Chapter 74

Friday dawned bright and clear. The snowstorm of the night before had ended, leaving the outside world covered in a white blanket. Devlin slowly stretched, tensing and releasing every muscle in her body. It had been quite a week, but now she was on the homestretch.

She had finished Finals the preceding Thursday. It was the last set of Finals she would have to take. All the papers had been turned in, all the tests finished, there was nothing left but the graduation ceremony. Her grades were more than good enough. She was graduating 15th in her class, which was better than she'd expected. The important thing, though, was that she was graduating. She'd get her diploma and officially be a college graduate.

It was going to feel strange not going to school. She'd been going to one type of school or another for as long as she could remember, and now she'd have to take all of those years and put them to use. From here on she'd be earning her living in the real world; from here on she was going to be a businesswoman with a career of her own. And after her honeymoon she was going to spend two months in Chicago learning about the business from the inside. Starting in April she and two other gals were going to be in the Bay Area opening up a new territory for the company. It was quite a task, and she could hardly wait to get started.

She spent the day closing out her student accounts and finishing the paperwork that ended her time as a student. She went over to the Athletic Club and did a mile in the pool, then took a really long hot shower and washed her hair. She cleaned out her locker, slowly folding and storing things in a box. Krissi was going to ship this to Chicago and the apartment she'd be sharing there.

When she emerged from the locker room she practically tripped over Denise O'Connor. "Fancy meeting you here," Devlin said.

"I got your invitation," Denise replied after a hug. "I wish we could attend, but..."

"Oh, I understand. All of my relatives are up here, and I've been getting barraged by phone calls about why we were getting married in the Keys."

"My husband and I went to Key West once," Denise said as they braved the weather. "He'd been stationed there when he was in the Marines, and he told me all about it." She paused to brush some snow off of her arm. "We're going to get down there, just not right now."

"So how's life treating you?" Devlin asked.

"This is the quiet season," Denise said. "Students are heading home, and with it a lot of the weird problems we get. We'll just be down to routine assault and batteries, robberies, and the like."

Devlin laughed. "Sounds boring... not!"

"Yeah, I know. Coffee?"

"Why not?"

They chatted away for a few cups of coffee, and parted after having exchanged addresses. She was going to miss Denise, even if she'd had to evade the truth from time to time with her.

Commencement was a blur--she'd followed more of Krissi's. She only wished Evan could have made it, but he was pitching that evening. Krissi was on a book tour and couldn't get away. Steve had been there, and Amnita came, along with Lisa and Jo. They all joined in the graduation party, and relived some of the fun things they'd done.

Amnita reduced Jo to near terminal embarrassment with some of her stories, especially from Olangopo. Jo hadn't considered some of the possibilities involving two guys and four girls. Lisa, who'd seen a few things like that at Emma's, could only laugh at her friend's expression.

"They get more bizarre than that," she said. "They have this thing called a pile, where you get everyone in the room involved with each other."

"You didn't... you never..."

"Never did it," Lisa said. "But both Devlin and Amnita have."

"You lose all sense of self," Amnita said. "By the time everything ends you're exhausted, but it's a happy exhaustion."

"And you're a mess," Devlin added. "Half the time you never know who you're involved with, but that doesn't matter. Oh, and did you tell her about the random sprays of come?"

"What?!" Jo looked at Lisa in shock.

"You'll be going to town on someone," Amnita said, "and some guy will get too excited and spray the whole group when he comes."

"Accidents happen," Devlin said. She saw her mother standing by the door. "I think it's time to do the parental unit thing. I'll talk to you guys later."

After a quick round of hugs she made her way across the floor to her mother. Another hug, and they left for the dinner they'd planned. She watched her mother closely as they ate and talked, not sure if she was going to cry, or laugh. She felt much the same way. Graduation was the end of a phase in her life, and they both knew it.

On Monday she drove to Chicago, where she turned her sales territory over to another gal. They waded through the paperwork, changing the names on the accounts and other things. All of it was necessary, and it seemed to drag on and on. Finally, though, she was officially a Territory Manager, though she didn't have a Territory just yet. She now had the authority to hire people--though that was still subject to approval by her boss. Full authority would come as she built her Territory.

