Thanksgiving Blessings

"...And these are my brothers, Roger, Hank, Barry, and Matthew," Nesa pointed to each of her brothers in turn, not liking this setup one bit. Her mother and father had arranged for all four of her brothers to meet the couple a few days before Thanksgiving. It seemed like a trap to the girl, but they'd already talked about this possibility on the plane. It was no secret that her family was still attempting to talk the girl out of dating a deafmute. All four of her brothers - who barely bothered to keep in touch since she'd left the country - had called multiple times in the last few months to check up on her. Of course, most of those calls had been after one of them had confirmed that her boyfriend wasn't around.

"So, you're the guy trying to screw my little sister," Roger said slowly after the introductions were out of the way.

"Roger!" Nesa glared, but Nick put a stilling hand on her arm. He'd been waiting for this.

Believe me, if I wanted to 'screw' your little sister, I've had plenty of opportunities. I'm courting her at present.

"That sounds all well and good," Hank put in belligerently, "but don't you think you've overstayed your welcome? Nesa is a singer and a darn good one. You can't even hear her!"

Your sister is a very expressive person. I may not be able to hear her, but I can see how much she enjoys using her voice. It's beautiful to behold actually.

"I heard that you helped my sister buy a car back in July. How's that been for you two?" Matthew asked, ignoring the dirty looks of his brothers. He was the only one who'd bothered to have an actual conversation with Nick in the past four months. He found the man engaging and funny and he'd told his brothers as much. But all three of his older brothers insisted that a deafmute had no place in their sister's life.

Winter has come early to Calgary, so getting rides to work has been nice. Especially since Nesa has an automatic car starter to heat up the car before we head out. I had to remind her that she had a car and didn't have to take the bus anymore when she first got the car, but she's gotten better.

"You're just mooching off my sister's good fortune?" Barry jumped in, getting the conversation back on track.

Well, obviously I can't drive, but I put in for gas and keep her company during the maintenance appointments. Nesa is a very independent woman, but I do my best

"Hmph! It doesn't sound like your best is good enough, Mr. Andros. Ganesa doesn't need some lazy lay-about in her life. You're even sleeping in her house. Do you clean it? Do you pick up after yourself? Or are you an entitled little bitch, taking advantage of her generous heart?"

I'm not a moocher by nature, Barry. I clean, I vacuum, I do the dishes. Hell, I even do windows! If you'd ever been to her house you'd know just how spotless she keeps the place despite the fact that she barely ever has visitors. She wouldn't have me if I wasn't as much of a neat freak as she is.

"Ganesa's not a freak," Hank jumped in, looking for a fight. Nick blinked, not having expected that.

'Neat freak' is an expression, Hank. It means that she's obsessed with keeping her house in order. Your sister is precious to me, I'm not one to ridicule or demean people that I care about.

"Alright, that's enough," their mother stepped in. "I know that you haven't had any experience on the East Coast, Nick. But if my daughter is anything like I remember, she's likely been filling your head with tales of 'the Philly Cheesesteak'."

"Actually, I've been hankering for Wawa's for a week now. I've been wanting a real hoagie for months with some Herr's potato chips and a Wild Cherry Pepsi or a Cherry Coke." The boys started to relax at the familiar request from their sister. Nick was surprised to see everyone start talking at once. It was clear that they were laughing and talking over each other. But as a deafmute, he couldn't keep up with all the conversations. He decided to focus on his lady, who was talking with her mother, trying to decide what she wanted from Wawa.

Do they have Italian-style subs here?

Nesa grinned and jumped into his arms, laughing along with her mother. "Italian hoagies are my mother's favorite type of hoagie, Nick." He shrugged and held the girl close. He was therefore surprised when she tensed and whipped her head around. Whatever she said, Roger didn't like. He looked furious as he answered.

"I don't need to come up to Canada, you're right here! And I have every right to pass judgment on your boyfriend. I'm your older brother." He felt her angry vibrations and pushed her behind him as her brother advanced on her. Both siblings blinked at that.

