Status: Complete.
A Little More Than Convenient
Chapter 4-Plan
|Trent Remington|
I looked out my rearview window again and saw that Carmen was still following me. I was getting married! We’d chosen a three karat diamond ring from Kay’s at The Mall at Turtle Creek, and two golden wedding bands. Afterward, we’d scheduled the ceremony. Oh, my God. I was getting married! I barely knew Carmen, but I needed her and she needed me. Not emotionally, but business wise and financially. We were now on our way to the courthouse, which was when I remembered that we needed witnesses, besides the judge, of course. I didn’t know her number, so I pulled over. She copied me.
She hopped out of her car and said, “What’s the matter?”
“We need witnesses,” I replied. “What?” she asked.
“Witness,” I explained, “someone has to sign, besides the judge, that we got married.”
“I don’t know who to call,” she said, her face pained, “My sister and my mom will ask too many questions, and all my other family...,” she trailed off.
“A friend?” I asked, “A good friend?”
“O-kay,” she replied, “I guess I could call Jessica Branch, my best friend. She’ll ask questions, but not too many.”
“All right, I’ll call my best friend, Ross Harp.”
“Let’s hit the road again, then,” she said, heading toward her car. I followed suit and got into mine. As soon as I got in, I dialed Ross’s number and started to drive.
“Ross here,” he answered. For some crazy reason, Ross has always answered the phone like that, and talked in the third person. Hello, evidently, is lame.
“Ross, it’s Trent.”
“I know, I have caller ID.”
I sighed. “Anyway, can you come to the Craighead County Courthouse in, like, fifteen minutes. And dress nicely.”
“All right, but why?”
I paused. What was I to tell him. The truth? He’d be there, so it would come out eventually, either way. “Well, see, I’m getting married.”
Silence.
“Ross?”
“Ross is here,” he replied, “I thought I just heard you say you’re getting married.”
“That’s right,” I said, “look, Ross, don’t ask questions, just come. I’ll explain later.”
He grumbled. “All right, I’ll be there. In fifteen minutes, that is.”
We hung up, and I drove even further to the courthouse.
***
I held the door open for Carmen as we walked in. The outside and the inside was both completely tan. The walls, the floors, the furniture, blah, blah, blah. It was very boring.
We went to the front desk. A woman with blond hair and glasses looked up, “May I help you?”
“We have a meeting at three o’clock.”
She looked over her files. “For insurance or...a wedding?”
“Wedding,” Carmen said slowly.
She scrunched her face in thought. “Okay, take this,” she handed me a form. You’ll fill this out after the ceremony. It’s on the fourth floor.”
We walked off toward the elevator.
“I take it she doesn’t think people should get married at a courthouse,” Carmen said. I laughed. “That’s really judgmental.” “Carmen!” we heard a voice yell. We spun around. There stood a flustered, perplexed looking girl with very, very light brown hair and light blue eyes. Her skin was fair, much lighter than Carmen’s. She ran over to us, in, I’d guess, purple high heeled shoes, and a lavender dress. She also wore a light jean jacket. “Carmen Isabel Sanchez, I am going to murder you! You make me leave a perfectly good movie to get dressed and come to this huge farce of a wedding!”
Carmen chuckled. “Let me guess. You weren’t at the movies.”
“Yes, but-”
“You were sitting at home, and watching a DVD.”
“Yes, but-”
“That DVD was Drive Me Crazy.”
“Yes, but-”
“You’ve had that movie since we were in high school, and you still watch it about three times a day, yes?”
“Yes, but-”
“Consider this a favor to you. You have to leave your past behind you. Even if it is just a movie.”
She sighed. “Okay, okay. Let’s go get this damn thing over with.”
“We can’t yet,” Carmen answered, “not until Trent’s friend get’s here. Jess, this is Trent Remington. My fiancé.” She blushed.
Jessica stuck her hand out. “Jessica Branch. Carmen’s best friend since the second semester of eighth grade.”
I shook it. “Trent Remington. Carmen’s fiancé as of 12:30 PM today.”
“Trent!”
The three of us turned and looked. In jeans, a green button down shirt, and sperrys, was my best friend, Ross. I guess he tried to dress up. Ross was tall, with a medium build, and dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He’d been my best friend since we were in sixth grade and he moved in next door to me. He offered me some chocolate chip cookies and Call of Duty, and voilà! We hit it off.
“Hey, Ross,” I said, as he walked up to us.
“Ross doesn’t appreciate being here,” he said coarsely.
Carmen and Jessica exchanged glances.
“Anyway,” I said, changing the subject, “Carmen,” I gestured toward her, “and I are getting married in five minutes. You and Jessica,” I gestured toward her, “are our witnesses. We need to go now.”
