Chapter Twenty-Eight: Union

Penny woke up the morning of January tenth with the weight of a stone in her stomach and a heavy heart. All night she had been tossing and turning, catching a smidgen of sleep here and there. Despite everything she has said to Patty, she felt slightly suffocated by the thought that this was the day of her only daughter's wedding.

It wasn't so much that she didn't think Victor was good enough for Patty (which he wasn't) or that Patty was only nineteen (still a baby) or that everything was going much too fast (which it was). No, it was more the fact that after today she was going to be alone in this house without her baby girl. The thought made her want to curl into a ball and not come out of the bedroom.

So that was the real truth. She wanted to be selfish. She wanted to keep Patty to herself and continue on the way things had been before Victor Bennett has waltzed into their lives. Penny swallowed hard. The real problem, she supposed, was that she knew she had to let Patty live her own life. She had to let her go. She wasn't sure if letting Patty make such a monumental mistake made her a terrible mother or a great one.

She sighed. Maybe–maybe–it wouldn't be as bad as she imagined. In fact, maybe it would be as amazing as her relationship with Allen had been.

But somehow she doubted it.

Glancing at the clock, Penny realized she had spent about as much time as she could wallowing for the day. There were things to do and time to spend with Patty before she gone, gone, gone...

Penny pushed off the covers, forced a smile and headed to the bathroom to get a shower.

One she was showered and dressed, she went to Patty's room, opening the door quietly and peeking at her daughter. Patty was still asleep, sprawled on her stomach, one arm above her head and the other hanging off the side of the bed. Penny swallowed the lump in her throat and went over to the bed, perching on the edge of it.

"Patty," she said, stroking Patty's hair. "Patty, it's time to get up."

"Mmm," said Patty, rolling onto her side, away from Penny.

"Patty," Penny prompted again, "you need to get up and start getting ready. It's already nine o'clock. The wedding starts at one."

That got a better response. Patty rolled onto her back, eyes open, blinking sleepily at the ceiling. "Is this a dream?" she asked, yawning.

I wish, thought Penny, but she said, "You know it's not. Now come on. Up, up, up."

Patty stretched her arms and sat up as Penny stood. She looked at Patty fondly, her daughter's hair crumpled and flying in ten different directions, lines on her face from her pillow. The last time I'll see her like this, thought Penny. She physically shook the thought away and said, "You get a shower. I'm going to go downstairs and start breakfast."

"Okay," said Patty.

Penny disappeared downstairs and by the time she got to the kitchen she could hear the shower running. They had decorated the conservatory (where Patty had wanted the wedding), last night. They had moved out the furniture and set up folding chairs in the room. Patty had insisted on hanging small white lights around the room, claiming they would look beautiful once night fell. The flowers were arriving that morning; pink and white roses. And that was it. Patty had insisted on keeping it simple, and Penny had no choice but to agree.

In the dining room she already had dishes set out for the food later (they were apparently eating buffet style, to Penny's displeasure). They had pushed the table against the wall and taken away the chairs. Patty had thought that the room would serve as a great dance floor for later, so their old record player was set up in the corner. Patty had agreed to let Gordie be in charge of the music. Penny simply shook her head in disbelief when Patty said that.

It's her wedding, Penny reminded herself for the hundredth time.

She made Patty's favorites for breakfast: Belgian waffles with strawberries and bananas, bacon, sausage and raisin toast. She knew that Patty, never a big eater, wouldn't be able to devour the entire meal, but Penny didn't care. This was her last chance to make breakfast for her daughter. She had just set down the plate of waffles on the table when Patty appeared in the doorway, still wearing her bathrobe, her hair in large curlers.

"Waffles!" said Patty as though she was surprised. She went over to the table and sat down, obviously eager to begin eating.

"Of course," said Penny.

Patty smiled. "Thanks, Mom," she said.

Penny shrugged, unable to speak, and set down a second plate filled with bacon and sausage. The toast was the last to finish, and when it was done, Penny set it on the table and collapsed in the chair across from Patty.

"This is too much, Mom," said Patty.

"Just eat what you can," said Penny, helping herself to a piece of toast.

Patty nodded and poked a fork into her waffle, dropping it on her plate and generously scooping strawberries and bananas on top of it.

"What time is Victor getting here?" asked Penny halfheartedly.

"Noon," said Patty. "Barry's coming with him and they're picking up Susan on the way too."

"Well your grandmother is coming over at eleven," said Penny, well aware that Patty knew this already. "She's bringing potatoes and fruit salad"–Penny involuntarily shuddered at this–"and a pasta dish and–"

"I know, Mom," said Patty, interrupting her mother. Penny wanted to look sharply at her, but Patty had such a spark in her eye that she simply couldn't.

"I know you do," she said instead. "I just..."

"I know," said Patty, smiling. "But you have the cake covered, right?"

Penny nodded. The fact that Patty had finally agreed that she could make the cake however she liked had made up for the fact that Victor's great-uncle George, who was a judge, was performing the ceremony. The man wheezed whenever he spoke and Penny wouldn't be surprised if he had an asthma attack in the middle of the ceremony. Patty had just been pleased that another member of Victor's family would be there for him. Sometimes Penny wondered how Patty, who was as unselfish as a person could possibly be, was her daughter.

