Okie, so I found more epic titles, coming from the Epic World Music Channel, so feel free to check out "World's Most Emotional Music | 2-Hours Epic Music Mix - Vol.1" on YouTube for future titles in this story. :D
Chapter Twelve
Seeds of Promise
The ring had been Clara's that she'd kept instead of pawning it off, for some reason. She kept it because she wanted Michael to pass it on, based on its symbolism and with hope for a brighter future.
"I want everything with you, Kaleia. I can't see myself without you. I know I've only known you for barely even a year, but I feel like it's been forever, and the foundation is there."
And so she was in her bedroom, doing her own makeup which she'd learned thanks to tutorials. She hardly ever wore eyeshadow or liner, but today was an exception because it was her wedding day. She'd been told by her grandma that when Michael and her locked eyes, that was something to remember for the rest of their lives, and it would be as if you were the only two in the room, everyone else irrelevant. And the makeup was a playing part. So she toyed around for a while with different looks, ultimately settling on a gilded glow that wouldn't be too heavy to look gaudy or too light to not be noticed; it would be enough to permanently capture in the photographs for the future to look back on. On her lids and just below, the subtle sparkle reflected the light onto her natural iris and amplified the flecks within. Akela had done her hair a while back, the tresses pulled back into a high ponytail and the tail wrapped into a bun atop the hair, sprayed and pinned in place, resulting in this sleek, domed masterpiece.
She was ready to get into her dress just as the door was knocked on, perfectly timed.
"Damn, you look much better than I would have done for you," Melinda gushed. "I was close to telling you I told you so." And that was when she'd offered to do the bride's makeup before today, but Kaleia was adamant about doing it herself, and everything worked out.
Her only bridesmaid and maid of honor was in one-shouldered oceanic blue, bordering on light tanzanite, trimmed asymmetrically with lace which was also the strap and on the hem, and the flowers scattering had a subtle shimmer. Capturing the essence of the lost city of Atlantis, the earrings, bracelet, and necklace were opened, hammered silver set with aqua blue gems, and her lighter, highlighted curls were straightened out into ringlets with a fishtail braid behind the right, set with a few white plumerias.
Akela popped her head in through the doorway, showing a new haircut she'd finally wanted to try long before she'd lost her youngest daughter. Her gray-tinted mane was now just below her ears, slightly wavy and accented with a bird of paradise and a red-centered yellow hibiscus. The dress she chose for the day was flattering for her full figure, dark bluish green with bouquets of buttery yellow and pale pink wildflowers, the earrings diamond-inlaid circles with suspended freshwater pearls, both wrists wrapped with a few pearl bracelets, and the necklace an opulent pearl choker holding a vintage diamond-rimmed dark stone where the color was indiscernible. "There's my little angel, oh!" She was quick to burst out sobbing, pulling out a couple of tissues from the clutch made of velvet and sequins to match her dress. "Christ on his throne, can't ruin my makeup, but I can't help it." It meant the universe to Kaleia that this day was filled with so much love and devotion. She was getting married at the nearby Baptist church, and then they'd celebrate there. The guest list was small: these two women of her life, Mason, Sean Sr. and Jr., Jeremy, Clara, and Henry. What more could she and her soon-to-be husband ask for? Dress code was casual formal, since it wasn't a big and fancy wedding for the show, but represented everything real and meaningful, guaranteed to last the rest of their lives and the unseen challenges ahead.
Now Kaleia could look at the precious heirlooms passed down to her. From what Grandma had told her and showed her in the photograph, she'd had an exquisite, high-collared, knee-length, all-over-pearl-encrusted dress with the shoes that luckily happened to be Kaleia's size after she'd tried them on, though Akela's dress was lost in a housefire that happened decades ago when she had all three of her children, and these heels were all she could save: charming ivory, three-inch heels with pearl-embellished ankle straps. Her gown had been her late mom's, though instead of traditional white - as, according to the stories told when she was old enough, her parents had her while still engaged, tying the knot a month later - it was icy blue like the shoreline of her grandparents' native island, with puffy elbow sleeves and flowing like a cloud, the bodice embellished playfully with dimensional snowy petals. The veil to be attached around the base of her bun went an inch past the gown's hem, embroidered with gold-green leaves and the same flowers on her dress.