They all looked at each other again, as we walked onto the elevator. It occurred to me then, that we must’ve been a sight to see, like, a bunch of crazy teenagers. The elevator brought us to the fourth floor, and then we found the room where the judge was.
He looked up and smiled at us. He was balding and had wired-rimmed glasses. “Which two of you are Carmen Sanchez and Trent Remington?”
Carmen and I stepped forward. “We are,” I answered for us.
“Good, good. And you two,” he pointed at Jessica and Ross, “must be their witnesses.”
They nodded. “Ross and Jessica,” Ross answered.
“Okay, let’s get this started. Do you have rings?”
I nodded.
“Okay, then. My name is, as you probably know, is Mayor Drew Carmichael. And so...,” he rambled about how marriage is an important decision to make, and you should only make it, if and only if, you love the other person. My conscience ate me alive. I could tell it did Carmen’s, too, because she squirmed the whole time.
“If anyone has any objections to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace,” Mayor Carmichael stated.
We turned to look at our friends. I sent Ross a verbal message, saying, “don’t you dare.” Thankfully, neither of them did.
“All right, please take out the rings.” I obeyed.
“Trent, put this ring on Carmen’s finger and repeat after me, ‘with this ring, I thee wed.’”
I, with shaking hands, because I was so damn nervous, slid the ring onto her finger and repeated the judge, my voice cracking.
“Carmen, put this ring on Trent’s finger and repeat after me, ‘with this ring, I thee wed.’”
She did.
“Okay, now. Trent, do you take Carmen as your lawfully wedded wife? For richer, for poorer? In sickness and in health? For better or worse, as long as you both shall live, until death do you part?”
“I do.”
“Okay, Carmen do you take Trent as your lawfully wedded husband? For richer, for poorer? In sickness and in health? For better or worse, as long as you both shall live, until death do you part?”
“I do.”
He shut his bible. “All right. I know pronounce you, Mr. and Mrs. Trent Remington. You may now kiss your bride.”
I panicked. I hadn’t even thought of that part. Crap, crap, crap. She shot me a pleading look to hurry, but I made no moves to kiss her.
Finally, Mayor Carmichael stepped in and chuckled. “Trent, please kiss your bride. So, I did. And, I guess it wasn’t that bad.
Well, now we were married!
I looked out my rearview window again and saw that Carmen was still following me. I was getting married! We’d chosen a three karat diamond ring from Kay’s at The Mall at Turtle Creek, and two golden wedding bands. Afterward, we’d scheduled the ceremony. Oh, my God. I was getting married! I barely knew Carmen, but I needed her and she needed me. Not emotionally, but business wise and financially. We were now on our way to the courthouse, which was when I remembered that we needed witnesses, besides the judge, of course. I didn’t know her number, so I pulled over. She copied me.
She hopped out of her car and said, “What’s the matter?”
“We need witnesses,” I replied. “What?” she asked.
“Witness,” I explained, “someone has to sign, besides the judge, that we got married.”
“I don’t know who to call,” she said, her face pained, “My sister and my mom will ask too many questions, and all my other family...,” she trailed off.
“A friend?” I asked, “A good friend?”
“O-kay,” she replied, “I guess I could call Jessica Branch, my best friend. She’ll ask questions, but not too many.”
“All right, I’ll call my best friend, Ross Harp.”
“Let’s hit the road again, then,” she said, heading toward her car. I followed suit and got into mine. As soon as I got in, I dialed Ross’s number and started to drive.
“Ross here,” he answered. For some crazy reason, Ross has always answered the phone like that, and talked in the third person. Hello, evidently, is lame.
“Ross, it’s Trent.”
“I know, I have caller ID.”
I sighed. “Anyway, can you come to the Craighead County Courthouse in, like, fifteen minutes. And dress nicely.”
“All right, but why?”
I paused. What was I to tell him. The truth? He’d be there, so it would come out eventually, either way. “Well, see, I’m getting married.”
Silence.
“Ross?”
“Ross is here,” he replied, “I thought I just heard you say you’re getting married.”
“That’s right,” I said, “look, Ross, don’t ask questions, just come. I’ll explain later.”
He grumbled. “All right, I’ll be there. In fifteen minutes, that is.”
We hung up, and I drove even further to the courthouse.
***
I held the door open for Carmen as we walked in. The outside and the inside was both completely tan. The walls, the floors, the furniture, blah, blah, blah. It was very boring.
We went to the front desk. A woman with blond hair and glasses looked up, “May I help you?”
“We have a meeting at three o’clock.”
