Chapter 39: Peeta's wedding
[June/July 2374 AD – POV Timotheus Mellark]
On June 11th we had celebrated Rue's and Ruth's birthday, together once again in the big barn on the Evergreen farm. My sister Primrose had a few days off school and had spent them on the farm with us, and in the evening, when the guests had been gone, she had pulled me away from the others and opened my eyes about Rue and her view of me. I had, almost form the start, considered Rue as something like my adopted little sister, and partially driven by her diminutive size and looks – she still looked like nine or ten years old rather than her real age of now fifteen – I had never really considered anything else. Primrose, driven by what my baby sister Ruth had already more than assumed, had opened my eyes and pushed me in the right direction, and in the late evening I had finally asked Rue if she really had a crush on me and wanted to be my girlfriend. Judged by the amount of tears she had shed from overflowing happiness, I had made her day, although I could barely believe that she was my girlfriend now, all of a sudden.
At breakfast on the next day my sister had pointed out with a smirk that I had a hickey on my neck, and when I got a chance to see that in a mirror, I noticed that it was a very distinctive one, looking almost like one imagined a vampire bite to look like. Considering Rue's teeth with the elongated canines, this was understandable. I had not even realized getting it, and I did not mind it at all, but I was not quite sure yet how to explain this to others, outside the family. It was the first hickey I had ever received, too.
Soon after that, the next event was coming up – Lizzy's and Peeta's wedding on Saturday June 29th. Naturally, the wedding was going to be a real big thing. Peeta was the co-owner of the Mellark bakeries, after all, and he was also quite good looking and handsome, with his bright blue eyes and blond hair. Contrary to me his looks did not scream 'nerd', but he appeared like a very handsome and hard working young man with a view for the realities of life. If he had not been attached to Lizzy since many years ago, he would have been one of the city's most eligible bachelors. Even though, there had been attempts by young women to approach him, but all of them utterly failing. Above and beyond that, Peeta was also my brother, and a good one. I had offered to help with wedding preparations, but Lizzy's mother and my mother had decided that this was something only women could do properly. Primrose was assisting a little bit, but I was out. That was actually quite all right for me; I did not believe that I would do a good job preparing social events. My baby sister Ruthie, though, was an integral part of the planing team, and her advice, as I heard, was gladly taken into account. She had an unfailing sense for human interactions, and for most people who were invited she knew well who could sit next to certain others and who could not.
There were going to be a few guests of honor, including Appacolia՚s High Mayor and the Lutheran bishop of our district, who resided in the city. The ball room in the big city hall had been rented for the party, and of course there was the religious ceremony to be performed in the city's main church, by the bishop and Peeta՚s and Lizzy's pastor together.
During the dark times and the dictator rule a marriage could only be done in a district's Justice Building, and some districts had not even had churches any longer, but with growing district populations that had changed. In our district at least mayors in local town halls could get a couple married, and priests of the major denominations could do that as well, once the proper marriage license had been requested and granted, so that there was no need to have two separate ceremonies, one at the town hall and one in church, for those who did want to have a church service. I had learned that things had been in a similar way in the old times, before the Great War, in the old 'United States of America', whereas many European countries had had a rule that a church ceremony could only supplement but not replace a town hall marriage. In Central Europe and the BARBÖ, though, this was a detail they had adopted from Panem, and since some time ago a pastor could also perform a legally binding wedding there, with proper documents obtained before.
Of course there were plenty of other guests invited, and last but not least my twin cousin would also be around. His new girlfriend would not be with him; she didn't know any of us yet, and her parents were reluctant to let her travel this far without them, as I had learned. This was understandable, as they had only been together for quite a short time.
