“… I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

“NOOoooooo!” I think Mom misinterpreted my tears.

The little chapel erupted in applause as Oliver lifted Mom’s veil and kissed her. Mom continued to cry as she squeezed me in a hug. Mom took hold of my hand to keep me from running away as everyone started filing past them to congratulate them. Oddly, I was also congratulated. Can we eat now?

As the reception started, Mom switched between giggling and crying. They made all the girls line up to catch the bouquet. To keep it from hitting me in the face, I reached up and caught it. Everyone laughed and applauded. I wanted to go home. And of course, Uncle Ralph caught the garter. We had to stand next to each other for a picture. I did not like the way he grinned at me.

Oliver’s Best Man stood up to give a little speech. Honestly, I didn’t even notice him until he started speaking.

All the food at the reception was just finger food. I was hoping for chicken fried steak.

As they prepared to leave for their honeymoon, actually they were going to change at our house) Mom approached me. She brushed my long hair from my eyes and smiled weakly at me.

“Honey, I expect you to be a good girl and help out around the house while we’re gone,” she said as she nervously fussed with my dress.

“I will, Mom,” I said as a tear escaped down my cheek. I couldn’t believe this terrible day had arrived and Oliver was now my Dad.

“I know you will, baby,” said Mom trying not to start crying again. “Remember to mind your Aunt Christine and your grandparents. You have mine and your father’s number in case you need to get hold of us.” I cringed when she said “your father”. She put her hands on my shoulders. She said, “Thank you for being such an angel. I couldn’t have made it through this without you!” She squeezed me in a bear hug. “Chrys, we’re a family now!” Be still my heart.

She bent down, hugged me again and gave me a kiss. “Bye-bye Chrystal. Be good and we’ll see you in a week!” She stood up and started saying good-bye to someone else. They were headed for one of those Jamaican vacation resorts. For some reason I thought of the Beach Boys.

Oliver… or should I say Dad (he hasn’t adopted me yet) stepped next to me and ruffled my hair. “Stay out of trouble, young lady. Don’t let my sister bug ya. Remember, Me-Maw will always take your side.” He chuckled. “When we get back, I’ll start looking into some sports activities for you. Summer’s coming and you’re not going to just sit around the house.” Thank you for that tearful good-bye. Is it still possible to run away and join the circus?

Oliver bent down and smiled at me. “Well, Mom and I need to go on our honeymoon. You behave and we’ll see you in a week. Do you have a kiss for your daddy?”

My Dad’s dead. Oh, you mean you. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Good-bye, Oliver.”

Looking slightly pained, he said, “Call me Daddy.” I stared at him in silence. He sighed as he stood straight. “We’ll work on that when we get back.” He grimaced and stood up straight.

Oliver turned towards Mom and said, “Let’s head ‘em up, move ‘em out. We don’t want to miss out flight.”

Mom came over to me crying and hugged and kissed me. “Bye honey! You know how to reach me in an emergency. You be a good girl, you hear? Don’t give your grandparents or your aunt any trouble, okay?

Standing next to me, Aunt Christine played with the ribbons in my hair. “Don’t worry, Dede. She’ll be fine. Won’t you?” She pinched my arm.

I scowled at my aunt. “Does the French Foreign Legion still exist?”

Oliver shook his head. “I don’t think they take little girls. Come on, Dede. Let’s go.”

As her son and my Mom left the church, Me-Maw sat down and cried.

Pe-Paw walked up to my aunt and stroked her arm a moment. He said, “Why don’t you take your mother home? I have some unfinished business with that youngin.” He pointed at me.

My aunt grinned. “Can I watch?” What the Sam Hill have I gotten myself into?

Aunt Christine escorted Me-Maw out the door. Pe-Paw walked up to the pastor. “Father, just send me the bill.”

As we climbed up into his pickup truck, Pe-Paw asked, “How about some ice cream?”

I grinned at him. “Sounds good to me.”

I watched in silence as we drove past Dairy Queen. That’s where I thought we were going. But instead of we pulled up in front of Baskin-Robbins. Pe-Paw looked over at me and smiled.

“Let’s go get some ice cream!”

I followed Pe-Paw inside. He said, “Pick whatever you want, but no more than two scoops.” I used to get at least three and sometimes four scoops back when I was in college. That seems pretty insane now. Two was probably all I could handled. I still prefer it in a cup instead of a cone.

I sat down at one of the small tables by the outside wall and windows and waited for Pe-Paw to get his. I had whipped cream and sprinkles added to mine. He didn’t say I couldn’t.

Pe-Paw finally sat across from me. He grinned as he asked, “Do you think you can eat all that?”

I grinned and exclaimed, “I’m going to try! I then frowned at my ice cream and said, “Mom would never bring me here.”

With a twinkle in his eye, Pe-Paw chuckled, “Well, Mom’s not here right now.” I think I’m going to like Pe-Paw.

After a few bites, he asked me, “So, Chrystal. What do you think of today’s events?”

Here’s a minefield I wasn’t expecting. Since Oliver is his son, I can’t really bad-mouth him. Carefully choosing my words, I said, “It changes the whole dynamics, doesn’t it? I mean, until today, it was always Mom and I against the world. I could assert myself. I might not always win, but I had a voice. Now my voice has been diminished. I’m just a child and no longer a partner in our future.”

Pe-Paw gave me a sideways glance. “That’s a more mature response than what I was expecting.”

I scooped up mostly whipped cream and took a bite. I stared at him and asked, “What does today’s events mean to you?”

He took a few bites of his ice cream cone and wiped his mouth. He looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, “This is how I see it. I can appreciate you feeling that Ollie is a possible intrusion on your life. You’re right. This changes the whole dynamics. Like you, your grandmother and I are going to take diminished roles in Ollie’s life.” He shrugged. “That is the way of the world after all. I’m happy Ollie found someone he could love. Since he met your mother, he’s been a much happier person.

“I like your mother. I think she’s a good woman and I think she’ll be good for Ollie. At first I tried to suggest to Ollie to stay away from and instant family by avoiding women who already have a child. I see now how I wrong I was. And I like you Chrystal. You’re a delightful little girl. You try to hide it for some reason, but you’re very smart. Just one thing though. Your grandmother noticed it first. You have old eyes. I don’t know how to explain it. You have the youthful energy of a ten year old girl, but there’s a weariness in your eyes.”

I nodded. “There’s a reason for that. Mom doesn’t want me talking about it. Oliver knows though.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t mean to pry, but were you abused by your father or some other person?”

I sat up straight and shook my head. “Oh, no, no. My dad was great. He would never have hurt me.” Dad, why the hell did you have to die?

Pe-Paw took a deep breath. “Well, Ollie’s your dad now. He desperately wants to be a good dad to you. I know he can never replace you father in your heart, but he does love you. Please give him a chance.”

I nodded. “I will, Pe-Paw. I will.”

To be continued…