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"Come on," said Tam when she saw Don, Craig, Huy, and Trung begin to walk up to the stage. This was their cue to get ready. She urged her sisters and Rosa to the back door where the photographer and Duong waited for them.
Don looked at the orchard full of people and noticed that one wasn't in her expected place. "Where's Cindy?" he whispered to Craig.
"I asked her to make nice with Lanh because her attitude was scaring her. She refused, so I told her to take a hike," Craig replied.
"What about the recessional?" asked Don, starting to panic.
"Got it covered buddy," said Craig with a wink to Lanh's friend and singer Sydney McCloskey. Sydney smiled and surreptitiously waggled her fingers in a wave back.
"That's awesome pal," grinned Don. He chuckled, Craig was never short of girlfriends, then Don realized - he was getting ready to marry his very first girlfriend, is this stupid or first time lucky?
Don, Craig, Huy, and Trung were dressed in simple, yet elegant tuxedos, the same style is also currently being worn by Bao, Duong, and Ralph. The stylish yet timeless cut of the tuxedos gave them a suave look of James Bond handsomeness. They turned to each other and shook hands, Craig, Trung, and Huy encouraging Don with a slap on the back, then they turned to face the farmhouse and the room divider that the girls were hiding behind.
Behind the divider Kimberly and Duong helped make sure Rosa and the nervous sisters had their flowers and were lined up in order. Before Lanh realized that it was time, Sandy started playing the Prince of Denmark's March, her organ sounding for all the world like a brass quartet. The girls lined up behind the divider to hide them from the view of the crowd, and instead of stepping out as practiced, Rosa whirled and gave Lanh a hug. "I love you coach!" Then she turned around and stepped out and headed up the aisle.
Now it was Kim-ly's turn, but she too paused. She took a deep breath and hugged Lanh. "I know I teased you our whole lives, but it's because I didn't have the courage to tell you how much I love you," she said, her eyes sparkling with tears. "You and Don are so perfect together, and I'm so jealous of your love." She suddenly gave Lanh a kiss then turned and headed out from behind the screen.
"She's going to make me ruin my makeup," said Lanh fighting back the tears.
"You never answered my question last night," said Tam as she took Lanh's glasses and handed them to her father, then dabbed the tears from Lanh's eyes. "Will you be my maid of honor?"
"Yes, of course," Lanh was shocked that Tam thought she had to ask. "It should be you and Jake out there today, not me. You raised me; you are my momá, you should be first."
"No baby, Jake and I love each other, but you and Don, you are made perfectly for each other. You are both halves of one beautiful whole, it's so much more than love, and it would be criminal to keep you two apart one second longer than necessary."
Now both the girls were tearing up and it was their dad, Duong, who was dabbing their eyes. "Ok, honey, go," he said patting Tam's bottom. "You're late."
"I can blame it on Kim-ly," she said and with a kiss to Lanh she departed.
And now it was just Tam and Duong behind the divider. "I'm sorry I put you through so much hell daddy," sniffed Lanh now that they were alone.
"Baby no, Bao and Kim-ly put us through hell, it was because of them that Tam had to help raise you."
"No. I mean Don and I..."
"It wasn't hell, it was a joy watching you two so much in love, it made us feel young again. We wished we had more daughters."
"Really?" asked Lanh as Sandy started to play the Bridal March.
"Well, no, I was kidding about that last part, you three are enough. But watching you and Don has been wonderful." He led her around the divider and the guests rose as the little Asian woman, who was a girl only moments ago, walked toward her waiting man. "We love you two so much," continued Duong, "and we can't wait to see where your love will take you."
"Daddy..." sniffed Lanh, and then looking up to see Don, she realized she wasn't wearing her glasses! She took them off when Tam wiped her eyes, she could barely see anything, most importantly she couldn't see Don! "I have to go back; I lost my glasses." She stopped and was about to head back to the house, but Duong held her hand.
"Let me be your daddy one more time," he said and took her glasses out of his pocket and put them on her radiant face to the sound of a collective "Awwwww" from the guests. "Now let's go get you married." Lanh looked up and there was Don! Her face broke into a huge, joyful smile and she almost broke into a trot, her heart screamed at her to "throw the bouquet, grab him, and go!" but her dad held her tight and led her slowly up the aisle.