I won't have you beating on my woman

Nesa leaned over his shoulder and kissed his cheek. Roger looked impressed despite himself. "We do slap-boxing in this house to resolve issues, Nick. But you're right. I shouldn't be slapping around my sister and she's likely out of practice after living in Canada for so long." He laughed when Nesa tried to push past her man to attack him. Nick had to hold her back as the family laughed raucously at whatever was being said. Ignoring everything but his distressed love, he folded her into his arms and kissed her passionately, smiling when she melted into his embrace. Things went smoother after that, the brothers slowly accepting him as a part of their lives. Nick was relieved that the four Eversteen boys weren't racist like their parents. They only took potshots at his disabilities. Then Nick changed everything during Thanksgiving dinner.

The house was packed. Unlike when the family first met, the boys brought their wives and children for Thanksgiving dinner. Roger brought his wife and three step-sons, Hank had a wife and twin boys, Matthew had a wife and two little girls, and Barry's wife had 5 kids all under age nine. Not to mention that the elders of the family were present. The place was in complete chaos; Nick had given up keeping track of all the different conversations. His girlfriend was doing her best to keep him up to speed, but he could only shake his head at the sheer amount of conversations going on. This was a family that enjoyed the sound of its own voice. And yet it all seemed to fit. These people clearly loved each other. Fans were running in the kitchen to cool down the house even though it was cold outside. Soon it would be time to eat. Thinking about that, he gulped as he prepared to enact his plan. Nesa had been cooking all day with her mother, and that had been an experience all its own. They followed Darla's recipes from memory, the matriarch altering the recipes at will for maximum flavor. He'd been happy to help with the cooking, joining in the conversation and watching the women sing until Matthew had pulled him out of the kitchen to watch football.

"I'm sorry my family's so nuts," his woman mouthed contritely. "I did try to warn you that it would be insane if you came down for Thanksgiving."

Ganesa, I love you. Why wouldn't I want to be with your family during such a festive time of the year?

Besides, I had to meet them eventually. Now is as good a time as any

Nesa giggled, looking up into the eyes of the man she loved. "Oh, Nick…" The deafmute suddenly dropped to one knee. Thinking that someone had bumped him in the crowded room, she leaned over to help him up. She was therefore completely shocked when he pulled a velvet box out of his pocket and opened it in front of her face, all the love he felt for her plainly showing in his eyes.

Nick was starting to get nervous as she continued to stare at the ring he'd bought for her. The budget they'd put together for him back in May was working very well for him, his credit card was under better control and his savings were substantial compared to the 'nothing' that they were before. But he'd blown his entire savings for this ring. It was a lovely white gold band that culminated in two dewdrops one within the other. The entire ring was inlaid with tiny round diamonds. Sure it was a promise ring, but it was his promise and it was on sale. There was so much that he wished he could say to her. He wanted to be able to speak, to tell her exactly what she meant to him. But since that couldn't happen, he settled on looking up at her, letting his clear, blue eyes do the talking.

The girl squealed, grabbing the attention of everyone in the house, and kissed him while shaking her head yes. It was the most romantic proposal she could have hoped for, and the fact that he'd waited until she was surrounded by her family meant the world to her. The nieces and nephews and brothers and grandparents were clapping and yelling to see the ring, but Ganesa had gone strangely deaf to all the kerfuffle. She only saw her beloved Nick. And when he stood up to take over the kiss, she could only submit to his marvelous power over her. Nesa was dizzy with it, she was desperate for it, and when Barry laughing separated them two minutes later, she openly admitted that she missed his magical mouth.

Nick was on cloud nine. She'd said yes! He pulled the ring from the velvet box and slid it on her finger with a sexy smirk that had her blushing. Then he kissed her hand chastely and finally looked up.

"Damn, man, that was great! I guess I would have proposed in front of the whole family if I was an orphan," Hank smiled while hugging his sister. "Not a word, just let that big old ring do the talking."

I can do plenty of talking, Hank. I could write whole dissertations about my love for your sister. She is an amazing woman and I'm so blessed that she's come into my life. I just wanted to make an impression

"Damn, girl! Your man done got religion based on you," Michelle, Roger's wife, laughed, squeezing through the crowd to see the ring. "That is truly gorgeous, Nesa. Your deafmute has got taste."

