Love's Requiem

“Fuck,” I groaned as I felt my head throb.

“Here’s some Tylenol come on dude we gotta get ready!” He went on as there was banging on the door.

Soon all the guys and Jesse were in my room while I was up, and running around trying to find my suit.

“Dude where did it go?” I panicked.

“What do you mean where did it go?” Jack asked confused as the room went silent.

“It’s not here, I put it in the closet and it’s not here!”

“You’re kidding?” Rian said in shock.

“Look for your self.” I said stepping aside to show him the barren closet.

“Great, I’ve got how long?” I asked pacing nervously.

“An hour and a half in counting.” Jesse said checking his phone.

There was a knock on the door, as Rian went to get it while I continued to panic over how I had lost my suit for my own wedding.

“You know Croatians invented the neck tie?” I heard a thick accented voice ask, as in walked Niko and Bella’s dad.

“Figured you might want a real Croatian made tie to go with your suit.” Niko explained coming in with a bag.

“The suit that’s gone missing.” I mumbled.

“What?” They both asked confused.

“Alex’s suit seems to have gone missing.” Jack explained to them.

“Well it couldn’t have just gotten up and left on it’s own.” Bella’s dad said taking a seat.

“Well the upside is at least you have a tie.” Niko smiled handing me the bag.

I looked in and there was my pinstripe suit and grey shirt all ironed and ready along with the black tie they had bought me.

“How did you?” I asked confused.

“Let the games begin!” Bella’s dad exclaimed laughing as the two of them left.

“Huh?” I said as the five of us exchanged weird glances.

An hour later, I was dressed and ready. Of course Jack and Kara took a million pictures.

“Okay where’s the car?” Jack asked as he checked his watch. “Fuck dude we were supposed to leave like ten minutes ago!” He panicked.

“Are you trying to tell me I’m late to my wedding?”

“I’m telling you if we don’t leave in the next five minutes you will be. Bella said the church is about 25 minutes outside the city and you’ve got a exactly 25 minutes before your wedding is supposed to start.” He explained.

“Okay, let’s get a taxi or something?” I said trying to hail a cab.

That didn’t work either, ten minutes later a black car pulled up with Dennis inside with a grin on his face.

“Driver’s from Mostar, not around here.” Dennis chuckled. “You look good man.” He added.

“She’s going to kill me, she’s going to fucking kill me.” I ranted as I tried to get Dennis to be the driver to go faster.

“Dude you’re only going to be about 10 minutes late the most calm down.” Rian told me.

Once at the church, Jack and I jumped out of the car and ran in to the church heading right to the alter.

“You’re 10 minutes late. Told you pop the English are never on time.” Niko mumbled, as their dad headed to get Bella I guess.

“The car was late.” I told him trying to catch my breath. “Something about him being from Mostar?” I said confused.

“You don’t say?” He chuckled.

Why was I getting the feeling that he was somehow behind it and all of her family for that matter? Before I could say anything else the organ started up, the big wood doors opened. In walked Bella, and her dad. She looked beautiful, her dress looked beautiful it was white and had a purple design on it, and everything about her just looked beautiful. Once he got her to the alter, he told her something in Croatian, and kissed her cheek after he lifted up her veil. Bella handed Jesse her flowers and took my hands, as the priest started talking.

“Hey,” She whispered to me with a smile.

“Hi.” I whispered back to her.

Five minutes later, she gave my hand a squeeze.

“T njegovati his is it,” She whispered to me.

“Alexander, Uzimate li Isabella kao zakonitom suprugom, da su i za držanje, od ovog dana unaprijed, za bolje ili za lošije, za bogatiji ili siromašniji, u bolesti iu zdravlju, ljubiti i do smrti, da li vi dio?” He asked me as I listened carefully.

“Ja činiti.” I answered, as I saw a smile form on Bella’s lips, as I slid the ring Jack handed me on her finger.

“Dobro, i Isabella,” He began and repeated the same thing to her, as Jesse handed her my ring.

“Ja činiti.” She replied, putting the ring on mine.

Afterwards, the priest had us sign our marriage papers, and finally I was able to kiss Bella
officially having her as my wife. The few people that were in the church clapped and we walked out of the church together.

“Did you have any problems getting here?” I asked her while we took pictures outside the church.

“Nope, I made it here on time.” She answered giving me another kiss.

