47 YEARS AGO, THIS WEEK…

 

At this point, 47 years ago, Mark and I were totally immersed in wedding plans… and trying hard to ignore “certain people” who thought they (even though they were NOT our parents or siblings) had the right to command the way we did things; so much so, that a few nights before our wedding was to happen, my Dad offered to give us money to elope and promised that he would manage to get himself and my Mom and Mark’s parents to whatever chapel we wanted to be married in! It was so tempting (yes, some people were really causing grief), but we decided to stick with our plans and the location we chose.

We spent the balance of the week tracking down RSVPs, adding a few last-minute invites, and making a list of wedding presents so we could send thank-you cards. Our apartment, although we were not yet living together, provided both a place to escape and a place to store some of those previously mentioned wedding gifts. And we had the final fittings for my wedding gown, WHICH MY MOM DESIGNED AND SEWED.

By midweek I had discussed the plans to “kidnap” Mark (masterminds were his brother, brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law. The plan was to kidnap him, put him in handcuffs and take him out for a “adult-only” kind of evening. And that Friday night, dressed in my jeans and a Mickey Mouse T-Shirt (with each Mouse ear conveniently covering each boob, lol), I tricked Mark into going downstairs where he was snatched up. I laughed at the conspiracy, and was surprised when my sister, sister-in-law-to-be, and a friend, also carted me off to dinner, and then to the friend’s house where the guys showed up and we partied till the late hours.

Saturday night, December 27, 1975, Mark and I promised not to see each other and to spend the night before our wedding with our respective parents and siblings.  I was giddy with the anticipation. My poor Mom was still being harangued by “a relative” (who was NOT contributing a cent to the event) telling her all the things we did wrong, who we should have invited, and criticizing (without seeing it) the gown my mother made for me to wear that day! We were all a bit on edge.  I made sure to get to sleep, or at least to bed, nice and early that night so that I could truly enjoy OUR DAY.

Sunday morning, December 28, 1975… it was finally HERE. Mark and I agreed to meet at the catering hall in Queens, get dressed out there, and have a zillion family pictures taken before the actual ceremony. I was excited. My parents left the apartment first, my dad had to help my partially disabled Mom down the three flights of stairs, my 4-year-old nephew and my grandmother went with them. My sister, her husband, and I carried our gowns/clothing in garment bags, locked the apartment door and started downstairs.

My poor sister tripped and fell down an entire flight of hard, marble steps. She was laying crumpled on the landing, conscious, and in tremendous pain. While my brother-in-law tended to her, I ran downstairs to get our dad; my mom, her mom, and my nephew stayed in the car and worried. My first thought was that my sister would have to be taken to the emergency room of the local hospital. My Dad, who was trained in First Aid, checked her out.

Knowing that no matter what we did, I had to reach Mark and let him know what had happened and, possibly, to ask if he would meet us at the hospital. But this was the days before cellphones, and although I tried the office phone at the venue, no one picked up the ringing line. Finally, my sister, being a real trooper, insisted that she was going to walk down the aisle as my Matron-of-Honor even if she had to limp all the way. It took a while for her to get PAINFULLY upright and between my dad and my brother-in-law, they pretty much supported the rest of her journey down the stairs and into the car.

And then traffic was HORRIFIC, and it was not people heading out to watch our nuptials… I cried most of the way from the Bronx to Queens and watched as the time seemed to rush by. Finally, we arrived, and I saw Mark’s brother pacing up and down the sidewalk. I was so afraid that everyone had left, and I burst into uncontrollable tears as I told him what had transpired. He went ahead and told everyone of my arrival.

I was thankful and amazed… THE MAN HAD WAITED FOR ME; Mark and I were going to be married!

My family all got dressed. My Mom helped my sister who bemoaned that she couldn’t wear the beautiful pair of shoes she bought to match her gown and would be walking down the aisle in her sneakers. My Mom’s nerves were totally frazzled… and she still had to put up with the one meddling relative. The service went well, my nephew, our ring bearer, interrupted the Rabbi asking him to please bless our wedding rings, and everyone shouted Mazel Tov at the end.