"Let me see, let me see," one of the many nieces said, grabbing her hand to inspect the ring. "It's so shiny! Good job, Uncle Nick!"

"'Uncle Nick'? Yeah, I guess that works," Arnold chuckled. Everyone paused when the doorbell rang. Turns out that it was Uncle Henry Jones, the pastor of her grandmother's church. He was ushered into the house amid calls for the man to congratulate the couple.

"How badly do you want to get married, Nick?" Darla mouthed to her new son-in-law, an idea forming in her head.

Anytime my lady wants to marry is good with me

"How about now?" she mouthed under the ruckus. "The whole family is gathered and excited. There'd be no waiting. You could claim her tonight. And that bulge in your pants says that you've thought of that too. You could have Uncle Henry marry you tonight and go ring shopping tomorrow. I'm sure you'll find a good deal on wedding rings."

"What are you two talking about?" Nesa pulled out of the conversation with one of her brothers to ask. The excited mother looked at her son-in-law for his nod of approval before speaking.

Hey, Uncle Henry? How would you like to perform the wedding ceremony right now?" That got everyone's attention.

"They can't marry right now," Andrea, Barry's wife, exclaimed. "Nesa doesn't have a gown or anything!"

"She has what she needs; her whole family present and two witnesses. They can go ring shopping together tomorrow."

"Mama D, you must be crazy to suggest that they go out and shop on Black Friday," Michelle laughed.

"Why not? Young legs and all. You've got a dress, don't you, Babygirl? Daddy can walk you down the stairs, and- where are you going, Uncle Henry?"

"To my car. I was headed to the church tonight after visiting with you, and part of the paperwork in my trunk is a couple of marriage certificates. You all seem determined to see this through."

"Why does it have to be now, Mum?" Nesa asked quietly. She looked nervous and excited at the same time.

"When is the next time we are all going to be together? If we let you go back to Calgary engaged only, it'll be months before you marry. It'll likely be in Canada and most of us won't be able to attend. This way we all get to see you happily married. Who do you want to sign the marriage certificate?"

"Um… You and Lala," she said with a tentative look at her man. He smiled indulgently and she grinned. "I can't believe you're all for this, baby. Your stuff is at your hotel room; you can't even change clothes!"

I don't need a change of clothes, Sweetling. All I need is you

"Awww," Andrea grinned, grabbing her sister-in-law by the hand. "Come on, Nesa. Let's go see your dress." With that, Andrea (Barry's wife), Michelle, Hilary (Hank's wife), Savannah (Matthew's wife), and Darla all headed upstairs to prepare for the girl's ceremony. Turns out that the girl had two dresses on her; one for clubbing and one for church. Since she didn't want to alarm the grandparents with the dress that was purely for her fiance, she went with the floral, lacy concoction that oddly made her look like a fairy princess. Darla helped her arrange her thick head of braids into a crown. They debated jewelry, but Nesa's veto was the law on the subject. The girl looked virginal. Virginal and completely natural for her man. Andrea, noticing her jittery movements, laughed at her.

"You look so cute, Nesa. Like a timid virgin."

"I am a virgin," the girl gulped.

"WHAT?"

"I've never had sex before," Nesa huffed in annoyance. "I never wanted those complications in my life."

"Nick never popped your-"

"Nick respects my wishes." Nesa looked down.

"Is Nick-"

"Nick is well versed in the interactions of man and woman." By now the embarrassed girl looked ready to throw up.

"Ganesa, relax! Nick is going to show you how it's done," Savannah smiled. "He will lead you, the way that a man is supposed to. Don't worry."

"What if he's disappointed in me?" she whispered her secret fear. That broke the whole group up.

"Girl! Judging by that kiss, he wants you bad," Michelle jumped in on the conversation with a hearty laugh. "A man that's willing to be so patient will definitely be very happy with you. Papa A! Come walk this angel of yours down the aisle." All the other women went downstairs to decide who was going to film the ceremony.

Her father came up the stairs from where he'd been threatening his new son within an inch of his life about treating his daughter right. When he saw her, the urge to march back down the stairs to threaten the honky some more almost consumed him.

