Chapter 11 – Pink and Fluffy (1)

The Petersburg church was so huge and magnificent with its vaulted ceilings and gold inlay. The choir children were in their white dresses holding candles, they looked like angels straight out of heaven. The priest was adorned in a purple robe, waiting at the podium at the very center, in front of the audience gathered. Everything was so speechlessly glorious.

But something was missing.

There was no sense of joy or warmth. It seemed this was how wedding of the aristocracy was- magnificent and resplendent, but rigid and empty. She wished it was more cordial, but when she saw Mr. Karenin at the front, waiting for her, she didn’t care for anything at all. She didn’t care if she looked awkward in the tight dress, or if her makeup was perfect, or how she looked. She only had eyes for him and nothing else.

At that precise moment, she had no awareness of anything or anybody, but the person she most wanted to see, who was gazing at her with the same devotion.

Anna looked at him, from his carefully brushed hair, his elegant attire to his shiny shoes, and blushed. No matter what the world said or did, Anna loved this man with all her heart.

She made her way carefully through the aisle. Flower girls showered the way with fragrant petals, and somebody was holding the train of her dress behind there. But she was only half aware of these things. Her eyes and her full attention were only for Mr. Karenin. She later wondered why she wasn’t worried about tripping on her dress or saying her vows wrong.

The ode sung by the choir was so melodious and beautiful, Anna only half heard it. The blasted aisle was just too bloody long, and every breath was torture until she reached where her heart already was.

Karenin was more than a head taller than Anna, so she looked at him as she approached him. She looked at the man’s smooth eyebrows, his pale blue eyes and his chiseled face. She couldn’t wait to reach where he was, so in spite of herself she whispered, “I am coming, just a bit longer.”

At this moment, the boundary of reality seemed fuzzy. Anna saw two Karenins, from two different lifetimes, overlap. Mr. Karenin was slightly surprised to hear her speak the words, but it didn’t matter. She looked so beautiful that it made him breathless. She looked divine in her veil embroidered with orange blossoms over her dark hair, her delicate, arched eyebrow, her grey eyes thickly lashed. It made even a hardened heart of his flutter.

Finally, Anna reached Mr. Karenin, and it seemed that it took a massive effort on his part to not sweep her off her feet, then and there. They faced the priest, who began chanting the vows. Anna held out her left hand, which Mr. Karenin took in his gloved hands and placed an exquisite ring on her finger. Anna looked down at the ring, it felt familiar.

It was an ancient heirloom of the Karenin family, passed down from generation to generation. The ruby inlaid in the middle seemed to contain the emotions, feelings and blessings of all the couples that wore it before them and will wear it for years to come.

Anna felt a bit sentimental thinking about the ring and the years it had united lovers with sacred vows. When she looked up at Mr. Karenin again, her eyes shiny. Mr. Karenin’s heart ached watching Anna’s tears. It seemed all reason broke apart. He felt so protective of her at that instant and promised himself, silently, to always keep her safety and comfort as his priority. The ever-disciplined officer, unmoved with anything, ached when he saw his bride’s tears, so he removed his gloves and wiped her tears.

“Don’t cry,” whispered Mr. Karenin, gently holding her face.

He was only half aware of anything around him. His undivided attention only belonged to his grey-eyed, fragile bride at that instant. Nothing mattered more than comforting her, to alleviate her tears. Anna smiled and picked up the ring meant for him.

It was the most beautiful ring with a sapphire in the middle surrounded by silver, intricately carved around it and a bit broader than Anna’s wedding ring, which looked classy and noble. She took his left hand and place the ring on his finger. She held his hand a while longer, unwilling to let go. They belonged to each other now until death did them apart.

“Well, now the ring is in place, you can never get away from me,” she teased him. Mr. Karenin smiled, seeing her happy and nothing else mattered than the fact that she was before him, united forever.

Now that the ring ceremony was complete, the priest held the bible to begin the final blessing and the proclamation of vows. The priest blessed them in accordance to God by singing sacred hymns, and at last when the emotions in the crowed was growing to a crescendo, the beautiful bride exclaimed, “Wait, just a minute!”