My own girlfriend, though, was allowed to attend, and as the wedding was going to take place on a Saturday, this did not interfere with school in any way. Peeta and Lizzy had obtained all of the required documents weeks ago, and on a nice Saturday end of June we all got together in the big city cathedral; construction had been completed only a couple of decades ago, and it followed the gothic style which had been dominant in Central Europe about a millenium ago. The church was filled almost to the last seat, and Rue's grandparents had also come. Rue was, of course, seated right next to me, and she was in a white dress with blue ribbons today. She had been offered to be one of the flower girls, but declined, and Ruth together with the bride's younger sister had taken that job. Seeing Rue in the dress almost made me gasp – she looked like an angel to me, and although I had seen her dressed up before, like for her own confirmation celebration, this took my breath away again. When we were sitting on our bench, we had our hands very firmly connected all of the time, except for the prayers, and our bodies were touching each other; she was sitting as close to me as she reasonably could, and I understood that this closeness to me made it easier for her to go through the service with so many people around. A few times her grandmother, who was on Rue's other side, looked over to me and smiled, and I was sure that she understood this as well.
For the most important part of the ceremony, Peeta and Lizzy had selected their own wedding vows, and it was quite apparent that there was a very happy couple there in front of the altar. I could see Lizzy's mother on the other side of the central aisle, and she was holding a handkerchief close to her face; it looked like she was almost in tears, but hopefully tears of joy. Both Peeta՚s and Lizzy's voices were clearly audible for us when they confirmed the final question with "Yes, I do", and for a moment I almost expected applause starting, but this would of course have been very inappropriate during a church service.
Uncle Peter was Peeta՚s godfather; at the time of his nephew's birth he had still been a minor, but even at the age of barely sixteen he had volunteered to take this responsibility, and he and Peeta had spent a lot of time together, for talking, playing, and other activities. Both Uncle Peter and one of Lizzy's aunts, her godmother, got a chance to say a few words, before a final prayer, ending with the Lord's Prayer, a last hymn and the blessing from the bishop concluded the service.
It took some time for all of us to get out of the cathedral, and outside there was a long line to offer their congratulations to the newlyweds. When it was mine and Rue's turn, I was glad to see that Lizzy looked at Rue with almost like adoration in her eyes; they had seen each other before, but never really talked much, and when Rue had curtsied and said a few words, Lizzy got down on her knees, hugged her briefly and replied:
"Rue, I have heard so many things about you, and we have never had the time to talk much. You look really adorable today, and I am glad that you are here. My youngest sister-in-law, Ruth, has told me so much about you, and I do hope that we will become good friends, too!"
Peeta was next to us and smirked, and he said, just loud enough for me to understand:
"I wouldn't be surprised if the next family wedding was hers."
What was he talking about? Rue was way too young and too small to think about getting wed! She had not caught his remark, though, and now it was Peeta՚s turn to hug Rue. He did not kneel down, but simply picked her up, hugged her briefly and said:
"Thank you for being here with us today on that wonderful day, Rue!"
Rue got along nicely with Peeta and Lizzy, but she now quickly stepped aside to make room for other guests who wanted to shake hands with the bridal couple. We all waited patiently until all of the guests had had a chance to do that, and then we took advantage of the nice weather and walked over to the town hall, which was not far away, enduring the summer heat for some time. The church service had started at ten in the morning, and the time was quite right now for lunch. While the other meals of the day would be buffet style, lunch was going to be formally served at the tables, and all guests had had a chance to preselect what they wanted in advance; now everybody was heading towards their respective tables.
As the bridegroom's brother, my place was at one of the tables next to the small one reserved for bride and groom only, and we had my parents, my two sisters and my twin cousin Tim Sinterguth with us, plus Rue of course – she was seated between Ruth and myself. Her grandparents had been in the church, but had politely declined an invitation to the party; however, they had allowed Rue to stay with me. When I looked over at Rue and Ruth side by side, I could not help noticing once more that Ruth had grown more than my girlfriend. About a year ago they had been almost exactly the same size at about 125 cm, which was about average for eight to nine year old girls. Ruth was now ten and had passed the 130 cm mark; Rue had also grown a little bit, but was a few centimeters smaller than Ruth now. There was no external indication at all that Rue was actually fifteen years old – she looked like about nine. Only when she talked it was obvious that she was not an elementary school girl, but rather a smart and knowledgeable young lady; while her voice was still like a little girl's, with a somewhat high pitch, her choice of words and careful phrasing made that impossible to miss.
