Dili tuphon sa hulaw sa kahidlaw
It took three-and-a-half decades but, at long last, I watched my son Jebo stand uncomfortably outside the wedding hall, glancing at the clock, staring at his watch, and trying vainly to make small talk.
“This is so déjà vu,” I chuckled. I’ve seen this scene before, circa 1971, when another “nervous” groom cracked his knuckles until they turned white like onion peel.
With every aspect of the wedding already taken care of, it practically rendered the two eager mothers redundant.
“Huh? What do you mean you won’t need us?” cried Sandra and I.
Sandra runs her own catering service so she was the perfect choice to bake a multi-tiered confection of rich white chocolate and pure butter. The cake was the first sweetness that Jebo and Angela shared with their guests, and Sandra’s labor of love got everyone singing, “How sweet it is to be loved by you.”
As for me, the craft room is my natural habitat, so I made the wedding token, a linen apron silk-screened with the couple’s own quotation: “Find love, embrace life, and mangia!” Many delightful memories are indeed made while eating or sharing meals.
Angela took care of the finer details of the wedding, like transforming the venue into a sweet and romantic pavilion: ruby-red glass lamps, sweet-smelling fresh rose petals strewn along a pathway, communion boxes with the couple’s personalized logo, flowers in different shades of red, orange, copper, and gold reflecting the nostalgic autumn colors, and lots of candles in graduated sizes that gave the room a warm and welcoming glow.
When Angela entered the room, a hush fell. She walked like a dream next to her father, Tony Larusso, and his eyes glistened with pride as if to say, “I was the man who gave the bride away.”
Wally Rice prepared a sumptuous spread of “nouvelle grandma,” a term for classical American comfort food with a variety of dishes from Angela’s family recipes. In keeping with the saying that “Bacchus opens the gate of the heart,” the couple chose the wine to add spark to the mirth and laughter.
Gene Cheban and Okello Dunkley took charge of the official photos, and that was the easy part. Many times, I saw them trying to make sense out of entangled cameras, obliging guests who beseeched them, “Take our photos, please … Wait, wait, mine, too … Quick, my camera is on timer … Ah, I’m next, okay?”
One of my proudest moments was seeing my grandson Gabriel standing next to his father, Jebo, and Angela to witness and bless their exchange of solemn vows. Angela’s 90-year-old grand-nana, Mary Larusso, flew in from
When my husband stood up to offer a toast to the couple, he bared his heart and captivated the ladies. He said, “Son, I’ll tell you the secret of a successful marriage … Obey your wife.”
Without a doubt, the couple’s own guests were outnumbered by those invited by the older generation. Ah, I was guilty of this! But isn’t it a common practice to surround oneself with dear old hearts to share joy-filled occasions like this? And they were there despite the time and distance.
What about the couple’s own guests? Thank goodness, they showed a generous spirit that should serve them well when their turn comes.
Kevin Tully and Randy Burt provided live music on the guitar and saxophone. When the music switched to rock ’n’ roll, DJ Vance Golster gave no time for the merrymakers to think. The young and the not-so-young were on the dance floor, laughing, shouting, and showing grace with each vivacious step.
Then came a challenge: “Are you ready to get into the groove?”
“Yes,” we roared, and we remained standing through the Can’t Stop The Music medley … except me. I took a sip of the bubbling champagne as I threw a glance at Jebo and Angela who were dancing for the first time as a married couple. I cupped my hands. My heart was singing of all the little hopes I treasured for my son. Lucky me, I was there to witness one.
Pressing some blood back into my throbbing, puffy toes, I blew a kiss at Jebo and Angela and whispered to my husband, “What a perfect day not to wear sensible shoes.”
