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Lexi washes the remnants of cake from her hair, careful not to splash water on her satin white gown. She can't imagine what was yet to come and a part of her was even a bit anxious. What if I don't know what to do? What if…it hurts?
Just then, the door to the ladies room swings open and in walks Lexi's maid of honor, also clad in white, only with a purple sash around her waist.
"How ya holding up, Lex?"
"I've waited so long for this day, Maddie. So long."
"I know!" Maddie agrees. "Remember when you were thirteen and your mom trotted you down to the church? What was that thing they were doing?"
"True Love Waits," says Lexi.
"Yea, that."
"Mom sat in for the first three nights," Lexi recalls. "Finally, the youth pastor had to kick her out."
"Bet your mom wasn't happy about that!"
"No, she wasn't," Lexi chuckles. "So, instead, Mom turned her sights to shopping for my promise ring."
Lexi shows Maddie a ring pinned discretely inside the bosom of her garment. "Can you believe I’ve worn this ring all these years?"
"Lex! You had that there through the whole ceremony?"
"I did."
"Geez. I remember when Grant asked you out. He was such a charmer!" Maddie continues, "But you said 'no' and told him you made a promise to God. Hard to believe he was a dad before our senior year."
"Crazy, isn't it?" Lexi says. "I just knew he wasn't for me. Besides, Mom always told me that it would be a sad thing to be involved with the wrong someone at the time God sends His choice helpmate to me. Now, I have Hunter. He honored my promise to God and it didn’t scare him away."
"Yea, well, I can only imagine how your honeymoon is gonna be since neither of you have had sex!" Maddie giggles.
Lexi pushes the silver button on the hand dryer, heightened with confidence.
"That can only mean one thing, Miss Maddie. Hunter fell in love with - me." Lexi shouts above the noise of the blower.
Maddie thinks of the times she gave herself intimately only to find herself single, again. Noticing the stillness of the moment and identifying its source as on of regret from her childhood friend, Lexi unfastens the promise ring from her gown and presents it to Maddie.
"I won't be needing this anymore and so I want you to have it."
"Really?" Maddie says as she accepts the band and slips it on her finger, left hand.
"From her on, keep yourself pure. No more sex before marriage. God will honor that," Lexi says. "One day, God's choice for you will cross your path."
"Yea, but I---"
"But nothing, Maddie. How many times have you given it up only to regret it later?" There was stillness once again.
"Lex. I'm sorry for all the times I made fun of your purity. Some friend I am. I don't know how you managed not to give in."
"I just kept thinking about my honeymoon!" Lexi gushes. "Makes it worth all the times Hunter and I purposed not to be alone…and tempted."
***
"Wow!" Hunter says as he tackles the long row of buttons spanning his wife's back. "God sure has a sense of humor!"
"It's the ultimate gift - to be opened slowly," Lexi kids.
"Maybe we shouldn't have planned such an extravagant honeymoon. It's not likely that we'll even leave the hotel room."
"I second that," says Lexi.
Nothing was hidden in darkness. A deliberate decision to wait evolved into the total exploration of one to another. Their marriage - already strengthened at its inception - became unyielding, as the two finally became one.
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