Lanh and Don's eyes remained locked on each other with every step up the aisle. The agonizing hours of separation were over, and no one could ever separate them again.
The guest's reaction to her choice of wedding dress was interesting to say the least. The Phams and the Nguyens saw the traditional áo dài and khăn vấn, but the color was all wrong, it should be bright red. The Odegaards and the Campbells saw the traditional color, but the dress is all wrong, she's wearing a long shirt and pants, it should be a flowing gown. But to Don she looked perfect, a beautiful porcelain doll, almost too beautiful to touch. His mouth went dry, and a lump caught in his throat as he realized that she was coming to him to be at his side for the rest of their lives.
Grandpa Ode sat stock still, his body was there in rural Minnesota, but his mind was far away and long ago. A brilliant oasis of beauty had emerged in the morass of a country ravaged by a civil war. Two superpowers were intervening and one of the players was a young army corporal Lars "Ode" Odegaard, and that oasis was a young Vietnamese girl named Thao. Thao was the whole world to Ode; he did everything he could to spend as much time with her as possible. Their love was real, and it was sweet, and they longed for a life together. But then came that horrible black day when she came to him and said "My father said no."
He endured two more tours in that hell hole so he would be able to see Thao, trying to convince her and her father that he would be a worthy husband, that he could provide, that he could be counted on. But in the end, he was a round-eye, and Thao's father forbade her from ever speaking to him again and she disappeared from his life. Broken, Ode gave up on everything. His brilliant Army career ended right there, he just hadn't taken off the uniform yet. He ended up back in Minnesota and put everything into farming and dreaming of returning to Vietnam as a civilian and maybe her father will change his mind. But when Saigon fell, he knew it was truly over. His younger sister introduced him to Hilde, and they eventually married, but every night when he closed his eyes, he returned to Thao.
Finally, Duong and Lanh stopped at the base of the stage. Pastor Loomis stepped forward and asked, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"
After a pause that caused the guests to lean forward thinking something was wrong, Lanh called out "I give myself freely, in love and anticipation of our life together."
Father Steinbach asked, "Duong and Mai Nguyen, do you support Lanh's decision to join together in holy matrimony with Donovan Campbell and do you vow to receive him as a member of your family from this day on?"
"Yes, we do, with all of our heart."
The Pastor Loomis then asked, "And you Ralph Campbell, do you support Donovan's decision to join together in holy matrimony with Lanh Nguyen and do you vow to receive her as a member of your family from this day on?"
Ralph stood and said, "Yes sir, with joy and love."
Then Tam, Kim-ly, and Rose stepped forward and after kissing her daddy goodbye, Lanh allowed her bridesmaids to escort her those final steps to the stage and the man who waited for her. Lanh's pure white áo dài was breezy and comfortable and with the addition of the short white vest with glittering gold embroidery, it was as elegant as western wedding gowns. Her khăn vấn, that traditional Vietnamese headdress worn with the áo dài was a halo more than a hat, from the front it looked like a white wide brim sunbonnet worn far back on the head creating a halo, framing her cute face. From the back the center was open, and one could see her ebony locks of hair in a thick French braid, coiled up on the back of her head.
Tam, Kim-ly, and Rosa's áo dàis were pale gold and the long flowing trousers, which look like a skirt until they walk, were white. Their khăn vấns were the same gold color as their áo dais, and their hair was braided and coiled like Lanh's. Don, his best man Craig, and his groomsmen Huy and Trung and guitarist Bao were dressed in simple but elegant black tuxedos, with black bow ties were a perfect accompaniment to the three sisters, Rosa, and Sandy.
And that's how the entire ceremony went, very traditional, but the traditions got turned on their ears. For their part, neither Don nor Lanh was fully participating in the ceremony, it had been over 16 hours since they saw each other last, it had been months since they were separated that long. It was November when Don had a swim meet in Bagley, and Lanh had a debate in Hibbing, that separation was nearly 30 hours long and completely unbearable.
At one point during the ceremony Pastor Loomis and Father Steinbach was sure that the young couple was just going to wander off, hand in hand, to somewhere they could be alone. Most of the time they were holding hands and drowning in each other's eyes. They had to be invited twice to kneel for communion, and when they knelt, they continued to hold hands rather than fold their hands in prayer.
