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“Good sir, do you know what this is?” Linda flashed a sparkling, velvet black box in front of another unexpecting customer’s face.
The customer, an Asian man, blinked and nodded. “It’s a… ring box?”
She nodded, a large grin spreading on her face like sunshine. “Yes! It’s a ring box, because I’m marrying the man whose burger you’re eating right now. I’m going to be Mrs. Belcher!”
She bounced on her toes as Bob shook his head with a fond smile. Linda was aware he found her antics endearing, so she didn’t mind the look. Besides, she was just too excited not to show off the ring box. Who cares if her husband-to-be didn’t get her some stuffy show-off-y ring? The one thing that mattered above all else was the love they shared, which continued to grow stronger with each passing day.
Bob let out a deep, throaty laugh from the kitchen. “Lin, I think he’s had enough.”
“Aw, he doesn’t mind. Right, sir?” She turned to gain some confirmation from the man, but he shook his head, siding with Bob. Traitor.
Linda had been sharing the big news about her and Bob’s wedding with everyone who would listen. The big day had arrived, and they’d be coming back to work right after, but she continued to be the most enthusiastic she’d ever been. She couldn’t wait to share with the world how much she loved Bob. The wedding they were going to partake in would be perfect for that. She spun on her heels as she turned to greet another customer who’d walked in the door and wanted to find another opportunity to inform them of the big news.
✧ ✧ ✧
City Hall was quiet at this time of day, but there seemed to be a quiet, unspoken air of excitement as they pulled into the parking lot. Linda donned her wedding dress, one of an unconventional color she’d picked out after falling in love with it. It came from a Thrift Store, which was unsurprising given her and Bob’s financial situation, but she didn’t mind. She believed with all her heart that Thrift Stores were where people found the best clothes, anyway. When she laid eyes on that light yellow dress that hugged her figure just right, she realized it was the one. When Bob saw it, he picked out a matching yellow tie to go along with it. Sure, it was bad luck for Bob to have seen the dress beforehand, but she couldn’t help herself. They always shared everything with each other.
Linda’s heart fluttered again as she remembered the time had come to marry the love of her life. Bob Belcher, the man with a dream, the man she knew she wanted to build a life with so much it hurt. He had stood up for her when no one else did, and he made her feel understood in a way no one else did. And he would soon be her husband.
He placed his warm, calloused hand on top of hers, and her heart seemed to leap at the contact. “Are you ready?”
She leaned forward and enveloped him in a hug, and was once again thankful that he was all right with her love of physical contact. “Yes, of course I am.”
She planted a soft, warm kiss on his cheek, and the feeling seemed to linger in her chest. “I love you, Bobby.”
“I love you too, Lin. So much.”
They headed inside the building, arm in arm, to await the three guests that would be attending. They wanted a modest, brief wedding from the start, so just three people would be in attendance: Linda’s sister, Gayle, Bob’s father, Big Bob, and Teddy, of course. Mort had also been invited, the man who worked at the Morgue next door to the restaurant. But he couldn’t attend because of a family emergency.
To their surprise, once they got inside, they noticed Gayle already there. She had settled near the small refreshment table they’d provided, and was nibbling on an oatmeal cookie. Once she turned and noticed the two of them, she gasped and flung her arms around them.
“Bob! Linda! Congratulations!” She fanned her face, where her copious amounts of mascara were running. “I can’t believe my big sister is getting married. I never thought I’d see the day.”
Linda wasn’t expecting Gayle to be this affectionate and emotional, but she had to admit it was a welcome change from her usual hysterics.
“And I’m going to be an aunt at the same time?” Gayle glanced at Linda’s now noticeable baby bump, reminding Linda that their first child was also another milestone they were going to accomplish. “This is too much. I might faint.”
“Oh God, please don’t faint, Gayle.” Bob rushed behind her to catch her if she collapsed.
She shook her head, wiping some perspiration off her brow. “It’s all right, I’m okay. This is all just happening so fast. You got to warn a girl before you get married and have a kid.”
She then grinned and leaned forward. “Speaking of which, have you found out who the baby is?”
