Autumn ‘23
First it was the cats. Then it was the alarm clock. But neither were needed as Beverly and Maria anxiously laid awake behind the shadows of an autumnal sunglow peeking in between the gaps of their bedroom curtain.
It is the first official day of fall. And it is Civil Wedding day.
No special vows were written, though the flowers were carefully chosen.
There were no witnesses requested, yet fate wove in a surprise unexpected.
Waltzing through the municipal symphony, while the echoes of Love Radio powered by a 90s boombox serenaded the air; the basement shelter at the City Hall of Chicago provided the unlikeliest backdrop of their ever-lasting “I Do’s”.
Twelve years of shared laughter and dreams led to this moment. They emerged from the neoclassical behemoth on Clark and Randolph, and stepped into the sunlight reflecting off the fountain plaza like crystals on a marble floor. Beverly and Maria smiled, then warmly embraced a new beginning of their lifelong journey, as wives.
September 23, 2023
City Hall
Chicago, Illinois