By ten o’clock Caroline had the wedding cake finished and displayed on the dining room table. Only then did she invite Gladys and Ruth to join her in the kitchen to help with the final preparations of the wedding dinner that was to be served after the ceremony.
Susan finished fixing Lisa’s hair, makeup and nails by ten-thirty, after which Susan and Hope headed out to pick up Mrs. Reiner, who had been invited to join in this family celebration. Lisa walked into the kitchen and asked, “Can I help with anything?”
“Absolutely not,” all three women responded in unison, and started to chuckle. Gladys then said, “Lisa, you look especially beautiful today. Susan did such a great job with your hair and she would be very upset if you chipped those beautifully manicured nails before your wedding.”
“But, Gladys, I am getting so nervous just sitting around doing nothing,” Lisa pleaded.
Caroline checked the clock and said, “Lisa, it is quarter to eleven. The boys will be here in thirty minutes and you still have to get your wedding suit on before the photographer arrives to take pictures. Susan and Hope will be back with Mrs. Reiner any time now and we should be finished with all this preparation by then. Why don’t you go upstairs and get dressed so you are ready to greet Ben when he walks in the house?”
“Is Ben going to see his bride before the ceremony?” questioned Mrs. Bascom.
“Since we are not young kids and this is a simple family wedding, we decided it would be more fun if we all enjoy the day together,” explained Lisa. “Besides, he has already seen me in my favorite suit. He told me that he bought Benny his first real suit yesterday because he is going to stand with him as his best man. I can’t wait to see my two men all dressed up today.”
“Lisa, since you and Ben drove up here with Gladys, Why don’t you and Ben take my car on your honeymoon and I will ride back to Jefferson with Gladys?”
Checking her watch, Ruth admonished Lisa, “Well, they are going to be here in a few minutes and you are still going to be in those jeans. If you don’t march upstairs and get dressed now you will end up getting married in jeans.”
***
Lisa checked herself in the full length mirror just as Susan knocked on the bedroom door and entered. “I love that suit on you, Lisa. Gladys really did a great job on it.”
Lisa smiled into the mirror as she said, “I remember the look on Ben’s face when I stepped out of the dressing room at the jail. I suspect I will see that same look when he sees me in it today. Susan, who would ever have imagined my life turning out this way? I never knew I could ever be this happy.”
“Don’t you dare start crying, Lisa,” Susan warned. “I put lots of mascara on you this morning and even though it is not supposed to smudge, let’s not risk it today, of all days.” Hearing excited voices downstairs, Susan said, “We need to head downstairs and start greeting your guests, Lisa.”
Lisa and Susan quietly slipped down the stairs, avoiding being seen. Lisa stood in the hallway, struggling to control her emotions. Hearing the excited voices of all these people who had come to mean so much to her was causing waves of gratitude to wash over her. “Susan,” she whispered, “I’m not sure I can do this. I should not have allowed you to put all this makeup on me. I am going to blubber like a baby once I see Ben. I know I will.”
Susan laughed at her older sister. “Lisa, you and I never learned how to manage happiness. It is almost a scary feeling to us, isn’t it? Don’t you worry about messing up your makeup. You just stay in the moment today and enjoy every single swell of happiness that comes to you. If you cry, you cry. Today is all about you and Ben so just enjoy it and don’t worry about anything else.” With this last admonition, Susan gave her sister a loving nudge toward the opening as they joined everyone in the family room.
Talking with Harry, Ben had his back to the doorway and did not see Lisa enter the room. Benny, standing near his dad, saw Lisa before anyone else and began tapping his dad on the back suggesting, “Dad, you might want to turn around right now.”
Ben turned around and saw his bride-to-be standing there. Lisa had not worn this beautiful royal blue suit since the day in court when her mother testified against her. Ben excused himself and quickly made his way over to Lisa and said, “You look beautiful, Lisa. Everyone is here so we should get this show on the road.”
Everyone quickly took a seat while Ben, Lisa, Benny, and Susan took their place in front of Pastor Mark. Ben and Lisa had made it clear that they wanted this to be a casual ceremony, without pomp and circumstance, just family and friends witnessing their eternal pledge to love and honor each other. They had written their own vows and wanted this ceremony to be a witness of God’s grace in their lives. Lisa slipped her arm under Ben’s arm and beamed with happiness, when Lisa Anne called out a loud, “Wait!”