"You look lovely," he said firmly. Nesa blinked. Arnold Eversteen had never paid her a compliment in her life.

"...Thank you."

"Let's just get you married, okay?" Ganesa turned up the volume on her phone and put on one of her favorite songs

As we stroll along together

Holding hands, walking all alone

So in love are we two

That we don't know what to do

So in love… in a world of our own

The father and daughter walked down the steps with dignity and grace, smiling as her family marveled and sighed happily at the picture the bride made. Nick could only stare slack-jawed at her, amazed at the moment that she could look so ethereal in a dress she bought from the Goodwill.

Uncle Henry was back and prepared to perform the ceremony as if he did this every day. He'd never even met the groom, though he'd certainly heard of him. Everyone in the family - both sides - knew about the deafmute his niece was dating. The man was supposed to be honorable, though not a Christian. Yet. Ganesa was a powerful influencer for good. And seeing the look of delighted wonder on the man's face as he stared at his future wife, it wouldn't be long until the young man was a believer.

Nesa paused the song halfway through and the crowd booed good-naturedly.

"Come on, guys! You can't play the procession music during the ceremony!"

"Or, we can play the whole song and then start the ceremony," Roger suggested. Nesa looked at the pastor, who smiled. Grinning back at her Uncle, Nesa turned the music back on. There was only a minute or two left in the song anyway. Nesa sang for her man like always.

As we walk down the aisle together

We will vow to be together till we die

So in love are we two just can't wait to say 'I do'

So in love… in a world of our own

So in love… are you and I

She stopped the song at the end, not wanting to ruin the mood.

"Don't you have any Gospel songs for this?" Uncle Henry grouched.

"Commissioned - More Than I," she replied cheekily. The pastor rolled his eyes in fond disgust before beginning the ceremony. He read from the bible, blessing the union and calling on the family to be supportive of them. The saying of the vows was interesting since Nick had to write everything down, but they managed it.

"...you may place the ring on her finger," the pastor said automatically, forgetting that they didn't have rings. Everyone chuckled when Nick shrugged.

"Hold on, I got it," Darla said, moving forward to hand the deafmute a tiny crocheted band for her daughter. It was in her favorite color, lilac with blue trim, and very delicate looking. She handed a slightly larger, but otherwise identical band to Nesa in his favorite color, blue with lilac trim. The mother smiled proudly at her children, sticking her crochet needle in her pocket. "You can't marry without some kind of ring, Babygirl. These will suffice until you buy new ones tomorrow." Hank started a slow clap for his mother and soon everyone was yelling and stomping and clapping for her ingenuity. Nesa and Nick both hugged the woman tightly before Nick slipped the ring on Nesa's finger. Even though it was a last-minute yarn creation, it felt as binding as any metal ring she would ever own. The girl said her vows excitedly and then slipped the crocheted creation onto her fiance's finger. Uncle Henry skipped the part about objections, opting instead to give a short spiel about the importance of supporting the new couple in an endeavor as important as marriage. After that, the ceremony was over and it was time to kiss the bride. The two opted for a chaste little Eskimo kiss, but that didn't satisfy the crowd.

"Come on, now. We've seen you kiss her before! Kiss that girl like you mean it," Andrea shouted over the 'boo'ing. She repeated herself when he looked up at her. With a truly villainous smirk on his face, he pulled his bride into his arms and possessed her mouth in his usual manner. He flicked his tongue against her mouth, swallowing her gasp as he lathed her tongue and every inch of her mouth with his talented tongue. When he finished with her, she was moaning happily and the house was so loudly appreciating his display that the neighbors across the street came over to make sure that everything was okay. Nesa found the song she'd teased her Uncle about and the couple paraded past the onlookers to the kitchen for food. The family got the hint and soon the dining room was full of the sounds of eating and celebration.

"I bet you didn't see that coming when you proposed, Uncle Nick," Logan, Hank's oldest twin son, said around a bite of Mama D's mac and cheese. The deafmute shrugged and ran the back of his hand over his bride's cheek. Everyone was trying to talk to him, to congratulate him. For a Nebraska-born orphan, he basked in the attention and love coming off of the family. But he was sure to eat heartily.

