Epilogue Teddy
EPILOGUE Teddy
A YEAR LATER, ESTRELLA FLIPPED THROUGH A LONG RACK OF wedding gowns at Bridal City in San Antonio. Smiling, she lifted a gauzy ecru dress from the rack and said, “Too peace, love, and dove for you?”
Teddy examined it—high neckline, loose fitting bodice. “I’m getting married, not graduating from a convent.”
“Just displaying your options, no need to get smart.” Estrella flipped through the dresses, as if scanning book titles.
“Not so fast,” Teddy said. “How can you possibly decide so quickly?”
Estrella pointed two fingers to her eyes. When she had volunteered to take Teddy to San Antonio to find a wedding dress, Teddy imagined a leisurely day on the river walk, lunch at Mi Tierra’s, and a trio of handsome mariachis serenading them as they browsed through the market.
Four hours and four shops later with them drenched in sweat, Teddy yearned for a margarita. In desperation, she removed a one-shoulder gown from the rack and held the dress in front of her.
“I like it,” she said, hoping Estrella would give her an approving nod.
“Not bad,” Estrella agreed. “Let’s see.”
Teddy stepped into the gown, her ratty blue bra strap visible on one side, otherwise, not bad. She examined the lacy layered skirt in the mirror.
“Too glamorous for me?” Teddy asked, examining the elegant styling of the dress, its sweetheart neckline, and the train, something she never imagined in her wildest dreams.
Estrella spun around with a horrified expression on her face. “Seriously? Think of your wildest dreams and go wilder, then when you’ve reached wilder, go wilder still.”
Teddy twirled in front of the mirror. “This is plenty wild.”
“I can get you a discount,” Estrella said. “Being in the business and all.”
“Do they know you sell swimwear?”
“No need to be catty. They know I can refer clients.”
Teddy checked the price tag. “Eight-hundred dollars! I can pay two car payments and insurance for that.”
“You only get married once, and I’ll get you the discount.”
“A seven-hundred dollar one?”
Estrella sighed and rolled her eyes. “We can go to North Star mall.”
“No! Anything but that.”
“Then, I suggest you settle on something here. This is the best selection we’ve seen.”
“Wait a minute.” Teddy punched Cindy’s phone number in her phone. “I met a woman that makes wedding dresses when I took Pickles back.”
When Cindy didn’t answer, Teddy sent a text: What was the name of your relative who is a seamstress?
A few minutes later, Cindy texted back : My tia, Gloria. She makes quincea?era dresses, bridal gowns, and bridesmaid dresses. Why?
Teddy: I’m getting married to Jack! And you, your family, and Oscar and Chica are invited. Details to come.
Teddy took a picture of herself in the dress and located Gloria’s on MapQuest. Gloria’s business ended up being only a few blocks from the market. Mannequins in beaded gowns and satin dresses lined the store, and reams of tulle and lace covered the shelves.
Gloria emerged from the backroom holding a peach satin gown in one hand, and a needle in the other. Her lips gripped a handful of sewing pins. She dropped the gown on the counter, stuck the needle into a red velvet pin cushion, and cleared her mouth of the sewing pins before running to embrace Teddy.
“Gloria, we met at Cindy’s house.”
“ Si, si. The senorita who brought Chica home.” Gloria kissed Teddy on each cheek before moving to Estrella who began chatting with her in Spanish.
“Take off your clothes, she’s going to measure you,” Estrella said.
“ Oookay. ”
By this time, Estrella had examined the entire store and given her seal of approval.
Teddy showed Gloria a picture of the one-shouldered gown.
“ Muy Bonita. No problemo ,” Gloria said.
“ Quantos?” Teddy asked, using one of the few Spanish words she knew.
“ Cien dolares .”
Estrella raised her eyebrows. “A hundred dollars. Not bad.”
“It’s a miracle. No way could I afford an eight-hundred-dollar dress.”
Estrella said, “It pays to shop around. You’re officially promoted to a super shopper.”
