| Subject: À la Vie! - Chapter 58 |
Author:
Diane
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Date Posted: Tuesday, November 23, 09:11:00pm
In reply to:
Diane
's message, "À la Vie! - Chapter 41+" on Friday, November 05, 11:09:31pm
When Nikita awoke the following morning, she found Michael’s note telling her that he had gone to run some errands, and then he would be going to the hotel where Julie and Adam were staying. She laughed when she read his P.S., “MADE IT!!” and put his ‘body armor’ in the hamper.
She mentally reviewed her checklist. The marriage license was signed and at the church. Julie had the rings. Her bags were packed and at the hotel. Madeline was to pick her up at 9:30 and drive her to l'Éclat where she and her bridesmaids would have their hair and make-up done. Luc would pick them up at 11:30 and take them to Reine d'Église d'Anges (Queen of Angels church), where they would get dressed.
Michael had actually picked out her dress. It had a sweetheart neckline, with rows and rows of pearls and yards and yards of lace. The train was enormous. Nikita felt like a fairy princess when she tried it on. It had fit perfectly, too, except for the length. Nikita would have to wear ballet slippers in order to have the hemline reach the floor. She would have worn clogs and danced a jig if it meant she could wear this dress and be married to Michael.
* * *
Michael was at the airport, pacing with agitation. The flight had landed over two hours ago. Customs had never taken this long before.
“Looking for someone special, kid?”
“Walter!” exclaimed Michael, turning on his heel. “I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”
“Well, I did.” Walter was never one for idle chatter. Michael had learned that long ago.
“Let’s get your bags and get you to the hotel and get your tux fitted,” said Michael, taking Walter by the arm. Walter shrugged him off.
“I just look old,” he told Michael, eyes narrowing. Backing off, Michael followed Walter to the Baggage Claim area. Walter was a little shorter, a little thinner, and his pony-tail was a bit more sparse, but he still had a spring in his step. Nikita would be delighted to see him.
Michael was extremely proud of Adam and the “trick” they had played on Nikita during the rehearsal. Julie had sewn the wedding bands on a white pillow, and Adam was at the hotel practicing his role as ring bearer. Since his tux came with short pants and knee socks, he looked more appropriate for that role than for that of father of the bride.
* * *
The soft strains of “Ave Maria” from organ, flute and cello were heard faintly in the ‘ready room’ at the back of the church. There were few guests in attendance. Perry Bauer and some of the other gallery owners had made it, along with a few of Nikita’s friends from the modeling business. Carla told her Mick Schtoppel had already hit on Celine.
Oddly, Nikita wasn’t at all nervous. She felt serene—peaceful. She felt like she had been on a whirlwind journey, and she was finally coming home. Her destiny had been set since she was seven years old. Being married to Michael made their union legal, but they had joined their hearts long before. She stayed in the ready room as her bridesmaids left one by one to walk down the aisle—Adam watching from the doorway. He would return for her when it was time. But he didn’t. It was time for the Wedding March, and Adam was nowhere to be seen. A gravelly voice jolted her memory and filled her eyes with tears. “Looking for someone special, kid?” Nikita flung herself at Walter, who kissed her cheek and offered his arm. Proudly, she marched down the aisle with her ‘Grandpa’ by her side.
Michael was devastatingly handsome in his tux, and looked as calm as Nikita felt. The twins chalked it up to his being a ‘second-timer,’ but they were wrong. Michael was at peace because all was right with the world. He had his son by his side, and Nikita was coming home. They grasped hands and recited their vows in steady voices, each one staring into the other’s eyes. Adam brought forth the wedding bands on a little white pillow, and both Nikita and Michael stooped down to give him a kiss before he returned to his seat. They knelt before the priest for the blessing, then those who wanted to partake in the Eucharist did so while the others waited in their seats. Michael and Nikita stood facing their guests, and the priest pronounced them man and wife. An enthusiastic Adam yelled “Yippee!” as he ran and jumped into his father’s arms. There was much laughter through tears of happiness.
* * *
Dinner at Chez Fonfon was a lovely affair, with a view of the port in the picturesque Vallon des Auffes on Corniche. Michael knew that the dinner would drag on, so he had scheduled their flight to Fiji for the following afternoon. Thoughts of Nikita in a tiny bikini were making Petit Michel act up again, so he mentally recited his multiplication tables until he had the situation under control. He hoped he could control himself tonight. This night was too important to Nikita for him to do anything to ruin it for her.
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