005:

And then they all came out of the woodwork and it looked like a scene from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding---- and there were congratulations all around, and it didn't feel like a wedding reception, but a baby shower. I was in heaven. How is it that in the world, if you announce you're expecting people say, oh, no, really? But in this case—in my family, they yell and hoot and holler and are excited!

I was plopped down while Brianna came to do my hair, a thing she hadn't done before. She didn't have this mess of curls the way me and the baby sep sisters did. She had Cassie's straight dark hair, and it hung in a black curtain that twisted under at the ends, perfectly, just like Cassie's did.

The kids came and went, the sisters visited and then gave reports on how many people were outside, and what Rafe and the other guys were doing, and how Janice had planned a "wedding" that Rafe had modified to be a "ring exchange" even though one had already been performed. In this ceremony, apparently, daddy would "give me away" and the bridesmaids and groomsmen would stand up there, while somebody---- who?

"Who is performing this ring ceremony?" I asked casually.

"She's got a gay minister of a very popular church doing it." My sister Charcie had just walked in.

I froze and turned to her. "Really?"

"Yes. Rafe is trying to figure out what to do and he wants me to get you."

"Tell him to come here."

She disappeared out the door. The kids had all been ushered into the hallway and Brianna added the finishing pearls and sparkles to my hair. She'd done it this way for prom too. She really was an expert at it.

Rafe came in and all my sisters scurried out as if he were the plague.

I stood up and smoothed down the dress.

His eyes were red rimmed--- not from crying--- but his temper was out of control.

"She's planned this wedding." He said simply. But his annoyance and disgust were apparent. I know he hadn't counted on this kind of display.

I shrugged. "It's a slap in your face."

"I don't know what to do about it. It's all planned."

"Bishop's in our church can no longer perform marriage ceremonies, but they can speak at a ring exchange and explain our beliefs, or your dad could do it. I've seen it many, many times. Some nice priesthood holder can just explain what we've already done and how we believe and we just exchange the rings. I am a little uncomfortable giving the impression that we aren't married and that this is a wedding to us."

"I get that Aubrey, but this is breaking her heart."

"No, it isn't." A voice came from the door and we both turned. Lance stood there in his tuxedo, looking extremely dapper and determined. "Her heart is not broken, it's frozen solid. I have a solution, though. One very similar to Aubrey's, but with a twist. I will be the one to explain the religious aspects of your temple wedding to our friends and family, and you, Rafe will walk in with her. The witnesses, bridesmaids--- which frankly are just Brianna and Ben right now--- your band is actually playing quietly in the background. No wedding march will be played. I will make sure. No agenda--- I have already explained to Reverend Lewalski that no ceremony can be performed. It would be offensive to the two of you. He said he is surprised our mother asked it of him. And he gets paid just for coming anyway."

"It was really presumptuous," Rafe said, rubbing his forehead.

"Lance. It's perfect. You explain it. None of your friends will be offended, or think we are somehow dissing on the LGBT community, and from there..." I dropped my eyes. "Yes, please, Lance, you do it."

Rafe slipped his arms around me, sniffing appreciably at the dress which smelled like lilacs, it had been cleaned in the month between wearings. He moved my hair to one side. "Do you want to go tell mom?"

"Nah." Lance smiled softly, not anxious or worried at all. "It'll just happen, and if she says anything at all while it is happening, I'll have Darnel take her out." Lance lifted the flowers that were in their vase by the door. He held them up, sniffed them and then came and put them carefully in my hands.

"You will be fine. Mom will be fine. Everyone will be fine." He said easily and kissed Rafe on the cheek, a guy pat on the back and he shut the door behind him.

I laced our fingers and turned to him. "Rafe, this has been the best month of my life, and today will be a memorable one--- only good memories."

"I know. I want it to be good. I just ---. What is it with Mom's? Your mom did it pretty good, tasteful, right? This is a bit over done. Have you seen the deco? The cake? The whole giant screen of me as a boy and then growing up--- it's this stupid life story thing on a big screen."

"She did a video?" I was surprised.

"There's like two pics of us together."

I chuckled. "Well, that might be a statement."

"Some of the pics are from when I posed for LGBT Magazines."

"Oh, for Pete's sake! That's going a bit too far. At our reception?"

"Oh, that's not the half of it. She's got pics of me with Camilla and America and other girls...."

"Okay, tell her it can't be played. That's absurd."

"I know, right? I've got Ben trying to figure out how to stop it. It's on a computer thing."

"That's bizarre. Why would she do that? Does she hate me so much?"