In any case, the cake had made up for Penny's unspoken displeasure with the officiator. It was going to be the masterpiece in an otherwise family cook-out type meal. Three layers of decadent chocolate with coconut topping and a raspberry sauce on the side. Penny had been working on it since Patty had first mentioned the cake.

Patty had yet to see it, and Penny couldn't wait for her reaction.

By ten thirty the casual pretense of breakfast had ended. Patty had run upstairs to do her hair and Penny was cleaning all of the dishes and storing what she could of the massive amounts of leftover food, when the doorbell rang. Abandoning her post, Penny answered the door. The flowers had arrived: a bouquet of pink and white roses for Patty; a bouquet of pink roses for Susan; two pink boutonnieres for Victor and Barry; and a large collection of simple bouquets of white roses to set in the conservatory. Penny went about directing the delivery men and then took the bouquets and boutonnieres into the kitchen to store in the refrigerator until closer to the ceremony. Then she went back to finish the dishes.

By eleven the flowers were set up and Patience had arrived, bearing more food than Penny thought they'd need. Patience had gushed over everything that was already set up, much more impressed with the simplistic wedding Patty had set up than Penny was. Although Penny was glad her mother was there, she couldn't stand her getting underfoot in the kitchen, so she sent her upstairs to see Patty.

It was a little before noon when Penny finally had everything organized and ready to go. Patty came downstairs, her hair pulled back away from her face but left cascading down in soft curls in the back, to take one last look around. When the doorbell rang she scampered up the stairs, leaving Patience and Penny to open the door.

"Hi," said Victor when Penny opened the door. His smile looked a little forced, Penny thought, and she wondered if he was going to lose his breakfast all over the front porch.

"Ignore him," said the young man next to Victor, whom Penny took to be Barry. "He's just nervous." The young man stuck out his hand to Penny. "I'm Barry," he said.

"Penny Halliwell," said Penny, raising an eyebrow. She stepped back to let the two young men into the house. "Where's Susan?" she asked.

Barry jerked his head in the direction of the driveway. "She wanted to check her makeup or something, I dunno."

"Charming," said Penny of Barry's speech pattern.

Barry grinned, as though aware of Penny's impatient dismissal of him. "Hey, where should we change into these penguin suits?" he asked.

Penny sighed. "Mom," she said, "will you take them to the basement to change?"

"Sure," said Patience. She hooked her arms through Victor's and Barry's and with one boy on either side she led them towards the basement. Penny shook her head in disbelief.

Poking her head outside the front door she saw Susan leaning against the car, staring at the house like she didn't want to come in. "Susan," Penny called. Susan's head snapped towards the front door. "Are you coming in?" she asked.

Susan glanced at the house one more time and then started towards the front door. When she got there, Penny let her in and shut the door behind her. "Patty's up in her room," said Penny. "You can head up." Susan nodded, still seeming dazed, then went upstairs.

Penny checked her watch, groaned at the time, and headed upstairs to change for the ceremony. Once she was dressed, she popped into Patty's room quickly so she could see how things were coming along. For a second, she was stunned, scarcely recognizing the version of her daughter in front of her. Patty was wearing a long, sleek white gown with capped sleeved and a heart-shaped neckline. She looked...Penny shook her head. Patty looked grown up.

"What do you think, Mom?" asked Patty.

Penny smiled genuinely for the first time that day. "You look beautiful," she said a little breathlessly. Thankfully, the doorbell rang at that moment, and Penny didn't have to worry about crying before the wedding even began. "I'll be back soon," she promised Patty, and went downstairs to start playing hostess to the guests.

By one there were thirteen guests. Victor's brother had shown up, alongside his uncle Michael and aunt Angela. A young woman who said she was a co-worker of Victor came with a date. Cynthia and Bill were there without their son. Two of Patty's co-workers, Mary Ann and Harriet, came and so did a young woman named Charlotte, who Penny believed was the young witch Patty had mentioned meeting. Plus the family was there: Patience, Gordon and Gordie.

When Victor and Barry had taken their places in the conservatory nearby the judge, Penny went back upstairs and stood silently outside of Patty's door for a minute. Inside she could hear Patty and Susan giggling. Please watch over Patty today, she said in silent prayer to Allen, and then she knocked on the door softly.

"Come in," said Patty, sounding happier than Penny had heard her in a long time.

Penny opened the door and said, "It's time to start, Patty."

Susan stood up and kissed Patty on the cheek and then headed into the hallway. Patty followed her, linking her arm through her mother's as they went downstairs. In the other room, Gordie had put on a record Penny didn't recognize, as a woman crooned lyrics about love into the air. Susan started for the conservatory and once she was in the front of the room, Penny started down the aisle with Patty. When they reached Victor, Penny kissed her daughter on the cheek and watched sadly as Patty took Victor's hand, her eyes focused purely on him. At least Victor didn't look nervous any more.

Sadly, Penny sat down in the chair next to her mother and watched Patty marry Victor.

She cried, half-joyful, half-sorrowful, the entire time.