They wanted to light a candle together as part of the ceremony but being outside the potential of wind blowing out the candle was too great, so they took four white roses and as Bao played and Sydney sang "The Wedding Song" by Noel Paul Stookey, Don and Lanh gave a rose to Mai, one to Grandma Tri, one to Grandma Hilde, and one to Sandy. Don shook Duong's and Ralph's hand and thanked them for their support and love, and Lanh gave everyone a kiss. When she came to Sandy she smiled and said, "You're next." All the while Bao played, and Sydney sang...
A man shall leave his mother and a woman leave her home
And they shall travel on to where the two shall be as one.
As it was in the beginning is now and til the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.
And there is Love....... there is Love.
Finally, after so long, so much pain and so much joy, it was time. Craig handed Don the tiny wedding band and he took Lanh's hand in his and poised the ring over her finger, while Pastor Loomis recited:
Donovan Aloysius Campbell, do you take Nguyen Huong Lanh to be your wife, to bathe her in love and friendship today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you live, to love, protect, to trust and honor her, to love her faithfully through the best and the worst, whatever may come, forsaking all others, and if you should ever doubt, to remember your love for each other and the family here that is willing to help you?
"Tôi có," he said, then in English, "I do," as he slid the ring on to Lanh's tiny finger. He never saw such a bright and beautiful smile on Lanh's face as when he slid the ring on her finger telling the world that he pledged himself to her. She kept looking at the ring on her finger and the smile on Don's face, she wanted to squeal with joy, she wanted to yank his pants down and swallow his cock,
Then Father Steinbach said, "Do you, Nguyen Huong Lanh, take Donovan Aloysius Campbell to be your husband, to trust his judgement and to cherish his friendship and love today, tomorrow and for as long as the two of you live, to stand by his side and support him, loving him through the best and the worst, whatever may come, forsaking all others, and if you should ever doubt, to remember your love for each other and the family here that is willing to help you?"
"YES!" she squealed, "I mean Tôi có - I DO!" eliciting a chuckle from the audience, and suddenly without prompting from Pastor Loomis or Father Steinbach they recited in unison the vows they had been practicing for weeks, with a little untraditional twist:
"I take you, my beloved, to my wedded partner, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life 'till death do us part."
And with that said they were kissing as deeply and as passionately as they ever had in the past.
Making a show of waiting for them to finish their kiss by checking their watches, Pastor Loomis and Father Steinbach stood back and eventually they broke the kiss and hugged each other, laughing and whispering endearments, completely oblivious to the gathered crowd. Pastor Loomis patted Don on the shoulder and whispered, "Let's pose for some pictures," and taking the hint, Don and Lanh faced the gathering for the first time.
"Friends and loved ones," called out Father Steinbach, "we are proud to FINALLY introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Donovan and Lanh Campbell!"
Even the recessional was traditional yet was untraditional at the same time. The song they chose was Randy Travis, "I'm Going to Love You Forever," a sweet, up tempo, country love song. Don led Lanh up the aisle followed by their Maid of Honor, Tam, arm in arm with their Best Man, Craig Lewicki. Following them was the Bridesmaid Kim-ly and groomsman Huy, and they all sang along with Randy Travis.
You may think that I'm talkin' foolish
You've heard that I'm wild and I'm free
You may wonder how I can promise you now
This love that I feel for you always will be...
They walked up the asile three rows, practically dancing, and stopped. As Don and Lanh paused to kiss, Tam turned to her right and reached out to Jake, who rose and joined her, while Craig reached out to his left to Sydney who rose and joined him and Rosa pulled a surprised Bao along with her. Laughing she said to Bao "I told you last night I was interested." At the same time Huy and Kim-ly reached out to Grandma Tri while Trung reached out to Grandma Hilde who joined them in their joyful trek up the aisle.
Oh, baby, I'm gonna love you forever
Forever and ever amen
As long as old men sit and talk about the weather
As long as old women sit and talk about old men...
