Chapter 18- Robustness
The morning of the wedding arrived with a robustness neither the bride nor the groom could get a grip on to process the speed at which everything moved.
Micah’s hands shook as he attempted to get dressed in his suit and fasten his necktie.
Yunior, his eldest brother and best man, came into his room to lend a hand.
“You seem to be all thumbs, little brother,” he said, standing in front of him.
“Excited, I guess,” Micah said. “This is a big step, and Alita and I will get to live autonomously for the first time. Excited, might be the right word, I guess.”
“Does living on your own worry you?”
“Not really,” he said softly. “Tim the Johnson taught us how to shop for the groceries and make simple meals, and I even learned to wash the dishes.”
“You're looking forward to washing dishes?”
“Fuck no,” Micah said, looking Yunior in the eyes.
“In less than two weeks, I will more than likely hire a housekeeper. I mean, even if I have to come home and work a shift in the cocaine barns to pay for her but mopping floors...nada for this hombre. If things get desperate, I may take pictures of her feet to upload to one of those sites to make money.”
“When did you get to be so funny?”
“Life is teaching me the lighter side of existing,” he said. “I'm feeling lucky, Yunior. I like my bride. She likes me and she has nice feet.”
“Do you love her?”
“Oh yeah,” Micah said, blushing. “She loves me too. Even as messed up as I can get in my head unscrambling molecules and formulas, when she sees me like that, she knows when to let it play out or bring me down. I love that about her, and that she has many great conversations with me. I like talking to her. She smells pretty too. Did I mention she has nice feet?”
“Do you have a thing for feet?”
“No, just don't want a big-footed woman with the bunions,” he said, looking at his watch. “Time to go get married. Shit. I'm getting married. Excited.”
“Okay, let's go and get you married,” Yunior said, patting him on the shoulder. For good measure, he gave him a brotherly hug. If he needed to, he would supply Micah and Alita with a housekeeper.
Outside the door, Andres waited, also serving as a groomsman, along with Angel. He had overheard the conversation. He smiled at his younger brother, proud of him and looking forward to what was next in his life.
Andres looked at Yunior. “I'll take care of the housekeeper for them. I have some trustworthy contacts in Bogotá. I got him. I will make sure she can cook too.”
“Thanks,” Yunior said.
Micah heard none of it. He was focused on getting married.
****
ALITA SAT IN THE BACK room of the church. She was dressed, but nervous. Her mother had to be sent out to the vestibule because the crying was getting on Alita's nerves. Luis, checking on her, came into the room and sat beside his sister.
“You look so pretty,” Luis said.
“Thanks, little brother,” she said, looking in the mirror. She wasn't sure about her hair, and she’d added no makeup, only a little mascara and eyeliner.
Luis stood behind her, admiring the reflection of her in the mirror. “Sis, do you think he groomed you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Micah, did he groom you so he could be the first?”
Alita turned in the small seat. She can't say she was shocked because deep down, her brother was a misogynistic asshole, who, mostly was always jealous of her. To bring up such a topic on her wedding day was a bitch move, but she'd been prepared for his pitch out of left field.
“Grooming is done by an older male to a younger woman, three or more years his junior,” Alita said.
“Micah and I are the same age. We actually grew up together, in the realest sense, and we are life partners.” She stood up.
“I pray when it is time for you to marry that you find a young woman who can see the good inside of you, and feed that part of your soul,” Alita said.
“Go on, vamoose. I am getting married today and need to center myself.”
“I love you, Sis.”
“Back at cha,” she said, wanting him gone.
She checked her watch. Ten minutes. In ten minutes, she'd be a Delgado.
She sighed as she looked in the mirror. She'd come a long way in four years.
For good measure, she'd brought along her two favorite knives and a 9mm, because a girl always needed to be prepared.
Tonight, would be her wedding night. She was scared, eager, nervous, and ready to be in his arms.
A knock at the door brought The Lady of the Lands. Ryanne entered, seeing the young woman all alone. Her first step was to embrace Alita. She checked her hair and makeup and added a few spritzes of hairspray to the wispy strands.
