Chapter Thirty-Two
Rodrigo and I talked daily from then on until the day I pulled the RV away from San Antonio. I had to work hard to keep the tears away. Driving with blurry eyes was not a good plan for a safe trip.
My sisters and I took a few days to reach the Grand Canyon. While the Alamo had been smaller than my imagination had made it, the canyon’s expanse and beauty were beyond anything I’d conjured in my mind.
We got up early one morning to watch the sun rise. Wrapped in our down coats and mittens, we could see our breath. At the high elevation, winter lingered, unlike the sultry weather of southern Texas. We’d been spoiled.
Watching the light spill over the jagged towers and cliffs that made up the canyon infused all of us with the knowledge there was something grander than we were, whether we wanted to call it Mother Nature, science, or God. There was a presence that couldn’t be denied.
Younger people whooped when the sun reached them on the precarious ledges where they’d perched to watch the event. They were so free with their lives, not realizing how very short they were.
But it was the nature of humans, and all I could do was remember the feelings of freedom, hope, and optimism that being young had given us. Probably just as well we had that time to remember when the realities of our aging bodies hit us later in life.
Now I had a second chance, a serendipitous morsel of sweetness.
Once I returned, I would do everything in my power to make it work with Rodrigo.
From Arizona, we headed west through Nevada to California’s Death Valley, another surrealistic landscape, then across the barren area of the Mojave Desert. It seemed like everywhere we went, solar panels and windmills announced the switch to renewable energy.
Once we reached the Pacific Coast Highway, we headed north. The western ocean shores were dramatically different from the wave-washed beaches of the eastern seaboard. The water was a lot colder too!
Once again we were thrust into the density of a lot of people. While there were stretches of magnificent redwoods on the ride, there was also the packed area of Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and the cities north of it to navigate around.
All of this was new to me, although Diane excitedly announced familiar spots.
Every night, the three of us would pull out our phones and describe our events to the men in our lives.
North of California, we traveled two-lane roads across Oregon to pick up Interstate 15 and head for home.
It had been an amazing trip.
~ ~ ~
March the following year …
“You’re beautiful,” Liz said. “Just like a bride should be.”
“Isn’t it a little ridiculous to be a bride in my sixties?” I asked, staring at myself in the full-length mirror. It had taken weeks and dozens of three-way video calls with my sisters, but I’d settled on a cream dress with an asymmetrically-flared skirt. The waistline and high boat neckline had roses embroidered on them.
I wore a small clip of pink roses in my hair.
“It’s not ridiculous at all,” Diane said.
As my bridesmaids, she and Liz were dressed in pink dresses with similar lines. Emma, Patrick’s daughter, was being dressed for her role as flower girl by her mother. Juan’s son, Marcos, was ring bearer.
All of this had been discussed down to the last detail over the past few months. Rodrigo’s sisters, still unhappy with my presence, nonetheless felt it was their duty to supply much needed and unasked for advice.
Somehow I’d managed to make it through without turning into bridezilla.
A good measure of that was due to the man I was marrying. He’d made sure I had plenty of time to ride Star, either with him or alone. We took quiet dinners either in the RV, or at his new place. One night he’d surprised me with cereal for dinner!
He’d installed a hot tub as he’d said he would, and we spent lovely evenings there.
As a wedding gift—as if a horse wasn’t enough!—he’d had contractors create a second master bath with a deep tub and separate shower that was for my use only. I’d laughed when I’d seen it, but I’d been filled with love.
He was a man who listened carefully to my needs and desires, no matter how strange they may be.
And now here we were.
Diane’s Joe and Liz’s Walter were in attendance, as were my children and their families, but that was almost it for our side of the aisle. The last two additions were Genna and Don. She’d given us a beautiful hand-spun and knitted throw for our couch.
The number of people on Rodrigo’s side would have seriously unbalanced the church, so we decided to avoid that particular tradition.
“Ready?” Liz asked.
“As I’ll ever be.”
We left the small room and walked to the sanctuary, waiting outside the door for the processional music to begin. Emma was bouncing up and down, and Marcos was giving the ties on the ring bearer’s pillow a serious inspection.
I hoped they made it to the altar.
The music began, and Megan urged Emma forward. With a beatific smile that would have suited the Virgin Mother, she walked down the aisle, tossing flower petals here and there.
Wide-eyed, Marcos followed, taking his role seriously, his tiny shoulders held high with inborn pride.
Diane smiled and stepped out, followed by Liz.
I walked down the aisle alone. None of this giving away stuff, thank you very much. I was my own human being, more than ready to declare my love for my future husband.