When she was done at work she walked through the evening gloom, jostled by the occasional shopper. It was snowing, a fine drifting powder that promised much more to come. She still had things to do in Chicago--find an apartment for the next two months was the most important--and they were keeping her from Key West. She also had meetings, including with one of the gals who would report to her. She was on a deadline, and she wasn't sure if she was looking forward to Saturday night when her friends were taking her out to a bachelorette party.

Sunday morning, too early Sunday morning, she was going to catch a flight from Chicago O'Hare to New Orleans, and from there to Key West. Bright and early, well, 9:30 or so, she'd arrive in Key West. She'd probably be tired and a little out of sorts, but there would be no time for that, because on Sunday afternoon she and Evan were going to be married on Sugarloaf Key.

Married.

She turned that word over in her mind. She was going to be married. She was going to be a wife. She was going to have a husband. After all this time she and Evan were going to make it official.

She wasn't quite sure she was used to the idea yet. She stared at her reflection in the window of a store. She'd better get used to the idea, because at the end of the week it was going to be a reality. She'd have the ring and everything, all of the things a girl was supposed to have that officially made her happy.

"I wish it was over with and we were married," she murmured. She could already feel her nerves buzzing. If it was just over and done with... Oh well, the bride was supposed to look forward to the ceremony. After all, it was her big day.

Somehow she got through the week of meetings, spiced with a nightly phone call to Evan. There were a lot of things involved in being a Territory Manager. She'd have to do some selling, too, and probably take the lead on bra fittings, at least for a while. She smiled at that. Same old--same old. Some things just didn't change.

Sunset on Saturday night found her on the freeway. Traffic was agreeably light. It had snowed again, just a little over an inch, but the streets and highways were already cleaned off. She ran over her list of things to do. It looked like everything was complete. It was time to relax and enjoy the process. It was her day coming up, and she was going to have fun with it.

But first she was going to visit her mother.

"You look so composed," her mother said when she opened the apartment door. Devlin could hear her sister squalling in the background, a noise that died to a gurgle as Tom did something or other. "And you're all dressed up, too."

"I'm meeting some friends," Devlin said. She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, jeans, and her winter boots. It wasn't very fashionable, but in the Midwest keeping warm trumped everything else.

"Sounds fun," her mother said, inviting her in. "I wish I could join you."

"Most of it would bore you," Devlin said. She took off her coat and draped it over the back of a chair. "It'll just be a bunch of girls sitting around talking about guys they'd dated and things that had happened in college. We'll tell a bunch of stories, lie a little, and things like that."

"So they're not taking you to a male strip bar?" Her mother's eyes twinkled as she said that.

"I don't know of any around here," Devlin said. "There may be one in Chicago, but none of us want to go that far. No, we'll sit in some watering hole, eating and talking half the night away."

"Yeah, but..." Her mother stopped, shaking her head. She gestured for Devlin to sit, and brought her a cup of tea. "We're all set for Sunday morning," she said. She and Tom had made their own travel arrangements and were flying out of Peoria, leaving at the crack of dawn, or actually a little before.

"Well, I thought I'd go over the directions one last time," Devlin said. She put the paper with the directions on the coffee table. "The church isn't hard to get to. I mean there aren't many ways to get lost in the Keys. There's only one main road, and..."

"No need to explain," her mother said. "I've talked with Evan's mother, and she's going to have someone meet us at the airport." Then she gave Devlin a careful look. "Nervous?"

"Scared is more like it."

"It's a big step for a gal. Nothing is ever the same after your wedding day."

"I know."

"No matter what happens, Devlin, you're still my little girl."

"Oh, Mom, I..." Whatever else she was going to say was lost as her mother opened her arms and Devlin buried herself in them. "Everything's happening at once," she confessed after a good cry and a few minutes to check her make-up.

"You'll have time to relax on that cruise," her mother said. "Phone me when you get back." Devlin nodded, snuffling back her tears again. "And be sure to let me know where in Oakland you finally settle."

