The Legacy - The Legacy Saga

The Legacy - Part 14

  Fifty-five

Asheville, North Carolina

Looking across the reception hall, I watch Velma and her new husband shaking hands and hugging their guests. The two absolutely glow as they accept heartfelt congratulations from friends and loved ones. Since neither Velma nor Ted have parents present, they decide to forgo a formal receiving line and just mingle and greet everyone, and the place is full of well-wishers. The hall is decorated in ivory and peach colored hues, from the floral arrangements adorning each table in the hall, to the beautiful four-tiered wedding cake. Everything is lovely and romantic.

It has been a glorious morning for the newlyweds. Their wedding ceremony in the gardens behind the reception hall was wonderful, and Velma and Ted make an attractive couple. Velma is breathtaking in her silky white gown. Her shoulder-length, black hair is styled in deep waves. Her facial features are similar to mine, as well as her figure, but she is three inches shorter than my height of five-feet-ten. Her skin tone is a shade darker, but it is still easy to tell we are cousins. Ted is equally attractive, though his complexion is closer to mine. He is tall and lean with short, neatly-trimmed hair, and his big brown eyes sparkle every time he gazes at Velma.

We have enjoyed the time we've been able to spend getting to know Ted during the last couple of days. And even if I hadn't already known where he was from, I could have guessed he was a New Yorker the first time he spoke because his upstate accent was so prominent. We learned that Ted is also the only member of his family to ever move away from New York. His parents and his sister were saddened by his decision to settle in North Carolina, but they still supported him, and they fell in love with Velma the moment they met her. Ted's parents couldn't come for the wedding because his mother recently had heart surgery and isn't well enough to travel. His sister is a nurse and needs to be there for their mother. Under the circumstances, I'm even more grateful we can be here to support the happy couple.

Once the reception is underway, I seat myself at the grand piano on the stage in front of the reception hall, and the members of the band I've practiced with for the last few days move to their instruments. I was thrilled when Velma told me she asked a few of her talented friends to play backup for me. I've never had an opportunity to sing with any accompaniment other than the piano, and I was very pleased with the way the rehearsals went.

 * * * 

Cisely and the band begin playing a medley of love songs. She is lost in the music, her silky voice resonating through the hall, and it is obvious to Adagio that everyone is touched by how beautifully she sings. Pretty soon, the floor is filled with couples dancing to the soft ballads. He smiles as he watches her. Glancing to his left, he grins as a few of the older teenage boys cease talking, instantly mesmerized by Cisely, and he is again thankful to be her husband. Turning heads is something she definitely does often, yet she never seems to be aware of how she affects other men, only how she affects him.

Adagio makes his way to the front with his eleven-year-old partner who is wearing an infatuated grin as she looks up at him. Smiling slyly at Cisely, he winks. He watches her smile widen and wonders if she will be able to get through the song without laughing. When she does finally finish up the set, she informs the guests that she is taking a break, which brings some disappointed sighs, but she promises to continue in a few minutes. Approaching him, she slips her arms around his waist.

 * * * 

"It looks like you sure made a little lady's day," I say, smiling at him. "Stepping out on me, huh?"

Adagio pulls me close. "Are you jealous?" he whispers close to my ear.

"Maybe."

"Well, when she asked me with that adorable little smile of hers, I couldn't say no."