After posing for less than the zillion photos we planned, we went into the reception hall and danced our first dance as husband and wife to “We’ve Only Just Begun”. Shortly after, my poor Mom, with all the stress she had had over the past weeks and that morning, had a diabetic reaction. She refused to leave the building but did concede to lying down in the bridal suite – where she spent the bulk of our reception. My father-in-law, nerves wracked over my tardiness, imbibed a little too much on an empty stomach and began to serenade our party with a rousing rendition of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”.

Mommy did rejoin the party close to the end and was there to see us off. We walked out of the venue to a lot of snow! Mark and I had decided to spend the first night of our married life in our Rockland County apartment and head off on our honeymoon the next morning. By the time we got to our apartment complex, there were snowbanks everywhere. I had to call my parents to make sure my mom and my sister were okay, but we didn’t have a phone installed yet. He was still in his tux, and I was still in my gown, when Mark spied a payphone, he lifted me up and carried me through the snow so that I could call home.

The next morning, we woke and headed out through the snow to Mt. Airy Lodge in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. We had the most delightful honeymoon for the rest of that week.

And now, in 2022, 47 years later, we retired and now live in the Pocono Mountains. Mt Airy LODGE closed in the 1990s, now it is a casino, and yes, we’ve visited a few times. We’re older and still head over heels in love.

And we are happy… all because

THIS MAN WAITED FOR ME. 

Think Pink

I found a terrific writing site (thanks to my friend Sugana) — The Daily Post: Daily Prompts provides a NEW daily prompt every day to give every writer a way to put a spark in her/his creativity. I decided to join this group every so often...

Today's Prompt is  PINK

Almost 47 years ago (this June) my sister was married to the love of her life and I had the joy of being her Maid of Honor. 

I wore this beautiful PINK gown, I remember it so clearly even so many years later. I remember thinking that it was a "creamy" pink, empire style with a huge pink and shiny bow right across the bosom. The dress and sleeves had a wonderfully intricate lace overlay. I absolutely loved that gown. I was a teenage girl and I swore it was the prettiest dress I ever wore. I felt so pretty and of course since their wedding was so romantic, pink meant love and romance to me.

Being the terrible bordering-on-hoarder that I am, years later when my own teenage daughter was going to a party where the theme was the 80s (yes, I know, I wore the dress in 1970) I offered it to her. She took a look at the dress and said "Omigosh Mom, I can't believe you ever wore that, it is soooo OLD."

OUCH!

LOL. By the way five-and-a-half years later my sister was the Matron of Honor at my wedding and she wore blue.

Oh... also, both couples are still very much in love.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/pink/

Happy Anniversary to My Loving Husband — #MondayBlogs

My husband and I celebrated our 39^th wedding anniversary yesterday… time flies. Thirty-nine wonderful years. I admit, there are times we had to work at it — work hard — but it has been worth it.

We went to the same high school (High School of Art & Design in NYC) but the only memory I have of him was a confrontation in the school halls when he, as an anal hall monitor, tried to stop me from going down to the auditorium between class periods. (I was a Theatre Arts student and we had a show to prepare for). It wasn’t until years later when we were both volunteers with the NYC Auxiliary Police that we really had a chance to talk with each other… and we instantly disliked each other. Thanks to the meddling of our superior officers (my own dad was our Auxiliary Captain) we finally went out on a date. Two weeks later we were engaged; our wedding date was set for December 28, 1975.

I was late to the wedding!

In my defense I had a valid excuse, my sister (my MOH) fell down a flight of stairs and in the age before cell phones I couldn’t reach Mark to let him know. Luckily he waited for me. Yes we were married with all four of our parents standing under the chuppa with us, and my sister was a real trooper and hobbled down the aisle in her everyday flat shoes instead of the dressy heels that went with her dress. It was so sweet when I spoke the words “Ani l’dodi, v’dodi li” (I am to my beloved as my beloved is to me). Mark had our wedding rings engraved “plus qu'hier, moins que demain"(More than yesterday, less than tomorrow).

