Chapter 37: Serenade.
"It's a Vera Wang custom made dress." I tell Marcy.
As I sit on this table with my Abuela, my Sobo, my mother, Marcy and my wedding planner, Astrid. I realize how hard it is going to be to plan this wedding. It is now January and we're done with all the Christmas festivities, so it's time to start planning this wedding in full force. My grandparents decided to stay in town until April when the wedding will be taking place.
Or so I thought?
Because now each of these women have a specific idea of how they want my wedding to look like, especially my Abeulita.
"Vera Wang? Don't you think that's too basic?" Marcy asks me.
"Well, it would be basic if it didn't have a turtleneck. I feel like it's edgy and fresh. And the lace and little beads on the dress just tie everything together." Astrid says, holding up the sketch that Vera sent to us.
"I just want you to look beautiful, that's all." Marcy says, shrugging.
"Moving on to food. What are we thinking?" Astrid asks.
"Definitely Mexican cuisine, some Asado de bodas as the main dish and tacos as the side." My Abuela says and I hold my face in my palm.
"Abuela, we can't serve tacos at the wedding." I tell her.
"Why not?" She asks, staring at me.
"Because I'm getting married to an American man and his side of his family is going to be there too. It's not fair that we only serve dishes from our culture." I point out.
"I got married to an American man too, Nieta. And guess what? There were tacos at my wedding." She tells me.
"That's because your wedding was in New Mexico and Grandpa had no choice, but to do what your family wanted." I tell her and she glares at me.
"I think what Valarie is trying to say is, there should be a balance between the two. We can have Mexican, Japanese and American food on the menu. Because I know that my mum here will invite her friends from Japan." My mother says and I nod.
"Let's just say, we'll have an intercontinental menu." Astrid says before she writes it down.
"Good." I say, nodding my head.
"Live band or DJ?" Astrid asks me and I tap my temple, thinking.
"DJ." I tell her.
"Okay, how many guests are you expecting?" Astrid asks.
"It's going to be a small wedding so-" I don't get to finish my sentence as my Sobo cuts me off.
"Pfft, a small wedding?" She says, laughing. "We don't do small weddings, darling. We Asian people are known for our extravagant ceremonies. So, let's just say it's going to be a whole week of celebration." My Sobo says and I stare at her.
"Valarie isn't Asian so..." Astrid says, trailing off.
"She has Asian blood running through her veins. So, she is automatically, by default, Asian." My Sobo tells her.
"I don't really want a huge wedding because I want it to be intimate. Just family and friends. Because if I take your advice and invite the whole world to my wedding, I'm not going to be comfortable. I'll be thinking about getting their approval the entire night." I tell her.
"Honey, whatever you decide is best, we will support you one hundred percent." My mother tells me and I smile at her.
"I also want you guys to feel comfortable too." I tell them.
"We'll feel comfortable. If you're comfortable, Nieta." My Abuela says.
"Alrighty then, let's move on to the drinks." Astrid says as she pulls out drink vendor cards.
***
"Hey baby, I'm home." I say as I drop my keys in the basket on the table beside the door.
Zachary doesn't reply.
I walk to the living room and I see him and Anna sleeping on the white sofa.
This is so cute.
I take a quick picture before I head to the room to take a shower. When I'm done, I tie my hair in a top bun before heading to the kitchen to make dinner.
I am stir frying the vegetables when Zachary walks in.
"Whatcha making?" He asks me.
"Spaghetti." I reply.
"Well, your daughter just did a number two. So, I had to clean that up." Zachary says before he walks up to me and kisses me.
He grabs his phone and plays "Sucker" by The Jonas Brothers. The stereos in the kitchen play the song and I stare at him as he sings along. He grabs a spatula and uses it as a mic, as he serenades me.
"You're something else." I tell him, laughing. I turn the stove off and I lean against the counter as I watch him sing.
"I'm a sucker for you." He sings as he points the spatula at me.
I walk over to where he is standing and I dance with him. He puts his hands on my waist as he moves us along with the music.
"You're the best thing that happened to me." Zachary whispers in my ear.
I try to hide my red cheeks as I look to the side. Zachary turns me around and kisses me. I kiss him back, deepening the kiss. He picks me up and places me on the counter. He leans into me and places his forehead on mine.
"I love you." He says, as he stares into my soul with his blue eyes.
"I love you more." I tell him.
"I can't believe in less than three months, I'll get to call you my wife forever." He says and I nod.
"It's crazy. I'm in shock too." I tell him as I play with the engagement ring on my finger.
"Your wedding ring makes this ring look like child's play. I can't wait for you to see it." He says and I smile at him.
"You always go all out for me." I say, crossing my arms around his neck as he stands in between my thighs.
"It's the Henderson way." He says, shrugging.
"Shut up." I say before I kiss him.
***
"I'm going to miss your dumbass." I tell Alicia.
We're currently at Starbucks. Alicia insisted on meeting me here and as a good friend, I showed up.
"Same here. My flight leaves in two hours, but I had to see you before I go." She says, sipping her coffee.
"You're gonna love LA, I can already feel it." I say, adding brown sugar to my cup of coffee.
"I hope so. The things we do for love." Alicia says, placing her cup on the table.
"But you're gonna be at my wedding right?" I ask her.
"Of course. I've already cleared my schedule for that week. It's gonna be all about you, Vee." Alicia says and I chuckle.
"You know what I just realized?" I say, waiting for her to reply.
"What?" She asks, waiting for my answer.
"We're getting old. It didn't really dawn on me until I saw a copy of my wedding invite yesterday. I'm so confused. Like, how did I get here? Mentally I'm still in High School. But then in reality, I have a whole ass kid." I said before I drink my coffee.
"Time flies." Alicia says and I nod in agreement.
"It sure does." I retort.
"I hope you're ready for the press you're about to receive for the next couple of months?" Alicia asks and I stare at her in confusion.
"What? Why would I get press?" I ask her.
"Because your wedding is the most anticipated event of the year. Everyone will want to see who was there, what you're wearing, how the venue looked. It's going to be a whole thing." Alicia says and I feel uneasy.
"I don't know about that. I want everything to be really private." I tell her.
"If you say so, but the press always have their sources." Alicia tells me before she slides out of the booth and hugs me.
"My Uber's here. I'll see you soon." She says before she pulls away.
"I'm gonna miss you. But the consolation is that you'll be back." I tell her.
"See you later, Vee." Alicia says as she starts walking towards the door of the coffee shop. I watch her as she leaves and enters a black Honda Civic.
I really hope she enjoys Los Angeles because I pulled a lot of strings to make this move possible.
When the car drives off, I just sit in the booth in silence as I sip on my coffee. I need this peace and quiet before shit hits the fan.