Page 79 of Time Served in New York
“So fucked up,” Bug gasped. “Holy shit.”
I heard someone behind me snort, and when I turned around, I realized that the videographer was standing behind me with his camera aimed at my friends. I lost it. For the rest of our lives, this day was going to live in mine and Frankie’s hearts forever, but with this added bonus, we’d never get tired of watching our big day play out.
“Gotta have faith . . .” they sang as they danced. Horribly, I might add.
“I’ve seen a lot of shit in my life, but never anything like this,” I heard Rico, Frankie’s brother, say.
His brother Ziggy was laughing so hard he had tears on his face, but Relio looked stunned as he said, “I’m so confused. What is happening right now?”
Hook was gasping for air, bent over with his hands on his knees as he wheezed out an occasional cackle. I was laughing so hard that my sides hurt, and Bug was leaning against Hook as he, too, tried to catch his breath.
“Oh fuck,” Bug muttered. “I just can’t take it.”
Boss never even cracked a smile. He just stood there with a murderous expression as everyone around him lost their fucking minds.
“Are you done?” He asked as he glared at all of us. Finally, he looked at Rico and asked, “Do you have problems like this?”
Rico was laughing too hard to answer, and Ziggy was making a wheezing sound as he clutched his stomach. Relio’s head was tilted to the side, as if he were wondering what sort of alternate universe he’d found, and the poor videographer could barely hold his camera still.
“Every one of you is fucking dead to me,” Boss growled as he put his hands up and then let them fall. “When we get back to Texas, I’m going to start a new club. Once I get it established, we’re gonna come after all of you and just . . . wreak havoc.”
But my friends weren’t finished trying to lighten the mood as the song wound down. All of them were laughing, too, as they stood next to each other and took a dramatic bow for their audience. It was so funny that Boss smirked a little. When Captain did a passable Elvis impersonation and said, “Thank you. Thank you very much,” Boss lost it and laughed right along with the rest of us.
What had started out as a stressful, terrifying afternoon had turned into one of the funniest things I’d ever seen and something I’d never forget, especially since it was on video.
I couldn’t wait to show Frankie, and by the time I got the chance to, she’d be my wife.
???
FRANKIE
“You look stunning, Frankie,” Paula said as she adjusted my necklace. “How are you?”
I considered lying but knew that if any of my friends could understand what I was thinking, it would be Paula. “I’m wondering if I should call this off and try again another day.”
“Try what again?”
“The wedding.”
“Why?”
“We got held at gunpoint an hour before I’m supposed to walk down the aisle, and my wedding gown was covered in blood. If that’s not a bad omen, I don’t know what is.”
Paula bit her lip as she looked out the window behind me. After a few seconds, she said, “I think it was fate that you chose two gowns. You didn’tneedthe one you’re wearing right now. Most brides just wear their gown to the reception and bustle the train, but you were being extra and had to have a wardrobe change. I think everything happened just the way it was supposed to.”
“But Boo and . . . and then Jenn and Bernadette . . .” I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as I blinked rapidly, trying not to cry. “I just don’t know if I can do this today. I don’t know if I should.”
“I was hoping the vengeful anger wouldn’t dissipate until after the reception or at least until after the wedding,” Paula said before she sighed. “Now here’s the real question of the hour. Do you need me to be sympathetic to your feelings like we’ve learned to be, or do you need me to be the girl that grew up in this life?”
I thought about it for a second and then took a deep breath as I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. “Be the girl that grew up like this.”
“Okay. You asked for it,” Paula warned. I nodded, and in the next second, her face changed into an angry mask and her voice was harsh and angry. “Francesca, this day is not about you. This day is about your family, and how you proceed in the next few hours is going to reflect on them. You will dry your eyes and focus on what needs to be done. Youwillwalk down that aisle to your intended with your shoulders back and your head held high. And youwillhave a smile on your face while you do it.”
I nodded and glanced over Paula’s shoulder at Matalie and Jenn who were staring at us in shock. They didn’t understand the life we’d come from, and I prayed that they never would, but that little pep talk from Paula was working perfectly to get my mind where it needed to be.
“There is more riding on this day than your delicate feelings, Francesca. You need to keep that in mind and move forward. What happened before was collateral damage that doesn’t mean a fucking thing in the long run. Boo is fine. We’ll help Bernadette and Jenn through this, but we’ll do it after you’ve fulfilled the obligation we have to our families. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
