and continued speaking on about love and relationship and commitment. As he spoke I caught Forrest's eyes on me again and I looked up at him with a small smile and he didn't smile back, but I saw nothing, but love and warmth in his eyes.
I use to be afraid of him when we first arrived here. I wondered why he looked at me, why he was always trying to prove he didn't dislike black people. I wondered why he always tried to convince me that belonged in both the black and white world, but I knew why. I will always be in the black and nothing can ever change that, but then again I belong in the white world too. He was in that world and so was my family. I could see his warm, bearded lips, crack into a smile so I could feel that Howard would be talking to us directly. Howard smiled at Forrest.
"Present the ring please." he told and my eyes widened as Forrest pulled out a silver ring with diamonds encrusted all around it. I felt a bit of panic now. I didn't know we were getting rings.
"I didn't get a ring." I whispered and he smiled as he put it on the ring finger of my right hand.
"Don't worry about it." he whispered to me and I could only smile as I looked at the ring. It was so beautiful and I wondered if it belonged to his family or he actually bought it for me.
"Eula Kincade do you take Forrest Bondurant as your lawfully wedded husband to love from now onto eternity?" I heard Howard ask and I smiled more. Not only were we combined in love, but it was like our families were combining as well.
"I do." I replied and now I felt Forrest's lips curved into a deep smile. I could see Howard, out of the corner or my eye, smiling deeply. I had never voiced those twp words to anyone before and it felt wonderful saying it to him.
"And do you Forrest Bondurant take Eula Kincade to be your lawfully wedded wife from now onto eternity?" Howard asked looking at Forrest now and then my eyes turned back to his and I saw Forrest smile even bigger.
"I do." he replied. I smiled showing white teeth and everyone around us smiled with delight. Howard gave us a proud smile.
"Well by the power invested in me I pronounce you husband…and wife. You may kiss the bride." he announced. Forrest leaned in and kissed my passionately and I wrapped my arms around him softly pulling him closer and Howard hollered with happiness and mom and the rest of them clapped. I couldn't believe it. He was mine and I was his forever. We pulled back and smiled at each other and I felt flower petals being sprinkled over us and I looked up to see Bertha and Cricket were throwing flowers from big white bags on us. I smiled at them and mother came up to us and smiled at Forrest.
"My daughter chose well." she said with a bright smile and looked at me. Forrest nodded and smiled.
"Thank you Mrs. Kincade." he said and mother nodded.
"Well you have my daughter for the whole day and night." she informed and Forrest nodded.
"I have the perfect place for us. With your permission I'd like to take Eula there." he told. I chuckled and mother grinned.
"She is your wife. You no longer have to ask me to take her place." she told.
"You see now I find that funny," a familiar voice told. "Because I'm sure that's the father's decision to decide where the daughter gets to go with trouble making men."
Everyone looked up now with utter shock to see my father standing there with Arliss and Ray right behind him. There was nothing but tense bodies in the area. Oh god help me now.