The Good Life

Chapter 37

Two years later

Marla sat in front of the window with Whitney combing through her hair. Whitney started to put her hair in a soft braid. “Ready to see?” Whitney asked her.

“I’m ready!” Marla squealed.

“Okay, ma’am…check it out…” Marla turned around to see her long brown hair lightly braided with a bright yellow flower sitting right below her left ear. Her dangling pearl diamond earrings sparkled in the afternoon Hawaiian sunlight.

“Mama’s pretty!” a 2 and a half year old Rosalia walked toward her mother, holding her hands up to be picked up.

“And my little rose is also very pretty!” Marla kissed her daughter on the cheek and walked toward the door in her simple long white cotton maxi dress.

“Are you ready, mija?” Marla’s father’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her and his granddaughter embracing in the bedroom.

“Estamos listas.” she said. Travis stood behind her father holding out his hand to Rosalia.

“Come with my, princess…” he motioned for her to come with him. “We’re going to go see dad and Zachy.”

“Go, go!” Marla put her down and rubbed her daughter’s curly hair which was full of flowers.

“See you in a few minutes, sissy.” he told her running off with his niece.

“Marla, you are so beautiful today. I am so glad you two found each other. I was not sure how this was going to work. If he was going to leave you heartbroken or just broken, but I haven’t seen you as happy as since you were perhaps 2 years old.” her father said with a small tear down his cheek.

“Oh dad, don’t cry. At least not yet.”

**

Marla’s toes hit the sand quietly. She and her father looked toward the small audience which included her small family; Bruno’s never ending family and all those who had made their small family what it was that day. She felt a small raindrop fall on her arm. Rain on your wedding day is good luck, I guess…she paused to take everything in. She smiled when she saw her daughter standing next to Bruno. She’s not supposed to be on that side! Silly. As she and her father started walking down the aisle she started to remember the day they met. The first song he played, the song that wasn’t even played to her. The way he introduced himself- it was just so normal. And then, everything after was so not normal. Their first kiss, their first date, their first argument, their family, their home…it wasn’t what she had planned. But it was just so beyond perfect. And she wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. It was just so good. It was a Good Life.

It was a very simple religious ceremony. They had decided against a full Catholic ceremony, even though they could have. Even though Marla thought, in some way she was disappointing her parents (and grandparents) she was reassured that the quiet and simple beach wedding was their relationship – different than she had planned. Marla’s father handed her hand to Bruno and hugged him.

Marla, Bruno and Rosalia, together, lit a unity candle symbolizing their family and togetherness.

The pastor began the ring ceremony, “May I have the rings?” Eric handed him Marla’s ring and Fiona handed him Bruno’s ring. The pastor handed Bruno her ring.

They decided to write their own vows. She knew she was going to be out done. She wore light make-up prepared to cry.

“Marla Kate Gonzales, my sister told me about you before we met…” she never heard this story. He was holding back…”She said that she was working with this amazing girl. This girl that had a heart of gold, but not only did the girl have a heart of gold, she was smart…and she spoke Spanish…and she was beautiful…I….” he paused to gather his thoughts. “I…we had to squeeze that into our schedule. Jamie had to beg me. She begged me by telling me about you. But when I saw you with your messy hair and your crazy system, I knew that I had to have you. What I didn’t know….what I didn’t know was that I was going to fall in love with you. And you changed everything. You changed me, you changed the way I see the world, the way I talk, the way I walk, the way I do everything. There is no way to describe it. I tried to write all of this down…even today, you still drive me crazy. And I promise to love and to cherish and to protect and to hold and to never let go of you and the life we create together – even after death do us part. I will still be there. I will never let go.” He slipped the diamond ring on his finger with the engraving of Never Let Go.

“I’m going to try my hardest not to cry…” Marla started as she took his soft hands from his side. He smiled at her and she melted. “You need to stop doing that or else I might just have to stop before we even start. That whole dimple thing has always driven me crazy…” she said to everyone. The audience laughed at her. “I wasn’t concerned about love when I met you. I just wanted to finish school. I was, really, stressed out. But you did something to me that day. I knew you were some random semi-famous guy performing at my fundraiser. I would shake your hand, I would thank you for the attention to the cause you brought and I would go home to sleep with the cat on my bed…but you had different plans. Plans, plans that changed quickly. There’s no way to explain it all. But, I do know, that I will love you no matter how far away you are from us, or what time you call us, or when you sleep next to us. I will, we will, love you no matter what you decide to do with your life – whether you are singing in front of 100,000 people or you are writing for 1 single person. Or you are sitting in front of our daughter singing her song. I…we…will always love you.” a few tears fell down her cheek as she finished her vows.

He moved his hands from hers to wipe her tears. “Let me get that, Mar…” he said gently.

She sniffed loudly, turning her head to get the ring from Fiona. “I love you, Peter…”

They kissed before the pastor could introduce them and husband and wife.

“Mr. & Mrs. Hernandez!” everyone yelled as it started to rain. Marla and Bruno grabbed their daughter’s hand and ran toward the covering of the venue. Everyone ran after them.