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Immediately after the ceremony, the partying began. Everyone went to the tables. Lucille had arranged for Ethan to sit with me at the long dais that included her relatives, the governor and his wife, and Senator Brice and his wife. I saw how wide-eyed Ethan was at the sight of all of these important political figures right beside him. He was also drinking quite a bit, which worried me. The only way to slow him down was to get up and dance, and we did so right after Daddy and Lucille had their first dance. To my surprise, before it ended, Lucille’s father danced with her, and Daddy beckoned to me.
“Go on,” Ethan urged.
I rose and joined him on the dance floor. I hadn’t danced with him since I was a little girl.
“Well, what do you think, Semantha? Did Lucille plan a winning affair or what?”
“It’s overwhelming, Daddy.”
“I hope this is going to be a wonderful new start for all of us,” he said. He held me closer, and when we turned, I saw Cassie standing there looking terribly sad. “Not that for one moment I don’t wish things had turned out differently for us, Semantha,” he continued. “But we can’t change what’s happened. We’ve got to go on and be strong.” He held me out a bit and looked into my face with his own full of determination. “You’re going to be all right. We all will be now. When I get back, we’ll be an even closer family.”
“Okay, Daddy,” I said.
He smiled, and we finished our dance.
“You looked great out there,” Ethan said. “Your father’s pretty graceful. I only hope I can be half as accomplished and well rounded as he is when I’m his age.”
“You’re off to a good start,” I told him.
He beamed and seemed to grow another inch in height. “I can’t fail with a cheerleader like you behind me,” he whispered. He kissed me just below the ear and held me tighter as we danced.
We stayed out there until dinner was being served, and I decided Ethan was right after all. We were having a good time. It was a terrific party. I knew I could enjoy it even more if I just didn’t think of it so much as my father’s wedding. Besides, this was something no daughter wanted to do, dance at her father’s wedding. But that was something not easily put aside, especially not if Lucille Bennet had anything to say about it.
The cake-cutting ceremony was as impressive as she had predicted it would be. People were taking pictures with themselves in front of or beside the cake. There were a half-dozen photographers and the film crew working the event. Guests were constantly asked to speak directly into the camera and offer their good wishes. However, for me, listening to all of the well-wishers, one after another, remark about how my father looked ten years younger and so happy was like swallowing sour milk. After a while, no matter how much fun Ethan and I were having, I couldn’t wait for the wedding to end.
Ethan had drunk too much and was dozing off from time to time by now, anyway. After the cake ceremony, a parade of people lined up to shake my father’s hand and compliment Lucille. It seemed never-ending. The only time Ethan came back to life was when Lucille called to him to meet someone or beckoned him to her side.
“Boy, does she know how to network,” he told me, returning. “She introduces me only to people who can be of some benefit to the Heaven-stone Stores. I never knew we employed so many attorneys, too.”
I smiled to myself at his use of the word “we.” Daddy would say he’d become so loyal so quickly that he would take a bullet for the organization. Would he take a bullet for me?
“Don’t hold your breath,” Cassie whispered. While she was at my side often, I saw her follow Daddy everywhere. She didn’t miss a word. I couldn’t help but wonder if Lucille would be anywhere near here if Cassie were alive, but what good did my wondering do now? It only made me more depressed. I drank a little more than I should have, too, and found myself getting tired. Neither Ethan nor I felt much like dancing anymore. All of the noise around me seemed to merge into a low hum. I was sick of smiling, of saying hello and thanking people, many of whom spoke to me only to see how I was reacting.
“There are so many phony smiles,” Cassie whispered. “It’s like being at Mardi Gras in a parade of masks.”
I wasn’t going to disagree with that. When I saw the first group of guests begin to make their way out to their cars, I sighed with relief. The end was in sight. Finally, the orchestra played its last number, and the remaining guests began to file out. Lucille had given instructions that nothing was to be closed down and no attempt to clean up would begin until all of the guests were gone. It seemed some would never leave, but they finally did, and the cleanup began.
Daddy and Lucille had slipped away to make their final preparations for departure. The limousine would take them to their hotel near the airport, and in the morning, they would catch their flight to connect with their cruise.
When Ethan and I and Uncle Perry went in to go to bed, there was no doubt we would do just that. None of us looked capable of remaining awake another minute. My two best men kissed me good night and sauntered off to their own bedrooms. Ethan looked as if he didn’t have the energy to undress and might just fall into the bed in his tux. I barely managed to get myself cleaned up and into my nightgown. When I crawled under the light blanket and laid my head on the pillow, I saw Cassie standing there, her body glowing.
“We buried our mother again tonight,” she said. “Sleep on that.”
I turned my back on her, closed my eyes, and dove into a pool of sleep, welcoming darkness, silence, and amnesia. I didn’t open my eyes until noon, and even then, it took twenty more minutes for me to get used to the light and gather enough energy to get myself showered and dressed. Like a sleepwalker, I maneuvered down the hallway and down the stairs. To my surprise, both Ethan and Uncle Perry were already up and dressed and having their late breakfast out on the patio, where they could observe the final cleanup being carried out. They both rose at the sight of me.
“Hey, Sam,” Uncle Perry said. “Are you awake?”
“Not yet,” I said. Ethan rushed to kiss me good morning and pulled out my chair. Doris was out with fresh coffee and some morning rolls. I told her that would be fine for now.
“Your father called just before they boarded the cruise ship,” Uncle Perry said. “He wanted me to tell you he’d call the first chance he got. That was quite an affair last night. No one who attended is going to forget it.”
“The wedding to beat all weddings,” Ethan said.
I could see Uncle Perry was waiting for me to agree, but I sipped my coffee silently.
“Looks like another beautiful day,” he said. “They’re almost finished out here. The Heaven-stone estate should return to its idyllic state soon.”
“Not soon enough,” I muttered.