You and Mrs. D did an amazing job on this meal. I don't think I've ever eaten so much and so well.

"That's 'Mama D' to you now, Nick," Darla grinned. "And my Babygirl and I can cook somethin fierce when we put our minds to it!"

"You do realize that my wedding is now officially cheaper than yours, right?" Nesa said with a mischievous grin on her face as she ate her ham and greens.

"Aw darn, that's right, Babygirl."

This was a competition?

"No, baby. It's just something Mum told me once. See, Uncle Henry married my parents right in the living room. She used to brag to me that she paid $27 dollars for her dress, used her grandparents' rings and that was it. Well, I spent ten bucks on this dress at the goodwill and got crocheted rings from my Mommy. It's not a competition, and I certainly was ready to go the whole nine yards with booking a venue, inviting guests, buying a dress, the whole nine yards. But technically, I win," she giggled, hugging him happily. "I… I know it wasn't everything you ever dreamed of, but-" He stopped her embarrassed words with a kiss.

Your beaming smile is worth all the stress we will no longer have on us, Sweetness. I never imagined I would marry at all, much less an amazing princess like you. I don't much care how we went about it; at the end of the day, you are all mine. And I plan to prove it tonight.

"Oooh," Andrea laughed. "Seems your deafmute has some backbone and attitude!"

"Nick's got plenty of attitude," Nesa smirked. "My baby can trade blows with the best of them."

"I guess you'll find out what else he can trade tonight," Grandpop laughed at the crude reference.

"Grandpop!"

"Oh hush, girl. You're a married woman now. No use acting shy."

"It's not an act," the girl said quietly. That shut the patriarch up. A bunch of people understood exactly what she was not saying. Darla cleared her throat, closing the subject, and smiled at her daughter.

"I'm so happy for you, Babygirl," she said, snapping a picture of her daughter in the middle of feeding some sweet potato pie to her new husband. "You'll have to get him to feed you some pie too. It's tradition."

"Mum! He was just trying a bit 'cause he's never had sweet potato pie!" Nick grabbed another bite of the delicious concoction off her plate and ate it while she was distracted. "Hey! Get your own pie!" she laughed. He pouted at her, took yet another piece of pie, and fed it to her. She accepted the morsel shyly, not used to being fed.

You're so much sweeter than the pie, darlin'

"Awww," Serena and Tamara, Matthew's daughters, sighed happily as Darla read the note aloud and the meal continued. No one wanted to leave once the meal was done and the kitchen cleaned up. Nesa and Nick couldn't figure out why until Uncle Henry spelled it out for them.

"They want to be able to say that they were present during your deflowering," the pastor laughed, finding the whole situation hilarious. A 26-year-old virgin? Really?

"What? No! I am not having my first- I'm not having my wedding night in my parents' guest room! I'd rather wait two more days and-"

You could come with me tonight

Both adults were blushing at all the attention they were suddenly getting. Nieces and nephews were making crude jokes. Her brothers were talking to her husband about past conquests. The sisters-in-law were offering up advice just to make the girl's face heat up. And the grandparents were just as bad. Finally, Nick had had enough. He stomped up the stairs, coming back a few minutes later with her suitcase and backpack fully packed. Without looking at anyone, he passed a note to his new mother-in-law, grabbed his wife's hand, and dragged her out of the house, slamming the door so hard that the sturdy window in the door actually rattled in its frame. No one followed them.

"I've never seen Nick so angry," Matthew blinked. "What did he write, Mum?" Darla unfolded the note and read it to everyone. When she was finished no one was laughing anymore. The dinner broke up soon after that, everyone slinking away with plans to apologize to the girl as soon as possible.

Ganesa's life choices are not to be the subject of debate, ridicule, or humiliation. She is an admirable woman who deserves respect for her restraint and foresight all these years. I will not have her made to feel inferior for doing what your religion says you should all be doing anyway

Yet, it can happen that fast with the right connections! Next chapter involves honeymoon action and ring shopping, all on Black Friday. See ya then! :D

All for One - So Much in Love