Padmé and Anakin left for Washington, D.C., in their Audi Q5 at 7:00 a.m. on April 8. Despite her concerns for Corona, she knew she didn't want to miss her closest friend's wedding.
They arrived in Washington, D.C., after a ten-hour drive, and checked into the Waldorf Astoria. This name has a history. Padmé immediately thought about her hometown, New York, Park Avenue, and the parent company of the Waldorf Astoria.
On the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 33rd Street, William Waldorf Astor inaugurated the thirteen-story Waldorf Hotel in 1893. The two cousins' aunt had previously resided there until his cousin John Jacob Astor IV's Astoria Hotel, which was four floors higher, built just next door in 1897. The double hyphen in the name of the building today ("Waldorf-Astoria") symbolizes the union. At the time, the merged Waldorf-Astoria was the largest hotel in the world. The first Waldorf Astoria Grand Hotel closed in 1929, and it was torn down years later. Not many people know that the Empire State Building is currently located at this exact spot. In its current location at 1931 Park Avenue, the second Waldorf Astoria Hotel first opened.
There are currently thirteen Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts in the United States, one of which is in Washington, D.C., where her friends' wedding is being held.
They met with Dormé and Cody the following morning. Cody, who will be one of the groomsmen, forced Anakin to accompany him to the outfitter. Two of Dormé's relatives and Sabé will be acting as the bridesmaids.
And on Saturday, there came the bachelorette party. What reason will she offer? A handful had crossed Padmé's mind, but none seemed reasonable. She'll move on.
It was expected that Saturday night would be rather drunk. The men made their way to a private club, where they quenched their thirst and anger with copious amounts of alcohol. If they have luck, they'll be able to stand the next day.
The women have also chosen a private club, so they won't meet with the guys there either. Satine was simply present with a glass that she pretended to be drinking because she was oddly allergic to alcohol intake, and Dormé and Sabé had gotten in heavy.
"Padme, you don't drink. Why?"
"I constantly feel sick and like my stomach is disturbed."
"If so, after you've drunk a double whiskey, the nausea will go away."
"What the heck, girlfriend, come drink this." directed Dormé..."...or don't you want to have anything to drink on my last evening as a free woman?"
"I can't, I really can't." Even though Dormé had a few Cosmopolitans, Padmé did everything she could to sound believable with her excuse, but she was unable to fool her best friends because they knew her too well.
"Liar ! You are pregnant."
"I hate you."
"I just knew it, I knew it! Come on, I'll give you one, two, or three kisses, and then I'll give you a few more. So, you diligently fucked the whole Kama Sutra up and down, from the front, from the back, from the side, like every day, in the morning, at noon, and in the evening, yes?
"Yes, we made love, and I think I got pregnant while we were on our honeymoon."
"Oh, how romantic...tell me how are you feeling?"
I'm in the ninth week, I sometimes feel unpleasant, sometimes bearable. Are you intending to become a mother soon, girlfriend?
"I don't yet know. Cody recently joined the Commanders, which is fantastic for us, but he's unhappy to leave Rex in Miami. ..but wait, I want to get drunk tonight; we're going to talk about serious stuff like this on Monday. Oops, I'm already feeling dizzy."
So dizzy did their night end, and they all somehow made it to bed except Padmé. She stayed sober.
At 78°F, this April Sunday was incredibly warm. It shouldn't be too cold or too warm for Padmé because she brought various options and took the weather forecast thoroughly. She hired expert assistance for her hair and makeup to look perfect as always. She chose a cream-colored bag, matching shoes, and an apricot-colored suit and a hat with a big peak. Everyone turned to face her. Like every other man besides Cody in light grey, Anakin was attractive. Dormé had to dress appropriately for her position, so she chose an Oscar De La Renta bridal gown.
Many guests, like families, friends, coworkers, and teammates, attended the wedding.
It was a beautiful wedding and celebration that will be remembered for a long time, even without the many photos that were taken. The photos taken by the dedicated photographers were later sent to all the wedding guests and what the many reporters recorded could be seen on some TV channels as well as on the internet with headlines like :
The YES word of the year !
Miami Dolphins famed TE Cody Kamino, who just signed with Washington Commanders, tied the knot with his fiancée Dormé Dawson today. This woman doesn't come from show business that only has her looks to offer, she is the assistant to the Senator from Massachusetts, successful, educated, intelligent, rich and beautiful. Who made the good catch here would be a valid question at this stage.
Typical headlines of tabloid press.
The friends gathered the evening after the wedding, when all the guests had already left, to eat, talk, and laugh over the day's events.
"Brother, I believe the vultures are correct. You got in with a better catch."
"I may not be as attractive, but I have more money."
"Do you want to swap, dear husband?"
"I'd rather stay rich than beautiful, but you're at an advantage anyway Dormé, we don't have a marriage contract."
"That's called true love." Anakin said.
"Do you have a marriage contract, Skywalker?"
"No, we brought almost equal weight into the marriage."
"Satine and I share the debt equally; we don't have a marriage contract either."
Nobody said anything, it was embarrassing and uncomfortable, friends in a stupid circumstance. However, some of them had this same suspicion all along. The only thing left to do was for Ben to bring up their divorce. He had a lot of whiskey on the rocks, so it wouldn't be shocking. Dormé had to save a situation and hastily switched the subject.
"It's customary for the ladies to enjoy bachelorette parties in a boozy mood...but our missy couldn't...naaaa, can any of the gentlemen guess why?"...and gave Anakin a wink.
"Sister-in-law, you're about to tell us."
"Come on, Rex, try to find out."
"Could it be...our Skywalker has been diligent...uh, in the bed."
"Bingo!"
