Spirit

Blessed Be Your Not-So-Great Wedding

"Can you feel the love?" 

-Eva Simmons, "This is Love"

My hair is tied up in a bun. I am wearing a loose-white polyester dress with some flip flops and a beaded necklace. I feel better than I've ever felt before. This is it. 

Today is the day my mom gets married. Today is the day she becomes forever united with her one true soul mate, Asher. And today is the day I accept Carl and Darren as my step brothers. 

I am on a beach with my family, Asher's family, Sarafina, and a high Wiccan Priest. The Priest draws a pentacle in the sand, and we are asked to stand on its circular line and join hands, while my mom and Asher and the priest stand in the middle. This way, we can bless the marriage effectively with all our positive spirits and energy.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the lovely marriage of Asher Smith and Mayflower Robbins. Do you two have any vows to each other?" Says the Priest. 

My mom nods her head. Her eyes meet Asher's, and they join hands.  I can tell all the way from where I am standing, which is pretty far from her, that she is blushing. A tear slips from her right eye. 

"Asher, all my life, I have been a very independent woman. I never thought I would need to marry. I never even thought it would happen. Most men are intimidated and afraid of a strong woman who can provide for herself. 

"But then, when I was at the gym, teaching a spinning class, I saw YOU in the first row. I was immediately hypnotized by your green eyes. And I knew you were magickal. I knew you were different. 

"So, I asked to speak to you after class. And you said you weren't just a man, and you weren't just a woman. You were both, perfectly mixed together. You also said you would love to spend the rest of your life with a girl who knew how to take care of yourself. And now, here we are.

"I vow to love you for who you are. I don't care about your gender, your hobbies, or your messy brown hair. I care about the person inside of you. I care about your spirit.  I vow to never leave your side, even when things get hard. I vow to take care of you and your children, like I take care of me and mine. So mote it be," She says.

Asher bites their lip. I can see that they are nervous. 

"Mayflower, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Even when it's 6:00am and you've just woken up, and your hair is all messy and your breath smells awful, you're still beautiful. 

"I vow to remind you of your worth everyday of my life. I vow to never let you go. I vow to take care of you and Anna like I take care of myself, Carl, and Darren. I vow to give you love so long as I get it from you in return. So mote it be," They say. 

I look at Sarafina. She stands to my right. I squeeze her hand as the sea breeze blows our hair in our faces. We laugh at how silly we look. Then, our focus goes right back to the wedding.

The priest officiates them. They say their, "I dos." Their is not a single ounce of regret in their voices. The two are meant for each other, and they know it. It is clear as day.

"You may now kiss," Says the priest. "Have a blessed marriage." 

As my mom's lips lock around Asher, each of us raises our arms. We accumulate energy, happy, loving energy. The amount of love just gets bigger and bigger. Now, we point our linked hands toward my mom and her new spouse, directing all our energy towards her and Asher. After that, we let go, and head to the pier, where the reception is being held. 

The pier is full of fun activities. There's a guy who makes tye-dye shirts and hat, there's a photo booth, and a jukebox. Sarafina and I run toward the photo booth immediately. 

We sit down in the booth, and close the curtain. "It's crazy," I say. "My mom is married now."

"I know, I know," Says Sarafina.

"It's like, she's a completely different person!" I say, raising my arms for emphasis.

Sarafina laughs. "Anna, you haven't even talked to your mom since the wedding!" 

"I know," I say, "But I can feel it in the air. I just know she's never going to be the way she used to be. Not with Asher." 

Sarafina faces me. A sequin falls off her fancy blue dress. She puts her hands on my shoulders. She looks me straight in the eye. It's like we are staring into each others' souls. 

"Anna," She says, "Stop being so sappy and emotional! Let's take a damn picture, already!" 

We click on the screen of our photo booth's computer. We are asked to choose a special effect. There are dozens of crazy options to choose from. From Classic B and W to some weird effect called, "Frog Faces," this computer seems to have everything you could ask for to make a good photo. Sarafina and I choose the BFF effect, which makes us look like girly girls and says, "BFF" over our faces.

We hug each other tight, and get into the camera's view. We click on the photo-timer. We now have 10 seconds to prepare for our photo to be taken. 

"Say, 'Blessed Wedding!'" Says Sarafina. 

When the Camera takes our picture, we yell it out. We are so loud. People in Egypt can probably hear us right now. But we don't give a shit. This is my mom's wedding, we're having fun, and that is all that matters. 

We hop out of the booth, and retrieve our photo. My mouth is open wide, even though I am still smiling. The special effect added a bow on my butt, which looks extremely inappropriate. Sarafina's head is tilted back, and her eyes are squinted. We look ugly, but at least the top of the photo says that we're BFFs.

Out of nowhere, I feel a tap on my shoulder, and so does Sarafina. It must be my brothers. They probably want to take some photos with me, or something. We turn around, and immediately notice I was wrong. 

Right behind us stand 2 tall, angry figures. One of them is a female lawyer dressed clearly for her occupation. The other is a male priest of St. Peter's Church. Their eyebrows are scrunched, and they are literally frowning upon us.

Oh no. Oh shit. These two silhouettes are none other than Sarafina's parents.