Sixteen (7 page)

Nikki adjusted her
veil nervously and checked her appearance in the mirror. She wore her mother's wedding dress and veil, since there hadn't been enough time to order her own. There had hardly been time to adjust this dress for the tiny baby bump. She turned to her maid of honor and asked for the eighth time, "Are you sure I don't show?"

Christy laughed and shook her head. "Not through that dress, you don't. Now hurry up! Your dad is waiting by the doors." They bustled into the church foyer, and Christy gave Nikki a thumbs-up before sending Abigail, the flower girl, and Tommy, the ring bearer, through the double doors into the auditorium. Christy slipped out behind the children, and Christy's mom began playing the bridal march on the church's grand piano. Nikki slid her arm through her father's, adjusted her grip on her daisy bouquet, and stepped through the doors.

A lavender silk runner covered the distance from the door to the altar, and more hand-picked daisies adorned the ends of the pews. The church's orchestra began the bridal procession as Nikki took her first uncertain steps. She glanced around the room at the small gathering, smiling shyly. Then her eyes landed on Matt.

He cried.

Shimmering tears slid down his cheeks unhindered as his wonderful green eyes stared into Nikki's soul. The burst of joy that filled her in response lit her soul on fire. She beamed back at the man who loved her and struggled to fight back tears of her own. Nikki and her father stopped just before reaching the aisle, and Nikki tore her gaze from her groom to glance at the preacher.

"Who gives this woman to be wed?"

"I do." Her father turned her towards him, and his eyes were watery and red, as well. He lifted her veil and brushed a kiss against each of her cheeks. They embraced; Nikki's father joined her sobbing mother on the front pew.

She turned back to Matt and took his hand, stepping up onto the platform. He took her other hand in his and winked at her. She bit back a giggle. The preacher read through the marriage ceremony. Most of it was directed at the congregation until he reached the vows. He turned to Matt.

"Do you, Matthew Edison Monroe, take Nicole Martha Johnson for your lawfully wedded wife, to love, honour, comfort, and cherish from this day forward, forsaking all others, and keeping only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"

Matt sniffled and blinked furiously. "I do."

"Do you, Nicole Martha Johnson, take Matthew Edison Monroe, for your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honour, comfort, and cherish from this day forward, forsaking all others, and keeping only unto him, as long as you both shall live?"

Nikki choked out a sound somewhere between sigh and laugh. "I do!"

The preacher smiled, and a few chuckles echoed from the friends and family gathered. "Repeat after me, Matthew: I, Matthew Edison Monroe, take thee, Nicole Martha Johnson, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honour, and cherish, until death do us part."

Matt repeated each phrase, while his bride rolled and crossed her eyes and mouthed the parts with him.

"Now, Nicole, repeat after me: I, Nicole Martha Johnson, take thee, Matthew Edison Monroe, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honour, and cherish, until death do us part."

Nikki giggled at the constant repeating of full names, but she repeated everything without incident. The preacher turned to the best man, Matt's brother, and asked for the bride's ring. Matt took the ring and slid it onto Nikki's left ring finger. "With this ring, I thee wed." He smiled down at her, and she bit her lip.

The reality of this moment collided with her glee and brought tears to her eyes. When Christy handed her Matt's ring, she could barely keep her voice steady long enough to speak the words herself. "With this ring, I thee wed." She gasped in a shaky breath once she finished.

The preacher finished speaking his part to the congregation. "...I pronounce them husband and wife. Matthew, you may now kiss your bride."

Matt slid one hand behind Nikki's neck and wrapped his other arm around her waist. She fell back onto his grip as his lips gently brushed over hers. Instead of standing back up, though, he pressed his kiss deeper. She sighed against his taste. Married. They were really, finally, honestly married.

Hand in hand, the couple turned to face their friends and family. Nikki had to blink away her tears to make out the faces beaming up at them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Monroe."

Impulsively, Nikki threw up her and Matt’s joined hands. The gathering of loved ones laughed at the couple then raced down the aisle and out the auditorium doors.

A reception in the church fellowship hall followed. The mothers cried, and Nikki threw her daisy bouquet. The taller, older women let little Abby catch it, and the joy in her face shone. Christy's dad took wedding pictures, and a few even looked like professional photographs. Guests devoured the simple chocolate cake from a local bakery before sending Matt and Nikki off in a cloud of bubbles. The apartment the couple rented stood on the second floor in an old building within walking distance of Nikki's house.

For the next several months of the pregnancy, a stranger watching the couple would never know their history. They acted like a normal newlywed couple expecting their first child -- and that's what they felt like. Matt worried over Nikki's exercise, diet, and general health while Nikki protested and tried to sneak treats. Christy and Nikki bought maternity clothes at the local Goodwill and the Salvation Army in the city. For the last month of pregnancy, the doctor ordered bed rest. Matt managed to get off work for most of the month to ensure Nikki followed orders.

On the day of the delivery, Matt paced in the waiting room while the women all argued their way into the delivery room. At 8:03 PM, on March twenty-ninth, tiny Claire Nancy Monroe was born. She had her mother's blond hair and her father's bright green eyes. The grandmothers, Christy, and her mother all proclaimed her the perfect angel one would expect from such a lovely couple.

