Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Kenna
“Romance is the icing, but love is the whole damn cake.” ~ Archie “Witty” Whitlock
“Where are we going?” I called out excitedly from the shower. When I didn’t get any response, I hurried and rinsed off before stepping out onto the floor mat.
“Sam! Where are we going?!” I called out louder as I grabbed a towel.
I’d only been awake for the past four hours, but this was already the best birthday I’d ever had. Sam had let me sleep in until past noon. He made breakfast for me and then we sat and watched Sixteen Candles , which was my birthday tradition. After the movie ended, he brought me to the bedroom and gave me two of the best orgasms of my life, and then drew me a bath. Once I was in it, he said he had some things to get ready for tonight so I could take my time.
After my bath, I showered, because I always felt grimy after soaking in my own filth. I had no idea how long he’d been gone, but I was starting to miss him. Even though we’d only technically been together a week, I felt like it had been so much longer. I guess that’s what happens when you spend your entire life loving someone.
When I walked out of the bathroom, I saw a garment bag hanging on the back of my bedroom door.
“Sam!” I called out again, but again, there was no answer.
I had no idea what was going on, but I did see a clue. There was a note attached to the bag. I lifted the folded piece of paper and read it.
Put this on and wait for more instructions. Love you, my pretty girl!
“What is this?” I asked Winnie, who was asleep at the end of the bed.
She didn’t answer.
I took in a shaky breath as I lifted my arm and pulled on the zipper. No one had ever done anything like this before. This was the best birthday present ever, and I didn’t even know what this was.
When the flaps opened, tears filled my bottom lids, and I clasped my hand over my mouth. “Oh my gosh!”
I immediately recognized the dress inside, and I would have even if I hadn’t just watched the movie.
It was Molly Ringwald’s lilac bridesmaid dress from Sixteen Candles . Senior year, I’d hired Edith Scoggs, the local seamstress, to remake Molly Ringwald’s prom dress from Pretty in Pink for me for my prom. I’d almost gotten the Sixteen Candles dress made, but I didn’t because it was more expensive than the Pretty in Pink dress.
My hands were trembling as I pulled it out and saw that behind it there was a clear bag with a flower wreath attached to the hanger. It was an exact replica of the one she wore in the movie.
For some reason, the sight caused me to burst out laughing and cry at the same time. I was having a mini-breakdown because I couldn’t believe Sam had done this for me.
Even though it had only been a week, every day got better. He was still healing from his accident, so we’d spent New Year’s Eve on the couch. I’d worked the past seven years, so Bryson gave me the night off.
We watched the ball drop, and I finally had a kiss at the stroke of midnight. Not just any kiss, I got to kiss Sam. The only man I had or, I was pretty sure, ever would love.
I quickly got ready, the only thing that took time were the braids I wrapped around the crown of my head so the wreath could sit on it, just like it had on her. In the movie she had short hair, and as much as I loved recreating 80s fashion, I wasn’t going to cut my hair.
After putting the dress and wreath on, I spent about five minutes in front of the mirror, shocked at how much I looked like Molly Ringwald’s character. I could have stayed there all night if I hadn’t got a text. When I picked it up, I saw it was from Sam.
Sam: I’m outside.
Outside?
I opened the bedroom door and found the hall empty. He must mean out front. I kissed Winnie on the head and grabbed my purse. I had no clue if I would need it, but I figured I’d be prepared. When I opened the front door and stepped onto the porch, more tears sprung from my eyes.
Sam was standing in front of a red sports car that looked identical to the one that Jake Ryan drove in Sixteen Candles . Not only that, he was wearing worn jeans with a belt, a dark green shirt rolled up at the sleeves, a deep green and navy blue sweater vest, and he even had on a watch like Jake wore. He was posed with his legs crossed, leaning on the car, just like in the movie.
He lifted his hand and waved, just like Jake. And I played along, living out my ultimate fantasy as I looked behind me, then turned back as tears fell down my face and mouthed, “Me?”
“Yeah, you.” He nailed the Jake Ryan grin as he put his hands in his pockets.
Not able to hold myself back any longer, I rushed toward him and launched myself into his arms.
“How did you do this?!” I asked.
“I have my ways.” He hugged me tightly before stepping back and opening the passenger side door. “Ready?”
“There’s more?!”
“Of course there’s more.”
He held my hand as I slid into the front seat. My cheeks were going to hurt tomorrow from the smile plastered on my face. I couldn’t believe he was actually taking me out in public like this. Actually, I could. Sam wasn’t like other guys. He didn’t care about what people thought. He was fun, he didn’t care about being ‘cool.’ I’d always loved that about him.
“Where are we going?” I bounced in the seat as he got in.
“You’ll see.”
“I can’t believe how much this looks exactly like Jake’s car.”
“It’s an ’83 Porshe 944, just like in the movie.”
“How did you find it?”
“I have my ways.”
When we pulled into the community center parking lot, which was empty. I was confused. I’d expected to go to The Pig Pen or maybe even The Tipsy Cow for drinks.
“What are we doing?” I asked as he got out.