After the ceremony my mom, with all the stress of planning and then worry over my sister’s accident, had a diabetic reaction and spent most of the afternoon lying in the bridal suite — she refused to let us call an ambulance. By the end of the reception she was feeling better and soon it was time to leave.

We planned to spend the first night of our married life in our own apartment in Rockland County so we drove IN A BLIZZARD from Queens over the Tappan Zee Bridge. By the time we reached the garden apartment complex I was in tears from worry about my mom and my sister. Since we didn’t  have a phone installed in the apartment Mark found a pay phone (in 1975 that was all we had). The snow drift was piled so high and Mark in his tuxedo carried me in my bridal gown over the snow. All was well back in the Bronx and we were able to relax back in our own apartment. The next morning we traversed semi-plowed snow covered roads to the Poconos for our honeymoon and we enjoyed the holidays and our first New Year’s Eve as Mr. and Mrs.

Through the years we suffered the loss of all four parents in a relatively short time period. We also celebrated the birth of two fantastic children [a daughter and a son], job and career changes, a house with a yard for the kids to play, and watching them as they grew and experienced life and the world. There were money problems and health issues, arguments and making up, laughter and tears, friendships that came and went, public accolades in our respective careers, family births, and the loss of some dear relatives. We’ve celebrated holidays with our sisters and their families, got to witness graduations, bar and bat mitzvahs and weddings for the next generation. Both of our children are married now, and our in-law children are wonderful, and we’re at the empty-nester stage and talking about eventual retirement. It’s definitely been a “ride”.

Sometimes our plans went astray, but we’ve adapted TOGETHER. Our marriage has been a lot of work and it definitely has worked for us.

The biggest constant throughout our married life has always been that I have woken every single morning having fallen more in love than I was the day before — and he has always shown me that it goes both ways.

I love you, Mark. Happy anniversary, Sweetheart.

Hello Young Lovers ~ #MondayBlogs

A couple in love beginning life together as Mr & Mrs...

This past weekend on December 13, 2014 (12/13/14) our son Marc married the love of his life Patricia (Trish) during a wonderful ceremony surrounded by several loving family members and friends. The evening was filled with wonderful expressions of devotion and commitment between these two soul mates and from everyone present ~ and in these modern times, thanks to the magic of cellphones, even some relatives who were unable to make the ceremony joined in via SKYPE and speakerphones!

Seven+ years ago our daughter Jenni married the love of her life Jason...

So now both of our precious children are married to wonderful people who will always love and take care of them. This fact is such a joy for a parent, knowing that your child will always have someone by their side to support them, hold them, laugh with them and be there.

Mark & I began our life together 39 years ago. Together we've faced challenges and joys and most importantly we raised two incredible children who are now adults that we very much admire and respect. To say that I am proud of who they have become is an understatement.

Once again in our life it is Mark and me because, although you never stop being a parent once you've been there, our children have a nuclear family of their own, someone to share their decisions with, someone to confide in and depend on. There is a wonderful order to this natural cycle of life and I couldn't be happier for both of my offspring.

Hello young lovers, whoever you are 

I hope your troubles are few 
All my good wishes go with you tonight

I've been in love like you

Read more: The King And I - Hello Young Lovers Lyrics | MetroLyrics

thanks to Teri Hamilton for producing this video

Ahh, the Romance of it All

As I watch my son and future daughter-in-law prepare for their wedding later this year, I feel all sorts of "gushy" about romance; I guess I was the same way seven years ago when my daughter was getting married.

When Mark and I were married more than 38-years ago I remember the stress that went into trying to please everyone and the concessions that were made from the dreams I had of my perfect wedding - but more than anything I remember the first time I looked at the man that I was able to call husband and knew that he was the most important part of my life and always would be. When he took my hand to walk with me up the aisle after the traditional kiss, I knew that was what pure love felt like.

