Chapter 30: The Wedding

June in Provence was real purple.

Not November grey-green that Milo said was purple because love sees purple, but real purple, rows and rows of lavender that went to sky, that smelled so strong that Milo said "I can smell purple," and Lucien said "you are purple now too," because Milo wore blue shirt that looked purple in lavender light.

Wedding day.

Milo woke up at 5 AM, same as always, because light at 5 AM in Provence in June was perfect for photos, golden and soft and made freckles glow like stars.

He put on blue good luck shirt, same blue shirt from first day they met, from gallery, from engagement party, now wedding shirt, washed many times but still blue, still good luck.

Black jeans, matching socks because Eleanor asked again and this time it was wedding so he matched, clean black nails, lip piercing shining, ring with freckles inside shining, camera on tripod ready.

Lucien woke at 6 AM, white shirt, no tie, like Milo wanted, black pants, hair messy on purpose because Milo said "messy hair is good wedding hair," ring with one freckle dot inside shining.

Eleanor woke at 4 AM to make pancakes, 100 pancakes, with blueberry freckles, 5 pancakes each for 20 people, plus 10 extra for Milo who eats 10, plus extra for baby who would drool on them.

Henri put on suit but took jacket off immediately because June hot and because blue shirt wedding meant no jackets.

Guests arrived at 10 AM, 20 people exactly, Milo counted on fingers with ring hand three times to make sure, because 20 not 200, 20 people who were family.

Mrs. Alvarez with grandson, bringing rice and beans in big Tupperware that she carried on plane from New York, because "Milo needs rice and beans at wedding, it's tradition now."

Sarah with baby, baby now 8 months, bigger, still mismatched socks, now flower baby, wearing tiny flower crown that Milo made from lavender, baby grabbing ring with drool.

Lena and girlfriend, with wine not for throwing, for toasting.

Milo's mom, from Ukari, who flew 20 hours, who hugged Milo and said "my son looks warm now," and cried into his blue shirt, and Milo cried into her wrapper, and Lucien stood behind, holding both, because family.

Photo class friends, 5 friends, with cameras too, because Milo said "everyone take photos, wedding should have many eyes."

Lucien's college best friend, who once said "Lucien never smiles" but now saw Lucien smiling like idiot in white shirt with no tie and lavender dirt already on pants because he knelt to fix tripod for Milo.

And Eleanor and Henri, with baguettes and cheese and lavender suitcase.

20 people. Perfect 20.

Ceremony at 11 AM in lavender field, real purple, bees buzzing, sun golden.

No cathedral, no white suit, no tall cake, no tablet planner.

Just stone house, lavender real purple, pancakes waiting on table, small cake with blue frosting and silver freckles, not taller than Milo, and two boys in blue shirt and white shirt with no tie.

Henri was officiant, because he said "I gave family key, I should give wedding too."

He stood in lavender, with old brass key in hand again, and said in French accent but English words for Milo:

"We are here in my house that smiled for Milo in November when lavender was not purple. Now June, lavender is real purple, and house smiles more, because boy with freckles and blue shirt is marrying my son who finally learned to make not salty soup."

People laughed, bees buzzed, Milo cried already, ring shining.

Henri gave key to Milo again. "This key was 100 years family. Now it is your family too, again, at wedding."

Milo took key, with ring hand, and held it, and held Lucien's hand too.

Then vows.

Lucien went first, white shirt with lavender dirt, hands shaking but CEO hands that now shake for love not board meetings.

"Milo Chen," he said, looking at Milo's freckles, counting 47 on nose even though crying. "You threw wine on my ex. You sat on my lap during $10 million Zoom. You made me get mold on my suit and leaves and lavender dirt. You made my fridge have photos and my house have home and my father laugh and give you family key even though you wore two different socks. You made me human. You own me. My tie, my house, my Tokyo, my everything. I want to be owned by you forever. In blue shirt wedding, in lavender real purple, with pancakes and rice and beans and baby drool on your ring. Will you keep owning me?"

Milo sobbed, loud, snotty, blue shirt shaking.

Then Milo vows, photographer voice, gallery voice, but wedding voice now, tiny voice but loud because lavender field made it loud.

"Lucien Beaumont," he said, black nails, ring shining, camera on tripod taking photo of his own vows because he wanted to remember how he saw it. "You had penthouse with no photos and salty soup and tie that was too tight. And I had box in moldy basement that said DO NOT THROW and cheap ring that I thought was all I deserved. And you threw cheap ring in trash and got mold on suit for me and let me sit on your lap and said good possessive and gave me family key even though I had two different socks. And you gave me ring with freckles inside. You made me warm. I was cold boy and now I am warm boy with blue shirt wedding and 20 people and pancakes with freckle blueberries. I want to be warm with you forever. Our table forever. Our fridge forever. Our lavender that is real purple now forever. I will own you forever, like you own me, like bench, like fridge, like darkroom, like Provence fingerprint. Yes, yes, yes."

