A Long and Lonely Mile

Chapter 21

At the back of the house, there was a curtain. Thick and dark. Anyone who attended a show at Theatre Zipp would pass through it on the way to their seats. It was a lovely ritual, one that allowed you to leave yourself behind at the door, suspend your disbelief and transform along with the performers on stage. Marigold would leave something else behind that curtain, something that she would never possess again. The Casey name, respected by the locals and treated like a tourist attraction by all others would no longer be her own.

Obligations at work made it so that Jake would be unable to attend and Jack hadn't spoken to her since the day that Tavington's heart first failed. There was no Casey present to walk her down the aisle, no Casey present to give her away at the altar. So, she stood in the darkness and prepared to make the walk all alone. The rolling notes that played beneath the melody of that familiar song served as her cue to lift the edge of the dark, velvet fabric and step into the sunlit space.

The time of day was more than ideal for the light to travel through the theatre's many stained-glass windows. A mosaic of colors and shapes coated the aisles like a transparent blanket. Around and beneath those shifting hues, Marigold was greeted by more familiar faces than she'd anticipated. The increase in guests was surely Giselle's doing. While she was excited to see just how many Waterfordians had taken the day to drive all the way to Charleston on their behalf, her eyes stopped when they reached William Tavington.

He was a dream. His long hair was fixed just neatly enough to pair perfectly with his three-piece suit, but he remained just as ruggedly handsome as ever. All that he could do was smile as he watched Marigold. Through his eyes, there had never been a more beautiful bride. His exuberant little hummingbird had been cast in the role of a swan and she played the part beautifully. The usual skip in her walk had smoothed out, her radiant smile was placed in soft-focus behind the waves of her veil, but it was her strength, her fearlessness for the future that pushed her forward. Step by elegant step.

When Marigold reached the center of the house, two figures moved in and started to walk along beside her. The first, Tavington knew as Jake Casey. The second received an unusual reaction from Marigold- an expression that read as both overjoyed and melancholy. He looked like Jake, but was certainly a cleaner cut fellow. No moustache, no buzzcut, just a handsome, refined man with telltale Casey features.

"That was a surprising entrance," were the only words that Marigold could give to her brothers.

"We thought swooping in like birds of prey would be intimidating." Jake linked arms with his sister immediately, but Jack was a bit more hesitant.

"You flew all the way here?" She turned to Jack, brushing her hand against his.

Jack not only accepted her silent request, but took her hand in his and gave it the smallest, sweetest kiss. "I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world." He looked to Tavington. "He appears to be a decent enough guy... could use a haircut. But I know you've always had a thing for hippies..."

"He is not a hippie, trust me." Marigold shook her head, still smiling, still entranced by her beautifully statuesque husband-to-be.

"That song they're playing over there is by John Denver. You're both a bunch of hippies!" Jake chimed in.

"Thank you, by the way, Jack..." She seemed to ignore Jake's comment. "For everything that you've done for us recently. William wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you."

"Shake n' Bake! And I helped!" Jake was clearly feeling rather left out. Fortunately for him, a handful of guests heard him and he received several bewildered chuckles. Even Tavington appeared to be amused. Confused, but amused.
"Don't mind us. The family of assorted nuts is just having a small reunion..." Jake winked at Giselle and moved to stand by her side on the steps leading up to the stage.