Linda knew what she was asking, and let out a light airy laugh. “No, not yet. Bob and I want to be surprised.”
“Ohh, I see how it is.” Gayle narrowed her eyes, and for a moment, Linda assumed she’d launch into another one of her classic tirades. But Linda seemed to be mistaken. “You want to do it old school? I respect that. But I want to know right away if I’ve got a little niece or nephew.”
She laughed again. “We will, Gayle. We promise.”
Teddy and Big Bob trickled in soon after, and the ceremony was ready to begin. They had even gotten a priest to officiate the ceremony, which Linda assumed was the highest cost of the whole thing. Once the classic Here Comes the Bride began playing, Linda strode down the aisle in her beautiful dress, to the amazement of the three people watching. The person who was most in awe, though, was Bob, of course. He held her hands the entire time the priest was speaking, and didn’t let them go when it was time for him to begin his brief vows.
He opened his mouth, and the low register of his voice was the most comforting it had ever been. “Lin. You have been the biggest supporter of everything in my life. Even during the times I wanted to give up, you never let me. You have made me a better, stronger person, and I can’t thank you enough for it. There will never be enough words I can use to thank you for all that you’ve done for me. So I hope that my love can be enough. I hope everything we build together will be enough. It’s because of your support that I am where I am today. I promise to love you and continue to love you for as long as I’m alive, and even after. I don’t know if I even believe in ghosts, but I know somehow I’ll be capable of loving you until the end of time. Every passing day, I realize that you’re my hero, the person I look up to the most.”
Linda almost wished she could pull her white veil back down to cover her face, because she was getting teary-eyed. After all this time, Bob had never stopped loving her, and never will. And she could say the same about herself in a heartbeat. She cleared her throat to begin her own vows. “Bobby. I have never met a man more talented and driven than you are. When I got my old engagement ring caught in your mustache that day at the bar, I knew it was love. You have made me a better, more assertive person by doing things like teaching me the value of saying no. I’ve always been a people-pleaser by nature, but you’ve taught me it’s all right to please myself sometimes. I could never have gotten this far without you, and I don’t want to imagine what my life would be without you. You taught me what it’s like to be in love, so deep in love that you forget about everything else. And how love can be slight gestures, such as making a midnight snack when I’m hungry late at night. I consider you my burger-flipping hero, and I hope that never changes, because I promise to never stop loving you.”
Teddy was the biggest mess once Linda finished her words. When the Priest announced they were husband and wife, and could kiss, Linda couldn’t be more thrilled. It was official at last—they were married. As their lips met, it was an electric spark of passion, the best kiss they’d shared by far. Bob’s fingers explored the many waves and layers of Linda’s hair, and their noses even touched for a moment. Her entire body exploded with a large warmth and craved for more. It was an exhilarating moment, more exhilarating than any ride at Wonder Wharf could be.
Linda got a glance at a calendar on the wall, and she decided she needed to remember this day for the rest of her life: September Third, 9/3. That would be easy to remember, because nine is divisible by three. It made another three.
Teddy was the first one to approach them, and he was a teary-eyed mess. He fanned his face so he could seem more composed, but he was still emotional. “Oh, Bob and Linda, I can’t believe you two are married. Where did the time go?”
Bob opened his mouth, and it seemed as if he wanted to say something like Teddy hadn’t even known them for a year, but he didn’t. “Thanks, Teddy. I can’t believe we’re married, either.”
Big Bob didn’t say much, but the interaction they had with him was pleasant, a far cry from their usual interactions with him. Bob had a rule that he could only be around his father for twenty minutes, and then he had to leave. But Big Bob was around for longer than that, and they struck a conversation with him. Linda couldn’t be prouder of her Bobby.
The two of them got a professional photo of them as a memento of the occasion. Linda wrapped her arms around Bob with the most enormous grin on her face. Bob was smiling too, a sweet, genuine smile, and Linda was so grateful that she could bring those out of him. Once they arrived home, Linda insisted they get it framed as soon as they got the chance.
