 |
| my funny white queen 6/3 |
11Madrid
On the day of her flight to Spain, she
entrusted her belongings to Kathryn and packed the rest in a large suitcase and
small carryon. She slipped off her engagement ring and put it in a small box.
She left it with Kathryn explaining that she didn’t want anything to happen to
it in Spain and that she wanted to be sure that Scott really wanted to marry
her before she wore it again. Scott and Spencer came to take her to the
airport. Danny had called her early that morning to say his good bye. He thought
it would be best if he didn’t get in Scott’s way. Rachel was happy that Scott
at least wanted to see her off. He was very serious on the way to the airport,
but didn’t offer any explanations or tell her anything. He didn’t seem to
notice that she was not wearing her ring. She pulled her sweater sleeves down
over her hands to hide the missing jewelry. She pulled him into a tight embrace
as they were preparing to leave her at the departure door. She whispered into
his ear, “Scott, no matter what happens, I love you. I’ll be thinking about you
and hoping that you are happy.” He simply replied, “Thanks.” She wanted to kick
him in the shins, but remembered what she had just finished telling him. She
hugged Spencer and thanked him for everything. He was kind and gracious.
Inwardly, he felt he owed her for the patient care she had given Danny when he
was in the hospital. He felt embarrassed that Scott was being so smug and
apathetic. So, Spencer showed her love the only way he knew how. “Dahling, I thank you for your patience with
my family. Please feel free to buy anything you want or need while you are in
Spain. You deserve to be spoiled a bit. Have a lovely trip, dear,” he said. He
kissed her on the cheek and they left. She rolled her bags to the ticket
counter and began the next chapter of her life.
Her first encounter with jet lag was not
pretty. She was completely exhausted for several days following her arrival.
She was quite thankful that the university had the foresight to send students
in well ahead of classes so that they could acclimate. Her host family was an
upper-class fixture in Madrid society. As a result, their home was a buzzing
hive of activity from early to very late. “Do
these people ever eat dinner at a decent hour?” she wondered. Being on
American teams in South America had not given her a proper introduction to
Latin culture. She was having a crash course in the culture her first couple of
weeks. The first week she had the hardest time understanding the Castilian
Spanish spoken around her. She gradually picked up on the differences and was
at least aware of what was going on by her third week. One of the family’s
daughters ran a cosmetology school and she gave Rachel a haircut and taught her
to do makeup. They told her she was gorgeous and they wanted her to attend all
of their social functions with them. She had male friends of the family asking
her out on dates; to which she declined because of recent arrival to Spain. At
times she wished that she had kept her ring on, but she wasn’t sure if that
would have deterred these Latin lovers. She was becoming convinced that she
should just forget about Scott anyway. He had not called her a single time
since she had set foot in Madrid. She was relieved when her classes started
because she could set her own schedule and not be at the mercy of her host
family’s whims. Her routine became constant: morning classes, lunch and siesta
at home, and evening classes. She loved her new schedule and was happy with her
classes. She was fascinated by the flair and finesse of the Spanish and the way
they lived their lives without focusing on making a living, but rather, on
living.
In late August, she was studying in her
room. It was Saturday and she was trying to avoid being swept away by the
household conveyor belt of social planning. She received an instant message on
her computer. “Rachel, it’s me Danny.
Open your Skype account so we can talk.” She slid her computer towards her
on the desk and logged into the online video chat site. Danny found her and set
up their call. She was happy to actually see him on the screen and forgot that
he could see her. “You look awesome, Rachel! Spain must agree with you,” he
said. He was smiling while he waited for her to say something. “Hey, it’s great
to see you, Danny. I was feeling a little lonely even though I’m surrounded by
people. What’s up with you?” “Well, let’s see…Dad sold off a couple of
companies, but you know I don’t really have anything to do with that. Scott
is…well, he’s as unsociable as ever. Oh, I have good news. International
Conservationist hired me to write a piece once a month on green spots in large
cities around the world. So, it looks like I’ll be travelling a bunch. How is
it going there?” he said. A loud noise interrupted them from outside her door.
“Well, let’s just say it’s never dull here at my host family’s house. They’ve
been really good to me, but it gets a little overwhelming sometimes. I love my
classes and I really love Madrid,” she replied. They chatted for a few more
minutes and then Danny said, “Rachel, what do you say we do this every Saturday
at this time? It would give you somebody to talk to every week and I’d get to
see your pretty face. What do you say?” She smiled and pushed her hair behind
her ear. “Yeah, that sounds great. I appreciate this, Danny,” she answered. As
the weeks past, she found herself longing for Saturday to come so she could see
Danny and talk to him. She rubbed her left hand nervously and wondered if she
should feel guilty about wanting to talk to Danny more than Scott.
As she was fretting over the decisions of
her heart, Danny was having a serious talk with Scott. They were lounging in
the elegant living room of their home. Danny sat forward in his seat and said,
“Look, Scott, I’ve got to get something off my chest. Do you know why Rach went
to Spain? She went because she couldn’t get a commitment out of you. She wants
you to sweep her off her feet, romance her, make her a queen, and set a firm
date for your wedding. You treat her like garbage. I just don’t get you. She is
the most amazing girl you are ever going to meet, but you treat her like she is
a common, annoying socialite. Dude, you’ve got to make a move if you want to
keep her.” Scott jumped off the couch defensively and headed for the door, “I
don’t want you or anybody else telling me what to do with Rachel!” Danny sat
back and ran his fingers through his hair. He felt hopeless. What was he going
to tell Rachel? His heart pounded at the very thought of her name. He had to
just keep his relationship going with her until she pushed him away; or Scott
gave up and let him have her. She needed him right now and he was going to be
there for her whatever it took.
