No worries

Filled with joy, filled with trepidation, reflected the impulsive nature of her life. She had faith that this was the right way through, as she snuggled with her soon-to-be husband with his dry cacao and cinnamon skin covered by her cream skin, in their soft bed. She loved their flavors swirling together.

She looked up at the part of their apartment window not shaded by venetian blinds for her own little forecast. The block of clouds was not going to ruin the plan for her second wedding, second marriage. It would be great, if quiet. Only her man, her children, and the judge in the dry field east of the Flatirons Foothills in Colorado. They would be bathed in sunshine.

Officially they had the marriage certificate, signed by the County Clerk already, but this little ceremony would seal the deal, and she and the kids would be safe and her new husband would have a soft landing, her, and a home.

Then he sat up, grabbed a tissue and blew out a lot of serious snot. He looked at her with misery, and coughed, and coughed and coughed. She reached over to his ears, and then his forehead. Very hot. Very, very hot.

He lay back down. And, looked at the ceiling fan going around and around. The dog, Lucille, a “poigle” that was half Pointer-half Beagle stood at the foot of the bed, patiently, wagging her whip of a tail slowly in the rhythm of the fan. He usually took her out in the morning when he was home from a project, but not this morning.

The Bride rose, and went the the bathroom, threw on her sweats, and headed to the front of their home with Lucille. As she passed her son’s door, she heard him coughing too. And, wondered what was going on? What did it mean that the two males in the family-to-be were sick as dogs and it was cloudy? She detoured into her 6-year-old son’s room and repeated ear and forehead touching. They were very, very hot, too. She continued to take the dog out to the trail behind their apartment building, poop sack in hand. It was very chilly outside. It was April afterall. It could snow in April in Colorado. Shoot.

She noticed that Lucille’s poop had a streak of Barbie pink and wondered what that could be. Lucille ate everything. Another sign?

After taking off the dogs leash, she put the large Korean kitchen kettle to boil water for her special cold cure. Ginger, lemon juice, Manuka honey, a pinch of cayenne pepper and hot water. Then she went to check on her boy.

He was already out of bed, and playing on the floor with his latest Lego® set. That was a good sign. Nothing stopped him.

She had no idea how he found the right pieces as the floor was filled like an “I See With My Little Eyes” book. She sat on the floor with him and wiped his snotty nose. And, looked into his large blue eyes. They were still bright as the day was supposed to be. They smiled at each and she ran her hand through his messy brown hair and climbed up to standing, leaving him a small pile of fresh tissues that she would search for later.

She peeked into her daughter’s room next, at 10-years-old, she lived in a different world. She had made her bed, and her stuffies were celebrating with a plastic cake and balloons on top of it. She had made a wedding dress out of tissue and ribbons for her favorite little stuffed dog she had named long ago, “Dobie”. The other stuffy, a bigger teddy, wore a “bow-tie” of ribbon.

Mom went to check on ears and forehead and found her temperature just right. She hugged her with relief and got a tight hug back.

Later they were all dressed in their nicest spring clothing with sweaters, coats, and boots added. Her special tea had calmed down the hacking to clearing their throats now and then. The runny noses and watery eyes got the guys their own box of tissue for the ride into Boulder, and somehow she remembered to bring a trash bag to collect the used. Climbing in her car, they checked in with the kids again, and told them that their step-dad and mom were proud and stubbornly in love with them for going on this weird wedding adventure.

She looked out at the Flatirons as they drove into Boulder. She didn’t know why she had picked them. She didn’t like Boulder particularly, but the mountains were old and solid. She supposed that meant something to her vision. She longed for solidity after so many years of chasing wild dreams in the midst of violence. She really wanted this second start to be bright and stable. Smart most of all. And then, the rain went from a drizle of mist to steady drops.

They stopped at her best friend’s home for the gift of a bouquet and a pre-wedding phone photo. With hugs for the ladies and blown kisses for the gentlemen, she made a call to their judge and confirmed they were meeting at the Rangers Station.

Her hair frizzed out of the braided French twist she barely accomplished before they left. Her mascara had smudged a bit, and she was very glad to have tissue to wipe that away. The flowers smelled soft and springtime-like. She was probably allergic to them, as she wiped her nose.

