I confirmed that a lot of people were here, and her friend told her, “It’s starting in just a matter of minutes, sweetie.” Muriel was a tall Black woman who also happened to be trans. She was trying on a wide-brimmed hat over her long braids, and she turned to JoJo and asked, “How about this one? It seems like a better idea than holding an umbrella during the ceremony.” JoJo told her it was perfect.
I asked, “Do either of you need anything?” When they both told me they were all set, I said, “Okay, we’ll see you out there.” I kissed JoJo’s cheek, and she gave me a radiant smile.
We picked up a large, red umbrella on our way out the back door, which the baby thought was pretty fascinating. Then the three of us huddled together under it near the back of the crowd—just in case Owen started fussing during the ceremony and we had to make a quick retreat. When we turned on the flashlight and it lit up our umbrella, we became part of the magic.
I leaned against Lucky as he said, “You know, the last wedding I went to was my cousin Enrique’s, which cost an absolute fortune. This wedding is nicer by far.”
“I believe it. Also, why would anyone spend tons of money on a wedding?”
He shrugged. “A lot of people use it as an excuse to flaunt their success.”
“That’s just weird to me. When I get married, I want it to be just like this—simple, beautiful, and all about love.”
Lucky grinned and said, “Noted,” which made me grin, too.
Over the next few minutes, all the guests filtered outside—except for Yolanda’s high maintenance mom, aunt, and cousins, who decided to watch from the upstairs windows to protect their blowouts.
The sky was dark gray and a steady drizzle was coming down, but this still felt like a fairytale. Owen was watching everything with wide eyes and a fascinated expression, and Lucky felt warm and solid at my side. I liked it when he slid his hand around my waist and held me securely.
A hush fell over the crowd. A few moments later, five members of the Greater Bay Area Lesbian Chorus filtered out the back door and made their way down the aisle. They were dressed in dark red choir robes and singing a gorgeous a cappella version of Mary Lambert’s “She Keeps Me Warm,” which was so perfect.
The singers gathered to the left of the arch and finished that song before launching into Etta James’ “At Last.” Yolanda stepped out the back door and started laughing when some of her friends whistled and cat-called. She strolled down the aisle in her sparkly sneakers, seeming totally oblivious to the rain, and high-fived Muriel before taking her place beside her.
Once they finished that song, the choir started singing Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” and everyone turned back to the door in anticipation. A moment later, JoJo stepped outside, looking as ethereal as an angel and carrying a bouquet of dark red roses tied with streaming red ribbons.
She was positively beaming as she tilted her face up to the rain. Then she stepped out of her high heels and hiked up her skirt to her knees, revealing a rainbow of tulle petticoats underneath. When she jumped off the two steps, landing barefoot in a puddle with a big splash, everyone cheered and applauded.
Then she didn’t walk down the aisle. She danced, and skipped, and twirled, while the most amazing thing happened. All the wedding guests and Yolanda began singing along with the choir, serenading the beautiful bride and paying tribute to the very long road she’d traveled to get here.
Yolanda held out her arms, and JoJo ran the last few steps and grabbed her in an embrace. As they kissed passionately, I glanced at Lucky. He had tears in his eyes. I tilted his chin toward me and kissed him gently. When he smiled at me, my heart felt so full.
The ceremony was just as beautiful as the moments leading up to it. Yolanda and JoJo pledged to love each other forever and exchanged vows they’d written themselves. When Muriel pronounced them married, they kissed again while everyone applauded, and then the couple ran hand-in-hand back down the aisle and into the house. The choir followed, singing a gorgeous version of “Higher Love.”
While most of the guests went back inside, Owen started squirming, so we went in the opposite direction. I put him down near the glowing rainbow arch, and he began splashing in the puddles and shrieking with delight, like he’d just invented the best game ever.
I took over holding the umbrella while Lucky wrapped his arms around me and said, “I’m so glad I got to experience this with you.”
“Me, too.”
“You know, you were wrong about something earlier, though.”
“Oh yeah? What was I wrong about?”
“You told Eliot’s friend I wasn’t your boyfriend. Clearly, you were mistaken.”
I grinned at him and asked, “Is that a fact?”
“Yup.”
“Okay. Good to know.” Music started playing inside the house, and I said, “Dance with me.”
“I’d love to.”
I folded up the umbrella and set it aside, and we wrapped our arms around each other and began swaying to the music. “I wanted to ask you to come with me,” he said, after a while. “To Miami, I mean. But I would never make you choose between me and your family, because that’s not fair. The more time I spend here, in this house and with these people, the more I realize it’s where you and your son belong. But I’m fully committed to making a long distance relationship work, so please tell me you want that, too.”
“I want you any way I can have you. If that means doing the long distance thing, then I’ll take it.”
“I’ll fly in every weekend. I already told my dad I refuse to work seven days a week, just because he does. That means we can still have our Saturday nights, and then I’ll fly back on Sundays,” he said.