She looked over her files. “For insurance or...a wedding?”
“Wedding,” Carmen said slowly.
She scrunched her face in thought. “Okay, take this,” she handed me a form. You’ll fill this out after the ceremony. It’s on the fourth floor.”
We walked off toward the elevator.
“I take it she doesn’t think people should get married at a courthouse,” Carmen said. I laughed. “That’s really judgmental.” “Carmen!” we heard a voice yell. We spun around. There stood a flustered, perplexed looking girl with very, very light brown hair and light blue eyes. Her skin was fair, much lighter than Carmen’s. She ran over to us, in, I’d guess, purple high heeled shoes, and a lavender dress. She also wore a light jean jacket. “Carmen Isabel Sanchez, I am going to murder you! You make me leave a perfectly good movie to get dressed and come to this huge farce of a wedding!”
Carmen chuckled. “Let me guess. You weren’t at the movies.”
“Yes, but-”
“You were sitting at home, and watching a DVD.”
“Yes, but-”
“That DVD was Drive Me Crazy.”
“Yes, but-”
“You’ve had that movie since we were in high school, and you still watch it about three times a day, yes?”
“Yes, but-”
“Consider this a favor to you. You have to leave your past behind you. Even if it is just a movie.”
She sighed. “Okay, okay. Let’s go get this damn thing over with.”
“We can’t yet,” Carmen answered, “not until Trent’s friend get’s here. Jess, this is Trent Remington. My fiancé.” She blushed.
Jessica stuck her hand out. “Jessica Branch. Carmen’s best friend since the second semester of eighth grade.”
I shook it. “Trent Remington. Carmen’s fiancé as of 12:30 PM today.”
“Trent!”
The three of us turned and looked. In jeans, a green button down shirt, and sperrys, was my best friend, Ross. I guess he tried to dress up. Ross was tall, with a medium build, and dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He’d been my best friend since we were in sixth grade and he moved in next door to me. He offered me some chocolate chip cookies and Call of Duty, and voilà! We hit it off.
“Hey, Ross,” I said, as he walked up to us.
“Ross doesn’t appreciate being here,” he said coarsely.
Carmen and Jessica exchanged glances.
“Anyway,” I said, changing the subject, “Carmen,” I gestured toward her, “and I are getting married in five minutes. You and Jessica,” I gestured toward her, “are our witnesses. We need to go now.”
They all looked at each other again, as we walked onto the elevator. It occurred to me then, that we must’ve been a sight to see, like, a bunch of crazy teenagers. The elevator brought us to the fourth floor, and then we found the room where the judge was.
He looked up and smiled at us. He was balding and had wired-rimmed glasses. “Which two of you are Carmen Sanchez and Trent Remington?”
Carmen and I stepped forward. “We are,” I answered for us.
“Good, good. And you two,” he pointed at Jessica and Ross, “must be their witnesses.”
They nodded. “Ross and Jessica,” Ross answered.
“Okay, let’s get this started. Do you have rings?”
I nodded.
“Okay, then. My name is, as you probably know, is Mayor Drew Carmichael. And so...,” he rambled about how marriage is an important decision to make, and you should only make it, if and only if, you love the other person. My conscience ate me alive. I could tell it did Carmen’s, too, because she squirmed the whole time.
“If anyone has any objections to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace,” Mayor Carmichael stated.
We turned to look at our friends. I sent Ross a verbal message, saying, “don’t you dare.” Thankfully, neither of them did.
“All right, please take out the rings.” I obeyed.
“Trent, put this ring on Carmen’s finger and repeat after me, ‘with this ring, I thee wed.’”
I, with shaking hands, because I was so damn nervous, slid the ring onto her finger and repeated the judge, my voice cracking.
“Carmen, put this ring on Trent’s finger and repeat after me, ‘with this ring, I thee wed.’”
She did.
“Okay, now. Trent, do you take Carmen as your lawfully wedded wife? For richer, for poorer? In sickness and in health? For better or worse, as long as you both shall live, until death do you part?”
“I do.”
“Okay, Carmen do you take Trent as your lawfully wedded husband? For richer, for poorer? In sickness and in health? For better or worse, as long as you both shall live, until death do you part?”
“I do.”
He shut his bible. “All right. I know pronounce you, Mr. and Mrs. Trent Remington. You may now kiss your bride.”
I panicked. I hadn’t even thought of that part. Crap, crap, crap. She shot me a pleading look to hurry, but I made no moves to kiss her.
Finally, Mayor Carmichael stepped in and chuckled. “Trent, please kiss your bride. So, I did. And, I guess it wasn’t that bad.
Well, now we were married!