A Little Broken (23 page)

“But you told me…”

“You see, Jessie? It doesn’t matter to me; your issues are a part of you. We’re all a little broken.”

Jessie could feel her heart swelling with his words, so honest. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved him. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, with anyone else, ever.

At a loss for words, she said the only thing that came to mind.

“I love you, Dominick.”

***

Two weeks later

It was official. She was now Mrs. Dominick Wace. After a long discussion about their dreams for the future, they’d decided to have a small short ceremony at the county clerk’s office. Sure, an elopement wasn’t generally every little girl’s fantasy, but Jessie thought it was perfect.

The vows took place in a small room, with only her, Dominick, and the official, and she couldn’t have been more pleased with the setting. She had known, that even with the progress in life she’d made, she couldn’t handle doing the big family affair, with flowers and dresses and menus – even thinking about it gave her anxiety. Dominick hadn’t been sold on the small affair, and she spared a thought for the almost-argument they had about it a week ago.

“Jessie, don’t you want the big gown, your friends? Your mom there and your dad to give you away?” Dominick asked, perplexed.

“No. I love my mom, and I’d love to bring her down for a visit, but the whole hoopla? No. I can’t even think about a big lavish wedding. Besides, those cost money,” she’d answered him, honestly.

“If it’s about money, you know I’ll pay for it. This is the new millennium, you know, the bride’s parents don’t have to pay for it, or the bride herself, for that matter.”

Jessie put her hand on her hip, cocking it out in a show of offense. “It’s not about the money.”

“Well, what is it then, baby? I want you to be happy, but I don’t want you to lose your dreams either,” he asked, pulling her to sit next to him on the couch.

Slouching down in the soft cushion, she remained silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. He didn’t rush her, knowing that she would answer when she was ready.

“Dominick, from the beginning, it’s always been just you and me. That’s how I want us to start our life together. The world? It’s out there, but here, it feels like we’re the only two people in it. I love that feeling. Maybe one day we can renew our vows or something, you know on the beach with our friends to celebrate our love, but for this? I’d really rather it be just us.”

He was quiet for a while, his finger tracing his initials on her leg.

“Okay, if you’re sure. Whatever you want, I want too.”

She’d been sure they were going to argue about it for days, but when he said he wanted what she did, he’d meant it. He’d taken them down to get their license, since in Florida the law required having it three days before you actually get married – probably to ensure no drunken tourists made a mistake; it was Tampa after all, not Las Vegas. Jessie had even bought a dress for the occasion, skipping the usual bridal gown choices. Instead, with help from Toni, she’d chosen a gorgeous little bubbly pink cocktail dress. It fit her well, hugging her curves and accentuating them stylishly. She felt beautiful in her matching high-heeled sandals, her toes manicured to perfection. She’d styled her own hair, sweeping it into a loose chignon and decorating it with flower and sapphire comb – her something blue, as it were. Despite her insistence that she didn’t need to follow those wedding rules, Toni had leaned on her and she’d caved. Her old was an antique black-gold necklace that her mom had mailed her, and her borrowed was a pearl bracelet from Toni. The dress was the something new, of course.

“Wife, you look beautiful,” Dominick said, slipping his hand into hers. They were in the backseat of an ostentatious, antique white Rolls Royce. It had been his only demand for the wedding, and since he’d caved on everything else, she couldn’t deny him – even if she thought it was a bit much for the short ride to the diner where a small dinner was being held in their honor.

“You’d better be careful…I’m not sure a husband is allowed to think so highly of his wife,” she said coyly, trying to be serious but ruining it by laughing out loud. She just couldn’t contain her joy – she was on cloud nine, and wasn’t questioning the feeling.

It wasn’t long before the driver stopped the car and hopped out to open their door. As soon as her soles hit the pavement, Dominick swept her up to cradle her in his arms.

“EEEP! What are you doing?!” she shrilled, kicking to get him to put her back down.

“Carrying you over the threshold, of course.”