“I’m sorry for being late.” I told her feeling bad about it.

“Don’t be, it wasn’t your fault.” She told me.

“What do you mean?” I asked her as we took a picture with her parents and brother.

“You want to tell him?” She asked her dad.

“It’s Croatian tradition for the bride’s family to create obstacles to get the groom to be late to
the wedding.” Niko explained.

“So you mean?” I began as he and his dad nodded their heads.

“Welcome to the family!” Her dad exclaimed pulling me in to a bone-crushing hug.

“Bella you look so beautiful.” My mom told her giving her a hug.

“Thank you,” Bella smiled as we took more pictures.

Afterwards, Bella and I got in to a car just the two of us that was going to take us to her uncle’s winery for the reception.

“Did Niko or Luka show up?” I asked her as she popped a ginger candy in her mouth.

“Luka and his girlfriend did, Niko didn’t he had like practice or something.” She said shaking her head. “He’ll be at the party though.” She added.

“You should have given me a heads up about your family making me late.” I told her kissing her.

“It’s bad luck if I did!” She defended. “Just be happy I talked them out of not doing the fertility thing.”

“What fertility thing?” I asked her.

“Another tradition is for, them to stick rosemary on us, put an apron on me after taking off my veil and all of us walk around a well three times to ensure you and I have good fertility.
Though we already know that.” She said putting her hands on her small bump.

“Any more traditions I should worry about?” I asked her.

“The honey cup.”

“What’s the honey cup?”

“My mom takes a cup fills it with honey and everyone has to put coins in, the three of us drink it and you get the money.” She explained.

“You Croatians scare me sometimes.” I told her.

“Hey what can you do when you’re in a country half the world doesn’t know exists?” She chuckled shrugging her shoulders. “We did it though.” She smiled, giving me a kiss.

“We did.” I smiled.

“You think the one in America will be this easy?” She sighed resting her head against the
back of the seat.

“Probably not.” I laughed taking her hand in to mine.

“I think I need a nap.” She laughed, “Wake me when we get there.” She yawned curling in to me.

About 2o minutes later we were at her Uncle’s place, everyone else was slowly getting there. Michi and Ivan were there helping to finish setting everything up, so the four of us sat at the bar talking.

“Don’t worry, they still have that one waiter here that has the hots for me, I told him to only give you grape juice.” Michi assured Bella.

“You saying that out loud with him just in ear shot doesn’t help.” Bella mumbled.

“He doesn’t speak English, what’s the problem? Christ if this how you are during a small wedding what are you going to do next week?”

“Hide in a hole.” Bella told her making us all laugh.

Ironically the first people to show up were Luka, his what I guessed was his girlfriend and Niko. Bella hopped off her seat yelling something to Luka, making his girlfriend laugh.

“Need me to be translator?” Michi asked sitting next to me.

“If you’d like.” I chuckled taking a sip of my beer.

“And I quote,” She began, “Big head how could you not have let me meet her early she’s gorgeous! What are you doing with him, you can totally do so much better.”

“Typical Bella.” I said shaking my head.

I watched her hesitantly give Niko a hug, and then watched him bend down and whisper something in her ear. She looked up at him, and said something Michi couldn’t make out.

“Alex!” Bella shouted, as I came over to her, as she took my hand in to hers. “This is Luka’s girlfriend Vanja.”

“Congratulations.” Vanja said giving me a hug.

“Please try and teach him English.” Bella begged her. “I think by now he should now more than hi and where is the bathroom.” She went on making everyone laugh.

Once everyone else arrived, we went in to what looked like a huge dinning room, and food started coming out from the kitchen.

“Bella where’s your hot cousins?” Jack asked jumping in to the seat next to Bella.

“You’ll meet them next week, right now its just immediate family.”

“You mean to tell me all these people are just your immediate family?” He asked with wide eyes. “Now I see why you got such a big place for next week you need it to fit all her family!”

“I love you too Jack, I’ll love you even more when I leave you in Zadar tomorrow with now way of getting back to Zagreb or America for that matter.” Bella said smartly drinking her juice.

“You can’t live with out me and you know it.” He told her.

“This is true, Alex I want a divorce I want to marry Jack.” She told me.

“Told you to get a pre nup.” Jesse joked making Bella choke on what she was eating.

