Battle-Hardened, War Weary Ch. 08B

"Awww," groaned Ryan as he covered his face with his left arm. "Do we have to go?" he whined.

Kali glanced at her husband. She smiled. "Yes, we have to go downstairs."

"But I am still weak from my sexual-post coitus-glow of euphoria!" he explained.

She grabbed onto his left ankle and she gave it a gentle shake. "Well honey, you don't have to worry about doing anything strenuous tonight. You're going to be sitting down anyway! So..." Kali rose off of the bed. "...Get your fat ass up!"

Ryan groaned in response. "But Mister Happy is about to wake up again!"

She climbed down the platform steps and then waddled across the bedroom, over to the bedroom's entrance. She gingerly bent down and picked up the discarded clothes. She sorted through the clothes and deciphered which article belonged to her. She draped her wedding gown over her right forearm. She glared at her husband who continued to lie on their bed.

"Ryan, it's time to get up, baby." Then she walked out of the bedroom and entered the dressing chamber.

"I don't see the point—

"RYAN," she said from the room. Her tone of voice was stern and authoritative.

Ryan shot up from the prone position and then he stood up. 'Shit, shit, shit...' his brain began to mumbled. He climbed down the platform's stairs and strolled over to the pile of clothes that was resting on the floor. He picked up his clothes and then quickly trekked into the closet. 'Shit, shit, shit, shit...'

The recently-married couple 'returned from their trip to Central Park' an hour later. By the time they reached the first level of the grand mansion, the reception was deep into the swing of things. The guests were doing various activities: dancing, conversing and taking pictures. Kali also noticed how the security guards were patrolling the house. It was at that moment that she was reminded of how famous Ryan Whittler was amongst the New York City's socialite and 'celeb-butante' scenes.

Melanie stood in the corridor, a few feet away from the dining room's entrance, when the couple made their appearance. She was speaking with her two assistants, when she saw the two of them.

"...just make it happen, alright?" she stated to her employees. The two women nodded their heads. The small group dispersed. Melanie strolled over to her younger brother and his wife. "Well hello, baby brother," she greeted Ryan. Then she faced Kali. "Hi, my brand new sister-in-law! How was your trip to Central Park?"

"I-It was alright," Ryan informed her, as he adjusted the collar of his shirt.

"Did you take plenty of pictures?" the wedding planner inquired.

"Yes, there was a lot of photos," stated Kali. She held a smile on her lips.

"Was Paul nice to you guys while he took the pictures?" Melanie asked.

"Mmm-hmm, yeah" grunted Ryan while his eyes surveyed everything except his sister's face.

Melanie folded her arms across her chest. She stared at the couple. "Mmm," she hummed. "I bet that it would've been even better for you two, if you would've brought a photographer with you guys."

Ryan and Kali's eyes widened. They stared at each other. Then they turned their line of sight towards Melanie. Kali smiled sheepishly while Ryan blushed in embarrassment. Melanie ended up laughing.

"Don't worry about your guests finding out about your true place of origin. They all think that you were at the park and were having your photos done. All of your guests are enjoying themselves. The food haven't been served yet. They are waiting for you guys to show up and have your first dance together," reported Melanie.

"Melanie, have you had a break yet?" inquired a concerned Kali. "You have been ripping and running since this morning. You should take a moment and relax. We don't mind, you're family after all!" Kali saw Melanie formed a grin. She noticed that the woman's eyes held some sorrow. She appeared to be sad. Then, as quick as a blink of an eye, Melanie had gone back to her professional mode.

"No, no, no. I have to continue to work," she announced. "Thanks to this big lug..." Melanie gave Ryan a punch on his left bicep. Her younger brother flinched and rubbed at the spot that she struck. "... I have to work throughout the whole night."

Ryan chuckled. "And that is because this one here..." Ryan used his left thumb to point over at his sister. "...decided to charge me the full price of her services and not give me the family discount!"

Melanie giggled. "Yeah..." She pointed at her brother. "...that was not going to happen, especially since you decided to give my competition, Lila Kraft, business for your Indian-themed, fundraiser!"

"I only hired her because I thought you only did weddings---

"Ryan, I am an event planner!" Melanie corrected him. "I plan for any event!"