Lisa turned and watched as her niece, Lisa Anne, made a run for the kitchen, returning almost immediately with a beautiful bouquet of lilies and white hydrangeas, wrapped in a beautiful baby-blue silk ribbon with cascading baby’s breath. Beaming with pride, Lisa Anne walked up to Lisa and offered the bouquet, and said, “Auntie Lisa, I made this for you to hold during your wedding.”
Smiling down at her beloved niece, Lisa accepted the bouquet and said, “Lisa Anne, this is perfect. Look how it goes with my suit. You did a wonderful job on this.”
Lisa Anne quickly returned to her seat next to her grandmother, and said, “Now you can begin, Pastor Mark.”
Smiling his acknowledgment to Lisa Anne, Pastor Mark turned his attention to the bride and groom and began, “Ben and Lisa, neither one of you wanted a traditional wedding ceremony today. Everyone in this room knows you two love each other, so before I launch into what that kind of love means for the two of you, I have asked several of these witnesses to share what this union means to them. Each of you knows who you are, so as your turn comes, just stand where you are and share your thoughts.”
The first one to stand was Gladys. “For eleven years I have prayed that God would send someone into Lisa’s life who would love her without judgment. Ben, I know you love my Lisa with all your heart, and I know that Lisa loves you. Witnessing Lisa fight back from the very pit of hell, learning to first trust that God loved her and forgave her, then, learning how to love herself, and accept love from others, has been an amazing thing to witness. Today, Ben, God is giving you a precious responsibility, one I know you take very seriously. Lisa is placing her trust in you and so am I. Knowing her history, there are very few men I would trust with her care, but Ben, before all of these witnesses, and with all my heart, I place my girl’s future in your care because I know what kind of man you are.”
As soon as Gladys finished, Ruth Bascom stood. “Lisa, you know that Tobias and I were never able to have children. You also know that I love you as much as any mother could possibly love their child. You know that I know your strengths and I know your weaknesses. Today, as you two stand before God and pledge to love and honor each other, I challenge you both to make this pledge that you will always remember how much you both have been forgiven, and, therefore, pledge to live a forgiving life, never holding onto wrongs, never repaying evil for evil. I pray a blessing on your life together, one that is filled with the same kind of love Gladys and I knew with our beloved husbands. I pray that fifty years from now you can look back and know that God used each of you to bless the other in ways that no other person on the face of this earth was allowed to do for this person you are pledging your love to today.”
As Ruth took her seat, Benny cleared his shaky voice, turned around, and spoke from his heart. “What I want to share sounds a little selfish after hearing Ms. Gladys and Ms. Ruth, but it does come from my heart. When my mother died, Dad and I only had each other, and even though my dad is a great dad, I used to lie in bed at night and worry about what would happen to me if something happened to him also. Today, standing here next to my dad, seeing him so happy makes me happy, too—not only for him, but for me as well. I know I truly have a whole family now. In front of all of you, I want to say to Lisa, I love you and am so glad you are marrying my dad. I know you love him, and I know you also love me. As I look around this room, I feel so happy because every one of you is family to me now.” Then, with a huge smile, Benny turned his attention to Hope and said, “Now I even have a big sister.”
Finally, it was Susan’s turn. Taking her sister’s hand, Susan said, “For so many years I felt the burden and responsibility of being the only one in the world who loved and cared what happened to you, Lisa. Way back then, I didn’t know that God loved you more than I ever could have, so I carried a burden that was much too heavy for me. Then one day God sent Aunt Gladys into my life, and also into yours, and I didn’t feel so alone where you were concerned. Knowing there was someone else to share in the caring made the burden easier to bear. Today, you stand here loved by many wonderful people, Lisa, not the least of which is Ben.” Then turning and addressing Ben, Susan laughed, “Ben, do you remember the first time we met? Boy, did I dislike you that night. I remember wishing you would choke on that pastry you were eating. I had no idea that the day would come when I would willingly hand over my sister into your capable care. I’m glad that God does not listen to our foolishness and hold our words against us. When I think of how God used all of this to bring Lisa to God, then to bring the truth of Hope to all of us, and even bring Mrs. Reiner a little bit of her Stevie back to her, I want to cry with thanksgiving. Ben and Lisa, may God grant you both many years of happiness and may you both always remember that all of this has truly come from the hand and heart of God himself.”
