That Last Little Spark

“Everything’s all set up, and the guests are going to be seated in ten minutes.” Erica’s mother said after hanging up her cell phone. Erica, her mother, Kelsey, Jess, Ashleigh, Chloe, Jenna, Lia, and Katrina were all sitting in the plush seats of a sleek, black limousine. Traffic was unusually light today, not like it mattered, as it was literally a five minute drive from the hotel to the boathouse. However, because there was no parking lot at the boathouse, the guests all had to park at the Metropolitan Museum parking garage and catch the Boathouse Trolley. And since it ran in 15 minute intervals, almost all of the guests arrived nearly an hour early, not wanting to miss a second of the ceremony. But because it was the perfect summer day...no clouds in the sky, a comfortable temperature, and shady trees everywhere...nobody minded waiting outside.

“Oh my god. I can’t believe it’s finally here. I just hope there’s no traffic.” Erica sank back against the seat nervously folding and unfolding her hands in her lap.

“Relax. We have time.” her mother soothed her.

“Oh my god! How are we supposed to get from the street to the boathouse?” Erica suddenly sat up as the limo slid to a smooth stop in front of the park entrance.

“Don’t worry about that, either. Your father and I wanted to surprise you.” Erica’s mother grinned as the driver opened the door. Katrina and Lia were out first.

“Look at the pretty ponies!” Katrina clapped her hands.

“Ponies?” Erica echoed her. As soon as Jess slid out ahead of her, she turned in her seat to see a gleaming white carriage with white satin ribbons and seats. Two white horses stood in front, shaking their manes...which also had bows in them...and whickering excitedly, and a smiling man in a white suit sat in front, holding white reins.

“Oh my god, mom!” Erica exclaimed and covered her mouth with her hands.

“Did you think we would let you walk up a cement path in a wedding dress?” her mother laughed. “Everybody in!”

“Is there room for us?” Ashleigh asked.

“Of course! This carriage is used for wedding parties all the time. Fits ten comfortably, fifteen in a squeeze.” the man up front explained to them.

“Oh, mom!” Erica hugged her mother.

“We’re going around the small path once while everyone is seated and then we have five minutes to get inside the foyer...and then we have a wedding.” her mother hugged her back. “I’m so happy for you.”

“And so are we.” Jess squeezed her hand.

“Hi!” Katrina suddenly called out, waving enthusiastically to a pair of joggers coming down the path. They waved back at the bridal party and shouted their congratulations, even though they didn’t know any of the girls.

The rest of the short ride continued like that: the girls would all wave and shout hello to people, and most of them waved or smiled back. Some even took pictures as the carriage passed them.

Erica took a deep breath as they pulled up to the boathouse.

“Nervous?” Kelsey asked.

“A little, but it literally took me until right now to get nervous.” she admitted as she carefully stepped down from the carriage. Jess stooped down to hold up the bottom so it wouldn’t get dirty from the ground as they slipped into the foyer of the banquet hall. A woman was waiting for them, smiling when Erica finally appeared. Jess let the bottom of the dress slowly slip out of her hands until it fell at Erica’s feet. With a nod, the woman slipped through the doors to the banquet hall while the girls arranged themselves in the correct order.

“It’s time.” Ashleigh grinned back at Erica. Through the double doors that the woman had walked through, they could all see that everyone was sitting down. Aaron was waiting at the altar next to a priest.The altar was set up right in front of a part of the room where the floor-to-ceiling glass windows formed a small alcove that looked out to the water, and the aisle was lined with candles in tall glass holders, pink flowers around the base of each candle inside. The groomsmen were already lined up just inside the double doors, waiting for each girl to walk out to, while Erica’s father stood by her side.

A dainty melody filled the air as the pianist on the side of the room began to play the song Erica and Aaron had selected long ago, by one of their favorite composers: Spring Waltz by Yiruma. It was the song the bridesmaids were going to walk to, while Erica was going to walk to Pachelbel’s Canon in D, also played on the piano.

With a signal from the woman, two men opened the double doors and Chloe stepped into the banquet hall, taking the arm of one of Aaron’s friends. Ashleigh went next, taking the arm of one of Aaron’s cousins. Kelsey smiled back at Erica before she slipped into the room and linked arms with Aaron’s other cousin.

“You look so beautiful.” Jess smiled. “That dress is nothing compared to you.”

“Thank you. But do you want to know a secret?” she whispered, and then answered before Jess could even reply, as it was her turn to walk.

“It looked amazing on you.” she grinned and gave Jess a gentle push forward into the banquet hall. Jess recovered from the small shock of the ‘secret’ and took the arm of Aaron’s brother, his best man.

Yet before Erica could walk, the next group of men...boys...stepped forward. Jenna stepped confidently into the hall and started to walk with the oldest of Aaron’s three nephews, though everyone in both wedding parties noticed she wouldn’t link arms with him.

Lia was next, a huge smile on her face while she walked with the second oldest nephew. Again, both wedding parties noticed she didn’t link arms with him, but it didn’t bother any of them.

Katrina was last, and her smile was the largest of all. She dropped tiny pink rose petals onto the aisle runner. She was walking with Aaron’s youngest nephew. This time, everyone in the room noticed the two were walking the width of the aisle away from each other, seemingly ignoring each other as a small chuckle rippled throughout the room.

Finally, the song died away gently, and soon the sound of Pachelbel filled the air. Everyone in the room stood up and turned to face the double doors as Erica’s father flipped the veil over her head and took her arm.

“I love you so much.” he whispered.

“I love you, too.” she whispered back, smiling and telling herself not to cry.

Jess watched from the altar as one of her best friends glided down the aisle with her father at her side, and while she still felt a pang of sadness, knowing her own father would never get to do the same, she was filled with happiness at the same time, watching two lives finally come together in a beautiful ceremony.