Chapter 4
In the hall guests had filled up the seats. Some of the guests were friends of one family or another, having come from all over Bravia to cheer on the wedding of these two aristocratic clans. Others were important people who, while not really friends of either family, were of significant importance that not inviting them would be taken in social circles as a major insult.
It was really the Bravias that were the most interested in keeping their social capital up. Natonito and his wife were high enough that they did not have to worry about the society pages, the petty contests of those who think themselves better than the common folk without any better character to distinguish them as noble except for inbred bloodlines and the mere accident of birth. Cherie herself was not the type of person to engage in such petty squabbles, but the Bravias, especially Oen and Henry, were past masters of this warfare. Natonito thought it rather pointless and provincial. Still, since the Bravias were paying for half of the wedding, Natonito did not want to antagonize his brother-in-law the Senator.
The guests were sitting, mostly patiently, though there were some fidgety kids. The two baby boys were seated in the family section with Natonito and Bathsheba, who were the only representatives of the Longbert family left to claim the role. Some distant cousins sat beside and behind them to fill up the seats, and the Bravias and related families sat on the front in the rows on the opposite side of the aisles.
In the front of the seats, Daniel stood beside Henry, and Delia stood on the other side of the altar. All of them looked dashing in their attire. Henry and Daniel were dressed in well-fit black and gold tuxedoes. Delia (and Cherie, who was still in another room, waiting to come in) were dressed in beautiful gold dresses which sufficiently demonstrated their ample curves without giving away the store. Wilfred, the priest, was dressed in his clerical robes at the altar.
First, a young boy and girl, friends of the family, came up the aisle as the ringbearer and flower girl. Both were very cute, as kids generally are, and fidgeted in their clothing. At the end of their walk the two tried to stand dutifully at the altar, managing not to appear too awkward and uncomfortable.
Then, on cue, Cherie, with a beautiful veil over her beautiful face, walked in a measured pace from the back of the hall towards the altar. All eyes were on her sensuous form as she made her way towards Henry and Wilfred. Most people, who had not met her before, gasped at her beauty, while some guests made snide aside comments. One boy could not keep quiet.
�Why isn�t she dressed in scarlet?� he piped up. �Daddy said she was a whore fit to wear red.� The crowd gasped and the embarrassed family tried to shush the boy, but Cherie went on as if she did not hear the comment, though a tear was in her eyes underneath the veil.
Finally the crowd relaxed when Cherie reached the front of the carpet, at the altar. Henry came over to stand beside her, and the ringbearer and flower girl stood just behind them as they faced Wilfred, the serious but kind cleric.
�Who is here to give the bride away?� Wilfred asked.
�I am,� Natonito said, standing up.
�Very well, then,� Wilfred said. �Do you assent to this wedding of your ward?�
�Yes, I do,� Natonito said politely, recognizing proper form.
�And is anyone here to speak for the groom?� Wilfred asked.
�I am,� Oen said standing up.
�Do you assent to this wedding of your son?� Wilfred asked.
�I do,� Oen said plainly.
�Very well then,� Wilfred said. After a brief pause, he started. �Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here this afternoon to witness one of God�s most gracious gifts for all of humanity. Today is the wedding of Cherie Longbert and Henry Bravia. These two people, though very young, have come here today to make a declaration of love before you all and before their Creator God. Marriage is an issue of vital importance. Many people today figure that they can play house before they feel the need to commit, thus bringing instability in their lives, and causing problems with children, if there are any. This couple, through one sin, brought a son into the world. They have asked for God�s forgiveness, and there is no need for anyone to judge them, for they are forgiven. As Ruth asked Boaz to spread his wings over her, so does Cherie ask for Henry to cover her with the edge of his garment. But marriage is more than just a request for the meeting of present needs. God hates divorce, and will deal harshly with those who betray the wife of their youth. We are gathered here today to witness an oath by Henry and Cherie. That oath is to be loyal and faithful to each other for the rest of their lives. Marriage is so important that Jesus Christ has compared his return to a wedding between him and the Church. We are to remember the sacred vows of marriage in our daily lives, and to never take our husbands or wives for granted. Do you understand the seriousness of the vows you are making, Henry and Cherie?�
�Yes, we are,� they say in unison.
�Henry Bravia, do you take this young woman, Cherie Longbert, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?�
�I do,� Henry said.
