the plan, I think it went well, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Jennifer replied numbly. “I think it went very well.”
* * *
“THIS BABY will not be born outside the sanctity of marriage! We will plan a wedding for the beginning of November. Four weeks should give us plenty of time to make all the arrangements, to post the banns, and for you to take your classes with the priest.”
The house was silent. The last guest had left a half hour ago, just before midnight. The belle of the ball, Maria, had wearily kissed her parents good-night and wandered up to bed, her pretty white dress wilted and her crown askew. Teresa and Linda had retired before ten, and Joe had gone for a late-night pizza with a few of his cousins, who had served as chambelanes.
Jennifer groaned. “Mamá, we can’t possibly plan a church wedding in four weeks. Ryan and I have decided that we’ll wait until the baby is born before we get married. That way it won’t be so obvious to all the wedding guests.”
“Well, it will not be obvious if we rush the wedding along,” Carmen insisted. “If Teresa would not have blurted out your condition for everyone to hear, I never would have suspected. Of course, there will be whispers. Siete mesino.”
At Ryan’s confused expression, Jennifer leaned closer. “Seven-month baby,” she whispered. Considering how her plan was going so far, she wasn’t about to inform her mother that it would be more like cuatro mesino, an even greater scandal. Jennifer had assumed the notion of a pregnant daughter walking down the aisle of St. Benedict’s, dressed in the obligatory gown and veil, was something her mother would never endorse. Though her parents would not consider her a married woman unless she exchanged vows in front of Father Juan, the Rodriguezes’ family priest, she’d been certain they’d agree to a ceremony after the baby was born.
But this turn of events threw a serious kink into her strategy. She’d have to announce her engagement and “breakup” with Ryan in the course of four weeks. Little more than a week or two if she wanted her parents to recover a small measure of their investment in a hastily planned wedding.
“Mamá, we can’t pretend that everything is proceeding in the right order. The entire family knows, and if they know, most of El Paso will know by tomorrow evening.”
Diego exhaled slowly and sat back in his chair. Everyone looked to him, waiting to hear his first words on the subject. Jennifer was afraid he’d tear into Ryan, blaming him for the mess she was in. She reached over and covered Ryan’s hand with hers to show her support.
“Though I am disappointed in your behavior, Jennifer, I am happy to see that you’ve found yourself a fine man to take care of you. You know I’ve never liked you living alone in a strange city, and now my fears are calmed. With Ryan to watch over you, you won’t be making any more mistakes.”
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