Chapter 41

“Nana just type andi&paul in the search bar ... really, the stream is there, I’m watching it here.” Andi was trying to get her wedding gown on while she tried to ensure that her grandmother could watch the wedding as it streamed on the internet. “It’s not andi and paul, use an ampersand, it’s the ‘and’ symbol ... the shifted seven key ... no spaces ... ok, now click the little sideways triangle ... yes ... you should see a church full of people singing ... you got it? there you go. Huh? Mom? I haven’t seen her. She didn’t show up for practice so I guess ... Ok, Nana, I love you so much! I’ll wave to you, bye bye.” Andi turned off her cell phone and handed it to Lucy who shoved it in Andi’s purse, then went back to making sure that Andi’s white cape fit perfectly without a wrinkle.

“Ok ladies, show time,” said Carol Snow. Her husband Larry was head of audio and video, and she often assisted him with weddings and ceremonies.

“My mouth is so dry,” gasped Andi.

“Here, this will help,” said Lucy as she offered Andi a cherry Lifesaver. “Any second thoughts? regrets?”

Andi looked her best friend straight in the eye. “My only regret is that we didn’t do this the minute they cleared the snow off of the roads weeks ago.” She met Paul when he rescued her after going into the ditch during a blizzard. They emerged from Paul’s cabin madly in love and engaged. She popped the Lifesaver in her mouth, and it helped with the dryness. A little.

“Listen to them!” said Lucy. They could hear an a cappella male and female duet singing Minuit Chrétien - O Holy Night in French. “They sound incredible! Who is that? Is that a recording?”

“That’s John and Macy,” said Andi, as she paused from straightening the twins’ dresses. “You got Wonka, you holding him tight?”

“They’re incredible! They should have a recording contract!” gasped Lucy.

“John won’t do that. He won’t take any money from the family car dealership, so Paul has to make a retirement/emergency/children’s college account for them.”

“And Macy puts up with his vow of poverty?” gasped Lucy incredulously.

“She says it makes her hot,” whispered Andi.

“Speaking of hot,” Lucy gave her a half smile. “I thought you were going to regret the vow of chastity.”

“And you were right,” said Andi. “That’s a standing regret. Come on love bugs!”

“Bug bug.”

“Bug bug.”

They gathered in the darkened foyer; through the windows, they could see the flickering of the candles as the packed sanctuary sang Silent Night in a cappella ending their short Christmas Eve ceremony. Ernie Kraft was there to man the door. “Are you guys ready?” he asked.

He only received nervous nods. He put an enormous hand on Andi and Lucy’s shoulders. “Andi, I’ve known Paul over 10 years and have never seen him happier, and that’s all because of you.” Andi suddenly felt shy in the presence of this big Teddy Bear of a man. “And Lucy,” he turned to the slim doctor. “Gus does nothing but talk about you. Did you cast a spell on him or something?”

“I ... I ... What?” gasped Lucy.

“John and Macy are so happy and excited you and Paul found each other,” continued Ernie. “Go out there and have fun you guys.”

Turning her back to Ernie, Lucy broke into a huge, astonished grin and Andi hugged her as they quietly squee’d their joy at Ernie’s words about Gus. Recovering quickly, they prepared the twins for their entry into the church. Just as the congregation came to the final “Christ the savior is born,” Pastor John asked the congregation to hold their candles for just a few moments longer. He nodded to the pianist Melissa Kraft, and she played Bach’s beautiful Christmas Oratorio. She was soon joined by her son Jacob on the cello, and her youngest son Damon on the violin. All three were talented enough to play for any orchestra, and Damon was recently accepted by the Philadelphia Pops. As they played, John and Macy stepped into the side room and changed from their casual clothes and stepped back onto the darkened podium as Melissa Kraft finished up the selection.

Spotlights lit up John and Macy standing on the podium. The lectern was moved out of the way. John had changed from the casual attire he wore into a black tuxedo with a white shirt, green satin bow tie, and his tuxedo jacket had green satin lapels. Macy wore a beautiful green off the shoulder floor length dress that had white lace trim up top that plunged between her breasts in an inverted bustier. The same lace became half sleeves that highlighted her beautiful black skin, and the green of her dress perfectly matched the green of John’s bow tie and lapels.

Momentarily, Paul stepped up next to his brother, wearing the same tuxedo but with red bow tie and lapels, followed by Gus, who wore a black tuxedo with a green tie and lapels, the same as John. “Was your wedding as rushed as this?” whispered Paul. When John and Macy got married, Paul was stationed in Japan.

“We eloped. We finished class, Macy gave me a passing grade, and then we went to the Dean of Students and he solemnized our marriage and we went to a Comfort Inn.”

Paul fought back the laughter as John motioned to the back of the sanctuary, and Carol and Ernie opened the doors. Andi crouched down and whispered to her girls, “Ok babies, just like we did before.” She kissed each daughter on a cheek and with all the discipline a 5-year-old can summon, Sandra and Madeline Roberts stepped forward and walked slowly down the center aisle, each clutching the special harness that their leader, Wonka, wore. The entire congregation both laughed at a dog leading the girls down the aisle, but also there was a collective awww as the beautiful tiny girls walked in time with the music. Their hair was done in Shirley Temple curls and they wore red floor-length dresses that matched the red bow around Wonka’s neck.

Following behind was Lucy, wearing a floor length straight black skirt, white blouse with green satin tab at her neck, and a black tuxedo jacket with green lapels. Lucy’s hair was normally worn in a tight bun, but this evening her hair was released, long and flowing. It spilled over her shoulders in waves of “mouse brown.” Her plain face was brilliant in the huge smile she tried to stifle but grew less and less successful as she grew near the podium where Gus stood, his eyes fixed on her. She stepped to the left of the girls and attached a long red leash to Wonka, handed the other end to a young man waiting in the front pew. The moment she hit her spot, Melissa, Damon, and Jacob played the bridal march.

The congregation stood and watched the small woman stride forward, clutching a bouquet made of red roses, white lace, and sprigs of holly and pine accented with small red ornaments and red ribbons. Her smile was blissful, and her head held high as she slowly walked the length of the aisle alone. Her brown eyes flashed between the twins and Paul, who both waited breathlessly for her arrival. The spotlights reflected off the hundreds of rhinestones on her white floor length cape, the reflections dancing across the ceiling of the church in a myriad of patterns.