Theatre Material For The Soul

[37] Hold This Wretched Baby

Belle: BELLE enters. She carries MAGS who is screaming. BELLE is glowing with anticipation.

Josie! Josie! Hold this wretched baby.

Hands MAGS to JOSIE. The crying ceases.

You are like magic. What did we ever do without you? Now listen -- You'll never guess. You'll never ever guess. In fact don't. Don't guess. Just look!

BELLE holds out her hand to display a sparkling engagement ring.

The moment I saw him I knew. I knew it. He would be my own. My dearest darling. The one who would cradle me to sleep every night. And you know it wasn't easy. You know he loved some girl who left him. Left him? Can you imagine! But. Last night -- listen. Listen to what he said, he took my hand -- like this.

BELLE takes JOSIE's hand.

And then he said, "Belle, I want to marry you. I want to put a ring on your finger and wait for you at the end of an aisle and see you emerge all white dressed and flowered and I want to dance with you while our family and friends watch us and I want to love you for ever and ever until we're old and we bicker and we smell and our apartment deteriorates around us and we fall asleep with a kiss and grow cold in the bed and everyone agrees that we had the best ever love because we died together."

BELLE falls over in a fit of joy.

Beautiful. Isn't that just the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to anyone ever? I mean really? Can you imagine? I said yes. I said yes immediately and he said, 'Promise you'll never leave me." And I said of course I'd never leave him. I have everything I need right here. I have a wonderful family and now I have a dear husband. Why would I ever leave! I will love him and stand by him and bear his children and everything! Everything! Ach! There is so much to do. We're getting married in a fortnight! I need a dress and a cake and flowers and a party and some bridesmaids, and Mother! Mother!

BELLE exits.

From: Once Upon a Bride There Was a Forest