He said yes three times, like bench proposal, like he said yes yes yes on leaves in November.

Lucien slipped ring on again — same ring, but now wedding ring, same silver with freckle dots inside, but now forever wedding ring.

Milo slipped ring on Lucien — small silver band with one freckle dot inside, that he bought with baby money, not billionaire money, baby money ring.

Two rings, freckle rings, matching freckle rings, in lavender real purple.

Henri said "You are married now, in my house that smiles, with lavender real purple, with blue shirt."

People clapped, 20 people clapping, bees clapping with buzzing, lavender clapping with wind.

Milo kissed Lucien, with baby between them again, like engagement party, baby grabbing both rings with drool.

"I own you forever now," Milo whispered after kiss, to Lucien only.

"You own me forever now," Lucien whispered back.

Then pancakes.

100 pancakes with blueberry freckles, rice and beans from Mrs. A, expensive cheese bought with baby money, salty soup that was not salty now because Lucien learned, small cake with blue frosting and silver freckles, not taller than Milo, perfect small cake.

Milo ate 10 pancakes, like Eleanor knew, with ring hand, with baby on lap, with mom from Ukari feeding him extra because "my son looks warm but still skinny."

Lucien ate 2 pancakes, because CEO stomach, but watched Milo eat 10 and smiled like idiot, like 8-year-old falling in Seine.

After food, photos.

Milo's tripod camera taking photos of his own wedding, but also everyone taking photos, 20 cameras, 20 eyes, wedding with many eyes, like Milo wanted.

Photo of Mrs. A with Tupperware and Milo with blue shirt, both holding rice and beans.

Photo of Sarah baby with mismatched socks and flower crown, drooling on both rings.

Photo of Eleanor making pancake with flour on face and freckle blueberries.

Photo of Henri in suit with no jacket, holding old brass key and new photo of Milo and Lucien kissing in lavender.

Photo of Milo's mom, wrapper bright, hugging Milo's blue shirt, both crying.

Photo of Lucien's college best friend saying "he finally smiles like idiot, I have proof now, photo proof."

And photo of Milo and Lucien, in lavender real purple, blue shirt and white shirt with no tie, both with lavender dirt on pants, both with rings shining, both with freckles — real freckles and tattoo freckle inside ring — both with camera, both with home.

At sunset, lavender turned darker purple, almost blue, like Milo's shirt, and Milo and Lucien walked in field, alone, 20 people inside house eating cake that was not taller than Milo, but they walked.

Milo held camera, but didn't take photo, just walked, hand in hand, rings touching.

"Our wedding," Milo whispered, looking at real purple.

"Our wedding," Lucien whispered, looking at Milo, who was more purple than lavender because love.

Milo stopped and took old brass key from pocket, family key, 100-year-old key, and hung it on lavender stem, like decoration.

"For house that smiled," he said.

Lucien took small white ruined photo from pocket — white ruin from Provence barn, our second white ruin — and hung it next to key, on lavender stem.

"For our ruin that is in two countries now," he said.

Two things hanging in lavender real purple — old brass family key and white ruined photo, both theirs, both home, both forever.

They walked back to stone house, where 20 people waited, where pancakes waited, where small cake with blue frosting and silver freckles waited, where fridge waited for new photos.

That night, Milo taped wedding photo — tripod photo of him and Lucien kissing in lavender real purple, rings shining, blue shirt and white shirt, 20 people clapping behind — on fridge in Provence house, because Provence house now had fridge too with photos, because Milo put photos everywhere.

He wrote, with ring hand, with messy handwriting, with snotty wedding cry still:

WE MARRIED IN LAVENDER REAL PURPLE, NOT NOVEMBER GREY-GREEN, REAL PURPLE, BLUE SHIRT WEDDING, 20 PEOPLE, PANCAKES WITH FRECKLE BLUEBERRIES, SMALL CAKE NOT TALLER THAN ME, BABY DROOLED ON BOTH RINGS, MRS. A BROUGHT RICE AND BEANS ON PLANE, MY MOM SAID I LOOK WARM NOW, WE HUNG FAMILY KEY AND WHITE RUIN ON LAVENDER STEM FOR HOUSE THAT SMILED. I OWN HIM FOREVER NOW. - M MARRIED

Lucien added, white shirt with lavender dirt, ring with one freckle dot shining:

He wore blue good luck shirt to marry me. He counted 20 people three times. He ate 10 pancakes. He hung family key on lavender. He owns me forever now. Good possessive forever. - L MARRIED

Eleanor added:

100 pancakes, all gone, my son married freckled boy in blue shirt, house smiled all day, lavender real purple, perfect. - E

Henri added:

I gave key twice, he kept key twice, he is family twice now. Blue shirt better than white suit. I was right in 1980, I am right now. - H

And that was wedding, Chapter 30, 20 people, blue shirt, pancakes, lavender real purple, small cake not taller than Milo, rings with freckles, family key and white ruin hanging on lavender stem, photos on tripod, many eyes, many hearts, warm.