“That only counts when we get home!” she retorted. She knew that her struggles were useless, so she quit trying. He was going to do what he wanted, he usually did.

“Welp, I wanna make sure I do it right,” he answered her, opening the door to the diner. Once inside he put her down flat, and pulled her into a quick kiss before releasing her.

The diner had been transformed. It was magical and she stood in awe at the view that greeted her. The portraits from the walls had been taken down, instead strewn with sheer white lace curtains.  There were candles and white lights everywhere, along with white roses, lilies, and tulips. The previously polished wooden tables were covered in white and soft pink tablecloths and each was sat with gold-rimmed dinner plates and matching glasses, instead of the normal ceramic dishware the diner used daily.

“What is this?” she whispered softly, confused and amazed at the same time.

“My uncle’s concession for not throwing a fit over the small wedding,” he said softly, embarrassment in his tone.

Just then, a loud voice boomed through the room.

“May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Dominick Wace!”

Cheering followed as people Jessie recognized started pouring into the room. She saw some of her regular customers, her coworkers, Toni, of course, standing alongside Mr. Castellanos. Ducking her head, overwhelmed, she tried to gather her thoughts when Dominick interrupted her.

“Jessie,” he said, pulling on her arm.

Looking up at him, she followed his pointed look and found her mom, standing in the corner, tears in her eyes as she stared at her daughter.

“Mom?” Jessie said quietly, unmoving. Her mom couldn’t be here; she was working and couldn’t get out of it. She had cried when they’d spoken, apologizing profusely, which, of course, Jessie had forgiven easily – it wasn’t like she’d planned a big event.

Dominick moved her, his hand on her back to guide her through the crowd. About halfway to her mom, Jessie broke apart, running to her. She was pulled into a hug, her mom kissing her hair and pushing loose tendrils behind her ears.

“Daughter, you look beautiful.”

“What are you doing here, Mom? I mean, I’m so glad you are, but I didn’t expect it! You’re supposed to be working. Where’s Dad?”

“Right here, Jess,” her dad’s voice came from behind her. Spinning out of her mom’s arms, she leapt at him, laughing into his chest as he bear hugged her, picking her up off the floor.

“AHH! No one seems to want to let me stand tonight!” she exclaimed, more happy than she ever thought possible.

“You didn’t think we’d miss this, did you?”

“But how!?” she asked, shaking her head to clear it. She caught Mr. C’s eye and he winked at her, answering the question he hadn’t heard from her.

Her mom laughed, while her dad pulled Dominick into a hug. The four of them moved to meet with her boss, and her best friend. Together, they talked and ate – her husband even forced her to dance, in public, again, in front of everyone. For once, Jessie didn’t mind the crowd, or the tight space. She was just happy everyone was there for her, happy for her, loving her.

Sometime during the night, she sat to give her feet a break from her shoes and Dominick sidled up behind her.

“Are you mad at me for not telling you they had this all planned?” he asked, his hand waving toward the group of people and decorations.

“No. It’s perfect. Thank you…for everything. You have no idea how happy I am right now,” she said, grabbing his hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles.

His head came up and when he looked back down at her his eyes were bright. “Come on, one last surprise. Let’s go outside.”

Following him, and everyone else, she stood in front of the diner, wondering what they had up their sleeves this time. Her mom came up to her first, hugging her and placing a pink and blue box into her hands. Looking down on it, she saw the word “Hope” on its label.

“Open it,” her mom gently urged.

Doing as she was told, she gingerly loosened the ribbon and opened the box. To her surprise, a pastel-colored butterfly fluttered up toward the sky. As she watched it fly amongst the night sky, a dozen more joined it, then even more. Confused, Jessie looked around to see everyone holding the same softly colored boxes in their hands, faces serenely solemn. Her eyes watered, and she cleared her throat several times. She’d discussed with Dominick the butterfly and its meaning to her, and to her baby, and he must’ve orchestrated this.

Spinning, she met his gaze.