The next Saturday, he had some news for
her. “Hey Rach, guess what! I’m going to do a piece on a green spot in Madrid.
I want to time it when you have a break so we can hang out together. When’s
your next break?” he asked. She smiled and tried to calm the butterflies in her
tummy. “Well, Christmas break. That would work because I’m not planning on
coming back to New York then. I get two weeks off.” “Perfect! I’ll spend two
weeks with you, then,” he replied. She blushed at the thought of spending two
weeks alone with Danny, but she was unbelievably happy about it. They talked
for almost an hour and found themselves having a hard time saying good bye.
Rachel was helped by a knock on her door. She said, “Oh, I’ve got to go.
Somebody is at my door.” Afterward she sat on her bed daydreaming about Danny.
He was coming all the way to Spain to see her. She wondered if Scott even knew
about it. Not that he would care. He had only called her once in three months. That
one call had been so cold and shallow she felt like she was his estranged
uncle, rather than his fiancé.
Friday night after she had finished her
finals, she was in her room organizing her books and papers. She couldn’t
believe she had already completed a semester in Madrid. Now she had Danny’s
visit to think about and then her next semester. She paused in front of the
mirror and brushed her hair. She supposed she would probably get sucked into
some activity or other at the host’s home that evening. Sure enough, as she
laid down the brush, there was a knock on her door. She opened the door and it
was not one of the family, but Danny, who was standing there. She was shocked,
but then realized he hadn’t told her exactly when he was to arrive. He pulled
her into a warm embrace and she welcomed it. “Oh my goodness, it is so good to
see you, “she said. She took a deep breath to fully take in his smell and
presence. It was intoxicating and she felt her butterflies going crazy. “So
what’s on the schedule tonight, my dear?” he asked. He had not fully let go of
her yet and she was having trouble thinking straight. “What would you like to
do? Oh, never mind, I know what to do. I would love to go have a meal at a
decent hour!” she exclaimed. He laughed and ran his hand through her hair. She
thought that his hand on her hair had an entirely different effect than
Scott’s. She grabbed her coat and the necessary Spanish accessory: the scarf.
It took them a while to find a fine dining establishment that served an early
dinner. It seemed they were all on Latin schedule and began serving dinner at
nine. They finally found a place that catered to tourists and served food all
day long. They were so happy to be together that they didn’t really care where
they ate. They settled in at their candle lit table and began catching up.
Danny glanced at her left hand as she rested it on the table. “Um, Rach, where
is your ring?” he asked. She held up her hand and sighed. “Well, I left it with
Kathryn. I told her I didn’t want anything to happen to it while I was here,
but honestly I took it off because I don’t want to wear it unless Scott is
serious about what it means,” she explained. “Ok, then,” he replied and smiled.
“Well, I guess I have more of a chance
than I thought,” he mused triumphantly.
The next day, after a pastry and coffee
together, they went to the Parque del Retiro in central Madrid. Danny was doing
his piece on this 350 acre wonder. “Did you know that Madrid has the most green
spots of cities this size? Anywhere in the city you can walk a few minutes and
arrive at a green area. Pretty impressive, right?” he said. She nodded. She
enjoyed watching him work as he photographed various aspects of the park. He
also took lots of pictures of her. She had never been photographed so much in
her life. He pretended he was just joking around with her, but he was really
thinking he would cherish each picture of her. After he had shot what he
wanted, he put his camera away and they walked together through the park. She
was starving when they finished, so they went to a café and ate. “Hey, why
don’t we go back to my hotel for siesta? I mean, not like together in the bed,
or anything, but you can see my room.” He was blushing as he finished his
question, but she agreed to go with him. He was staying at The Westin Palace
and it was a spectacular sight. She felt like she wore out the word ‘wow’ on
her way up to his room. He showed her around his suite and the view from the
large windows. He let her flop on his luxurious bed and squeeze the sofa
cushions. She curled up on the soft couch and closed her eyes. “Mmmmmm, I could
just take a nap right here,” she sighed. He draped a blanket over her and left
the room as he said, “Sleep tight, then.” When she woke, Danny was sitting in a
chair across from her typing on his computer. “Ug, how long did I sleep?” she
asked. “Oh, about an hour and a half. Don’t worry about it, I’m sure you need
it after all those tests this week. Hey, I’ve got an idea. Since you’ve got two
weeks and I’ve already done my info gathering for my article, why don’t we
travel around Spain a bit?” he said. She sat up and smiled, “OOOh, that sounds
great! You can plan it and I’ll just tag along with you.” He had already packed
up his suitcase, having hatched his plan while she was asleep. They took a taxi
to her house and packed her suitcase. She told her host mother her plan and
they left. They took a bus to Segovia and checked into a nice hotel close to
the ancient Roman Aqueduct. She noticed that he had reserved one room with two
beds. She respected Danny, though, and knew he would act honorably with her. As
if knowing she was thinking about that, he explained, “The only other room had
a shared door with a family.” They ate a fashionable dinner and walked a little
before deciding to go to their room. Working out the bathroom schedule was a
little awkward, but Danny was a gentleman and let her go first. She wore sweats
to bed, but her feet were still a little cool. “Oops, looks like I forgot to
bring socks,” she said. He pulled a clean pair out of his suitcase and brought
them to her. “Here, you can wear mine. I don’t want your feet to be cold on my
watch,” he said with a smile. She thanked him and put them on.
