A Symphony of Cicadas (3 page)

But I wasn’t prepared when John turned around and looked me straight in the eye.

I had never been a believer of love at first sight
.
Having been burned by Joey’s father, I was left jaded and pessimistic
that I would ever feel
romantic about another man again.
Each failed attempt in the dating world on
ly
solidified this feeling.
But when my eyes met John’s, I felt a jolt run through me and had to look away
.
This was new,
this
feeling of electricity that traveled from his eyes to mine
.
M
y ears fe
lt
hot as my cheeks
flamed
red
.
For the first time, I felt my tongue twist up in my mouth so that words became an effort in a moment that seemed to last longer than it did
in reality
.
But if he noticed, he was too kind to say so, on
ly
continuing his search for whatever blossom arrangement brought him into the store in the first place.

“I’m not real
ly
sure what the proced
ure is,” he
apol
o
gized
.
He had an inviting face, enhanced by the helplessness in his smile as h
is gaze darted
around the store
.
His dark chestnut
hair
held a slight wave in a style just long enough to allow his hands to run though it in frustration
.
I couldn’t help but find this habitual motion of his endearing.
At last, h
is chocolate eyes rested on me with a silent plea for help.

“Well, the first step is to think of the colors she
likes to wear
,” I pro
mpted
.
“Is she more into light
pink hues?  Or does she prefer
colors that are a bit bolder
?”  I managed to get the words out breezi
ly
, even though they sounded like a squeak inside my head
.
He shook his head
in haste
, a pained look on his face.

“No, no,” he said
.
“I’m not
getting
these for a bouquet
.
I actual
ly
need these for a wedding, the boutonnières for the groomsmen.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, feeling foolish
.
I wasn’t sure why I was letting this get to me
, but
h
earing that
the flowers
w
ere
for his wedding
was a shock
, as if the distance between having a girlfriend
and
planning a wedding should make a difference to me
.
“Congratulations!” I told him,
forcing
myself back into business
-mode,
and the reason we were even talking in the first place
.
“When’s the big date?”

“It’s
this afternoon
,” he said
with nervousness
.

“You’re getting married
today
and
are
just now
looking for a boutonnière?” I
asked him, my voice rising in disbelief
.

“No, I’m not getting married,” he said
.
“My best friend is
.
And he forgot all about this until now and sent me to pick something out for him
.”
I shook my head,
in part
from the
sheer relief that it wasn’t his wedding, but also at the absurdity of finding the right flowers
with what I had on hand in the store
.

“Why didn’t he come in here to get them himself?” I asked him as I took a quick glance
at the flowers that lined the walls, searching for some miracle of inspiration.
The grim look on his face was washed away with a humorous smirk, revealing the crease in his cheek
.
I forced myself not to look away this time, even as the heat rose once again to my ears.

“He doesn’t want to get in trouble with his fiancé
e
,” he grinned
.
“Apparent
ly
he told her it was already taken care of
.
And then he sent me out to do his dirty work
.”
He took
another look around before adding, “The colors are purple and white, if that helps.”

The selection I held was rather slim since most of my flowers were ordered ahead of time and spoken for. However, I did have a bouquet of white ranunculus that had just arrived that morning to be used as an inspirational display of alternative wedding bouquets.
With nimble fingers,
I went to work by clipping one of the
large
tissued blossoms down to size, adding a sprig of lilac and a few loose leaves, binding it all together and adding a pin to the back.

“Will something like this work?” I asked him, holding the flower up for inspection
.
The look on his face revealed his approval before he even spoke.

“You did that so fast!” he said in amazement, and this time I
allowed
myself
to
blush.

“They say it’s my job,” I teased, placing the flower on the counter and
starting on the other boutonnières, giving the groomsmen a simpler white flower in matching contrast to the more elaborate boutonnière of the groom
.
I gave him a few
basic
instructions on the care of the flowers
so that they’d keep
until the ceremony
, and then completed
the paperwork
with the final
price.

“I can’t thank you enough,” he said
.
“I’d love to repay you in some way
.”
His eyes brightened
.
“I know!  What are you doing
tonight
?  I mean, if you’re free
.
And you’re not married,” he added quick
ly
.
This time it was his turn to be embarrassed, his face taking on the slight shade of peony pink.

“I’m not married,” I assured him
.
“And I’m not doing anything t
o
night
.
But are you
actually
asking me to be your date to
a wedding
?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way
.
I’m John
Hanlon
, by the way.”