And finally, Grandma's jewelry which was also saved; the lustrous dangling earrings each had a pearl crafted to look like a shell, the elegant necklace of small seed pearls looped through with larger ones, and the opened gold cuff ending with two perfect freshwater pearls for a subtle statement.
She couldn't wait for Mike to see her and be glad he was marrying her. Already, she was getting misty-eyed and threatened to ruin her makeup.
How far they'd come in a surprisingly short period of time that felt like forever. He was that boy from shortly before that fateful day -
"Kaleia...you remember? I only remembered as soon as you brought it up. I was just a kid then, and so were you. I thought you didn't understand, and we were strangers then, but for some reason, I never forgot those words. I grew up and changed for the better, learning from my mistakes."
- and it drew them closer than ever before. They also shared in common the fact they'd taken on their mother's family names. His because he refused to have anything to do with a legacy of evil, hers because of a way to keep the legacy going positively. Together and with their friends and loved ones, they got past issues. They got together and would have the rest of their lives without a crystal ball for certainty.
"Your mom would be proud of you, sweetheart, as much as I am," Akela breathed, taking her cheeks in both hands, below and on the jawline. And this was one of the reasons why Kaleia didn't take life for granted, not just because of Desert Storm. And so she choked on her response.
"I'm so blessed to have you all here, but Mom and Dad are probably looking down on us as I speak. Thank you both and everyone else for how far I've come, and for being here today. I'm over the moon, clichéd as it is, but I mean it severely."
Akela heartily and hoarsely laughed it off with a waving hand and another tissue. Melinda just grinned, the dimples in her cheeks showing. "Michael's a unique dream come true, Kaleia. Me? Jeremy's not half bad, but if he thinks to pop the question..."
"Give it a bit, Mel. You two are doing good still, right?"
"So good he's outright told me we oughtta start saving up because it's never too early. Doesn't sound like the non-commitment type."
~o~
Holding the Kai family heirloom, a small oak box perfectly rounded and with a glass lid etched with tropical ferns around the family name in metallic gold, showing a heart-shaped, burlap-inlaid setting, Michael felt his eyes burn. Against the burlap were the symbols of his and Kaleia's future. His ring was inherited from Henry, which was a hell of an honor as much as Mom gave hers; the lustrous gold with the top surface hammered in shades of black and silver like storm clouds, reminiscent of the Norse god Thor. "Because I don't see anyone else inheriting this," Henry told him with mist in his eyes.
And here was the one he'd known was Kaleia's the moment he saw it, even though price ruled in the end. It was the perfect balance between natural and luxurious, the metal subtly based on bamboo with the ridged edges placed with lustrous diamonds.
"These are for you to hold, best man," he said to Jeremy, turning to the blond and smirking at him in the navy blue suit, pristine white shirt like the groom, and the boutonniere bearing a fern, a white orchid, and a fiery hibiscus. "Guard them with. Your. Life." He punctuated each word because it was literally life or death, one of the things to never, ever screw up at the marriage ceremony.
"You bet I will, Mike! Look, they're going right here." Jeremy then placed the box directly in his right breast pocket, next to the boutonniere, and patted it lovingly.
Clara then rushed up to him after finishing touching up her makeup. Her strawberry blonde hair was twisted in the back and held in place, accented with a few delicate white silk flowers resembling plumerias, and she had on her favorite pearls. "OH, MIKEEEEEY!" Her puffy-sleeved, peony-printed, berry velvet dress shimmered like a jewel as she rushed up to him, cupping his face with her palms and smothering him with her mother's love, lips all over his cheeks and forehead.
"So much time, and yet too short," she whispered. "Only one of my children made it here -" She croaked at the thought of Elizabeth and Evan, swallowing it to continue. "- and I still feel like I want my baby back."
"He's still here, Mum," Michael grunted, laying his forehead against hers, the sizzle coming to life at the contact.
And now the man himself, whose ring would now be on his finger, placed on by his new bride. "Proud of you, Mike," Henry said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. His suit was soft gray, also having the flowers on the left, near the shoulder. "Almost showtime!" he then announced, clapping both hands together, like the host he used to be. Yup, time to go get married. And in a flash, everyone left the house for the single car they'd be in, Mom and Henry in the front while he and Jer were in the back. His nerves were so wild he thought his stomach would heave the breakfast contents.