Pastor Mark stepped forward to complete the ceremony. “Well,” he smiled, “I had intended to give a long speech about what love is, and where it comes from, but after what we have just heard from Gladys and Ruth, my words would seem redundant. I was going to challenge you both to keep the pledge you make today, but that too would seem redundant. I was going to remind you that all good things come from God, but again, I was beaten to the punch. And finally, I was going to admonish you that your union affects everyone around you, but Benny showed us all a real life example of that truth. So, what is left for me to say?
“Ben and Lisa, it is such a privilege to stand in front of the two of you today, hearing how you both understand that this person standing beside you is God’s gift to you. As you listened to these people speak, you both know that a marriage is between two people, a pledge to love, honor, respect, and cherish that other person as they need to be loved, honored, respected, and cherished. But the truth is, although this marriage is between the two of you, its impact will affect everyone you love. By the way you treat each other; you will either bless or harm all those who love you. Forgive each other quickly and completely. Look for ways to uplift each other, not to tear down. Be the first person to come to the other’s aid, and the only one you run to for intimate comfort. Always be loyal to each other in your conversations with others. There is physical betrayal, emotional betrayal, and there is verbal betrayal; always remain loyal to this person you are pledging your future to and God will bless your union with His grace.
“Now, I know that you both have written your own vows, so, Ben, I will ask you to go first, and then you will follow him, Lisa.”
Ben’s chest heaved with emotion as he turned toward Lisa, took her hands in his, and struggled to control the nervous giggle that threatened to overtake him. “Lisa, I have always used humor to mask my feelings of deep emotion. I do not want to do that today. Today, as I stand here in front of you, I want to express my complete emotional honesty. When Benny and I lost Beverly, a huge part of me died with her. I buried myself in my job, both of taking care of Benny and providing for the two of us. I was afraid to look at what I had lost for fear of being crushed by the loss. Lisa, I cherish the hours of serious conversation we enjoyed as we got to know each other. I knew you were trusting me with something so very precious, an intimate view into your private world, how you think, and what you believe. Watching your courage gave me courage. I found myself opening up to you with such honesty that I felt with you I could become a whole person again. I trusted you with my most secret thoughts and fears and you not only supported me and understood me, but you challenged me to become a better, more loving father and friend. Lisa, I love who I have become because of our relationship. I vow to keep our relationship honest and I commit to you my present and my future.”
“Benjamin,” Lisa said with a clear, determined voice, “I stand here before you, a woman who knows the gift I have in you. Everyone in this room knows where I’ve been and what I have done, and I do not take for granted the forgiveness of God, or of these people here. In my whole life I have only loved one other man besides you, and that was Hope’s father. I will always remember the night that I told you all about Steven. I told you that I will always love him because he is Hope’s father, but even more so because Steven loved me with his whole heart, at a time when I so desperately needed to feel loved. I needed to know that you were a strong enough man to accept this truth without feeling jealous or making me feel guilty for my past. Ben, the compassion and understanding you showed to me told me everything I needed to know about you. Ben, Steven holds my past, but you hold my tomorrows. I vow to love and honor you as the head of our home, and the guardian of my heart. Trust has always been difficult for me, but today, in front of God and all these witnesses, I pledge to you my whole heart, unmasked, to love you and trust you without reservation.”
After blessing the exchange of rings, Pastor Mark prayed a prayer of blessing on the couple and loudly announced, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Benjamin, you may kiss your bride.”
Within a few minutes Caroline had dinner on the table and all the guests were seated. The wedding meal was wonderful and as food was being passed around, everyone commented on what a lovely ceremony it turned out to be. After the meal, they watched as Lisa and Ben cut the first piece of cake before turning the rest of the cutting back to Caroline. As each person accepted their slice of cake, they made their way back into the family room to watch the newlyweds open their wedding gifts before heading off to the Plantation for their three-day honeymoon.
Mrs. Reiner followed Hope back into the house, offering, “Hope, Scott and Susan invited me to come along with you to the airport. They know I’m going to have a hard time saying goodbye to you and this will give us a little more time together. Can I help you gather up your things?”
Sliding her arm around her grandmother, Hope responded, “Grandma, I’d love your help. This has been an amazing few days for me. I found you, and I’ve come to know so much about my father that I feel as if I actually know him. I hate the idea of leaving you and going back to California so soon. I want more time with you, but I promise we will keep in contact.”
