To the Alter

Shuffle...puff...shuffle...shuffle...pop...pop...Eduardo was pacing back and forth in his room, waiting to be called to the altar. Today was the day, Roman and his wedding day. A day he never thought was going to be a reality given their upbringing in their small town. There were also the bullies, the drifting apart after high school and college, the bullies again at their high school reunion, a public embarrassment, and a nasty divroce. Everything in Eduardo’s life seemed like the odds were stacked against him and against Roman, but they prevalved and won. Won against their small town, won against the bullies, and won when Eduardo was close to losing Roman.

So why did Eduardo find himself nervous? All his friends were there to support them. Their band of lucky number seven members, and Roman’s parents who all they wanted was to see their son happy. Well Eduardo made Roman happy and vice versa.

Julia, one of the seven of Eduardo and Roman’s best friends from childhood, was looking into the mirror adding the final touches to her makeup, “Eduardo, Honey you gotta stop this pacing, it’s gonna strip the carpet clean.”

Eduardo nervously rubbing his hands “Hehe, Roman would say some inappropriate joke about carpet.” He contuined pacing and popped his knuckles. Too much time had been wasted and Eduardo wanted to get this over with, not to rush this special moment but to finally stop worrying and finally live the life he always wanted.

Juila turned and grabbed Eduardo by the shoulders to get him to stop moving. “You're overthinking this Eduardo. Just think about Roman and how happy he makes you and take it one day at a time.”

Eduardo was taking a big deep breath of air to try and calm down.“How do you and Marcos do it?”

“One day at a time.” Juila gave Eduardo a soft smile. Eduardo remembered Julia and Marco’s wedding. There was a big swing band that played, a multi-tiered marble cake, a big wedding reception decorated like a fairytale come to life, and a slow dancing with Roman. That was the night Eduardo got the courage and proclaimed his affections to Roman after months of subtle looks and the tiptoeing around each other. That night was the night everything came into place.

There was a knock on the door and in walked in a family member alerting them it was time to start heading out. Eduardo and Juila both nodded their heads in acknowledgment.

Walking down the corridor Eduardo continued the conversion. “So do you know how he’s doing?” He knew Juila wouldn’t sugar coat anything.

Linking their arms together Juila answered his question. “Well from what Marco has told me. He’s a blubbering mess, but this is something that he’s been planning since forever.”

Eduardo raised his eyebrows and noded his head, “It really has been since forever.” Roman and him have had long conversations in the past few months that they've been together about how much of a crush Roman had on Eduardo during their adolescence. Eduardo remembered all the little things Roman did in their childhood, like the little nicknames Eduardo only let Roman call him or Roman always making sure Eduardo got inside his house before biking away from a day of hanging out. So planning their wedding since their childhood wasn’t so far fetched and well it warmed Eduardo’s heart. Eduardo took another deep breath and the pair kept walking until they reached the final door before the walkway to the altar.

As they approached the doors Juila unlinked their arms and walked in ahead leaving only enough room for her to walk in without spoiling the view Eduardo was about to witness. making sure to be blocking Eduardo’s view. A hand landed on Eduardo’s shoulder. He looked to see who it was and saw another friend, Juan. Juan was the big brother in their friend group and the one who would be the one to walk Eduardo down the aisle as Eduardo’s father had passed away when he was only a few months old and his mother had disowned him when he came out.

“Twenty-seven years later. Crazy to think that we’ve been able to stay in contact with each other for so long.” Juan had said to smooth out any wrinkles he saw on Eduardo’s jacket.

A small chuckle came out from Eduardo, “I don't think reading up on friends through magazine interviews and late night talk shows counts. But I guess it did take a high school reunion and a life or death situation for all of us to remember how much we all care about each other.”

“And now you’re going to marry the guy you’ve known for half your life. How does that feel?” Juan looped his arm around Eduardo.

“It feels amazing.” A smile big as a kid splashed on Eduardo’s face.

As the doors opened and the quartet started playing music, Eduardo and Roman made eye contact and every worry, every concern, and every doubt Eduardo had vanished in an instant.

As Eduardo walked down the aisle he thought back to every memory he shared with Roman. The many ice cream cones they shared and the quiet moments in their secret hideout when it was just them wanting to be the only ones in the world. The frequent nights Roman would sneak into Eduardo’s room to help each other with the nightmares and to find peace with each other after days of dealing with life. The subtle hands brushing against each other in the darkness of the movie theatre. Eduardo was ready to make new memories...memories with Roman.

When Eduardo made it to the end of the altar, Roman was already red eyed. Eduardo reached and with his thumb gently wiped away the single tear. “My Roman lettuce.”

Roman laughed, “My Eduardoito.”

The pair looked back at all their friends and loved ones, knowing that this was exactly where they meant to be. Together.