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 Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe
"Mmmm. Hazelnut coffee," she thought, as she followed her nose to the kitchen. And there he was, with coffee
pot in hand and a big grin on his face. "Do you know what today is?" he asked impishly, as he poured her a cup.
Of course she knew. She thought of nothing else for days. It was both Thanksgiving and their wedding day.
"Yup. This is the day!" he beamed at her, completely ignoring her nervous reaction. "Just get dressed
and don't worry about it. There's nothing to it." he added, looking at her anxious demeanor.
"Are you making fun of me?" she jabbed. He just laughed, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Naaaah.
I'm just happy," her husband to be replied and gave her a great, big hug. Then, he broke into a song: "Love,
at last I have found you..." and played a few chords on the piano in jest. He made her chuckle.
They have been living together for years and things were going well for them. "So, why change a good thing
by getting married?" she asked. "Just 'cause it's romantic and it's a special way of saying thanks," he replied.
It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
She thought, "Ok, I love him, I can do this. He's old fashioned." She suspected his Mormon background. He wanted
to make sure she'd be by his side in the Celestial Kingdom in the afterlife, forever. And she certainly would not
want to be anywhere in eternity without him either. Not only was he romantic, he was deeply mystical and spiritual
in a quirky sort of way. They were obviously made for each other.
He said she wouldn't have to change her name, or wear a wedding gown and that he wouldn't change his name either.
He winked when he said that. His only request was that they wouldn't get married at City Hall. That was too impersonal.
Long story short: with marriage license in hand, they "eloped" to Queens on the #7 train. Last minute, they recruited a
reluctant friend to be a witness. The friend said she wasn't into traditional things but would come with them, as long as
they'd be quietly wed by the minister, in his office. The couple assured her that they'd have a very simple, quiet ceremony —
a mere formality, really, after signing all the papers.
Trains were running on a special holiday schedule. They got lost, exiting the wrong station. (Everyone knows that nothing
exists outside of Manhattan, so directions are meaningless in such uncharted territory). As they arrived late for their very
private event, the minister asked them to wait by sitting in on the church service he was just about to begin.
While blessing the collection baskets toward the end, he cleared his throat and made a surprise announcement: "Friends, I
saved the best part of our Thanksgiving for last. No, it's not the turkey dinner yet. Would you please stay a little longer,
to help me perform a marriage ceremony between two dear friends who belong together?"
In a state of shock, they rose and walked down the aisle, leaning on each other for support while everyone applauded.
"And you, honey," said the minister to the Asian woman who accompanied them, sitting outside the door — in protest
of organized religion, "you can come in now, because there is no longer anything either organized or religious about any of
this anymore."
So, that's how they had a big church wedding, with hundreds of people, without a wedding planner, invitations, gown,
cake or months of nervous preparation leading up to the event. They all winged it and it was joyful and easy.
Everyone had a great time and the couple lived happily ever after...
And yes, the bride did wear something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a lady
liberty silver dollar in her shoe (in lieu of a silver sixpence)...just in case...
Other stories by Victoria Barkley: |
