| Chapter Three The tall spires of the church came into view when the car that Kat was riding in was a block away. A fresh burst of excitement shot through her and she grabbed her mom’s hand and gently squeezed. Understanding her daughter’s emotions, Claire returned the squeeze and added a smile. Kat’s dad flashed her a quick wink and then turned his head to stare out the window. Kat knew her dad well and knew he was hiding his own teary emotions. As the car pulled up in front of the church and stopped, Kat peered through the car’s window at the arched stained glass windows of the church. The bright sunlight shone down, hitting the windows, sparking off a myriad of colors. Kat knew that the inside of the church would be beautiful with the kaleidoscope of colors raining from the windows. Tim opened his door and helped Claire and Kelly; who had also rode with them, from the car and waited until they, along with Howie’s family had entered the church before reaching for Kat’s hand. When Kat emerged from the car, Tim studied his daughter intently. “You know, when you were born, I’d dreamed of this day. I could see it in my mind, you in a beautiful white dress, me dressed up in a tuxedo,” he shook his ruefully as he paused. “Somehow, over the years I began to dread this day. Instead of being a day of joy, in my mind, it became a day to dread. It would be the day I lost my little girl. And now that this day is finally here, I don’t know whether to hug you and wish you the best or to kidnap you and keep you as my little girl,” he finished; his eyes holding unshed tears. “Oh daddy. I’ll always be your little girl,” she said as she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek. His hands came up and cupped her cheeks, staring at her face as if to imprint her image on his mind. “I love you little girl. Always remember that,” he spoke reverently before pulling the veil over her face. Kat sniffed quietly and wished for Kelly and her Kleenex as she and her dad made their way up the steps of the church. As they neared the door, Kat could hear the organ music that signaled her attendant’s entrance. In her mind she could see Polly and AJ walking arm in arm up the aisle, followed by Kelly and John, just as they’d rehearsed the night before. Only this time, she knew that Polly and Kelly were in their lavender cap sleeved dresses and that AJ and John were in black tuxes with lavender vests and boutonnieres. Quietly, Tim opened the door and ushered Kat inside. They paused for a moment for Chelsea to arrange the train and then the music changed to Cannon in D. Chelsea opened the sanctuary door and as the guests rose, Kat got her first good look at the inside of the church. Just as she knew it would, the sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, raining colors down on the interior of the church. The solid oak pews were polished to a high sheen and crisp white pew bows with sprigs of lavender tied to them hung from the end of each pew. A long white runner ran from the foyer to the altar and drew her gaze to the front where two heart shaped candelabras with tall white tapers that had been lit stood on either side and just behind the priest. Two large vases filled with lush white roses and lavender sprigs stood to either side of the podium, filling the sanctuary with their smell. Her gaze didn’t stop until it settled on Howie and she smiled as he placed his hand over his heart and their eyes met through the lacy veil. “Ready,” her dad asked. At her nod, they began their walk down the aisle. Her earlier words of running, not walking, down the aisle came to mind and she fervently wished that she could do just that. She wanted to be standing next to Howie, her hand in his as they spoke their vows. She wanted to be able to look into his eyes, without the veil coming between them, and see his love for her shining in his eyes. In what seemed like hours, but in reality was an only minute; she was standing in front of Howie, her hand still firmly placed in the crook of her dad’s arm, as the priest asked ‘Who gives this woman in holy matrimony?’ As her dad answered, her hand was placed in Howie’s and the world seemed to stop. Everything she had ever felt for him culminated in that one moment. Her heart rate kicked into overdrive and her breathing turned slightly shallow. Knowing she was supposed to remain quiet didn’t keep her from telling him how she felt. In the barest of whispers she said, “I love you.” Knowing just how she felt, he whispered the sentiment back and then in tandem they turned towards the priest. They knelt on the kneelers that were placed in front of them while the prayer was said and then they moved to the side where chairs had been placed for their use after they had taken their part in Mass. Holding Kat’s hand, he could feel her tension and he leaned over and whispered, “What’s wrong?” With a sheepish smile she replied, “Nothing’s wrong. I just wish they’d hurry.” He smiled at her impatience and they sat quietly while the congregation was served. At long last, they moved back to the front and the actual ceremony began. FTM index Chapter Four Main Page |