He didn’t answer. When he came around to my side, he held out his hand and I took it.
“I love you,” he whispered as he lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles.
“I love you too. This is the best day of my life.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and lifted on my toes to press my lips to his.
He kissed me back but then pulled away. “Hold that thought.”
He offered me his arm, which I took, and he escorted me into the center. The lights were out as we walked inside, but as soon as the door shut behind us, they came on and I heard a loud, “Surprise!!!”
The entire room was filled with our friends and family—there had to be at least two hundred people there. And not only that, but they were all dressed in ’80s fashion or as characters from ’80s movies. I looked around in disbelief. Not only was I having a surprise party, but everyone had actually dressed up.
My mom was Jessica Rabbit and my dad was Roger Rabbit. Taylor and Remi were Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer in their prom attire from Footloose . Kane and Ruby were Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the final dance scene in Dirty Dancing . Milo was Daniel-san and Mason was Johnny from The Karate Kid . Delilah was She-Ra and Sawyer was He-Man. Bryson and Kelsi were Han Solo and Princess Leia. Destiny and JJ were Princess Buttercup and Wesley from The Princess Bride . Bella and Colton were Marty McFly and Jennifer from Back to the Future . Witty was Doc Brown, I had no idea if they’d planned their costumes, but it worked.
The room was filled with my friends and family dressed as Teenage Ninja Turtles , Madonna, Prince, Mario and Luigi, Flashdance , Bill and Ted, Clark Griswold and Christie Brinkley, Indiana Jones , Ferris Bueller, Rambo, Beetlejuice , Steve Urkel, and my favorite, besides Sam’s Jake Ryan of course, was Brady Calhoun as John Cusack’s character from Say Anything . He had the trench and was holding a boom box over his head.
Everywhere I looked, I saw a different ’80s icons.
I looked up at Sam in disbelief. “How long have you been planning this?”
“Since I read your diary.”
“Really?” I sniffed back the emotion choking me.
He nodded but before I could ask more questions, people swarmed around me. The next couple of hours were a blur of taking pictures, dancing, laughing and eating. I kept asking everyone how Sam had done this, and they all gave me the same answer, “He has his ways.”
I was talking to Tami Lynn and her husband Emmitt, who were dressed as Peg and Al Bundy from Married with Children , when I felt Sam’s arms wrap around me as he asked them, “Can I borrow the birthday girl?”
“Of course!” Tami Lynn enthused.
I started to turn around to face him, but he stopped me and put his hand over my eyes.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I reached up and touched his wrist.
“It’s a surprise,” he whispered in my ear.
“Another one?”
I wasn’t sure I could handle any more surprises.
He guided me in what felt like three big circles before, finally, we stopped.
Then, he whispered against my ear, “Happy birthday,” and dropped his hands.
My eyes took a second to adjust but when they did, I saw that I was standing in front of a dining room table in the center of the room with a birthday cake that had lit candles on it, just like the final scene in the movie.
“Oh my gosh!” I started laugh-crying again as Sam helped me up on the table and then climbed on too, so he was sitting across from me just like the characters had.
“Make a wish,” Sam leaned forward and repeated the same line from the movie.
“What if it already came true?” I replied, knowing that everyone around us would just think I was quoting the movie but he and only he would know the exact wish that had come true. I was no longer carrying my V-card.
“Then maybe it’s time for another one.” He grinned, going off script, as he reached inside his pocket.
“What are you talking…” My words trailed off when he lifted his hand, and I saw he was holding my grandmother’s wedding ring.
Which meant my parents knew that he was going to do this. I looked out into the crowd and saw my mom giving me two thumbs up, and my dad wiping his forefinger and thumb beneath his eyes.
When I looked back at Sam, I saw that my dad wasn’t the only one tearing up. He was a little misty-eyed as well. “I never thought I would do this, but if I did, I always thought I’d be getting down on one knee. But we’ve never done things the traditional way so I thought this was more us .”
I nodded my head up and down.
“Kenna, you have been my best friend since I was eight years old. I loved you even before I knew what love really was. We grew up together and spent most of that time denying how we felt about each other. Sorry, guys.” Sam looked around at the crowd, who were all chuckling. When he looked back at me, he grinned. “Sometimes I feel like we wasted a lot of time, but then I think of what we have, of us, of our foundation of friendship, and I’m not sure I would change a thing.”
“I would!” my mom shouted. “I want to be a nonna!”
“We’re working on it, Ma!” Sam responded, and the room erupted in cheers again.
I shook my head as I laughed.
When Sam looked back at me this time, he took a deep breath. “I have more to say, but hopefully, I’ll have a lifetime to do it because I don’t want another second to pass without asking you, Kenna Alessia Hale, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” I leaned over the cake and kissed Sam.
When I leaned back, he slid the ring on my finger. “I love you, my pretty girl.”
“I love you, too.” I kissed him again as everyone cheered and applauded and one more time, I asked, “ How did you do this?”
“I have my ways.” He grinned.
Those four words used to infuriate me, now, they weren’t so bad.
THE END