I love to write about love and romance and passion in my books. I've written a few wedding ceremonies into the stories as well and I have fun with those. In the following excerpt from His Lucky Charm the heroine's best friend Keisha marries the love of her life Malcolm in an African inspired ceremony:

Malcolm had explained many of the traditions and rituals of their wedding to Brandon. He had told him that the wedding was the union of not just the couple, but of their families and their lives. Their parents and immediate families were just as much a part of the ceremony as the couple.

It was a very spiritual time with prayers that were begun weeks earlier.

Keisha’s father blessed his daughter and son as he now referred to Malcolm. Malcolm’s mother tied a loose string of conchi shells around Keisha’s neck as a sign of fertility and luck for a happy family. The priest conducted the service interjecting the civil requirements among the prayers and blessings.

Malcolm spoke to his bride thanking her for completing his life. “A man without a wife is a man without a home.” He promised to keep her happy and provide for her and he placed a simple band on her finger.

Keisha promised that her love for Malcolm would be never-ending like the circle of the wedding band. Then she placed a ring on his finger.

Both mothers took turns reciting an African marriage creed. Brandon noticed Caitlyn look downward as they gave the advice to “Be Open With Each Other. Bind not yourselves in the secretiveness that causes suspicion and doubt. Trust and reveal yourselves to each other, even as the budding rose opens to reveal its fragrance and beauty.”

He berated himself again for having kept secrets from the woman he loved and wondered if he would ever have the opportunity again to reveal his true self to her. More than that, he worried that she no longer had an interest in him or of learning his truths.

The ceremony concluded with Malcolm’s father tying Keisha and Malcolm’s wrists together with a purple cloth to symbolize their union. Together they jumped over a broom laid on the floor to show that they were starting fresh and welcoming the new path before them. Smiling and happy, they walked together up the aisle to the back of the church while the audience applauded.

The parents followed the happy couple and so did Caitlyn and Malcolm’s brother. Caitlyn noticed Brandon in the back row as she neared the door and her steps faltered. The best man placed a hand under her elbow and looked in the direction of her distraction. The smile Caitlyn had been wearing quickly left her face and she turned away from Brandon as she regained her footing.

Smashwords        Amazon       Barnes&Noble 
KOBO         All Romance         Apple iTunes

An Interview With Chelle Cordero (courtesy of a few friends)

A short while ago while in a deliriously good mood about my husband and I reaching 38 romantic years of wedded bliss, I asked friends to send me questions for an interview. Thanks so much to both those who submitted questions and those who sent congratulations. So here goes, you asked…

1) Gladys asked, Should there always be a happy ending to a novel?

Some genres require happy ever after endings, like romance genres, but even if the chosen genre doesn’t require the HEA, I believe it should still be a fulfilling ending. Take a book like The Diary of Anne Frank, definitely not a happy ending, but by returning Anne’s diary to her father, the only survivor of the family, the story ending has something significant and the story itself has a “purpose”.

As a writer, whether I am writing a non-fiction article or a novel, it is my job to provide something for the reader to take away from my work – a thought, a value, inspiration… The average reader wants something final from a story, some type of solution. The solution doesn’t necessarily need to be outright happy, but no one should be left with haunting unanswered questions. Cliffhangers in a series will leave enough open to make the reader want to come back for more, but there have been answers and solutions along the way making the reader feel they’ve gained something along the way.

2) Cindy asked, How many of the settings in your books have you actually visited?

I really have to count this one out. I’ve never been to Vegas (used liberally in His Lucky Charm), Colorado (from Karma Visited), or Louisiana and Arkansas (from Hostage Heart). I think I’ve been every other place I’ve used as a backdrop, or at least to the general vicinity. I tend to soak up stories from others about places and experiences they’ve been through; I certainly live vicariously. It doesn’t matter whether I have been someplace myself or not though, I do extensive research on each location and try to include enough reality to make the place real – and yet not so much description that I get tripped up for “faking it”. 

Several of my stories have had NYC and Hudson Valley settings, places I am very familiar with, but how often have we heard stories of folks who grew up in NYC and yet never visited the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building? I like to check my facts instead of relying on simple memory. Amusingly I once had someone who has been to Las Vegas talk to me about where I had been and stuff – when I told her I never was she told me I “had to have been there” because I described something so well in my book. Travel guides and Chamber of Commerce or Tourism sites are so rich with knowledge and often include pictures, maps and even videos and allow for virtual visits.