Ryan pressed his left hand against the breast of his suit's jacket. He gave a slight bow. "I stand corrected, my darling sister."

Melanie smiled in response. She stared at the bride. "Before you guys enter the dining room, let me tell the deejay that you are ready to enter and he can pull out a song for you guys," she explained to the couple. Then, she walked away from the bride and groom. She walked a few feet down the corridor to the dining room.

Kali watched the smaller woman enter the dimly lit room. Once she exited the corridor, she turned her attention to her husband. "Baby?"

Ryan glanced down at his wife. "Mmm?"

"I know that this is our wedding day and things are supposed to be happy and light today..." Kali paused so she could lick her pouty, bottom lip. "I have a question."

She noticed that his green, deep set eyes observed the oral action. "What's the question, baby?"

"It's about your sister. What's the story?"

She heard her husband sigh. "Well..." he started out speaking. "Let me put it to you this way: Have you ever seen the movie 'Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael'?" Kali nodded. "Well, it is kind of like that story. Our mom was married to her dad first. They had come from the same small hometown. They had gone to the same schools and they lived in the same neighborhood. They ended up turning into high school sweethearts. They married after they graduated from high school. Her dad managed to snag a job at a lumber mill while she was a housewife. Eventually, they started a family. When Melanie was five years old, our mom decided that she wanted to pursue her dreams of being a model and an actress. She knew that she couldn't find any work in Tennessee. She knew that she needed to move to a city. Her husband gave her his blessing and she moved to New York."

"So, let me get this straight..." Kali stated as she shifted her weight between her feet. "Your mother abandoned her husband and her child?"

"I don't think so," answered Ryan. "She did have her husband's blessing at first. I think that he was just like my father. He loved that woman so much that he would've done anything and everything to make her feel happy. She wanted to live in New York City to become a model and an actress, so her husband told her to do it. From what Melanie had told me, her dad was also giving our mom a weekly allowance during her stay here..."

Kali felt her stomach lurched and rumbled. Her gut instinct told her that this story was going to be salacious and not have a happy ending.

"... Kali, our mom met my dad a few days after her arrival to New York. When I was a kid, I think I was six years old at the time, I asked my dad about his relationship with my mom. From what my father had told me, they were inseparable. They constantly spent their time together. He managed to show her around the city. He helped her meet agents and other people in the business. My dad proposed to my mom, four weeks after the day that she arrived. She accepted his proposal and then she proceeded to file for divorce from her first husband. Melanie's dad did not take the news well..." Ryan had taken another breath. "To make a long story short, her father made several attempts at reconciling but he was rebuffed..." He made a swallow that Kali heard. His eyes focused down the corridor. "Her dad ended up committing suicide."

"Oh my God," whimpered Kali. She grew empathetic for the woman. She understood the pain that comes along with being fatherless. She made a glimpse at the dining room's entrance to make sure that the wedding planner didn't enter the hallway. "What happened to Melanie?"

"From what she told me, her father's grandmother had raised her until she was sixteen. Her great-grandmother died. Then she had gone on to live with our aunt and her family. I finally learned about Melanie, when I was six and she was sixteen years old. She had shown up at our doorstep, on one summer day and I was the one who answered the door..." He chuckled. "...Boy that was an interesting night! She had shown up because she wanted to build a relationship with our mom. She had written our mom letters and when she didn't receive an answer, she decided to become more proactive with her attempts. I remember my dad telling her that she could stay with us. I also remember hearing my parents argue in their bedroom, later on that night."

"What happened afterwards? I take it that she didn't stay with you guys."

"At that time, my parents and I were living in my grandparents' house, out in Plandome Village. My grandmother, by then, was sick and she was bedridden and was being taken care of by nurses. We didn't see my grandma much..." He glanced at the floor temporarily.

Kali sensed that husband missed his grandmother. She placed a gentle touch on his back and then she caressed that spot.

Ryan looked towards the dining room's entrance. Then he returned his focus back to his wife. "She stayed with us for the rest of spring and throughout the summer. I remember that it was cool that I had an older sibling. I didn't care that my older sibling was a girl. While Melanie was there, she treated me like she enjoyed having me around. Plus, I thought she was cool because she dressed like Cyndi Lauper. Then, just as quickly and unexpectedly she appeared, Melanie disappeared. I woke up one autumn day and she was gone. I was upset and inconsolable, which aggravated my grandfather. I didn't know why she left—

"Of course not, baby, you were a child" Kali pointed out. "Did you ever find out why Melanie left?"

