Chapter 59 #2
Ah, the catwalk. Carpenters had worked around the clock to create the perfect flow.
Jamie would leave from the bedroom balcony and walk among the guests, arranged in an intricate pattern through the garden, then to another catwalk connecting to the main balcony where she and Etta would be married.
The officiant arrived with only a half hour to spare, going over the last-minute vow details with Jamie before going off to bother Etta about the same thing.
Jamie had only that half hour to sit down and rest up before the ceremony.
She perched on a stool in the middle of the bedroom, where her gown splayed around her in its glittery grandeur.
One by one, people had to leave, until – for a mere five minutes – Jamie was left alone in the bedroom. She looked at herself in the vanity mirror, marveling at her hair, her light makeup, and the lack of jewelry she decided to go without.
Something squeaked beneath the bed. Barbarossa braved coming out, to Jamie’s surprise.
“What are you doing here?” She thought Beatrice had rounded up the cats and locked them in the salon, where they wouldn’t be bothered. Yet here Barbarossa was, mewling in self-pity over everything that was going on. “I thought you went to the other room…”
She yowled, sitting down and swishing her tail as a glint of Jamie’s dress caught her eye.
“I’m sorry about all of the commotion. It’ll be over soon enough.”
Barbarossa cocked her head, eyes traveling up the golden lines on the skirt. Although Jamie knew this was kitty curiosity, she couldn’t help but imagine Barbarossa taking her in. Well, she was the closest thing to a child Jamie had.
“We’ve come a long way, huh? Your mama went from living in that shack to being the new missus of this mansion. We didn’t do too badly, I suppose.”
Barbarossa yawned. Jamie wanted to pick her up for a hug, but knew better. If she didn’t claw Jamie up, she’d get fur all over the wedding dress. That would be so like me, though.
Someone opened the door. Barbarossa shot beneath the bed again.
Jamie expected anyone: Raul, her mother, Bonita, even Adele. Instead, she saw two small feet gingerly step before her, followed by a very petite, yet very pregnant woman.
“I wanted to come see you before all the fuss in a few minutes,” Monique said, dressed in a pale red dress that conservatively hid her bulge. She held a felt box in her hands. “And to give you this. By the way, you are beautiful.”
Jamie smiled. “Thank you. Not half as beautiful as you were a few months ago.”
“I’ll accept the compliment and say it was pregnancy hormones making me glow.”
“Can’t say I have that going for me today.”
Monique glanced her over again. “This dress is certainly new. Anything blue?”
Jamie’s smile grew. “My garter, of course.”
“Oh, of course. How convenient.” Monique rolled her eyes. “Something old?”
The bride gestured to her sapphire jewelry set, minus the collar. “Do you like it?”
“It’s very befitting. Practically your trademark.” Monique pulled up another stool and sat down, her stomach settling deep into her lap. “Now… how about something borrowed?”
“No, can’t say I have that.”
Monique opened the felt box. “Now you have something.”
Jamie thought she was seeing things. A diamond choker peered up at her, sparkling more than the gold in her dress. “Is that…”
“The one I wore at my wedding, yes.” Monique pulled it out of the case and handed it to Jamie, who gasped. “I want you to have it.”
“I couldn’t!”
“You can, and you will. I insist.” When Jamie still wouldn’t take it, Monique got up to wrap the diamond choker around the bride’s throat. “Then you can give it to another woman like us on her wedding day.”
Jamie sat still as Monique latched the choker.
The diamonds settled nicely on Jamie’s chest, and when she looked in the mirror, she was surprised to find that they did not clash with the rest of her look.
Does this symbolize what I think it does?
Jamie had rather hoped to leave the kink out of the wedding.
Like Etta, she preferred that to be private.
This didn’t seem too bad, though, especially if it came from Monique.
“I only intended to wear this for my wedding, since I couldn’t very well wear my usual collars.” Monique sat back down, sighing. “Clashed too much, or was too garish for a bridal outfit. It was going to sit in a box forever. I figure this way… it will get some good use.”
“Thank you.”
“I like to think it’s pretty lucky. Helen and I have been very happy so far.”
“You two are a great couple.”
“So are you and Etta. Speaking of whom…” Monique paused for effect. “I came from her room, and I’m the only one who has noticed how nervous she is.”
“Nervous? Her?”
“Of course. She’s marrying the woman of her dreams. She’s in utter disbelief right now. She hides it well, but I can tell. You’re holding up better than she is.”