The next day they toured the castle and
walked around the streets. She did a little shopping and he patiently endured
it. They could be together effortlessly and both felt very happy. Danny was
only encumbered by the thought of Scott and his vague claim to Rachel. Still,
he held her hand and put his arm around her when appropriate. She had not once
rejected his mild affections and that emboldened him to continue to show his
care for her. They travelled south to Seville, Malaga, and Granada. Then they
went north to Valencia. Rachel enjoyed the National Museum of Ceramics and
Danny loved all of the parks. The views of the Mediterranean Sea were
spectacular from their hotel. Danny gave her a diamond necklace for Christmas
and she gave him an alpaca scarf. She thought that his gift was much too
valuable to be for just a friend, but didn’t want to read anything into his
motivations. In Barcelona they took in a soccer game. It was so cold and they
marveled at the dedication of the fans. Their two weeks were nearly finished by
the time they left Barcelona. They returned to Madrid and spent the final days
of December in quiet cafes and museums. They were sitting having coffee when
she asked him, “Say, whatever happened to Kimberly Morgan?” Danny laughed and
said, “Let me tell you about Kimberly Morgan. Six years ago she and Scott were
class mates, and they were dating. She was what she is now and she pushed him
around and he just took it. I transferred to his university and was doing my
jerk thing of making him crazy. So, I got Kimberly to like me. It was weird,
you would think he would have been happy to get rid of her, but he wasn’t. I
think he actually liked having her in charge. Anyway, he was so mad at me over
that and I dumped her in like three weeks for another girl. That was a horrible
time in my life. So, I think somewhere in the back of his mind, Kim is his
first love. I told her about that and she quit calling me.” Rachel was in
shock. Scott had never mentioned being with Kimberly. In fact, she remembered
him saying that she was perfect for Danny. Crazy wasn’t descriptive enough for
this uncertain situation with Scott.
Rachel had a knot in her stomach the day he
was to leave. “I don’t want you to go,” she said at the airport. “I hate to
leave you, too, but you’ve got to be smart person and do your studies,” he
replied. He wanted to say a lot more, but didn’t. She cried after he went
through airport security and was out of sight. At that moment she wished more
than anything that Scott would call and tell her he’d met someone else and
didn’t want to marry her. The gray skies
outside of her taxi seemed to mimic the mood of her soul. “At least I can look forward to Saturdays again,” she thought. She
had to focus on her degree in order to garner the strength to stay in Madrid
without Danny.
She worked hard all week on her studies and
her Saturdays were dedicated to Danny’s call. She tried not to look like she
had been waiting by the computer for an hour, but it seemed as though Danny had
done the same. Their conversations were longer and longer. “Don’t you wish we
could virtually eat dinner on this thing?” she asked. He laughed the laugh that
gave her butterflies every time. “I hate to ask this, but he won’t tell me. Has
Scott called you lately?” he asked. She shook her head, “The last time he
called was in November.” Danny clenched his jaw and looked angry. He tried to
relax and said, “Hey what are you planning for spring break?” “Um, nothing,
yet,” she replied. “Well, I’m going to come see you again, then. Would that be
ok with you?” he asked. She swallowed and tried not to act overly excited,
“Yes, that would be fine. I would like that.” She wished so much that she could
touch his hand through the screen; not knowing that he was wishing the same
thing. She would only have to wait a month for spring break and she would have
to conquer mid-terms before then. She was beginning to wonder why she was
getting a degree, but always remembered that it was an accomplishment she
needed for herself. She didn’t dare think about what came after that. The
thought of being with smug Scott filled her with dread.
She slogged her way through her mid-term
exams and came out victorious. Danny came on cue the Friday evening after
finishing her last exam. He told her to pack a suitcase for the week and he
would surprise her the next day with their destination. They went out to dinner
at the correct Spanish time and it was late when she returned to her room. She
was on cloud nine to have been with Danny again and excited about his surprise.
The next day they took a bus to Mar Bella. Danny rented a bungalow for the
whole week. Rachel was in awe at the picturesque setting on the edge of the
ocean. Behind the bungalow were all the shops for the elite class Mar Bella
serviced. She was excited about at least
pretending to shop there even though she knew Danny could probably buy anything
he wanted. Their bungalow had two bedrooms, but they didn’t spend much time in
them. There was too much to do in Mar Bella.
