Evermore, Nevermore Forget Me Not

3x the Charm

*How Does A Moment Last Forever-By Celine Deon: from Beauty & the Beast 2017 live action; I was going to do 'My Heart, My Universe,' from the Big Bang Theory, but I  couldn't keep a straight face while listening to it and the song itself was driven more towards Raj & Bernadette.*

Setting: end of October; a big ballroom adorned with various flowers and lined with a number chairs...

     Everyone has already arrived, and everything is ready; they had decided to go with an Americanized wedding, but with traditional Saris. Erika had chosen Bernadette as her maid of honor-in pure fear of what the tiny statured woman might do to her she didn't since Raj asked Howard to be his best man-and both of Raj's sisters as brides maids along with Penny, Amy, Bailey, and Elvira, while Hyla is the flower girl. Each and every women wearing a sari of a different color: Penny in light pink, Amy in a light blue, Bailey in a light purple, Bernadette in yellow, Elvira in light orange, Hyla in a light yellow, Rajesh's younger sister Priya in a deep royal blue, his older sister Nargis in dark purplish pink and Erika in a deep ruby red one. Since she has no family to give her away, Erika asked Georgie if he would and he gladly agreed-bringing us to where everyone is now. Erika feels no need to be nervous, since she and Raj are already married and are simply going through the formalities of the wedding for his parents sake...

"Y'all sure bout this?" Georgie asks Erika, dressed in the traditional attire and ready for her to take his arm

"Too late ta back out now," she jokes to him with a smile, "seein as I've already married 'im."

"Don't mean ya gotta go through with all this," he tells her, "don't mean ya gotta put on a show fur all of 'em."

"I know," she sighs out, "but I wanna," she tells him

"I feel ridiculous," he says with a laugh as he looks himself over

"Y'all just ain't use ta it is all, Charmin," she tells him, "but ya look...Princely."

"Thanks," he tells her in a tone that clearly states his disagreement, "ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she tells him as she takes his arm, "Thanks fur doin this Charmin."

"It's the least I can do fur ya," he tells her brightly, "after everything we've been through together."

     The music starts to play, Hyla is the first down the isle-throwing flower petals everywhere-she's followed by her mother, her aunts: Amy and Bailey, then Penny, Rajesh's sisters: Nargis and Priya and finally Bernadette. Everyone else stands as the wedding march begins and Erika comes walking down the isle on Georgie's arm. She says a silent prayer to the god she had been raised with in the baptist church as well as the various Hindu gods she had been learning about, for this marriage to actually work out this time as she slowly makes it down the isle. The ceremony is soon over, and it's onto the reception; much like with having no one to give her away, Erika shares what should have been her father daughter dance with Georgie instead and is taken over by Rajesh's father while he dances with his mother. Each moment seemed perfect in its own way, like nothing could possibly ruin the day-then Penny and Priya started literally throwing cake at each other while fighting.

     The fight turns to screaming and hair pulling as they destroy the wedding cake, knock over the table of wedding gifts and almost take Bailey down with them as she had moved to get Hyla out of their way. It's Rajesh's older sister Nargis that breaks them up and pulls Priya away to be scolded like a child, while all of Raj's friends freak out and question Penny. But all Erika seems able to do is snicker and burst out laughing as she looks around at the state of her sister in law and Penny, as well as the sight of the room. It's Rajesh's younger brother Adout that is the next to join her in laughing, and soon enough all the Koothrappalis' and guests in attendance are laughing-accept Sheldon, who honestly doesn't see what's so funny. Erika's first two weddings were the ideal of perfect, but marriages themselves ended up being anything but; so maybe this disaster, is a sign that her third marriage wouldn't be.