Linda was also beyond delighted to meet a customer that day who matched her energy. The woman, a blonde-haired stylist with an eye for fashion, named Gretchen, insisted they exchange phone numbers right away. It was easy for them to make conversation, and Bob didn’t even seem to mind that this friendship was distracting her a bit. She assumed he thought she deserved at least a brief break, considering she was working right after her wedding.
“Linda, you must show me that box again!” Gretchen said in her distinctive, lower register voice. A New Jersey accent similar to Linda’s also crept in. “I can’t get over how you’re married to the owner.”
“Yeah! I get to say I’m sleeping with my boss.” Linda said with a snort as she dug around for the ring box again. Gretchen let out a hearty guffaw as Linda revealed it again in all of its shiny, velvety glory. Gretchen studied it in awe and kept saying how marvelous it was.
Linda couldn’t agree more.
✧ ✧ ✧
Bob’s pacing throughout the hospital room stopped at last, because he no longer heard heart-wrenching cries of pain from Linda. In a way, it still didn’t feel real that their first child was being born, so soon after they’d gotten married, too. But here they were, in the hospital, early to boot. Their child was eager to come out and experience the world. Bob believed the blinding lights and drab walls made it more difficult to have a child, but he didn’t want to say anything. The last thing he wanted was to upset the doctors and nurses who were helping deliver his firstborn.
He turned, and that’s when he heard it. A sharp, piercing wail that echoed throughout the room. It was the distinct noise of a baby crying, and a substantial grin he didn’t even know he was capable of spread across his face. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to love anyone more than Linda, but this child was proving him wrong.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Belcher.” The Doctor said, a smile of his own appearing. “You have a healthy baby.”
He bit his bottom lip as he got a look at his baby for the first time. His daughter.
His Tina.
The name came to him in an instant, a flash of sudden inspiration from a name he’d thought of for a girl when he’d proposed to Linda on top of the Ferris Wheel at Wonder Wharf. He choked back a sob as he saw her being handed to Linda, and mother and daughter got to have skin-to-skin contact for the first time.
As he looked at Tina again, he couldn’t help but reflect on everything that had led to this moment. Him asking Linda on a date after realizing she was one of the most fascinating women he’d ever met. Him meeting her roommate, Ginger, for the first time, and learning how deep their friendship was. Meeting her parents for the first time and gaining an instant disdain for them. Meeting Teddy for the first time and seeing how much her eyes lit up and making a new friend. And one of his proudest moments, asking her, the love of his life, to marry him at the top of the Ferris Wheel at Wonder Wharf.
He knew this was just the beginning of their story, but he was satisfied at where his life was. More satisfied than he had ever been. After his mother passed, he wondered what the future would hold, and now he knew. He knew he was capable of true love and happiness again, and that she would be proud if she were still with him.
He strode over and held Linda’s free hand, his eyes still brimming with tears. “She’s ours, Lin, and she’s perfect.”
“She is, Bobby. Oh god, she is.” He stroked back a strand of hair covering Linda’s face a bit.
He then planted a small kiss on Tina’s head, warmth enveloping every part of his being. “What do you think of naming her… Tina?”
Linda let out a small gasp. “Oh, Bobby, that’s the perfect name. I love it. Our Tina.”
She let out another gasp. “Our Teeny Tina.”
That’s when Bob realized the name was even more perfect than he’d thought. He could picture her calling their daughter Teeny Tina for as long as possible. And he loved the thought so much he almost put a hand near his heart.
His phone then buzzed, interrupting his thoughts, and he noticed a string of messages from Teddy congratulating him and Linda on the baby. It was endearing, in a way. He considered letting Teddy be a sort of honorary uncle, perhaps a man who could babysit when they couldn’t find anyone else. That seemed like a good idea.
But Tina left his thoughts in a jumbled mess by grabbing his thumb out of nowhere. She looked up at him with innocent, loving eyes, and he had a strong desire to protect her as much as she could. She was too good for the world she’d been born into, but he wanted to help with that in any way he could.
“Bobby, I think someone’s trying to say hello,” Linda said, another smile forming on her wearied face.
“Hello.” He planted another kiss on her forehead, grateful for what they had, and he wondered what the future would bring.