“Where are they?” I ask, looking for May.
“They’ll be here.”
Mr. Kearns glances to the sky. “Clouds are coming.”
“Ray!” We see a priest coming from the other direction, hurrying to join us. “I’m here, Ray!”
Pops walks to meet him, arms outstretched for an eager shake. “Father Michael! Glad you could make it!”
“Wouldn’t miss the opportunity, Ray! Honored you called.”
“Jerald, Fred, this is Father Michael! We went to Yale together, before he up and joined the seminary!”
“Those were good times, Ray, good times I hold onto!”
“Indeed!”
“Nice to meet you, Father. I’m Fred Kearns, father of the bride.”
“Very nice to meet you. Ray tells me you’re a church-goer!”
“We go every Sunday.”
“Where do you call home?”
Pops interjects, “They’re in Albany with me!”
“Ah, well, that’s a shame,” Father Michael sighs. “I’ve been hoping to get Ray up to Atlanta! Thought you might help me with that! Oh, I see Frances now! She hasn’t aged a day!”
Pops smirks, “Yes, tell her that, will you?”
Ma yells as she leads the way, “Raymond! Fred! Jerald! I’m so happy to see you’re not a bloodied mess!” Mrs. Kearns is behind her.
Everyone present is dressed in their finest.
Especially May.
A huge grin spreads on my face as I recognize the blue taffeta from the night I met her. Only now she’s wearing a matching veil over her eyes, the heels I took off night before last hurrying toward me and our future.
As Ma greets Father Michael and dominates the conversation, I walk to May.
“That you in there?”
Her smile shines through, and this gauzy thing can’t hide those blue eyes from me. “Hi.”
“I know this dress.”
“From?”
“And I’m just wondering…”
“Yes?”
“Are you going to faint again?”
She laughs, the sound heaven to my ears. “I missed you last night.”
I give her a wink, “Don’t worry. Won’t happen again.”
52
MAY
“M ay! Jerald!” Mrs. Cocker waves us over. “Stand here!”
“Now Frances, let Father Michael take over now.”
“I was just...”
“—and you’re doing a brilliant job at it!”
While they argue, I’m staring at my father. He walks to me with sadness in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I just love him so much.”
“You’re all grown up.”
“Mr. Kearns?”
He looks at Jerald standing by my side. “Yes?”
Everyone quiets, Mother and Mrs. Cocker extremely curious now. They step to where they can see better as Jerald clears his throat.
“I’d like permission to marry your daughter, sir.”
Father breathes in the respect, nods, and looks at me as he says, “You have it, Jerald. You have it.”
Tears jumps to my eyes, and I throw my arms around him, “Thank you!”
He hugs me tight. “I’ll always be here for you, kiddo, if you ever need anything, I’ll aways be your father. I love you so much!”
I squeeze him. “I love you, too, Daddy!”
Jerald and I stand in front of the priest who, with circumstances as they are, and the weather just so, conducts a truncated ceremony. Mother sniffles the entire time, especially when he says,
“May, repeat after me…”
I face Jerald, saying my vows exactly as Father Michael gives them:
“I, May Eloise Kearns, take thee, Jerald Daniel Cocker to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge myself to thee.”
“Jerald, repeat after me.”
He applies gentle pressure on my hands, eyes brimming with love.
The priest’s voice disappears and all I hear is…
"I, Jerald Daniel Cocker, take thee, May Eloise Kearns, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge myself to thee.” He adds without asking permission, “In this world and in the next.”
Lightning illuminates the sky. We all look up, and Father Michael raises his voice over thunder to say, “By virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the State of Georgia, I now pronounce you man and wife.” A fresh crack of thunder. “You may kiss the bride!”
As Jerald lifts my veil, raindrops mingle with the drops on my cheeks. We kiss, thunder as our choir, our parents shouting that we’d all better get back to the cars, and quick. They run off and leave us here, happy in the rain.
“Just like my dream, only this time I’m able to get to you.” Jerald pulls the ring his mother gave him last night from his pocket. “Guess Father Michael forgot something.” He slides a delicate diamond into place, and we kiss in the torrential downpour, his hands on my cheeks, mine gripping his back, our future sealed with love.
53
MAY
SATURDAY’S PARTY…AS PLANNED
“Happy birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear May…Happy Birthday to you!”
I clap as they cheer and raise my voice to confess, “I don’t know what to wish for! Look at all of you!” My gaze travels over Father with his arm around Mother. Her girlfriends we’ve helped out are here with their husbands, kids we’ve watched over hoping for generous slices of cake. Father’s friends from his factory and their wives joined the party, too, since it’s doubling as a reception celebration now. There’s Mr. and Mrs. Cocker beaming at me, and even some of Jerald’s extended family I only just met tonight who we didn’t know were coming.
My eyes warm as they fall on dear Gertie. Sable standing near but not close to Marvin. Darren beside Peter who’s holding Lily’s hand as she cups her mouth and