She noticed that Danny was acting a little nervous and at the same time
super happy to be with her. On their second night, Danny had arranged to have a
fancy dinner to be catered to their bungalow. They finished their appetizer and
Danny hopped up from his chair. “I….I just can’t wait anymore. I’ve been trying
to keep my feelings in check for more than a year. I’ve tried to give Scott
time to do the right thing with you. I can’t wait for him to be a man and treat
you the way you deserve to be treated. I love you more than you can even
imagine. I want to be the one to spoil you and treat you like the princess you
are. I want to wake up every morning next to you. I want you to be my wife. And
I won’t make you wait. I will marry you as soon as you finish here in Spain and
that is my promise. What do you say?” She sat with her hand over her mouth for
a minute. Tears started running down her cheek. She sighed and said, “Danny, I
love you, too. I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with
you. But I have a huge problem and his name is Scott. I tell you what, let me
call him and get an answer once and for all from him.” He tossed his phone
across the table and said, “Call him.” She dialed his number and waited. “What
do you want?” Scott said when he answered, thinking it was Danny. “Scott, this
is Rachel. I need something from you. I need you to tell me if you want to
marry me. And you had better tell me the truth.” The pause on the other end was
deafening. She knew he was trying to choose his words carefully, but in the end
they were harsh and cutting. “Rachel, I need to be honest with you. The only
reason I proposed to you is because I thought I needed to rescue you; just like
a school that needed repair. I felt sorry for you and what you had been
through. I haven’t loved you for a long time, if ever. I’m sorry, but I just
can’t marry you.” She swallowed hard to push down the anger that swelled up
inside. “Thank you,” she said and then hung up the phone. It was clear to her
then that Scott had taken her on as a charity case and then grown to resent
her. Danny knelt down in front of her and asked, “What did he say?” When she
told him, he had to get up and look out the window to cool down. “Ok, as much
as I hate what he told you, it means we can be together. Here, this is the ring
I bought you. I hope you like it.” He pulled a large chocolate diamond ring and
put it on her finger. She took a deep breath and smiled. She sat in stunned
silence for a few minutes. She had been engaged to Scott for so long that it
took a while to fully comprehend her freedom. She hadn’t realized how much his
negativity and lethargy were affecting her until she felt the burden of him
lift off her shoulders. “I feel about 180 pounds lighter,” she said. She stood
to face her new fiancé. He held her tight and the last bits of pain left her.
“Let me show you what it’s like to kiss someone who really loves you,” he said
and then he delivered. The floor melted away and she floated on air. The whole
room disappeared and there was only Danny. She knew she would talk about this
day many, many times. “When you said you had a surprise for me, you weren’t
kidding!” she teased him later. “Well, I can’t stand having all these Spaniards
hanging over you, slobbering, and waiting for a chance to have you. Meanwhile,
I’m thousands of miles away taking pictures of grass and trees and I can’t do a
darn thing to protect you. Now you have protection,” he said and raised her
left hand. No one could miss the large diamond ring. “Ok, now that I have your
approval, my love, let’s talk wedding day,” he said. He had no intention of
hurting her as his brother had. “My, but you don’t waste time,” she replied.
They settled on the first of June. It didn’t give her any time to plan, but
Danny assured her he would get a wedding planner to do all the work. “So that’s
settled. What do you say we enjoy the rest of our vacation in Mar Bella?” he
asked. She nodded and kissed him on his scar. That spot on his forehead became
her new favorite spot. She caressed the scar with her finger and said, “If it
weren’t for this scar we probably wouldn’t be together now.” “You’re probably
right,” he replied.
The next morning she called Franklin to
tell him the whole story. He was so surprised that she had gone from one
brother to the other, but was glad she was happy. He promised to attend the
wedding and be her acting father for the wedding. After her call to Franklin,
Danny took her shopping. He lavished gifts on her out of his sheer excitement
that she was to be his. “Have you told your dad about this?” she asked. “Well,
I kind of hinted that I loved you, but couldn’t do anything until Scott gave
you up. He actually told me he hoped I won this one,” he replied. Since she had
jogged his memory, he called up Spencer and told him the news. He was all smiles
as he listened to his dad’s response and gave Rachel a thumbs up sign. At the
end of the week, he hired a private car to take them back to Madrid. He didn’t
want to share Rachel with a bus full of strangers. He was uninhibited with his
affection. His feelings had been bottled up for so long by giving preference to
his selfish brother. Now he was able to open the floodgates. He tried not to
overwhelm her, but she didn’t seem to mind his constant attention. Rachel was
so happy because she knew his attentions were genuine. He was in love with her
and she knew it without doubt. After they arrived at her house in Madrid, they
told the host family about their engagement. She then enlisted the help of
their cosmetology school daughter to find a wedding dress. She was thrilled to
take on that job with Rachel. Danny spent his last night on the couch at
Rachel’s house. He didn’t want to waste precious minutes away from her. She
accompanied him to the airport and didn’t leave his side until he went through
security. She thought she would cry when he left, but she was too happy about
the wedding to cry. She had only two months left of classes. She would get to
New York two weeks before the wedding. She didn’t really like having to trust
the wedding planner to do everything, but she didn’t have a choice. At least
she would get to pick out her own dress.
The next week, Elena, her host’s daughter,
wanted to go ahead and shop for her dress in case it needed to be altered. She
took Rachel to a fancy bridal shop that carried dresses from designers around
the world. She was immediately overwhelmed. How was she to choose one from all
of those dresses? Elena steered her toward a princess cut style that was
flattering on her. She fell in love with a gorgeous dress with tiers of ruffled
organza. It had lovely embroidery and stones sewn around the high waist. She
chose a long, simple veil to complete her bridal visage. She was shaking as she
made the purchase. She glanced around the studio at other blushing brides
picking out their dresses. They had all manner of family gathered about them to
help them make choices. She put her hand to her throat as a knot formed there.
She thought of her family and how they would have judged her new dress harshly.
Lace and organdy were not permitted in her home. Nor was the cut of her dress
that showed her feminine figure allowed. Her mother would never see this dress
and never admire her daughter as a beautiful bride. She tried not cry until she
was alone once again in her room. She called Franklin and talked to him for a
while. He was her family and she knew that he would rejoice with her over
wedding details and the dress. She felt better after she spoke with him. After
that detail was taken care of, she felt better about focusing on finishing her
classes.
