Never Say Goodbye

Chapter 6

The drive to the paster's house was all a blur. I remembered Joe, William and Charles in one taxi. The girls and I were in another. It was Judy's idea, she used the logic that Charles shouldn't see me before the wedding. He wasn't too keen on the idea but ended up letting her have her way because it was tradition. Finally arriving at our pastor's small modest house, we made our way in. Judy, still insistent on not letting Charles and I see each other until I walked down the aisle, more like the front door to the living room, made Charles go in first and Betty covered my eyes. We all knew she was right about keeping with tradition, despite the untraditional way we were doing this, so we made no fuss with her.

I was pacing outside at the front door with what seemed like an eternity. Judy came out to see me once and make sure I was ready. "I have a surprise for you."' She smiled.

"What?"

"Well to be honest it was Charles' surprise, but I helped. Hey papa Wisel why don't you come out?" My father came out from behind a gate that I assumed led to the backyard. He was wearing his best sabbath suit. His jet black hair was combed and his beard trimmed. His face was set in its usual indifferent look. The only thing that gave away the nervousness in his stout figure was his chubby hands fidgeting with each other.

"Daddy." I gasped, and ran to him.

"Hi princess, you didn't think your mother and I were going to miss your big day, did you?"

"How did you know?" I whimpered into his coat.

"Charles called us last night. Told your mother and I to buy a ticket for the first train that left and made it here just in time for Charles and his friend Joe to pick us up about twenty minutes ago. Your mother is already inside."

From inside the wedding march began to play on a piano. This is it I thought in my head Awe man this is it, the moment I've been waiting for. Well, the moment we've been waiting for. My heart all but jumped in my throat and I felt absolutely petrified. This was the moment that both Charles and I had dreamt about for so many years and here I was too scared and excited to move.

I looked to my dad. He nodded his encouragement. "I suppose it's time to escort my princess down the isle. You know we can still run away from here. To be honest I'm not ready to give you away yet."

"No daddy, I'm ready."

He nodded and I saw his eyes glisten with tears. "I know you are. I love you so much princess, you know that? My brown eyed baby girl."

"I love you too daddy." I sniffled.

My father opened the door. I took one breath then looked up to see Charles, he was standing in the middle of the living room only a few steps away. He was looking right at me. He looked just like I had imagined he would on this day. Well, I didn't exactly imagine him in his uniform, or a quick wedding in my pastor's house, but everything else was perfect. There was something in his look that calmed me, something I hadn't imagined would be there before. He was looking at me with pride in his eyes, not just love.

Looking into those deep blue eyes all my fears washed away and I found myself walking down the aisle without any fear or doubt. I knew that this was in fact the man I was supposed to be with. The man that God put on this earth for me to find and spend the rest of my living life loving. He was my other half, my Adam. Even when he wasn't being as charming as he should be, or when we fought and I was angrier than I ever could be at anyone, I still loved him. I would be there for him when he needed comforting and he would do the same for me. This man that I have loved for so long will officially be mine and I his.

As I came near Charles took my hand fervently in his and the pastor commenced with the wedding vows. I don't recall much of the wedding everything became a great big blur. Most of the day was a great big blur. What I do remember was that my heart was pounding so violently that I was afraid it was going to jump right out of my chest. Then those blessed words passed from the pastor's lips "I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride."