Page 34 of That Wedding (That Boy 2)
I've been dreading registering because Lori told me I needed to picture what kind of dishes I would want to serve my children holiday dinners on. What dishes I want to feed Phillip a lovingly made dinner from every night. What color my kitchen would be, so my mixer would match.
Registering felt like an overwhelming task, but it wasn't.
We walked in, looked at the fine china patterns, looked at each other, and said, "That one." Then we picked out flatware, and Phillip's dad picked out a stemware pattern that I love. It's gorgeous heavy crystal, but the glass is cut in a modern way.
Phillip's mom showed us the items that she loves to use when entertaining, and those things that are too much of a hassle to deal with. Like real silver. Yes, it's shiny and gorgey in the store, but who has time to deal with it?
And instead of registering being a chore, it was a breeze. I think Phillip and I were just overwhelmed with all of the possibilities and here, with their help, all the picks we made, made sense. She even suggested we register for a few holiday pieces. She said people will love knowing we'll use them every year.
When we were done, Phillip took me over to look at wedding bands. I was a bit overwhelmed by all the sparkle in the case, but I didn't see one that was slightly curved like my ring. "I don't think any of these will fit my ring. I don't really need a wedding band, Phillip. My engagement ring is enough."
"No way, Princess. You're not getting out of wearing a wedding band that easy. I want everyone to know you're married." He touches my ring finger. "I also heard you talking to Lori about what kind of band you thought would look pretty, so I had one made. We snuck over here earlier to see if it was finished. Wanna see it?"
I have to control myself not to jump up and down in the middle of the store and scream, Of course, I wanna see it!!!
A salesperson brings out a box and sets it in front of me. I slowly open the lid.
"Holy shit!" I say loudly. Everyone in the store turns to stare at me.
I lower my head and say breathlessly, "Phillip, it's gorgeous."
My engagement ring has an X on each side that's filled with baguette diamonds. The wedding band has three rows of the same baguettes. I take my engagement ring off, so I can try it on.
Phillip slides the band on my finger. "Just think, the next time I put this ring on your finger, we'll be saying our vows. What do you think about writing our own vows?"
I'm pretty sure I'd agree to just about anything right now. Vows, murder, cheating, armed robbery, yeah, whatever, I'm in.
I hold the ring up, watch it sparkle in the lights, and then put my engagement ring on top of it. "Sure, Phillip. Vows, yeah, we can do that." I look at my hand some more. "Wow, this is pretty amazing."
"I think you're just easy to impress with a little bling."
He gives me a sweet kiss on the cheek while I think, This is a hell of a lot more than a little bling.
I decide to take a lesson from Mrs. Mac and not say a word. Because if he wants to think this is a little bling, I can't imagine the day he tries to impress me with some big bling.
We're worn out from our annual Thanksgiving football game and stuffed from Thanksgiving dinner, but we headed to the bar to meet up with our friends. It's become a tradition too.
Danny and Lori are in town, so they joined us.
I ask Lori, "Have you thought of any baby names yet?"
"A few. I kinda like Sloan or Carly for a girl. And we've been thinking about some meaningful names. Like Hayden Fry was a great football coach, so Danny thought Hayden might be cool for a boy. I don't know that much about football, so I suggested Madden."
"I love that name!"
"I do too, but he thought it was hilarious that the only name I knew was from an Xbox game. Of course, he idolizes Tom Osborne, the great Husker coach, but I don't care for either Tom or Osborne as a first name. Danny thought Osborne Diamond sounded super awesome. I didn't mind that until he told me he'd call the kid Ozzy. Um, no. I don't think so."
Phillip, who's been drinking all day and is a little tipsy, says sillily, "I know! You could name your daughter Carat. Get it? Carat Diamond."
Katie and Lisa both say at the same time, "Hope! What about Hope Diamond?"
I didn't partake in the drinking today.
I know, shocker, right?
I didn't drink earlier because I'm so competitive when it comes to the annual football game. Then after the game, when I was stuffing myself with turkey and all sorts of other goodies, I kept drinking water. I'm hoping the water will absorb some of the hundred million calories I consumed and will quickly flush them out of my body. I want to make sure my wedding dress fits!!
Phillip's doing shots with the boys, so I'm being responsible and am just sipping on a martini. I wanted a raspberry martini, but Lori made me get a cosmopolitan just so she could smell it. After a few minutes of her sniffing my drink, I begged the bartender for a nonalcoholic version. Now she's torn between loving the feel of the martini glass in her hand and being horrified that people will think she's drinking alcohol.