"No, she hates the church. She's lashing out."

"It's ridiculous. "

"Agreed." He kissed my knuckles. "This can't come between us."

"Nope."

"I was hoping you'd play ball with me later."

"Absolutely."

"There's a lot of booze here."

I laughed and ran a hand over my lips and lower chin. "She thought of everything, didn't she? She's going to be mad at the changes."

The door opened and Brianna peeked in. "You guys can come out now. Lance has started talking about----- stuff."

We simply followed her. The band was actually playing something really nice--- the guitar picking riff to one of Axis's songs, Ben was standing there to one side playing. As we entered, people stood up, and someone started clapping. I held Rafe's arm and my bouquet and tried to catch the eyes of as many people as I could.

And there were a lot. How annoying. The rows were set up like a church, with purple and pink crepe--- of all things--- draped all over the place, with flowers in sconces at each aisle. Yuck. I would not have picked this for myself. I wish she had asked before she let lose her 1970's style ideas. Huge bouquets were literally drooping in gigantic free standing baskets behind an arch, decorated in greenery and roses. I swallowed hard.

I realized that there was a bride's side and a groom's side. More annoying. I saw rows of pretty kids---- rows of formally dressed people---- celebrities, family and finally in the front, I handed my bouquet to Hannah on the front row, and that was when I saw my mom, smiling serenely, and my dad stoic and annoyed beside her. I saw over Rafe's shoulder, his parents. His dad stood proud, staring at Rafe, his arm on Janice's, as she clutched his suit coat with white knuckles.

Brianna took a place off to one side, and the clapping stopped as people sat back down. I was overwhelmed by the gaudy deco. Had she done it herself, or hired someone? It was hugely ostentatious. While my mom's had been tasteful and simply elegant, this was frills and overdone. I was appalled. It was so not Rafe--- if she'd been trying to say anything--- about---- it ----

Rafe slowed, his eyes darted to the doors that led outside, under a canopy of blue silk, flowers adorned the way to an outdoor eating arrangement that led to walkways and the beach. And suddenly he kept walking. The beach was outside, the sand was outside, the cement walkway went that direction. He simply kept walking. "I can't do this." He said to Lance as we went by, and I heard Lance ask that the guests please follow the bride and groom outside. This was another surprise. I turned to look at my mother's simply serene expression, her nod, her smile--- and I heard Janice hiss screech. Rafe shook with laughter.

"You're a brat." I said to him.

"Yes."

"You're breaking her----."

"Control." He stated firmly as Lance followed us out to the sand. We had to cross a couple of sidewalks, and some people were outside walking, but not a lot, it was sunset and beautiful, except for the wind. The photographer was in front of us and behind us, and finally all over the place. Ben kept playing his acoustic guitar as he walked, solemnly and the kids all took off running ahead of us, some little girls held up the train of my dress, and at the sand, we both kicked off our shoes. If the guests wanted to follow us, they could

Rafe stopped just above the water line and turned around to see that everyone—and I mean everyone--- had followed us. Many were talking, happily, enjoying the change---

Lance stood to one side as we faced each other. When people arrived, Levi brought a microphone and Jeremy had a speaker. It was fine, perfect. He started talking. Welcomed everyone, explained who he was, and apologized for the changes, and then simply, easily explained why there needed to be changes. It wasn't long. It wasn't fancy or apologetic. It was simple and sweet.

Rafe and I faced each other the whole time. Kid whistles and talking accompanied the guitar music, and Lance's unruffled voice. His eyes rested periodically on the crowd and then on me, then he asked if anyone had anything else they wanted to say. When his mother started forward, he thanked us all, told us dinner and dancing would be inside and shut the microphone off.

The crowd surged forward to embrace us, one by one and in groups. I was shocked at how many people had come--- from my family, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Great Aunts and second cousins, and all their kids. It was overwhelming. Rafe's side was just as big, family and friends of his family. There was no lack of well-wishers. And it was easily four times the size of the one in Mexico.

And it went from there pretty much like we'd thought, except that Janice left. She asked Fred to take her home and he had, promising to come back if he could. Rafe's sister, Chris had not come.

Dinner was lovely. Toasts were many and funny. Dancing followed all kinds of dancing. And finally, Rafe decided we'd go play beach volleyball. He'd seen courts outside and had a hankering for it. While some people visited and others eventually left, the band played, the DJ took over and we literally went outside and played volleyball. (I did change out of my mother's dress, into a going away dress mom had bought that resembled Brianna's bridesmaid's dress.)

And that--- as they say was that.

*******