“The most important piece of Jessie couldn’t be here today,” he said, addressing the crowd. “Each box you all have, held a small part of that piece: hope, love, faith. Her son may be gone, but he is not forgotten. You’ve all been able to watch Jessie transform with me, and she isn’t done yet, but always know that she wouldn’t be the woman we all love, that
I
love, without him. So, I want to thank that sweet boy who brought this boy his girl.”

Epilogue

Two Years Later

Jessie’s shift at the diner flew by in a blur of people. Toni had called in sick and Mr. Castellanos had to take the shift, making little time for him to corner her, though she could tell from the look in his eye when he glanced at her that he wanted to. She knew she was acting odd, she couldn’t help it in fact, and was grateful for his distraction. When she finished her shift, she merely waved at him before slipping out the door, knowing that she’d get a call as soon as he got an opening – or he’d call Dominick.

They’d been married for two years. Two years of laughter and tears, of encouragement and insane sadness, as she dealt with her issues, and they grew together. Dominick had even talked her into going to visit her son’s grave a few months ago, holding her hand the entire time she stood over his flat stone and cried. Though there were sad days, they were more than happy. He truly tried to give her the world, showing her everything in his power. He took her to see shows at the Straz center – everything from Beauty and the Beast to stand-up comedy. Wine tastings, beer festivals, you name it, he took her. She met many people through the events and it had taken her less time than she’d anticipated to adjust to large crowds.

Today, however, she was on a mission. She’d gone through all her regular motions when getting ready this morning, and when she’d reached for her birth control pills, her heart had nearly stopped. She’d been sick lately, and hadn’t been taking them regularly. There were more pills than she thought possible on the little dial, and, confused, she counted the days she’d missed. Too many. Then it dawned on her that her period hadn’t started yet, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had it. Choosing to ignore it all, she’d gone off to work, pushing it to the back of her mind, despite that her thoughts kept trying to interrupt her. Dominick also picked up on something bothering her, and while he’d asked, he hadn’t pushed the issue too hard, knowing she’d come to him when she was ready.

Now, she walked swiftly to the drugstore down the street and discreetly purchased a pregnancy test – not wanting to take it, but knowing she had no choice. What would she do if it were positive? What would
they
do? She knew she was in no way ready to have a baby yet, but if she was pregnant she’d have no choice – she couldn’t end the baby’s life by having an abortion…she just couldn’t.

Stuffing the paraphernalia into her bag, she all but ran to Dominick’s house, their house. Crashing through the door with all the grace of a bull in a china shop, she bolted for the bathroom, her breath heaving with exertion. Familiar with the process of how to use the small plastic test, she did it quickly, before she got the chance to change her mind. Setting it on the counter, there was nothing more she could do but wait.

***

Clutching the test tightly to her chest, Jessie slid to the floor, her back against the cabinets of the sink. She had no idea how long she’d been in the small room and this was how Dominick found her when he came home from work.

“Jessie? You okay?” His voice was soft as he knelt on the cold floor in front of her.

Unable to speak, she hung her head, terrified to look at him. Of course they’d talked about the possibility of children one day, but one day was supposed to be really far in the future. Like, a decade or something.

“Baby?”

“Um…yeah, I’m fine,” she sniffled, still clutching the test to her.

“You’re crying and shaking…” The disbelief in his tone was obvious and she couldn’t help the smile that lifted her lips.

“Okay, maybe I’m a little un-fine,” she said in acquiescence. Knowing that she needed to talk before he got really worried, she offered him the small piece of plastic.

“What...” Dominick trailed off as he took the proffered item. Jessie watched the emotions flash across his face: confusion, apprehension were the first. They were quickly replaced with shock, awe, and then a childlike excitement. He tilted first his head, then the test, then brought it closer to his face, obviously making sure he saw what his brain told him was there.

“We’re…you’re…” His face was alight with happiness, making it easier for her to breathe. Part of her panic had been half him and his reaction, after all. “Baby?”