A Noble Marriage - Chapter 12
Chapter 12 – Pink and Fluffy (2)
Her voice rang out in the huge church and everyone turned to her. This had never happened before; the whisperings began thinking that it was unusual for the bride to halt the ceremony in this manner. Mr. Karenin remained calm and looked down at Anna, waiting to hear whatever she wanted to say.
Anna smiled and said, unwaveringly, “I am very touched and honored to receive Mr. Karenin’s gift, and I would like to give something back, as an oath that I promise to keep with him.”
The priest, although this was unexpected, realized that this was a very pleasant surprise. He observed the bride and groom and decided to let Anna continue with her vows.
“You have my blessing, child. Complete your oaths on this holy occasion,” said the priest. The permission from the priest silenced the crowd gathered. Anna nodded gratefully at the priest and turned to Mr. Karenin.
“Marriage is a precious union for me. There is nothing more sacred to me than two people promising each other their lifetimes and living as one. From this day forth, you as my husband, I promise you to always stand by you, in sickness and in health, in happiness and hardship and every step of the way. I will follow you to the ends of the earth,” she continued with emotion.
There was a tremendous applause from the crowd and approval from those gathered. Mr. Karenin had eyes only for his wife. He looked at her tenderly and recalled the ten reasons Anna had jotted down when she sent that letter the first time to him. They were reasons she had thought of for them to get married and he agreed to each of them unconditionally.
Mr. Karenin had always though love to be a kind of weakness. His mother had always made it clear to him that love always led one astray in the world. She had taught him that it begets jealousy and possessiveness and destroyed lives. He had thought, until now, that he had no space for love in his heart and his life.
But that day when Anna bumped into him all of a sudden and handed him a letter, everything began to unravel before this beautiful dream of a person. He accepted her, and in doing so it felt like he accepted himself. This unexpected surprise in the form of Anna in his life was something he needed and would do anything to keep.
After Anna was done with her vows, the priest proclaimed with deep feeling, “I now pronounce you, husband and wife, for all eternity! You may kiss the bride.”
Mr. Karenin bowed and kissed his bride for the first time, with all the love and affection he held in his heart. He believed that they will be happy for days and years to come.
The tedious wedding ceremony was finally over. Anna found herself in Mr. Karenin’s bedroom by eight o’clock. In all her imaginings, she had pictured herself shyly greeting Alexei, and they would whisper sweet nothings to each other by candlelight, but the reality was always coldly bitter. The moment she reached his bedroom, she ran to the bathroom to tear off her dress. The girdle had been too tight as she though and had bruised her waist painfully. She was trying to get it off.
Mr. Karenin came to his bedroom a while later, still deep in thought regarding Anna’s vows. It had touched his heart and made him sentimental. But when he reached the bedroom, he heard something crashing in the bathroom followed by a short cry.
Mr. Karenin strode to the bathroom door and knocked, “Anna, are you alright?”.
“Just a minute, please!” came the reply.
Mr. Karenin waited by the door, worried. Finally, Anna came out in a thick, pink nightgown with her dark hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her legs were bare down the knees and her feet disappeared in small, cotton slippers. Never had anything soft and fluffy ever been in his room before. ‘So, this is my wife’, Mr. Karenin thought with tenderness, ‘pink and fluffy and full of light.’
“Are you alright, Anna?” he asked again with concern, waiting for an answer. She looked miserable and he wanted to make her feel better, but it seemed he only made her more embarrassed.
“I…I guess I’m a little hurt,” said Anna, with a dejected face.
“Where?” asked Mr. Karenin, worry etched on his face, approaching Anna.
“I shouldn’t have told you, I am sorry!,” Anna said, and everything came out in a hurry, she couldn’t stop herself, “That girdle was too tight, and my waist is bruised. It isn’t a big thing but… I haven’t eaten a thing since morning, and I feel so hungry. This is so humiliating. I am sorry.” She looked up at him, thinking she had made a fool of herself. But Mr. Karenin was just worried for her, and sad that she had to go through so much. He steered her towards the table where there was tea and some snacks. He sat her down.
“Let me see,” he said. Anna blinked, and Mr. Karenin, thinking he had made her uncomfortable, quickly gave an explanation, “Just to see how bad it is.”
“Is it necessary?” asked Anna, unexpectedly embarrassed.
“Yes,” said Mr. Karenin gently.
Anna made no reply, instead she, timidly, allowed him to see her bruises.
Happy holidays everyone. ?