On the day of the wedding, Teddy stopped by the beach to examine the decorations. Five rows of ten white folding chairs were arranged around a center aisle. Strings of aquamarine and cerulean sand dollar and sea horse LED lights looped from one aisle to the next, and a blue carpet led to the arbor. For their vows, Jack and Teddy would stand below the arbor and the long-curved necks of two Whooping Cranes, their beaks touching in a kiss.
Nearby on the beach, Brooke and her new boyfriend sculpted a pile of sand. Noiselessly, Teddy watched as Brooke shaped a large wing in the wet sand. Teddy inhaled audibly.
Brooke jumped in front of the sculpture. “Don’t look. I want my sculpture to be a surprise.”
“That’s going to be amazing,” Teddy said, tears filling her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re doing this for me.”
Brooke beamed. “This is the least I can do.”
Teddy hugged her. “I didn’t do anything.”
“No, you just found my father. No biggie.”
Brooke had become like a younger sister to Teddy over the past several months. Brooke spent hours just making Teddy’s wedding extra special. Teddy never imagined having a sand sculpture at her wedding. She never pictured any of this. Before the hurricane, her dreams had been too small. With Jack, and Pops, and the transformation of Bird Isle, she learned to believe in dreams, big ones.
Teddy headed over to Lisa’s to meet Dot, Barb, and Estrella for hair and makeup. Estrella ran up to her. “I thought you’d never get here. You’re going to be late to your own wedding.”
In truth, Teddy had four hours. The sunset wedding would start at 8:15. She couldn’t possibly take that long to brush her hair and apply mascara.
Little did Teddy know that Estrella had planned for a complete spa day—pedi, mani, facial, and highlights. The women descended on Teddy like ladies-in-waiting to a queen. Estrella reclined Teddy against a shampoo bowl for the facial. Dot took her hands, Barb her feet.
Three and a half hours later, Teddy felt like a princess. Estrella held the wedding gown. Butterflies batted around in Teddy’s stomach. She stepped into the gown and glanced in the mirror. Her peach blush and nails matched perfectly with the flower on her shoulder.
“Hank’s here,” Estrella said lifting the back of Teddy’s dress for the walk to the car. Both Estrella and Hank loaded Teddy and the dress inside the car. The butterflies in Teddy’s stomach had turned into eagles.
Hank pulled onto the beach, careful to keep Teddy’s side of the car hidden from view. They waited for the sound of “Cowboys and Angels.” They found the song perfect for their situation.
Walt stepped up to the altar and nodded to the other men. The sight of him barefoot in a blue tux made Teddy giggle. With his license from Surfer’s International, he frequently officiated over beach weddings.
Jimbo, Pete, and Hank walked to the arbor followed by Jack. At the sight of Jack barefooted and wearing a tuxedo, she wanted to melt. Without the hurricane, this day might not have ever happened. Teddy searched the crowd longing for the one person missing. Everyone she cared about sat in the chairs, everyone except her mother.
One by one, Barb, Dot, and Estrella walked down the aisle, all of them barefoot. Estrella opposed the idea. Eventually Estrella relented, she couldn’t walk in heels on the sand.
Teddy took deep breaths knowing soon all eyes would be on her. The music switched to the traditional wedding march. She reached for Pops’s arm. Everyone stood.
When her eyes met Jack’s, he put a fist to his heart. At the end of the aisle, Jack stepped toward her and took her hand.
Walt asked, “Who gives this woman to be wed?”
“Her mother and I do,” Pops said.
At the words “her mother,” Teddy burst into tears. Jack squeezed her hand. “She’s here with us.”
Teddy blinked.
Teddy and Jack turned to their guests.
Hank and Estrella led the audience in saying, “All of us in Bird Isle do.”
When the time came to kiss the bride, Jack raised Teddy up into the air, and then pulled her down to his lips. The kiss lasted so long that Pete took Dot in his arms and kissed her. Hank dipped Estrella and kissed her. Pops kissed Margie. Brooke’s new boyfriend pecked her on the lips causing Pete to give him a fatherly and disapproving glare.
