Page 58 of Tusk & Puck
“And you look like a million and a half bucks,” I reply, wishing I’d said a greater amount. “So stick that in your back pocket.”
I wipe the cookie crumbs off her flower corsage pin, then tidy the bundle of white and crystal-studded roses.
She brushes away a few more crumbs from the flowing green dress, which she gleefully refers to as her goddess dress, as her face contorts into a wounded frown. “I don’t have back pockets. ”
“Oh, right, duh,” I reply, then roll my eyes as if it’s justsolike me to forget that formal dresses probably don’t have pockets.
I can’t tell if she’s messing with me or not at first. But after a few nervous blinks on her part, I realize she’s definitely taken me seriously. I grit my teeth when the urge to smile strikes. Tina might be the cutest, quirkiest girl that’s ever blessed me with her presence, but now isn’t the time to tell her that.
I learned that the hard way when we went to meet her grandparents and my new in-laws, Barb and Jim, which made for a great trip and bigger blast than I’d expected. And that’s saying something for me at Disneyland.
The only thing I wish I could change was my response when Tina had a nightmare — all about falling off one of the rides and into Goofy’s ear.
It could have been down his nose. Plus other places, too. Talk about best-case scenario for a silly nightmare. You need a glass of water before I tuck you back in?
If I've learned anything from the ‘falling down Goofy’s ear debacle,’ plus Melody’s parenting, it’s that kids don’t take kindly to being laughed at. Even in a ‘bless your heart’ kind of way, it turns out. Or from what I’ve gathered in my quest to become the best uncle out there, definitely in a ‘bless your heart’ kind of way.
“Then keep it on your mind for later,” I finally add.
A smile spreads across her own as she points at me. “Gotcha! You thought I didn’t get the joke, and I got you.”
“The student has become the master,” I say, over the moon I get to call her family. Melody isn’t the only person I’ll be promising myself to, though it’s just the two of us exchanging vows.
A trio of knocks on the door tells me Ryan’s here. Despite the fact I’ve told him on multiple occasions that we don’t need a secret knock to keep me and Melody from seeing each other, nothing’s getting through to this guy. I love it. He’s a fighter. It’s going to turn him into a great hockey player.
I help Tina down and point to the door, but she already knows the drill. Any time he does a secret knock, we respond with a different one each time. She scurries over and knocks. Eleven times. I check my watch and wonder if now was really the right time to start playing knocking games.
Ryan laughs on the other side, then knocks twice more. Tina opens the door and curtsies to her brother. Behind Ryan is the wedding planner, a tall and colorfully dressed up-and-coming designer named Rose Ross. Or Ross Rose. I think it’s Ross Rose. I can’t remember and don’t have time to try.
“We were just walking out,” I explain.
“Everything’s ready for you to take your place. I’ll meet you just outside.” She points down the hall to the venue.
“You sure I can’t walk you down the aisle?” Tina asks.
“We?” Ryan says.
“You guys would have way too many jobs if you did that,” I reply, gesturing down the hall to the wedding planner. “Save some of your energy for dancing.”
“And cake,” Ryan adds.
I high five him and Tina at the same time, then motion for them to start heading down the hall. They both look so dapper in their fancy clothes. Even to the point that I catch myself imagining what their own big days will look like.
“Last chance before I go check on Aunty,” Tina says, and I shake my head as Rose Ross ushers me through the back entrance leading to the altar.
“Let’s do this,” Ryan whispers, and I have to remind him that he’s walking down the aisle like the rest of the party. I’m the only one who gets to tap out of the traditional trudge down a narrow rug. Or in our case, an enchanted forest path.
“I’ll see you on the other side,” I tell him, and I have no idea if he gets the reference or not.
“Not if I see you first.” Ryan adjusts the cuffs of his green and brown suit. He points to his eyes with two fingers then back to me. I mess his hair then step through the doors before he can respond.
That kid’s getting funnier and funnier,I think as I take my place in front of our wedding arch, draped with different species of ferns and a bevy of flowers I can’t identify. I look out into the sea of guests and lock eyes with Ma, sitting at the front row and beaming.
She places a hand to her chest and smiles before blowing me a kiss. I catch it in my hand and stick it in my pocket. The guests who see chuckle and smile, but I’m too preoccupied with looking down the aisle to worry about working the crowd. Is it normal to feel hot and cold at the same time while waiting for the love of your life?
It’s a ridiculous thought that I can’t stop thinking, not until the music starts.This is it, Jaromir. This is it. Game time.
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