When I got to the front, I passed the small bouquet of roses to Diane and turned to Rodrigo. We’d written our vows ourselves, and they were full of the promises we’d made to each other: loyalty, honesty, friendship, and respect.
He’d already proved he knew how to romance me.
Taking our first mass together at the railing was more powerful than I’d realized it could be. I was truly blessed.
Soon he was slipping a plain gold band next to the simple band with a yogo sapphire he’d given me for an engagement ring.
As we walked back down the aisle, my heart burst with joy I’d never known was possible.
We joined the priest in the reception line, greeting the people who’d come, including Trixie Lynn.
She pressed a small box into my hand. “I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time. I can see how happy you make him. He deserves it. ”
“Come back to the house,” I said, touched by her gesture. “You’re welcome at the reception. It’s very informal.”
“Antonia cooking?”
“Of course. As soon as she gets back from church.” I nodded at the housekeeper and cook who was a few people behind Trixie Lynn.
“Then I’d be glad to come,” she said.
“Good,” I said.
“Well done,” Rodrigo whispered in my ear after she left. “You’re a good woman.”
“I’m a smart woman,” I said. “I’d rather have her on my side than against me.”
He chuckled.
We rode back to the house in his sedan, slipping by the main house to park at what was to be my new home. He pushed open the door, then scared me half to death by picking me up.
“Put me down! I’m too heavy!” I yelled. “You can’t do this at our age. You’ll be laid up for weeks!”
By the time I finished objecting, my feet were already on the living room floor.
He laughed, then pulled me close.
“I love you,” he said, then kissed me.
Thoroughly.
~ ~ ~
By the time we got to the reception on the patio, it was in full swing. Rodrigo’s sisters were in their usual corner, surveying the crowd with disapproving stares. Daniel and Connor were swaying together in a corner, out of tempo to the DJ’s upbeat music.
An elaborate pi?ata hovered from the center of the overhead beams. Marcos and some of his cousins stood under it, slowly explaining the purpose to three of my grandchildren.
Enticing aromas wafted from the open kitchen window, and chips, salsa, and guacamole were already out. Clusters of people chatted, some softly, some loudly. A few of Rodrigo’s relatives vied over entertaining the Anglo guests with stories that no doubt had more than a hint of embellishment.
“Do you think they’d notice if we went back to the house and finished what we started?” Rodrigo asked, wrapping his arm around my waist.
“Not right away, but eventually,” I said .
“Too bad.”
“Yes.” I leaned in for a kiss. Although it had been a while, I was looking forward to our time alone later.
People clinked flatware against glasses.
I guess we weren’t as unobserved as we’d thought we were.
~ ~ ~
The rest of the reception was a bit of a blur. I spent time with my children and my sisters, as well as with Rodrigo’s family, including my new grandchildren. They were a delight, absolutely willing to play with their new Anglo grandmother without giving it a second thought.
Marcos instructed my aim when I took my turn at smashing the pi?ata. After I’d made a few wild swings, he fell to the floor laughing.
Rodrigo, long a master at these things, broke it on the second swipe, to the delight of all the children who scrambled for the candy that descended. Patrick’s and Megan’s children were ecstatic over this new game.
“Thanks, Mom,” Megan said. “They’ll be on a sugar high for the rest of the day.”
I shrugged. “We’ll just have to wear them out. We’ll take them to see the horses later.”
“Did he really give you a horse to convince you to come back?”
“He did. Although it didn’t take much convincing.”
“I can see that. He seems like a good man. And he makes you happy, happier than you’ve been in a long time. I’m glad for you, Mom.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek.
Both my children had accepted Rodrigo’s presence in my life easily. It made me realize that I hadn’t been hiding much from anybody.
With a wicked grin, Liz had a chat with the DJ.
Soon, Irish music blasted from the sound system.
Liz grabbed my hand and Diane’s and soon we were kicking up our heels in a horrendous version of an Irish dance. We’d all been taught as kids, but there hadn’t been much chance to dance since then.
After watching for a few moments, Patrick, Megan, and their spouses joined in.
Walter and Joe followed.
Rodrigo shrugged and danced his way toward me, his natural sense of rhythm assisting him.
Juan grabbed his wife. Their kids followed. Soon most of the guests were laughing and dancing as the cultures merged in a riotous celebration of life and love.
It was a wonderful reception.
And, later, after the guests had left, Rodrigo and I went back to his … our … house.
Butterflies darted in my stomach, and desire raced through my body as we walked into our bedroom.
With tenderness and awareness, we made love for the first time, then fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.