Chapter 12
“Daddy, why is the playground taking so long? The wedding is only a month away.” My boy was not happy about this. But Chuck and Tae were working on the other surprise I had for him and could only do that while we were in town.
“Be nice, Angel. Uncle Chuck has more than just a playground to work on. He has a whole business to run. Now, help Daddy set the border so the sand doesn’t slide out.
” We used railroad ties to outline the play area first. Then the plan was to build the jungle gym and set up the other components before we filled it with sand.
Aside from Sabrina, Trey had never chosen a favorite toy or theme. His Little loved and appreciated everything he got. I had no clue how to decorate his playroom, but Tae said he had it under control and I wasn’t allowed to peek.
As soon as they got back from their Vegas trip, they got to work on Trey’s playroom.
Samian’s old bed was wrapped and stored in the garage.
The plans Chuck and I came up with for the playground included an adult-sized slide, swing set with two swings, a two-story castle playhouse, and an overhead bridge that ran from the castle and around the immediate trees that surrounded the area.
I hoped it wasn’t too high for Trey, but we wouldn’t know until it was done.
I thought as long as it stayed around the twelve-foot mark, we’d be okay.
Still trying to figure out how to add an outdoor cattery to it.
A wooden trunk was being constructed to hold all their outdoor toys so they didn’t get ruined or disappear. Teeter-totter and a couple random riding toys were added as well. These boys would have the time of their lives out here.
“Trey, where were you thinking of having the wedding?” Details we probably should’ve nailed down already.
“Hmm.” He glanced around the land. “The biggest area is in front of the houses. Can we park the vehicles behind the cabins? Maybe have our guests park along the gravel driveway?”
“Good idea. That shouldn’t be a problem.” Might be a good idea to build a garage just for our vehicles or at least carports for them. I’d mention it to Chuck and add it to the list. “Would you be opposed to having picnic tables for everyone to eat at after the ceremony?”
“That’s a good idea. We can leave those up year-round and use them. What do you think about building a big barbeque area in the middle of them?”
“All great ideas. I’ll add it to the list Uncle Chuck and I have.
” At least the picnic tables wouldn’t be hard to move wherever we wanted them.
Maybe make a few extras and list them for sale to the locals.
I was sure once word got around about our playground, we’d get a couple requests for those as well.
It was amazing what your business could do when you didn’t limit it. Chuck and I were more than happy to take on small projects such as playgrounds and such just as much as interior renovations and specialty lifestyle rooms. We enjoyed having a variety of jobs to do.
Monotony was the death of creativity.
Chuck pulled up just as we finished the perimeter. “Looking good, guys. What’s next?”
“I was thinking the castle,” I said. “Anything new going on in town?”
“Well, word got around about the wedding.” Chuck rolled his eyes. “And now parents are asking if their kids can still trick-or-treat here.”
“Aren’t we a bit too far out of town for that?” Were they really willing to drive their kids out here just for a piece of candy?
“There aren’t too many neighborhoods that close together, and with you guys getting married at two, we could let the parents set up an area where the kids could play games and get candy. Maybe even share the playground with them?”
I didn’t know what to think. That was our wedding day. “Oh, um, I’m not sure. I mean, it is our wedding. Trey?” I wasn’t about to make this decision for us. Trey was the one who came up with the date and the theme, this was important to both of us.
“Does Tae know about this?”
“Does Tae know about what?” the man himself asked as he wandered over. Where in the world was he anyway? Huh, that boy always did have a knack for appearing out of nowhere, silent as a ninja.
“Daddy got ambushed by a few parents in town that basically want to have a Halloween party for their kids here—on Halloween.”
“We have a wedding that day, Daddy,” Tae reminded him.
“I know, but I guess it hasn’t been much fun for the kids in town given how widespread all the shops and homes are.” Chuck shrugged. This was tugging at his heartstrings for some reason.
“Spill it, Chuck.”
“What’s there to spill? We have all this land, a soon-to-be-better playground than the local park has, and two boys with no friends up here. I thought it would be a great way for the locals to get to know us.”
“On our wedding day?”
“Um, yeah?”
“I think it’ll be fun,” Trey said, and Tae’s head bobbed up and down. “The wedding will be over by then, and we’ll already be dressed. Maybe we can play games with them too.”
“Is that what you want, Angel?”
“Yes, please, Daddy.”
I gave him a kiss. “Then so it shall be.”
