Page 61 of In Just a Year
“Ben,” Esther whimpered, blinking hard.
Pavel walked to the handsome tall man next to his mother. “Meyn yingale,” he mumbled along with something else while he took Ben into a warm hug.
Esther tried to formulate a thought but none came. Didn’t Greg say Ben’s body … she’d thought he was dead. Then why was he here? She squinted.
Greg turned to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t make myself clear, Esther. We pretended he was dead so we could get him off the ship when Nagy came—”
Ben didn’t let him finish. “This is what I found.” Ben handed his father three blue stones.
The group reorganized, and almost everyone took their seats in the rows of chairs. Raphi walked to the upright piano in the back of the room, the one on which Esther practiced. He opened the lid and, with his expert touch, played a harmonious chord. Silence befell the group save the elegant music that emanated through the room. Solemn and fleeting, the precious tune mirrored the short blessing that love bestowed upon human’s short lives.
Esther, on the long carpet between the doorway and the chuppah, turned to her father who’d resumed his position under the chuppah.
Hannah gently let go of Esther’s arm and positioned herself on her side as if she were ready to receive a gift. “It is time.”
Esther finally looked toward the door. With Chawa on his left and Pavel on his right, the beaming Ben strutted toward her, eyes affixed to her. She recognized his bone-melting smile, the mischievous glint in his green eyes. Her Ben.
Esther heaved but remained frozen. Why was she overwhelmed by a moment she’d so carefully planned for months? Someone gave a little squeal, and she realized it must have been her because Hannah gave her a knowing look, the warmest motherly one Esther had ever received.
Ben reached Esther at the halfway point on the long carpet. He towered over her and seemed larger than life itself. A feeling washed over Esther that eclipsed all else.
Chawa let go of his arm and kissed his cheek. Pavel offered his arm to Chawa and cast Esther a smile.
Hannah had left Esther’s side and picked little Izaac back up.
“Is it happening now?” he asked.
“Shh.” Hannah put her index finger on her lips. “Yes, it’s finally happening.”
Then it was just Ben.
Standing before Hannah, the tall and handsome Ben reached behind her. With a gentle motion, he lifted a layer of her veil over her head and held it up. Esther could have been made of granite for she was unable to move, mesmerized by the love of her life. She gazed up at the man of her dreams and the most handsome groom. The crystal chandelier sparkled behind him and she blinked as if she’d been staring at the sun for too long.
Ben leaned closer and Esther’s lips swelled.
He gave a small peck on the tip of her nose and withdrew with the most mischievous glint as if he’d just stolen the bride. Then he dropped the veil over her face and offered his arm. “I promised I’d be back.”
Esther exhaled and let happiness back into her veins. A rush of love, hope, passion, and longing burst through her. She’d never felt more alive. She squeezed his arms tightly and he smiled at her, responding by flexing his muscular arm.
Ben was back.
The world was whole again.
CHAPTER31
The wedding was a blur of emotion. If Ben hadn’t seen four of his brothers and both Fave and Arnold getting married, he wouldn’t have known how to act properly as a groom because he was terribly nervous. Rabbi Solomon spoke the same blessings he’d said for Ben’s brothers, but this time, he was the one being circled seven times by the most beautiful bride.
Esther had waited for him. She’d taken his proposal quite literally and had waited for him under the chuppah as his bride. Ben had been overwhelmed at first but then realized it was the only way to legitimize what he knew he couldn’t stop, for he felt a fire within him to take Esther as his wife that even the sleepless nights in the hot and tropical palace in India hadn’t prepared him for.
When he saw his love batting her long lashes as he put the veil over her, the ceremonial acceptance of his bride, his heart pounded hard while his middle throbbed. Never in his life and nowhere in the world had he ever seen anything or anyone more beautiful.
Until now.
In her room.
“Take theYihudand as much time as you need,” Raphi said. He and Hannah had escorted the newlyweds to Esther’s room.
“Welcome to the family,” Hannah told Ben, but she choked on the words.