Ryan gave his wife a penetrating gaze. "The reason why she left was because she was kicked out of the house by my mother. My grandfather..."

At the mention of his grandfather, Kali's ire rose. She rolled her eyes. 'I really hope that man gets what is coming to him.'

"...tried to lure my sister into being a mistress for him. He bought my sister gifts, funded numerous shopping trips, chased away teenaged boys that had shown an interest in her and there were other things. My mom found out about his intentions and gave my sister a 'one-way' ticket back to Tennessee. My mother made it seem like she was protecting my sister. Plus, she tried to portray my sister as being a gold-digger who was trying to snake her claws into my grandfather. Everybody believed her. But, I knew better. When I was a kid, I knew that my mother was lying but I didn't know why she was lying. When Melanie finally told me what happened, it made perfect sense."

"What happened?"

"My mother sent my sister back to Tennessee because she needed to get rid of her competition."

Kali detected that the inflection in his voice had changed. His tone was deeper and he sounded angry. She glanced at her husband. She saw that his eyes had a dull coating and they had a 'far away' look.

"I'm sorry."

She knew that she had nothing to apologize for. But she believed that he needed to hear someone apologize for all of the pain that he had to endure. She knew that none of those cowards said 'sorry' to him.

He glanced at her. "Thank you," he softly told her.

Kali smiled as she stared at his face. Her fingers brushed a lock of red hair from off of his forehead. "You're welcome."

"Hey, Mister and Missus Whittler!"

Kali and Ryan glanced down the long corridor. Melanie stood in the corridor. She stared at the couple. She used her hands to call them over. The bride and the groom strolled down the long hallway. Once they reached to the desired area, Melanie spoke.

"I just told the deejay that you guys are waiting to be introduced. Just wait here. As soon as he announced your names, you guys will walk into the room. Y'all will have your first dance as husband and wife," the wedding planner instructed.

A second later, the music that was playing lowered in sound. A microphone was powered on and soon a man's voice infiltrated the atmosphere.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen—

"And kids too!" said a girlish voice. Kali recognized the voice. It was a five year-old girl named Kailey. She was one of Davis' granddaughters. Kali heard several of the wedding guests laugh, in reaction from the outburst.

The deejay's amplified chuckle had rung out throughout the first floor of the mansion. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Let me start over. Can I start over again?" There was silence. Kali assumed that the child was nodding her head during this time. "All right, let me start over. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and to the little ladies and gentlemen that are here too!" There was laughter. "My name is D.J. Equinox and I am the master of ceremonies for tonight. We are here to celebrate the awesome marriage between Ryan and Kali Whittler. Speaking of whom, how about we welcome the awesome couple?" The dining room was flooded with the sounds of cheers and applause. The jubilant sounds were so loud that it caused Kali's eardrums to vibrate. A ripple of excitement had coursed through her pregnant body. "Now, I want you all to welcome the couple with a lot of cheers and applause, all right?" Then the corridor and the dining room was filled with the sound of a drum's roll. "Please everyone, give it up for... MISTER AND MISSUS RYAN WWWWWWHHHHHIIIITTTTTLLLLLEEEEERRR!"

Kali's eardrums vibrated due to being exposed to the raucous applause and cheers. She glanced at Ryan who glared at the dining room's entryway. She saw that he held a wide and goofy smile on his face. Then she felt Melanie's soft hand touch her shoulder and then she felt the nudge. She understood that it was the signal to walk into the room. She grabbed Ryan's hand and held on. Then the couple entered the room.

Kali was blinded by bright, flashing lights. She assumed that the photographers and the guests were snapping pictures. She noticed that the deejay played Natalie Cole's "Everlasting Love" for their first introduction as a married couple. Her eardrums were vibrating and the ear canals felt clogged. Her sense of hearing was altered as if she had her head submerged under water. Despite the uncomfortable conditions, she continued to smile and emit her sense of joy.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, can we make room on the dance floor? Let's all allow the bride and groom to have their first dance," instructed the deejay. There was a flawless segue from Natalie Cole's famous song to another tune. It was a song that Kali wasn't familiar with. She remembered that she allowed Melanie to choose the song. She wondered if the song was appropriate for this special moment. Judging from the group of 'awww' that had come from several women-guests, she knew that it was a popular song.