She tried to enjoy her final weeks in
Madrid, knowing it was an experience she would remember for the rest of her
life. She wanted to remember the people, smells, and sights. She studied hard
until she felt that she was ready for finals. She felt a little guilty that she
didn’t have time to do anything with her host family because of papers and
studying. They were gracious and understanding since they had been through this
with many foreign students before her.
Finals week was really tough and she was so
thankful when it was over. Danny came to help her pack and travel back to the
States. She gave her host family some gifts and an invitation to her wedding.
They were thrilled for an excuse to visit New York. Danny had come in the Fillman
jet, so they didn’t have problems with her luggage and its quantity. She
carefully handled her wedding dress and hung it in the coat closet of the
plane. She made sure that Danny did not peek at the dress while they were
traveling. She didn’t have anything to worry about since he was only interested
in being with her; not her dress. They slept for a few hours in the plane to
offset the jet lag that was sure to follow their flight. When they arrived in
New York, they went to Spencer’s home. He had designated a bedroom for Rachel
since she would only be there for two weeks. Once again, he had it completely
remodeled to suit her even though she would only be there for a short time. She
immediately noticed that he was very chipper and smiley when he was around her.
The next day after they settled back in New York, Spencer told her, “Dahling
you can’t believe how happy I am that you and Danny will soon be together. You
are the best thing to happen to this family in a long time. I think you will
find Scott a little more tolerable to be around as well. Anyway, I hope you are
comfortable here and that you have everything you want.” She smiled and gave
him a hug. “Thank you, Spencer. You are a wonderful father-in-law,” she said.
After Rachel had recovered from her jet lag
for the most part, Danny took her to meet the wedding planner. Rachel was
definitely unprepared for this woman. She was in her forties and wore a fuchsia
silk dress and hat, with matching shoes. She was loud, dramatic, and her taste
was quite different from what Rachel liked. Rachel winced at the flamboyance of
Claire Boud’s office. She hoped this was not a foretelling of the plans for her
wedding. She was greatly relieved when Claire pulled out the book of Rachel and
Danny’s plans and saw very muted tones. Danny had obviously stressed Rachel’s
sensitivities and tastes. She loved the pale blue color scheme that they had
chosen. The flowers would all be pale blue hydrangeas and green bells of
Ireland. Rachel didn’t have a bridesmaid and was a little embarrassed about
that. Spencer met them at the wedding venue, an old church with beautiful
stained glass windows streaming light in every color into the sanctuary.
Rachel’s breath caught in her throat at the beauty of it all. “This is perfect,
Danny,” she sighed. Spencer came up to them excitedly and said, “Rachel, I just
had the grandest idea! Why don’t you let Kimberly be your maid of honor and
then Scott can stand with his brother. What do you think?” She had a confused
look on her face until Danny explained, “Um, Rach, Scott and Kim are back
together.” “Oh, I see. Well, that would be nice for Danny to have his brother.
So, I guess that would be fine,” she replied. Claire went into a tizzy, “Oh my
word, do you know what that means? We have less than two weeks to find a tux
and a bridesmaid dress! Oh goodness, we need to get them something today!”
Spencer called Scott and told him the news.
Rachel met Kimberly at Klienfeld’s on a
warm afternoon to pick out a dress.
“Rachel, I know this is really awkward, but I am grateful to have the
chance to be in your wedding. More than that, I am so happy to be with Scott
again. I was wrong to ever pursue Danny. Scott and I just fit. I hope we can be
friends and just forget all the weirdness,” Kimberly said. Rachel smiled, “I
just don’t know anyone else who could be a bridesmaid, so I am glad you agreed
to do it. And, of course we can forget the past. Well, shall we go try to find
something for you?” They walked up to the salon with all of the bridesmaid
dresses and waited for a consultant to help them. Their bubbly consultant
nearly fainted when Rachel told her the wedding was mere days away. Kimberly
took over lest the ambitious salesperson should get snarky with Rachel for
coming in so late. “Listen, if you don’t want to help us, we can just shop
somewhere else!” The consultant became contrite and asked what precisely they
were looking for. After quite a few misses, they came upon the perfect blue
dress for Kimberly. It was not only the exact color of the hydrangeas; it fit
her exquisitely and did not need to be altered. They went out for dinner
together afterward and enjoyed getting to know each other more. As they stood
outside the restaurant, Rachel said, “Kim, even though you and I come from
opposite sides of the spectrum, I think that might actually make us better
friends. Thanks again for doing this with me.” Kimberly grabbed her in a big
hug and exclaimed, “Well, of course! I knew we would be good friends when I met
you in the art gallery.” They parted ways and Rachel smiled at the thought of
having a girl-friend to help her navigate New York. She called Danny and told
him about their successful shopping trip. “We are still at the tux shop. They
are trying to locate one in his size. He might just have to borrow one from Dad.
I’ll give Claire a call and let her know that at least you’ve gotten a dress
for Kim,” He said. “Will you be home soon? I want to spend the rest of the
evening with you,” she pouted. He told her he would be home, since they were
running into a dead end at the tux shop.
