Epilogue

A gentle breeze from the tiny arched window ruffled the underside of Jon’s hair as he checked his appearance in the antique oval mirror on the granite wall in front of him. Tanned and healthy looking, his brown hair flecked with sun lightened golden highlights nestled atop the clearest mind he’d possessed in years. Straightening his deep purple tie once more, he stared back at his reflection while he took a deep breath. Show time Jonny!

Stooping to exit the low door, he walked straight into Richie who was looking ridiculously cramped in the small corridor.

“Seriously man! How small were people back when this place was built?” He winced as the top of his head hit off a low lying rafter.

Jon chuckled as he squeezed past him. “Well you never heard of tall monks in ancient history class did you?”

“You’ve got a point!” Richie acquiesced with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “You all set?”

“Most definitely, let’s go.”

Pushing against a heavy oak door that they once again had to stoop to get through, the two men walked across the flagstones to shake hands with the two people waiting their arrival.

“You look great Jon!” Sue smiled her approval as she kissed his cheek, “Very handsome!”

“Thanks Sue, glad you’re here!” he laughed back at her as he moved to shake her husband’s hand.

“Paul! You made it! Thanks for coming!”

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!” he pumped Jon’s hand enthusiastically as he smirked over at Sue, “We have some shopping lined up for over here anyway!”

She rolled her eyes as she drily replied, “Yeah not the type that we can fit in our luggage though is it? More darn horses!”

Chuckling Jon stepped back to take up his position beside Richie. In the midst of all his smiles he felt a little flicker of disappointment that his boys weren’t here. It was for the best, even though Dot and Jenn had long made their peace with one another, this occasion wouldn’t have helped her progress in her treatment. It had eventually come to light that she had been secretly battling depression for years but without getting the help she needed it had nearly destroyed them all. Thankfully she was doing much better now with professional help and for the most part everybody was on good terms.

A nudge from Richie dragged him back to the present and he turned his back to everybody as the first strains of music filled the tiny church. Try as he might he couldn’t resist turning around when Richie blew out a low whistle of admiration by his side when the main door at the bottom of the aisle opened spilling bright sunshine onto the wooden pews.

Steph was the first to come into view, floating up the aisle looking every inch the beautiful woman she was turning into. A deep purple halter neck flowed gracefully to her sparkly toes, a pretty lilac bouquet with matching purple ribbons fluttering gently from where she held it clasped against her tiny waist.

Following at a sedate pace behind her was Karen, radiant and blossoming in an identical gown to Steph’s with the exception of the extra silky material that had been added to accommodate the by now unmistakable baby bump. Smiling she took up her position beside Steph just across the aisle from Jon and Richie as they all turned to watch the bride make her entrance.

Jon, blinking in the bright sunshine that flooded the ancient church in a golden glow held his breath as she came into view. Her left arm was linked with Mark’s right, dressed smartly in a tailored suit with a tie in the same purple hue as Jon and Richie’s. Her dark hair floated in soft waves to her bare shoulders, a few strands kept in place by the stem of a magenta orchid that curled softly from behind her right ear.

He swallowed hard as a tell-tale ball of emotion began to form in his throat. His eyes travelled down the length of her body, drinking in the intricate detail of the cream figure hugging bodice that swooped away to a plain floor length skirt. With just a slight bounce it flowed gracefully from her slow moving hips disappearing in a creamy pool behind her. She looked exquisitely simple and elegant.

Reaching the foot of the altar where Fr. Flanagan had now joined them, Jenn’s mahogany eyes shined bright never faltering from the lock they shared with Jon’s. Mark, his emotions starting to get the better of him slowly removed his arm from Jenn’s and kissed her softly on the cheek. He extended a hand to Jon, shaking it solemnly in a firm grip as his eyes glistened with pride. With one final smile at Jenn, he stepped back to stand beside his wife allowing Jon to face Jenn, their hands interlocked in front of them.

Fr. Flanagan welcomed the small gathering of people before him with outstretched arms and began the short ceremony. The elderly priest could not recall a happier union of two people in all the years he had served in the rural parish nor one that he approved of so strongly. The devotion had been clear to him from the moment he had first seen Jon by the young woman’s side at that terrible time when she had been at her most vulnerable.

Lighting a candle in remembrance of the two people who had brought Jenn into the world he turned to gently clasp the couple’s intertwined hands with his own.

“They may not be here today but under the good Lord’s watchful gaze they are looking down on you both today and wishing you well as you undertake your journey in life together. I doubt they could have chosen any better for you Jenn. May their eternal souls rest in perpetual light.”

Jon gripped her hand a little tighter as Jenn smiled back at him, the dark pools of her eyes glistening as she spoke softly, “I doubt it either.”

“I now invite you both to declare before God and his church your consent to become husband and wife.” The priest stood back a step and waited for Jon to commence his vows.

He spoke clearly and with confidence, the creases in his smile soft as he laid bare his love for the woman standing before him;

“Jenn I’ve always promised to love you and protect you; today I’m sealing that promise for all eternity. You are the light that I leave on in the dark to guide me home, you are the reason I smile and you are my best friend. I promise to let my love for you never diminish and today I give you my heart, soul and allegiance without condition, completely and forever.”

Sniffles could be heard from both sides of the altar as Jon’s sincere words melted every heart in the church. Karen, smiling through the mist that was clouding her eyes discreetly handed Mark a tissue, tears running unabashedly down his face.

Jenn composed herself for a moment before she began to speak;

“Jon you walked into my life when I needed you the most and now I give myself to you completely. I will always carry you in my heart, cherish our memories and stay by your side until our final sunset. I will go wherever you go, do whatever it takes to watch you, to guide you and to find you if you are ever lost. You are the true love of my life and I hereby pledge the rest of my life to you, forever.”

They gazed at one another in silent harmony for a moment until Mark broke the spell by noisily blowing his nose. Chuckling Jon winked over at him before returning his happy smile to Jenn. When they had exchanged rings and completed their simple wedding declaration, the priest uttered the words they had waited a lifetime for.

“What God joins together, man must not separate. May he enrich you with his blessing as I pronounce you husband and wife.”

The deafening burst of applause that spontaneously erupted as their friends rejoiced couldn’t break the bond between them in that moment. Gently caressing Jenn’s chin with his thumb, Jon tipped her face up to his as they melted against one another, lost in the symbolism that they were officially ‘forever’.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you ready for this baby?”

Jon gazed tenderly at his wife as they stood together at the top of the cliff behind the tiny church that they had just married in. She ran her fingers over the smooth glass of the bottle that she held one last time, watching the gulls rise and swoop in the warm breeze.

“I’m ready.”

She was at peace, there were no worries in her head, nothing to distract her from this most perfect of all days. She had travelled a long way on her own, now she was no longer alone. Her companion for the rest of her life was standing by her side, patiently waiting for her to finish this journey and embark on a new one, with him. Together.

She closed her eyes and hugged the bottle tight to her chest, drawing in a deep breath of the salty sea air she had grown up with. It was time to say goodbye.

With as much strength as she could muster, she flung the bottle out across the calm sea watching as it gracefully made its dive into the frothy peaks of the small waves below. Jon’s strong arms encircled her as he laid his chin on her shoulder, placing butterfly kisses along her neck. Leaning back against his frame she gazed into the ocean until she was quite sure there was no sign of the little bottle that contained her final farewell to both her parents and to Steve. Those final words that she had never got to say were scribbled in private by her own hand and now bobbing gently in the current that would take them away.

Away from here and away from her new life so that she could look to the future with no regrets. 

None at all.