"Actually I can do that right now," Devlin said. She scribbled the address of Evan's apartment on another piece of paper. "When I move to Oakland, that's where I'll be staying. Of course that won't be until the end of March."

"I thought your company was only keeping you to the end of February... oh yeah, Spring Training."

"Only for a week. I'll be driving there from Chicago, which should be an adventure in itself."

"Too bad Evan can't help you with that."

"Team wives have to be somewhat independent."

"That you are," her mother said. "You've always been more than a little independent. If it hadn't been for Sue and Danny helping out, I don't think it would have been possible."

"That reminds me, I'll have to call them when I get back to town."

"I thought you invited them to the wedding."

"I did, but Sue sent their regrets. Their kids are in school."

"That's too bad. I liked Sue. I'm glad you got her to do that surgery."

"I'm glad it worked out." Devlin glanced at the clock. "Oh, I've got to be running. I told the other gals I'd be there before 8:00, and it's nearly 7:30 now." She grabbed her coat and wrestled it on.

"Well, have fun tonight, and I'll see you Sunday about noon, okay?"

"I love you, Mom." She gave her mother a quick hug, stuck her head in the baby's room to say hello/good-bye to her sister, and hurried out the door.

Devlin dozed on the flight to New Orleans. Her dreams were confused, a jumble of eroticism and a little nervousness. She arrived in New Orleans at 7:15 local time. She had to run to catch the Key West flight, but having no luggage helped. When she emerged from the jetway in Key West Evan and his family were there to meet her.

"You look rushed," he said after a quick kiss.

"So do you. When did you get in?"

"About 20 minutes ago."

"Now, now," Georgia said, pushing them apart. "There'll be plenty of time for kissing and talking later. Devlin has a lot of things to do, and not much time to do them."

They separated there. Evan and his Dad went one way, Devlin and Georgia, with Jenny and Sandy in tow, went the other.

Devlin glanced at Jenny, who was sporting a ring on her finger. "You didn't have that on when I was here over Thanksgiving," she said. "When's your big day?"

"June," Jenny said. "Right after graduation. Well, 10 days after graduation." She smiled. "He asked me Friday night."

"Well, congratulations!" Devlin gave her a quick hug.

"When does your mother get in?" Georgia asked as they drove over the bridge to Boca Chica Key. Off to one side a pair of Navy fighters split the sky as they took off.

"Their flight gets in about 10:45," Devlin said. "They got up at the crack of dawn and are connecting through Mobile."

"I know that flight," Georgia said. "Jenny's going to pick them up and bring them to our house. She'll also run any last minute errands for you."

"I'll do the same for you," Devlin told her. "You'd be surprised what can go wrong at a wedding."

"Something always goes wrong," Georgia said. "I have a friend on stand-by with spare flowers and a spare cake just in case."

"You didn't have to," Devlin said.

Georgia laughed. "Listen, at my wedding the cake and flowers got delivered to the wrong church. We only got through it all because my aunt was prepared in just the same way." She shrugged. "Anyway, she'll bring the flowers whether they're needed or not. It'd be a shame to let perfectly good flowers go to waste like that. And if we don't need the cake, don't worry. It'll go to a good home."

Devlin laughed. "If you say so."

The wedding was at 2:00. Georgia and Sandy helped her start to get ready. Her mother appeared, youngest daughter in tow, when Devlin was about half-dressed.

"She looks just darling," Devlin said, kneeling to look at her sister. Her sister was wearing a white dress with ruffles, white tights and brand new black shoes. She'd been walking for several months, only now she wasn't falling down all the time. She peered at Devlin curiously, then smiled as Devlin poked her sister's cheek and drew a dimple. A moment later the early hour was forgotten as she hugged Devlin.

Devlin finally put on her wedding dress. It was sleeveless--though not strapless--with a tight bodice. It flared at her hips in a cascade of white over several layers of petticoats. It was all topped off with a white lace wrap and a white head piece with its own train that wrapped around her hair and flowed down her back. It had taken four different fittings before both she and the dressmaker were satisfied.