It was that simple. Everyone jumped up and gave Anakin claps on the shoulder, and hugged Padmé. The two explained how it got to there and what life was like in Acapulco. The divorce and debt problems of Kenobies were resolved. However, everyone had the impression that they would be talking about this subject very soon.
Everyone was a little sad when it came time to say farewell the following day because they didn't know when they would see each other again, but they all made a promise to stay in touch.
The Skywalkers will return to Boston, but Dormé and Cody will stay in Washington, D.C., for at least the foreseeable future. The Kenobies, well, time will soon tell, but Sabé and Rex remained committed to maintaining their long-distance relationship.
Padmé and Anakin had recently determined to stay a further three days in New York. It would be horrible if the parents, and especially Sola, learned the news from a different side. Padmé didn't truly want to disclose that she's expecting a baby, but since this has already become known among her friends, it would be bad. Unthinkable.
Yes, Anakin was relieved he had not rented out her apartment at 158 E 93rd St again because it was now so familiar. When Padme asked him where he believed they would place the infant crib, he turned to look around.
"Of course, in the bedroom." In his mind's eye, he pictured the cradle next to her king-size bed because the room was large and had space for it. His heart warmed up. "You have no idea how happy I am to be a father and to hug our little baby, Padmé."
"I know, Ani, I'm happy too, but I'm still scared. The pregnancy isn't that stable yet, the first trimester isn't over, and...this trip, maybe I shouldn't have done it, but not being there, on the wedding of mine my best friend...isn't it impossible?"
"My Angel, everything will be fine; you are in good health."
"Yes, now all that's left to do is tell your and my parents."
"It will make my parents pleased."
"I'm aware of that, but my dad? I don't know Ani, and he still strikes me as being...stiff."
"I'm beginning to think you're afraid of him, or do you really care about his acceptance?"
"I'm not afraid, I just feel like he hasn't really accepted you."
"Don't worry, Angel; the baby won't like it. I support you. We visit my parents tomorrow, your parents the following day, and finally we go home. She calmed down after receiving 100 kisses from him.
They went to eat because the fridge was empty. The following morning, Padmé bought breakfast at Paris Baguette. When she was back, Anakin was still asleep and wasn't at all shocked to see the croissants.
"Why are you doing that, Angel? It's tiring to trek that far."
"No, I'm fine and besides, I'm pregnant, not sick."
"My wife, my angel...you know, all those years without you, if that was the price of having you now, it was worth it."
"Do not do it, Anakin. Since I'm with you, you'll never be alone.
He lifted her onto the kitchen counter, pushed down her jeans and began stroking her thighs. It only took a few seconds before he buried his face in her crotch.
"Oh God, Ani, what are you doing to me?"
"I want you so much…. I'll be careful, our baby won't even notice."
He was extremely gentle, as he usually was, but he was also aware that he had to take no chances—no risky postures, no excessive passion—despite Padmé's increasing sex demands. It's quite typical for a pregnant woman.
They unexpectedly visited his parents that evening, and they were genuinely relieved to find Shmi and Cliegg there.
"Oh god, that's a surprise, I'm so happy. Look who's here, Cliegg."
"Anakin, Padmé, why didn't you say anything? Mama would have cooked something nice for you."
"I know my mother always has something in that big fridge."
"Is correct. Did you bring hunger?...on stew maybe?"
"I can't eat anything heavy in the evening, I feel nauseous... and the next morning too..."
"When I was pregnant, I had such problems, I...Padmé...you're pregnant, aren't you?"
Padmé smiled and leaned into Anakin. He answered for her. "Yes, Mama, we are expecting a baby. You're going to be a grandmother."
Oh my goodness, I'm so happy, I'm so happy...unbearably happy. Take a hug. Cliegg chuckled while cuddling his stepson and Padmé as Shmi sobbed.
For his family, those were joyful times. Padmé considered how her family would react to this. She was almost jealous of Anakin's bond with his parents, since she began to reflect on how things used to be between them and how much might go wrong. Although Padmé didn't always agree with it, she still had Sola, her sister, at her side, whom she could always speak to straight-forwardly. Actually, it was more like Sola constantly brought up whatever was necessary.
On her first day in New York, Padmé called her sister and made plans to meet up at her parents' house. Sola was aware of Dormé's nuptials and had even seen the major news item on ESPN. It was obvious and expected that Padmé and Anakin would stop in New York.
"What should I wear, Ani?"
"Jeans?"
"You damaged her yesterday, so I can't."
"Oh? Then we'll purchase a new one."
"Really, what am I wearing?"
"I wear grey suit, no tie; take something similar."
"Okay, it's still warm, I'm wearing a light gray dress and jacket, a black Chanel bag, a pair of black Louboutins, and..."
"You really love your Louboutins; do you own any other pairs of shoes?"
"I have a lower-heeled Sergio Rossi here."
"The Louboutins are ideal, but we'll take a taxi, I guess." He smirked, fully aware of how challenging it is to walk in shoes with a nearly 4-inch heel.
Every time, 1036 Park Avenue brought back memories—both pleasant and unpleasant. She liked coming here, though, in some way.
The concierge this time was an unknown young man who pleasantly greeted her but couldn't take his eyes off Padmé. Anakin was already at his breaking point; it was utterly impolite and unethical to be looking at a woman in public like that.
"Is there something about my wife that you don't like?"
"Oh, no, not at all, Sir. I was simply thinking how your lady reminded me of a resident of this house."
"Mrs. Naberrie?"
"Exactly."
"No wonder, I'm her daughter."
"Ooooh, of course, sorry, you're expected. I release the elevators."
They got into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.
.
Best regards from Germany