After dinner, some folk band that I guess normally played at the place began playing.

“Dance with me.” Bella exclaimed when they began playing a new song.

“Why?” I chuckled letting her drag me to where he aunts were dancing and some of her cousins.

“My deda used to play this for me all the time when I was little. It’s a gypsy song.” She explained dancing, and clapping along to the beat, pretty soon a lot more people were up dancing and Bella’s grandma was dancing with her and I.

“Lela lela lela pala tute” The two of them sang along.

“Want to know what it means?” Bella asked me as a slower song came on and she put her arms around my neck.

“Know what, what means?” I asked her.

“That song, Lela pala tute.”

“What does it mean?”

“Going after someone you love, and once you’re with them you live for them and you’d die for them.” She explained. “Kind of like gypsy Romeo and Juliet.” She added.

Later on, while I was talking with Jack and Denis and Bella was sitting with Luka, Vanja, and Niko talking and laughing about something, her dad stood up hitting his wine glass.

“Oh god.” Bella’s brother said rubbing the bridge of his nose as I glanced over and saw
Bella doing the same thing.

“Isabella i Alex,” Her dad began which sent Bella walking over to me my guess was to translate, as I saw her mom lean near my parents to do the same.

“I apologize now for whatever he’s about to say.” Bella told me giving me a sympathetic look.
Her dad began to talk and a few minutes in everyone started laughing.

“Translation?” I asked her.

“He said he’s happy that his daughter found someone that is the complete opposite of him.
And that he sees you as hopefully being someone to keep me from being a rude, asshole.” She laughed. “When he looks at you and I he doesn’t see him and my mom. He sees more of his parents, he sees me being the thickheaded know it all wife. And you being the much calmer, more level headed husband. He hopes we can have the type of relationship they had, and that one day you’ll be in his position right now. Giving away his daughter to a good man, despite him being English.” She chuckled the last part.

I nodded my head as everyone raised their glass, Bella and I went over and her dad hugged us both.
The rest of the night went good, despite Bella smashing cake in my face when we cut it. And then running away when I tried to do it back to her.

“Have you seen Bella?” I asked Denis when everyone had left and we were getting ready to leave as well.

“Last I saw she was walking with Luka, Niko and Vanja.” He answered.

“Hmm, alright thanks man.” I told him as I went back to where Jack, and Rian were talking with Ivan and Michi.

“Any of you see Bella?” I asked.

“There she is.” Michi said pointing to Bella walking inside, looking flustered.

“Hey beautiful.” I told her as she walked up next to me.

“I think everyone is getting ready to leave, specially since our train leaves early tomorrow.”
She said looking still flustered.

“Alright, let’s get out of here.” I told her putting my jacket around her shoulders as we left with everyone a little while later.

“So are you coming back with me? Or are we both going to your Baka’s?” I asked her.

“Wedding surprise,” She said finally smiling.

“Huh?”

“Think of it as a wedding present to you from me.” She said as we drove back.

Once we got back to the city, we passed the hotel I was staying at and drove further in to the city stopping in a huge, hotel.

“You really think we weren’t going to have a proper wedding night?” She smirked.

“But all my stuff-“

“Jack and I made you an over night bag yesterday morning, everything is in the room already.” She explained as I helped her out of the car.

She went and thanked the driver giving him a tip and then took my hand leading me inside. We went up the elevator, and she led me down the hallway to the room.

“Let me have the key.” I told her, as she was about to open the door.

“Why?”

“Got to do this right.” I told her, as she handed me the key.

“What?” She asked looking confused, as I opened the door and then picked her up carrying her in. “You mushy asshole.” She chuckled as I put her down on the bed.

“Aw shucks, I love you too.” I told her, as she put her hands on both sides of my face kissing me.

“I love you Alex.” She said seriously as I helped her take off her veil.

“I love you too Bella.” I told her helping her unzip the back of her dress.

Of course that night she kept to her word as we had a typical wedding night and it was amazing. The only downside was, while she was fast asleep in my arms I was wide-awake trying to figure out what Niko had meant months ago when he told me to ask her why she never wanted to go back to Zadar. What could it be? Maybe the family there she didn’t like? No that couldn’t be it cause some of them were there tonight. Maybe she was just afraid of the war? That’s too obvious, I’d just have to ask her tomorrow when it’s just her and I.