After a couple of pictures everyone else changed. Her mother held her hand on the way to the church. Devlin was shaking so hard from nervousness that anything else, flowers for instance, would have been shaken to pieces by the time they got there.

There were a lot of things she was still worrying about--bridesmaids were way up on her list. Because the wedding was being held in the Keys she'd asked her mother about it.

"Well it can't be me," her mother said. "I'd love to, but I can't."

"Oh?"

"I'm the mother of the bride. It's my job to sit in the front row and cry. A bridesmaid's supposed to be supportive, not a bundle of nerves."

"Well, who, then? I don't know anyone down there."

"Ask Sandy and Jenny."

That night she did, in a conference call. "Maybe," Sandy said. "If you can't get someone else, I'll do it."

"Same here," Jenny said. "I'll do it, but..."

"Well, it can't be my sister, she's barely walking, and anyway, she's going to be the ring bearer."

She called Mary, the woman she'd worked with before. She was setting up her own sales territory in New Orleans, but quickly agreed. "Maybe I'll even get my boyfriend Brian to come along," she said. "We need time together, and this'll be just the thing."

"Hasn't he asked you yet? I know the last time we talked you said he was close."

She laughed. "He's nervin' himself up to ask me."

"I'll warn you, this is on the weekend, so you'll have to wear a nice dress, not the stuff you usually wear."

"Just don' make it taffeta. I had to do that when I was younger, an' I hated it. Anyway, I'll make flight reservations an' see you the day of the wedding. I figure I can catch the early mornin' flight an' get there about 8:00 or 8:30."

"You'll beat me," Devlin said. "I'll send you directions and everything. And the dress."

"What's it look like?"

"It's a white satin sheath."

"Well okay, then. White satin I can do. I'll see you then."

Mary was as good as her word. She greeted Devlin at the door of the waiting room with open arms. "You look marvelous," she said, "an' that dress is absolutely you. I've already checked your flowers," she added. "An' the photographer is already here an' settin' up."

"Did Brian make the trip?"

Mary nodded. "He's out front right now." She glanced at Devlin. "I can't get over it. You're a knockout in that dress."

"It fits because I haven't eaten lately. I've been too busy."

Mary laughed. "I bet. When we were workin' together last summer you didn't eat enough. New Orleans food has to be savored." Somebody said something behind her, and she turned her head. "Oops, got to go."

"I have a surprise for you," her mother said as Devlin eased down on a stool in the corner.

"As if I have enough surprises," Devlin said sourly. "Okay, what is it?"

"You know Jenny and Sandy said they didn't want to be bridesmaids, but they would if nobody else would?" Devlin nodded. "Fortunately a couple of your friends said they could fly down and help."

"Who? The only one other one I know down here is Mary."

"There's me," Krissi said, peeking around the door. "I couldn't let you get married without my help."

"But... but you're on that book tour. You're supposed to be in Denver this week"

"Still am," Krissi said. "But today's an off day. I'm flying back tonight after the reception. I'll be dead tired tomorrow, but all I have to do tomorrow is sit, smile, and sign my name. I can do that. And, anyway, you didn't think I'd miss my best friend's wedding, did you?"

"I remembered what a help she was when I got married," her mother said. "And I knew you two are good friends, so I called her and asked her if she could possibly make it, and she agreed."

"Steve's over with Evan," Krissi said. "He flew down with Marie and Rick. They all came down on the same flight as your Mom. Rick and Marie said they needed time off from the snow, and Marie said that her school was out for the holidays. Oh, and Marie said she'd go find your bouquet."

"My bouquet's missing?" Devlin got up and began opening boxes. Her bouquet was supposed to be with her headpiece.

"I didn't know Marie and Rick," her mother said. "But Krissi introduced us at the airport."

"Marie owns a cosmetology school," Devlin said, still looking for her bouquet. "She used to do make-up out in Hollywood, and now she teaches it back home. She also owns something like half a dozen beauty parlors, which may be where you know her."

"Marie as in Marie's Curls & Gossip?" her mother asked. Devlin nodded. "There's one that just opened in Peru. I just had my hair cut there last week."

