away into a corner for some alone time. “Are you doing okay?”
“ I am. You look beautiful,” he said. Even though it wasn’t a love match, she still managed to look like a blushing bride.
“ You’re not looking bad yourself.” Her new husband had on a custom made black suit.
“ Are you having any second thoughts? Any regrets?” J.T. asked softly.
Simone quickly shook her head no, then after seeing J.T.’s look of skepticism she opted for the truth. “This isn’t how I imagined my wedding to be like,” she confessed. “I always envisioned my family and friends celebrating with me, and that I marry a man who was heads over heels in love with me and can’t keep his hands off me,” she finished, and shocked herself and J.T. by bursting into tears. “I’m sorry.”
Moiré rushed over with a box of tissues. “Here you go.”
“ I’m sorry,” Simone muttered, embarrassed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Moiré smiled and gently patted Simone’s leg. “I do, you’ve just gotten married, it’s a very emotional experience, all brides go through it. Just when you think you’re going to escape the tear fest, it hits you. And don’t worry about crying, you’re going to have many more occasions to cry, your honeymoon, when you have your first baby, then the second child, then the third, and when they go off to school. Here you take these, you’re gonna need them.” She placed the box of tissues in Simone’s hands, before Simone could think of anything to say, she got up and strolled away.
J.T. took the tissues out of his wife’s hands and placed the box beside them on the pew. “Hey, I’m sorry. We can get the marriage annulled. You can keep the money, the car and the jewelry, I’ve already given you and I’ll still give you a million dollars. There won’t be any hard feelings trust me. I won’t be mad. I don’t want you to end up resenting me for keeping you from the life you always wanted.”
He looked so sad that she immediately regretted her outburst. “I’m fine. If we’re both honest with ourselves we’d admit that this isn’t how either one of us pictured our wedding day. But for better or for worse this is it. I made you a promise and I plan on sticking to it,” she said, while dashing her vision of her dream wedding and replacing it with an image of two million dollars in her bank account.
“ Thanks Simone.” Then he did something so unexpected and sweet that it nearly brought her to tears a second time. He leaned forward and pecked her tenderly on the lips.
Suddenly a man burst through the chapel doors and raced in. He was just a blur as he ran up the aisle, then looked wildly around when he didn’t see a bride and groom.
“ Hey, I’m over here!” J.T. called.
The man turned towards J.T.’s voice and grinned broadly when he saw him. Simone inhaled sharply and she swore that a beam of light reflected off his perfect white teeth. She watched transfixed as he swaggered over to them, she noticed that he nodded politely at Marcella but didn’t stop to talk to her. He was tall, as tall as J.T., tanned and had blond hair. The closer he got to them, her fascination turned to disbelief, he looked shockingly similar to her high school sweetheart, Sean.
The man stopped in front of them and J.T. stood up and they did the Black man’s handshake.
“ Thanks for coming man.”
“ It looks like I missed the ceremony. I’m sorry, but traffic was a bitch.”
Simone was watching the exchange and decided that the man didn’t resemble Sean as much as she thought he did. The only thing they had in common was their race, they both were White, but this man was better looking and in better shape.
“ No prob. Let me introduce you to my wife. This is Simone.”
“ Kirk.”
“ Hi. Thanks for coming.” Simone glanced at J.T. for elaboration.
“ Kirk is not only one of my best friends but he’s my accountant and financial advisor, he gives me my allowance.