“I’m Rachel
Ashby
,” I said, extending my hand into his.

* * * *

Three years later, I was getting ready to put the finishing touches on our own wedding
.
That is, if I ever got out of the house on time.

“Joey!” I called
.
“It’s time to leave!”

Two

“I
don’t even want to
go,” Joey said, looking toward the line
of tall redwoods whipping past us from the passenger window
.
I sighed, already frustrated with the whole ordeal before it had even started
.
Just before I thought we could leave the house, Joey had managed to squeeze into the shower at the last second, taking at least 30 minutes until the water was turned off.
Then he needed to make his breakfast and decided that slow-cooked oatmeal made a much better meal than a quick bowl of cereal.  Now i
t was past 10:30, the time we were supposed to be there, and I hated to be late
.

Just like Joey, I didn’t want to go to the bridal shop either.
On my list of things to do that day, this was the most dreaded of all of them – especial
ly
since it required crossing the bridge to a town I
had on
ly
visited a handful of times
.
Despite the fact that the city held hundreds of suit shops that would have
been fine
, my sister had insisted we go
to the same shop she had used for her wedding
.
The shop was located in rural Fairfax, a
small town on the other side of the bridge known more for its bohemian roots than being forward
-
thinking
.
It seemed strange to find something as serious as wedding tuxedos in a town that held so much whimsy
.
But the memory of Sara’s
elegant wedding years
earlier
helped the decision along
.
I had been impressed with the tailored look of her groomsmen, taking note of the material and sleek lines that made each man look polished and elegant
.
So I had no reason to disagree when Sara suggested we
go through the same shop she’
d
gone to
for the tuxedos
.
But after weeks of coordinating each groomsman toward the sleepy town rather than
a location convenient to all of us
, I was
beginning to question this decision
.

“I’m not thrilled about this taking up our day either, Josiah,” I
snapped
at
him
, out of patience with his reluctance.

“Then why do we have to go?” he asked, never once looking in my direction
.
I let out a
deep sigh
in irritation.

“Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do
.
Besides, what
big plans did you have for
today?  It’s not like the video games won’t
be there when you get back
.”
His silence served as his response to my dig
.
Another day,
I would have been bothered by his deliberate quiet,
and kept
talking until I could get him to
agree
that this was a much better way to spend his time
instead of
holed up in his room staring at flashing images across
a
screen
.
But I didn’t have it in me to further the conversation downhill
.

I wasn’t quite sure where the shop was
,
even though I’d already been there several times in the past few months
.
I had printed out a map before we left this morni
n
g
, and I fumbled with the pages
of directions
as we drove the curvy roads.

“Mom, watch out!” Joey sudden
ly
cried, and
my attention jerked back up
just as a deer was starting across the road
.
I
slammed on the brakes and
out of the corner of my eye saw my purse
f
ly
forward against the dash and fall
at
Joey’s feet, along with the map that had been
ly
ing
in my lap
.
We both lurched forward, and he leaned his hands against the dash to break his fall. I did a quick glance in the rearview mirror and was relieved to see there was no one behind me who might have slammed into the back of my car and pushed us toward the edge of
a
steep hill
.
The deer took one look at us and sprinted off into the forest below the windy road, disappearing into the trees that surrounded the tiny road we were on.

“Are you ok
ay
?” I asked Joey
, giving
a slow breath of relief
.
He nodded
, smiling in a gesture of peace
.
The earlier argument was forgotten, carried away with the wayward deer.

“I’m fine
.
Want me to hold the map and tell you when to turn?” he asked.

“That would be great,” I told him
, grateful for his help, as well as the distraction from his earlier resistance
.
Joey took the map off the floor and turned it right-side in front of him
.
He traced his finger on it and sighed in frustration.

“Can’t we just use the GPS on your cell phone?” he asked as he tried to locate where we were.

“We can’t,” I sympathized
.
“There’s no cell service
this far out in the country
.
Here, this is where we’re at right now.” I kept one eye on the road as I pointed toward our general location on the map
.
Joey peered
at where my finger
was
point
ing
,
and relaxed
when he
figured out
where this road was taking us
.

“Ok, go straight,” he told me, and I smirked.

“No shit, Sherlock,” I said
.
I could feel him grin next to me as we drove the rest of the way to the
shop.