3) Marshall asked, Do you think that your early education gave you "food for thought" in developing plots, concepts or characters for your novels?

Both my early education and experiences undeniably have provided me with a lot of fodder for my stories. I was extremely lucky to meet a lot of very interesting and colorful people. My parents were involved in the community which opened my eyes to different perspectives. 

Each school I attended from grade school through college allowed me to meet and socialize with people of varying backgrounds, faiths, economic status, and interests. I went to high school and college with artistic and creative types, and I worked a part-time job through college that allowed me to fulfill my sense of adventure (undercover retail investigation). All in all I grew up believing everything was possible and even the unexpected could happen.

4) Teresa asked, Where do you get inspiration for a story?

I people watch, I listen, I read EVERYTHING, and I play the game of “What if?” I love to exercise (writing) and I rewrite nursery rhymes, newspaper articles, TV shows and things that happened in my own life that I would do differently now with my vast experience, lol.

 My husband is part of a federal medical team; he spent six weeks in southern Louisiana after Katrina and Rita devastated New Orleans. When Mark came home he was filled with stories about the strength and resiliency of the people he helped treat, as well as tear-filled recollections of the destruction and loss in the area. The more he spoke the more I pictured a family who had to put their lives back together and Deanna Blair and her parents (Hostage Heart) were “born”. Tidbits from other stories (news items mostly) and memories of folks from my past filled in the rest.

5) Vicki asked, How did you start writing?

I volunteered with the NYC Auxiliary Police Department and worked under the auspices of our precinct’s public relations officer. Hank (the detective in charge) asked me to do a favor for him – a young man from our community was killed while trying to help a mugging victim and the weekly newspaper editor asked for an article about the incident. Hank knew I had taken creative writing in school and assigned the task to me. A week later, at the age of 18, I had my first professional byline.

Nine years later, married and pregnant with our daughter, I decided to build a business that I could work from home and I returned to writing professionally. I got a few assignments with local magazines and newspapers. Several years later I realized that I wanted to write fiction, something I had always dabbled with privately, and I kept writing until I found a publisher.

6) Daisy asked, What started you into writing? I know that it is just a matter of time before your books turns into a screen movie.

My parents always encouraged self-expression; however I was always very private with anything I wrote. I was shy and worried about exposing myself to ridicule or worse, vulnerability. No joke, putting something as personal as your written thoughts out there is tantamount to stripping naked and inviting a critique on every body flaw.

In high school I had a class in creative writing taught by the renowned poet Daisy Aldan. Ms. Aldan encouraged me to write and deal with the vulnerabilities. I will never forget one writing assignment, we had to write a serious love letter to an inanimate object – I wrote a Love Letter to a Guitar which later appeared in my school’s yearbook – we all chuckled under our breath when the assignment was given, but the exercise proved to be life-altering. I learned to write with much more than pen and paper, I learned to write with my heart and all of my senses.

Thanks for the kind words, I would absolutely love to see some of my stories on the screen and I often play around with casting the characters. Alex O'Loughlin would definitely have to play Jake in Final Sin! (Yum)

7) Jayne asked, How do you envision your hero in each book?

My heroes tend to be a compilation of people I know, have heard about, or dream of. I’ve been asked several times if the hero in a book is really my husband, there are qualities that each one shares with Mark, but they aren’t him. While I admit to falling in love with each and every one of them, they are all different and each one has a bit of “bad boy” in him. I think my heroes fit the stories that they are in.

One thing that I do in every story is gift each hero with a habit or trait that has my husband, Mark, all over it, even a few frustrating habits. In Courage of the Heart there is a humorous scene where Davie files Adam’s computer disks on his desk – only NONE of the disks are labeled and it winds up irritating him because he has to now go through them to make sense of the information. Back when we had diskettes Mark never, ever labeled them and it totally perplexed me.