She rolls her eyes at Phillip's suggestion of Carat Diamond and continues our conversation. "I think Damon is my favorite for a boy."
"Damon Diamond. I like that."
"Another Big D," Joey says, slapping Danny on the back.
"Really, it should be Double D," I stupidly say. It causes all the guys to hoot and holler.
What is it about boys and boobs?
Neil yells, "Double D! Aw yeah, baby. Gotta love those. You should definitely pick a D name for your daughter. Lori's got big cans, maybe your daughter will too."
All the guys laugh and start coming up with D names. They throw out Darcy, Daisy, Daniella, and Dani."
Danny says, "We can't give a girl the same name as me, that would be dumb. I do think Destiny would be kinda cute though."
Joey giggles. "Destiny Diamond. That totally sounds like a stripper name. That'd be so hot."
"You know, I've kinda been freaking out over being a father, but then I read in a men's magazine somewhere that as long as you can keep your son off the pipe and your daughter off the pole, that you've done a good job."
Lori is sitting next to me. She hasn't moved an inch, but I swear, I just felt the earth shift. Like she's a volcano waiting to blow.
She gives Danny the evilest stare I've ever seen. Way worse than the death stare she gave me at her candle passing. And that almost killed me.
Danny is kinda drunk, and he's having fun, goofing around. I don't think he realizes that this is in no way funny to Lori.
She grabs his hand across the table to get his attention and says madly, "I've been puking daily, listening to classical music that I hate, and drinking only organic juices. I haven't had a cup of coffee, a diet coke, or a beer in months. I've painted the nursery with nontoxic paint, so the baby won't get cancer, and bought baby Einstein toys. And you mean to tell me, your only goal for our child is to not be a stripper or a drug addict?"
"We're just messing around, having fun. Relax, Lori," Danny says.
She pulls her hand away from him. "You're right. That's exactly what I need to do." She says, "Excuse me," to the table and slides out of her chair.
Her and her baby bump make their way up to the bar. A few minutes later, she comes back with two shots of tequila and a pack of cigarettes.
She's about to make a point, I think.
Danny and the boys are still enjoying the baby name game. Danny's laughing hysterically about another stripper name.
Neil says, "How bout Dakota Diamond? She could wear a cowboy hat, boots, and a rhinestone thong."
The guys all laugh hysterically. Phillip is wiping tears from his eyes. The only time Phillip laughs so much he cries is when he's drunk.
I watch Lori open the pack of cigarettes, take one out, put it in her mouth, and light it.
She takes a pretend drag, slides a shot glass in front of me, and says loudly, "To my future child."
I hold my shot glass in the air whi
le I kick Danny under the table.
He looks at Lori in horror and grabs the shot glass away from her. "What the hell are you doing?"
Her voice is surprisingly calm as she says, "Why should I make all these sacrifices for our child when your expectations are so low?"
"We're just teasing. I have goals for our child. Big goals. And I'm so proud of all you've done. I'm sorry, baby."
What a suck up.
Lori seems to be appeased though. She smashes out the cigarette, moves the ashtray as far away as she can, and then announces that she has to pee.
When she's safely in the bathroom, Danny turns to me, clinks the shot glass against mine, and downs the shot. Then he takes mine and downs it too.
Somehow, I don't think it will be his last of the pregnancy.
"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" he asks.
I just smile at him because I really don't have an answer.
I feel like I'm out in the wilderness hunting for my dinner without a gun.
And it's hopeless that I'll ever find myself a meal because Phillip won't let me have a gun.
He says women shouldn't carry guns. And when I ask if I could have a knife, or a sword, or a grenade, or even a bow and arrow, he just keeps saying no, no, no.
And no is not a word I like to hear.
I adore Phillip, but he really needs to set foot in this century.
Why do I feel this way?
Because we're looking at houses, and we can't seem to agree on what to spend. Phillip is conservative and has a strict budget in mind, and nothing I say can change that stubborn mind.
I've offered to get money out of my trust, so we can afford something a little nicer. Something preferably in Danny and Lori's neighborhood. Phillip says no. He doesn't want me to spend any of my money on the house. I've even tried to be creative. I've offered a lot of money. I've offered little amounts of money. I've offered monthly kind of money.
But still, no.
