Dark Obsession

Chapter 15: The Seventh Table - Wedding Table

Seventh table was not supposed to be built, seventh table was supposed to be bought, because wedding table is too big to build.

I woke up at 6am, in king bed, blue sweater still, hole still, diamond still on finger, small diamond shining in morning light, ring table sixth table secret drawer now holding ring at night, but morning ring back on finger.

On balcony, five big tables plus one miniature.

Second table, kiss table, crooked leg, snow memory charcoal.

Third table, family table, crooked leg, pizza box.

Fourth table, drawing table, perfect leg, student park drawings.

Fifth table, miniature, small perfect, holding salt.

Sixth table, ring table, perfect leg, secret drawer, velvet empty because ring on finger.

No seventh table yet, wedding table, but elevator dinged at 6:30am with big wood, not planks, big slab, one slab, huge walnut, 8 feet long, for 8 people, wedding table.

Jaxon, Kai, Luca, Ethan carried it, not Damien, because seventh table is family table, not alone table, family builds seventh.

"Good morning, Mrs. almost Blackwood," Jaxon said, dropping big slab on balcony, heavy, perfect, "Seventh table is wedding table, 8 feet, 8 chairs, for wedding, because wedding needs big table, not small like fifth."

"Seventh table is not built, seventh table is found," Kai said, quiet, placing 8 chairs, handmade, crooked and perfect mixed, 4 crooked like second and third, 4 perfect like fourth and sixth, mixed, because wedding is crooked and perfect together.

"Seventh table needs no secret drawer," Luca said, dangerous nice, "Seventh table secret is it holds all six tables inside, meta, because wedding holds all promises, first eating, second kissing, third family, fourth future, fifth forever, sixth ring, seventh wedding holds all."

Ethan stood with suit, real suit, not hoodie, navy suit, first time suit, looking at big slab, then at me in blue sweater hole and diamond.

"My sister wedding table," he said, voice shaking, "Seventh table, I will give speech standing on this table, tall table, speech table, brother speech about sister who ate on floor and now has seven tables."

Damien came up at 7am, black sweater, black jeans, no hammer, no dust, just coffee, vanilla latte heart foam, two cups, one for me, one for him, like fifth table promise, two coffees forever.

"Good morning, little mouse with ring," he said, placing lattes on sixth table, ring table, "Seventh table arrived early, family built before I woke, because wedding table is family table, not alone table."

"What is seventh table for?" I asked, touching big slab, huge, smooth, walnut, 8 feet, smelling like Hamptons garage big.

"Seventh table is for vows," he said, low, "Seventh table is where we will say vows, not at altar, at table, because we love tables more than altars, seventh table is altar table, wedding table, where we promise seventh time, final promise, but final is not final, final is beginning."

He knelt, not on lobby floor, on balcony floor among six tables, around big seventh slab.

"Elena Rossi in blue sweater with hole and diamond," he said, voice rough, CEO gone, boy, "Six tables we have, first eating, second kissing, third family, fourth future, fifth forever, sixth ring. Seventh table is wedding table, where you become Mrs. Blackwood officially, but you already are Mrs. Blackwood in lobby floor, ring floor, blue sweater. Will you marry me on seventh table, not in church, on balcony, Park Avenue, seven tables around, eight chairs, pizza cold but wedding pizza hot, small wedding, nice wedding?"

Seventh table proposal, third proposal, but wedding proposal, final.

I cried, in blue sweater, hole and diamond, six tables plus big seventh.

"Yes," I whispered, kneeling on balcony among seven tables, five big plus one miniature plus one huge, "Yes, seventh table, wedding table, altar table, I will marry you on table, not altar."

He put no new ring, same ring, small diamond, but kissed ring again, hole and diamond.

Elevator dinged at 8am, Mr. Wilson, with white tablecloth, not wood, white cloth for seventh table, wedding cloth.

"Park Avenue never had wedding on balcony with seven tables," he said, placing white cloth on seventh huge slab, "But I have seen love, and this is love, seven tables, one wedding."

At 9am, we didn't build, we decorated seventh table, white cloth, flowers, small flowers from Central Park, green now, snow melted, green.

At 10am, students arrived, three little girls, saw seven tables, huge seventh with white cloth.

"Teacher Elena wedding table!" one said, "Seven tables, wedding!"

"Yes," I said, ring shining, "Seventh table is wedding table, where hole becomes Mrs., floor becomes altar."

They drew wedding, seven tables in park, bride in blue sweater with hole and diamond, groom in black sweater, eight chairs, pizza wedding.

At noon, pizza on third table still, but seventh table with white cloth holding miniature fifth table and sixth table velvet, meta, tables inside table.

Group chat "Little Mouse Six Tables Squad" renamed at 12:30pm by Jaxon to "Little Mouse Wedding Table Squad" with message:

Jaxon: "SEVENTH TABLE IS WEDDING TABLE! 8 FEET! WHITE CLOTH! ALTAR TABLE! MRS BLACKWOOD REAL!"

Kai: "Seven tables, seven promises, last promise is first promise again, eating on table not floor forever"

Luca: "Eighth table should be baby table, but later, seventh is wedding, nice wedding, small nice"

Ethan: "I have suit, navy suit, I will give speech on seventh table, standing tall, brother speech, I will cry in suit"

I smiled, blue sweater, hole, diamond, seven tables, white cloth wedding, Park Avenue bright, Central Park green, tables staying, crooked and perfect.

And I knew Chapter 16 would be about wedding day, vows on seventh table, because seven tables need vows, and vows need blue sweater and black sweater, hole and diamond, floor and altar.

To be continued...