Ryanne paused and looked deeply at the young woman. Micah was lucky to have a person in his life who not only loved him, but understood him. The journey ahead for the two of them would not be easy. As her mother-in-law, she needed the young woman to understand she was in her corner.
“In my country, and I’m not sure where this tradition originated, but it is supposed to bring luck and prosperity to the newly wed couple,” Ryanne told Alita.
In her hair, she added a clip, a viper, chiseled out of emeralds.
To her wrist, a gold bracelet and in the sleeve of her wedding dress, a delicate handkerchief.
“The rhyme goes, something old, which is the handkerchief. A thing that is new, which is the hair clip, a thing that is borrowed, which is my gold bracelet, and something blue, which would be these rings for your right hand.”
“All I am missing is a sixpence in my shoe,” Alita added, indicating she understood the Lancashire rhyme.
Ryanne held up a silver coin and both women chuckled.
Alita kicked out the shoe and her soon to be mother-in-law looked down.
For the oddest reason, she realized Micah might have been on to something.
Alita had vey nice feet. Shoes in place, nerves partially settled, she looked at Ryanne and smiled.
A lovely young woman she was very proud to formally welcome into their family.
“You look stunning Alita. Ready?”
“Sí, Senora, I am ready,” Alita said.
“Let's do it,” Ryanne said, walking her out to the entrance to the vestibule.
Ricardo stepped forward, offering his arm as the door opened and the music began.
It wasn't an organ or a piano, but The Fer de Lance on a guitar playing the music as she entered. Micah stood at the altar, his green suit jacket standing out against Yunior’s blue-tinted jacket, Andres’ red-tinted one, matching against and the orange hues in Angel's.
Her maid of honor was Diadra, along with Mara and Zeta, who worked as Yunior's assistant.
The girls had grown close over the years with Zeta teaching Alita a great deal about spreadsheets.
It was Zeta who had gotten Alita interested in digital storytelling as she created presentations for Yunior to present at corporate meetings.
Micah's mouth dropped at seeing his lovely bride come down the aisle.
His sisters served as flower girls littering the aisles with rose petals for Alita to make her way to his side.
Ricardo, filled with emotion, lifted the veil, kissing Alita's cheek, before placing her hand into Micah's.
The ceremony didn't last long, and Micah kissed his bride.
Father Julio turned to the small crowd and announced, “Friends and family, I present to you Senor And Senora Micah Luciano Delgado.”
Micah and Alita headed to the door ready for the brief reception. Several people held small bags of rice to throw at the couple. Angel spotted guests with handfuls of rice and began yelling.
“Don't you throw that rice! It is bad for the birds and our environment. There are people in this world starving. Don't waste that rice,” Angel yelled.
Most of the guests in the crowd smiled at Angel; others knew he was serious and didn't throw rice at the newly wedded couple.
One by one, they filed out, heading to the primary home for the brief reception.
Micah didn't want to stay long as he had plans to be in Aruba to see the sunset on the beach, a small thing his now-wife had mentioned she always wanted to do.
At the home, music played in the background as guests milled about.
Village elders and families stopped in to bring gifts and tokens for the new couple; many wanted to shake Micah's hand while others simply wanted to see how well he looked in a suit since they mainly saw him on the farm in jeans, boots, and long sleeves.
He and Alita were called to the floor for their first dance.
The Lady of the Lands sat regally behind the baby grand, playing soft music on the piano as she watched them whirl about the floor.
Micah's eyes stayed up, not really looking at his bride.
He paused in the middle of the dance to look down at her.
“Am I feeling knives in your dress?” he asked, looking at her in shock.
“Yes, and my favorite 9mm is strapped to my thigh underneath it,” she said, winking at him.
“God, I love you,” he said, laughing and offering her a gentle kiss on her cheek.
The song came to an end, as the bride moved around the room.
Alita danced with her father, her brother, her brothers-in-law and last, her father-in-law.
As the afternoon waned, Yunior called for the new couple to come to the side door, and he handed Micah a set of keys to a Renault Duster as a wedding present.
“Get changed so you guys can get out of here,” Yunior said as he watched them head up the stairs to change into traveling clothes.