The next day, Rachel sat in the kitchen
eating a bagel and drinking chocolate milk. She was contemplating the whirlwind
that she had been in since she came from Spain. “Hey, where are you?” Danny
said while waving his hand in front of her blank stare. She laughed at herself
and looked up at her fiancé. “I’m right here with you,” she replied. “I need to
show you something and have you meet someone else today,” he informed her. “Oh,
okay, I’ll go get dressed,” she said. After donning her favorite jeans, she
chose a pink ruffled t-shirt and matching shoes. She put up her hair and did a
light makeup job and then ran downstairs to find Danny. She found him in the
front hallway tying his shoes. “Ready?” he asked. “Yep!” she replied. They went
out and climbed into one of the family cars. Danny hadn’t driven a car since
his accident; he also hadn’t had any alcohol. Rachel didn’t mind, because it
meant that he got to sit in the back seat with her. They drove to SoHo and
pulled in front of an old, brick warehouse building that was being renovated
into lofts. “Dad owns this,” he said as they got out of the car. They took the
service elevator to the third floor of the building. When the doors opened, it
revealed a hall with only one door. Danny searched through his pockets for his
keys and then for the appropriate key for the door in front of them. He finally
found the right one and opened the door. “My love, welcome to our home,” he said
as he guided her inside the loft. It was completely bare and Rachel was having
a hard time picturing this place as a home. It was an enormous space, but was
simply four brick walls with large windows. He saw the empty expression on her
face and said, “Our next stop is to an interior designer who is going to fix up
the place while we are on our honeymoon.” Rachel felt relief and said, “Oh,
that’s good.” They went back out to the car and were driven to the designer’s
office. “She’s the same person who did your apartment and the room where you
are staying now,” he explained. That made Rachel feel even better since she
already knew she liked what this designer could do. They went into her office
and she introduced herself, “I’m Margaret. I feel like I already know you since
I’ve done two jobs in your style.” Rachel was overwhelmed by the stacks of
fabric swatches, floor samples, wallpaper books, tiles, and furniture
catalogues. It took her a few minutes to focus on what Margaret was telling
her. She had already drawn out a plan for their apartment that included a large
kitchen, a huge living room, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. “Now, let’s talk
kitchen, fabrics, and floors,” Margaret said while flopping several of her
books on the desk. After an hour, they had picked out everything Margaret
needed to get started with their project. Danny was sighing and pacing and
obviously completely bored. “Okay, dear, we can go now,” Rachel told him. He
smiled, thanked Margaret, and swiftly led Rachel out to the car. After they
were seated he said, “We are having lunch with family.” She loved how that
sounded and smiled contentedly as they drove to the restaurant of Spencer’s
choosing. Spencer, Scott, and Kimberly were already waiting in front of the
famous Mexican eatery when they arrived. “Have you gotten your house all
squared away?” Spencer asked her as he kissed her cheek. “Yes, I think so,” she
replied. It was the first time she had been around Scott for any length of time
since her return. He was actually smiling and quite affectionate to Kimberly.
It was hard for Rachel to swallow the hurt that he had caused her, but she was
genuinely happy for him. All she had to do to conquer her feelings of pain was
to look into Danny’s eyes. He loved her so much and was so protective of her.
She felt completely safe with him. “You okay?” he asked. She stroked the scar
on his forehead and said, “With you, the answer to that question will always be
yes.” Mid-way through their meal, Spencer said, “I definitely feel as though I
am the fifth wheel, but I am so glad that our family is growing.”Rachel smiled
and patted him on his hand. Kimberly had stars in her eyes as she gazed at
Scott. Rachel got the sense that for them to fight against being together was
like fighting gravity; it is possible, but extremely difficult. They simply
belonged together and she knew it. “In
the end it all works out for the best,” she contemplated as the last
dessert plates were removed from the table. Danny spent the rest of the day
with her dreaming about their future as a couple.
12Married
The first Saturday in June, the sun was
shining brightly; Rachel rolled over in her bed and it took her a few moments
to cognate that it was actually her wedding day. She was fully aware of the
fact, however, when a maid came in with her breakfast, followed by a stylist
who was anxious to get her hair and makeup done as soon as possible. She ate
her English muffin sandwich slowly and sipped a rich espresso as the stylist
started to work on her hair. She felt like she was in a daze, or a dream, and
hadn’t fully awakened. Danny popped his head in the door with his hand over his
eyes. “Is it safe to look at my lovely bride?” he asked. “There isn’t much to
look at yet, my dear. Come on in,” she replied. He laughed and walked over to
her. He lifted her head to kiss him, much to the stylist’s disapproval.
“Alright, I’ll let you finish your masterpiece here. I just wanted to kiss my
girl!” he said and then backed out of the room. Rachel continued to enjoy her
breakfast as the stylist worked diligently on her hair. When she was done with
Rachel’s hair and makeup, she left swiftly to go on to her next client. Rachel
sat in her room and stared at the mirror. She hardly recognized the woman
staring back at her. She was amazed what the stylist had been able to do in
less than an hour. Her hair was long in the back with loose curls in layers. In
the front it was parted on the side and pulled up with a beautiful rose clip.
Her veil would be added later and clipped behind the rose. She began to take
deep breaths to avoid crying. “My real
family will never know what I look like today. They will never meet Danny, or
know what a wonderful man he is. My side of the church will be completely
empty.” Her pensive mood was interrupted by the sound of the door bell. She
was glad because she didn’t want to mess up her makeup. From downstairs she
heard a familiar voice and ran down to greet him. She was so happy that
Franklin had come to be her father for the wedding. She reached the bottom of the
stairs and got a shock; there beside Franklin stood David. “Oh my goodness!