"That's the one."

"And her husband Rick plays professional volleyball," Krissi added.

"You mean that dreamboat out front?" Sandy asked. "Ooh, he's quite a hunk."

Devlin had the sudden urge to add that Rick and Marie were both dynamite in bed. Marie had the softest breasts, and got really turned on when you rubbed her nipples with your own. Her skin didn't have the delicate porcelain look of Krissi's, but she was just as orgasmic. And Rick... Rick had a manhood that was a foot long and 3" across, and he could do it for hours on end, reducing her to a puddle of satisfied woman-flesh. Of course that would mean telling everyone about Rick, and Marie, and Krissi... and the lifestyle, and all of the men she'd had sex with since she was 14. She decided that some things just shouldn't be shared with her mother.

"You ought to see him in a wet tee-shirt and shorts," Devlin said. She gave Sandy a wicked grin. "We were at a barbecue last summer and he'd been playing volleyball. Everybody was all hot and sweaty, and somebody turned on a sprinkler so they could cool off. When I saw him I practically melted."

"Ooh, I can see why," Sandy said. Her eyes were dreamy. She was obviously having very specific fantasies about Rick right now. "He looks pretty good in a tuxedo, too."

"He's happily married," Marie said from the other side of the room. She had the missing bouquet in her hands. "Guess what I found!" Like Krissi she was wearing a white sleeveless sheath, long white gloves and white heels. "Your flowers, girl," she added with a curtsy. She reached up and did a couple of things to Devlin's hair. "Let me get a pin, you have some curls trying to escape."

Devlin smiled as Marie pinned the errant curls back under her headpiece.

"I brought my make-up kit," Marie added. "You could use some touching-up, girl." She got it and set it up next to the stool Devlin was using. "This'll take just a couple of minutes." She tossed a sheet around Devlin and got busy with her brush and eyeliner. A touch more mascara, a little refreshing here and there, and she blended it all with her brush.

"There, that should do."

Devlin inspected the results in a mirror. Marie had somehow brought out the features on her face, accentuating them just a little more. She looked better than she expected.

"We've got a couple of minutes, still," her mother said. "On your feet, Devlin. Okay, everyone, last check."

Devlin dutifully climbed up on the stool. Everyone did a careful walk-around inspection. "The dress looks nicer than when you tried it on back home," Krissi said as she plucked the train out a little more.

"I think so, too," her mother said. "I can't think of anything more left to do."

"Checklist time," Krissi said. "Something old: the headpiece. Something new: the choker. Borrowed..."

"Those earrings of mine she's wearing," Georgia said.

"Something blue: my garter," Devlin said.

"Penny in the shoe for luck," her mother said. "It is there, isn't it?" Devlin took her foot out of her shoe and showed them the penny.

"That's it," Marie said. She gave Devlin a quick hug, perhaps just a hair warmer than she had before. Devlin returned it, keeping a proper cheek to cheek touch. Another hug from Krissi, just as warm, and both headed for the front of the church with Mary right behind them.

Marie stuck her head back in. "Evan looks great," she said with a wicked grin, and winked.

Devlin saw the clock--1:55. "Oh. It's almost..." She swallowed, wishing she wasn't shaking so much. "It's almost time." That last came out as a squeak.

"You'll do fine, dear," her mother said. She gave her a hug and a kiss. "I wish your father was here to be with you today."

"I've never missed him more than right now," Devlin replied quietly. She took a breath to try to calm her nerves. It didn't work. "I'm okay, I guess."

"I'll be right there in the front row for you."

Sandy handed Devlin her bouquet while Jenny fiddled with the wrap and something on the dress. "Ready?" Jenny asked.

"No, but it's a little late to back out, now, isn't it?"

Jenny gave her a quick hug. "You'll do fine. Mom said at her wedding they gave her a straight shot of rum to steady her before she walked down the aisle." She draped Devlin's veil over her face, tugged at a couple of things, and nodded.

"I did the same for my Mom," Devlin said. She swallowed. Her throat was suddenly dry. The organ did a couple of bars, and then broke into the wedding march.