“Yay!” Tae cheered. I swear, my brother was an excitable chihuahua at times.
“I’ll handle all the arrangements.” Chuck smiled. “You guys just focus on wedding stuff. Come on, Tae.” Why did I get the feeling those two were up to something?
“So much for helping us with the playground!” I shouted after them. All I got was a handwave. “You know what, screw this. Let’s clean up and go into town. We can pick up our rings and have lunch. What do you think, Angel?”
“Sounds good, Daddy.”
We cleaned up then hopped into the truck. “Why do the trick-or-treaters bother you so much, Daddy?”
I thought about it for a minute as we turned onto the main road. “I don’t know, really. Maybe because that was supposed to be our day. Ignore me, I’m being dumb.”
“Having feelings isn’t dumb, thinking they’re dumb is. If you don’t want to have them out, then we won’t.”
“I’m not sure the boy is supposed to be smarter than the Daddy. Remind me to check the handbook when we get home.” I winked so he knew I was kidding. “What makes it sound like a good idea to you?”
“I dunno.” He shrugged. “I’ve never had a party before or friends to come over and hang out. It sounds like fun to have a real Halloween party. Like, making the whole wedding day even better. We could run and play on the playground and bob for apples and do Halloween games.”
That settled it, I was being dumb. A Halloween party was perfect for Trey and Tae, and my dumbass wasn’t ruining it. “Then that’s what we’ll do, Angel. Did I tell you Samian’s bringing a date?”
“Oh. My. Gosh. I mean, I guess I figured one day he’d date, but he’s never reacted to any male or female that I’ve ever noticed.”
“Same. I was surprised by that myself, and to be honest, he didn’t mention gender during our conversation. They’ll be up the day before in time for the family dinner.” I was very interested to see who’d caught the eye of our stoic, goal-driven brother.
“I’m excited to see the design the jeweler came up with.
” Neither Trey nor I were enthralled with the rings he’d had on hand.
They were beautiful but didn’t jump up at us.
Paul, the jeweler, asked us for a list of things we liked and asked if he could design a bespoke set of bands for us. How could we say no to that?
“Oscar, Trey, it’s wonderful to see you both,” Paul greeted us with a smile on his face the moment we stepped inside his store. “I can’t wait for you to see your rings. Please, have a seat.”
He wandered into the back room, returning a few moments later.
“I’d started to sketch out a design when this wonderful woman came into my shop.
She told me the story of her parents and how in love they’d been since the first time they met in grade school.
Shortly after they graduated high school, they were married.
Life wasn’t easy for them, two young Black people in the days of segregation.
They worked hard, didn’t have much to their name, but what they did have a lot of was love.
When they married, they couldn’t afford expensive rings and instead opted for simple silver bands.
The husband saved and saved, determined to one day present his wife with the engagement ring she should’ve had all along.
The ring she deserved. When the wife passed away some years later, the husband gave her rings to their daughter, and not long after, he passed away too.
The daughter believes the man was of good health, but it was a broken heart that took him away.
That woman brought those rings to me and asked for me to create something wonderful for her grandson and his husband-to-be. ”
“Trey,” I gasped, tears streamed down both our faces.
“Grandma,” was all he could get out.
“Yes,” Paul replied. “What a wonderful woman who loves you both dearly. I hope you don’t mind, but I did show her your rings before you. I wanted to make sure I did right by her but at the same time created the perfect rings to encompass the love you two share.”
Jesus, if the man said anything more I’d curl up in the fetal position and bawl my eyes out.
Paul opened the box, and we both gasped.
“You each have half of the diamond from your great grandmother’s engagement ring in your bands.
The infinity symbol it’s set in summarizes the love your family brings to the culmination of your love.
Where one ends, the other begins, therefore, the circle is never broken.
The cycle of love continues on in the next generation. ”
We couldn’t have spoken if we had to. Paul handed us each our ring to try on and check for any flaws, which if there were any, we couldn’t see through our tears. Besides, imperfections had a way of making something all that more perfect.
“Perfect.” I held my hand next to Trey’s, our rings mirror images and absolutely… “Perfect.”
“Oh, Daddy.” Trey trembled. My arms automatically reached out to comfort him. Paul didn’t bat an eye at hearing Trey’s words, just smiled kindly.
“I know, Angel. Paul, you and Grandma have outdone yourselves.” I pulled my wallet out, but he held his hands up.
“These are paid for. Her wedding gift to you.”