My mother brushes my suit off, trying to get the lint off, as she straightens my tie out, smiling at me. She runs her hair down my cheek, as a tear slips from her eye. "There," she chokes, as she gives me a kiss on the cheek. "She looks so beautiful, Dewey, absolutely stunning."
I beam at my mom's words closing my eyes, my heart thumping wildly, as I picture Gale. There is no woman out there that is more beautiful, exquisite, and perfect than Gale. She is everything I have ever dreamed about. She's everything I've wanted, but never thought that I'd have.
"I am so happy for you both. She really is a catch, who adores you, and loves you a lot. She's good for you. You guys are going to be so happy. She's all I could've wanted for you." She sniffs again, wiping her eye quickly as not to ruin her make up.
I give my mom a huge cheesy grin, deliriously happy about what's to come. Never in my wildest dreams, fantasies did I ever think that she would be mine, that we'd be standing here, especially after all the obstacles we've had to overcome. I have no idea what I did to deserve this, to deserve her.
"My baby, I can't believe you are getting married, that this day is actually here," she says trying, but failing to stifle a cry.
"Mom....please," I beg, as heat rises in my face. I place my hand on her arm, "It's not like I am moving away. I'm just getting married."
She sniffs again, taking the tissue out of her pocket to dab against her nose. "I know, it'sjust I can't believe it's here, and that you've found your match, the other half of you. Not too long ago, you were playing cops and robbers, now here, you are not only a cop, fulfilling your childhood dream, but now also about to be a husband."
"I knew she was something special, the moment that you woke up from surgery after Windsor. She was the first thing, person you asked for. Gale wasn't in your line of sight, but when she took a couple steps forward so you could see her, your face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning."
"Mom..." I sigh in slight embarrassment, even though her observation is true. Gale was my only concern, and I knew that I couldn't allow anything to happen to her, and if it did, I don't know if I'd be able to have lived with myself. Even then she was more important than everything else. She has always been more than people have perceived her as, or how she perceives herself. When I woke up and saw Gale in my room, my heart was pounding out of my chest, my stomach was twisting in knots at the sight of her, It is when I knew then that I loved her, and wanted to make her mine.
I return from my daze of the past memory, to smile at my mom. I know how much she loves me, and how happy she is for me. My mom loves Gale. She's taking Gale on as her own, and the two of them have become so close. Closer, than I ever could imagine. Gale could never replace Tatum, but Gale is my mom's daughter in every way that she could be. They formed a bond, both needing each other, even though they didn't realize it. They both lost something that they were able to recover in each other. It gives me great joy to see the two people who I love more than anything in the world forge a relationship.
My mom grips my arms, as the wind blows through her hair. "I'm so proud of you Dwight, and everything you've become. I'm going to go sit down, before I ruin your suit with my tears, along with my dress." She kisses my cheek, before turning to sit in one of the plastic fold up chairs on the lawn, next to Sidney, who is sitting next to Mark.
As much as I wanted to have everyone under the sun come to our wedding, Gale was hesitant. Gale preferred if we just eloped, and be done with it. She has professed several times in the last six months or so how she didn't deserve to be this happy, to have this dream. She didn't want a bunch of people staring at her and judging her. She got it into her head that people would murmur about her and our relationship, and how I deserved someone so much more than her. It was one thing for her to believe it, but it was another thing to have people agree with her fear. I have consoled her, tried to reason with her, and comfort her about her anxieties, but it's usually to no avail. Even last night, when we said goodbye, she questioned if I still wanted to do this.