8) From my publisher Kimberlee, Does your significant other read your stuff?

No, not at all. Mark likes action adventure books; his favorite books are probably Ludlum and that sort. He “claims” he doesn’t like reading romance – even suspense.

But a few years ago I heard another author talk about her husband not reading her books – she asked him if he felt self-conscious about reading the love scenes and that he might fear seeing himself on the pages. His answer to her was surprising, he was afraid he WOULDN’T see himself. I stopped trying to guilt Mark into reading my books after I heard that.

He is very supportive of my writing endeavors though and cheers me on with each accomplishment.

9) From my publisher Kimberlee, What is the hardest part of writing your books?

Writing “The End” and saying goodbye. I’ve created the characters and raised them to function and after all the time I’ve invested on them I now have to let them go off on their own. It really is an empty nest feeling.

10) From my publisher Kimberlee, Tell us about your recent release.

I love my novel Karma Visited – it was really a stretch for me to write, it was different from the others. 

Karma Visited is a Paranormal Suspense with a strong romantic edge. Annie Furman died on the operating table after an accident that took her parents’ lives – the doctors revive her but she has an unexpected ability to travel in her sleep to disasters and people in need. No one believes that her nightmares are real and her guardians put her into therapy, she eventually learns to pretend that she is “normal”. She gets married only to find that her husband, Scott, isn’t the man she thought he was. When she makes the mistake of confiding in him he uses the information to control her and threatens to commit her if she rebels. Annie meets Dave Turner in one of her dreams; surprisingly he can see and hear her. Dave and Annie grow closer and… 

Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out the rest.

http://ChelleCordero.com

Last Chance- Enter My Anniversary Celebration Giveaway

Dec.28, 1975

My husband and I celebrated our 38^th wedding anniversary on Saturday December 28! That put me in a real good mood so I’m going to celebrate by giving YOU presents.

…I want to ask you for a favor; my publisher wants us to give interviews and I need questions. Please think of a writing related question you want me, Author Chelle Cordero, to answer and then post it on my Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChelleCordero (if you haven’t already you will have to “LIKE” the page)

I’ll choose up to 10 questions to answer in a blog on Wednesday, January 8. I will give each person whose question I choose a gift – either a FREE downloadable audio book or an e-book from Smashwords (randomly chosen). Last day to submit a question is Sunday, January 5, 2014.

Here’s a list of prizes: (1 each) audio books of Bartlett’s Rule; Hostage Heart; & Courage of the Heart; and e-books of A Chaunce of Riches; CommonBond, Tangled Hearts; His Lucky Charm; & (4) The Many Faces of ChelleCordero.

It’s simple – LIKE my Facebook Author page, post an author interview question, and read my responses on January 8 on The Potpourri Parlor , my Facebook page, my blog  and my website.

Anniversary Celebration Giveaway

Dec.28. 1975

My husband and I are celebrating our 38^th wedding anniversary on Saturday December 28! That puts me in a real good mood so I’m going to celebrate by giving YOU presents.

…I want to ask you for a favor; my publisher wants us to give interviews and I need questions. Please think of a writing related question you want me, Author Chelle Cordero, to answer and then post it on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChelleCordero (if you haven’t already you will have to “LIKE” the page)

I’ll choose up to 10 questions to answer in a blog on Wednesday, January 8. I will give each person whose question I choose a gift – either a FREE downloadable audio book or an e-book from Smashwords (randomly chosen). 

Here’s a list of prizes: (1 each) audio books of Bartlett’s Rule; Hostage Heart; & Courage of the Heart; and e-books of A Chaunce of Riches; CommonBond, Tangled Hearts; His Lucky Charm; & (4) The Many Faces of ChelleCordero.

It’s simple – LIKE my Facebook Author page, post an author interview question, and read my responses on January 8 on The Potpourri Parlor, my Facebook page, my blog (here) and my website.

A Fairy Tale Wedding

Congratulations to

Prince William & Kate Middleton!