As a matter of fact, Ruth spent more time away from our table than at it; she was part of the organizing group, and specifically when somebody seemed to have a problem or a complaint, which was inevitable in such a large group, she rushed there, and with her charm she managed to calm down everybody easily.
Lunch took its time with several courses, and after eating, everybody was encouraged to mingle as they wanted. Only Peeta and his wife were expected to stay at their table most of the time at least, and those who wanted to could stop by and exchange a few words. Many used the opportunity to talk to people they had not seen for some time or even those they did not know at all, and I decided to greet my grandparents, Jeremiah and Delilah Mellark, my father's parents. Grandpa was white and Grandma had dark skin, and they still loved each other like they had started to fall in love more than fifty years ago. Grandma Delilah beamed when she saw me approaching, and for that 'visit' I took Rue with me. I had mentioned my grandmother when I had first found Rue, and introductions were now required.
"Grandma, Grandpa, may I introduce Rue – she is the girl I told you about; the one who dropped on me more than year ago in the mountains. Rue, my grandparents, my father's parents."
Rue started politely and curtsied:
"Mr. Mellark, Mrs. Mellark, it is a pleasure to meet you both."
"Girl, you are Tim's girlfriend now, is this correct?"
She nodded, but did not reply verbally.
"Let me have a look at you."
Rue's ears were hidden below her nicely done hair and the bows attached there, and she had her mouth almost closed, so that none of her special features were showing clearly, but Grandma Delilah just looked at Rue, took her hand, and after some time she said:
"I think that you are all right; I have good feeling when I look at you. Come, sit with us for some time!"
Rue squirmed, and I hastened to explain:
"Rue is very shy, and she feels uncomfortable around people she does not know. With few exceptions, she needs plenty of time to get used to people, and today that are just too many around she does not know."
"All right then; I guess that we can talk later again."
When we were back at our table, Rue uttered:
"Thank you, Tim. Your grandparents seem to be nice, but I just can't help myself."
"You are welcome, my dear."
"And I am so glad that nobody forced me to wear heels today. That may be the advantage of looking younger; people don't want to dress you like an adult."
She certainly had a point. For some reason I did not fully understand, many people expected certainly clothing styles from adults, which implied mostly dark colors for me and partially impractical dresses without pockets for teenage girls and adult women, at least for more formal occasions. Outdoor clothing was, of course, different, but I had already heard Primrose complaining a few times about certain clothes she preferred not being fashionable and thus difficult to get. Children's clothes were different, both in practicality and in colors, and I could certainly understand that Rue, who loved bright colors, liked them.
"You prefer children's clothes, right?"
"Well, mostly at least. Girls shoes are so much nicer than women's shoes, for instance, and my shoe size let's me have a great selection."
"Are you still at size 31?"
"No, I am at 32 now, but this is still quite small; I have been told that this is the typical size for seven to eight year old girls, and I am twice this age. But I like the shoes I can get at this size! Fortunately for me, shoes with heels in that size are practically nonexistent; the ones I had for my confirmation were very hard to find. And not only the shoes; there are so many nice clothes in pink, purple, yellow and other bright colors; I love it!"
