Shavonda and I looked carefully at the cake topper. It really was an ingenious design. The bride and groom pieces were cast separately, and could be snapped apart. It was designed to be customized. That would explain the variety of options on the web site. For example, the black brides came in thin and thick versions, with 4 hair styles on each. The white grooms had a variety of hair colors and styles, including a long pony tail. I could picture the factory, with rows of bins filled with different bride and groom figures. Our order comes in. "Hey, Frankie, got another one for ya. Thin black bride with afro, white groom with brown tail." Frankie picks the two pieces out of their bins, snaps them together and throws them in a white box and they're on their way to us.
"I'm so glad you were able to find this," Shavonda said softly, with tears in her eyes. "It's perfect."
"Anything to make your day special," I replied.
"Don't you get it, Jason?" Shavonda said with a hint of irritation in her voice. "This isn't MY day. It's OUR day. This day is about US. People are coming to celebrate our love for each other. That's what makes it so special. They are celebrating both of us, not just me. I may have dreamed of this for a long time, but it's not just about me."
I nodded. I'd never thought of it like that. When I'd married Rose, she was anal about every detail. I felt lost in the shuffle. Just stay out of the way and play your role when the time comes. This was different, because Shavonda herself saw it differently. For her, it wasn't about being the center of attention, it was about sharing the spotlight with the man she loved. We were in this together. And, like she had so many times before, she gently nudged me to see her vision. And I loved it. I loved the way she always did that. When she wanted you to see her point of view, instead of yelling at you for being so stupid, she took the time to explain what she wanted or saw, and let you make your own decision. More often than not, you'd decide she was right after all. And, because she hadn't tried to emasculate you, there was no shame in giving in to her. She was very persuasive.
Occasionally, in the discussion it would turn out that you were right. Shavonda would quietly admit you had a point, and do things your way. Because we kept ego oi]out of it, we rarely had the arguments that other couples had. Our relationship wasn't being strained from within. All stress came from outside forces.
Exhausted, put the kids to bed and crawled into our own. We were too tired to even remove our clothing, which was different because we usually slept nude. I still had to get up at 3:30 in the morning for work, so we cuddled spoon style as we fell asleep.
I awoke when the alarm went off, and got out of bed in the dark, with just the streetlight outside illuminating the room. Shavonda's dress had hiked up to her waste, reveling the prettiest pair of hot pink panties. Against her dark skin, in the dim light they seemed to glow. They were cut to perfectly accentuate her womanly curves. I stood there a minute in awe of her beauty. It was sobering to realize that this goddess, snoring softly in her bed, was who I was destined to spend the rest of my life with. I wanted to yank those panties down right then and take her in her sleep, work be damned. Instead, I planted a kiss on the brown skin of her waist, just above the panties, and let her sleep. She moaned when my lips touched her. It took all I had to walk away and take my shower.
After work, we had an appointment at Oakmont bakery to taste cake samples. Because of this, Shavonda, who'd spent most of her time at the Carson Street store, was working the Ellsworth Avenue store. It was easier to get to Oakmont in the evening rush hour from Shadyside than it was to get from South Side. Althea had once again agreed to pick the kids up and babysit them at our house. Our house. I loved the way that sounded. I knew I'd miss my old house, and especially the Zuccheros, but we were building a life together and some things had to be sacrificed. We made sure the Zuccheros were invited to the wedding.
I picked Shavonda up at the store, and we drove in pretty bad conditions up Allegheny River Blvd. The weather had turned much colder, and the rain was freezing on whatever it touched. Due to traffic and accidents, it took us over two hours to get to the bakery, and we'd missed our appointment. They were gracious, however, due to the weather, and we were able to sample the cakes and pick out what we wanted. I fell in love with the chocolate cake, but Shavonda insisted on red velvet. In the end, we compromised on a cake with some chocolate layers and some red velvet. The cake itself would be 3 tiers. I'd remembered to bring the cake topper along, and the baker said it would look great on the cake we'd chosen.
On the way out, I couldn't resist, and bought a chocolate cake with white icing.
The roads hadn't improved much by the time we left, so rather than stop for something to eat on the way home like we'd intended, we got a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. It would have to do. The ride home was dangerously beautiful, with the ice-covered tree branches sparkling under the streetlights.
Because of the icy conditions, we insisted on Althea staying overnight. In the morning, road conditions had improved. The temperature had risen overnight and the ice had melted. Shavonda drove me to work, dropping me off next to my truck. As I loaded my backpack into my truck, she came out of the car and hugged me. "You be safe out there. I worry about you," she said, kissing me.
Robbie, one of our other drivers, wandered over. "Hey, Jason, who's the fine ass sistah you got there."
"This is my fiancé, Shavonda. We're getting married next month," I replied. Shavonda proudly showed off her ring.
"Pleased to meet you, pretty lady," Robbie turned on the charm. "Congratulations on your marriage."