Too bad they couldn't have their day over in Hawaii as a dream come true, but someday, they'd be saved up for vacation time and have a flight there for a week at most. He would do that for her, for them. But it would include avoiding that aunt of hers who all but cut ties with her own family. Would have been a perfect couple of days for all of them, surrounded by the golden white beaches, majestic landscapes, powerful volcanoes, and magical sunrises and sunsets. But the best they could do was bring those elements here.
The church in town, near the outskirts, was the ideal escape into a fantasy where destination themes and intimate gatherings took place. The building itself had glass walls and windows complete with three hundred and sixty degrees of scenic views, making it contemporary and classic at the same time, complete with the interior containing a south wall for ceremonies and gatherings. Isolated without being completely cut off from civilization. Land unspoiled by industrialization. A brilliant balance between indoors and outdoors. This was where Mike found himself inside as soon as everyone was there. Damn it, was this place rich with history, those details being in the only solid wall which bore painted scripture trimmed with glossy, historical wooden panels, the solid ceiling suspended with a grand chandelier of golden bronze and stained glass lighting, dripping with amber-like gems. White and pink rose petals were scattered all the way down the aisle, and lining pew to pew were tropical flowers like birds of paradise, white and purple orchids, pink hibiscus, and white plumerias and roses. The ladies did all of this, and he was impressed. He just wanted this day to come, and it had.
Small crowd there was - both O'Brien father and son, Junior having his latest girlfriend with him who might as well become a serious thing, maybe - but this was all there was needed. A wedding was the couple coming together and witnessed by their closest friends and loved ones, also bringing them together, but...
It's something that already is.
A haunting tune filled his ears the moment he, Mom, Henry, and Jeremy approached the door, himself going first into the area with Clara on his right and Henry on the other, walking him up there to where the reverend was, wearing greenery around his shoulders like they did in Hawaii. The thing he had in hand and held to his lips, blowing the tune, was a conch shell horn known as the pū in Hawaiian culture, to begin the ceremony. It went on for a while just as the small band played with the ukulele and hand drums, bringing everyone to attention.
"All rise for our beautiful bride," the reverend said brightly.
Melinda had gracefully strode down the aisle, bright bouquet in hand. She winked at Jeremy who withheld a snicker before straightening out. She then followed everyone else's attention and audibly sucked in a breath as her best friend appeared.
The moment Michael laid his eyes on HER, the entire world ceased to exist, because all he could see was Kaleia. Floating like the clouds against the sky, flanked by both of her grandparents who were getting emotional, Akela wiping the corners of her eyes and Mason's mouth twitching as he struggled to maintain his emotions. The bride herself kept her focus solely on him, the one she was marrying, grinning so widely it looked like she would freeze her own expression, trying not to burst out laughing from excitement. She was adorable. Then the floodgates were there when she arrived right in front of Michael, turning to either side and choking that she loved both grandparents, accepting kisses and giving them before being left before Michael.
She was all there was to him, even as the traditional Hawaiian chant was evoked, the Oli Aloha - "This is the sight for which I have longed. Now that you have come, love has come with you" - which prepped for the blessings to come and welcomed everyone in attendance. Even as the reverend intoned that this ceremony wasn't the beginning of something, but rather, continuing what already existed.
There were so many things incorporated on the little table behind them, among being a wooden bowl of water and a glossy green ti leaf. Michael tore his attention away from them when he heard Kaleia being asked if she'd take him to be her husband, and his ears snapped to attention. "I wake up every morning to help save lives and go to sleep far better than I ever had during the war; I see you as the same reason for getting up in the morning and thinking of you as I go to sleep. You're my dream come true as much as me becoming a nurse, and I promise to always love you and put you first just like I put patients first. I never want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else, Michael, not even when the passion cools." She blinked rapidly to hold back tears. He chuckled at the idea of her not wanting to ruin the eye makeup he could see; she was beautiful without it, but this also suited her.
"Michael Schmidt, do you take this woman to be your wife?"
