Holidays were always a tough time for Tiana. Growing up without a family, she’d always romanticized what it would be like to wake up on Christmas morning at home, come down the stairs and find presents under the tree. She dreamed of having a home, or a room, or stairs or a tree.
Once she turned sixteen, she got emancipated and was no longer a ward of the state. Before that, she spent six holidays in foster homes and eight in group homes. She had no idea where she was the first two years of her life, that was before socialservices intervened, so there was no record, and she had no memories of those early years.
Of the six foster homes she’d been at during holidays, four were tolerable, one was not great, and one she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy. As far as the group homes, they were hit and miss depending on who was in charge at any given time. It was a leadership-down situation, not the places themselves.
“Nnaark, ku, nnark, naark,” Pop snored loudly beside Tiana as he ‘rested his eyes.’
He’d been dozing off with more and more frequency lately. She wasn’t sure if it was a side effect of his new medication or if his heart was getting worse.
She nudged him. And his eyes popped open, and he grumphed awake.
Thankfully, both Lydia and Arthur were in their nineties, so she doubted either heard the commotion, and if they did, she was fairly certain they would take no offense considering Pops’ age and health condition, both of which they knew. Thinking of Pops health caused an unwelcome surge of panic. She sniffed back the barrage of emotion threatening to crash the party. She absolutely would not allow herself to think about Pops’ age or health. The only tears that were going to be coming out of her eyes today were happy tears.
Pops was the only constant in Tiana’s life. He owned a liquor store near the very first group home she ever stayed in. The kids would go steal candy from him. He knew it, but as long as they didn’t overdo it, he let them get away with it.
The first time she ever saw or met Pops was when she was going into the store to steal. It was the “initiation” for the group home. It wasn’t her choice. It was that or get beat up every day until she did. She was five and very small for her age.
She’d never forget how terrified she was when she went in. The kids had told her what she had to get. She stole it andgave it to the ten-year-olds, then determined she would never do something that she didn’t want to do again no matter what the consequences were. She felt horrible guilt and couldn’t sleep the entire night. Pops obviously knew what she’d done, but he hadn’t stopped her or said anything to her.
The foster home she’d been at before going to that group home was one of the decent ones. There she’d had chores to do to earn money. So the next day, after kindergarten, she went in and confessed. She showed him the list of what she’d stolen. She didn’t know how to write yet, because no one had taught her, so she’d drawn pictures as best she could of all the wrappers.
She asked him if he would please not call the police, even though she knew she belonged in jail, but if he would let her, she would do chores and work off the money. She still remembered being so scared waiting for his response. It felt like he took an eternity to answer, but it was probably only a few seconds before he agreed.
That began the greatest love story of her life. The love she had for Pops. Every day she’d go in, and he had her sweep and organize all the shelves. Now she knew it was really just busy work because he knew it was safer being in the store than it was being in the group home. After the first month, he started giving her lunch every day after school, and he helped her with homework.
That started in kindergarten, and she never stopped going in after school until she took her GED at sixteen so she could be emancipated and get a full-time job. Once she was working the nine to five, she legally changed her last name from Pike to Matthews, Pops’ last name, and her middle name to Marie after his wife, who she never had the honor of meeting. She hadn’t asked him if she could, she’d just done it and shown up with her new I.D. When she showed him, he got tears in his eyes and said, “Well, you’ve always been my girl, Tiny. Ya didn’t have to havemy name to prove it.” But the smile on his face and the tears that fell down his cheeks told her he was touched that she had. She didn’t want the last name of some man or woman she had never known, she wanted Stanley Cecil Matthews’ last name. He was the only family she’d ever had.
“Arthur and Lydia have written their own vows,” Pastor Harrison announced, snapping Tiana out of her foggy state of mind.
The vows, especially when they were personalized, were always Tiana’s favorite part of the wedding. Well, that and the kiss. Oh, and the look on the groom’s face when the bride is walking down the aisle. And the first dance. Maybe she loved weddings.
“You go.” Mrs. Costas nodded to her betrothed.
Arthur began, a whisper of a grin on his face. “Lydia, I never wanted to get married again, but then you showed up and told me that I did.”
There was a spatter of laughter in the crowd because Yaya had no problem telling people what they were thinking, feeling, or what they should or shouldn’t be doing.
“And you were right. You bring color, laughter, and alittle noise—” Another roll of laughter sounded through the crowd, Lydia Costas was one of the most outspoken people in Hope Falls. Once it died down, he continued, “—to my quiet world, and I wouldn’t change a thing. My days were gray, and now I see color. You are beautiful inside and out. At ninety years old, I can say this with confidence, buying those violets and taking a chance that you would throw them in my face was one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken, but it’s given me the best reward. I promise to walk beside you, to listen, to laugh, and to enjoy every day we’re given together.”
There were a few sniffles and some scattered claps, but then Mrs. Costas, who was patting her own eyes, looked out overeveryone. “Yes, yes, yes!” She clapped her hands. “You cheer for my Arthur. He write all himself. I not tell him to say any of that!”
That got another laugh as people cheered, when it quieted down, Mrs. Costas took a deep breath. She reached out and took his hands. “My Arthur, we both have great loves before. And we both think that’s it. No more for us! Who could be so greedy? But then, you bring me flowers, and you show me, love is no just one person, one time. Love is action, it is caring, it is dancing in kitchen, and walk on the river, and Real Housewives with banana split from Two Scoops.”
There were a few chuckles, probably people trying to picture Arthur watching Real Housewives while eating a banana split. Tiana was definitely going to file that image away and pull it out on a rainy day if she needed a pick-me-up.
“You show me calm, patient, andbraveto marry Greek woman who is always right.”
There was another wave of laughter.
Mrs. Costas looked out at her guests. “What? That is no joke!”
Tiana wasn’t sure if it was or not, she was leaning towards not.
“I promise I love you loud, I care for you gentle, and I make fun all the time, if you like or not. S’agapó, with all my heart.”
Frankie, Niko’s little sister, who was seated in the front row, began to cheer, and everyone followed her lead.
Pastor Harrison finished the ceremony, asking all the appropriate questions and then sealing the deal by pronouncing them husband and wife. While everyone stood to their feet applauding the new Mr. and Mrs. Costas-Santino, Tiana, who would normally be caught up in the wave of love, was mainly focused on Pops. His coloring was sallow, and the circles under his eyes looked two shades darker than when the ceremony began less than fifteen minutes earlier.