It was a magnificent day, beautiful weather and a small, intimate ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Kate wore an elegant wedding gown designed by Sarah Burton - she was gorgeous!

We all love a good fairy-tale wedding... and I thought of one of the two wedding scenes I wrote about in His Lucky Charm.

This wedding takes place in a New York City church between the heroine's best friend and her special man. Keisha and Malcolm incorporate many ethnic customs into their ceremony witnessed by close friends and family...

It's a day for romance and weddings ~ so feel free to lose yourself in another fairy tale wedding.

Brandon was seated at the back of the church when the bridal procession started. He was pleased that he had entered the church in a crowd and blended among the many well wishers. Malcolm, his parents and his best man, his younger brother, took their places at the front of the church. He felt his heart skip when Caitlyn walked down the aisle. She was beautiful in a street length shiny gold dress. Her shoes were matching gold strapped sandals with ribbons that tied off above her slender ankles. She was carrying a small bouquet of tiny orchids, small yellow-white flowers on long stalks. Her beautiful chestnut hair was swept up into curls and tied off with gold ribbons.

Keisha followed with both of her parents escorting her. She wore a two-piece ethnic white wedding suit and ankle length skirt that was slit up one side to her thigh. The gold metallic embroidery around her neck and at the hem of the skirt glinted with every graceful move. Golden edged leaves surrounded her bouquet of white roses. Malcolm waited for her in a matching white dashiki and trousers that were also edged with gold metallic embroidery. Their parents, all four, joined them as they received blessings from the priest.

Malcolm had explained many of the traditions and rituals of their wedding to Brandon. He had told him that the wedding was the union of not just the couple, but of their families and their lives. Their parents and immediate families were just as much a part of the ceremony as the couple. It was a very spiritual time with prayers that were begun weeks earlier. Keisha’s father blessed his daughter and son as he now referred to Malcolm. Malcolm’s mother tied a loose string of conchi shells around Keisha’s neck as a sign of fertility and luck for a happy family. The priest conducted the service interjecting the civil requirements among the prayers and blessings.

Malcolm spoke to his bride thanking her for completing his life. “A man without a wife is a man without a home.” He promised to keep her happy and provide for her and he placed a simple band on her finger.

Keisha promised that her love for Malcolm would be never-ending like the circle of the wedding band. Then she placed a ring on his finger.

Both mothers took turns reciting an African marriage creed. Brandon noticed Caitlyn look downward as they gave the advice to “Be Open With Each Other. Bind not yourselves in the secretiveness that causes suspicion and doubt. Trust and reveal yourselves to each other, even as the budding rose opens to reveal its fragrance and beauty.”

He berated himself again for having kept secrets from the woman he loved and wondered if he would ever have the opportunity again to reveal his true self to her. More than that, he worried that she no longer had an interest in him or of learning his truths.

The ceremony concluded with Malcolm’s father tying Keisha and Malcolm’s wrists together with a purple cloth to symbolize their union. Together they jumped over a broom laid on the floor to show that they were starting fresh and welcoming the new path before them. Smiling and happy, they walked together up the aisle to the back of the church while the audience applauded.

The parents followed the happy couple and so did Caitlyn and Malcolm’s brother. Caitlyn noticed Brandon in the back row as she neared the door and her steps faltered. The best man placed a hand under her elbow and looked in the direction of her distraction. The smile Caitlyn had been wearing quickly left her face and she turned away from Brandon as she regained her footing.

http://ChelleCordero.com

coming soon - Forgotten

coming July 25th

Forgotten
by Chelle Cordero

One of the last things a woman wants to hear from the man she is making love with is “Who are you?” When Brandon asks that of Caitlyn less than a day after their Las Vegas wedding, her life begins a wild and out-of-control spin. Even though Brandon can’t remember Caitlyn, Brandon can’t understand why he is so attracted to a woman that his fiancé tells him he has no right to be in love with.

Forgotten is an unforgettable romance about two people who meet by chance, love by choice and are torn apart by intrigue. Their romance survives a foreign threat to national security, kidnapping, personal tragedy and a murder attempt.

Forgotten