The rain had brought a temperature drop, and now a few snowflakes added to the wetness. Sleet. Oh no. She did wonder if she would ever understand signs before an event, as now she was too excited to finally marry the man of her heart to sort it out.

When they arrived at the Ranger Station, she knew that this was where they would get married. It was too cold to take the sickies out much longer than walking from the car inside.

It was a structure about a hundred years old, built for a Chautauqua community of artists, writers, geographers and philosophers. It was compartmentalized into about six rooms and was crowded with tourists because of the cold. She regretted making a bunch of them sick now with whatever her son and husband-to-be suffered from.

When the judge, a well dressed man in his 70s, came in, she recognized him from his website. She walked through the tourist and told him they had found a quiet space in a back room to have the ceremony.

She had to laugh. This was the space where the Rangers explained the natural residents of Chautauqua with animals that had gone through the rigamorole of taxidermy. Dead. And, bones. Lots of bones to explain in there. Her man was a great fan of Death Metal so somehow it felt like a salute to him. He had returned to some misery illness symptoms, but her son was completely fascinated. It was her dauglier who was offended.

She and her man stood facing the judge with a view through the wide window of the Flatirons as the snow fell, and the alter of Death, and her son as the Best Man and her daughter as the Maid of Honor. Behind them, they didn’t realize the tourists had gathered.

The ceremony went with only a hitch on the line, “in sickness and in health,” when her husband started coughing. They kissed while the judge showed the kids where to sign the wedding certificate as witnesses. Behind them the small crowd clapped and congratulated them. Some shook the judge’s hand before he scooted out the door with his check with all sorts of doubt in his eyes.

They hugged the kids and drove home with the idea that they needed to get their son in bed, and her Husband in bed. The kids complained all the way home about there being no cake, no meal out, that it didn’t seem like a wedding. There was a deal made. The guys would take a nap, have medicine tea before and after that. The ladies would take Lucille for a walk. Then they would return to The Dining Hall, across from the Rangers Station, for a meal and dessert.

Their daughter decided she did not want to go for a walk out in the cold and watched, “Say Yes to the Dress” instead. So the Mrs. took Lucille for a walk and the sun came out for a while.

She talked to the Great Creator and taken to the edge of faith asked Him just what kind of nonsense was he pulling on her? Lucille now had turquoise and yellow bits in her poop.

She put her hands on her hips and thought it was all too much to understand how a day could fall to the edge of reason but she really hoped it would all work out somehow.

Later as they drove back into Boulder, the mist was enchanting. It settled in the valley covering up the city so that Chautauqua seemed to be the only community next to the Flatirons rising out it. Snow had started to collect in the crevices of the red rocks.

They were seated on the wrap around porch, wrapped in a fitted clear plastic tarp, under a portable heating lamp doing its job because of an event inside, she thought a better planned wedding. The menu was limited to soups and freshly baked breads. All of them ordered clam chowder and sourdough bread. It was delish! They talked and cemented the memories of the earlier afternoon in their creamy potions and buttered warm bread. Soon the fairy lights came on as the sky darkened. She let her son crawl into her lap and asked if he would be all right with going home and watching “The Last Air Bender” cartoon, if she made some brownies. He snuggled in closer and sniffled, yes. Their daughter nodded, and snuffled now and she reached out to touch her ears. It was coming. Her husband fully smiled for the first time all day.

As he paid the bill, her husband’s eyes could only be more relieved if he were in their bed in that moment. They were silent this time going home with warm bellies and promises of being in their cozy home together.

When she walked Lucille as the dusk took over, she found splashes of purple in her poop. What had the dog been eating? Legos®? Wrong colors. It was another mystery to solve.

She cried a little bit about the day. She hoped and prayed it would all be okay. She had a good man and terrific kids who seemed to like him, if not love him yet

As soon as she got inside, she realized she had been shivering outside. The family were all sprawled out on the sofa sort of watching, sort of sleeping. She put on a kettle of fresh water and pulled out four clean mugs from the dishwasher. She whipped up a box of brownies and put them in the oven. What a day. Not what she planned but for sure memorable. They were definitely committed.