�And do you, Cherie Longbert, take this young man, Henry Bravia, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to honor and obey, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?�
�I do,� Cherie said.
�Henry, place the ring upon Cherie�s finger,� Wilfred said.
�With this ring, I thee wed,� Henry said, as he kneeled on the floor.
�Cherie, place the ring upon Henry�s finger,� Wilfred said.
�With this ring, I thee wed,� Cherie said as she kneeled on the floor. �Does anyone object to this wedding?� Wilfred asked. No one stood up. �By the grace of God and by the nation of Secfenia, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride,� They needed no encouragement as the crowd cheered them on. Henry lifted the veil over Cherie head and gave her a passionate open-mouthed kiss.
After the kiss, Daniel patted Henry on the back and Delia gave Cherie a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then they, and the ringbearer and flower girl, and Natonito and Bathsheba and Oen and Karen, went to the tables to receive the gifts. It seemed everyone had something interesting for the couple. Some people gave them gifts like kitchen electronics, towel sets, and the like, but some people had more exotic gifts. A few people gave lingerie to Cherie, who accepted the gifts with a smile, since her size was practically public knowledge thanks to Henry�s blabbing about her.
After that was done the males and females separated. First, the males who were unmarried (except for Daniel) went up to the area around the altar. Henry first took off Cherie�s garter and tossed it blindly. It ended up being caught by some athletic nobleman.
�Yes,� he exclaimed. Cherie gave Henry a look of amusement, having enjoyed the place his hand was on her leg.
Then the girls (except Delia) went up to the area around the altar. Cherie turned her back to the women and tossed a bouquet of flowers behind her. The bouquet was caught by some shy girl who had the flowers practically fall on her. Everyone cheered the girl on.
�I love weddings,� Daniel said to Delia as they stood aside.
�Why is that?� Delia asked.
�There is so much ritual to them,� Daniel said. �And yet it is sad that after all the pageantry, marriages do not revolve around weddings, but in the mundane affairs of living with one another, arguing over money and who leaves the toilet seat up and who is a picky eater.�
�Yes,� Delia said. �Still, it is good to have the ritual to look back on something and smile.�
�I agree,� Daniel said. �Want to go save a place near the wedding cake?�
�Mmm,� Delia said. �Sounds good to me.�
�That is another good thing about weddings, getting a sugar high from white wedding cake and getting drunk off of the punch, and enjoying the fine entrees there for everyone to munch on in the reception,� Daniel said.
�I didn�t know they had that much fun in Cork weddings,� Delia said with a wink.
�They have that much fun everywhere in weddings,� Daniel said, smiling.
The bride and groom cut the cake and stuffed the first piece into each other�s mouth, giving everyone a good laugh. Then everyone ate a piece of cake and started imbibing on the punch, which was alcoholic.
�That must have been Oen�s doing,� Natonito said.
�I hope the kids don�t get too plastered,� Bathsheba said.
�Me too,� Natonito said. �After all, Daniel is going off to the Engineers tomorrow, and Delia is going home to backpack across Puria. Neither of them needs a hangover.�
�I agree,� Bathsheba said. Luckily, none of the kids ended up drunk. Oen was plastered soon however, since he had brought some even stronger stuff for himself. A half empty bottle of 151 told the tale.
�I think my husband has a drinking problem,� Karen said, coming up to Natonito and Bathsheba.
�He has for quite a while,� Natonito said. �For at least 3 years.�
�Really?� Karen asked.
�Yes, he�s been a drunkard ever since the rebellion. He�s been good most of the time since then, but recently he�s been having a terrible spell. He should really start thinking about the twelve steps,� Natonito said.
�I�m worried about the relationship,� Karen said.
�What all is wrong?� Bathsheba asked.
�I think he is cheating on me, and I think he is getting too involved with the Lues,� Karen said.
�That is a bad thing,� Natonito said. �That family is nothing but trouble. What do you plan on doing?�
�I don�t know,� Karen said. �I don�t know.�
�Find out,� Natonito said. �And soon. I do not know if there is much time for you to ponder your choices.�
�You think it�s that urgent?� Karen asked.
�Yes, I do,� Natonito said.
| Jump to: |
Quick Links: Bobby's Stories | Nathan's Stories | Government | Map | Main