"Such pretty hair..."

Kali felt her husband gently tug on her hand. It was a simple action, but it meant so much more to her. For Kali, she believed that it was Ryan's way of asking her if it was okay for him to be a leader in their familial dynamic.

"...May I kiss you? May I kiss you there?"

She granted Ryan permission to lead her onto the makeshift dance. They walked to the center of the grand and lavishly decorated room, which was a few feet away from the deejay's work station and twelve feet away from the guests' tables. Ryan drew his wife's body closer to his own.

"...So beautiful..."

He held out his left hand. It was a silent request for her other hand. Kali obliged.

"...You feel so good to me...Tell me in my ear...Beautiful... Beautiful..."

Another pleasurable ripple ran through her body, once she was pressed up against her husband. Then she experienced a sense of security, as if he was declaring to her that he would always protect her.

A few seconds later, the couple began to dance.

"...So very beautiful...So beautiful... Beautiful...So beautiful."

She placed her forehead against his left breast and she let out a sigh. She inhaled the Calvin Kline's "Eternity" cologne, the faint scent of her perfume and the weak spicy scent that lingered in the air.

'This song is perfect,' she concluded.

For the wedding reception, which immediately began after the recitation of the vows, Melanie executed the 'Passion' part of her theme. The wedding reception took place in the mansion's banquet-room sized dining room. She believed that the large room needed to be transformed, in order for her Passion theme to come into fruition. For the interior design, she was inspired by the stereotypical traits from the Iranian and Indian cultures. She had the dining room transformed into a large, caravan tent. The ceiling and the walls of the grand opulent room were covered with orange, red and brown silk screens. The ends of the scarves were tied to the grand chandelier that hung fifty-feet in the air.

In the dining room, there was a large head table and eight, smaller round table that surrounded on end of the table. The large, banquet table was covered with a burgundy-colored silk table cloth. Four, antique iron lanterns table along with three large floral arrangements and two large iron candelabras. Each circular table was decorated with the same features. The dining room's hardwood floorboards were decorated with red rose petals. A pair of nine-foot, iron candelabras stood at both posts of the dining room's entrance. The dim lighting from the candles and the chandelier provided a sensual energy for the reception.

Two hours after the bride and groom's first dance, it was meal time. By then the party atmosphere was in full effect. Every person occupied the dance floor majority of the time. The guests were starving and so were the guests of honor. Plus, they were ready to lounge and relax. For the reception, Melody hired seventy-two waiters to cater to the needs of every guest. For the dinner, the guests were either served with dressed up versions of broiled lamp chops, seafood, grilled steak or rotisserie chicken. For the children, they were given the option of cheeseburgers with sweet potato fries or lamb kebabs with grilled vegetables.

During dinner, the guests conversed amongst themselves and with the recently married couple. "Hey Kali," greeted Danielle, Katrina's sister at one point in the dinner. She sat at the head table along with her husband. "Do you guys know the gender of the baby yet?"

"Yeah, we know," Kali informed her before she had taken a sip from her wine glass of water. Once she removed the glass from her lips, she glimpsed at her husband and gave him a sly smile. He glanced at her and made his own sly grin.

"Soooooo, what are you guys having?" questioned the woman.

The married couple gazed at Danielle. "Do you think that we should tell them?" Kali asked her husband. She gazed at Ryan. "Or should we make them wait?"

Ryan shrugged his shoulders in a lazy kind of way. His face still wore the sneaky kind of smile. His green eyes sparkled with mischief. "I don't know. I don't think they need to know---

"BBBBBBOOOOOO," Danielle chanted while she pointed both of her thumbs down. The rest of the guests joined in on the chanting. The loud taunting was louder than the soft jazz that was playing from the deejay's equipment.

Ryan leaned back in the tall chair and he cackled. Kali, on the other hand, did her best to calm her guests down and to quiet down the noise. She stood up. She stood in front of the table and front of her guests. She looked at her husband, in hopes of her getting help. She only received a shrug of his broad shoulders and a wink of his eye.