The Marriage Vows
A Short Story by LG Alfonso
When Eli laid eyes on his groom, he thought he would weep. He was always beautiful, but in this moment his beauty was otherworldly. His dark eyes were soft and warm, brimming with happy tears. The gold tints of his otherwise dark curls seemed to glow in the sunlight streaming from above. And as the two locked hands, Eli’s palm was met with warm, soft skin.
His pastor, his Aunt Tarah, greeted him with a wide, toothy smile before beginning the ceremony. Only a couple of close friends had come as witnesses, but this was how Eli wanted it.
“We’re gathered here today to join these two, body and soul, in holy matrimony. As the scriptures says of the union between Adam and Eve, and indeed many couples married after, ‘He will leave his mother and father and become joined with his beloved. You are now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. And what God has joined together, let no man separate.’
“As the Bible teaches us, the wedding day is so much more than the happily ever after of a fairy tale. This wedding marks the beginning of a marriage, an agreement to love, to comfort, to honor and care for your partner, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for rich or for poor, until parted by death. Without love, your marriage will have no strong foundation.
“So what is love? The New Living Translation of 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 describes love in this way: ‘Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!’”
With this, Pastor Tarah gave Eli the gold ring. It glowed in the dim light of the sanctuary. “And now, your vows.”
Eli accepted the ring from his aunt and looked his groom in the eye, his gaze soft and happy, his hold on his hand gentle but firm.
“For so much of my life,” he began, “I didn’t know who I was or who I could be. All I knew was what society wanted from me. To get married, have babies, grow old, and pass quietly into that goodnight.” Here, his tears began to fall freely. The groom’s did, too. “But you helped me realize I can be so much more, that I can do so much more. You taught me how to live, what it means to be alive, how to love and be loved. I am so grateful, so blessed to share the rest of my life with you. And I want to use the rest of my days to love you and care for you as your husband.”
He slipped the ring on his groom’s finger. “I will celebrate your successes with you. I will weep over your sorrows with you. I will care for you when you’re sick, challenge you when you’re wrong, support you when you struggle, surround you with people who love you. I will live this life with you and make you as happy as you made me.”
Even Pastor Tarah’s eyes began to glitter. She cleared her throat. “And now, the signing of the marriage contract.”
Eli’s best friend Alisha began to sing Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.” Pastor Tarah laid the marriage contract on the wooden table beside them and lit the candles sitting on both ends. She handed the black fountain pen to Eli, and he signed his name at the bottom:
Elijah Alexander Woodson
He looked his groom in the eyes again, and they smiled. Their eyes shared unspoken thoughts, unspoken promises, unspoken wishes as Alisha’s performance came to a close.
Pastor Tarah gave him another toothy smile. “What God has joined together, let no man separate. You may seal the commitment with a kiss.”
And with that, Eli took the mirror in both hands and kissed his reflection.
