When Gina Met Tammy... Ch. 22

"Tammy, from that first day, ya started fillin' in that gapin' hole. I told ya things that no other person alive knows, yet ya chose to ignore my faults an' insecurity, an' opened yer heart t' allow me in. Now, I've no longer got a house in Durango. Instead, ya came inta my life, an' now we have a HOME in Durango. I've come t' rely on yer strength an' yer love, an' I chose to ask ya t' keep sharin' that strength an' love with me forever. I'm here today to shout to th' world that I love ya, Tammy McKesson, an' to ask ya if ya will accept me as yer partner, yer friend, yer lover, yer wife." In a tremulous voice, she answered "I do", and I slid the ring on her finger, my eyes struggling to hold back the tears of joy.

TAMMY: I was fighting to hold my tears back as well when Gina put the ring on my finger. Turning to Momma, she took my hand in both of hers, giving it a squeeze before giving me the ring for Gina. I took Gina's hand, and said, "Gina, that day when we met, I had just graduated and had no idea about my plans for the future. I loved this area, and wanted to stay here, but was desperately looking to find a roommate to share an apartment or small house with. When you introduced yourself, I thought maybe I'd gotten lucky enough to have found that roommate. Then you shook my hand and a huge spark went racing through me. I've never felt anything like that before, and I think that was the moment I fell hopelessly in love with you. I knew that I needed to prove that love to you, and I could only hope that you could find it in yourself to love me back. I hoped that my question about my future would be answered with your love."

"And Gina, you did just that. You gave me your love and answered my question. You showed me the power of love, and that my future was with you. Even though we've seen each other at our best and at our worst, the spark is still there, burning brightly in my soul. Just like the necklace you gave me that I'm wearing, our hearts have become entwined with each other's. I'm publicly declaring my love for you, Gina Markson, and asking you if you will honor me by accepting me as your wife, faults and quirks and all, for the rest of our lives." I put the ring on her finger as she said, "I do", doing my best not to grab her right then to hold her.

GINA: Doris nodding at us reminded us that we still have an important task to finish. We each took our vials of sand, opening them to start pouring the sand slowly into the heart sculpture. Doris' voice rang out, "Ladies and gentlemen, Tammy and Gina have come from vastly different backgrounds. They both have brought some sand from their childhood homes, and you can easily see the difference in the sands that are as different as their backgrounds. By themselves, the grains of sand are insignificant. However, they have chosen to combine these sands, creating a unique mixture that no one is capable of undoing."

"The combining of the sands signifies their commitment to each other. They have freely chosen to combine their pasts into a new, unbreakable bond. I hope that each of you will join me in congratulating them on their decision, and wishing them the very best for the new future that they have just created."

"Ladies, to seal your commitment to each other, please kiss your bride."

Tammy and I kissed, a soul-searing kiss that left both of us on the edge of passing out. We hugged, and I whispered "I love ya, Tammy, but yer gonna get it fer that stunt." I could feel her smile against my cheek, and she whispered back "Payback's a bitch, ain't it?" We both laughed, then turned to face the audience while Doris said, "Friends and families, under the laws of this land, and by the authority given to me by the state of Colorado, it gives me great pleasure to announce that this young couple are now married. May I present to you, for the first time in public, Gina and Tammy Markson!"

TAMMY: The crowd actually started applauding when Doris introduced us. I heard several voices saying things like "Yeah!", and "You go, girls!". Some cameras had been going off during the ceremony, but they really went crazy when we were introduced. A few of the more emotional people were openly crying, and many eyes across the crowd were being dabbed. Doris came around the podium and hugged and kissed us both, grinning and saying, "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Turning back around to face the audience, she waited until it calmed down.

She announced "Folks, that concludes our ceremony. Gina and Tammy will remain at the front here, if you want to come by and congratulate them. The line will start forming to my left. If you are staying for the reception, please go downstairs and seat yourselves. Menus are available at each table, and waiters will take your dinner orders, but please be aware that no one will be served until the brides are served first. Tammy and Gina have decided not to have a wedding cake, but instead there will be a variety of dessert choices available. There is an open bar, but we ask that you please have your ID available, and if you are drinking, we ask that you please, PLEASE, do not drink and drive."

Gina and I looked at each other, simultaneously saying "We did it!" We hugged and kissed each other again as we waited for the line to form. They started filing past, and not one person offered a handshake -- we were hugged and kissed by every person in that line, whether male, female, gay, straight, or alien from Mars! Gina and I both knew some of the people, and I knew most of them, especially the students from Fort Lewis. I introduced her where necessary, but everyone treated her the same as me, accepting us and congratulating us.

We almost broke down when Momma, Angie, Jerry, Marcie, Margo, Jo and Dee came by, their own eyes brimming with happy tears as they kissed and hugged us. It was hard for us to hold our own tears of joy back, but the smiles on our faces banished them.

GINA: The line finally ended, but we still had to spend about 30 more minutes with the photographer/videographer that we'd hired, getting pictures made. It was a pain in the ass, but I'm sure we'll appreciate it in the future. By now, with the tension relieved, Tammy and I were starving! We went down to the reception, where the room was buzzing with conversation and the music Robbie and Ronnie were playing.