"You were my
seventeenth birthday present -- born on the same day. We raised you like any normal kid. We worried over you when you were sick. We rejoiced when you said your first word and took your first steps. We were ready to pull our hair out when you started teething. And through it all, we were a normal family, with a father, a mother, and a baby. Nobody dared to break what seemed, at first, like a fragile spell. Nobody spoke of the incidents that had brought you about, except in very vague terms. Eventually, everyone came to realize what Matt and I knew from that day I walked down the aisle: this was no fragile magic. This was real life. We had made a mistake, but God forgave us and blessed us with true love, a wonderful marriage, and a darling child anyway."

"That's so beautiful, Mom." Claire was reluctant to leave. The words of the story seemed to press her into her seat.

"There was one other thing that came from my pregnancy. My mother and I started speaking again -- honestly speaking. We still disagreed on a lot of things, but I opened up to her, and she... well, it seemed like she changed, too. She even quit working to help me with the baby. Matt had to stick with his job at the post office and was unable to go to college; the local elementary school did eventually hire him as a music teacher since he had such a natural talent. That still didn't offer the best pay. There were times when I had to get at least a part-time job to make ends meet, and Mom was our daycare and babysitter. She and my dad also helped us out financially whenever we just couldn't get through, although we only accepted the money when we absolutely had to. I'll never be sure, but I'd say my mother and I truly bonded that night in the kitchen, when I first told them about the pregnancy."

The sound of a car horn interrupted. Nicole looked out the window. "Your friends are here, sweetie. You'd better hurry and not keep them waiting."

"Yeah." Claire sighed. Why had she never realized how sweet her mom could be? They really did love each other, even if Claire wasn't the emotional type. "I guess we'll keep in touch."

"Write often, 'kay?"

Claire smiled as her mother wiped away a tear. College seemed much farther away than it had minutes ago. "Definitely."

The horn blared again.

"Run on now, sweetheart."

Claire stood and walked out of the room. At the doorway, she turned to get one last look at her mother. They held eye contact for a minute until the horn sounded a third time, and Claire whirled around and ran to the kitchen to wave goodbye to her dad. Nicole called out after her, "And don't talk to strange men!"

Her father made a mock-serious face. "Oh, yes, no strange men. In fact, don't talk to any men. I don't want you to even think about them!" Then he smiled and pulled a protesting Claire in for a hug. "Study hard and come back for a visit as soon as possible, okay?"

Claire laughed and pushed away before he could start crying. "Yeah, yeah!"

She pulled the front door shut behind her, heading for the elevator. Her future held just as much uncertainty as it had been that morning, but it suddenly didn't seem so foreboding. As for her mom… maybe the two of them understood each other more than Claire used to think.

Children and mothers never truly part – bound in the beating of each other’s heart
.

– Charlotte Gray

###

1. Nikki grew up in a small town in the 1990's. How do you think the setting and time period affected her attitude and decisions? Do you think the story would have gone differently if she'd grown up in a big city? If she'd grown up in modern days?

2. Christy is the "good girl," a Christian with a family that gets along. Nikki is an only child and a rebel. Why would these two opposite girls become best friends?

3. What similarities are there between Claire and Nicole? Between Nikki and Nancy?

4. Claire and Nikki both rebel against their parents, but they still love them. Do you struggle to obey and respect your parents at times? What makes it easier for you to rebel? What makes it easier for you to obey?

5. Matt is eight years older than Nikki; he is an adult and she is a minor. In many states, their relationship would be illegal. Do you think it was okay for them to date? Do you side more with Nikki and think it was true love? Or do you side more with Nancy - it was dangerous and reckless for them to be together?

6. Why do you think Matt was attracted to someone so much younger than him? Would you ever consider dating someone several years older or younger than you? Why or why not?

7. Christy became a Christian because her parents have raised her in the faith. Nikki became a Christian to get rid of the shame of her sin with Matt. How did you become a Christian? If you are not yet saved, why not join the faith today? The same truths and prayer Christy shared with Nikki still stand in modern real life.

8. Nikki regretted her sin with Matt almost immediately. Have you ever done something you regretted? Did you try to hide it, or did you do something to change it?

9. Matt and Nikki may have had a happily-ever-after wedding, but their sin had long-lasting consequences. What were some of those consequences?

10. Pregnancy changed Nikki's life, in good ways and bad. She and Matt were both unable to do or have what they wanted in life, because they had to think of a family and manage their money for the family. However, they both marveled at the life they'd created and loved their daughter. Do you think the life they led as a family was the best they could have had? Why or why not? What do you think might have made their life better, besides avoiding their sin in the first place?

11. Do you know any teen parents? How has pregnancy/fatherhood changed their life for the worse? For the better? Nikki and Matt had the support and help of their families and church. How could you help your friend through the difficulties of early parenthood?

12. The theme for this story is Romans 8:28, which reads, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Despite the wrong choices Nikki and Matt made, God worked things out for good. They still had to face consequences, but they were happy and their relationships were restored in the end. When was a time you did something wrong or ended up in a bad situation, but God worked it out for good in the end?