Franklin! How on earth did you get him to come?” she asked as she gave him a
tight squeeze. “Well, now, I just didn’t like the thought of your side of the
church being empty. So I worked on the fella until he agreed to come with me,”
he replied. She hugged David and then looked him over. Franklin had obviously
bought him some normal clothes for the trip since David was wearing jeans and a
t-shirt. David in turn was looking over his sister and her bridal hair and
makeup. “You……you look real purdy,” he finally said. “I’m so happy you are
here, David. Here, let’s go in the living room and you can tell me all about
your trip,” she said. Just then, Danny came in and she introduced him to her
brother. “Wow, this is awesome! I’m so glad you came to be with your sister for
her wedding,” he said and then excused himself to take care of errands before
the wedding. Rachel, Franklin, and David went to the living room and sat on the
plush couches. Franklin spoke first, “David, I’m sure she’d like to know about
the family and about your decision to come with me up here.” David cleared his
throat, sat forward in his seat, and faced Rachel. “Well, after you wrote them
last year, they couldn’t very well go on tellin’ everyone that you was dead.
So, Mama talked about you every now and then. And me, well, I missed you a whole
lot. I mean, you was the only person who wasn’t bitter or mean, you know.
Anyway, Franklin found me at Smitty’s and told me about your weddin’ and that
you would like it if I came, and that he’d buy my ticket. So, I just went to
Dad and I said, “Dad, I’m going to Rachel’s weddin’ in New York and I’ll be
back in a week.” Well, he wasn’t happy about it, but he didn’t tell me not to
come. Mama whispered to me to tell you she loves you. I was purdy surprised
about that. So, maybe our family will come around after all.” Rachel sat
quietly for a moment trying to absorb what David had just said. “Gracious,
that’s amazing. Ugh! I cannot cry or that stylist will be mad at me for messing
up her makeup job,” she said.
They visited until lunch time. Spencer had
a nice lunch catered to the house so they could all eat together and then go to
the church for the wedding. Rachel wished that the lunch could last longer so
she could spend more time with Franklin and David. At exactly a half hour
before the wedding, though, they all shooed her upstairs to get dressed. The
maid helped her into her dress and veil. “Sweetie, you don’t have time to
admire yourself in that mirror. We need to get you out to the car,” she said
while handing Rachel her shoes. Rachel smiled and hugged her. “I’m sorry, I’m
afraid I’m a little scatter brained today. This all feels like a dream,” Rachel
said. She was soon loaded into the car and situated properly so as not to mess
up her dress. She felt butterflies as the car pulled in front of the church.
Franklin was waiting out front to walk her inside the church. He kissed her on
the cheek and said, “You ready, gorgeous?” She sighed deeply and replied, “Yes,
I think so. It still feels so surreal.” “Well, my dear girl, there is a
handsome fella waiting at the front of this here church that says this is all
very real,” he chuckled. Just listening
to Franklin speak dismissed all her butterflies and helped her enjoy the
moment. They went inside and saw that most of the people had already been
seated. There were no mothers to seat and so that traditional part of the
wedding was excluded. Kimberly looked lovely with her golden hair in a fancy
up-do and the bouquet that matched her dress perfectly. She hugged Rachel and
then walked down the center aisle to the front. It was then that Rachel paid
attention to the lop-sided audience at her wedding. David sat alone on the left
side of the church. He would soon be joined by Franklin, but even then, the
stark difference between the sides was laughable. As the ushers were about to
open the doors of the sanctuary to let her and Franklin in, Rachel heard the
front doors of the church fly open. Her host family from Madrid came rushing
through the door. They were full of apologies and excuses, but Rachel assured
them she was just happy they had come. The ushers escorted them inside and
seated them behind David. By then, the organist was getting a little irritated
and began her wedding march song again. “This is it, kid,” Franklin said and
they began their walk down the aisle. At the front he kissed her and handed her
off to her waiting groom. “You are so beautiful,” Danny whispered to her as
they stepped up to the minister. She smiled and looked down at the floor. When
she looked up again the rainbow colored beams of sunlight coming through the
stained glass windows caught her eye. The beauty of it only added to the
dream-like feeling she was experiencing. Although she had seen very few
traditional weddings since leaving Tennessee, she was fairly sure this was the
most beautiful wedding she could have ever had. Scott seemed to be all smiles
and kept staring at Kimberly. Rachel turned back to focus on Danny when the
minister cleared his throat and began to recite their vows. The ceremony was
over soon and everyone was encouraged to follow the wedding party to the hotel
for the reception. Rachel and Danny took advantage of the car ride to catch up
on the affection that had been missed during the busyness of the day. It
suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea where they were going to
honeymoon. “Danny, um, where are we going on our honeymoon?” she asked. “Ha,
well, are you ready for this? Dad has a condo in Hawaii and we are going to
spend a month there!” he answered. She sat open mouthed. “A whole month! What will we do for a whole month?” she wondered.
“That sounds great!” she said. “I guess
I’ll just worry about finishing school when we get back.”
The reception was an intimate affair in
the conference room of a nice hotel. There were tables of desserts and one
large round table with the six tiered wedding cake. Rachel wanted to go around
and sample everything, but also wanted to stay close to her husband. She still
had an incorrigible sweet tooth from being brought up on large quantities of
sugary sweets. Franklin saw her staring wistfully at the dessert tables, so he
made a plate of a few of the delicacies and took it to her. “You read my mind,” she whispered to him. She
had nearly tasted all of what Franklin had brought her, when they were summoned
to cut the wedding cake. Rachel was so happy to be making all the traditional
memories on her wedding day. They even had fun with feeding each other the
cake. She didn’t have a lot of time to visit with everyone, but she wanted to
take time to thank Kimberly for standing with her. She found her talking with
Scott by the drink table. “Kimberly, sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to thank
you for being such an important part of this day,” she said. “Oh, dearie, you
are so welcome. I have enjoyed every moment. Especially the moments where Scott
stares at me like I’m the Queen of Sheba,” Kimberly said while laughing. Rachel
laughed too, and then left to go be with her husband again. They danced for a
while and then he whispered in her ear, “My love, my wife, let’s go and be alone.”