She actually giggled now, and I knew that this was part of her character. While she was a highly intelligent young lady and could talk with adults about all kind of topics, she was also a little girl, and at times, like when she was playing little girl games with my sister Ruth, she also behaved like a little girl. This may have been confusing for other people who did not know her well, but it was more than all right for me. After all, I knew that this side of her allowed her to relax at times, like when she spent her breaks at school mostly with other girls in Ruth's class and behaving like an eight or nine year old girl herself. Not only that, but I frequently had a chance to see and experience this part of her, too, like when we had some time together on the farm and went around to visit some of the animals or admire some special flowers in her grandmother's herb garden. Even when we spent time together on a picnic or in her room, it was quite common that she giggled at times, and when she asked me to tickle her, the resulting little girl laughter was almost infectious; she could also get very giggly, in a little girl way, when I gave her a ride on my back or even on my shoulders. It was this side of her which likely made her other side more tolerable for herself. Being super intelligent by itself was not a problem, but the way many of the other students viewed her for that was. She needed a different environment, but first she'd have to complete her final year of school. After that, we'd have to see.
After breakfast on the next day, Rue and Ruth wanted to spend some time outside, and my twin cousin and I decided to go with them into the nearby city park. After we had walked around a bit, we found a bench close to a couple of waterspout fountains, and we sat down to relax. Rue started to tell a little about her time at school, and I started to muse:
"We really need to start thinking about Rue's future after school. In one year she will graduate, but she will still be a minor. With her intelligence, she will be probably well suited for a special education for the highly gifted, I should think."
"But Tim, I have told you before, I don't think I will survive going somewhere on my own!"
Ruth took her hand to calm her down, and my twin cousin told her:
"Rue, no reason to worry now. Let me first tell you what an option might be. In Rainbow Valley in District Sixteen we do have our family university. Well, not just for family of course, but operated by us. There is a special section for the super intelligent young people, and I have reason to assume that you might fit in. They expect an IQ of above 140, and of course there is a series of acceptance tests. The good thing is that those who are accepted will not be forced to follow a strict and fix curriculum, but will be individually coached as needed, as they will get a lot of freedom to chose the direction to pursue. Yes, there will be required tasks, but there will be lots of time to do whatever you want."
"How do you know that?"
"I am part of the family, after all, and I have asked. I have told them about you, and they are curious to meet you."
"They want to meet me? Why? Who?"
"Some of the professors leading that section of university. If you want, I can arrange a meeting some time later this year."
"But this still won't work! I will not survive going somewhere on my own, and I need Tim around!"
Ruth nodded and replied:
"Yes, we know that, little sister. But we will find a way, together! Trust me!"
My baby sister looked like she already had a specific plan in mind, but she did not elaborate. It was kind of odd hearing a ten year old girl talking to another one who was five years older like that, but we all fully trusted Ruth on statements like those, and she had not disappointed our trust even once yet.
Anyway, that was enough serious talking for now, and both Rue and Ruth insisted to move on to the big playground in the park. It was a very nice one, and Ruth and Rue were here quite frequently. In such an environment, Rue's little girl side came out again, and together with her best friend, she had a lot of fun.
When I drove my twin cousin to the airport on Sunday evening, we had a few minutes to talk while he had to wait for his plane getting ready for boarding, and I noticed that there was something bothering him. We had a quit corner on the visitors' platform, and he asked:
"Tim, I have seen you kissing Rue a few times. May I ask when you started this?"
"Oh, our first kiss was right on the night of her birthday, when I finally asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend. Or rather, she asked me if I wanted to be her boyfriend. Kissing seemed to be natural, although I hesitated a lot. She is so small, and I was not sure if she wanted that at all, but it turned out that she did. Why do you ask?"
"Well, my own girlfriend, I … I have not dared to kiss her yet."
"You have not dared to? Oh, I see, you are not sure if she wants to?"
He nodded, and I replied:
"Yeah, that's what I felt with Rue, too. But, you may want to find out soon."
"Agreed, I think so, too. But how do I know?"
"You are asking the wrong person here, pal. Only one way to find out, I guess. And of course, you can always ask one of her sisters to check with her!"
"Yep, and make me look entirely stupid. No, I think that I will invite her and her sisters for a nice trip. I will let you know how that works."
[Author's Notes: In this story, Panem adopted the shoe sizes (and many other standards) from Europe.]