Chapters 15
The ceremony was short,
sweet,
and perfectly tailored to who they were as a couple.
The minister,
an old friend of Sarah's family,
spoke briefly about the nature of endurance,
and the courage it takes to build a life from scratch.
When it came time for the vows,
they did not read from beautifully printed,
expensive cardstock.
Daniel pulled a crumpled piece of notebook paper from his pocket,
unfolding it carefully with trembling hands.
"Sarah,"
he began,
his voice cracking slightly,
echoing softly through the quiet garden.
"I used to think that love was something you had to earn,
something you had to buy,
or something you had to constantly protect from falling apart."
He looked up at her,
his eyes shining brightly with raw emotion.
"But you showed me that real love is just showing up,
every single day,
even when things are messy,
especially when things are messy."
Sarah wiped a tear from her cheek,
laughing softly through her quiet sobs.
"You are my safe place,"
Daniel promised,
slipping the gold band onto her finger.
"And I promise to be yours,
for as long as I have breath in my lungs."
When it was Sarah's turn,
she reached for the ring the best man handed her,
but her fingers fumbled in her nervous excitement.
The silver band slipped from her grasp,
bouncing off the wooden podium,
and rolling into the grass.
For a split second,
the garden was entirely silent.
Then,
Sarah burst into a loud,
uncontrollable fit of laughter,
throwing her hands up in the air.
"Well,"
she giggled,
"that is a great start."
Daniel laughed with her,
dropping immediately to his knees in his tailored suit,
searching through the green blades of grass until he found the ring.
He held it up triumphantly,
dusting the dirt off on his slacks,
and stood back up,
still grinning widely.
The guests chuckled,
the tension melting away instantly,
because mistakes here were not tragedies,
they were simply moments to share.
Sarah took the ring back,
sliding it onto his finger,
her eyes locked fiercely on his.
"I promise to drop things,"
she vowed,
her voice trembling with happy tears,
"and I promise to always laugh with you while we pick them back up."
The minister pronounced them husband and wife,
and when they kissed,
the entire garden erupted in genuine,
thunderous applause.
The dark clouds finally broke open,
sending a light,
refreshing mist down upon the crowd,
but nobody ran for cover.
We all just sat there,
May you like
smiling in the summer rain,
watching a true marriage begin.
