The Kiss

Lisa always wanted to be a June bride. She dreamed about wearing a beautiful white dress and pictured herself since she was a small girl in Detroit walking down the aisle and saying “I do.” But today was not June, it was January, and to make things worse it was the first of January.

Everyone sitting in the pews was very confused. Who comes to a wedding on a January first? Who even thinks of getting married on January first?

“It was all his fault,” Lisa told his mother.

“He was so set on getting married the day that his parents got married,” she added.

Lisa’s mother said that it was okay as long as she loved him. “The date of the wedding doesn’t really matter. It’s the occasion that matters,” Lisa’s mom said.

Lisa knew what people were going to think. She’s probably pregnant, or this is the day when he’s drunk enough to marry her. But she knew he loved Abe and that his quaintness wasn’t going to ruin this relationship.

Lisa wasn’t too worried about the wedding. She knew most people were gonna be hung over from the night before and wouldn’t pay attention if something went wrong. She was worried about that night. She had known Abe for 10 years and never in their time together did they have sex. Their relationship wasn’t about sex. They enjoyed being with each other and caressing each other. They even felt the desire to have sex with each other at times, but they knew it wasn’t right. Lisa had seen lots of relationships break up right after having sex. She also saw no reason to have sex. People told her it would further a relationship, but how can an act further something that was so perfect already.

Walking down the aisle Lisa was scared. She was afraid of giving herself full for her husband. She was afraid of being naked in front of a man. She was afraid of giving in to carnal love. She knew it was the next step and she trembled as she took every step.

She arrived at the aisle and turned to her husband to be. She saw him, looking dashing in his tux and calmed herself down. She loved this man and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Part of spending the rest of her life was having sex. Besides, there was still the whole reception to get over. That’s what was really important, as friends and relations probably won’t hear much about their sex life.

The priest went on as to how important the symbol of marriage is. Lisa daydreamed about the next years of her life. She knew they were both gonna work for a while, maybe three or four years down the road have children. They had decided that they wanted at least three years to be together without children. Not that children would ruin a marriage but one wants to take it slow.

Their whole relationship had been slow, from the time when they met in High School to now. She was a sophomore and he was a senior. Abe had failed Junior English and had to take it again. Lisa, being a very smart student was taking Junior English. They got stuck doing a presentation of a play together. The play was “Our Town.” The two lovers had to meet by the moonlight.

In the real world, Lisa and Abe hated each other. Abe was irresponsible, having failed this class last year, and had problems memorizing the line. Lisa had no problem memorizing every line (including Abe’s) but could not put any feeling into it. Finally the day came to perform it, Abe only had to be queued twice, and Abe performed the scene so lifelike that Lisa had no choice but put some emotion into it. In the end they both got A’s.

They went to celebrate and that’s when their relationship got started. Lisa saw that Abe inspired all these feelings which she didn’t feel through any of her books. Abe saw in her an incredibly beautiful woman who could keep him wonderful company, and teach him some things.

Back in the chapel the priest starts saying, “If there is anyone among here who.”

“I have an objection!” said someone from among the pews.

It was Jack, Abe’s big brother from the fraternity.

Abe and Jack had a very good friendship but often caused some friction between Lisa and him. Jack joined this fraternity during his sophomore year in college. Lisa had the unfortunate luck of visiting him right after one of the “non-paddlings.”

“What happened to you? Why can’t you sit properly?” asked Lisa.

“Oh nothing,” replied Abe.

“Wait did someone hit you?”

“Yes! I did!” interrupted Jack. “And in this fraternity we also paddle the girlfriends.”

At this moment his little brother, who was a whole foot bigger than him, grabbed him by the shirt and said, “I don’t think you want to do that.”

“Hey bro. I was only kidding. No such things happen here. We are nice to the lady.”

“They can’t get married until she has been paddled!” said Jack at that wedding chapel on that cold January morning.

Abe smacked his bride on the butt lightly and said, “There. Is that good enough, Jack?”

“Yes thanks bro,” replied Jack.

“Six years and he hasn’t grown up,” whispered Abe.

The vows were next in the program. As Abe read his vows to Lisa, she remembered the proposal. Abe had taken her out to dinner at the nicest restaurant in town. She had filet mignon and he had spaghetti carbonara. Abe ordered champagne. Lisa kept on trying to remember if this was an event that she was supposed to remember. Finally she determined that Abe thought that her birthday was today. At the end of dinner right after ordering dessert Abe said, “Will you marry me?”

Lisa burped. It was a polite burp. “I mean ... yes,” she added. They were now engaged.

“Do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do”

“Do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do”

“Then by the power vested in me by the state of Michigan I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride”

They kissed.

The party went without many problems. Lisa’s mother came and told them that they should name her first daughter after her. The came Abe’s mother and asked for the same thing. They agreed to both ladies and decided that they just would not have girls.

Jack came and told Abe to enjoy his honeymoon because it was going to be the best time of his life.

“I thought that was college,” replied Abe.

“Well yeah but this is better.”

Lisa knew what he meant and she got nervous again. During the entire ceremony she had centered on remembering all the love they have had in the past and hadn’t really thought about the love they have ahead of them. All sorts of things could go wrong. What if her body just wasn’t ready? What if she was really bad? What if it hurt? She knew that as a virgin it could be difficult. Maybe she should have had sex with him before? But she knew that it wasn’t necessary. She loved him more than she could possibly imagine loving him after sex.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t aware of sex. She just never saw it as a need, only as a want. She also knew that it brought about problems. How often should we have sex? Why aren’t we having sex today?

During college she was teased heavily by her friends. They all had sex with their boyfriends and kept making fun of Lisa and Abe for having such a “perfect” relationship. All of her friends at one time met with a sex-related problem. The regret of having sex with someone, a pregnancy scare, the boyfriend leaving after having sex, were all problems that Lisa helped her friends get through. She wasn’t self righteous about it. She knew that some people wanted to have sex and she wasn’t going to argue with them. She just knew that she wasn’t going to have sex.

But tonight she had to. It was her gift to her new husband. She was really nervous. It was time to throw the bouquet. She threw it really high hoping that nobody would catch and that nobody would have to go through her fate. Unfortunately it landed on the ceiling of her house and her father had to fish it out. She tried again and it fell into her sister’s hands. Fortunately Lisa’s sister was only fourteen and was safe, for the time being.

The guests started leaving and the limousine came for the newlyweds. They went to the airport and started their flight to their honeymoon destination, Puerto Vallarta. On the plane, she found comfort in knowing that everything would be all right because she loved her husband. She knew that he was the right man for her and that he would be very gentle. He always had been. If she needed more time he would give it to her. She was still nervous.

They laid in bed and she knew it was time. Abe crossed over to her.

“Are you as terrified as I am?” he asked.

“I think I am,” she replied.

Abe gave his new wife a long kiss and said, “Let’s get used to sleeping on the same bed first.”