The music changed to Queen’s “Crazy Thing Called Love.” LED lights twinkled in the twilight. The guests danced their way to the sand sculpture where a spotlight illuminated two Whoopers in a mating dance. A Caribbean blue rectangle framed the sculpture making a Bird Isle selfie station. Brooke stood by to snap pictures.
“Another surprise,” Teddy said. “How did you—”
“My father made this for pictures.” Brooke said with a proud smile. “Social media is the key to any successful business,” she paused, “or town.”
“I love it,” Teddy said, giving Brooke a big hug. “I’m so impressed by you. The sculpture is amazing.”
Estrella and Hank rushed for a place at the first of the line. Immediately after they posed, Estrella clicked on the photo and posted it to Facebook with hashtag #BirdIsle.
Then Estrella escorted Oscar and Chica, aka Pickles, to the postcard saying, “Do you know how many followers he has?”
Teddy threw a thumbs-up. She did know. After his post about Pickles went viral, Oscar reached one hundred thousand followers.
“This is going to be huge,” Estrella said, arranging Oscar and Chica just so in front of the sculpture.
“I just hope Bird Isle can handle all the traffic,” Teddy said.
“We’ll be ready,” Estrella said with the resolve of a true business owner. “But this is your wedding. We need to be celebrating you, not promoting Bird Isle.”
“I’m stoked.” Walt gripped a champagne cork in his jaw.
“Are you insane?” Teddy reached toward Walt.
He slowly turned the bottle and eased the cork from its neck with just a gentle hiss.
“A touch of champagne for the mademoiselle?’
“Don’t you mean se?ora?” Teddy flashed a snarky smile and lifted her glass.
“I am at your service,” Walt said in a James Bond accent and bowing ever so slightly.
Jack laughed and threw a handful of ice cubes at Walt. “You gotta love it. Bird Isle.” Jack wrapped an arm around her.
Pops stepped up and elbowed Jack. “I guess you’re out of the doghouse, then?”
“No thanks to you.”
“All’s well that ends well.”
“What are you some kind of Shakespeare expert?”
“I might be.” Pops patted his pockets. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have a Tootsie Pop on ya?”
Jack pulled a grape one from his jacket.
“You just might be better than a snake bite for a son-in-law.”
“You just might be better than a sharp stick in the eye.”
“It was worth it, wouldn’t you say?” Pops asked.
“I should say so,” Margie said rising onto the tips of her toes. “How about a wedding kiss? Men always get to kiss the bride, but women don’t kiss the groom. Until now!”
Margie puckered her bright-red-lipstick lips and kissed Jack smack dab in the center of his mouth creating a red heart on his kisser.
Teddy giggled. Walt cracked up. Jack started laughing so hard he buckled over. Pops kissed Margie.
Brooke clinked a fork against a glass. “Have a seat everyone.”
Jack and Teddy rushed over to the sweetheart table. They’d made the tables from sawhorses and two-by-fours and then covered them with red-and-white-checkered cloths—just like the ones on the tables the night they’d met.
Teddy watched the Gulf where the last rays of daylight sparked off the water. The clouds blazed with Dreamsicle orange. Several pelicans took turns diving for dinner. As always, tiny silver fish teemed in the waves. Tonight, someone else frolicked with them. For one burst of a millisecond, she saw her mother, a shiny flash jumping in the waves. I love you, Mother. Thanks for stopping by. This storm came to clear my path. You always said, “Time and chance happen to them all.” In my case, make it tide and chance.
T EDDY’S S ALT A IR R OCKY R OAD F UDGE
6 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons pink Himalayan salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 and 1/2 cups roasted hazelnuts, halved
One 9-inch square baking pan
Directions
Coat the bottom and sides of baking pan with butter or cooking spray and line with a long sheet of parchment paper that overlaps the sides. Set aside.
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the two kinds of chocolate, condensed milk, and the butter. Set over medium-low heat and stir until the chocolate is melted. Add the extract and salt, and fold in the marshmallows and almonds.
Pour the warm mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Press until it is all pressed in and relatively even.
Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to chill in the refrigerator for two hours.
Remove from the refrigerator and use parchment paper to remove from the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into squares before serving.
Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to ten days.