Pins Out

The ceremony was simple, but I remember every detail. My beautiful Rachel with her flowing black hair curled with tiny flowers tucked here and there. She wore a simple white shift dress as she walked down our simple aisle in her mother’s backyard. The cool breeze rustled the leaves and blew her hair as she reached me and I took her hand, I glowed when she kissed my hand. I pretended not to notice my mother and father shudder and look away.

Our Justice of the Peace held a fabulous ceremony that had Rachel and me crying. When he let us kiss for the first time as a married couple I was so overcome with joy! We didn’t make it a fiery kiss but it was the first one in front of our parents and it put a red hue to our faces. You may be wondering why our wedding would be such a scandalous thing to our parents. Let’s just say my name is Nancy Eagle, and nineteen year old girl, and I just married the only girl who knows how to love and protect me.

I grew up in a dysfunctional family. My father was an alcoholic and my mother thought I did everything wrong and loved to tell me so. My life changed dramatically when I was twelve years old and Rachel Hunter moved in next door. My family’s previous neighbors to the right were Chinese so it was nice to have a girl my age who spoke English!
We would spend every waking hour together; I was trying to escape the verbal abuse and alcohol while she was trying to rid herself of the boredom. Her parents were divorced and she only got to see her dad on holidays. Her mom was a nurse at a hospital working late shifts leaving Rachel alone a lot of the time.

It wasn’t until we were seventeen that we began to feel deeper feelings towards each other. We started going on dates secretly at first, then publicly grabbing each other’s butts playfully and kissing. We felt rebellious not doing what our parents said. When my parents found out they just about killed me; not only the biggest verbal attack ever but the first physical one also.

Rachel didn’t even get time to tell her mom because she was working a late shift at the hospital. Well Mrs. Hunter sure found out in a hurry when I was brought into the emergency room bruised beyond belief with Rachel crying hysterically beside me. Her mom thought my parents’ reaction was over exaggerated but agreed nonetheless. Rachel didn’t even bother telling her dad about us because he wasn’t really in her life anymore; a few cards and a phone call once and a while.

After the attack Rachel and I decided to move in together after we graduated four weeks later. We rented a two bedroom apartment on the other side of town. It was there we started to plan for our wedding.

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Nancy would say our ceremony was beautiful, angelic, and Heavenly; I would agree. However, the party that followed was not, until one special moment that came near the end.
Nancy had worn a cream colored mermaid dress that complemented her red hair. She looked like a modern-day Disney Ariel. She had her hair up but as soon as her parents started harassing her, she started taking the pins out and letting her locks fall to her shoulders. Her parents were saying we had better eat the Dairy Queen cake before it melted because they had spent so much money on it; I still just about choke at the memory of hearing that. My mother was no better, complaining she had to work the next day at 6am and needed her sleep, not to go to some stupid lesbian wedding.

We had just about had enough and were about to leave when we saw my dad. He was still in his work clothes with oil on his hands and face. He smiled as he jogged up to us. I could tell he wanted to hug us but he looked at his hands and sighed.

“Hey kiddies, congrats on the wedding! Sorry I couldn’t get here on time, I didn’t even know about it.” He looked ashamed and had tears in his eyes, “Not that I made an effort to know you two girls, for that I am sorry. You girls went through a lot and I no one was there for you. Will you give me another chance to be the father I should have always been?”

We couldn’t even contain our joy with his words, we bear hugged him as everyone at the party grimaced and walked away. He had made our day special.