Now the crowd was in the song, singing along with the joyful rock-a-billy love song as Father Steinbach and Pastor Loomis led them in singing. Lanh and Don moved up the aisle slowly, as if reluctant to leave the party even though they were aching to run off and lock themselves in a room and celebrate their union. As they moved forward, they were joined by Mai and Duong, Ralph and Sandy, Grandpa Ode and Grandpa Minh.
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
Well, just listen to how this song ends
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen
Don and Lanh finally reached the end of the aisle and stood before the divider that the Bridesmaids hid behind as they exited the house. There they slid easily into each other's arms and kissed through the entire last stanza of the song.
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, forever and ever
Forever and ever, amen*
And suddenly Lanh and Don were the center of a group hug as the crowd gave a loud country whoop as the song finished, highly remarkable for a field full of shy Minnesota farmers and staid Vietnamese, but this was the emotion of the moment. Finally, as their lips parted, Don whispered to Lanh "Hello Mrs. Campbell."
She smiled and gave a faux evil laugh, "You have fallen into my trap Double Oh Seven and Five Eighths, now you are all mine!" she growled softly in his ear.
"Oh no!" gasped Don, "captured by the Dragon Lady..." He leaned in, their lips getting closer "...I'll never break free."
And just as they were going to kiss again, Tam gave Don a swat on the butt and said, "Put a cork in it you two, there's children present."
Their desperately desired passionate kiss was downgraded to a quick peck, then the newlyweds straightened themselves up and prepared to receive the well-wishers that descended on them. Soon they were inundated with congratulations and blessings, their parents on either side of them reminding them the names of relatives that they haven't seen in years. Quite often Lanh heard Don say to one of her own older relatives "It's so good to meet you in person! You really helped with my assignment!" even when she was translating for an older relative whose English was poor at best.
Over and over Don had to explain to his relatives that the áo dài was the traditional outfit of Vietnam, that it looks casual but is often formal, but all in all, the relatives of both sides were polite and loving as they bestowed wishes of good luck on the newlyweds. At one-point Lanh was able to peek through the crowd and saw obscured by folks queuing to wish them well, a pair of all blond women laughing and smiling, the one whose hair wasn't tinted purple at the ends gave Lanh a happy little wave. Lanh waved back and gasped "My angels are here!"
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
After the reception line and a grueling series of photographs, the wedding party retreated into the house for a short break before the next series of photos with Lanh in her wedding gown and then the reception. "What do you think of your house?" asked Don as Lanh swept into her new home.
"I love it!" she gasped as she twirled around, her arms outstretched. "Especially the chocolate fountain! I love that the most!" she grinned.
"That's not part of the decor, that goes back with your new cousins Billy and Geoff."
"You hear that Syd?" said Rosa, "they're going to take this back." She dipped a rice krispy treat into the flow of chocolate. "We've got our work cut out for us." Craig quickly found out where he stood compared to a chocolate fountain and a table full of goodies, he and Bao ended up watching the chocolate fest from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Don and Lanh were making plans for their apartment. "We can put a small table and chairs here in front of the window."
"Why? The dining room is right through those doors," asked Don.
Lanh rolled her gorgeous almond shaped eyes. "Intimate meals?" She huffed and dropped her shoulders.
"You're wasting your time, Lanh," called Kim-ly from the crowd at the chocolate fountain. "Guys ain't got no romance, they only got one thing on their mind."
"I'M the one with one thing on my mind," insisted Lanh. "I'm thinking naked brunch, and he's talking about the dining room!"
"Think of all the fun we could have if we both get on that big table in the dining room," Don whispered in Lanh's ear as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"I like the way you're thinking," she grinned as she rubbed her ass back at his growing erection. She turned around in his arms to kiss him.
Just as their lips touched, Mai, Tam, and Sandy swept into the room. "The photographer wants us on the porch in fifteen minutes. Sorry son, but you have to relinquish your wife." She pulled Lanh out of Don's arms and led her into the bedroom as Tam wheeled the dress maker's dummy with the wedding gown into the bedroom.
"Wait!" cried Don, "I just got her!"
As she stepped into the bedroom, Lanh turned and looked at Don. She smiled and opened the vest and Don could see her nipples in their erect glory through her silk blouse. She wagged her eyebrows at him and pulled the door closed.
