Being Alive: A The Queen's Gambit Story

Chapter Five

Beth is half asleep when the phone rings on her nightstand. She just bought a phone for the bedroom a few weeks ago, and since then, she seemed to get twice as many calls. Benny groans, covering his eyes with his hand, and says, "You know, we got a lot less calls before you brought a phone in here."

"Please spare me your bedrooms are not for phones lecture," Beth says, nudging his arm affectionately before she reaches over him and grabs the phone. Draped over his torso, Beth answers the phone, shooting him a playful look when he pinches her side.

"Hello?"

"Beth, I need you to do me a favor."

"Jolene," Beth says happily, picking up the phone cradle and sitting back on her side of the bed. Benny nudges the cord behind his pillow and then proceeds to close his eyes again. "What do you need?"

"A witness for my wedding."

"Your wedding is next month," Beth says, not understanding. Jolene's married lawyer kept his word and left his wife for her, and they were supposed to get married at the end of the next month.

"Well, it was next month, but now it's this afternoon," Jolene says. "Rick's family isn't too keen on him marrying a black woman. Like I'm not the best thing to happen to the man."

"Of course, you are," Beth says. Jolene had always been the best of people, even when Beth hadn't really understood what that meant.

"So, we're saying fuck 'em, and just doing the justice of the peace route."

"What time do you need me?" Beth asks immediately.

"We're meeting at the courthouse at noon."

"I'll be there."

Beth hangs up the phone and asks Benny, "Do you want to go to a courthouse wedding?"

Benny opens one eye. "What exactly are you asking me?"

"My friend Jolene is getting married this afternoon and I'm going to be her witness."

"I thought she was getting married next month."

"Change of plans," Beth says simply, climbing out of bed. She walks over to her closet and starts going through her dresses. "I don't know what to wear to a courthouse wedding."

"I'd say the rule is probably still no white."

"I know that," she says, already combing through the various hangers with military-like precision. Something occurs to her, and she looks back at Benny. "You don't have a suit."

"So what?" He's lying in bed with his arms crossed behind his head, and he looks so positively cute that she almost forgets all about the afternoon and climbs back into bed with him, but she can't have that. This is Jolene and she knows her friend is already not getting the wedding she had originally wanted. Benny is getting a suit.

"Ben Snyders opens at 9. We'll find you something there."

"I don't need a suit. I have my black coat. That's good enough."

"You shouldn't even have that black coat anymore," she tosses over her shoulder, attention back to her closet.

"Stay away from my coat, Beth. You already made me throw away the hat."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is."

"I promise to not touch your coat," she says, turning back around. "But, you need a suit."