After Hope had her luggage and Christmas gifts secured, she stepped out into the hallway, opened the large linen closet door and gathered up a set of fresh linens for the bed. Stepping back into the bedroom, Hope asked, “Grandma, can you help me strip this bedding for Mrs. Thomas? Ruth will be staying in this room tonight and I would like to put clean sheets on the bed before I leave.”
The two laughed as they made the bed, remembering how Ben and Harry carried on during the wedding dinner. “Those guys are a riot, Grandma. I love how this family just loves to be together and how graciously they have accepted me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but it is going to be hard going back to California, knowing what I need to do.”
“So, Hope, have you made a decision?” Mrs. Reiner cautiously probed. “Are you going to call off your wedding?”
“Yes, I think so,” Hope replied with less determination than Mrs. Reiner was hoping for. “I just don’t know what will happen to him if I walk out of his life. Maybe I’m the one who is supposed to help him get free of his controlling mother, but if I fail, then my life will be ruined. I just don’t know what I am supposed to do. Can I really be that selfish and just think of me and not care what happens to him? Gladys and Ruth keep talking about forgiveness; shouldn’t I forgive Michael? Everyone has forgiven Lisa for her past, and look how that turned out.”
Mrs. Reiner studied the face of this granddaughter she hardly knew. Could she possibly be this naive about life? Would pointing this out be of any help right now? “Hope, I’ve only known you for three days and I do not want to tread into areas where I am not welcome.”
Looking up with a puzzled smile, Hope responded, “Tread away, Grandma. If you have something to say, I want to hear it.”
“Okay, but first off, I want to say I don’t know Gladys Carter or Ruth Bascom very well. I don’t know what they said to you about forgiveness, but I do know both of these women are wise and experienced, and I cannot imagine that either of them would counsel you to marry someone you are not sure you love or whose love for you is in question. I would suggest that you talk with them again, because I fear you must have misunderstood their meaning. Hope, please take your time and make sure you are doing the right thing for the right reason before you marry this man.”
Hearing Scott calling that it was time to leave for the airport, Hope walked over and hugged her newly found grandmother and said, “I promise, Grandma. I’m glad I have three very wise, seasoned women in my life. I know you are just a phone call away and I promise I will think about what you said.”
Mrs. Reiner quickly changed the subject, gathered up the bundle of Christmas gifts for Hope, but determined to talk with Susan as soon as they dropped off Hope at the airport.
As soon as Hope was safely aboard her flight and Scott, Susan, and Mrs. Reiner were back in the car, Mrs. Reiner asked, “Susan, I just met your Aunt Gladys or her friend, Mrs. Bascom, but I just had a disturbing conversation with Hope regarding something she thinks they said to her.”
Curious as to what this could possibly be, Susan turned around and looked directly at Mrs. Reiner and asked, “What did Hope say?”
“I’m not trying to meddle in Hope’s affairs, but remember my conversation with her in your car on Thursday, when we talked about this Michael of hers?” The acid tone in Mrs. Reiner’s voice when saying his name was not missed by either Scott or Susan.
“Yes, I remember that conversation quite well, Mrs. Reiner. Lisa and I both were thrilled at how direct and to the point you were. We were also glad that Hope listened to your concerns about Michael.”
“Well,” paused Mrs. Reiner, “Hope’s resolve didn’t last very long. It seems that sometime between Thursday and today, both Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Bascom made Hope think it was her responsibility to forgive him for not being the man he should be. I cannot believe that either one of these women would have counseled her this way, but Hope concluded this from their comments. Now she is determined to go home, forgive this man, and proceed with her wedding plans. This foolish girl believes it is her responsibility to save this man, just as Gladys did for Lisa.” Almost pleading, Mrs. Reiner asked, “They could not actually believe that is best for Hope, can they?”
“Absolutely not, Mrs. Reiner,” Susan replied in disgust. “I don’t know where Hope could get such an idea. None of us want Hope to marry this guy. We don’t understand why she feels so responsible to make him happy when he obviously doesn’t care about her happiness. I will talk with both Gladys and Ruth and we will try to straighten this out with Hope. I’m just glad that Lisa didn’t know about this turn of events before taking off on her honeymoon; it would have ruined it for her.”