The
trees began to give way, revealing a small town beyond the forest
.
Modest, colorful buildings hugged up against each other with little
or
no space between them
.
They appeared to be homes
remodeled
into businesses, complete with front walkways surrounded by lawns
.
The on
ly
thing that set them apart from being living quarters were the whimsical wooden signs that served as
enticing
sirens
meant to draw
in
customers
with their charm
.
Twirling kites and flags adorned many storefronts, a prelude to storytelling window displays that
ranged from
vintage to modern scenes
.
I forgot to hurry as I drove past the shops, struck yet again by the charm of this town, and glad I’d decided to step out of San Francisco for the suits.
The shops of Fairfax would have been swallowed up where I lived, their sweet dispositions crushed by the
gruffness
of a hardened city
.
As I passed the merchants and the bohemian townspeople walking past in an unrushed manner, I took a mental picture and promised myself that I’d make it back here again someday when I wasn’t on a mission
with a tight schedule
.

The pink
bridal
shop lay at the end of a cul-de-sac, mannequin brides in powder puff dresses looking out at us with a knowing glance as they stood next to faceless groomsmen
.
A large cream sign trimmed in pink screamed out ‘Darcy’s Designs’ in a rosy hue, adorned with
whimsical
butterflies balancing on the letters
.
Joey looked at me with disdain.

“Real
ly
,
Mom?” he asked, nodding his head towards the store.

“Real
ly
,” I told him without apology
.
“Grin and bear it, kid
.
It’s not like this is going to take forever
.
She just needs to measure you for the tux.”

We both stepped out of the car and into the feminine shop
.
While I could feel Joey slump down even further from being surrounded by so much lace and frill, I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy by our surroundings
.
Gone was the whimsy of the shop’s sign, replaced by a sophisticated air.
Bridal gowns, bridesmaid
dresses and
tuxedos,
displayed in colorful themes
,
g
a
ve
sketches
of all the possibilities that could be put in motion
.
With
brides planning their wedding months in advance
, the
store
’
s
current
décor
had
a summery feel
that stood
in
stark
contrast
to
the wintery weather outside
.
I felt a pang of regret that we were planning a November wedding instead of getting married on a beach in Ju
ly
.
Th
e regret deepened when I saw
the delicate lightweight
bridal
dresses, perfect for walking barefoot across warm sand.

I shook
off
the moment of disappointment
.
Our wedding was going to be gorgeous, even if it wasn’t underneath a flawless sky
on a warm beach
.
Besides, even in the summer months, San Francisco
is
not
the place for a beach wedding.

"Rachel!  How are you!" a blonde woman bubbled as she appeared from the back
.
Darcy came forward and greeted me with a hug as if we were old friends, even though I never would have remembered her name if it weren't plastered on the front of her store.

"Hi
,
Darcy!" I said, returning the hug before pulling away
.
"
I’m so sorry we’re this late
.
We were running behind
.
This is my son, Joey."

"Well
,
aren't you handsome?" Darcy exclaimed, and I could sense Joey
longing to
roll his eyes all the way up into his head
.
Refraining from th
at
was as far as his good manners went, however
; in response to Darcy,
he just grunted a greeting that didn't
include
any words. "
Don’t worry about the timing
.
It’s been a quiet week, and I don’t have another appointment until later this afternoon,” she told me
.
“
So, how's the wedding planning going?"
She beamed
with sheer excitement as if she were going to be there
,
too.

"It's going well, actual
ly
," I answered
, surprised to realize it was true
.
"I mean, we're down to those little details that need to be checked off, but
I’m surprised that it’s
not as daunting as I thought it was going to be."

"It's amazing how those long to-do lists in the wedding books look so huge at first, but when you get there it's not so bad, right?  You just have to take it a step at a time," she mused
.
Sensing Joey's discomfort in a store full of frills and lace, she turned towards him and beamed
.
"Let's get you fitted, shall we?"

Darcy pulled out her measuring tape and went to work
.
With quick movements, she stretched it out against various areas of Joey's body, taking rapid notes on a notebook that lay at her feet
.
In just a few moments she was already finished.

"Is that it?" Joey asked, looking at me as if I knew more than Darcy would
.
I nodded and smiled.

"Thank you
,
Darcy," I said, turning toward her and extending my hand
.
She brushed it aside and gave me another warm embrace before turning and doing the same with Joey.