"If only I could say yes a million times," he answered, earning some laughs which wound up being strangled as some withheld the sobs. You could never have too many tears of joy. "Kaleia, I won't ever be able to see myself without you, either. I was a fool to think that I could play it safe, but it hurt more to be at a distance. I got better as a man because of you and wouldn't trade it for anything. I'll tackle future endeavors and obstacles, but I'll also put you above everything else because you're more valuable than gold and silver, and for that, I'll sail the seven seas just for you." His full heart burst with the last word, the sensation a watery one.
All was right with the world.
~o~
Just like her wedding ring, Clara couldn't bear parting with what she'd lent to her new daughter-in-law on this day.
She wished she'd had the opportunity to go someplace like Hawaii with William when they were still in love, but it was him to put making his dreams a reality over the one she really wanted. Fun as this was, all the elements brought here, it made her want to cry again. She'd been fighting the tears all day since the moment she opened her eyes. Her little boy was finally married to the girl he loved.
After the vows, the ring exchange took on a spiritual and natural turn. According to the program in her hand, the wooden bowl was called koa and filled with water, the wood symbolizing strength and the water for new beginnings. The leaf was for prosperity and health. The old, sensitive reverend, who never failed to have a soft spot for couples of all ages tying the knot, then asked for the rings. Jeremy wasted no time pulling out the box that had been in the Kai family for generations, having been made by Mason and Akela's hands shortly before they fled their native islands in the last years of WWII. The new one Michael got his fiancée and Henry's old ring were then carefully dipped into the pure liquids before being pulled out and sprinkled over three times for luck, the chant having been translated to "May peace from above rest upon you and remain with you now and forever"; now Mikey and Kaleia were man and wife, but there were more rituals to go through. The lei gesture was what Clara expected, reaching to hold Henry's hand with trepidation. The bride got one with strong and sweet jasmine blossoms, the groom rich ti leaves, and both bore yellow puailima - or pua 'ilima - in sections because the blossom was the official emblem of the island of O'ahu. Both leis were open-ended for everlasting love.
The reverend then asked the couple to join their hands which had their new rings, and when the action was complied, another lei with greens and white flora was tied around the latched fingers, equivalent to the sand ceremony that took place back in Hawaii - which Mason and Akela and their daughter, Kaleia's mother, had done in their day - or the candle lighting in a traditional Christian service. "For many traditions, this lei is for enduring devotion and respect, as well as peace," the man said not only to the couple but to the rest of them. "And now, we will leave behind this lava rock at the altar even though we are not on the islands. This is to ensure the marriage lasts. You may now kiss your beautiful bride." He then sniffed and got out his handkerchief just as Kaleia jumped a bit and went for it as soon as the binding lei was removed, Michael at the same time picking her up at the waist, lifting her barely an inch off the ground, and laying a smoldering one on her in this holy place.
"My God, a taste of later," Henry had to say, covering his bearded mouth and chin, deeply guffawing and making Clara blush. A mother should never have those images of her son, but she knew her man was right.
For the two of them, she was happy to call Henry hers after everything they'd been through together, healing while still mourning lost children, and cherishing what they still had with Michael as well as with each other.
Husband and wife led the way out, the exquisite veil gracefully swaying behind Kaleia and flying out like a swan's wing when they were outside in the warm, mildly breezy late spring weather. Jeremy and Sean Jr. both slapped Michael's back and gave him a one-armed group hug, Senior warmly giving him a handshake, Mason lifting poor Mikey off the ground like the giant teddy bear he was, but also warned him to take care of his grandbaby or else. Akela had similar sentiments while also whooping like a little girl because she got a grandson-in-law, her and her husband adding to Kaleia that her mom and dad were smiling down on her.
Evan, Elizabeth, and Charlie would have loved Kaleia to death if they'd lived, but Clara and Henry liked to think they were here in spirit, and speaking of which, she had to give her daughter-in-law the other heirloom for the party coming up in an hour and a half.
~o~
I'mmarriedI'mmarriedI'mmarried!
The words, repeated three times and bunched together, repeated over and over in her mind as Kaleia Schmidt returned to the house with her new husband, Melinda, and Jeremy because she needed to get into her second getup for the reception back at the church. Time was crunched, but that didn't stop her excited nerves and rapidly thundering heart. It was as though she'd been struck with pixie dust and it wasn't going away anytime soon.
