Page 114 of Wait for Me

“We can still be married without the wedding bands,” Logan whispered in her ear. “Our marriage depends on God, not manmade rings.”

Marie nodded.

When Pastor Moss reached the end of the chapter, he kept reading. “Ephesians 6, ladies and gentlemen. ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.’”

The crowd chuckled.

Marie spotted one of the Mendenhall guards carrying Jonas in his arms, as though he were a football. Esperanza was running behind him. Mrs. Ping stopped to catch her breath.

“Mommy!” Jonas was screaming.

Behind Marie and Logan, Pastor Moss was still reading. “Hear this, everyone. ‘And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.’ Ephesians 6:4. Do I get an amen?”

“Amen!”

As Marie watched Jonas approach her, she saw that there were stains all over his black tuxedo. They were in all colors of…

Ice cream.

Remain calm.

No need to panic.

This is only a wedding.

We have a lifetime ahead of us.

The security guard put Jonas down on the grass, and shook off the ice cream on his hands and sleeves. There was ice cream on his hair and face as well, but nobody dared to point it out.

Esperanza’s hair was all over the place, like a bunch of springs that went this way and that. Marie regretted telling the hairstylist to remove the pins.

Esperanza held the two wedding bands in her hand, but hesitated to give them to Jonas.

Sticky fingers?

Here came Mrs. Ping, with hand wipes.What a dear!

In front of everyone, and as though it were all part of the process, Mrs. Ping gently wiped ice cream off Jonas’s face and hands.

Then she took the two rings from Esperanza and handed them back to Jonas. “Now give them to your mommy and daddy when the pastor says so, okay?”

Jonas nodded.

Mrs. Ping didn’t return to her seat. She stood next to Jonas, just in case. For that, Marie was appreciative.

The ring exchange ceremony went without a hitch, even with an added lemony scent from the antibacterial hand wipes.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Pastor Moss said. “Again.”

The entire crowd cheered and clapped.

“You may kiss the bride,” he told Logan, who promptly discharged his first duties as a newly re-minted husband.

Again.

They stepped down the platform hand in hand. Logan scooped up Jonas and let him ride on his shoulders, smearing ice cream all over his tuxedo.

Logan didn’t seem to mind, and neither did Marie.

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