Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (183 page)

Slowly,
one
answer
at
a
time,
the
cards
were
placed
on
everyone’s
laps.
“Ok,
let’s
call,”
Tina
announced.
He
picked
up
on
the
first
ring.
“How’d
she
do?”

“You’re
on
speaker,
Luke.
She
did
great.
Got
every
one
right
that
you
said
she
would.”

“That’s
my
Aggie.”

“Very
funny.”

“Did
you
go
millie
or
sully.”

“Sully.”

“Yes!”

The
room
erupted
in
laughter.
Tina
had
to
settle
everyone
down
again
before
she
could
ask
Aggie’s
question.
“Ok,
Aggie’s
question
was,
‘What
will
Luke
say
that
she
said
is
her
one
regret
in
you
guys
getting
married?’”

“Hm…”
The
silence
from
the
other
end
was
occasionally
punctuated
by
the
clear
sounds
of
Ian
trying
to
get
the
phone.
“Well,
Ian
thinks
he
has
the
answer.
My
first
thought
was
that
the
wedding
wasn’t
soon
enough,
but
I
think
my
second
one
is
better;
it
encompasses
that.
I guess
I’m
going
to
say
that
she
says
I’ll
say
that
it
is
that
I
didn’t
ask
her
sooner.”

The
grin
on
Aggie’s
face
gave
it
away
before
she
said,
“And
I
bet
you’re
going
to
say
that
you
would
have
asked
sooner
if
I
had
been
more
forthcoming
with
my
feelings,
no?”

“No…
wasn’t
going
to
say
it
but
I
did
think
it.”

“That’s
what
I
thought.
Hmph.”

“Say
goodbye,
Luke.
This
is
a
ladies’
function
after
all,”
Tina
chided.
All
the
ladies
called
out
congratulations
and
goodbyes
before
Tina
disconnected
the
call,
but
Aggie’s
mind
was
already
on
the
prize.

“Ok
,
did
anyone
get
that
answer?”

Three
ladies
did
,
but
two
pointed
to
Iris
Landry.
“She
was
first,
though.”

Vannie
nodded,
as
she
carried
the
basket
to
Iris.
“She
was
first
out
of
everyone.”

“Time
for
presents!
Now,
Aggie,”
Tina
began,
“o
bviously
the
theme
of
the
party
is
‘Old,
New,
Borrowed,
or
Blue.’
So,
your
gifts
are
supposed
to
fit
that
theme,
but
I
told
the
ladies
not
to
kill
themselves.
Some had traditional gifts they always give to brides. Also, if
they
couldn’t
find
anything
that
fit
the
theme,
I told them
to
go
with
whatever
they
liked
since
it’d
likely
be
new
or
‘old.  Of course, I also encouraged everyone
not to feel obligated to bring a gift.  This is a shower of love.
”

Never
had
Aggie
enjoyed
opening
gifts
more
.
The
ladies
joked,
teased,
and
the
lengths
to
which
they
tried
to
avoid
the
“new”
option
of
the
theme
were
sometimes
hilarious
.
One
woman
admitted
to
buying
a
book
for
another
woman
and
selling
it
to
the
second
woman
for
a
penny
less
so
it
could
be
considered
“used.”
As
Aggie
pulled
candles,
CDs,
notecards,
and
similar
things
from
their
wrappings,
she
realized
how
much
work
Tina
went
to
in
order
to
spare
them
triplicates
of
things
they
already
owned.