We almost inhaled the veal parmesan we'd ordered beforehand, so it was ready when we sat down. Then everyone else was served and began to eat. Tammy and I were only drinking wine, not wanting to get wasted tonight. When most people had finished their meals and were having dessert or just having conversations, Robbie started talking over the microphone in his perfect DJ voice:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to open the dance floor for your enjoyment. Before beginning, though, we ask that you please take your seats, and I'd like to ask that our two blushing brides come out on the dance floor for their first dance together as a married couple. I know that you enjoyed hearing Gina singing the two songs during the ceremony, and they have requested another love song that Gina recorded earlier. Tammy, Gina, would you please take the floor?"

TAMMY: Gina and I went to the dance floor, then Ronnie dimmed the lights in the hall and a spotlight shone down on us. Robbie started "Could I Have This Dance". Neither of us 'led' or 'followed' -- I had my arms around Gina's waist, and hers were around my neck, and we just let the music take us wherever it wanted, our eyes locked together.

I couldn't tell how many times we kissed during that short song, or how many cat-calls we got when we did kiss (like "Get a room!", "Yeah, baby, rock her world!" and things like that). To tell the truth, we didn't care! We're in love, we're married, and anyone having a problem with that could just fuck the hell off! When the song ended, we stayed on the floor, sharing a beautiful kiss, until the spotlight went off and Robbie started playing dance music.

Margo was standing at our table talking with Momma and Angie when we stopped to get our wine, so we told her and her husband to take our chairs, because we're going to mingle. When we left, the 4 women -- Margo, Momma, Angie, and Marcie -- were all engaged in conversation, while Jerry and Margo's husband Sam sat talking about 'manly-man' things. Couples started filling the dance floor as Gina and I moved around the room.

GINA: It turns out our first dance ended up being the only dance we got that evening. We were both having a good time, flitting from table to table. I enjoyed meeting some of Tammy's former school chums, and I could tell she was delighted to see some of them and catch up on each other's lives. In one rare moment when we had a chance to talk alone, I smirked and said, "Why do I get a feelin' that th' Markson household is fixin' t' start seein' a lot more company?" Tammy giggled and said, "Yeah, wait 'til they find out we have a pool and hot tub! Poor baby, what are you going to do? We might actually have to start wearing CLOTHES once in a while!"

I was afraid I was going to spit out the wine I was drinking when she said that. She just looked at me, batting her eyes innocently. God, I love her so much! I told her I could always declare our 25 acres as a nudist resort, and she said, "Uh-uh! Too many people would see your gorgeous naked ass, and want some of it, and my fighting skills aren't good enough to take on a sex-crazed mob. That ass belongs to me now, Gina Markson, and I ain't about to share it!"

Around 10:00, the crowd started thinning. It seemed like everyone sought us out to say good night, and the vast majority told us that our ceremony was one of the most beautiful things they'd seen. I was glad to see a lot of our guests staying sober. I've got nothing against drinking or getting high, but after what happened to my parents, I've got zero tolerance for someone under the influence driving.

TAMMY: Kerry found us, and said, "I'm going to take Mom and Daddy and Jim back to the hotel. Since I'm not 21 yet, I haven't been drinking, so I volunteered to take you back home, if you need a ride." We thanked her, and said we'd appreciate it. We told them, the band members, and the group from Foxwoods that we'd come by the hotel tomorrow morning to see them before they left. The crowd dwindled to just a few couples.

Robbie and Ronnie turned all of their equipment off, saying they'd pick it up tomorrow. Gina thanked them for helping her with her surprise, and I thanked them for helping with mine. Soon, the only people left were our friends, Jo and Dee. We stood in a circle, holding hands, and Jo said, "Girls, you made it - congratulations. You've become some of our dearest friends in the past months, and we think you have a marvelous future in store for you." Dee added, "You know, when we first got married, things were a lot different. It was so wonderful to see you two getting married, and the way society's attitudes are slowly changing. We're behind you 100%, and from what we saw tonight, it looks like you've got a helluva nice starting point for your lives together." We all shared long, loving kisses and hugs with each other, and they left.

Kerry was waiting in the car at the curb, so we got our sculpture with our combined sands, and she drove us home. She got out of the car when we pulled up, giving us both hugs and a kiss, telling us tonight was very special for her. She said even though she was straight, seeing the love between us made her hope that she'll be able to find someone to love as much as we love each other. She drove off, and we were finally alone.

We stood outside for a while, looking at our home. I unlocked the door, and turned, kissing Gina. Hand-in-hand, we crossed the threshold of our new lives. She put our mixed sand on the fireplace mantle, and we held each other there in the middle of the living room, kissing and smiling.

GINA: During our countless hugs and kisses in the living room, I pulled back at one point and said to my wife, "Mrs. Markson, we've got a clean slate now. That means we gotta start at th' beginnin', 'til we make love in ever' nook an' cranny o' these 25 acres. I reckon 50 or 60 years might be long enough t' cover most of it."

Tammy giggled, squeezing my butt while she kissed me. Looking in my eyes, she said, "Honey, tonight we gave ourselves to each other. We said the two most important words we've ever spoken in our lives when we said 'I do'." I felt her hands sliding the zipper of my dress down, and she said, "I only have one other important thing I have to say to end this perfect day, Mrs. Markson."

"Let's fuck!"