Now that Jamie didn’t believe. “Do you think she’ll know what this means?” Jamie touched the choker.
“She’s a perceptive woman. She’ll recognize it as the one I was wearing at my wedding.
” They smiled at one another. “We’ll start a crazy, kinky trend.
The papers will have a field day trying to figure out why so many women are getting married in the same choker.
It’s a cult!”Jamie laughed, the dress tightening around her midsection.
Ugh, thanks, Bonita. Why not throw a corset on her, too?
Make sure she really couldn’t breathe. Now there’s something blue…
my face. “Thank you so much. You’ve been a good friend to me. ”
Monique returned to her usual reserved countenance.
“No, Jamie, you’ve been a good friend. I couldn’t have ever asked for a better one.
You and Etta were both there for me when I needed friends the most. You’re terrific people, and I’m proud to call you my friends.
” She smiled again. “You’ll always be the first person I invite to my parties. ”
“Well, there’s that.”
Monique looked around the bedroom, eyes lingering on the now mussed bedspread. “It’s been a while since I was last in here.”
Jamie wanted to ignore that, but decided to embrace it. “I’m still finding some of your old clothes in here. Unfortunately, they’re all too small for me.”
“Oh, dear…”
“Don’t worry. I’ve made sure they’ve been repurposed well.”
“Good! I had completely forgotten about them.” Monique rested her hands on her stomach. “You truly are wonderful, Jamie. Etta would be a total idiot to never marry you, because you’re absolutely perfect for her.”
“We’ve gathered that’s your opinion.”
“The woman did not take subtleties well. I eventually had to lean across the restaurant table and tell her to fucking marry you, so help me God.”
That took Jamie aback. “Did you really do that?”
Monique shrugged. “More or less.” She glanced at her watch. “Ah, I should let you finish getting ready.” In time, too, because the whole crew burst through the door, carrying Jamie’s tiara. “I’ll be in that front row with tears in my eyes.”
The next fifteen minutes were a total blur.
Raul and Bonita fought over how to place Jamie’s tiara…
farther up? Farther back? She eschewed a veil, choosing to have her sapphire barrette tucked behind her tiara and tiny sparkles threaded through her hair.
She had worried this would take too long to do, but Bonita and Raul finally collaborated to get it done in record time.
“Oh my… is that my Jammy?”
Saul stood in the doorway, wearing a white linen shirt and loose khaki-colored trousers.
It was the nicest Jamie would ever get her father to dress, and she was glad of it.
I guess his pants sort of match the gold in my dress.
Jamie was close to tears again when her father approached, here to take her hand to walk her down the aisle, so to speak.
“It is, Dad.”
“Wow.” He put his hands down, gobsmacked.
Behind him, Luna rubbed his back and imparted her own smile upon Jamie.
“I never thought I’d see the day you truly looked like a princess.
Like in those fairy tales I used to read to you.
” He coughed, covering up his emotions. “Of course, now I realize what chauvinistic drivel those all were…”
“Saul,” Luna said, stern. “Not today.”
Jenny ushered the bridal party out to their stations so the ceremony could begin. Jamie and her father were last, and while Barbarossa’s tail appeared beneath the bed, the two of them got up and followed Jenny to the sliding window overlooking the bedroom balcony.
“That’s a lot of suits,” Seena said, holding her bouquet of garden flowers. She peered out at the sea of guests in the backyard before Jenny jabbed her to get her ass out on the catwalk.
Jamie couldn’t hear the music, but she knew a small, live orchestra played serene music to accompany the bridesmaids (and Tosh) meeting up with Etta’s party on the catwalk.
Although it may have looked silly to some, Tosh walked beside one of Etta’s groomsmen, a friend from Yale.
Both men tried to look professional, but casual, sending off serious signals of I am the most heterosexual man here, helping out a friend, thanks!
Natasha was the last to go in front of Jamie. Jenny had Saul and Jamie wait about thirty seconds before approaching the doorway, for this woman had enough experience to know that the moment Jamie appeared, people would stop paying attention to anything else.
Jamie had heard it all. That she was wearing Oscar de la Renta, that she had commissioned a royal dress made in Sweden, that she was wearing what amounted to a fancy prom dress because she was uncultured.
When people only cared about her dress but had no verified info to go on, they would come up with all sorts of silliness to indulge.
Nobody would have expected how she looked, so Jenny waited until it truly was time for the bride to shine.