A shiver went down her spine, but she was ready to leave the crowd and be with
him. She made a quick circle around the room to thank the meager number of
people who had come to support her. She hated that her Spanish host family had
come so far to only see her for a couple of hours. They assured her, however,
that the best part of their trip was to come, as they were thrilled about
seeing all of New York City. “David, I can’t tell you how much it means to me
that you came. I hope and pray that everything goes well when you get back
home,” she told her brother when she hugged him. “Aw, don’t worry about me. Who
knows, maybe I’ll go travel the world like you did,” he said with a smile. After
a thorough expression of gratitude and salutations to Franklin, Danny was able
to take his bride out to the waiting car. They went to Spencer’s house to
change and pick up their luggage. Rachel had no idea what to pack for a whole
month in Hawaii.
The flight from New York to Los Angeles
seemed endless to the newly married couple. Danny had wisely planned for them
to stay the night in a hotel and then fly to Hawaii the next day. They were
both exhausted when they finally entered their hotel room, but still excited to
be together. They didn’t even think about food until the next morning. They had
to grab a quick continental breakfast before being shuttled to the airport. The
air in Hawaii seemed different to Rachel. She had felt humidity before, but
this was a damp, tropical air that made her feel relaxed. Their condo
overlooked the ocean on the north side of the big island. Rachel had fun
walking to the stores and learning to cook with Hawaiian ingredients. As they
lay on the beach they talked about jobs, children, pets, and many other
subjects that marriage necessitates. Rachel was firm on finishing school when
they returned and thought she could finish within a year. Danny and Rachel were
very happily together all the days they were in the condo. She was totally
satisfied that the man she had married was happy to be with her alone. There
was no guessing whether or not he loved her; she knew without doubt. The month
went by much quicker than they expected. She had received a few calls from
Margaret with design questions, but it sounded like she was right on schedule
to finish before they came home. The day before they were to fly home, Margaret
called and informed them that the apartment was finished. Rachel sighed as
she packed up suitcases and thought of
the lovely time they had in Hawaii. As they boarded the plane, they felt a bit
melancholy about leaving their own tropical paradise.
Rachel was very tired when she and Danny
walked into their apartment for the first time. They had just flown all the way
from Hawaii and they were ready to sleep off their jet-lag. They had to take a
few minutes to look over Margaret’s handy work. Rachel thought she loved it,
but decided to reserve judgment until she was more lucid. They slept for twelve
hours and Rachel awoke somewhat refreshed. She now noticed much more detail
throughout their home. It was lovely and exactly what she had wanted. Except
for a funky green pillow on the couch, Rachel was happy with Margaret’s design.
The kitchen cabinets were a soft, country blue and the countertops were a crème
colored granite. The blue color was
carried by the dining room table legs and then the living room sofa. It was all
very soothing to the eye and Rachel thought it would be a perfect environment
for studying. After looking over the apartment to her satisfaction, she sat
down with her laptop and started registering for a couple of late summer and
fall classes. Danny emerged and asked, “Hey, whatcha doing?” She kissed him and
said, “I’m trying to register for classes. It’ like a puzzle trying to get
everything I need for my degree in the time frame I have.” “Well, I’ll be so
proud of you when you finish and also happy that you will be mine all the
time,” he said.
Danny and Rachel soon settled in to their
routine as a married couple. She was the ever diligent student and he worked on
his green area journalism. They were both very busy, but that did not take away
from their joy of being together. They knew there would come a day soon enough
that their lives would slow down and they could concentrate on being a family.
The next summer, Rachel graduated with her
degree in anthropology. Danny was indeed very proud of her. The whole family
had come to congratulate her. Kimberly was flaunting a very large engagement
ring and Scott didn’t seem to mind the commitment that ring entailed. Spencer
kept hugging her and telling her of his pride. He gave her a Mercedes for a
graduation present. “I may need that
soon,” she thought as she caressed her belly. A tiny kick inside her
responded to her motion. “Oh! She moved!” Rachel exclaimed. “She’s just proud
of her mama, too,” Danny replied. Rachel had graduated in plenty of time to
enjoy being pregnant. She would have five months until her sweet baby made her
debut. After they went home, Rachel sat down at her computer and composed a
letter.
Dear Anna,
I’m sorry it’s been so long since
I’ve written. I have to tell you, my life has been so very full and blessed.
I’m about to celebrate my first anniversary with my husband, Danny Fillman.
Today I graduated with a degree in anthropology. In five months our first baby
will be born. I was thinking of naming her Anna. Would that be okay with you? I
feel like you have been such an inspiration for me and the changes in my own
life. I’m just so thankful for the life I’ve had since leaving Tennessee. Who
knew it could be so amazing? The world is a big place and there are good people
everywhere.
Well, I send my love to you and your
lovely little family, Rachel
She sent the
letter and then closed her laptop. She sat for a moment on the couch, tears of
joy streaming down her cheeks. “I really
could not ask for a single thing more. I am happy.”