"Okay, let's hurry so you can do the first dance, and the four of us can do the hula we practiced," Melinda chirped, opening the door to the house so they could get inside.
Jeremy had to be the one to groan. "Looking forward to it, babe, but also? Remind me to not get on stage again. A guy can take the spotlight so much - ow!" Mike had nudged him in the side with an elbow, shutting him up.
"Jer, shut up. It's fun and you know it."
"Yeah, yeah." Jeremy grinned while rubbing that spot. "Meant that, man, but do me a favor and don't hit this part so hard?"
Michael evilly smirked. "Big baby."
They could spend all day with this, but there was party prepping to do.
In her room, Melinda helped unzip the back of the heavenly blue dress her mom wore on her wedding day, and she stepped out of it while still wearing a delicate, flexible corset-camisole and briefs with the same pumps that would be shown off by the shorter, still-airy white one currently hanging on the back of her door. But first, her hair had to be let down from its bun, the brush and curling iron smoothing out the ringlets only for them to be held in place on either side by pins of shimmering pearlescent sweet pea blossoms, revealing new earrings borrowed from Clara - gold flowers centered with a blue mother-of-pearl piece and cascading below with vines. The bracelet stayed.
Michael's eyes widened as soon as he saw her exit the room, this fun little number of snowy whimsy with the bodice composed of an oversized flower covering the entire torso, the skirt twirling like a ballerina and ending just below the knees. His jaw dropped so widely you'd think he was gonna drool. That expression said he was so glad he married her.
Back at the church, everyone was already seated at the long mahogany table that had been brought here, lined down the center with lush ti and ferns beneath several carved-through coconuts filled with vivid birds of paradise, roses, hibiscus, orchids, and plumerias. The Thomas Edison lights above the platformed dancing area were lit just as the sun was about to set.
Time for the new Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt to have their first dance and boy, it was so magical and fun that it took them straight to the skies. Michael, at one time, picked her up by the hips and swung her around so her skirt twirled in a manner similar to Swan Lake.
If it wasn't said enough, food and music were a major part of Hawaiian life, and the ukuleles, flutes, and drums played for the bridal party's arrival as soon as the car pulled up to the site. They played on for the hula Kaleia, Michael, and of course, Melinda and Jeremy performed for the little loving crowd; this was followed by a glorious feast for the eyes and the bellies. An actual pig was roasted and then shredded, brought out along with the rest of the buffet, joined with tuna, salmon, taro root pasted called poi, various fruits in a brightly sumptuous display, more coconut pudding, and a small open bar including the mai tai. The single layer of a wedding cake was nearly naked - the white surface frosted over and revealing enough of the baked surface - and topped with the wedding flowers, its flavor consisted of passionfruit and vanilla.
The photographers who would capture every important moment also got it when Kaleia did the honors of smashing the cake onto Michael's pretty little face, and she'd taken hours to get her eye makeup done that she didn't need him doing that to her. He laughed with her and leaned in to slyly husk that she was welcome to lick it off his face, the scandal! Her grandparents wouldn't let her live it down. None of them would.
That would have been quite the story to tell the kids and then the grandkids.
Thor's Tungsten Ring Collection (Set of 2) from Stauer - the inspiration for Mike's wedding ring. The wedding venue is based on the Red Earth Venue in Moab, Utah. So gorgeous, with glass walls and windows as well as exquisite desert views.
In the Four Weddings episode "And a Giraffe", there's a Hawaiian wedding ceremony in California that inspired this moment. Here goes the Oli Aloha, which has been around for Hawaiian wedding ceremonies since around the 1820s or so:
"Onaona ka hala me ka lehua,
He hale lehua no ia na ka noe,
'O ka'u no ia e 'ano'i nei,
E li'a nei ho'i o ka hiki mai,
A hiki mai no ka kou,
A hiki pu no me ke aloha…
Aloha e! Aloha e! Aloha e!"
The ring blessing in Hawaiian goes like this: "Ei-Ah Eha-No. Ka Malohia Oh-Na-Lani. Mea A-Ku A-Pau" and means just what Clara reads in the program.
Everything about the wedding comes from the brides . com article "Hawaiian Wedding Traditions". :3 Now our happy couple gets to enjoy their newlywed life...until we get to the major point in the story.
