The guests had begun to gather in the foyer of Mortimer Goth’s home. Dina felt a frisson of excitement rush along her spine when she realized that both the mayor and Captain Hero were among her wedding guests!
Mortimer, meanwhile, had come to look with fondness on the wedding arch in his backyard, the same arch under which he once feared his only daughter would marry Don Lothario.
The catering service had booked several jobs since Cassandra’s aborted wedding, and while they had no servers available, they readily agreed to drop off a buffet and a cake for Mortimer and Dina’s nuptial celebration. They even threw in a little extra guest seating at no charge.
Having the mayor at his wedding wasn’t as much a matter of prestige to Mortimer as to Dina. Actually, she was there as her husband’s date. Mortimer had grown quite friendly with Dan Pleasant, particularly in the last couple of years. In addition to the Pleasants, John and Jennifer Burb attended, along with their daughter Lucy, to whom Mortimer felt Alexander had taken quite a shine. He grinned when he spotted the children sneaking glances at one another across the aisle.
Captain Hero, meanwhile, had been quite a surprise. Apparently, Dina had sent him a fan letter of some sort, including an invitation to the wedding, and astonishingly, he’d accepted! Dina had also invited, somewhat grudgingly, her sister Nina, as well as her friend Brandi Broke.
No one was exactly sure whether anyone had invited her or she just decided to crash, but even young Tosha Go stopped by, mingled for a bit, and then left, just as the ceremony was beginning.
“...with all that I have and all that I am, I take you to be my wife,” Mortimer intoned, slipping a gold band on Dina’s left hand. And with a kiss, the deal was sealed, and Dina Caliente was Mrs. Mortimer Goth.
Mortimer couldn’t look away from Dina’s eyes during their first dance. Even the DJ’s electric pink tuxedo seemed oddly appropriate to the occasion.
“Happy?” Mortimer asked, as he spun Dina across the lawn.
“Mm-hm. Deliriously,” she answered, before lowering her head to his shoulder.
Soon, they were feeding one another the first bites of wedding cake, under the watchful gazes of Alexander and Captain Hero, while the other guests mingled. Somehow, it seemed terribly important to Mortimer that everything be perfect. He didn’t want anything to go wrong with this day, for Dina’s sake.
Alexander got his father’s attention, and pulled him aside. “Did you ask her about the boarding school thing?” he asked, in a stage whisper. Mortimer chuckled.
“I’m afraid it hasn’t come up yet,” he replied. “But I promise, I won’t forget.” That seemed to mollify the boy, for the moment, at least.
As the afternoon wore on, the dancing kicked into high gear. When the Smustle began, it seemed almost no one was immune. Nearly every one of the guests realized with surprise that they shouldn’t have been shocked at how talented a dancer Captain Hero turned out to be, given his inherent grace and athleticism.
“Years of training,” he’d say, with a knowing smile, whenever someone complimented him on his moves. “And the jet boots don’t hurt.”
Eventually, the festivities began to wind down, and the guests began to head home. Soon, everyone but Nina and Cassandra had left. Nina and Alexander had bonded almost instantly, and the redhead had offered to look after her new nephew while Dina and Mortimer were off on their honeymoon.
“It was a lovely ceremony,” Cassandra told Dina, giving her a hug. “Truly lovely.”
“Why, thank you, Cassandra. It means so much that you were part of today,” Dina responded. “To me as well as your father.” Then, Cassandra produced an envelope from her purse.
“Here,” she said, handing the envelope to Dina. “Just a little something to say ‘welcome back to the family.’”
“Oh, how sweet!” Dina gushed. “Wait… ‘welcome back to...’?” Cassandra smiled at her.
“You know,” Cassandra went on, “I’m still having trouble figuring out what to call you now. I mean, ‘Mom’ just doesn’t really feel appropriate, and you were ‘Auntie Dina’ first, but that doesn’t really apply anymore, either, does it?” Dina’s mouth dropped open, but no sound came out. “Is it okay if I just call you ‘Dina’?” The newlywed blonde continued to stand in shock, like a deer in the headlights.
“You… wha—?” she finally muttered.
“Well, if it’s not okay, just let me know. I really should be going now, though. Enjoy your honeymooon. Let’s have lunch when you get back.” With that, Cassandra turned and strode out the front door.
Dina swallowed, and blinked, unsure of what to do or say. Suddenly, she realized she was still holding the envelope Cassandra had given her, and with trembling hands, spent several moments worrying it open. Finally, she opened it and looked inside, her mouth dropping open once again.
Inside was a check for fifty thousand simoleons.
01 Jun 2006 | 06:20 PM